Australian engineer
The Earl of Lincoln
Born (1913-02-23 ) 23 February 1913
Melbourne ,
Australia Died 7 July 2001(2001-07-07) (aged 88) Spouse(s) Lelia Ruth Millen Linda Alice Creed Children Lady Patricia Elrick Edward Fiennes-Clinton, Lord Fynes Parent(s) Edward Henry Fiennes-Clinton Edith Annie Guest Education
Hale School
Edward Horace Fiennes-Clinton, 18th Earl of Lincoln (23 February 1913 – 7 July 2001) was an
aristocratic
Australian
engineer , who succeeded to his
family 's
earldom of Lincoln (cr. 1572) by
primogeniture upon the death in 1988 of his
10th cousin , the
last Duke of Newcastle .
Life
Born at
Melbourne ,
Australia , in 1913, he was the elder son of Edward Henry Fiennes-Clinton, a
Mate in the
British Merchant Navy who emigrated to
Australia in 1912 before serving with the
51st Battalion ,
Australian Imperial Force and being
killed in action on 17 August 1916 during the
First World War .
[1]
His mother, Edith Annie, daughter of Captain Horace Guest, brought him up before remarrying, in 1923, Robert Johnston Lynn,
[2] a cousin of
Deputy Speaker of the Northern Ireland House of Commons ,
Sir Robert Lynn .
Educated at
Hale School , an
independent
Anglican
boarding school in
Perth , Western Australia, Fiennes-Clinton then worked as a boilermaker, a welder's and machine-minder's assistant as well as a
butcher at the
Kalgoorlie Gold Mine .
[3]
Story
Fiennes-Clinton learned of his succession to the earldom of Lincoln during a telephone call from a
journalist with
The Daily Telegraph newspaper in
London , who began "Lord Lincoln, if I may be the first to address you so..." He said he had known he might one day inherit the title, but had forgotten about it. Upon the journalist commenting that he seemed unexcited, Lincoln replied: "young man, I have lived for seventy-five years and I have learned to take things as they come". He did however seem disappointed to hear there was little else to inherit apart from the
peerage itself.
[3]
The
Australian press was much more excited by the news, and three camera crews appeared outside the new
peer 's
flat at Elanora Villas,
Bunbury, Western Australia , before more reporters arrived by
helicopter . Soon after inheriting the Earldom, the new Lord Lincoln travelled to
England , where he was warmly received by (among others) leading citizens of the
City of Lincoln . The story was soon
fictionalized as a storyline in the Australian soap opera
Neighbours .
[3]
He later wrote an
autobiography called Memoirs of an Embryo Earl , published in 1992,[
citation needed ] and set about putting on record his formal right to the peerage with a view to
taking his seat in the
House of Lords . After being briefed on the workings of the
Upper House by
Lord Deedes , and having been received at the
College of Arms , Lincoln stated his intention of joining the
Conservative benches in the
House of Lords . However, there were delays in the process of claiming his seat, which was defeated by the reforms of the upper house in the
House of Lords Act 1999 .
[3] Lincoln thereafter had no automatic right to sit in the Lords, as all but 92
hereditary peers had been removed. His grandson, the 19th Earl, was later
courted by
New Labour .
Lord Lincoln died in
Western Australia on 7 July 2001.
[4]
Family
In 1940, Fiennes-Clinton married Leila Ruth Fitzpatrick,
née Millen, and they had two children, Patricia Ruth Fiennes-Clinton (born 1 February 1941, now Lady Patricia Elrick), and Edward Gordon Fiennes-Clinton (1943–99;
styled
Lord Fynes , by
courtesy ).
[4]
After his first wife died on 19 July 1947, Fiennes-Clinton on 3 December 1953 married Linda Alice, daughter of Rev Charles Creed and widow of James Anthony O'Brien; they had no children.
[4]
[5]
When his
10th cousin , the
10th and last Duke of Newcastle , died on
Christmas Day 1988, Fiennes-Clinton succeeded to His Grace's subsidiary
title of
Earl of Lincoln . His
ancestor , Sir Henry Clinton, of
Kirkstead ,
Lincolnshire , was the
2nd Earl of Lincoln 's elder son by his second marriage; the 2nd Earl's eldest son's descendants went on to become
Dukes of Newcastle .
