Richard Wesley, 1st Baron Mornington
Encyclopedia
Richard Colley Wesley, 1st Baron Mornington (ca. 1690 – 31 January 1758) 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
. He was created Baron Mornington in the Peerage of Ireland
on 9 July 1746.
He married Elizabeth Sale, who died on 17 June 1738, on 23 December 1719.
He was son of Henry Colley
, brother of Henry Colley
, father of Garret Wesley, 1st Earl of Mornington
, father-in-law to Chichester Fortescue
and William Francis Crosbie
, and grandfather of Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington
. He took the name Wesley, which later generations changed back the older form Wellesley, on inheriting the estates of his cousin Garret Wesley
.
In his Tour in Ireland (1752) Richard Pococke
described Dangan Castle, Mornington's home, as follows: "We soon after came to Dangan the seat of Lord Mornington situated on a most beautiful flat, with an Amphitheater of hills rising round it, one over another, in a most beautiful manner; at the lower end is a very large piece of water, at one corner of which is an Island, it is a regular fortification, there is a ship a sloop and boats on the water, and a yard for building; the hill beyond it, is improved into a beautiful wilderness: on a round hill near the house is a Temple, and the hills round are adorned with obelisks: Pillars and some buildings, altogether the most beautiful thing I ever saw."
Duke of Wellington
The Dukedom of Wellington, derived from Wellington in Somerset, is a hereditary title in the senior rank of the Peerage of the United Kingdom. The first holder of the title was Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington , the noted Irish-born career British Army officer and statesman, and...
.
Between 1729 and 1746 he 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...
. He was created Baron Mornington in the Peerage of Ireland
Peerage of Ireland
The Peerage of Ireland is the term used for those titles of nobility created by the English and later British monarchs of Ireland in their capacity as Lord or King of Ireland. The creation of such titles came to an end in the 19th century. The ranks of the Irish peerage are Duke, Marquess, Earl,...
on 9 July 1746.
He married Elizabeth Sale, who died on 17 June 1738, on 23 December 1719.
He was son of Henry Colley
Henry Colley (died 1700)
Henry Colley was an Irish Member of Parliament.He represented County Kildare from 1698 to 1699. His father Dudley Colley and sons by wife Mary Usher Henry Colley and Richard Wesley, 1st Baron Mornington were also MPs.He was the great-grandfather of Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of...
, brother of Henry Colley
Henry Colley (died 1723)
Henry Colley was an Irish Member of Parliament.In 1719 he married Lady Mary Hamilton, daughter of James Hamilton, 6th Earl of Abercorn; their daughter Mary later married Arthur Pomeroy, 1st Viscount Harberton....
, father of Garret Wesley, 1st Earl of Mornington
Garret Wesley, 1st Earl of Mornington
Garret Colley Wesley, 1st Earl of Mornington was an Anglo-Irish politician and composer, best known today for fathering several distinguished British military commanders and politicians.-Life:...
, father-in-law to Chichester Fortescue
Chichester Fortescue (1718–1757)
Chichester Fortescue was an Irish Member of Parliament.He represented Trim in the Irish House of Commons between 1747 and 1757....
and William Francis Crosbie
William Francis Crosbie
William Francis Crosbie was an Irish Member of Parliament.In 1750 he married Frances Wesley, daughter of Richard Wesley, 1st Baron Mornington, and in 1758 he was elected to succeed his brother-in-law Garret Wesley, 2nd Baron Mornington as Member for Trim in the Irish House of Commons, sitting...
, and grandfather of Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington
Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington
Field 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...
. He took the name Wesley, which later generations changed back the older form Wellesley, on inheriting the estates of his cousin Garret Wesley
Garret Wesley
Garret Wesley was an Irish Member of Parliament.He represented Trim from 1692 to 1693, Athboy from 1695 to 1699, County Meath from 1711 to 1714 and then Trim again from 1727 to his death....
.
In his Tour in Ireland (1752) Richard Pococke
Richard Pococke
Richard Pococke was an English prelate and anthropologist. He was Protestant Bishop of Ossory and Meath , both dioceses of the Church of Ireland...
described Dangan Castle, Mornington's home, as follows: "We soon after came to Dangan the seat of Lord Mornington situated on a most beautiful flat, with an Amphitheater of hills rising round it, one over another, in a most beautiful manner; at the lower end is a very large piece of water, at one corner of which is an Island, it is a regular fortification, there is a ship a sloop and boats on the water, and a yard for building; the hill beyond it, is improved into a beautiful wilderness: on a round hill near the house is a Temple, and the hills round are adorned with obelisks: Pillars and some buildings, altogether the most beautiful thing I ever saw."