Sir William Earle Lytton Bulwer, (1799-1877), of Heydon Hall, Norwich
British Ambassador to Turkey. The son of General William Earl Bulwer (1757 – 1807), of Heydon Hall, Norfolk, Colonel of the 108th Regiment known as Norfolk Rangers, and Elizabeth Barbara Warburton-Lytton (1798 – 1843)dau. of Richard Warburton-Lytton (1745-1843), of Knebworth House, in Hertfordshire.
He m. Emily Gascoyne dau. of General Gascoyne.
F. 4330
A shield encircled by a garter bearing the motto, with a helmet and crest above.
Arms: gules on a chevron argent between three eagles close reguardant or as many cinquefoils sable [Bulwer].
Crest: a horned wolf’s head erased.
Motto: Adversis major, par secundis
He used another armorial bookplate (F. 4329) bearing Bulwer quartering Earle, Wiggett and Lytton, (J. Warwick, 145 Strand).
He had two famous brothers:
(William) Henry Lytton Earle Bulwer, 1st Baron Dalling and Bulwer, GCB, PC (1801–1872) was a British Liberal politician, diplomat and writer.
A protégé of Lord Palmerston he was successively attaché at Berlin 1827, Vienna 1829, The Hague 1830 and at Paris 1832-33; then he was elected M.P. for Wilton 1830, Coventry 1831-35 and Marylebone 1835-37. Again in the diplomatic service he was Chargé d'affaires, Brussels, 1835-37, Secretary of embassy at Constantinople1837-38, Secretary of embassy at Paris, 1839-43, Minister-Plenipotentiary and Envoy-Extra-ordinary at Madrid, 1843-48, at Washington, 1849-52 and at Florence, 1852-55.
Finally in 1858 he was appointed Ambassador Extraordinary at Constantinople till 1865. Married the Hon. Georgiana Charlotte Mary Wellesley dau. of 1st Baron Cowley and niece to Sir Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington.
See F. 4333 anonymous armorial bookplate with supporters
And the youngest, Lord Edward George Earle Bulwer-Lytton (1803-1873), novelist, poet, playwright, and politician, 1st Baron Lytton of Knebworth.
The latter's son also had a bookplate:
Lord Edward Robert Bulwer Lytton (1831-1891) 2nd Baron Lytton, 1st. Earl of Lytton
cr. Viscount Knebworth, of Knebworth (1873) in the County of Hertford, and 1st Earl of Lytton (1880), in the County of Derby.
Diplomat and writer, also known as Owen Meredith.
The son of Lord Edward George Earle Bulwer-Lytton (1803-1873), novelist, poet, playwright, and politician, 1st Baron Lytton of Knebworth (cr. 1866) and of Rosina Doyle Wheeler (1802 – 1882), dau. of Francis Massy Wheeler and Ms Doyle. Known till he was knighted in 1837, as Edward Lytton Bulwer, he is considered one of the most accomplished writers of his day.
Lord Robert Lytton married Edith Villiers (1841-1936), dau. of Edward Villiers and Elizabeth Liddell, Lady-in-Waiting to Queens Victoria and Alexandra and niece of Lord Clarendon.
Lord Lytton in 1866 was secretary of the British Legation in Lisbon where he returned in 1874 as Minister. From 1876 to 1880 he was Viceroy and Governor-General of India appointed by Disraeli and in 1887 was appointed British Ambassador to France till his death in 1891.
F. 19016
Arms: Quarterly of 6; 1 and 6 – Lytton and Bulwer, quarterly; 2 – Bulwer; 3 – Earle; 4 – Warburton; 5 – Norreys.
Thanks are due to Mr. Anthony Pincott of The Bookplate Society for letting me have the image of this bookplate, known in Portuguese collections due to the bearer's connection with Portugal.
Bibliography: E. Neill Raymond, Victorian Viceroy: The Life of Robert, the First Earl of Lytton, Regency Press, 1980; Aurelia Brooks Harlan, Owen Meredith: A Critical Biography of Robert, First Earl of Lytton, Columbia University press, 1946; Edward Robert Bulwer Lytton Lytton, The Poetical Works of Owen Meredith (Robert, Lord Lytton), T. Y. Crowell, 1884