[5]
The family has served in public life since the
1st Baron Clinton was
summoned to
Parliament in 1299, and in the 18th century
Thomas Pelham-Holles, 1st Duke of Newcastle twice-served as
Prime Minister .
[6] The peerage of
Baron Clinton , created by
writ of summons , to which all descendants are in
remainder , is now held by the Trefusis family.
[7]
Lincoln's grandson Robert Edward Fiennes-Clinton (born 19 June 1972) is the 19th and present earl.
[5] A
fellow of the
Zoological Society of London , he lives in
Perth .
[4]
[8]
Family Tree:
Dukes of Newcastle ,
Earls of Lincoln (8th creation) and
Earls of Clare
Baron Clinton (8th creation), 1298
John Clinton (
d. 1315 )1st Baron Clinton
Baron de Clyton, 1330
John Clinton (
d.
c. 1335 )2nd Baron Clinton
William de Clinton (
c. 1304 –1354)
Earl of Huntingdon , Baron de Clynton
Barony Clynton extinct, 1354
John Clinton (
d. 1398 )3rd Baron Clinton
William Clinton (
D.V.P. 1383)
William Clinton (1378–1431)4th Baron Clinton
John Clinton (1410–1464)5th Baron Clinton Attainted, 1459; restored, 1461
John Clinton (
c. 1429 –1488)6th Baron Clinton
John Clinton (
c. 1470 –1514)7th Baron Clinton
Thomas Clinton (1490–1517)8th Baron Clinton
Earl of Lincoln (8th creation), 1572
Edward Clinton (1512–1585)1st Earl of Lincoln, 9th Baron Clinton
William Cavendish (
c. 1505 –1557)
Bess of Hardwick (
c. 1527 –1608)
Henry Clinton (1539–1616)2nd Earl of Lincoln, 10th Baron Clinton
Charles Cavendish (1553–1617) Frances Cavendish (1548–1632)
Henry Pierrepont (1546–1615)
Earls & Dukes of Devonshire
Duke of Newcastle-Upon-Tyne (1st creation), 1665
Earl of Clare (1st creation, 1624)
Thomas Clinton (1568–1619)3rd Earl of Lincoln, 11th Baron Clinton Edward Clinton (?) Henry Clinton (1587–1641)
William Cavendish (1592–1676)1st Duke of Newcastle-upon-Tyne
Robert Pierrepont (1584–1643) 1st
Earl of Kingston-upon-Hull
John Holles (1564–1637)1st Earl of Clare
Theophilus Clinton (1600–1667)4th Earl of Lincoln, 12th Baron Clinton
Francis Clinton (
d.
c. 1681 )
William Pierrepont (c. 1607–1678)
John Holles (1595–1666)2nd Earl of Clare
Edward Clinton Lord Clinton (1624–1657)
Francis Clinton (1635–1693)6th Earl of Lincoln Norreys Fynes (
d. 1693 )
Henry Cavendish (1630–1691)2nd Duke of Newcastle-upon-Tyne Frances Pierrepont (1630–1695) Grace Pierrepont (1633–1702)
Gilbert Holles (1633–1689)3rd Earl of Clare
Dukedom of Newcastle-upon-Tyne (1st creation) extinct, 1691
Duke of Newcastle-Upon-Tyne (2nd creation), 1694
Edward Clinton (
d. 1692 )5th Earl of Lincoln, 13th Baron Clinton Norreys Fynes (1651–1736)
Margaret Cavendish (1661–1716)
John Holles (1662–1711)Duke of Newcastle-upon-Tyne, 4th Earl of Clare Grace Holles (c. 1668–1700)
Thomas Pelham, 1st Baron Pelham (1653–1712)
Dukedom of Newcastle-upon-Tyne (2nd creation) extinct, 1711 Earldom of Clare extinct, 1711
Earl of Clare (2nd creation, 1714)
Marquess of Clare and
Duke of Newcastle-Upon-Tyne (3rd creation), 1715
Duke of Newcastle-Under-Lyne , 1756
Kendal Fynes (1692–1740)
