Old Portsmouth
- Lieut General Lord Fitzclarence G.C.H. -

 
Further Information
Frederick FitzClarence was the second (illegitimate) son of King William IV and his mistress Dorothea Jordan. He was born 9 December 1799 and died on 30 October 1854. Between 1847 and 1851 he was Lieutenant-Governor of Portsmouth.
 
Clarence Esplanade is named after him and was opened on 10 August 1848 during the Royal Portsmouth Regatta, attended by Queen Victoria. It's construction had been proposed by Mr E. Emanuel and seconded by the Mayor Benjamin Bramble in November 1847. Work began the following year when the War Department gave the necessary land free of charge, the Treasury committed £300 and a public subscription was opened. William Gates reports in his 'Records of the Corporation' that "The work was considerable cheapened because, through the good offices of the Lieutenant Governor, Lord Frederick Fitzclarence, and the zealous efforts of Alderman E. Emmanuel, convict labour was employed in it's construction, and thousands of tons of mud and shingle were brought from the Dockyard steam basin at that time under construction".
 
Before giving up his command as Lieutenant Governor, Lord Frederick wanted to present the people of Portsmouth with a gift of two statues, one of Lord Nelson and the other of the Duke of Wellington since both had sailed from Portsmouth to their greatest victories. The statues were unveiled on June 18th 1850 which was followed by a public dinner to the Lieutenant Governor. Their fate is discussed on the "Lost Statues" page.
 
The departure of Lord Frederick from his position as Lieutenant Governor called forth an expression of gratitude from the Town Council for his unceasing interest in the welfare and convenience of the inhabitants, his co-operation with the Civil Authorities and the improvements carried out to the Southsea Common area under his auspices.
 
FitClarence left Portsmouth to command the army in Bombay where he died only three years later. On Jan 23rd 1855 The Times reported that the body of Lord Frederick had arrived at Southampton to be received by, amongst others, three representatives from Portsmouth - Messrs Emmanuel and Hollingsworth and Major-General James Simpson.
 
The Early Photograph of the Memorial
The photograph taken around 1860 (see left) is one half of a stereoscopic pair taken by one of the Ubsdell family. RHC Ubsdell was the most famous of this family but it was W & S Ubsdell who advertised and sold these images. We can be fairly confident in the date we have ascribed to the image as we can see that the building on the left predates the Pier Hotel which was built on that spot in 1861/2. In the distance, the spire of St Jude's (dedicated 1851) and Western Parade are just visible.
 
See Also
The memorial to two horses that belonged to Lord FitzClarence, buried alongside Governor's Green.