Francis Needham, 4th Earl of Kilmorey
Encyclopedia
Francis Charles Adelbert Henry Needham, 4th Earl of Kilmorey PC (NI)
OBE
(26 November 1883-11 January 1961), styled Viscount Newry from 1883 to 1915, was an Anglo-Irish
peer
.
, and Ellen Constance Baldock.
) Battalion, King's Shropshire Light Infantry in 1901 and promoted Lieutenant
in 1902. A month later he transferred to the 1st Life Guards as a Second Lieutenant
. He was promoted Lieutenant again in 1904 and Captain
in 1907. He resigned his commission in 1911. He returned to the Army during the First World War, reaching the rank of Major
. In 1930 he was appointed Captain in the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve and waw the second Commanding Officer of HMS Caroline
, the RNR base in Belfast, where his photograph can be seen today.
of County Down
in 1913, as Lord Lieutenant of County Down from 1949 to 1959 and as Vice-Admiral of Ulster
from 1937 to 1961. From 1916 until his death Kilmorey sat in the House of Lords
as an Irish Representative Peer
, becoming the last surviving Irish representative Peer. In 1936 he was admitted to the Privy Council of Northern Ireland
.
The ancestral Mourne Park Estate, of some 800 acres (3.2 km²), in County Down, Northern Ireland, was not, however, inherited by the 5th Earl who opted to inherit contents to the value of the estate as he lived in England. It is currently owned by the Anley family, descendants of the late Lady Eleanor Needham, elder daughter of the 4th Earl of Kilmorey.
Privy Council of Northern Ireland
The Privy Council of Northern Ireland was a formal body of advisors to the sovereign and was a vehicle for the monarch's prerogative powers in Northern Ireland. It was modelled on the Privy Council of the United Kingdom....
OBE
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
(26 November 1883-11 January 1961), styled Viscount Newry from 1883 to 1915, was an Anglo-Irish
Anglo-Irish
Anglo-Irish was a term used primarily in the 19th and early 20th centuries to identify a privileged social class in Ireland, whose members were the descendants and successors of the Protestant Ascendancy, mostly belonging to the Church of Ireland, which was the established church of Ireland until...
peer
Peerage
The Peerage is a legal system of largely hereditary titles in the United Kingdom, which constitute the ranks of British nobility and is part of the British honours system...
.
Background
Kilmorey was the eldest son of Francis Needham, 3rd Earl of KilmoreyFrancis Needham, 3rd Earl of Kilmorey
Francis Charles Needham, 3rd Earl of Kilmorey KP , known as Viscount Newry from 1851 to 1880, was an Anglo-Irish peer and Conservative Member of Parliament.-Life:...
, and Ellen Constance Baldock.
Military career
He was commissioned into the 3rd (MilitiaMilitia
The term militia is commonly used today to refer to a military force composed of ordinary citizens to provide defense, emergency law enforcement, or paramilitary service, in times of emergency without being paid a regular salary or committed to a fixed term of service. It is a polyseme with...
) Battalion, King's Shropshire Light Infantry in 1901 and promoted Lieutenant
Lieutenant
A lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer in many nations' armed forces. Typically, the rank of lieutenant in naval usage, while still a junior officer rank, is senior to the army rank...
in 1902. A month later he transferred to the 1st Life Guards as a Second Lieutenant
Second Lieutenant
Second lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces.- United Kingdom and Commonwealth :The rank second lieutenant was introduced throughout the British Army in 1871 to replace the rank of ensign , although it had long been used in the Royal Artillery, Royal...
. He was promoted Lieutenant again in 1904 and Captain
Captain (Royal Navy)
Captain is a senior officer rank of the Royal Navy. It ranks above Commander and below Commodore and has a NATO ranking code of OF-5. The rank is equivalent to a Colonel in the British Army or Royal Marines and to a Group Captain in the Royal Air Force. The rank of Group Captain is based on the...
in 1907. He resigned his commission in 1911. He returned to the Army during the First World War, reaching the rank of Major
Major
Major is a rank of commissioned officer, with corresponding ranks existing in almost every military in the world.When used unhyphenated, in conjunction with no other indicator of rank, the term refers to the rank just senior to that of an Army captain and just below the rank of lieutenant colonel. ...
. In 1930 he was appointed Captain in the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve and waw the second Commanding Officer of HMS Caroline
HMS Caroline (1914)
HMS Caroline was a C-class light cruiser of the British Royal Navy. Caroline was launched and commissioned in 1914. At the time of her decommissioning in 2011 she was the second-oldest ship in Royal Navy service, after HMS Victory...
, the RNR base in Belfast, where his photograph can be seen today.
Political career
He also served as High SheriffHigh Sheriff
A high sheriff is, or was, a law enforcement officer in the United Kingdom, Canada and the United States.In England and Wales, the office is unpaid and partly ceremonial, appointed by the Crown through a warrant from the Privy Council. In Cornwall, the High Sheriff is appointed by the Duke of...
of County Down
County Down
-Cities:*Belfast *Newry -Large towns:*Dundonald*Newtownards*Bangor-Medium towns:...
in 1913, as Lord Lieutenant of County Down from 1949 to 1959 and as Vice-Admiral of Ulster
Ulster
Ulster is one of the four provinces of Ireland, located in the north of the island. In ancient Ireland, it was one of the fifths ruled by a "king of over-kings" . Following the Norman invasion of Ireland, the ancient kingdoms were shired into a number of counties for administrative and judicial...
from 1937 to 1961. From 1916 until his death Kilmorey sat in 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....
as an Irish 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...
, becoming the last surviving Irish representative Peer. In 1936 he was admitted to the Privy Council of Northern Ireland
Privy Council of Northern Ireland
The Privy Council of Northern Ireland was a formal body of advisors to the sovereign and was a vehicle for the monarch's prerogative powers in Northern Ireland. It was modelled on the Privy Council of the United Kingdom....
.
Family
Lord Kilmorey married Lady Norah Frances Hastings, daughter of Warner Francis John Plantagenet Hastings, 15th Earl of Huntingdon, in 1920. He died in January 1961, aged 77, and was succeeded in his titles by his nephew Francis.The ancestral Mourne Park Estate, of some 800 acres (3.2 km²), in County Down, Northern Ireland, was not, however, inherited by the 5th Earl who opted to inherit contents to the value of the estate as he lived in England. It is currently owned by the Anley family, descendants of the late Lady Eleanor Needham, elder daughter of the 4th Earl of Kilmorey.