Henry Petty-Fitzmaurice,

Bath Royal Literary &
Scientific Institution

16-18 Queen Square,Bath,BA1 2HN.UK

Notable members of the
Bath Royal Literary and
Scientific Institution.

Henry Petty-Fitzmaurice,
Marquis of Lansdowne, K.G. (1780-1863)

Bowood
Henry Petty-Fitzmaurice, Marquis of Lansdowne, K.G. &c.&c.&c.

Engraved by F.J.Smith after a Daguerreotype by
Kilburn in 1852, for the "Illustrated London News".

Henry Petty-Fitzmaurice, Marquis of Lansdowne, K.G. (1780-1863), was the son of the 1st Marquis of Shelbourne by his second marriage. He succeeded his elder half-brother to the title in 1809. One of the most notable of Whigs of the first half of the 19th century, he was a champion of catholic emancipation, the abolition of the slave-trade and the cause of popular education. He served in Canning's cabinet as Secretary of State for Home Affairs in 1828 and was Lord President of the Council both under Gray and Melbourne and during the whole of Lord John Russell's Ministry. His position was one of great power but he exercised consistent moderation. He and his refined wife Louisa made their home in Wiltshire, Bowood House, a magnet for society. He was patron of arts, and the local poets Moore, Crabbe and Bowles were frequent guests at his social gatherings, mingling with statesmen, scientists and other writers. He had many connections with France and it is significant that the well known writer Mme de Stael visited Bowood House and Bath in 1813. His great interest in the arts and sciences made him the perfect choice as the first President of the Institution.

Trudy Wallace 2002

	Further information or visit Bowood House and Gardens, Calne, Wiltshire, England. 'You will see the Bowood laboratory where Joseph Priestley, tutor to the 1st Marquess of Lansdowne's sons, discovered oxygen in 1774'

Other notable members of the Institution:

The poet Thomas Moore (1779-1852)

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