Somerset Maxwell, 10th Baron Farnham

Who was Somerset Maxwell, 10th Baron Farnham?

Somerset Henry Maxwell, 10th Baron Farnham was an Irish Representative peer and a Nova Scotia baronet.

He was the son of Richard Thomas Maxwell, and grandson of Henry Maxwell, 6th Baron Farnham. He married Lady Florence Jane Taylour, daughter of Thomas Taylour, 3rd Marquess of Headfort and Amelia Thompson, on 5 August 1875. He was Captain and Honorary Major of the 4th Battalion of the Princess Victoria’s Royal Irish Fusiliers and sometime Lieutenant of the 98th Regiment. In November 1880 he led a relief force of Orangemen from county Cavan to save the harvest of Captain Boycott of Lough Mask, county Mayo, who was being ostracised by the local Catholic community. This brought about the creation of the Property Defence Association to protect the livelihoods of landowners.

On his uncle James' death, he succeeded on 26 October 1896 as 10th Baron Farnham and 13th Baronet of Calderwood.

He was appointed High Sheriff of Cavan for 1877 and Lord Lieutenant of Cavan in 1900, but died soon afterwards on 22 November 1900. He was succeeded by his son Arthur, after his eldest son Barry had been killed in a cycling accident.