Early Years
Howard was the eldest son of Sir Charles Howard, baronet, and Frances Courthope Howard. He was born probably at their manor of Eastwick, near Great Bookham, in Surrey County, England, and was baptized there in the Church of Saint Nicolas on September 17, 1643. An offshoot of a great and numerous family whose destiny intertwined with that of England, the Howards of Surrey County were Anglicans who were neither as wealthy, politically potent, nor as notorious as their distant relatives, the Catholic Howards of Norfolk County. His parents enjoyed the prosperous existence of the well-connected rural gentry, which assured him and his younger siblings a comfortable rise to adulthood. Howard matriculated at Magdalen College, University of Oxford, in 1661, but like many young gentlemen of the time he did not pursue serious scholarship. He remained for one year, making valuable acquaintances that could advance him in later years.
On March 20, 1673, Howard's father died, and he inherited the baronetcy and the family estates around Great Bookham. He soon thereafter became a justice of the peace for the county and a deputy to the lord lieutenant. On July 8, 1673, Howard married Philadelphia Pelham, of Sussex County. Although the wedding was a marriage of convenience that linked two gentry families in a time-honored way, the marriage turned into a deeply loving one, and he was a doting father to their five daughters and three sons, of whom one daughter and two sons survived to adulthood.
Virginia
Instead of a blustery army officer or a venal courtier as governor, in Effingham the Virginians had a minor peer of average intellect but one who was determined to succeed as his predecessors had not. Nothing deterred him—not the fierce opposition of the House of Burgesses, not repeated bouts of kidney stones that nearly killed him, not even the death of his beloved wife, who joined him in Virginia in the autumn of 1684 and died on August 13, 1685. That resolution drew equally resolute backing from Charles II and his successors, James II, and William and Mary. Effingham gave his royal masters what they wanted most, a diminished General Assembly and the return of the office of governor-general to its central place in colonial administration.
Later Years
Ill health afflicted Effingham throughout the five years he resided in Virginia. He vacationed in New York in the summer of 1684 prior to attending a major conference with the Iroquois at Albany and again in the summer of 1687 before another conference with the Iroquois at the same place. His poor health compelled Effingham to return to England early in 1689. By then he knew of James II's overthrow, which put his political future in some doubt, as the House of Burgesses had sent Ludwell to England to lobby for his dismissal. Effingham took his seat in the House of Lords on May 3, 1689, and was reappointed governor by the new king and queen in 1690.
On January 20, 1690, Effingham married Susannah Felton Harbord, a widow. They had no children. His marriage and his physical condition worked against his return to Virginia, which explained his willingness to accept the appointment of Francis Nicholson as lieutenant governor to preside in Jamestown during his absence. Effingham resigned his commission by February 1692. Dogged by illness, Effingham signed a new will on December 20, 1694, and died on March 30, 1695. He was buried near the body of his first wife in the Church of Saint Peter and Saint Paul, in Lingfield, Surrey.
Time Line
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September 17, 1643 - Francis Howard, the eldest son of Sir Charles Howard and Frances Courthope Howard, is baptized in Surrey County, England, in the Church of Saint Nicolas.
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1661 - Francis Howard matriculates at Magdalen College, University of Oxford. He remains for one year and does not take a degree.
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March 20, 1673 - Sir Charles Howard dies, and his son, Francis Howard, inherits the baronetcy and the family estates around Great Bookham in Surrey County, England.
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July 8, 1673 - Francis Howard marries Philadelphia Pelham, of Sussex County. They will have five daughters and three sons, of whom one daughter and two sons will survive to adulthood.
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April 26, 1681 - Charles Howard, third earl of Nottingham and fourth baron Howard of Effingham, dies. His heir is Francis Howard, who becomes the fifth baron Howard of Effingham.
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September 28, 1683 - Charles II commissions Francis Howard, fifth baron Howard of Effingham, to serve as governor of Virginia.
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Late November 1683 - The newly appointed royal governor, Francis Howard, fifth baron Howard of Effingham, departs England for Virginia.
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February 10, 1684 - The newly appointed royal governor, Francis Howard, fifth baron Howard of Effingham, arrives in Virginia, his ship anchoring in the York River.
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February 25, 1684 - In a letter to the London firm of Perry and Lane, William Byrd I expresses hope that under Francis Howard, fifth baron Howard of Effingham, the colony's government would function "more for the countrys interest then formerly."
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July 1684 - Francis Howard, baron Howard of Effingham, Edmund Jenings, and Ralph Wormeley travel to Albany, New York, to meet in a Grand Assembly with leaders of the Five Nations and the governor and Council of New York.
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Autumn 1684 - Philadelphia Pelham Howard joins her husband, Governor Francis Howard, fifth baron Howard of Effingham, in Virginia.
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August 13, 1685 - Philadelphia Pelham Howard, wife of Governor Francis Howard, fifth baron Howard of Effingham, dies in Virginia.
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Summer 1687 - For a second time, Governor Francis Howard, fifth baron Howard of Effingham, travels to Albany New York, to meet in a Grand Assembly with leaders of the Five Nations and the governor and Council of New York.
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Early 1689 - Governor Francis Howard, fifth baron Howard of Effingham, returns to England from Virginia due to poor health.
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May 3, 1689 - Governor Francis Howard, fifth baron Howard of Effingham, takes his seat in the House of Lords.
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1690 - Francis Howard, fifth baron Howard of Effingham, is reappointed governor of Virginia by King William and Queen Mary.
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January 20, 1690 - Governor Francis Howard, fifth baron Howard of Effingham, marries his second wife, Susannah Felton Harbord, a widow. They will have no children.
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June 3, 1690 - Francis Nicholson is appointed lieutenant governor of Virginia, where he will govern in the absence of Governor Francis Howard, baron Howard of Effingham.
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February 1692 - Francis Howard, fifth baron Howard of Effingham, resigns his royal commission as governor of Virginia.
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December 20, 1694 - Francis Howard, fifth baron Howard of Effingham, signs a new will.
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March 30, 1695 - Francis Howard, fifth baron Howard of Effingham, dies. He is buried near the body of his first wife in the Church of Saint Peter and Saint Paul, in Lingfield, Surrey County, England.
References
Further Reading
External Links
Cite This Entry
- APA Citation:
Billings, W. M., & the Dictionary of Virginia Biography. Francis Howard, fifth baron Howard of Effingham (bap. 1643–1695). (2013, October 27). In Encyclopedia Virginia. Retrieved from http://www.EncyclopediaVirginia.org/Howard_Francis_fifth_baron_Howard_of_Effingham_bap_1643-1695.
- MLA Citation:
Billings, Warren M. and the Dictionary of Virginia Biography. "Francis Howard, fifth baron Howard of Effingham (bap. 1643–1695)." Encyclopedia Virginia. Virginia Humanities, 27 Oct. 2013. Web. READ_DATE.
First published: July 1, 2013 | Last modified: October 27, 2013