CACrown ArchivesThe cinema collection
Menu
Research dossier · People & Ideas

William Temple-Gore-Langton, 4th Earl Temple of Stowe

British politician (1847-1902)

Correspondence, annotated notebooks and portrait silhouettes prepared for research
People and ideasInterpretive dossier study · Crown Archives visual atlas
Record originEnglish Wikipedia
Text licenseCC BY-SA 4.0
Source revisionJul 21, 2026
Entity authorityQ7619672 ↗
Source-derived summary

William Stephen Temple-Gore-Langton, 4th Earl Temple of Stowe (11 May 1847 – 28 March 1902), known as William Gore-Langton until 1892, was a British Conservative politician.

Biography

Gore-Langton was the son of William Gore-Langton and Lady Anna Eliza Mary, daughter of Richard Temple-Grenville, 2nd Duke of Buckingham and Chandos. On his father's side he was a descendant of Sir John Gore, Lord Mayor of London in 1624, and a kinsman of the Gore Baronets, the Earls of Arran and the Barons Harlech. He was elected to the House of Commons as one of two representatives for Somerset Mid in 1878, a seat he held until 1885. In 1892 he succeeded his uncle Richard Temple-Grenville, 3rd Duke of Buckingham and Chandos, as fourth Earl Temple of Stowe, according to a special remainder in the letters patent. He assumed by Royal licence the same year the additional surname and arms of Temple.

He was a major in the North Somerset Yeomanry, a Deputy Lieutenant and Justice of the peace for the county of Somerset, and an alderman.

Family

Lord Temple of Stowe married, in 1870, Helen Mabel Graham-Montgomery, daughter of Sir Graham Graham-Montgomery, 3rd Baronet (her younger sister later married his uncle, and became the last Duchess of Buckingham and Chandos). They had three sons and five daughters:

Algernon William Stephen Temple-Gore-Langton, 5th Earl Temple of Stowe (1871–1940)

Captain Honourable Chandos Temple-Gore-Langton (1873–1921), Captain 1st Dragoon Guards

Lady Gertrude Alice Temple-Gore-Langton (1874–1919); married in 1904 Major William Maurice Copland du Quesne Caillard, and left children.

Lady Mabel Evelyn Temple-Gore-Langton (1876–1966)

Lady Alice Mary Temple-Gore-Langton (1876–1961); married in 1909 her 2nd cousin Commander Hubert Edwin Gore-Langton (1883–1968), and left children.

Editorial summary

Begin with the source’s own compact description: “William Temple-Gore-Langton, 4th Earl Temple of Stowe” is british politician (1847-1902). The dossier treats that line as a proposition to test through William, Temple-Gore-Langton and Earl, not as a finished interpretation.

Editorial reviewA useful biographical orientation record, particularly for establishing names, roles and a first chronology. The current lead gives the account dated anchors—1847, 1902, 1892, 1624—that can be checked directly. The linked authority record independently contributes the date 1847-05-11. For this dossier, William, Temple-Gore-Langton and Earl is the immediate research focus.
Editorial analysis

Why this record matters

The phrase “british politician (1847-1902)” supplies a clear boundary for inquiry. It also exposes the unanswered questions: who defined that boundary, when it became stable and which sources sit outside it.

Evidence profile

Biographical claims are most persuasive when dates, appointments and relationships can be traced to records created close to the events described. The source revision retrieved here is dated Jul 21, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q7619672. 1 of 1 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1847, 1902, 1892 and 1624.

Critical limits

Public reputation and documentary evidence do not always develop together; absence from a summary is not evidence of historical absence. The source lead contains qualifying language; that uncertainty should survive quotation, summary and reuse. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.

How to read it

Read biographical claims against dates, named institutions and the cited references. Distinguish a subject’s later reputation from evidence produced during their lifetime.

Best used for
  • Establishing names and roles
  • Building a first chronology
  • Locating cited institutions
Verify next

Personal papers, civil or court records, institutional files and the scholarship cited by the source.

Three-step research path

  1. Establish the record: confirm the title “William Temple-Gore-Langton, 4th Earl Temple of Stowe”, its source revision and the description used here.
  2. Expand the search: follow William Temple-Gore-Langton, 4th Earl Temple of Stowe primary sources, William Temple-Gore-Langton, 4th Earl Temple of Stowe archive and William research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
  3. Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.

Questions for further research

  1. Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “William Temple-Gore-Langton, 4th Earl Temple of Stowe”?
  2. Which claims depend on a single source or contested interpretation?
  3. Which primary records establish identity, chronology and institutional ties?
Subject index

Search terms from this dossier

Source & attribution

This entry incorporates text from “William Temple-Gore-Langton, 4th Earl Temple of Stowe” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.