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George Perceval, 6th Earl of Egmont

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The Right Honourable

The Earl of Egmont
Portrait as a young naval officer, by George Francis Joseph
Born14 March 1794
Died2 August 1874(1874-08-02) (aged 80)
AllegianceUnited Kingdom
Service / branchRoyal Navy
Years of service1805–1874
RankAdmiral
CommandsHMS Infernal
HMS Britomart
Battles / wars
AwardsNaval General Service Medal
Spouse(s)Jane Hornby

Admiral George James Perceval, 6th Earl of Egmont (14 March 1794 – 2 August 1874), known as the Lord Arden between 1840 and 1841, was a British naval commander and Tory politician.

Background

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Egmont was the third but eldest surviving son of Charles Perceval, 2nd Baron Arden, eldest son of John Perceval, 2nd Earl of Egmont, by his second wife Catherine, Baroness Arden. Prime Minister Spencer Perceval was his uncle.

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Egmont left Harrow school and joined the Royal Navy as a midshipman in August 1805. He fought in HMS Orion at the Battle of Trafalgar the same year, aged eleven.[1] During the Bombardment of Algiers in 1816 he commanded HMS Infernal. He was promoted to rear-admiral on 27 August 1851,[2] to vice-admiral in 1857 and to admiral in 1863.

Political career

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Egmont was returned to Parliament as one of two representatives for Surrey West in 1837, a seat he held until 1840. The latter year he succeeded his father in the barony of Arden and entered the House of Lords. The following year he also succeeded his half-first cousin once removed, Henry, as sixth Earl of Egmont.

The wills of the 4th and 5th Earls of Egmont were not proven until 1857, after the death of the family solicitor Sir Edward Tierney, by Tierney's son-in-law Sir William Darell. The 6th Earl contested the 5th Earl's will in 1863, on the grounds that Tierney had taken advantage of the 5th Earl's drunkenness to provide a misleading valuation of the estates which influenced the drafting of the will. The 6th Earl ultimately settled out of court with Darell, paying £125,000 for the return of the family estates in Churchtown, County Cork; Tierney and his heirs had realized an estimated £300,000 for their stewardship.[3]

Family and parting assets

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Lord Egmont married Jane, daughter of John Hornby, in 1819. They had no children. Lady Egmont died in October 1870. He survived his wife by four years and died in August 1874, aged 80. He was succeeded in the earldom by his nephew, Charles.

His probate was sworn the same year at under a rounded threshold of £350,000 (equivalent to about £41,000,000 in 2023), the public calendar of which states he died at Nork House, Banstead, which was one of his addresses, the others being 26 St James's Place, St James's and the mansion of Cowdray Park, West Sussex which takes in Cowdray House (extensive and in part very tall, crenular medieval, Tudor and Stuart ruins).[4]

See also

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  • O'Byrne, William Richard (1849). "Perceval, George James" . A Naval Biographical Dictionary . John Murray – via Wikisource.

References

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  1. ^ "Battle of Trafalgar 'powder monkey' medals go on sale". Daily Telegraph. 11 March 2016. Retrieved 11 March 2016.
  2. ^ "No. 21240". The London Gazette. 29 August 1851. p. 2206.
  3. ^ Spencer, Howard (2009). "PERCEVAL, Henry Frederick John James, Visct. Perceval (1796-1841)". In Fisher, David (ed.). The House of Commons 1820–1832. The History of Parliament Trust.
  4. ^ https://probatesearch.service.gov.uk Calendar of Probates and Administrations
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Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by Member of Parliament for Surrey West
1837–1840
With: William Denison 		Succeeded by
Peerage of Ireland
Preceded by Earl of Egmont
1841–1874 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Baron Arden
1840–1874
Peerage of the United Kingdom
Preceded by Baron Arden
1840–1874 		Succeeded by
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