Thomas Taylour, 3rd Marquess of Headfort

Who was Thomas Taylour, 3rd Marquess of Headfort?

Thomas Taylour, 3rd Marquess of Headfort KP PC was an Irish peer, styled Lord Kenlis until 1829 and Earl of Bective from 1829 to 1870.

He was High Sheriff of Meath in 1844, of Cavan in 1846, and of Westmorland in 1853. From 1852 to 1853, he was State Steward to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland. In 1854, Bective succeeded his father-in-law as Member of Parliament for Westmorland, sitting as a Conservative.

He succeeded his father as Marquess of Headfort in 1870. He also inherited his father's title of Baron Kenlis, in the Peerage of the United Kingdom, and so gained a seat in the House of Lords; his son Thomas replaced him in the House of Commons for Westmorland.

He was an Irish Freemason, having been initiated in Lodge No 244, and served as the Provincial Grand Master of Meath from 1888 until his death and burial at Virginia, County Cavan in 1894. He was also an English Freemason and belonged to a number of Masonic Orders. In particular, he served as Grand Sovereign of the Masonic and Military Order of the Red Cross of Constantine from 1866 until 1874.