Francis Needham, 5th Earl of Kilmorey

Who was Francis Needham, 5th Earl of Kilmorey?

Francis Jack Richard Patrick Needham, 5th Earl of Kilmorey was an Irish peer.

The son of Major Hon. Francis Edward Needham, in turn a younger son of the 3rd Earl of Kilmorey, and Blanche Esther Combe, he succeeded to his uncle's titles in 1961. He did not inherit the Kilmorey estates on Mourne Park, near Kilkeel in Northern Ireland but instead inheriting contents to the value of the estate. According to Sir Richard Needham the fifth Earl did not believe any of his own family would wish to live in Northern Ireland again. Lady Norah Kilmorey, his Aunt and widow of the 4th Earl, continued to live at Mourne Park until her death in 1985 when the Estate passed to other family members.

On 28 April, he married Helen Bridget Faudel-Phillips, daughter of Sir Lionel Faudel-Phillips, 3rd Baronet. They had three sons, including his heir Richard Needham.