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Edmund Talbot was born on 1 June 1855, the second son of the 14th Duke of Norfolk, and Hon Augusta Lyons. His name at birth was Lord Edmund Bernard FitzAlan-Howard but by Royal Licence he assumed the name Talbot in 1876 to enable him to inherit the estates of Bertram, Earl of Shrewsbury. He was educated at the Oratory School, Edgbaston and entered the 11th Hussars as a lieutenant from the Militia on 20 Nov 1875. He was appointed adjutant of the 11th Hussars on 24 Aug 1881 and promoted to captain on 19 Sep 1881. In 1883 he was seconded to the Middlesex Yeomanry to be their adjutant for the next five years. He returned to the 11th Hussars in 1888 and was promoted to major on 19 Nov 1891.
In 1894 he was elected MP for Chichester and remained in Parliament until 1921. When war broke out in South Africa he was involved in operations leading to the Relief of Kimberley, and was at Paardeberg. He was also at Poplar Grove, Driefontein, Johannesburg, Pretoria, Diamond Hill and Colesberg. He was awarded the DSO (Gazetted 19 April 1901) and mentioned in Despatches. On 17 June 1900 he was promoted to lieutenant-colonel although did not command the 11th Hussars. Returning to politics he held various appointments: Private Secretary to the Secretary of State for War and India, and between 1905 and 1906 he was Junior Lord of the Treasury and Whip. Also between 1915 and 1921 he was Joint Parliamentary Secretary at the Treasury. He was appointed Deputy Earl Marshal of England in 1917 as his nephew the 16th Duke of Norfolk was too young. In 1921 he was Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, the first Roman Catholic to hold the post since 1685, but the position only lasted until 1922 when the Irish Free State came into being. In 1925 he was honoured with the appointment of Knight of the Garter. He reverted to his name of FitzAlan in 1921 and was raised to the peerage as the Right Hon The Viscount FitzAlan of Derwent in the County of Derby. On 5 Aug 1879 he was married to Lady Mary Bertie, daughter of the Earl of Abingdon. They had two children, a daughter and son, and lived at Cumberland Lodge in Windsor Great Park.Viscount FitzAlan died on 18 May 1947. The photo of him in the dress uniform of the 11th Hussars is taken from a Spink catalogue of July 1997 when his medals were auctioned. They included The Royal Victorian Order, Knight Grand Cross (GVCO), The DSO, Queen’s South Africa medal with 5 clasps for Relief of Kimberley, Paardeberg, Driefontein, Johannesburg and Diamond Hill. Coronation medal of 1902 and a Jubilee Medal of 1935. |
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