Henry Crichton, 6th Earl Erne
Henry George Victor John Crichton, 6th Earl Erne, KCVO (9 July 1937 – 23 December 2015), was an Anglo-Irish peer and a Lord Lieutenant of Fermanagh.[1] He was known to his family and friends as Harry Erne.[2]
The Earl Erne | |
|---|---|
| Lord Lieutenant of Fermanagh | |
| In office 1986–2012 | |
| Preceded by | Viola, Duchess of Westminster |
| Succeeded by | The Viscount Brookeborough |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 9 July 1937 |
| Died | 23 December 2015 (aged 78) |
| Spouses | Camilla Roberts
(m. 1958; div. 1980)Anna Hitchcock (m. 1980) |
| Children | 5 |
| Parent |
|
Biography
Lord Erne was the eldest son of the 5th Earl Erne and his wife Davina (Lady Davidema Katharine Cynthia Mary Millicent Bulwer-Lytton), a younger daughter of the 2nd Earl of Lytton, and was a godchild of King George VI.
He inherited his father's titles in 1940, a few weeks before his third birthday, when his father was killed in action in the Second World War. In 1945 he gained a step-father when his mother married secondly Montague Woodhouse, a Conservative Member of Parliament who in 1998 would succeed his elder brother as the 5th Baron Terrington. In due course he gained two half-brothers, Christopher, now 6th Baron Terrington, and Nicholas, and a half-sister, Emma Davinia Mary.
He was educated at Eton. In 1952, he was briefly a Page of Honour to George VI and continued in the same capacity after Elizabeth II came to the throne, until 1954. From 1960 to 1968, he was a junior officer in the North Irish Horse.
He was a member of the Royal Ulster Agricultural Society and the Royal Forestry Society and was Lord Lieutenant of Fermanagh from 1986 to 2012. Erne was appointed Knight Commander of the Royal Victorian Order (KCVO) in the 2012 New Year Honours List, for his services as Lord-Lieutenant.[3]
He died on 23 December 2015, aged 78.[4]
Marriages and children
On 5 November 1958, Lord Erne married Camilla Roberts, elder daughter of the aviator Owen Roberts, himself grandson of wealthy American businessman Marshall Owen Roberts. She was a cousin to The 12th Baron Farnham and second cousin to The 10th Duke of Atholl. They had five children:[5]
- Lady Cleone Lucinda Crichton (born 27 August 1959)
- Lady Davina Jane Crichton (born 25 June 1961)
- Lady Katherine Patricia Crichton (born 4 November 1962)
- Lady Tara Guinevere Crichton (born 9 May 1967)
- John Henry Michael Ninian Crichton, 7th Earl Erne (born 19 June 1971)
In 1980 he was divorced from his first wife and on 21 June 1980 married Anna Hitchcock, née Bjorck, who survives him.
Footnotes
- "Lord-Lieutenant for County Fermanagh". gov.uk. Prime Minister's Office. Retrieved 31 December 2015.
- "Lord Erne, former Lord Lieutenant of Fermanagh, dies aged 78". BBC News. 23 December 2015. Retrieved 31 December 2015.
- "No. 60009". The London Gazette (Supplement). 31 December 2011. p. 3.
- "The Earl of Erne, obituary". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 10 January 2016.
- The Peerage, entry for 6th Earl Erne