Earl of Mornington

Last updated

Earldom of Mornington
Garret Wesley 1st Earl of Mornington.jpg
Creation date1760
Created by George II
Peerage Peerage of Ireland
First holder Garret Wesley, 1st Earl of Mornington
Present holder Charles Wellesley, 9th Duke of Wellington
Heir apparentArthur Wellesley, Earl of Mornington
Remainder tothe 1st Earl's heirs male of the body lawfully begotten
Subsidiary titlesViscount Wellesley of Dangan Castle, in the County of Meath
StatusSubsidiary title of the Duke of Wellington
Seat(s) Stratfield Saye House
Former seat(s) Dangan Castle

Earl of Mornington is a title in the Peerage of Ireland. It was created in 1760 for the Anglo-Irish politician and composer Garret Wellesley, 2nd Baron Mornington. On the death of the fifth earl in 1863, it passed to the Duke of Wellington; since that date, the title has generally been used by courtesy for the heir apparent to the heir apparent to the dukedom.

Contents

History

The first earl was the eldest son of Richard Wesley, the first Baron Mornington. Richard Wesley, born Richard Colley, was elevated to the Peerage of Ireland as Baron Mornington, of Mornington, in 1746. [1] He had inherited the Dangan and Mornington estates in County Meath on the death of his first cousin Garret Wesley in 1728. In the same year he was granted by Royal licence the new surname of Wesley (see below for earlier history of the family).

His son, the second Baron, was made the first Earl of Mornington in 1760, and at the same time also became Viscount Wellesley, of Dangan Castle in the County of Meath, also in the Peerage of Ireland.

Four of the first earl's sons gained distinction. The third son was Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, who defeated Napoleon Bonaparte at the Battle of Waterloo in 1815 (see Duke of Wellington), while the fifth was the diplomat Henry Wellesley, 1st Baron Cowley (see Earl Cowley).

Portrait of the Marquess Wellesley by Thomas Lawrence, 1813 Sir Thomas Lawrence (1769-1830) - Richard Colley Wellesley, Marquess Wellesley (1760-1842) - RCIN 400643 - Royal Collection.jpg
Portrait of the Marquess Wellesley by Thomas Lawrence, 1813

The first earl was succeeded by his eldest son, Richard, the second earl. He used the original family surname of Wellesley in lieu of Wesley. He was a prominent soldier, diplomat and politician. In 1797 he was created Baron Wellesley, of Wellesley in the County of Somerset, in the Peerage of Great Britain, which entitled him to a seat in the British House of Lords. In 1799 he was further honoured when he was made Marquess Wellesley, of Norragh, in the Peerage of Ireland. However, he was said to be bitterly disappointed at not receiving a dukedom or at least an English peerage of high rank. He referred to his Irish marquessate as a "double-gilt potato". Lord Wellesley had several children by his French mistress, Hyacinthe-Gabrielle Roland (they were married in 1794 after the birth of their children). One of them, Anne, married as her second husband Lord Charles Bentinck. They were great-great-grandparents of Queen Elizabeth II.

William Pole-Tylney-Long-Wellesley, 4th Earl of Mornington William Pole-Tylney-Long-Wellesley, 4th Earl of Mornington.jpg
William Pole-Tylney-Long-Wellesley, 4th Earl of Mornington

As Lord Wellesley had no legitimate children, the English barony of 1797 and the marquessate became extinct on his death in 1842. He was succeeded in the other titles by his younger brother William Wellesley-Pole, 1st Baron Maryborough, who became the third Earl of Mornington. He was also a politician and notably served as Chief Secretary for Ireland between 1809 and 1812 and as Chancellor of the Irish Exchequer between 1811 and 1812. Born William Wesley, he assumed by Royal licence in 1781 the additional surname of Pole on succeeding to the estates of his cousin, William Pole. In 1798 he assumed by Royal licence the surname of Wellesley-Pole in lieu of Wesley-Pole. In 1821 he was raised to the Peerage of the United Kingdom as Baron Maryborough, of Maryborough in the Queen's County. He was succeeded by his son, the fourth Earl. He married Catherine, daughter and coheir of Sir James Tylney-Long, 7th Baronet (see Tylney-Long Baronets). She was known in London society as "The Wiltshire heiress" and was believed to be the richest commoner in England. On his marriage he assumed by Royal licence the additional surnames of Tylney and Long.

