William Legge, 2nd Earl of Dartmouth

Last updated

The Earl of Dartmouth
William Legge, Second Earl of Dartmouth, by Nathaniel Hone I, 1777, from the Hood Museum of Art - P.960.100.jpg
First Lord of Trade
In office
20 July 1765 16 August 1766

Lord Dartmouth's political career began with the presidency of the Board of Trade and Foreign Plantations from 1765-1766. [3]

Secretary for the Colonies

Lord Dartmouth was Secretary of State for the Colonies from 1772 to 1775. He was in this role during the Boston Tea Party. He supported the Intolerable Acts and the Quebec Act. [4]

In 1772, in correspondence with Sir William Johnson, the Superintendent of Northern Indian Affairs in America, he suggested that there was no reasonable way the British Government could support new trade regulations with the Indians. He sympathised with Johnson's arguments but stated the Colonies did not seem inclined to concur with any new regulations.

He received many letters from North Carolina royal governor Josiah Martin in the summer of 1775 communicating preparations the Loyalist government was making against Patriot militia units and events of the revolution. [5]

He served as Lord Privy Seal from 1775-1782. [3]

Lord Dartmouth's arrival in the Colonies was celebrated by Phillis Wheatley's famous poem, "To the Right Honourable William, Earl of Dartmouth."

Philanthropy

Lord Dartmouth was a large donor to and the leading trustee for the English trust that would finance the establishment of the Moor's Charity School, in Lebanon, Connecticut, by Eleazar Wheelock to educate and convert the Indians.

Wheelock subsequently founded Dartmouth College in Hanover, New Hampshire, naming the school in Lord Dartmouth's honour, in hopes of getting his financial support. Lord Dartmouth refused. In London, Lord Dartmouth supported the new Foundling Hospital, a charitable institution for the care and maintenance of London's abandoned children. He served as a vice-president of the organisation from 1755 until his death. The famous painter Sir Joshua Reynolds painted the Earl's portrait and donated it to the hospital.

The portrait is still in the Foundling Hospital Collection and can be seen at the Foundling Museum in London. He was admitted a Fellow of the Royal Society on 7 November 1754. [6]

Marriage and children

Lord Dartmouth married Frances Catherine Nicholl, daughter of Sir Charles Gounter Nicoll, on 11 January 1755. They had nine children together:

Death

Dartmouth died at Blackheath, Kent, on 15 July 1801, aged 70. He was buried in Trinity Church in the Minories on 3 August 1801. [15]

He was succeeded by his eldest son, George. Lady Dartmouth died in July 1805. The family lived at Sandwell Hall (since demolished) in Sandwell Valley.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">William Cavendish-Bentinck, 3rd Duke of Portland</span> Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1807 to 1809

William Henry Cavendish Cavendish-Bentinck, 3rd Duke of Portland was a British Whig and then a Tory politician during the late Georgian era. He served as chancellor of the University of Oxford (1792–1809) and as Prime Minister of Great Britain (1783) and then of the United Kingdom (1807–1809). The gap of 26 years between his two terms as prime minister is the longest of any British prime minister. He was also an ancestor of King Charles III through his great-granddaughter Cecilia Bowes-Lyon, Countess of Strathmore and Kinghorne.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thomas Thynne, 1st Marquess of Bath</span> 18th-century English noble

Thomas Thynne, 1st Marquess of Bath, KG, PC, of Longleat in Wiltshire, was a British politician who held office under King George III. He served as Southern Secretary, Northern Secretary and Lord Lieutenant of Ireland. Between 1751 and 1789, he was known as the 3rd Viscount Weymouth. He is possibly best known for his role in the Falklands Crisis of 1770.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Campbell, 5th Duke of Argyll</span> Scottish soldier and politician (1723–1806)

Field Marshal John Campbell, 5th Duke of Argyll, styled Marquess of Lorne from 1761 to 1770, was a Scottish soldier and nobleman. After serving as a junior officer in Flanders during the War of the Austrian Succession, he was given command of a regiment and was redeployed to Scotland where he opposed the Jacobites at Loch Fyne at an early stage of the Jacobite Rebellion and went on to fight against them at the Battle of Falkirk Muir and then at the Battle of Culloden. He later became adjutant-general in Ireland and spent some 20 years as a Member of Parliament before retiring to Inveraray Castle.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Frederick Howard, 5th Earl of Carlisle</span> British statesman, diplomat and author

Frederick Howard, 5th Earl of Carlisle was a British statesman, diplomat and author.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Perceval, 2nd Earl of Egmont</span> British politician with Irish connections

John Perceval, 2nd Earl of Egmont was a British politician, political pamphleteer, and genealogist who served as First Lord of the Admiralty. Of Anglo-Irish background, he sat in both the Irish and British Parliaments. He was the father of the Regency Era Prime Minister Spencer Perceval.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Arthur Chichester, 1st Marquess of Donegall</span> English nobleman and politician

Arthur Chichester, 1st Marquess of Donegall, known as Arthur Chichester until 1757 and as The Earl of Donegall between 1757 and 1791, was an English nobleman and politician in Ireland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Daniel Finch, 8th Earl of Winchilsea</span> British peer and politician

Daniel Finch, 8th Earl of Winchilsea and 3rd Earl of Nottingham, , of Burley House near Oakham in Rutland and of Eastwell Park near Ashford in Kent, was a British peer and politician.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Henry Paget, 1st Earl of Uxbridge (second creation)</span> British peer

Henry Bayly-Paget, 1st Earl of Uxbridge, known as Henry Bayly until 1769 and as Lord Paget between 1769 and 1784, was a British peer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">George Legge, 3rd Earl of Dartmouth</span> British politician

George Legge, 3rd Earl of Dartmouth KG, PC, FRS, styled Viscount Lewisham until 1801, was a British politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1778 to 1784.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">George Cavendish, 1st Earl of Burlington</span> British politician

George Cavendish, 1st Earl of Burlington, styled Lord George Cavendish before 1831, was a British nobleman and politician. He built Burlington Arcade.

