Garret Wesley, 1st Earl of Mornington
Encyclopedia
Anglo-Irish
Anglo-Irish was a term used primarily in the 19th and early 20th centuries to identify a privileged social class in Ireland, whose members were the descendants and successors of the Protestant Ascendancy, mostly belonging to the Church of Ireland, which was the established church of Ireland until...
politician
Politician
A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...
and composer
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
, best known today for fathering several distinguished British
British people
The British are citizens of the United Kingdom, of the Isle of Man, any of the Channel Islands, or of any of the British overseas territories, and their descendants...
military commanders and politicians.
Life
He was born at the family estate of Dangan, near SummerhillSummerhill, County Meath
Summerhill is a village in County Meath, Ireland. It is located at the intersection of the R156 and R158 regional roads. The Irish version of the town's name means "Lynch's Hill", and it was the ancestral home of the Norman-Irish Lynch family, whence came the Galway merchant family of the same...
, a village near Trim
Trim, County Meath
Trim is the traditional county town of County Meath in Ireland, although the county town is now Navan. The town was recorded in the 2006 census to have a population of 6,870....
in County Meath
County Meath
County Meath is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Mid-East Region and is also located in the province of Leinster. It is named after the ancient Kingdom of Mide . Meath County Council is the local authority for the county...
, Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
, to Richard Wesley, 1st Baron Mornington
Richard Wesley, 1st Baron Mornington
Richard Colley Wesley, 1st Baron Mornington was an Irish peer, best remembered as the grandfather of the 1st Duke of Wellington.Between 1729 and 1746 he represented Trim in the Irish House of Commons...
, and Elizabeth Sale. He was educated at Trinity College, Dublin
Trinity College, Dublin
Trinity College, Dublin , formally known as the College of the Holy and Undivided Trinity of Queen Elizabeth near Dublin, was founded in 1592 by letters patent from Queen Elizabeth I as the "mother of a university", Extracts from Letters Patent of Elizabeth I, 1592: "...we...found and...
and was elected its first Professor of Music in 1764. As a composer he is remembered chiefly for glee
Glee (music)
A glee is an English type of part song spanning the late baroque, classical and early romantic periods. It is usually scored for at least three voices, and generally intended to be sung unaccompanied. Glees often consist of a number of short, musically contrasted movements and their texts can be...
s such as "Here in cool grot" (lyrics by William Shenstone
William Shenstone
William Shenstone was an English poet and one of the earliest practitioners of landscape gardening through the development of his estate, The Leasowes.-Life:...
) and for a double Anglican chant
Anglican chant
Anglican chant is a way to sing un-metrical texts, such as prose translations of the psalms, canticles, and other, similar biblical texts by matching the natural speech-rhythm of the words in each verse to a short piece of metrical music. It may be fairly described as "harmonized recitative"...
.
Wesley represented Trim
Trim (Parliament of Ireland constituency)
Trim was a constituency represented in the Irish House of Commons until 1800.-1692–1801:...
in the Irish House of Commons
Irish House of Commons
The Irish House of Commons was the lower house of the Parliament of Ireland, that existed from 1297 until 1800. The upper house was the House of Lords...
from 1757 until 1758, when he succeeded his father as 2nd Baron Mornington. In 1760, in recognition of his musical and philanthropic achievements, he was created Viscount Wellesley, of Dangan Castle in the County of Meath, and Earl of Mornington. He was elected Grandmaster of the Grand Lodge of Ireland
Grand Lodge of Ireland
The Grand Lodge of Ireland is the second most senior Grand Lodge of Freemasons in the world, and the oldest in continuous existence. Since no specific record of its foundation exists, 1725 is the year celebrated in Grand Lodge anniversaries, as the oldest reference to Grand Lodge of Ireland comes...
in 1776, a post he held until the following year.
Family
He married The Hon. Anne Hill-Trevor, eldest daughter of the banker Arthur Hill-Trevor, 1st Lord DungannonViscount Dungannon
Viscount Dungannon is a title that has been created twice in the Peerage of Ireland. The first creation came in 1662 when Marcus Trevor was made Baron Trevor, of Rostrevor in the County of Down, and Viscount Dungannon...
, and wife Anne Stafford in 1759.