Henry Clinton (1684–1728)7th Earl of Lincoln Lucy Pelham (1695–1736)
Henry Pelham (1694–1754)
Thomas Pelham-Holles (1693–1768)Duke of Newcastle-upon-Tyne, 1st Duke of Newcastle-under-Lyne, Marquess of Clare , Earl of Clare
Dukedom of Newcastle-upon-Tyne (3rd creation) and Marquessate of Clare extinct, 1768 Earldom of Clare extinct, 1768
Duke of Newcastle-Under-Lyne , 1756 (succeeded by special remainder, 1768)
Norreys Fynes (1720–1764) George Clinton (1718–1730)8th Earl of Lincoln , Lord Fynes
Henry Pelham-Clinton (1720–1794)2nd Duke of Newcastle-under-Lyne, 9th Earl of Lincoln Catherine Pelham (1727–1760)
Earl of Clare (3rd creation), 1795
John FitzGibbon (1748–1802)1st Earl of Clare The FitzGibbon Earls of Clare are seemingly unrelated to the Holles family, the previous Earls of Clare. Charles Fynes (later Fynes-Clinton) (1748–1827)
Henry Pelham-Clinton (1750–1778)styled Earl of Lincoln
Thomas Pelham-Clinton (1752–1795)3rd Duke of Newcastle-under-Lyne, 10th Earl of Lincoln
John FitzGibbon (1792–1851)2nd Earl of Clare
Richard Hobart FitzGibbon (1793–1864)3rd Earl of Clare Clinton James Fynes-Clinton (later Fiennes-Clinton) (1792–1833)
Henry Pelham-Clinton (1785–1851)4th Duke of Newcastle-under-Lyne, 11th Earl of Lincoln
Earldom of Clare extinct, 1864
Henry Fiennes-Clinton (1826–1911)
Henry Pelham-Clinton (1811–1864)5th Duke of Newcastle-under-Lyne, 12th Earl of Lincoln Charles Pelham-Clinton (1813–1894)
Charles Edward Fiennes-Clinton (1855–1888)
Henry Pelham-Clinton (1834–1879)6th Duke of Newcastle-under-Lyne, 13th Earl of Lincoln Charles Pelham-Clinton (1857–1911)
Edward Henry Fiennes-Clinton (1886–1916)
Henry Pelham-Clinton (1864–1928)7th Duke of Newcastle-under-Lyne, 14th Earl of Lincoln
Francis Pelham-Clinton-Hope (1866–1941)8th Duke of Newcastle-under-Lyne, 15th Earl of Lincoln Guy Pelham-Clinton (1894–1934)
Edward Horace Fiennes-Clinton (1913–2001)18th Earl of Lincoln
Henry Pelham-Clinton-Hope (1907–1988)9th Duke of Newcastle-under-Lyne, 16th Earl of Lincoln
Edward Pelham-Clinton (1920–1988)10th Duke of Newcastle-under-Lyne, 17th Earl of Lincoln
Dukedom of Newcastle-upon-Tyne extinct, 1988
Edward Gordon Fiennes-Clinton (1943–1999)Lord Fynes
Robert Edward Fiennes-Clinton (
b. 1972 )19th Earl of Lincoln William James Howson (
b. 1980 )
Heir presumptive to the Earldom of Lincoln
References
^
"Details" .
^ Charles Mosley, ed., Burke's Peerage, Baronetage & Knightage (107th edition, 2003), vol. 2, p. 2340
^
a
b
c
d
"The Earl of Lincoln" (obituary) in
The Daily Telegraph , 20 July 2001, online
^
a
b
c
d Charles Kidd, Christine Shaw, Debrett's Peerage & Baronetage 2008 (London: Debrett's, 2008), p. 863
^
a
b
c
The Earldom of Lincoln at Nottingham.ac.uk
^ Charles Kidd & David Williamson (eds.), Debrett's Peerage and Baronetage (New York: St Martin's Press, 1990 edn), [
page needed ]
^ Charles Mosley, ed.,
Burke's Peerage , (107 ed., Burke's Peerage & Gentry, 2003, pp. 823–824,
ISBN
0-9711966-2-1
^
"REGISTER OF THE PEERAGE" . hereditarypeers . Retrieved 21 March 2024 .
External links