His Excellency The Most Honourable Frederick Hamilton-Temple-Blackwoord, 1st Marquess of Dufferin & Ava, Earl of Dufferin, Viscount Clandeboye, Baron Dufferin and Claneboye KP, GCB, GCSI, GCMG, GCIE, PC Governor General & Commander-in-Chief of Canada

His Excellency The Most Honourable Frederick Hamilton-Temple-Blackwoord, 1^st Marquess of Dufferin & Ava, Earl of Dufferin, Viscount Clandeboye, Baron Dufferin and Claneboye  KP, GCB, GCSI, GCMG, GCIE, PC Governor General & Commander-in-Chief of Canada

The 2^nd Governor General of Canada since the Canadian Confederation was the 1^st Marquess of Dufferin &c.

Hon. Frederick Hamilton-Temple-Blackwood was born in Florence in the Grand Duchy of Tuscany in 1826 to a wealthy and historic Irish family whose titles date back to the early 1600’s.

 He “returned” to England to be educated initially at Eton and then Christ College Oxford where he was to become President of the Oxford Union Society though he left the university after just two years without obtaining a degree. While only 15 years old he inherited his father Baroncy and was therefore created Baron Dufferin and Claneboye in the Peerage of Ireland and at 23 was appointed Lord-in-Waiting to HM Queen Victoria, Empress of India.    

Lord Dufferin became a public servant even though he had experience as a published author and started a life long dedication to public service and service to the monarch. His first major task was as a British representative to Syria to investigate the causes of a civil war that was currently underway. He so distinguished himself that he was appointed Under Secretary of State for India in 1864, Under Secretary of War in 1866 and Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster in 1868 under Prime Minster Gladstone’s government.

In 1871 he was raised in the peerage as the Earl of Dufferin in the County of Down and Viscount Clandeboye also in the County of Down.

Following the death of his mother his diplomatic career advanced very rapidly seeing him appointed as Governor General of Canada in 1872.   His six years in the Vice-Regal office was an interesting one that saw Prince Edward Island join the Confederation and key national institutions such as the Supreme Court of Canada, the Royal Military College of Canada and the Intercontinental Railway.

Believing that the 1^st and 2^nd Governor’s General did not involve themselves enough he travelled across the country engaging with as many Canadian’s as possible while working hard to strengthen the ties back to the British Empire. 

During his time as Governor General of Canada he established the Governor General’s Academic Medals of which more than 50,000 have been awarded; made many improvements to Rideau Hall including a public ice skating rink that he personally contributed just short of $2,000. Both Lord and Lady Dufferin were and remain very popular with Canadian’s off all walks of life with many statues, buildings, streets etc being named after him.

After leaving Ottawa in 1878 he returned to the United Kingdom to carry on his public service. He was subsequently served as Ambassador to Imperial Russia (1879-1881); Ambassador to the Ottoman Empire (1881-1884) during which time the British Empire invaded Egypt (then part of the Ottoman Empire). In 1884 he achieved the highest diplomatic post in the British Empire that of Viceroy’s crown of India between 1884 and 1888.

On the 19^th February 1902 Lord Dufferin died at his home in Wales.

He and his wife had seven children with the two youngest being born in Canada.

·      Archibald James Leofric Temple Hamilton-Temple-Blackwood, Earl of Ava (1863 -1900)

·      Lady Helen Hermione Hamilton-Temple-Blackwood, Vicountess of Novar GBE, LLD, JP (1865-1941)

·      Terence Hamilton-Temple-Blackwood, 2^nd Marquess of Dufferin & Ava (1866-1918)

·      Lady Hermione Catherine Helen Hamilton-Temple-Blackwood (1869-1960)

·      Lord Basil Gawaine Temple Hamilton-Temple-Blackwood (1870-1917)

·      Lady Victoria Alexandrina Hamilton-Temple-Blackwood (1873-1938)

·      Frederick Hamilton-Temple-Blackwood, 3^rd Marquess of Dufferin & Ava (1875-1930)

The Marquess of Dufferin’s coat of arms is blazoned:  

Arms: Quarterly, 1 and 4 Azure a fess Or, in chief a crescent Argent between two mullets Or and in base a mascle Argent; 2nd quarterly, 1 and 4 Or an eagle displayed Sable, 2 and 3 Argent two bars Sable, each charged with three martlets Or; 3rd Gules three cinquefoils pierced Ermine, on a chief Or a lion passant Gules; overall the augmentation of a baronet being an inescutcheon Argent charged with a sinister hand erect couped at the wrist and appaumé Gules

Crest: 1) On a cap of maintenance Gules turned up Ermine, a crescent Argent; 2) (shown above the cornet of a Marquess), On a ducal coronet, a martlet Or; 3) A demi-antelope affronté Ermine attired and unguled Or holding between the hoofs a heart Gules

Supporters: Dexter, a lion Gules armed and langued Azure gorged with a tressure flory-counter-flory Or; sinister, an heraldic tiger Ermine gorged with a like tressure Gules; each supporter supporting a flag-staff proper there from flowing a banner Or charged with a peacock in his pride also proper.