William Wellesley-Pole, 3rd Earl of Mornington

The Earl of Mornington GCH, PC, PC (Ire)
Chief Secretary for Ireland
In office 1809–1812
Monarch	George III
Prime Minister	Hon. Spencer Perceval
Preceded by	Hon. Robert Dundas
Succeeded by	Robert Peel
Postmaster General
In office 1834–1835
Monarch	William IV
Prime Minister	Sir Robert Peel, Bt
Preceded by	The Marquess Conyngham
Succeeded by	The Marquess Conyngham
Personal details
Born	20 May 1763 (1763-05-20) Dangan Castle, County Meath
Died	22 February 1845 (1845-02-23) Grosvenor Square, Mayfair, London
Nationality	British
Political party	Tory
Spouse(s)	Katherine Forbes
Alma mater	None

William Wellesley-Pole, 3rd Earl of Mornington GCH, PC, PC (Ire) (20 May 1763 – 22 February 1845), known as The Lord Maryborough between 1821 and 1842, was a British politician and an elder brother of the Duke of Wellington.

Background and education

Born William Wesley, at Dangan Castle, Mornington was the second son of Garret Wesley, 1st Earl of Mornington and Hon. Annie Hill, daughter of Arthur Hill-Trevor, 1st Viscount Dungannon. He was the brother of Richard Wellesley, 1st Marquess Wellesley, Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington and Henry Wellesley, 1st Baron Cowley. Due to the debts of his father the family was forced into financial stringency which was partially alleviated when his godfather and distant cousin, William Pole, left Wesley his estates in 1781; in recognition of which he changed his name to Wesley-Pole. In 1789 his name was Anglicised to Wellesley-Pole. He was educated at Eton (1774–1776) before entering the Royal Navy, where he served between 1777 and 1783; most notably aboard HMS Lion (launched 1777) at the Battle of Grenada (1779)

Political career

A Tory, Mornington was a Member of the Irish Parliament for Trim from 1783 to 1790 and of the British House of Commons for East Looe from 1790 to 1795 and Queen's County from 1801 to 1821. He served as Secretary of the Admiralty under the Duke of Portland between 1807 and 1809 and as Chief Secretary for Ireland under Spencer Perceval between 1809 and 1812 and was also a Lord of the Irish Treasury between 1809 and 1811 and Chancellor of the Irish Exchequer between 1811 and 1812. Mornington was sworn of both the British Privy Council and the Irish Privy Council in 1809. He served in Lord Liverpool's government from 1814 to 1823 as Master of the Mint. In 1821 he was elevated to the Peerage of the United Kingdom as Baron Maryborough, of Maryborough in the Queen's County (now Portlaoise, Co. Laois). From 1823 to 1830 he was Master of the Buckhounds and from 1834 to 1835 Postmaster-General. On the death of his elder brother, the Marquess Wellesley, in 1842 he succeeded to the earldom of Mornington.

Family

Lord Mornington married Katherine Elizabeth Forbes, daughter of Admiral John Forbes and granddaughter of the 3rd Earl of Granard and the 3rd Earl of Essex in 1784. They had three daughters and one son, the last of whom inherited his titles on his death in 1845. His daughter Emily Harriet married FitzRoy Somerset, 1st Baron Raglan in 1814.

Lady Mary Charlotte Ann Bagot from a miniature by Hoppner, R.A.

Another daughter, Mary Charlotte Anne Wellesley married Right Hon. Sir Charles Bagot, Bart., G.C.B., on 22 July 1806. The couple had three sons and five daughters. The family accompanied their parents to Canada on the appointment of Sir Charles Bagot as Governor-General of British North America, on 12 January 1842. As the wife of a Governor-General in Canada, Lady Bagot assumed the title of `Her Excellency`, in Montreal in August, 1842. After her husband's death at Kingston, Ontario on 18 May 1843, she accompanied the remains to England. She died in London on 2 February 1845.

References

Parliament of Ireland
Preceded by William Arthur Crosbie John Pomeroy	Member of Parliament for Trim 1783–1790 With: John Pomeroy	Succeeded by Hon. Arthur Wesley John Pomeroy
Parliament of Great Britain
Preceded by Viscount Belgrave The Earl of Carysfort	Member of Parliament for East Looe 1790 – 1795 With: Robert Wood	Succeeded by Robert Wood Charles Arbuthnot
Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by Sir John Parnell Charles Henry Coote	Member of Parliament for Queen's County 1801 – 1821 With: Charles Coote 1801–1802 Henry Parnell 1802 Eyre Coote 1802–1806 Sir Henry Parnell, Bt 1806–1821	Succeeded by Sir Henry Parnell, Bt Sir Charles Henry Coote
Political offices
Preceded by John Sargent	Clerk of the Ordnance 1802–1806	Succeeded by John Calcraft
Preceded by John Calcraft	Clerk of the Ordnance 1807	Succeeded by Hon. Cropley Ashley-Cooper
Preceded by William Marsden	Secretary to the Admiralty 1807–1809	Succeeded by John Wilson Croker
Preceded by Hon. Robert Dundas	Chief Secretary for Ireland 1809–1812	Succeeded by Robert Peel
Preceded by John Foster	Chancellor of the Irish Exchequer 1811–1812	Succeeded by William Vesey-FitzGerald
Preceded by The Earl of Clancarty	Master of the Mint 1814–1823	Succeeded by George Tierney
Preceded by The Marquess Cornwallis	Master of the Buckhounds 1823–1830	Succeeded by The Viscount Anson
Preceded by The Marquess Conyngham	Postmaster General 1834–1835	Succeeded by The Marquess Conyngham
Peerage of Ireland
Preceded by Richard Wellesley	Earl of Mornington 1842–1845	Succeeded by William Pole-Tylney-Long-Wellesley
Peerage of the United Kingdom
New creation	Baron Maryborough 1821–1845	Succeeded by William Pole-Tylney-Long-Wellesley