William Lowther, 1st Earl of Lonsdale KG (
29 December 1757 –
19 March 1844) was a
British Tory politician and nobleman.
The son of
Sir William Lowther, 1st Baronet, of
Little Preston and
Swillington, Lowther represented first
Carlisle, then
Cumberland from 1780 to 1790.
On
12 July 1781, he married Lady Augusta Fane (d. 1838), daughter of
John Fane, 9th Earl of Westmorland. They had six children:
*
William Lowther, 2nd Earl of Lonsdale (1787–1872)
*
Henry Cecil Lowther (1790–1867)
*Lady Elizabeth Lowther (d.
12 February 1869), unmarried
*Lady Mary Lowther (d.
21 October 1863), married on
16 September 1820 Maj. Gen. Lord Frederick Cavendish-Bentinck (d. 1828)
*Lady Anne Lowther (d.
8 November 1863, married on
20 January 1817 Sir John Beckett, 2nd Baronet
*Lady Grace Caroline Lowther (d.
1 November 1883), married on
3 July 1815 William Vane, 3rd Duke of Cleveland
In 1796, he was returned as
Member of Parliament for
Rutland, holding the seat until 1802. In that year, he inherited by special remainder the titles of
Viscount Lowther and
Baron Lowther from his fourth cousin once removed, the
Earl of Lonsdale, as well as his immense estates. He was also appointed to the northern Lord Lieutenancies of Cumberland and Westmorland. In 1807, Lowther was himself created
Earl of Lonsdale and appointed a
Knight of the Garter.
A
coal magnate, he spent £200,000 on the Lowther estate and built a new
Lowther Castle. A
Tory in politics, he seems to have been tolerant and well-liked, disdaining sabbatarianism and serving as patron for a number of painters and authors, including
William Wordsworth. Lonsdale died at
York House, Twickenham in 1844. Lowther also enjoyed
fox hunting, serving as Master of the
Cottesmore Hunt from 1788 to 1802 and 1806 to 1842.