Lord Mornington is chiefly remembered for his dissipated lifestyle which brought about the destruction of the Tylney family estate of Wanstead House. He was succeeded by his eldest and only surviving son, the fifth Earl. He had been the subject of a bitter custody battle between his father and his two maternal aunts (who had wanted him to be placed under the guardianship of his great-uncle the Duke of Wellington) and later fought a legal battle with his father over the sale of contents of the family seat Draycot House. Lord Mornington died unmarried in 1863 when the barony of Maryborough became extinct. He left all his landed property to his father's cousin Henry Wellesley, 1st Earl Cowley. He was succeeded in his Irish titles by his first cousin once removed, Arthur Wellesley, 2nd Duke of Wellington. The title Earl of Mornington is now used as a courtesy title by the heir apparent to the Marquess of Douro, himself the heir apparent to the Duke of Wellington. As of 2015, the title is held by courtesy by Arthur Wellesley, Earl of Mornington, son of Arthur Wellesley, Marquess of Douro and grandson of Charles Wellesley, 9th Duke of Wellington.

Dangan Castle, c. 1840 Dangan Castle, Co Meath, Ireland, 1840.jpg
Dangan Castle, c. 1840

The Wesley or Wellesley family descended from Sir Richard de Wellesley (15th century). His grandson Sir William Wellesley (died 1602) lived at Dangan Castle, County Meath. The family estates passed down the male lines. One of Wellesley's daughters, Alison, married John Cusack. Their son Sir Thomas Cusack served as Lord Chancellor of Ireland between 1551 and 1554. His daughter, Katherine, married Sir Henry Colley (or Cowley) (16th century), of Castle Carbery, County Kildare. Their grandson Sir Henry Colley represented County Monaghan in the Irish Parliament. One of Sir Henry's sons, Dudley Colley (or Cowley), was a member of the Irish Parliament for Philipstown. His son Henry Colley (or Cowley) was the father of Henry Cowley, who represented Strabane in the Irish House of Commons, and of Garret Wesley, 1st Baron Mornington. The aforementioned Garret Wesley (died 1728) was a descendant of Sir William Wellesley (died 1602) as well as the son of Elizabeth, daughter of the aforementioned Dudley Colley, also the paternal grandfather of the first Baron Mornington.

The country seat of the Wellesley family was Dangan Castle, near Summerhill, County Meath. The Dublin residence of the family was Mornington House, Merrion Street.

Barons Mornington (1746)

Earls of Mornington (1760)

Marquesses Wellesley (1799)

Earls of Mornington (1760; Reverted)

for further succession, see Duke of Wellington (title)

Barons Maryborough (1821)

see above for further succession

Family tree

Line of succession

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Duke of Wellington (title)</span> Title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom

Duke of Wellington is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. The name derived from Wellington in Somerset. The title was created in 1814 for Arthur Wellesley, 1st Marquess of Wellington, the Anglo-Irish military commander who is best known for leading the decisive victory with Field Marshal von Blücher over Napoleon's forces at Waterloo in Brabant. Wellesley later served twice as British prime minister. In historical texts, unqualified use of the title typically refers to the 1st Duke.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Richard Wellesley, 1st Marquess Wellesley</span> British politician (1760–1842)

Richard Colley Wellesley, 1st Marquess Wellesley, was an Anglo-Irish politician and colonial administrator. He was styled as Viscount Wellesley until 1781, when he succeeded his father as 2nd Earl of Mornington. In 1799, he was granted the Irish peerage title of Marquess Wellesley of Norragh. He was also Lord Wellesley in the Peerage of Great Britain.

Wellesley may refer to:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Earl Cowley</span> Earldom in the Peerage of the United Kingdom

Earl Cowley is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created in 1857 for the diplomat Henry Wellesley, 2nd Baron Cowley. He was Ambassador to France from 1852 to 1867. He was made Viscount Dangan, of Dangan in the County of Meath, at the same time as he was given the earldom. This title is also in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. Lord Cowley was the eldest son of Henry Wellesley, 1st Baron Cowley, who like his son served as Ambassador to France. In 1828 he was created Baron Cowley, of Wellesley in the County of Somerset, in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. A member of the prominent Wellesley family, Cowley was the fifth and youngest son of Garret Wellesley, 1st Earl of Mornington, and the younger brother of Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, and Richard Wellesley, 1st Marquess Wellesley.

