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Duke of Wellington (title)

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Dukedom of Wellington
Arms of Dukes of Wellington
Quarterly 1st & 4th: Gules, a cross argent in each quarter five plates in saltire(Wellesley);2nd & 3rd: Or, a lion rampant gules ducally collared gold(Colley)over-all in the centre chief point an escutcheon of augmentation charged with the Union badge[1]
Creation date3 May 1814
Created byThe Prince Regent(acting on behalf of his father,King George III)
PeeragePeerage of the United Kingdom
First holderArthur Wellesley, 1st Marquess of Wellington
Present holderCharles Wellesley, 9th Duke
Heir apparentArthur Wellesley, Earl of Mornington
Remainder tothe 1st Duke'sheirs maleof the bodylawfully begotten
Subsidiary titles
Seat(s)
MottoVirtutis Fortuna Comes(Fortune favours the brave)

Duke of Wellingtonis a title in thePeerage of the United Kingdom.The name derived fromWellingtonin Somerset. The title was created in 1814 forArthur Wellesley, 1st Marquess of Wellington(1769–1852; born as The Hon. Arthur Wesley), theAnglo-Irishmilitary commander who is best known for leading the decisive victory withField Marshal von BlücheroverNapoleon's forces atWaterlooinBrabant(nowWalloon Brabant,Belgium). Wellesley later served twice asBritish prime minister.In historical texts, unqualified use of the title typically refers to the 1st Duke.

The first Duke's father,Garret Wesley,had been granted the title ofEarl of Morningtonin 1760. His male-line ancestors were wealthy agricultural and urban landowners in both countries, among the Anglo-IrishProtestant Ascendancy.The dukedom has descended toheirs maleof the body, along with eleven otherhereditary titles.

History

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The titles ofDuke of WellingtonandMarquess Dourowere bestowed upon Arthur Wellesley, 1st Marquess of Wellington, on 3 May 1814 after he returned home a hero following Napoleon's abdication.[2][3]He fought some sixty battles during his military career. He was considered "the conqueror of Napoleon". He stands as one of the finest soldiers that Great Britain and Ireland has ever produced, others being the1st Duke of Marlboroughand the2nd Duke of Argyll.[citation needed]

Following his victory at theBattle of Talavera,Wellesley was offered a peerage. The question was what title should he take. His brother,Richard Wellesley, Earl of Mornington,looked around and discovered that a manor in the parish of Wellington was available. It was also reasonably close to the family name. Because Arthur was still in Spain in command of the army fighting the French, Richard oversaw the purchase. By this process Arthur therefore became Marquess of Wellington. According to the bookWellington as Military Commanderby Michael Glover, Arthur Wellesley first signed himself 'Wellington' on 16 September 1809. At theBattle of Waterlooin 1815, Arthur Wellesley was already further elevated to the peerage rank of the Duke of Wellington. At the time he became Ambassador to France,The London Gazetteof 4 June 1814 refers to him as having that title but suggests that it was granted by warrant on 25 August 1812.

The subsidiary titles of the Duke of Wellington areMarquess of Wellington(1812),Marquess Douro(1814),Earl of Mornington(1760 – but only inherited by the Dukes of Wellington in 1863),Earl of Wellington(1812),Viscount Wellesley(1760 – inherited in 1863),Viscount Wellington(1809),Baron Mornington(1746 – also inherited in 1863), andBaron Douro(1809). The Viscountcy of Wellesley and the Barony and Earldom of Mornington are in thePeerage of Ireland;the rest are in thePeerage of the United Kingdom.

Apart from the British titles, the Dukes of Wellington also hold the titles ofPrince of Waterloo(Prins van Waterloo,1815) of theKingdom of the Netherlands,Duke of Ciudad Rodrigo(Duque de Ciudad Rodrigo,1812) of theKingdom of SpainwithGrandeeship,andDuke of Victoria(Duque da Vitória,1812), with the subsidiary titlesMarquess of Torres Vedras(Marquês de Torres Vedras,1812) andCount of Vimeiro(Conde de Vimeiro,1811) of theKingdom of Portugal.These were granted to the first Duke asvictory titlesfor his distinguished service as victorious commanding general in thePeninsular War(in Spain and Portugal) and at theBattle of Waterloo(in what is nowBelgium).

The family seat isStratfield Saye House,nearBasingstoke,Hampshire.Apsley House,in London, is now owned byEnglish Heritage,although the family retain an apartment there. He also has a large estate outsideGranada,Spain, which was granted to the first duke by Spanish KingFerdinand VIIas a reward for his services in the Peninsular War.

