PORTER, Whitworth (2 son of Henry Porter). b. Winslade house, near Exeter 25 Sept. 1827; educ. R.M. academy, Woolwich 1842–5; 2 lieut. R.E. 18 Dec. 1845, lieut. col. 14 Dec. 1868; served in the trenches at siege of Sebastopol Feb. to June 1855; employed at the war office under inspector-general of fortifications April 1859 to Sept. 1862; instructor in fortifications at Sandhurst 1862–8; executive officer at Malta March 1870, supervised construction of defences of new dockyard; designed and erected observatories at Catania and Syracuse; commander of royal engineers at Barbados 1874–6, and at Plymouth 16 Oct. 1877, retired on pension with hon. rank of M.G. 1 Oct. 1881; chairman of metropolitan district of St. John’s ambulance association; knight commander of order of St. John of Jerusalem 8 July 1859; author of Life in the trenches before Sebastopol 1856; A history of the knights of Malta, 2 vols. 1858, 3 ed. 1884; History of the corps of royal engineers, 2 vols. 1889. d. Guildford 27 May 1892. bur. St. Michael’s church, York Town, Surrey. Royal engineers’ journal, No. 261, Aug. 1892.
PORTER, William (brother of John Scott Porter 1801–80). b. Artikelly, near Newtownlimavady 15 Sept. 1805; called to Irish bar 1831; attorney general at Cape of Good Hope Jany. 1839, retired on full salary 31 Aug. 1865; gave more than half his salary to endowment of univ. of Cape of Good Hope, elected the first chancellor 1873; declined the posts of chief justice and prime minister at Cape of Good Hope; C.M.G. 30 Nov. 1872; wrote twelve articles on preachers and preaching in the Bible Christian 1834–5. d. Lennox Vale, Belfast 13 July 1880. Memorial of rev. J. S. Porter and the hon. W. Porter (1880).
PORTER, William (4 son of Thomas Porter of London, d. 1848). b. Oct. 1816; educ. Paris; in office of Mr. Hamlet, London; a colonial broker and founder of the firm; retired 1870 and purchased Thingwall hall, Birkenhead; a founder of the Birkenhead park archery club 1858, hon. treasurer to 1870, club reconstituted as the Wirrel archers 1870, sec. and first champion 1871; for many years shot nearly every day, winter and summer; a member of the Mersey bowmen, of the Royal British bowmen, and of the Montgomeryshire archers; won prizes at the Grand National 1874, 1876, 1887, and 1888. d. Thingwall hall 5 Sept. 1892. F. T. Follett’s Archer’s register for 1892–3 (1893) 49–50.
PORTER, William Henry (brother of Frank Thorpe Porter 1801–82). b. 5 March 1791; scholar at Trin. coll. Dublin 1808, B.A. 1810, M.A. 1814, M.D. 1842; F.R.C.S. Ireland 1817, and professor of theory and practice of surgery to the college Oct. 1836 to death, president 1838; surgeon to Meath hospital and county Dublin infirmary 1820 to death; member of general medical council 13 July 1860 to death; author of Observations on the surgical pathology of the larynx and trachea 1826. d. 21 Kildare st. Dublin 28 April 1861.
PORTLAND, William Henry Cavendish Scott Bentinck, 4 Duke of (1 son of 3 duke of Portland 1738–1809). b. London 24 June 1768; styled marquis of Titchfield 1768–1809; educ. Westminster 1783; matric. from Ch. Ch. Oxf. 25 Jany. 1785, D.C.L. 1793; M.P. Petersfield 29 Dec. 1790 to April 1791; M.P. Bucks 18 April 1791 to 30 Oct. 1809, when he succeeded his father as 4 duke; lord lieutenant of Middlesex 1794–1842; took name of Scott by R.L. 5 Sept. 1795; a junior lord of the treasury 31 March to 16 Sept. 1807; lord keeper of the privy seal 30 April to 16 July 1827; P.C. 30 April 1827; lord president of the council 17 Aug. 1827 to 28 Jany. 1828; a family trustee of the British Museum 1809–29; spent large sums in draining and improving the Welbeck estates, making plantations and transplanted large oak trees, would himself work in the trenches with his men; kept many mares and race horses, with Tiresias won the Derby 1819; proprietor of Newmarket heath, which he much improved; author of Advantages of Russia in the present contest with France 1807; Work on draining by Josiah Parkes, with observations by the duke of Portland 1847. d. Welbeck abbey, Notts. 27 March 1854. bur. Bolsover church, Derbyshire 4 April, personalty sworn under £900,000 July 1854. Baily’s Mag. June 1889 pp. 387–95; W. Day’s Reminiscenses (1886) 132–8; Waagen’s Galleries of Art (1857) 511–16; G.M. xli 523–4 (1854).