Mornington may refer to:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">William Wellesley-Pole, 3rd Earl of Mornington</span> Anglo-Irish politician (1763–1845)

William Wellesley-Pole, 3rd Earl of Mornington,, known as Lord Maryborough between 1821 and 1842, was an Anglo-Irish politician and an elder brother of the Duke of Wellington. His surname changed twice: he was born with the name Wesley, which he changed to Wesley-Pole following an inheritance in 1781. In 1789 the spelling was updated to Wellesley-Pole, just as other members of the family had changed Wesley to Wellesley.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Garret Wesley, 1st Earl of Mornington</span> Anglo-Irish politician and composer, father of Duke of Wellington

Garret Colley Wesley, 1st Earl of Mornington was an Anglo-Irish politician and composer, as well as the father of several distinguished military commanders and politicians of Great Britain and Ireland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Henry Wellesley, 1st Baron Cowley</span> Anglo-Irish diplomat and politician (1773-1847)

Henry Wellesley, 1st Baron Cowley GCB was an Anglo-Irish diplomat and politician. He was the younger brother of the soldier and politician the first Duke of Wellington. He is known particularly for his service as British Ambassador to Spain during the Peninsular War where he acted in cooperation with his brother to gain the support of Cortes of Cádiz. His later postings included being Ambassador in Vienna where he dealt with Metternich and British Ambassador to France during the reign of Louis Philippe I.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lady Charles Bentinck</span> British aristocrat (1788-1875)

Lady Charles Cavendish-Bentinck, known between 1806 and 1816 as Lady Abdy, was a British aristocrat and a great-great-grandmother of Queen Elizabeth II.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">William Pole-Tylney-Long-Wellesley, 4th Earl of Mornington</span> Anglo-Irish nobleman

William Pole-Tylney-Long-Wellesley, 4th Earl of Mornington was an Anglo-Irish nobleman notorious for his dissipated style of living.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Richard Wesley, 1st Baron Mornington</span> Irish peer

Richard Colley Wesley, 1st Baron Mornington was an Irish peer, best remembered as the grandfather of Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington.

Henry Colley was an Irish Member of Parliament. He was a member of the same family as the Duke of Wellington.

Henry Colley (1648–1719) was an Irish Member of Parliament.

Arthur Hill-Trevor, 1st Viscount Dungannon, was an Irish politician.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dangan Castle</span> Former stately home in County Meath, Ireland

Dangan Castle is a former stately home in County Meath, Ireland, which is now in a state of ruin. It is situated by Dangan Church on the Trim Road. The castle is the former seat of the Wesley (Wellesley) family and is located outside the village of Summerhill. It was the childhood home of Field Marshal Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Katherine Wellesley-Pole, Countess of Mornington</span>

Katherine Wellesley-Pole, Countess of Mornington, formerly Katherine Elizabeth Forbes, was the wife of William Wellesley-Pole, 3rd Earl of Mornington.

Charlotte Sloane Paget, Marchioness of Anglesey, formerly known as Lady Charlotte Wellesley, was the second wife of Henry Paget, 1st Marquess of Anglesey.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marianne Wellesley, Marchioness Wellesley</span>

Marianne Wellesley, Marchioness Wellesley was the American second wife of Richard Wellesley, 1st Marquess Wellesley, a brother of the Duke of Wellington.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anne Wellesley, Countess of Mornington</span> Anglo-Irish aristocrat

Anne Wellesley, Countess of Mornington, was an Anglo-Irish aristocrat. She was the wife of the 1st Earl of Mornington and mother of the victor of the Battle of Waterloo, Field Marshal The 1st Duke of Wellington.

Lieutenant Colonel William Henry Wellesley, 2nd Earl Cowley was an English aristocrat and soldier.

References

  1. ↑ "No. 8550". The London Gazette . 1 July 1746. p. 5.
  2. ↑ Wellesley, Jane (2008). A Journey Through My Family. Weidenfeld & Nicolson. ISBN   978-0-297-85231-5.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.