Denzil Fortescue, 6th Earl Fortescue

Denzil George Fortescue, 6th Earl Fortescue (13 June 1893 – 1 June 1977) was a British peer, the son of Hugh Fortescue, 4th Earl Fortescue.^[1]

He was educated at Eton and New College, Oxford before a military career, serving in both the First World War and World War II. He was commanding officer of the Royal Devon Yeomanry 1935-1941, and commanding officer of the 1st Heavy Regiment, Royal Artillery, 1942-1944.

In 1958, he succeeded to the Earldom on the death of his older brother, Hugh Fortescue, 5th Earl Fortescue, whose only son, Hugh, Viscount Ebrington had been killed at El Alamein in 1942.

Marriages and children

He married, firstly, Marjorie Ellinor Trotter, the granddaughter of John Hamilton, 1st Baron Hamilton of Dalzell, on 10 June 1920 and they were divorced in 1941. They had three children:

• Richard Archibald Fortescue, 7th Earl Fortescue (1922–1993), father of the 8th Earl (by the first of his three marriages), who has three daughters. He also had three daughters, two by his second wife.
• Hon. Martin Fortescue (b. 5 January 1924; d. 2005) heir presumptive to the earldom 1977-2005, married Prudence Rowley, daughter of Sir Charles Rowley, 6th Baronet and had issue, 2 sons and 2 daus. The elder son John Fortescue (b. 1954) is married with issue 2 sons and a daughter, and is heir presumptive to the earldom.
• Bridget Ellinor Fortescue (b. 17 October 1927), married Gordon Sinclair and had issue.

Fortescue married, secondly, Hon. Sybil Hardinge, daughter of Henry Hardinge, 3rd Viscount Hardinge, on 8 August 1941. They had one son:

• Hon. Seymour Henry Fortescue (b. 28 May 1942), married firstly, Julie Pitcher and had issue, 1 son and a daughter Marissa Clare (married to German Prince Maximilian zu Bentheim-Tecklenburg). He married secondly, Jennifer Simon and had issue.

External links

• Hansard 1803–2005: contributions in Parliament by the Earl Fortescue