Charles Chetwynd-Talbot, 2nd Earl Talbot

Charles Chetwynd Chetwynd-Talbot, 2nd Earl Talbot, KG, PC, FRS (25 April 1777 – 10 January 1849), styled Viscount of Ingestre between 1784 and 1793, was a British politician. He served as Lord Lieutenant of Ireland between 1817 and 1821.


The Earl Talbot

The 2nd Earl Talbot in 1844
Lord Lieutenant of Ireland
In office
3 October 1817  8 December 1821
Monarch
Prime MinisterThe Earl of Liverpool
Preceded byThe Earl Whitworth
Succeeded byThe Marquess Wellesley
Personal details
Born25 April 1777 (1777-04-25)
Died10 January 1849 (1849-01-11) (aged 71)
Ingestre Hall, Staffordshire
NationalityBritish
Spouse(s)Frances Lambart (d. 1819)
Children11
ParentsJohn Chetwynd-Talbot, 1st Earl Talbot
Lady Charlotte Hill
Alma materChrist Church, Oxford
Arms of Charles Chetwynd-Talbot, 2nd Earl Talbot, KG, PC, FRS

Background and education

Born as Charles Talbot, he was the eldest son of the Hon. John Talbot of Ingestre Hall and his wife, Lady Charlotte Hill, a daughter of Wills Hill, 1st Marquess of Downshire. When John Talbot was created Earl Talbot and Viscount of Ingestre in 1784, Charles Talbot assumed the latter title as a courtesy title. His father also added Chetwynd to the family name in 1786.

He inherited his father's earldom and the Ingestre estate in 1793, matriculated from Christ Church, Oxford in 1794 and graduated as a Master of Arts in 1797. He commissioned the architect John Nash to renovate Ingestre around 1810.[1]

Early career

After leaving Oxford, Lord Talbot joined the British embassy in Russia under Lord Whitworth, forming a lasting friendship with his boss. In 1803, Lord Talbot organised a volunteer force in Staffordshire to oppose a planned invasion by Napoleon. In 1812, he was appointed Lord Lieutenant of that county, an office he held until his death. He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1813.[2]

Lord Lieutenant of Ireland

In 1817, Talbot was also appointed Lord Lieutenant of Ireland and admitted to the Privy Council. In recognition of his rendering services to the agriculture of Ireland, he was awarded the Freedom of Drogheda and during George IV's visit to the country in 1821, he was appointed a Knight of St Patrick. Although an opponent of Catholic emancipation, Daniel O'Connell gave Talbot credit for his impartiality and Lord Cloncurry called him 'an honourable, high-minded gentleman'. However, the growing discontent in Ireland under Talbot's administration, forced the Prime Minister, Lord Liverpool, to have him replaced with Lord Wellesley in December 1821.

Later life

In 1833, Lord Talbot was encouraged to stand for the chancellorship of Oxford University, but withdrew in deference to the Duke of Wellington. In 1839, in recognition of his services as Lord Lieutenant of Staffordshire, Talbot received a testimonial of £1400, which he used to endow a new church at Salt, Staffordshire. A supporter of Robert Peel, he resigned as a Knight of St Patrick in place of being appointed a Knight of the Garter in 1844, on Peel's recommendation. Lord Talbot subsequently supported the repeal of the Corn Laws, being one of the first peers to do so.

According to the Legacies of British Slave-Ownership at the University College London, Talbot was awarded a payment as a slave trader in the aftermath of the Slavery Abolition Act 1833 with the Slave Compensation Act 1837. The British Government took out a £15 million loan (worth £1.43 billion in 2021[3]) with interest from Nathan Mayer Rothschild and Moses Montefiore which was subsequently paid off by the British taxpayers (ending in 2015). Talbot was associated with "T71/854 St John claim no. 64A (Worthy Park)" and "T71/855 St Thomas-in-the-Vale claim no. 321A (Mickleton Pen)", he owned 543 slaves in Jamaica and received a £4,660 combined payment at the time (worth £446 thousand in 2021[3]).[4]

As a Staffordshire landowner, Lord Talbot gave land at Hixton for construction of the parish church in 1846 and had the Red Lion Public House at Brereton rebuilt in 1847.

Family

Lord Talbot married Frances Thomasine (d. 1819), daughter of Charles Lambart, in 1800. They had eleven surviving children:

Lady Talbot died in December 1819, less than three months after the birth of her youngest child. Lord Talbot died at his home, Ingestre Hall, in January 1849, aged 71, and was succeeded by his eldest surviving son, Henry, who later also inherited the earldom of Shrewsbury from his distant cousin.

References

  1. Historic England. "INGESTRE HALL (1242893)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 11 May 2014.
  2. "Fellow Details". Royal Society. Retrieved 11 May 2014.
  3. UK Retail Price Index inflation figures are based on data from Clark, Gregory (2017). "The Annual RPI and Average Earnings for Britain, 1209 to Present (New Series)". MeasuringWorth. Retrieved 2 February 2020.
  4. "Charles Chetwynd-Talbot, 2nd Earl Talbot". University College London. Retrieved on 20 March 2019.
  5. Bain, Rev. Michael (2007). The Canterbury Association (1848–1852): A Study of Its Members' Connections (PDF). Christchurch: Project Canterbury. pp. 79–80. Retrieved 22 September 2012.
  6. "Kerr, Cecil Chetwynd [née Lady Cecil Chetwynd Chetwynd-Talbot], marchioness of Lothian (1808–1877), Roman Catholic convert | Oxford Dictionary of National Biography". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. 2004. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/40737. Retrieved 13 December 2019. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
Political offices
Preceded by
The Earl Whitworth
Lord Lieutenant of Ireland
1817–1821
Succeeded by
The Marquess Wellesley
Honorary titles
Preceded by
The Earl of Uxbridge
Lord Lieutenant of Staffordshire
1812–1849
Succeeded by
The Marquess of Anglesey
Preceded by
The Marquess of Stafford
Custos Rotulorum of Staffordshire
1828–1849
Peerage of Great Britain
Preceded by
John Chetwynd-Talbot
Earl Talbot
1793–1849
Succeeded by
Henry John Chetwynd-Talbot
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