His children were:
- Richard, Viscount Wellesley, later 1st Marquess Wellesley, 2nd Earl of MorningtonRichard Wellesley, 1st Marquess WellesleyRichard Colley Wesley, later Wellesley, 1st Marquess Wellesley, KG, PC, PC , styled Viscount Wellesley from birth until 1781, was an Anglo-Irish politician and colonial administrator....
(20 June 1760 – 26 September 1842) - Hon. William, later Wellesley-Pole and 3rd Earl of Mornington, 1st Baron MaryboroughWilliam Wellesley-Pole, 3rd Earl of MorningtonWilliam Wellesley-Pole, 3rd Earl of Mornington GCH, PC, PC , known as The Lord Maryborough between 1821 and 1842, was a British politician and an elder brother of the Duke of Wellington....
(20 May 1763 – 22 February 1845) - Hon. Arthur, later 1st Duke of WellingtonArthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of WellingtonField Marshal Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, KG, GCB, GCH, PC, FRS , was an Irish-born British soldier and statesman, and one of the leading military and political figures of the 19th century...
(c. 1 May 1769 – 14 September 1852) - The Revd and Hon. Gerald Valerian (7 December 1770 – 24 October 1848)
- Hon. Henry, later 1st Baron CowleyHenry Wellesley, 1st Baron CowleyHenry Wellesley, 1st Baron Cowley GCB was the youngest brother of the Duke of Wellington, and became a notable diplomat in his own right.-Life:...
(20 January 1773 – 27 April 1847) - Lady AnneLady Anne SmithLady Anne Smith, previously Fitzroy was the sister of Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington.She was born Lady Anne Wesley, daughter of Garret Wesley, 1st Earl of Mornington and his wife Anne Hill, daughter of Arthur Hill-Trevor, 1st Viscount Dungannon.On 7 January 1790 she married Henry...
(1775 – 16 December 1844), married (1) Hon. Henry FitzRoy (younger son of Charles FitzRoy, 1st Baron SouthamptonCharles FitzRoy, 1st Baron SouthamptonCharles FitzRoy, 1st Baron Southampton was a British statesman and soldier.The second son of Lord Augustus FitzRoy and a grandson of the 2nd Duke of Grafton, FitzRoy joined the 1st Regiment of Foot Guards as an ensign in 1752...
), (2) Charles Culling SmithCharles Culling SmithCharles Culling Smith, sometimes called Culling Charles Smith was a British politician and courtier.-Family:He was the son of Charles Smith, Governor of Madras, and nephew of Sir Culling Smith, 1st Baronet....
.
Four of Lord Mornington's five sons were created peers in the Peerage
Peerage
The Peerage is a legal system of largely hereditary titles in the United Kingdom, which constitute the ranks of British nobility and is part of the British honours system...
s of Great Britain
Peerage of Great Britain
The Peerage of Great Britain comprises all extant peerages created in the Kingdom of Great Britain after the Act of Union 1707 but before the Act of Union 1800...
and the United Kingdom
Peerage of the United Kingdom
The Peerage of the United Kingdom comprises most peerages created in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland after the Act of Union in 1801, when it replaced the Peerage of Great Britain...
. The Barony of Wellesley (held by the Marquess Wellesley) and the Barony of Maryborough are now extinct, whilst the Dukedom of Wellington and Barony of Cowley
Earl Cowley
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...
are extant. The Earldom of Mornington
Earl of Mornington
Earl of Mornington is a title in the Peerage of Ireland, since 1863 a subsidiary title of the dukedom of Wellington. It was created in 1760 for the Anglo-Irish politician and composer Garret Wellesley, 2nd Baron Mornington. He was made Viscount Wellesley, of Dangan Castle in the County of Meath, at...
is held by the Dukes of Wellington, and the Barons Cowley have since been elevated to be Earls Cowley
Earl Cowley
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...
.
Garret Wesley, Lord Mornington, died in 1781.
He is also a direct ancestor of Queen Elizabeth II of Britain
Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom
Elizabeth II is the constitutional monarch of 16 sovereign states known as the Commonwealth realms: the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Jamaica, Barbados, the Bahamas, Grenada, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Belize,...
through her late mother, Queen Elizabeth, the British Queen Mother.