Augustus FitzGerald, 3rd Duke of Leinster

Augustus Frederick FitzGerald, 3rd Duke of Leinster, etc. PC PC (Ire) (21 August 1791 – 10 February/October 1874) was an Anglo-Irish peer and freemason, styled Marquess of Kildare from birth until 1804. He was born and died in Carton House. FitzGerald was Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Ireland for most of the 19th century, holding the post for 61 years from 1813 until 1874.

The Duke of Leinster
The Duke of Leinster in Masonic regalia
Lord Lieutenant of Kildare
In office
7 October 1831 – 10 October 1874
Preceded byNew Office
Succeeded byThe Marquess of Drogheda
Personal details
Born(1791-08-21)21 August 1791
Died10 October 1874(1874-10-10) (aged 83)
SpouseLady Charlotte Augusta Stanhope
Children
Parents

Family

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FitzGerald was the eldest surviving son of William FitzGerald, 2nd Duke of Leinster and his wife, Emilia Olivia St George, daughter of the 1st Baron St George. He inherited his father's dukedom in 1804. On 16 June 1818, Leinster married Lady Charlotte Augusta Stanhope (15 February 1793 – 15 February 1859), the third daughter of Charles Stanhope, 3rd Earl of Harrington. They had four children:

Government

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Leinster was appointed Custos Rotulorum of Kildare in 1819 and Lord Lieutenant of Kildare in 1831, holding both posts for life. In 1831, he was admitted to the Privy Council of Ireland and to the Privy Council of Great Britain and was Lord High Constable of Ireland at the coronations of William IV and Queen Victoria. He was a Commissioner of National Education for Ireland from 1836 to 1841.[citation needed]

Freemasonry

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In 1813, he was chosen Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Ireland, a post he held until his death in 1874.[1] Under FitzGerald and his Deputy Grand Secretary, John Fowler (1769-1856),[2] all Freemasonic movements became highly centralised in Ireland and could not operative without the approval of the Grand Lodge.

Marc Bédarride's Rite of Misraim was imported from France to Ireland during the time of FitzGerald. One of the Bédarride brothers is supposed to have visited Ireland in 1820 and by February 1821, a council of seventeen members of the Rite was formed, including; FitzGerald, Fowler, Dumoulin, Norman, Mitchell, Trim and Jamar (a Frenchman residing in Dublin). Banned in France by the government in 1822, it continued to exist in Ireland as part of the Supreme Grand Council of Rites (approved by the Grand Lodge of Ireland), set up on 28 January 1838.[3]

References

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  1. ^ Waite, Arthur Edward (2007). A New Encyclopedia of Freemasonry. Vol. I. Cosimo, Inc. p. 400. ISBN 978-1-60206-641-0.
  2. ^ "John Fowler, Deputy Grand Secretary" (PDF). LibraryIreland.com. Retrieved on 26 July 2017.
  3. ^ "Fringe Freemasonry in England". Grand Lodge of British Columbia and Yukon. Retrieved on 26 July 2017.

Bibliography

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Masonic offices
Preceded by Grandmaster of the Grand Lodge of Ireland
1813–1874
Succeeded by
Honorary titles
New office Lord Lieutenant of Kildare
1831–1874
Succeeded by
Peerage of Ireland
Preceded by Duke of Leinster
1804–1874
Succeeded by