Richard Molesworth, 3rd Viscount Molesworth

The Viscount Molesworth
The Viscount Molesworth
	Richard Molesworth, 3rd Viscount Molesworth
Born	1680; Swords, Dublin
Died	12 October 1758 (aged 77 or 78); London, England
Buried	Kensington,London
Allegiance	Kingdom of England; Kingdom of Great Britain
Service/branch	English Army; British Army
Years of service	1702–1758
Rank	Field Marshal
Commands	Commander-in-Chief,Ireland
Battles/wars	War of the Spanish Succession; Jacobite rising of 1715

Field MarshalRichard Molesworth, 3rd Viscount Molesworth,PC (Ire)FRS(1680 – 12 October 1758), styled The Honourable Richard Molesworth from 1716 to 1726, was an Anglo-Irish military officer, politician and nobleman. He served with his regiment at theBattle of Blenheimbefore being appointedaide-de-campto theDuke of Marlboroughduring theWar of the Spanish Succession.During theBattle of RamilliesMolesworth offered Marlborough his own horse after Marlborough fell from thesaddle.Molesworth then recovered his commander's charger and slipped away: by these actions he saved Marlborough's life. Molesworth went onLieutenant of the Ordnance in Irelandand was wounded at theBattle of Prestonduring theJacobite rising of 1715before becomingMaster-General of the Ordnance in Irelandand thenCommander-in-Chiefof theRoyal Irish Army.

Military career

Born the younger son ofRobert Molesworth, 1st Viscount Molesworthand Letitia Molesworth (née Coote, daughter ofRichard Coote, Lord Coloony), Molesworth abandoned his legal studies and wascommissionedas anensigninOrkney's Regimenton 14 April 1702.^[1]

Promoted tocaptain,Molesworth served with his regiment at theBattle of Blenheimin August 1704, before being appointedaide-de-campto theDuke of Marlboroughon 22 May 1706 during theWar of the Spanish Succession.^[2]During theBattle of Ramillies,which took place the following day, Molesworth offered Marlborough his own horse after Marlborough fell from thesaddle.^[2]Molesworth then recovered his master's charger and slipped away: by these actions he saved his master's life.^[2]Promoted to captain in theColdstream Guardsandlieutenant colonelin the Army on 5 May 1707, he was present at the relief ofBrusselsin 1708 and at theBattle of Malplaquetin September 1709 and was wounded by a mine at theSiege of Monsin October 1709.^[2]He commanded an infantry regiment inCataloniaunder theDuke of Argyllfrom July 1710 until he returned to England in late 1712.^[2]

Molesworth becameLieutenant of the Ordnance in Irelandin December 1714 and was elected Member of Parliament in theIrish House of CommonsforSwordsin 1715.^[2]He raised a regiment of Dragoons in 1715 and was wounded at theBattle of Prestonin November 1715 during theJacobite risingof that year.^[2]After taking part in the competition to develop amarine chronometer,he was elected aFellow of the Royal Societyin March 1722.^[3]

Molesworth becamecolonelof theInniskilling Regiment of Footin March 1725 and succeeded his brother as 3rd Viscount Molesworth on 17 February 1726.^[4]He went on to be colonel of theViscount Molesworth's Regiment of Dragoonsin May 1732 and, having been promoted tomajor-generalon 18 December 1735^[5]and appointed aLord Justice for Irelandin December 1736, he became colonel of the5th Regiment of Dragoonsin June 1737.^[6]Promoted to the local rank oflieutenant-generalin Ireland in 1739, he becameMaster-General of the Ordnance in Irelandin 1740.^[4]Promoted to the substantive rank of lieutenant-general on 1 July 1742 and to general of the horse on 24 March 1746,^[7]he becameCommander-in-Chief,Ireland in September 1751.^[4]At this time he lived at14 Henrietta StreetinDublin.^[8]

Promoted tofield marshalon 3 December 1757,^[9]Molesworth became Governor of theRoyal Hospital Kilmainham;he died in London on 12 October 1758 and was buried inKensington.^[4]He was succeeded in the title by his only son Richard. Lady Molesworth died in a house fire in 1763 with two of her daughters.^[10]

