William Tollemache, Lord Huntingtower (1820–1872)
| William Tollemache | |
|---|---|
| Born |
William Lionel Felix Tollemache July 4, 1820 |
| Died | December 21, 1872 (aged 52) |
| Nationality | British |
| Spouse(s) | Katherine Elizabeth Camilla Burke |
| Parent(s) | Lionel Tollemache, 8th Earl of Dysart |
William Lionel Felix Tollemache, Lord Huntingtower (4 July 1820 – 21 December 1872), styled the Hon. William Lionel Felix Tollemache until 1840, was a controversial British nobleman, known for his financial entanglements and extramarital affairs.
William was the child and heir apparent of Lionel Tollemache, 8th Earl of Dysart and his wife Maria. He was described as, about 1861, a "tall, gaunt man, dark", about 5'10" or 6' in height.
Huntingtower was educated at Eton, which he left at the age of seventeen. His father refused to grant him any allowance whatsoever, and he received from his family only a few hundred pounds from his grandmother in the next four years. Unfortunately, his status as the heir of a large estate allowed him to borrow immense sums, and he led so dissipated a life as to accumulate, by 1841, £220,000 of debt. Among these debts was one of over £19,050 to a London diamond dealer, Dobson. Accordingly, he conveyed to Dobson, for a payment of just under £950, his interest in the family estates and eight life insurance policies, to be redeemable by paying his debt of £20,000.
At the cost of £3,500, Huntingtower succeeded in having himself returned as a Member of Parliament for Andover in the election of 1841; but lacking two days of his majority at the time of the election, was replaced by Lord William Paget.
Huntingtower attempted to make a living as a horse dealer and coach proprietor, but was declared bankrupt on 2 September 1842 and incarcerated in the Queen's Prison. Upon examination, the unfortunate Huntingtower was found to be unable to give an account of his assets, and quite unable to understand his accounts. One of his creditors, George Samuel Ford, a bill discounter and solicitor, attempted to have the fiat annulled on the grounds that Huntingtower had never been a trader so could not be declared a bankrupt. He failed on a technicality.
In 1844, Lord Huntingtower molested or seduced Elizabeth Acford, a maid in the service of his mother, Lady Dysart, and subsequently took her as his mistress. After living together in Scotland, which Acford thought was sufficient to establish a marriage there, they returned and lived several years in England. Acford bore three of Huntingtower's children at this time:
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