Biography.guide
Home › People › Lionel Tollemache, 4th Earl of Dysart
Portrait of Lionel Tollemache, 4th Earl of Dysart

Lionel Tollemache, 4th Earl of Dysart

1708 – 1770

Scottish noble

Don't just read it — keep itBiographies to ownE-book · Audio · Video From $7 →

About Lionel Tollemache, 4th Earl of Dysart

Lived 1708 – 1770 (aged 61).

Lionel Tollemache, 4th Earl of Dysart, KT (1 May 1708 – 10 March 1770), styled Lord Huntingtower from 1712 to 1727, was an English peer and landowner.

Lionel's father, a namesake in 1712 predeceased his father Lionel Tollemache, 3rd Earl of Dysart – on the latter's death in 1727, Lionel inherited the earldom and five main estates: Ham House in Surrey, Helmingham Hall in Suffolk, Harrington and Bentley in Northamptonshire, and in Cheshire. The following year he went on a Grand Tour.

In 1729, he was elected High Steward of Ipswich, a post he held for 41 years. A son (died young); Hon. George Tollemache (14 March 1744 – 13 November 1760), joined the Royal Navy and was drowned on a voyage to Lisbon after falling from the mizzen topmast head of HMS Modeste. Louisa Tollemache, 7th Countess of Dysart (2 July 1745–1840), married John Manners in 1766; Capt. Hon. John Tollemache (3 October 1748 – 25 September 1777), married Lady Bridget Henley, daughter of Robert Henley, 1st Earl of Northington, on 3 December 1773, and had one son. The captain of HMS Zebra, Tollemache was killed in a duel in New York City with Lt-Col. Pennington over a sonnet written by the latter, reflecting on Lady Bridget's wit. Tollemache was run through the heart, and Pennington received seven wounds and nearly died. John's son, Lionel Robert Tollemache (10 November 1774 – 14 July 1793), was informally adopted by his childless uncle, Lionel, following John's death. Commissioned an ensign in the Coldstream Guards on 28 January 1791, he was killed at the siege of Valenciennes, without issue. married John Delap Halliday (died 24 June 1794) on 23 October 1771 and had issue. Lady Halliday was painted by Sir Joshua Reynolds in 1779. She married secondly David George Ferry on 24 March 1802.

Lt. Hon. William Tollemache (22 March 1751 – 16 December 1776), lieutenant of HMS Repulse, lost with the ship in a hurricane off Bermuda;

In 1743 he was made Knight of the Thistle.

Memorials and succession Grace, Lady Dysart, died at the Earl's new house in New Burlington Street, St James's. Dysart died in 1770, aged 72 and was buried in Helmingham. He was succeeded as earl by his eldest son, Lionel who erected no memorial to either parent and left no legitimate children. The title came for eight years to the next surviving son, Wilbraham who outlived his older, childless sister and then passed to the second of three surviving daughters who inherited the title after her brothers and died aged 95.

The funerary hatchments of the Earl and Countess are now in St Andrew's Church, Ham.

Biography shop

Don’t just read it —
keep it.

Full-length biographies made to live with: read them, listen on the way to work, watch them tonight.

  • E-book
  • Audio
  • Video
Browse the shop — from $7

Instant download · yours to keep · every purchase keeps this site free

Important facts

Born
Birth century
Awards
Order of the Thistle; Baronet

People in Lionel Tollemache, 4th Earl of Dysart's life

Named in this biography and alive at the same time

Contemporaries

People whose lives overlapped Lionel Tollemache, 4th Earl of Dysart's

Frequently asked questions

Who was Lionel Tollemache, 4th Earl of Dysart?

Scottish noble (1708-1770)

When was Lionel Tollemache, 4th Earl of Dysart born?

Lionel Tollemache, 4th Earl of Dysart was born on 1 May 1708.

When did Lionel Tollemache, 4th Earl of Dysart die?

Lionel Tollemache, 4th Earl of Dysart died on 10 March 1770 in London.

Sources & further reading

· Wikipedia: Lionel Tollemache, 4th Earl of Dysart

· Wikidata: Q6555815

· DBpedia: Lionel Tollemache, 4th Earl of Dysart

Cite this page

APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Lionel Tollemache, 4th Earl of Dysart. https://biography.guide/lionel-tollemache-4th-earl-of-dysart/

MLA: "Lionel Tollemache, 4th Earl of Dysart." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/lionel-tollemache-4th-earl-of-dysart/.

Chicago: "Lionel Tollemache, 4th Earl of Dysart." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/lionel-tollemache-4th-earl-of-dysart/.

Data last updated: 2026-09-25 · Spot an error? Report a correction.

Portrait: Wikimedia Commons · author & licence

Page generated 2026-10-04 09:23 UTC