Rich Ingram, 5th Viscount of Irvine


Rich Ingram, 5th Viscount of Irvine, was an English peer and politician.

Early life

Ingram was born on 6 January 1688. He was the second of nine sons born to Isabella Machell and Arthur Ingram, 3rd Viscount of Irvine, the Vice-Admiral of Yorkshire and Member of Parliament for Yorkshire and Scarborough. His brothers were Edward, Arthur, Henry, John, George, Charles, Thomas, and William Ingram. Of the nine brothers, three died in infancy, five acceded to the Viscountcy, and only one, Charles, had children.
His paternal grandparents were Henry Ingram, 1st Viscount of Irvine and the former Lady Essex Montagu. His maternal grandparents were the former Helena Warmestry and John Machell, MP for Horsham, of Hills, Sussex. His grandmother Helena was a daughter of Gervase Warmestry, and step-daughter of Sir John Covert, 1st Baronet,
He schooled at Eton College and was admitted Fellow-Commoner at Christ's College, Cambridge, aged 14 in 1703, where his elder brother the 4th Viscount had studied with the Master, John Covel. He was admitted a student at the University of Leyden in September 1704.

Career

Under the terms of his grandfather Machell's will, Rich inherited the property of Hills, with 190 acres, at Horsham, together with a burgage at Horsham, several properties in London and in other parts of England, at his age of 21 years: the will having been proved in 1704 by the executors, Rich was sworn to probate, aged 22, as Rich Ingram alias Machell on 10 March 1711/12.
After his elder brother Edward died from smallpox, he succeeded in the viscountcy in 1714. This was a Scottish peerage and did not entitle him to a seat in the House of Lords. He was appointed Lord-Lieutenant of the East Riding of Yorkshire the same year, a post he held until 1721. He was also Governor of Kingston-upon-Hull between 1715 and 1721 and a colonel of the 16th Regiment of Foot between 1715 and 1717 and of the 1st Regiment of Dragoon Guards between 1717 and 1721. In 1720 he was appointed Governor of Barbados but died of smallpox before taking up the post.

Personal life

In 1717, Lord Irvine married Lady Anne Howard, daughter of Charles Howard, 3rd Earl of Carlisle and Lady Anne Capel, daughter of the Earl of Essex and Lady Elizabeth Percy. Their portrait was painted by Jonathan Richardson. There were no children from the marriage.
He died from smallpox in April 1721, aged 33. He is buried in Westminster Abbey. Lord Irvine was succeeded by his younger brother, Arthur, to whom the Horsham estate also passed by entail in default of male issue from Rich. The Viscountess of Irvine was a Lady of the Bedchamber to the Princess of Wales in 1736 and married, as her second husband, Brig-Gen. William Douglas in 1737. She died in December 1764.