Henry Petty, 3rd Marquess of Lansdowne

In the north west tower chapel in the nave of Westminster Abbey is a memorial bust to Henry Petty-Fitzmaurice, Marquess of Lansdowne, politician. The bust is by sculptor Sir J. Edgar Boehm and was paid for in 1873. The inscription, with the Latin parts translated, reads:

Henry, Marquis of Lansdowne, a patron of the liberal arts, a pattern for mankind, without taste for faction, a bulwark of his country. Born July 2nd 1780. Died Jan 31st 1863. Buried at Bowood.

He was a son of William Petty, 1st Marquess of Lansdowne and Prime Minister from 1782-1783, and his second wife Lady Louisa (Fitzpatrick). Born at Lansdowne House in London he was educated at Westminster School and Edinburgh university. He toured the continent and became a Member of Parliament and succeeded to the title as 3rd Marquess on the death of his half brother in 1809. He married Lady Louisa Fox-Strangeways and had three children: William, Earl Wycombe and later Earl of Kerry, Louisa who married Hon. James Howard and Henry, later Earl of Shelburne. In a long career in politics he was Home Secretary and strongly supported the abolition of slavery and the repeal of the Penal Laws. He refused a dukedom and was buried at his country seat of Bowood in Dorset.

Further Reading

Oxford Dictionary of National Biography 2004

Born

2th July 1780

Died

31st January 1863

Occupation

Politician

Location

Nave

Memorial Type

Bust

Henry Petty, 3rd Marquess of Lansdowne
Henry Petty-Fitzmaurice, 3rd Marquess of Lansdowne by Henry Walton

© National Portrait Gallery, London [Creative Commons CC BY-NC-ND 3.0]

Henry Petty, 3rd Marquess of Lansdowne
Henry Petty, 3rd Marquess of Lansdowne memorial

This image can be purchased from Westminster Abbey Library

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