Admiral Vere Beauclerk, 1st Baron Vere, known as Lord Vere Beauclerk until 1750, was a Royal Navy officer, British peer and politician who sat in the House of Commons for 24 years from 1726 to 1750. After serving various ships in the Mediterranean and then commanding the third-rate HMS Hampton Court, he joined the Board of Admiralty, ultimately serving as Senior Naval Lord.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Heneage Finch, 4th Earl of Aylesford</span> British artist and politician (1751-1812)

Heneage Finch, 4th Earl of Aylesford, PC, FRS, FSA, styled Lord Guernsey between 1757 and 1777, was a British politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1772 to 1777 when he succeeded to a peerage. He was also a landscape artist.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Heneage Finch, 5th Earl of Aylesford</span> British peer

Heneage Finch, 5th Earl of Aylesford was a British peer, the eldest son of Heneage Finch, 4th Earl of Aylesford. He was styled Lord Guernsey until he succeeded his father in 1812.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">William Legge, 4th Earl of Dartmouth</span>

William Legge, 4th Earl of Dartmouth FRS, SA, styled The Honourable William Legge until 1801 and Viscount Lewisham between 1801 and 1810, was a British peer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Richard Lambart, 7th Earl of Cavan</span> British Army general (1763–1837)

Richard Ford William Lambart, 7th Earl of Cavan, styled Viscount Kilcoursie from 1772 to 1778, was a British military commander throughout the Napoleonic era and beyond.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Peniston Lamb, 1st Viscount Melbourne</span> British politician

Peniston Lamb, 1st Viscount Melbourne, known as Sir Peniston Lamb, 2nd Baronet, from 1768 to 1770, was a British politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1768 to 1793. He was the father of Prime Minister William Lamb, 2nd Viscount Melbourne.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">William Finch (diplomat)</span> British diplomat and Whig politician

Hon. William Finch of Charlewood, Hertfordshire, was a British diplomat and Whig politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1727 to 1761. He was considered an indolent diplomat and became an opponent of Walpole, but maintained his post in the Royal Household for over 20 years until he began to lose his senses.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lionel Tollemache, 4th Earl of Dysart</span> English peer and landowner

Lionel Tollemache, 4th Earl of Dysart, KT, styled Lord Huntingtower from 1712 to 1727, was an English peer and landowner.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thomas Parker, 3rd Earl of Macclesfield</span> British peer and politician

Thomas Parker, 3rd Earl of Macclesfield FRS, styled Viscount Parker between 1732 and 1764, was a British peer and politician.

Robert Marsham, 1st Baron Romney of The Mote, Maidstone, known as Sir Robert Marsham, Bt between 1703 and 1716, was an English Whig politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1708 to 1716 when he was raised to the peerage as Baron Romney.

References

  1. Sykes, Daniel Frederick Edward "The History of Huddersfield and Its Vicinity" pg. 131
  2. Hopkins, Clare (2005), Trinity: 450 years of an Oxford college community (2007 reprint ed.), Oxford, ISBN   978-0-19-951896-8 {{citation}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  3. 1 2 "Catalog Description - PAPERS OF THE LEGGE FAMILY, EARLS OF DARTMOUTH" . Retrieved 29 February 2024.
  4. "William Legge, 2nd earl of Dartmouth". Britannica. 26 February 2024. Retrieved 29 February 2024.
  5. Fonvielle Jr., Chris E. (April 2017). "With Such Great Alacrity': The Destruction of Fort Johnston and the Coming of the American Revolution in North Carolina". The North Carolina Historical Review. 94 (2): 150–201. JSTOR   45184827 . Retrieved 29 February 2024.
  6. "Lists of Royal Society Fellows". Archived from the original on 10 December 2004. Retrieved 15 December 2006.
  7. The Register of Births and Baptisms in the Parish of St James within the Liberty of Westminster. 1741-1760. 21 February 1757.
  8. The Register of Births and Baptisms in the Parish of St James within the Liberty of Westminster. 1741-1760. 1 June 1759.
  9. The Register of Births and Baptisms in the Parish of St James within the Liberty of Westminster. 1761-1786. 27 May 1761.
  10. The Register of Births and Baptisms in the Parish of St James within the Liberty of Westminster. 1761-1786. 18 February 1765.
  11. The Register of Births and Baptisms in the Parish of St James within the Liberty of Westminster. 1761-1786. 17 November 1766.
  12. The Register of Births and Baptisms in the Parish of St James within the Liberty of Westminster. 1761-1786. 9 January 1768.
  13. The Register of Births and Baptisms in the Parish of St James within the Liberty of Westminster. 1761-1786. 21 May 1773.
  14. The Register of Births and Baptisms in the Parish of St James within the Liberty of Westminster. 1761-1786. 8 November 1774.
  15. Barker 1892.
Attribution

Wikisource-logo.svg This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain : Barker, George Fisher Russell (1892). "Legge, William (1731-1801)". In Lee, Sidney (ed.). Dictionary of National Biography . Vol. 32. London: Smith, Elder & Co.

Political offices
Preceded by First Lord of Trade
1765–1766
Succeeded by
Preceded by Colonial Secretary
1772–1775
Succeeded by
First Lord of Trade
1772–1775
Preceded by Lord Privy Seal
1775–1782
Succeeded by
Preceded by Lord Steward
1783
Succeeded by
Peerage of Great Britain
Preceded by Earl of Dartmouth
1750–1801
Succeeded by
Baron Dartmouth
(descended by acceleration)

1750–1801