Charles Chetwynd-Talbot, 20th Earl of Shrewsbury
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Major Charles Henry John Chetwynd-Talbot, 20th Earl of Shrewsbury, 20th Earl of Waterford and 5th Earl Talbot (November 13, 1860 - May 7, 1921) was the only son and heir of the 19th Earl. His grandfather, the 3rd Earl Talbot, had inherited the earldoms from a very distant cousin, and had to prove his claim to the premier earldoms of England and Ireland on the Roll in the House of Lords, by demonstrating his descent from the 2nd Earl of Shrewsbury and Waterford. Lord Shrewsbury was the brother of Lady Gertrude Chetwynd-Talbot, wife (without issue) of the 13th Earl of Pembroke, and Lady Theresa Chetwynd-Talbot, wife of the 6th Marquess of Londonderry and a notable hostess. He inherited the title while young, and proceeded to ruin his prospects by eloping with a married woman, Ellen Miller-Mundy, nee Palmer-Morewood, wife of a very rich commoner and granddaughter of the 7th Baron Byron (a distant kinsman of the poet Lord Byron, the 6th Baron). The couple had one son, Viscount Ingestre, who died in the lifetime of his parents but who had several children including the 21st Earl of Shrewsbury and Waterford (the father of the current Earl). Lord and Lady Shrewsbury separated afterwards, and Lady Shrewsbury lived on alone plagued by monetary difficulties and ostracized by society. Not all the influence of Lord Shrewsbury's two well-married sisters, nor his own position served to rehabilitate her, such being the mores of the Victorian and Edwardian age.
Lord Shrewsbury was also responsible for the sale of Alton Towers, which had been the family seat of previous Earls of Shrewsbury (and had come into this branch once the will of the 17th Earl had been overturned). Alton Towers is now a well known entertainment site.
Under his patronage, Clément Talbot Ltd was founded in 1903 to import the popular French Clément car into Britain. The famous automobile brand Talbot has emerged from the name of the Earl.
| Preceded by: Charles Chetwynd-Talbot | Earl of Shrewsbury | Succeeded by: John Chetwynd-Talbot |