Colonel Francis William Henry Fane, 12th Earl of Westmorland CB, DL (19 November 1825 – 3 August 1891), styled Lord Burghersh between 1851 and 1859, was a British soldier and racehorse owner.
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Fane was the fourth but eldest surviving son of John Fane, 11th Earl of Westmorland, by Lady Priscilla Anne, daughter of William Wellesley-Pole, 3rd Earl of Mornington. He was educated at Westminster and the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst.[1]
Lord Westmorland campaigned in the First Anglo-Sikh War and the Battle of Gujrat during the second war. He also participated in the Crimean War, being awarded the Medjidie and the Légion d'honneur and appointed a Companion of the Order of the Bath (CB).[1] Following the death of his three brothers, he became heir to the earldom of Westmorland. In 1859 he succeeded his father and, the following year, retired from the army ranked as a Colonel.
From this time he became a member of the Jockey Club and a racehorse owner, colours green with white braid. His horses never won any of the Classics and he was known to place heavy stakes.[1] In 1866 he sold the family portraits by Joshua Reynolds, Mr Fane and Lord Burghersh.[2] Eventually his finances forced him to sell his horses and, instead, he managed Lord Hartington's stable.[1]
Lord Westmorland married Lady Adelaide, daughter of Richard Curzon-Howe, 1st Earl Howe, in 1857. He died in August 1891, aged 65, and was succeeded by his second but only surviving son, Anthony, who was forced to sell the family seat, Apethorpe Hall. The Countess of Westmorland died in March 1903.
| Peerage of England | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by John Fane |
Earl of Westmorland 1859–1891 |
Succeeded by Anthony Mildmay Julian Fane |