John Bligh, 6th Earl of Darnley

rdf:langString John Bligh, 6th Earl of Darnley

rdf:langString Lieutenant colonel John Stuart Bligh, 6th Earl of Darnley (16 April 1827 – 14 December 1896), styled Lord Clifton from 1831 to 1835, lord of the Manor of Cobham, Kent, was a British peer. The eldest son of Edward Bligh, 5th Earl of Darnley, he succeeded his father in the earldom in 1835. He was appointed a deputy lieutenant of Kent on 3 September 1847. Darnley matriculated at Christ Church, Oxford on 15 May 1845 and received his B.A. in 1848 and his M.A. in 1869. An amateur cricketer, Bligh made a single appearance in first-class cricket for the Gentlemen of Kent against the Gentlemen of England at Canterbury in 1848. Batting twice in the match, he was dismissed without scoring in the Gentlemen of Kent first innings by Jones Nash, while in their second innings he was dismissed for 2 runs by Harvey Fellows. On 24 July 1848, he was commissioned captain of the Cobham Troop of the West Kent Yeomanry. He was promoted to major on 18 April 1859, and to lieutenant-colonel on 28 April 1863. He retired from the Yeomanry on 9 September 1874, retaining his rank. On 31 August 1850, Darnley married Lady Harriet Mary Pelham, the daughter of Henry Pelham, 3rd Earl of Chichester, by whom he had eight children: * Edward Bligh, 7th Earl of Darnley (1851–1900) * Lady Edith Louisa Mary Bligh (22 August 1853 – 20 June 1904), married George Burvill Rashleigh on 18 August 1882 and had issue * Lady Kathleen Susan Emma Bligh (31 October 1854 – 13 November 1928), married William Vesey Brownlow * Ivo Bligh, 8th Earl of Darnley (1859–1927) * Lady Alice Isabella Harriet Bligh (18 December 1860 – 15 June 1943) * Hon. Arthur Frederick Pelham Bligh (25 April 1865 – 29 December 1924) * Lady Mary Rose Florence Bligh (21 April 1868 – 5 July 1896) * Lady Constance Violet Lucy Bligh (16 December 1869 – ?), married William Shakespear Childe-Pemberton on 28 June 1894 and had issue Darnley died on 14 December 1896 and was succeeded by his eldest son, Edward.