PORTLAND, William John Cavendish Scott Bentinck, 5 Duke of (2 son of 4 duke of Portland). b. London 17 Sept. 1800; styled lord John Bentinck 1809–24; ensign and lieut. grenadier guards 16 July 1818; cornet 10 hussars 26 Nov. 1818; capt. 7 hussars 24 Oct. 1821; capt. 2 life guards 25 Jany. 1823; styled marquess of Titchfield 1824–54; M.P. King’s Lynn 1824–6; lieut. and capt. grenadier guards 15 June 1830; succeeded his father as 5 duke of Portland 27 March 1854; constructed a mile and a half of underground tunnels at Welbeck to connect the various parts; erected a peach house 1,000 feet long; made a tan gallop a quarter of a mile long, covered with glass; erected a riding school 385 feet long; kept many mares and race horses; employed 1,500 workmen during many years at Welbeck and expended upwards of 4 millions. d. Harcourt house, 19 Cavendish sq. London 6 Dec. 1879. bur. Kensal green 12 Dec., personalty sworn under £1,500,000 March 1880. Baily’s Mag. June 1889 pp. 387–95; London Figaro 15 Sept 1875 pp. 5–6 portrait, reprinted 13 Dec. 1879 pp. 10–11 portrait.
PORTLOCK, Joseph Ellison (only son of Nathaniel Portlock, captain in the navy, d. 12 Sept. 1816). b. Gosport, Hampshire 30 Sept. 1794; 2 lieut. R.E. 20 July 1813; commander of R.E. of the Cork district 1849–51, and of the south-eastern district 1856–7; inspector of studies at R.M. academy, Woolwich 1851–6; colonel 1 April 1855, retired on full pay with rank of M.G. 25 Nov. 1857; employed in the trigonometrical branch of the ordnance survey in Ireland 1825–43, where he completed the great triangulation; a founder of the Geological society of Dublin 1831, president 1838, 1839, 1851, and 1852; a founder of the Zoological society 1826, president; president of geological section of British association at Belfast 1852; member of council of military education May 1857 to 1862; hon. LL.D. Dublin 1857; M.R.I.A.; F.R.S. 8 June 1837; author of Report on the geology of Londonderry, Tyrone, and Fermanagh, Dublin 1843; A rudimentary treatise on geology 1849, 2 ed. 1852; Memoir of the life of major general T. Colby 1869. d. Blackrock, near Dublin 14 Feb. 1864. Proc. of Royal Soc. xiv 13–17 (1865); Quarterly Journal of Geol. Soc. xxi 40–5 (1865).
PORTMAN, Edward Berkeley Portman, 1 Viscount (son of Edward Berkeley Portman d. 19 Jany. 1823). b. Bryanston, Dorset 9 July 1799; educ. Eton 1814 and Ch. Ch. Oxf., B.A. 1821, M.A. 1826; M.P. Dorset 1823–32; M.P. Marylebone 12 Dec. 1832 to March 1833; major 1 Somerset regt. of militia 13 March 1839; cr. baron Portman of Orchard Portman, Dorset 27 Jany. 1837, and viscount Portman of Bryanston, Dorset 28 March 1873; lord lieutenant of Somerset 22 May 1839 to June 1864; a comr. and councillor of duchy of Cornwall 19 Aug. 1840; a councillor of duchy of Lancaster 13 Feb. 1847; a councillor of duchy of Cornwall 27 Jany. 1863; lord warden of the stannaries and high steward of the duchy of Cornwall 20 Jany. 1865 to death; a breeder of Devon cattle and Alderney cows; president of royal agricultural society 1846, 1856, and 1862; author of Family Prayers 1859, 4 ed. 1868. d. Bryanston 19 Nov. 1888, will proved for £244,092. Journal of royal agricultural soc. (1889) p. vi; I.L.N. 12 July 1862 p. 57 portrait, 11 April 1863 p. 400 portrait.
Note.—The following works refer to lord Portman, Statement by marquis of Hastings of the case of lady Flora Hastings and correspondence with lord Portman 1839; A warning letter to the baroness Lehzen with observations on letter of lord Portman 1839; Lady Flora Hastings by J. F. Murray, with observations on the statements of ladies Portman and Tavistock 1839.
PORTMAN, Wyndham Berkeley (eld. son of capt. Wyndham B. Portman, R.N. 1804–83). b. 15 May 1831; attended all race meetings and had great knowledge of horse breeding; founder and proprietor of Horse and hound 30 Wellington st. Strand, London March 1884 to death. d. Alipose house, Worcester road, Sutton, Surrey 18 Sept. 1890. bur. Brookwood cemetery 20 Sept. Horse and hound 20 Sept. 1890 p. 573, 27 Sept. p. 585; Baily’s Mag. Oct. 1890 p. 281.