William Petre, 11th Baron Petre

William Henry Francis, 11th Baron Petre (22 January 1793 – 3 July 1850) was an English landowner and philanthropist. He was the first Baron Petre to take his seat in the House of Lords after the passing of the Roman Catholic Relief Act 1829.

Family

He was a son of Robert Edward Petre, 10th Baron Petre of Ingatestone Hall and Mary Bridget Howard. His mother was a sister of Bernard Howard, 12th Duke of Norfolk.

Horseman and hunter

Petre was a passionate horseman and maintained, and was master of, his own pack of foxhounds (1822–1839) known as the "Thorndon Hunt", from which the Essex Union Hunt subsequently developed. He also constructed a racecourse at Oxney Green, near Writtle. It is said that following the Battle of Waterloo, Petre acquired Marengo, the grey Arabian horse of Napoleon I of France

Keen on hunting he also created, at Thorndon Park, a mixed herd of up to 2,000 fallow deer and red deer which subsequently formed the basis not only of the present Brentwood, Essex herd but also the entire deer population of New Zealand.

Marriage and children

On 2 June 1815, Petre married his first wife Frances Charlotte Bedingfeld (19 April 1796 – 29 January 1822 Thorndon Hall), daughter of Sir Richard Bedingfeld, 5th Baronet and his wife Charlotte Georgiana Jerningham. Her maternal grandparents were Sir William Jerningham, 6th Baronet and Frances Dillon. The senior Frances was a daughter of Henry Dillon, 11th Viscount Dillon and Lady Charlotte Lee. The senior Charlotte was a daughter of George Lee, 2nd Earl of Lichfield and Frances Hales. The eldest Frances was a daughter of Sir John Hales, 4th Baronet.

Frances, nicknamed "Fanny", became a letter writer of brilliant vividness. They had four children. Frances died in childbirth.

William Bernard Petre, 12th Baron Petre (1817–1884). Hon. Mary Agness Petre (1818–1886), who married James Alexander Douglas. Hon. Henry William Petre (1820–1889), a member of the New Zealand Legislative Council and father of Francis Petre. Hon. Charlotte Elizabeth Petre (1822–1903), who married her first cousin, Capt. Charles Edward Petre, a son of Hon. Charles Berney Petre (a younger brother of the 11th Baron). Her paternal grandparents were Philip Howard and Ann Witham. Philip was a son of Thomas Howard and Barbara Musgrave. Thomas was a son of William Howard and Jane Dalston. William was a son of Sir Francis Howard and Margeret Preston.

Sir Francis was a son of Lord William Howard and Elizabeth Dacre. His paternal grandparents were Thomas Howard, 4th Duke of Norfolk and his second wife Margaret Audley. His maternal grandparents were Thomas Dacre, 4th Baron Dacre and Elizabeth Leyburne.

Petre and Emma had eight children, including;

Hon. Frederick Charles Edmund Petre