George North, 3rd Earl of Guilford

George Augustus North, 3rd Earl of Guilford, FRS (11 September 1757 – 20 April 1802), known as the Honourable George North until 1790 and as Lord North from 1790 to 1792, was a British politician.

Guilford was the eldest son of Prime Minister Frederick North, 2nd Earl of Guilford (commonly known as Lord North), and his wife Anne (née Speke). He was elected to the House of Commons for Harwich in 1778, a seat he held until 1784, and then represented Wootton Bassett from 1784 to 1790, Petersfield in 1790 and Banbury from 1790 to 1792. The latter year he succeeded his father in the earldom and entered the House of Lords. He was a supporter of his father's policies during the American War of Independence which came under attack from all sides. He was given the honorary post of Captain of Deal Castle in 1786, which he held until his death. He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1782.^[1]

Lord Guilford married firstly Maria Frances Mary, daughter of George Hobart, 3rd Earl of Buckinghamshire, in 1785. After Maria's death in 1794, North remarried in 1796 to Susan, daughter of Thomas Coutts. It was while courting his second wife that Guilford sustained a spinal injury in a fall from his horse and died from lingering illness that resulted in April 1802, aged 44.^[2] On his death his junior title of Baron North fell into abeyance between his daughters while he was succeeded in the earldom by his younger brother, Francis. The Countess of Guilford died in 1837.

Notes

References

•  Lee, Sidney, ed. (1895). "North, Frederick (1732-1792)". Dictionary of National Biography. 41. London: Smith, Elder & Co.
• Kidd, Charles, Williamson, David (editors). Debrett's Peerage and Baronetage (1990 edition). New York: St Martin's Press, 1990.
• Leigh Rayment's Peerage Pages
• Lundy, Darryl. "FAQ". The Peerage.