Bernard Howard, 12th Duke of Norfolk


Bernard Edward Howard, 12th Duke of Norfolk, was a British peer.

Early life

He was the son of Henry Howard, a descendant of Henry Frederick Howard, 22nd Earl of Arundel, and Juliana Molyneux.

Career

Bernard Howard succeeded to the title of Duke of Norfolk in 1815 upon the death of his cousin Charles Howard, 11th Duke of Norfolk.
An ardent Roman Catholic, like most of his family, he strongly supported Catholic Emancipation, and gave offence to his Protestant neighbours by giving a banquet to celebrate the passage of the Roman Catholic Relief Act 1829. He was also known as the Grumpy Duke.
He was elected a Foreign Honorary Member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 1803. In 1834, the Duke of Norfolk was invested by King William IV into the Order of the Garter.

Personal life

On 23 April 1789, he married Lady Elizabeth Belasyse, daughter of Henry Belasyse, 2nd Earl Fauconberg and the former Charlotte Lamb. Before the couple divorced five years later in May 1794, they were the parents of:
He died in 1842 at the age of 76. Upon his death, his only son, Henry, became the 13th Duke of Norfolk. He is buried in Fitzalan Chapel at Arundel Castle.

Ancestry