He was born into a noted Lancashire family, the son of Thomas Joseph Clifton of
Lytham Hall, Lytham, Lancashire and his wife Hatty Treves. He was educated at
Eton College, and matriculated at
Christ Church, Oxford in 1837. He succeeded his father to the Lytham estate in 1851. He served as a
Justice of the Peace and
Deputy Lieutenant for Lancashire and was
Colonel of the
1st Royal Lancashire Militia (The Duke of Lancaster's Own). He was elected to Parliament as MP for
North Lancashire for 1844–1847, but was a losing candidate in the 1859 election for Preston. He was appointed
High Sheriff of Lancashire for 1853. Clifton died in Algeria in 1882 and was buried at St Cuthberts church, Lytham. He had married Lady Eleanor Cecily Lowther, daughter of Col. Henry Cecil Lowther. He was succeeded by his grandson
John Talbot Clifton, his only son, Thomas Henry, who was also MP for North Lancashire, having predeceased him by two years. A grade II listed drinking fountain as a monument to his memory now stands in Lytham's Sparrow Park. ==References==