Albert Edward Handcock, 5th Baron Castlemaine (26 March 1863 – 6 July 1937), styled The Honourable from 1869 to 1892, was an Irish

Irish people

The Irish people are an ethnic group who originate in Ireland, an island in northwestern Europe. Ireland has been populated for around 9,000 years , with the Irish people's earliest ancestors recorded having legends of being descended from groups such as the Nemedians, Fomorians, Fir Bolg, Tuatha...

 peer. He was a major landowner with 12000 acres (49 km²).

Background

Born at East Hill, Athlone, he was the second son of Richard Handcock, 4th Baron Castlemaine

Richard Handcock, 4th Baron Castlemaine

Richard Handcock, 4th Baron Castlemaine , styled The Honourable from 1840 to 1869, was an Irish peer.Born at Athlone, he was the oldest son of Richard Handcock, 3rd Baron Castlemaine and his wife Margaret Harris, daughter of Michael Harris. In 1869, he succeeded his father as baron...

 and his wife Hon. Louisa Matilda Harris, only daughter of William Harris, 2nd Baron Harris

William Harris, 2nd Baron Harris

William George Harris, 2nd Baron Harris KCH was a British soldier and peer.Harris was the son of George Harris, 1st Baron Harris.He fought under his father during the siege and capture of Seringapatam in 1799 at the age of 17...

. In 1892, he succeeded his father as baron. Handcock was educated at Eton College

Eton College

Eton College, often referred to simply as Eton, is a British independent school for boys aged 13 to 18. It was founded in 1440 by King Henry VI as "The King's College of Our Lady of Eton besides Wyndsor"....

 and went then to Christ Church College, Oxford, where he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts

Bachelor of Arts

A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...

 in 1895. He was a Knight of Grace of the Most Venerable Order of the Hospital of St John of Jerusalem.

Career

Handcock served in the British Army as lieutenant of the 4th Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers. In 1898, he was elected a representative peer

Representative peer

In the United Kingdom, representative peers were those peers elected by the members of the Peerage of Scotland and the Peerage of Ireland to sit in the British House of Lords...

 to the House of Lords

House of Lords

The House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster....

. Previously a Deputy Lieutenant

Deputy Lieutenant

In the United Kingdom, a Deputy Lieutenant is one of several deputies to the Lord Lieutenant of a lieutenancy area; an English ceremonial county, Welsh preserved county, Scottish lieutenancy area, or Northern Irish county borough or county....

 of that county, he was appointed Lord Lieutenant of Westmeath

Lord Lieutenant of Westmeath

This is a list of people who have served as Lord Lieutenant of Westmeath. The office was created on 23 August 1831.* George Nugent, 1st Marquess of Westmeath 7 October 1831 – April 1871...

 in 1899, a post he held until its abolishment with the Irish Free State Constitution Act

Irish Free State Constitution Act 1922

The Irish Free State Constitution Act 1922 was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, passed in 1922 to confirm the Constitution of the Irish Free State, and to ratify the 1921 Anglo-Irish Treaty....

 in 1922.

Family

On 25 September 1895, he married Annie Evelyn Barrington, only daughter of Colonel Joseph Thomas Barrington, at St George's, Hanover Square, and had by her an only daughter. Handcock died, aged 74 at London and was succeeded in the barony by his younger brother Robert.