| The Right Honourable The Earl of Eglinton KT, PC |
|
|---|---|
| Lord Lieutenant of Ireland | |
| In office 1 March 1852 – 17 December 1852 |
|
| Monarch | Victoria |
| Prime Minister | The Earl of Derby |
| Preceded by | The Earl of Clarendon |
| Succeeded by | The Earl of St Germans |
| In office 8 March 1858 – 11 June 1859 |
|
| Monarch | Victoria |
| Prime Minister | The Earl of Derby |
| Preceded by | The Earl of Carlisle |
| Succeeded by | The Earl of Carlisle |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 29 September 1812 Palermo, Sicily |
| Died | 4 October 1861 |
| Nationality | British |
| Political party | Conservative |
| Spouse(s) | (1) Hon. Theresa Newcomen (d. 1853) (2) Lady Adela Caroline Harriett Capell (1828-1860) |
Archibald William Montgomerie, 13th Earl of Eglinton KT, PC (29 September 1812 – 4 October 1861), styled Lord Montgomerie from 1814 to 1819, was a British Conservative politician. He was Lord Lieutenant of Ireland in 1852 and again from 1858 to 1859.
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Eglinton was born in Palermo, Sicily, the son of Major-General Archibald Montgomerie, Lord Montgomerie (30 July 1773 – 4 January 1814), the eldest son of Hugh Montgomerie, 12th Earl of Eglinton. His mother was Lady Mary Montgomerie (d. 1848), daughter of General Archibald Montgomerie, 11th Earl of Eglinton. He was educated at Eton.
Eglinton was a staunch Tory, and in February 1852 he became Lord Lieutenant of Ireland under the Earl of Derby. He retired with the ministry in the following December, having by his princely hospitality made himself one of the most popular of Irish viceroys. When Derby returned to office in February 1858 he was again appointed Lord-Lieutenant, and he discharged the duties of this post until June 1859. In this year he was created Earl of Wintoun, an earldom which had been held by his kinsfolk, the Setons, from 1600 until 1716, when George Seton, 5th Earl of Wintoun, was deprived of his honors for high treason. Anstruther gives the date for this creation as 1840.[1]
Lord Eglinton's main object of interest for some years was the turf; he kept a large racing stud and won success and reputation in the sporting world.
In 1839 Lord Eglinton's name became more widely known in connection with the Eglinton Tournament. This took place at Eglinton castle and is said to have cost him £30,000 or £40,000. Contemporary ridicule is better remembered today than it successes. It was partly spoiled by the unfavourable weather, the rain falling in torrents, but it was a real tournament, participants having attended regular training during the course of the year prior and lances being broken in the orthodox way. Prince Louis Napoleon (Napoleon III) and Lady Seymour, a granddaughter of Richard Brinsley Sheridan and the wife of Lord Seymour, afterwards 12th Duke of Somerset, took part. A list of the challengers with an account of the jousts and the mêlée will be found in the volume on the tournament written by the Reverend John Richardson, with drawings by James Henry Nixon (1843). It was also described in Disraeli's Endymion.
Lord Eglinton married, firstly, the Hon. Theresa Newcomen, daughter of Thomas Gleadowe-Newcomen, 2nd Viscount Newcomen and Harriet Holland, in 1841. Theresa Newcomen was born in Calcutta on an unknown date, and died on 16 December 1853 at Eglintoun Castle. They had the following children:
After Lady Theresa's death in December 1853 her widower married, secondly, the Hon. Adela Caroline Harriett, daughter of Arthur Capell, 6th Earl of Essex, in 1858. They had the following children:
Lady Adela died in December 1860, aged only 32. Lord Eglinton survived her by less than a year and died in October 1861, aged 49. He was succeeded by his eldest son Archibald.
| Government offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by The Earl of Clarendon |
Lord Lieutenant of Ireland 1852 |
Succeeded by The Earl of St Germans |
| Preceded by The Earl of Carlisle |
Lord Lieutenant of Ireland 1858–1859 |
Succeeded by The Earl of Carlisle |
| Honorary titles | ||
| Preceded by The Earl of Glasgow |
Lord Lieutenant of Ayrshire 1842–1861 |
Succeeded by The Marquess of Ailsa |
| Academic offices | ||
| Preceded by Unknown |
Rector of Marischal College, Aberdeen 1851—1853 |
Succeeded by The Earl of Carlisle |
| Preceded by Sir Archibald Alison, Bt |
Rector of the University of Glasgow 1852—1854 |
Succeeded by The Duke of Argyll |
| Peerage of the United Kingdom | ||
| New creation | Earl of Wintoun 1859–1861 |
Succeeded by Archibald Montgomerie |
| Peerage of Scotland | ||
| Preceded by Hugh Montgomerie |
Earl of Eglinton 1819–1861 |
Succeeded by Archibald Montgomerie |