Five Dukes have been createdKnights of the Garter,the most seniorBritishorder of knighthood.

Dukes of Wellington (1814)

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Dukes of Wellington
1st Duke of Wellington
Thefamily seatsince the first Duke's acquisition has beenStratfield Saye House
Created by thePrince Regent(on behalf ofGeorge III)
# Name Period Duchess Notes Other titles
1 Arthur Wellesley(born Wesley)
(1769–1852) 		1814–1852 The Hon. Catherine Pakenham British Army officer and statesman who defeatedNapoleon IatWaterlooandTipu Sultanat theSiege of Seringapatam (1799) Prince of Waterloo,Duke of Ciudad Rodrigo,Duke of Victoria,Marquess of Wellington, Marquess of Douro, Marquess of Torres Vedras, Earl of Wellington, Count of Vimeiro, Viscount Wellington, Baron Douro
2 Arthur Richard Wellesley
(1807–1884) 		1852–1884 Lady Elizabeth Hay Son of the preceding Prince of Waterloo,
Duke of Ciudad Rodrigo,
Duke of Victoria,
Marquess of Wellington,
Marquess of Douro,
Marquess of Torres Vedras,
Count of Vimeiro, Earl of Wellington
Earl of Mornington,
Viscount Wellesley,
Viscount Wellington,
Baron Douro,
Baron Mornington
3 Henry Wellesley
(1846–1900) 		1884–1900 Evelyn Williams Nephew of the preceding
4 Arthur Charles Wellesley
(1849–1934) 		1900–1934 Kathleen Williams Brother of the preceding
5 Arthur Charles Wellesley
(1876–1941) 		1934–1941 Hon. Lilian Coats Son of the preceding
6 Henry Valerian George Wellesley
(1912–1943) 		1941–1943 unmarried Son of the preceding
7 Gerald Wellesley
(1885–1972) 		1943–1972 Dorothy Ashton Uncle of the preceding
8 Arthur Valerian Wellesley
(1915–2014) 		1972–2014 Diana McConnel Son of the preceding
9 Arthur Charles Valerian Wellesley
(born 1945) 		2014–present Princess Antonia of Prussia Son of the preceding

Line of succession

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Should the direct male line of succession from the first Duke of Wellington become extinct, the dukedom and its subsidiary titles in the British peerage will become extinct, as will the titles of Prince of Waterloo in the Dutch peerage and the dukedom of the Victory and its subsidiary titles in the Portuguese peerage.

The dukedom of Ciudad Rodrigo in the Spanish peerage, together with its subsidiary titles, will continue to be held in the female line of descendants of the first Duke. The earldom and barony of Mornington, along with the viscountcy of Wellesley, which are all titles in the Irish peerage, will revert to the line of theEarl Cowley,a male-line descendant of a younger brother of the first Duke of Wellington.


The Colley or Cowley family had come to Ireland fromGlaston,inRutlandabout 1500; SirHenry Colleywas elevated to the Peerage as Lord Glaston byHenry VIII.He married the daughter ofThomas Cusack,Lord Chancellor of Ireland,Catherine Wellesley Cusack (d. 1598) whose grandmother was a Wellesley.[5]Upon the death of his cousinGarret Wesleyand his inheritance of the Estates of Dangan and Mornington, Richard Colley (d. 1758) and his wife Elizabeth Sale (d. 17 June 1738) daughter of John Sale, Registrar of the Diocese of Dublin, on 23 December 1719.[6]adopted the name Wellesley (from both Elizabeth's maternal family side from Catherine Wellesley Cusack her grandmother) and through her Husband's Family, his cousin, Garret Wesley (Wellesley).

See also

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References

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  1. ^Debrett's Peerage,1968, p. 1140.
  2. ^"No. 16894".The London Gazette.3 May 1814. p. 936.
  3. ^Elliott, George (1816).The Life of the Most Noble Arthur, Duke of Wellington.London: J. Cundee. p. xiii–xiv.
  4. ^Wellesley, Jane(2008).A Journey Through My Family.Weidenfeld & Nicolson.ISBN978-0-297-85231-5.
  5. ^Burke's Peerage
  6. ^Cokayne 2000,p. 235.

Works cited

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  • Cokayne, G.E. (2000),The Complete Peerage of England, Scotland, Ireland, Great Britain and the United Kingdom, Extant, Extinct or Dormant,vol. IX (new, reprint in 6 volumes ed.), Gloucester, U.K.: Alan Sutton Publishing, p. 235
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