The Lord Longford
Portrait of the Baron Longford by Robert Hunter.
Member of Parliament for County Longford
In office
1765–1766
Serving with Ralph Fetherston
Preceded byRobert Harman
John Gore
Succeeded byRalph Fetherston
Wentworth Parsons
Personal details
Born
Edward Michael Pakenham

(1743-04-01)1 April 1743
Died3 June 1792(1792-06-03) (aged 49)
Spouse
Hon. Catherine Rowley
(after 1768)
RelationsSir Thomas Pakenham (brother)
Arthur Wellesley, 2nd Duke of Wellington (grandson)
ChildrenCatherine Wellesley, Duchess of Wellington
Thomas Pakenham, 2nd Earl of Longford
Sir Edward Pakenham
Sir Hercules Robert Pakenham
Henry Pakenham
Parent(s)Thomas Pakenham, 1st Baron Longford
Elizabeth Cuffe, 1st Countess of Longford
Alma materKilkenny College

Edward Michael Pakenham, 2nd Baron Longford (1 April 1743 – 3 June 1792) was an Anglo-Irish naval officer, peer and landowner.

Early life

Pakenham was the son of Thomas Pakenham, 1st Baron Longford and Elizabeth Cuffe, 1st Countess of Longford. His parents had seven children, including Sir Thomas Pakenham, a Royal Navy officer.[1]

His father was the eldest son and heir of Edward Pakenham MP of Pakenham Hall (son of Sir Thomas Pakenham) and Margaret Bradestan (daughter and heiress of John Bradestan). His mother was the daughter and sole heiress of Michael Cuffe MP (second son and sole heir of Francis Cuffe), and Frances (née Sandford) Cuffe (a daughter of Henry Sandford of Castlereagh).[1]

Longford was educated at Kilkenny College and joined the Royal Navy at the age of sixteen.

Career

He served during the Seven Years' War taking part in naval engagements off the coasts of West Africa and North America. He was captured by the Spanish near the end of the war and held for over a year. After he returned home following the Treaty of Paris he briefly represented County Longford in the Irish House of Commons between 1765 and 1766.

In 1776, he inherited his father's title and seat in the Irish House of Lords.[2] In January 1778 he returned to active service during the American War of Independence, serving in the English Channel and Mediterranean Sea. He returned home in 1782 having earned around £5,000 in prize money.[3]

Personal life

In 1768, Lord Longford married Hon. Catherine Rowley, daughter of Elizabeth Rowley, 1st Viscountess Langford and Hercules Langford Rowley MP. He was the owner of Pakenham Hall Castle in County Westmeath, which he systematically improved during his lifetime. Catherine and Edward had a number of children including:[4]

Langford died in June 1792, aged 49, and was succeeded in the barony by his eldest son Thomas, who in 1794 also succeeded his grandmother in the earldom of Longford.[1]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 "Longford, Earl of (I, 1785)". cracroftspeerage.co.uk. Heraldic Media Limited. Retrieved 30 April 2020.
  2. Pakenham p.7
  3. Pakenham p.9-15
  4. "Langford, Baron (I, 1800)". cracroftspeerage.co.uk. Heraldic Media Limited. Retrieved 30 April 2020.
  5. Pakenham, Eliza. Tom, Ned and Kitty: An Intimate Portrait of an Irish Family. Phoenix, 2008.
  6. Chichester, Henry Manners (1895). "Pakenham, Hercules Robert". In Lee, Sidney (ed.). Dictionary of National Biography. Vol. 43. London: Smith, Elder & Co. Retrieved 9 December 2013. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
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