24th Generation

596. Rt Hon William FORTESCUE of Buckland-Filleigh⁷⁰ was born in 1687. He was baptized on 26 June 1687 in Buckland Filleigh, Devon. He died on 16 December 1749. William was buried in Rolls Chapel, London. William of Buckland-Filleigh was born at the mansion of Buckland-Filleigh in 1687 and was baptised on 26th June. Three years later his father died, aged 33. There is no record of his education.

He married Mary Fortescue of Fallapit, daughter and co-heiress of her father Edmund due to her brother Peter dying in 1707. See F.T.5, Note 10. The marriage took place on 7th July 1709 at East Allington. Mary died a few days after her only child Mary was born at Buckland-Filleigh, and she was buried on 4th August 1710 at East Allington, where William put a monument to her.

Soon afterwards, William settled in London. In September 1710 he entered the Middle Temple, where he kept his terms for 4 years, changing to Inner Temple in November 1714. He was called to the Bar in July 1715. In 1714 he was on friendly terms with the poet Pope. His name occurs in many memoirs of the time. He was Private Secretary to Sir Robert Walpole, Chancellor of the Exchequer in 1715. At the general election after the death of George I, in 1727, he became the M.P. for Newport, Isle of Wight, and this continued until his election to the Bench. In 1730 he was made King's Counsel and Attorney-General to the Prince of Wales, the father of George III. He spent his vacations at Buckland-Filleigh, with occasional visits to Fallapit.

William exchanged his seat on the Bench for the post of Master of the Rolls on 5th November 1741, and was sworn in as a Privy Counsellor. He died on 16th December 1749, aged 63, and was buried in the Rolls Chapel. His library and papers were scattered at the sale of Buckland-Filleigh by Colonel Inglett Fortescue.

William's mother Grace, and sister-in-law Elizabeth, lived much of their time with him and assisted in caring for his only child Mary. Grace died in 1743. Elizabeth survived until 1768, having succeeded to the Fallapit property on the death in 1752 without surviving issue, of her niece Mary Fortescue, only child of William. Mary had inherited Fallapit from her mother, and Buckland-Filleigh from her father.

Buckland-Filleigh passed from Mary to a cousin, John Fortescue of Bampton, who was the son of George Fortescue of Tavistock, and uncle to William Fortescue. John was the last Fortescue to possess the Buckland-Filleigh estates.

Rt Hon William FORTESCUE of Buckland-Filleigh and Mary FORTESCUE of Fallapit were married on 7 July 1709. Mary FORTESCUE of Fallapit³¹ was born on 10 February 1689. She died on 1 August 1710. Mary succeeded her father at Fallapit, her brothers having died young. She married William Fortescue of Buckland-Filleigh on 7th July 1709. She died giving birth to her first child, Mary, whose only issue, another Mary, died in her infancy.

Rt Hon William FORTESCUE of Buckland-Filleigh and Mary FORTESCUE of Fallapit had the following children:

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i.

Mary FORTESCUE.