Albert Denison, 1st Baron Londesborough
Encyclopedia
Albert Denison Denison, 1st Baron Londesborough, KCH
, FRS
, FSA
(21 October 1805 – 15 January 1860) was a British
Liberal Party
politician and diplomat, known as Lord Albert Conyngham from 1816-49.
and his wife Elizabeth née Denison. He was educated at Eton
and was an officer in the Royal Horse Guards
before joining the diplomatic service
. In 1824, he was Attaché
to Berlin
, Vienna
in 1825 and Secretary of the Legation to Florence
in 1828 and Berlin from 1829-31.
Conyngham was knighted in 1829, and at the 1835 general election
he was elected as Liberal
Member of Parliament
for Canterbury
, a seat he held until 1841
, when he did not contest the election. He was elected unopposed at a by-election in March 1847 and held the seat until he was elevated to peerage in 1850. From 1844-45, he had been First President of the British Archaeological Association
and sometime Vice-Admiral of the Yorkshire
Coast.
In 1849, he changed his surname to Denison under the terms of the will of his maternal uncle, William Joseph Denison and was created Baron Londesborough a year later. In 1851, he bought The Monarch of the Glen
for £840.
) and they had six children:
Londesborough's first wife died in 1841 and on 21 December 1847, he married Ursula Bridgeman (a daughter of Rear Admiral Hon. Charles Bridgeman) and they also had six children:
.
Royal Guelphic Order
The Royal Guelphic Order, sometimes also referred to as the Hanoverian Guelphic Order, is a Hanoverian order of chivalry instituted on 28 April 1815 by the Prince Regent . It has not been conferred by the British Crown since the death of King William IV in 1837, when the personal union of the...
, FRS
Royal Society
The Royal Society of London for Improving Natural Knowledge, known simply as the Royal Society, is a learned society for science, and is possibly the oldest such society in existence. Founded in November 1660, it was granted a Royal Charter by King Charles II as the "Royal Society of London"...
, FSA
Society of Antiquaries of London
The Society of Antiquaries of London is a learned society "charged by its Royal Charter of 1751 with 'the encouragement, advancement and furtherance of the study and knowledge of the antiquities and history of this and other countries'." It is based at Burlington House, Piccadilly, London , and is...
(21 October 1805 – 15 January 1860) was a British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
Liberal Party
Liberal Party (UK)
The Liberal Party was one of the two major political parties of the United Kingdom during the 19th and early 20th centuries. It was a third party of negligible importance throughout the latter half of the 20th Century, before merging with the Social Democratic Party in 1988 to form the present day...
politician and diplomat, known as Lord Albert Conyngham from 1816-49.
Early life and career
Born Hon. Albert Denison Conyngham, he was the third son of the 1st Earl ConynghamHenry Conyngham, 1st Marquess Conyngham
Henry Conyngham, 1st Marquess Conyngham KP, GCH, PC, FSA , known as The Lord Conyngham between 1787 and 1789, as The Viscount Conyngham between 1789 and 1797 and as The Earl Conyngham between 1797 and 1815, was an Anglo-Irish courtier and politician of the Regency period...
and his wife Elizabeth née Denison. He was educated at Eton
Eton College
Eton College, often referred to simply as Eton, is a British independent school for boys aged 13 to 18. It was founded in 1440 by King Henry VI as "The King's College of Our Lady of Eton besides Wyndsor"....
and was an officer in the Royal Horse Guards
Royal Horse Guards
The Royal Horse Guards was a cavalry regiment of the British Army, part of the Household Cavalry.Founded August 1650 in Newcastle Upon Tyne by Sir Arthur Haselrig on the orders of Oliver Cromwell as the Regiment of Cuirassiers, the regiment became the Earl of Oxford's Regiment during the reign of...
before joining the diplomatic service
Diplomatic service
Diplomatic service is the body of diplomats and foreign policy officers maintained by the government of a country to communicate with the governments of other countries. Diplomatic personnel enjoy diplomatic immunity when they are accredited to other countries...
. In 1824, he was Attaché
Attaché
Attaché is a French term in diplomacy referring to a person who is assigned to the diplomatic or administrative staff of a higher placed person or another service or agency...
to Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
, Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
in 1825 and Secretary of the Legation to Florence
Florence
Florence is the capital city of the Italian region of Tuscany and of the province of Florence. It is the most populous city in Tuscany, with approximately 370,000 inhabitants, expanding to over 1.5 million in the metropolitan area....
in 1828 and Berlin from 1829-31.
Conyngham was knighted in 1829, and at the 1835 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1835
The 1835 United Kingdom general election was called when Parliament was dissolved on 29 December 1834. Polling took place between 6 January and 6 February 1835, and the results saw Robert Peel's Conservatives make large gains from their low of the 1832 election, but the Whigs maintained a large...
he was elected as Liberal
Liberal Party (UK)
The Liberal Party was one of the two major political parties of the United Kingdom during the 19th and early 20th centuries. It was a third party of negligible importance throughout the latter half of the 20th Century, before merging with the Social Democratic Party in 1988 to form the present day...
Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
for Canterbury
Canterbury (UK Parliament constituency)
Canterbury is a county constituency which has been represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom since 1918. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election....
, a seat he held until 1841
United Kingdom general election, 1841
-Seats summary:-Whig MPs who lost their seats:*Viscount Morpeth - Chief Secretary for Ireland*Sir George Strickland, Bt*Sir Henry Barron, 1st Baronet-References:*F. W. S. Craig, British Electoral Facts: 1832-1987...
, when he did not contest the election. He was elected unopposed at a by-election in March 1847 and held the seat until he was elevated to peerage in 1850. From 1844-45, he had been First President of the British Archaeological Association
British Archaeological Association
The British Archaeological Association was founded in 1843; it was established by Charles Roach Smith. It is aimed at the promotion of the studies of archaeology, art and architecture and the preservation of antiquities. After disagreements arose, it was split into two organizations, the newer one...
and sometime Vice-Admiral of the Yorkshire
Yorkshire
Yorkshire is a historic county of northern England and the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its great size in comparison to other English counties, functions have been increasingly undertaken over time by its subdivisions, which have also been subject to periodic reform...
Coast.
In 1849, he changed his surname to Denison under the terms of the will of his maternal uncle, William Joseph Denison and was created Baron Londesborough a year later. In 1851, he bought The Monarch of the Glen
Monarch of the Glen (painting)
Monarch of the Glen is an oil-on-canvas painting from 1851 by the English painter Sir Edwin Landseer, which was commissioned as part of a series of three panels to hang in the Palace of Westminster in London, England...
for £840.
Family
On 6 July 1833, Londesborough had married Hon. Henrietta Weld-Forester (a daughter of the 1st Baron ForesterCecil Weld-Forester, 1st Baron Forester
Cecil Weld-Forester, 1st Baron Forester was a British Member of Parliament.Born Cecil Forester, he assumed the additional surname of Weld by Royal licence in 1811, upon inheriting Willey Park from his cousin George Forester. He was elected to the House of Commons for Wenlock in 1790, a seat he...
) and they had six children:
- Hon. William Henry ForesterWilliam Denison, 1st Earl of LondesboroughWilliam Henry Forester Denison, 1st Earl of Londesborough , known as The Lord Londesborough from 1860 to 1887, was a British peer and Liberal politician. He was also one of the main founders of Scarborough FC....
(1834–1900) - Hon. Albert Denison Somerville (1835–1903)
- Hon. Henrietta Elizabeth Sophia (d. 1924), married Sir Philip Grey Egerton, 11th BaronetSir Philip Grey Egerton, 11th BaronetSir Philip le Belward Grey Egerton, 11th Baronet was an English army officer who served in the Rifle Brigade in the Crimean War and later in the Coldstream Guards and Cheshire Regiment...
and had issue. - Hon. Selina Camerina Charlotte (d. 1852)
- Hon. Isabella Maria (d. 1856)
- Hon. Augusta Elizabeth (d. 1887), married Arthur Wrottesley, 3rd Baron WrottesleyArthur Wrottesley, 3rd Baron WrottesleyArthur Wrottesley, 3rd Baron Wrottesley , was a British peer and Liberal politician.-Biography:Wrottesley was the son of John Wrottesley, 2nd Baron Wrottesley, President of the Royal Society, and his wife Sophia Elizabeth Giffard, daughter of Thomas Giffard...
and had issue.
Londesborough's first wife died in 1841 and on 21 December 1847, he married Ursula Bridgeman (a daughter of Rear Admiral Hon. Charles Bridgeman) and they also had six children:
- Hon. Henry Charles (1849–1936)
- Hon. Conyngham Albert (1851–1938)
- Hon. Albertina Agnes Mary Denison (1854–1929), who married Colonel Ivor Treowen, 1st Baron Treowen in 1873. She founded and was the first President of the Ottawa Decorative Art Society. She was president of the Woman's Humane Society, and the first president of the Humane Society of Ottawa. She also had cabmen's shelters erected in Ottawa.
- Hon. Harold Albert (1856–1949)
- Hon. Evelyn Albert (1859–1883)
- Hon. Ursula Elizabeth (d. 1880)
Death
Lord Londesborough died in 1860 and his title was inherited by his eldest son, William, who was later created Earl of Londesborough in 1887. His second wife later married Lord Otho FitzGeraldLord Otho FitzGerald
Lord Otho Augustus FitzGerald PC was a British soldier and Liberal politician. He notably served as Comptroller of the Household under William Gladstone between 1868 and 1874.-Background:...
.