Background
He was born in Sicily where his father, Sir John Acton, 6th Baronet, a former Prime Minister of Naples, had been forced to flee in 1806. His mother was the eldest daughter of his father’s brother, General Joseph Edward Acton.
He was born in Sicily where his father, Sir John Acton, 6th Baronet, a former Prime Minister of Naples, had been forced to flee in 1806. His mother was the eldest daughter of his father’s brother, General Joseph Edward Acton.
Magdalene College; Westminster School.
He succeeded to the baronetcy upon the death of his father in 1811. He was educated at Westminster School and Magdalene College, Cambridge. In 1826 the Villa Pignatelli was built for him at San Giorgio a Cremano near Naples, a neo-classical residence that formed the centrepiece of a park.
Baptised Ferdinand Richard Edward Acton, on 20 December 1833 his name was legally changed to Ferdinand Richard Edward Dalberg-Acton by Royal Licence.