Family

Molesworth first married Jane Lucas, of whose family little is known; they had three children, Amelia, Letitia, and Mary, who became the second wife ofRobert Rochfort, 1st Earl of Belvedere,and suffered greatly from his ill-treatment of her, which became a subject of public comment.^[11]Following the death of his first wife he married Mary Jenney Ussher, daughter of the Reverend William Ussher,Archdeacon of Clonfert,and his wife Mary Jenney, on 7 February 1744 and had seven children from this union: Richard, 4th Viscount Molesworth, Henrietta (who married Right Hon.John Staples,MP forAntrim), Elizabeth, Charlotte, Melosina, Mary and Louisa (who married firstlyWilliam Ponsonby, 1st Baron Ponsonby,and secondlyWilliam Fitzwilliam, 4th Earl Fitzwilliam).^[12]Mary and Melosina perished along with their mother in a house fire in 1763.^[10]

References

^"Richard Molesworth, 3rd Viscount Molesworth".Oxford Dictionary of National Biography.Retrieved20 July2014.
^^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^gHeathcote, p. 211
^"Library and Archive Catalogue"(PDF).Royal Society.Retrieved20 July2014.
^^a ^b ^c ^dHeathcote, p. 212
^"No. 7464".The London Gazette.16 December 1735. p. 1.
^"No. 7614".The London Gazette.28 June 1737. p. 2.a.
^"No. 8625".The London Gazette.21 March 1746. p. 2.
^"Henrietta Street Conservation Plan"(PDF).Dublin City Council. p. 17.Retrieved20 July2014.
^"No. 9744".The London Gazette.29 November 1757. p. 1.
^^a ^bLenox-Conyngham, Mina (2005).Springhill: An Old Ulster House and the People who Lived in it.Ulster Historical Foundation.ISBN 978-1903688380.Retrieved15 January2018.
^Cokayne, G.E. (2000).The Complete Peerage of England, Scotland, Ireland, Great Britain and the United Kingdom, Extant, Extinct or Dormant, new ed., volume II.Alan Sutton Publishing. p. 114.
^Cokayne, G.E. (2000).The Complete Peerage of England, Scotland, Ireland, Great Britain and the United Kingdom, Extant, Extinct or Dormant, new ed., volume X.Alan Sutton Publishing. p. 576.

Sources

Heathcote, Tony (1999).The British Field Marshals 1736–1997.Pen & Sword Books Ltd.ISBN 0-85052-696-5.

Parliament of Ireland
Preceded by Robert Molesworth Plunket Plunket	Member of Parliament forSwords 1715–1727 With:Plunket Plunket	Succeeded by Hon. Bysse Molesworth Edward Bolton
Military offices
Preceded by Thomas Whetham	Colonel of theInniskilling Regiment of Foot 1725–1732	Succeeded by Archibald Hamilton
Preceded by James Crofts	Colonel ofViscount Molesworth's Regiment of Dragoons 1732–1737	Succeeded by John Cope
Preceded by Owen Wynne	Colonel of the5th Regiment of Dragoons 1737–1758	Succeeded by John Mostyn
Preceded by Gervais Parker	Commander-in-Chief,Ireland 1751–1758	Succeeded by The Earl of Rothes
Peerage of Ireland
Preceded by John Molesworth	Viscount Molesworth 1726–1758	Succeeded by Richard Molesworth

[odnb-1] "Richard Molesworth, 3rd Viscount Molesworth".Oxford Dictionary of National Biography.Retrieved20 July2014.

[heath211-2] ^^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^gHeathcote, p. 211

[3] "Library and Archive Catalogue"(PDF).Royal Society.Retrieved20 July2014.

[heath212-4] Heathcote, p. 212

[5] "No. 7464".The London Gazette.16 December 1735. p. 1.

[6] "No. 7614".The London Gazette.28 June 1737. p. 2.a.

[7] "No. 8625".The London Gazette.21 March 1746. p. 2.

[8] "Henrietta Street Conservation Plan"(PDF).Dublin City Council. p. 17.Retrieved20 July2014.

[9] "No. 9744".The London Gazette.29 November 1757. p. 1.

[fire-10] Lenox-Conyngham, Mina (2005).Springhill: An Old Ulster House and the People who Lived in it.Ulster Historical Foundation.ISBN 978-1903688380.Retrieved15 January2018.

[11] Cokayne, G.E. (2000).The Complete Peerage of England, Scotland, Ireland, Great Britain and the United Kingdom, Extant, Extinct or Dormant, new ed., volume II.Alan Sutton Publishing. p. 114.

[12] Cokayne, G.E. (2000).The Complete Peerage of England, Scotland, Ireland, Great Britain and the United Kingdom, Extant, Extinct or Dormant, new ed., volume X.Alan Sutton Publishing. p. 576.

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