Family and Education
b. 20 June 1760, 1st s. of Garret Wesley, 1st Earl of Mornington [I], and bro. of Sir Arthur Wellesley, Hon. Henry Wellesley and Hon. William Wellesley Pole. educ. Portarlington 1765;Ibid. 29. Harrow 1770-1; Eton 1771-8; Christ Church, Oxf. 1778-81. m. (1) 29 Nov. 1794, Hyacinthe Gabrielle (d. 7 Nov. 1816), illegit. da. of Christopher Fagan, chevalier in the French service,According to ibid. 50, correcting previous accounts, whereby she was assumed to have been da. of Pierre Roland, banker, of Paris. 3s. 2da. bef. marriage, (2) 29 Oct. 1825, Marianne, da. of Richard Caton, merchant, of Baltimore, USA, wid. of Robert Patterson, s.p. suc. fa. as 2nd Earl of Mornington [I] 22 May 1781; KP 5 Feb. 1783; took name of Wellesley 1789; cr. Baron Wellesley [GB] 20 Oct. 1797; Mq. Wellesley [I] 2 Dec. 1799; KG 3 Mar. 1810.
Offices Held
MP [I] 1780 – 81.
PC [I] 24 Feb. 1784; ld. of Treasury Sept. 1786 – Aug. 1797; PC [GB] 21 June 1793; commr. Board of Control June 1793 – Nov. 1797; gov. Madras May 1797 (did not take office); gov.-gen. Bengal Oct. 1797 – Jan. 1805, c.-in-c. 1800 – 05; chief remembrancer of exchequer [I] 1798 – 1824; ambassador to Spain June – Dec. 1809; sec. of state for Foreign affairs Dec. 1809 – Feb. 1812; ld. lt. [I] Dec. 1821 – Feb. 1828, Sept. 1833 – Dec. 1834; ld. steward of Household Nov. 1830 – Sept. 1833, ld. chamberlain Apr.-May 1835.
Custos. rot. co. Meath 1781 – d.
Parlimentarian
Main residence: Dangan Castle, co. Meath, [I].
Notes
See Iris Butler, The Eldest Brother (1973).
Volume
Commons 1790-1820
Web Title
WELLESLEY, Richard Colley (1760-1842)
Will
Estates
Oxford 1644
No
Addresses
Religion
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