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Francis Fulford (born 31 August 1952) is a British aristocrat, businessman, television personality, presenter and former stockbroker. He belongs to the landed gentry and is the 26th Fulford to have owned and inhabited Great Fulford manor house in Devon.

Life and career

Francis Fulford is the son of Lieutenant-Colonel Francis Edgar Anthony Fulford and Joan Shirley, younger daughter of Rear-Admiral C. Maurice Blackman, DSO. He is a great-great-grandson of Francis Fulford (1803–1868), Bishop of Montreal.

Fulford attended Sunningdale School in Berkshire, but failed the common entrance exam for Eton, so instead attended Milton Abbey School in Dorset. After leaving there, he did not go on to any higher education. At 18 he started a career with the Coldstream Guards, but failed the Army Officer Selection Board exam and so left after nine months. He travelled to Australia to work as a jackaroo, but soon returned to Britain, re-taking (and again failing) the Army Officer Selection Board exam, before moving to London to work as a stockbroker and insurance broker. Since inheriting the family estate he has devoted himself to its management, though it is in need of restoration and currently (according to his many television appearances) in a state of severe debt. He lives there with his wife Kishanda and four children.

Since 2004 he has maintained an ongoing career in reality television, appearing in various entertainment and documentary-style programmes, many of which (such as The F***ing Fulfords) make a feature of his casual swearing, prejudices, and traditionalist views.

In 2007 he attempted a move into local politics, standing for a seat on Teignbridge District Council as a member of the Conservative Party. He was defeated, gaining 370 votes out of an electorate of 2215. In all previous local elections, the Conservative Party candidate(s) had been elected easily. As of 2020 the Teign Valley was represented by two Conservative Party councillors on the Teignbridge District Council.

In 2009 he appeared on 60 Minutes Australia where he expressed his desire to shoot what he deems "champagne socialists", amongst other comments expressing his gratification of his ancestor having killed 5000 Frenchman. He subsequently makes the remark "55 million left".

As of 2014 Fulford was a member of the UK Independence Party.

Family estate

Fulford is lord of the manor of Great Fulford, the current owner of the estate which was granted to his ancestor William de Fulford by King Richard about 1191, as a reward for military service on the Third Crusade. The present great house dates back to the 16th century.

Reality television

• The F***ing Fulfords (2004)
• How Clean Is Your House? (2004)
• Why America Sucks (2005)
• Why England's F***ed (2005)
• Country House Rescue (2012)
• Salvage Hunters (2012)
• Life Is Toff (6 episodes) (2014)
• Help! My House Is Haunted (2018)

Publications

• Bearing Up: The Long View, Timewell Press, London 2004, ISBN 1-85725-203-9

Ancestry

References

1. ^ Fulford, Francis, Bearing Up:The Long View London, 2004, ISBN 978-1-85725-203-3
2. Colby, Frederic Thomas, B.D., F.S.A., Fellow of Exeter College, Oxford – editor, The Visitation of Devon 1620, London, 1872, pp. 117–119.
3. Kelly's Handbook to the Titled, Landed, and Official Classes, London, 1962, p.801.
4. Charles Mosley, ed., Burke's Peerage, Baronet, 107th edition, volume 3 (2003), pp. 3, 110
5. ^ Interview Jonathan Sale (2 April 2009). "Passed/Failed: An education in the life of Francis Fulford, landowner". The Independent.
6. Saban, Stephen. The Wow Report, 2004. "Latest Star of Brit TV Is Swearing Racist Sexist Homophobic Aristocrat"
7. Wilson, Bo (12 April 2012). "Prepare for the F***ing Fulfords!". London Evening Standard. Retrieved 2 February 2014.
8. Knight Bruce, Rory (6 July 2005). "Can the Fulfords clean up?". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on 14 April 2009. Retrieved 2 February 2014.
9. Shrimsley, Robert. The Financial Times, 13 August 2004 "When gritty realism turns into panto".
10. "Teign Valley Ward". Government of the United Kingdom.
11. "Election results–Teignbridge District Council" (PDF). Teignbridge District Council.
12. "Wealthy English aristocrats insisting on their relevance in modern society | 60 Minutes Australia". YouTube. 10 July 2023.
13. Radio Times Interview, 28 October 2014 "Life is Toff's the Fulfords as posh and outspoken as ever"
14. Peter Townend, ed., Burke's Landed Gentry, 18th edition, volume 1 (1965), p. 294: three Fulford brothers are recorded as crusaders.
15. "Great Fulford". Historic Houses. Retrieved 28 August 2013.
16. "Country House Rescue". Channel 4.

External links

• Great Fulford
• Francis Fulford's Blog

• 1952 births
• Living people
• English agriculturalists
• Television personalities from Devon
• UK Independence Party people
• People educated at Milton Abbey School
• People from Teignbridge (district)
• Fulford family
• People educated at Sunningdale School