George Byng, 2nd Earl of Strafford
PC | |
|---|---|
| Comptroller of the Household | |
| In office 6 May 1835 – 23 June 1841 | |
| Monarchs | William IV Victoria |
| Prime Minister | The Viscount Melbourne |
| Preceded by | Hon. Henry Lowry-Corry |
| Succeeded by | Lord Marcus Hill |
| Treasurer of the Household | |
| In office 23 June 1841 – 30 August 1841 | |
| Monarch | Victoria |
| Prime Minister | The Viscount Melbourne |
| Preceded by | Earl of Surrey |
| Succeeded by | Earl Jermyn |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 8 June 1806 |
| Died | 29 October 1886 (aged 80) |
| Nationality | British |
| Political party | Whig |
| Spouse(s) | (1) Lady Agnes Paget (c. 1809–1845) (2) Hon. Harriett Cavendish (d. 1892) |
| Alma mater | Royal Military Academy Sandhurst |
George Stevens Byng, 2nd Earl of Strafford,
Whig
politician.
Origins
Byng was the eldest son of Field Marshal John Byng, 1st Earl of Strafford (1772–1860) by his first wife, Mary Mackenzie.[1]
Military career
In 1822, after graduating from the
60th Rifles. In 1837, after he had begun his political career, he was appointed Lieutenant-Colonel of the part-time Royal West Middlesex Militia.[2] On the death of the regiment's colonel in 1844 Byng succeeded to the command. His eldest son, the Hon George Byng, was commissioned as his lt-col on 30 October 1853. He retired from the command and became the regiment's Honorary Colonel on 5 December 1859.[3]
Political career
Byng's political career began in 1830 when he was elected as a
Lord of the Treasury
between June and November 1834.
According to the Legacies of British Slave-Ownership at the University College London, Strafford made an unsuccessful claim for compensation in the aftermath of the Slavery Abolition Act 1833 with the Slave Compensation Act 1837.[6]
Between 1836 and 1837 he represented
Privy Council in 1835.[11] When Lord John Russell became Prime Minister in 1846, Byng was appointed Joint Secretary to the Board of Control
, a post he retained until 1847.
After losing his parliamentary seat in 1852, Byng was summoned to the
barony of Strafford a year later[12]
and inherited his father's earldom in 1860.
Marriages and progeny
Byng married twice:
- Firstly on 7 March 1829 to Lady Agnes Paget (d. October 1845), a daughter of Field Marshal Henry Paget, 1st Marquess of Anglesey, by whom he had six children:
- George Byng, 3rd Earl of Strafford (22 Feb 1830 – 28 Mar 1898), eldest son and heir. Died without surviving male progeny.
- Henry Byng, 4th Earl of Strafford (21 Aug 1831 – 16 May 1899), 2nd son, who succeeded his elder brother in the titles. Died without surviving male progeny.
- Lady Agnes Mary Georgiana Byng (29 Oct 1833 – 7 Apr 1878), who married Hedworth Jolliffe, 2nd Baron Hylton.
- Francis Edmund Cecil Byng, 5th Earl of Strafford(1835–1918), 3rd son, who succeeded his elder brother in the titles.
- Lady Mary Caroline Charlotte Byng (1838–1933), who married the barrister Richard Arkwright.
- Lady Victoria Alexandrina Anna Maria Byng (11 Mar 1842 – 1899), who married Arthur Fuller.
- Secondly in 1848 he married the Hon. Harriett Cavendish, a daughter of Charles Cavendish, 1st Baron Chesham, by whom he had a further seven children:
- Hon. Charles Cavendish George Byng (1849–1918).
- Hon. Alfred John George Byng (1851–1887).
- Lady Susan Catherine Harriet Byng (19 Mar 1854 – 1936), who married Thomas Trueman.
- Lady Elizabeth Henrietta Alice Byng (31 Dec 1855 – 1920).
- Hon. Lionel Francis George Byng (1858–1915), who in 1902 married Lady Eleanor Mabel Howard (1873–1945), a daughter of the Henry Howard, 18th Earl of Suffolk, by whom he had issue.
- Lady Margaret Florence Lucy Byng (6 Nov 1860 – 1945), who married Hon. John Richard Boscawen.
- Julian Hedworth George Byng, 1st Viscount Byng of Vimy (1862–1935).
Death
Lord Strafford died in October 1886, aged 80, and was succeeded in his titles by his eldest son, George. The Countess of Strafford died in June 1892.[1]
References
- ^ a b thepeerage.com George Stevens Byng, 2nd Earl of Strafford
- ^ London Gazette, 5 January 1838.
- ^ Lt-Col H.G. Hart, The New Annual Army List, and Militia List (various dates from 1840).
- ^ a b "leighrayment.com House of Commons: Mayo to Minehead". Archived from the original on 10 August 2009. Retrieved 5 December 2009.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link) - ^ "leighrayment.com House of Commons: Carmarthen East and Dinefwr to Chesterton". Archived from the original on 18 August 2016. Retrieved 5 December 2009.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link) - ^ "George Stevens Byng, 2nd Earl of Strafford". University College London. Retrieved on 20 March 2019.
- ^ "leighrayment.com House of Commons: Plymouth to Putney". Archived from the original on 10 August 2009. Retrieved 5 December 2009.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link) - ^ "No. 19274". The London Gazette. 29 May 1835. p. 1024.
- ^ a b "No. 19994". The London Gazette. 29 June 1841. p. 1683.
- ^ "No. 20017". The London Gazette. 10 September 1841. p. 2273.
- ^ "No. 19274". The London Gazette. 29 May 1835. p. 1023.
- ^ "No. 21429". The London Gazette. 8 April 1853. p. 1028.