Duke of Wellington (title)
| Dukedom of Wellington | |
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| Blazon | 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 (Cowley) over-all in the centre chief point an escutcheon of augmentation charged with the Union badge[1] |
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| Creation date | 11 May 1814 |
| Created by | George III of the United Kingdom |
| Peerage | Peerage of the United Kingdom |
| First holder | Arthur Wellesley, 1st Marquess of Wellington |
| Present holder | Arthur Valerian Wellesley, 8th Duke |
| Heir apparent | Charles Wellesley, Marquess of Douro |
| Remainder to | the 1st Duke's heirs male of the body lawfully begotten |
| Subsidiary titles | Marquess of Wellington Marquess Douro Earl of Mornington Earl of Wellington Viscount Wellesley Viscount Wellington Baron Mornington Baron Douro |
Duke of Wellington is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It derived from Wellington in Somerset, and was created for Arthur Wellesley (1769–1852), the noted Anglo-Irish career British Army officer and statesman. Unqualified references to "the" Duke of Wellington almost always refer to him. He is most famous for, together with Gebhard Leberecht von Blücher, defeating Napoleon Bonaparte at Waterloo in Brabant (now Walloon Brabant province, Belgium). The Wellesley family is, in origin, an Anglo-Irish aristocratic dynasty.
History
The titles of Duke of Wellington and Marquess Douro were bestowed upon Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, on 11 May 1814. The subsidiary titles of the Duke of Wellington are: Marquess 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), and Baron Douro (1809). The Viscountcy of Wellesley and the Barony and Earldom of Mornington are in the Peerage of Ireland; the rest are in the Peerage of the United Kingdom.
Apart from the British titles the Dukes of Wellington also holds the titles of Prince of Waterloo (Prins van Waterloo, 1815) of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, Duke of Ciudad Rodrigo (Duque de Ciudad Rodrigo, 1812) of the Kingdom of Spain, and Duke of Victoria (Duque da Vitória, 1812), with the subsidiary titles Marquess of Torres Vedras (Marquês de Torres Vedras, 1812) and Count of Vimeiro (Conde de Vimeiro, 1811) of the Kingdom of Portugal. These were granted to the first Duke as victory titles for his distinguished services as victorious commanding general in the Peninsular War (in Spain and Portugal) and at the Battle of Waterloo (in what is now Belgium).
The family seat is Stratfield Saye House, near Basingstoke, Hampshire. Apsley House, in London, is now owned by English Heritage, although the family retain an apartment there.
Dukes of Wellington (1814)
| Created by George III of the United Kingdom | ||||||
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| # | Name | Period | Duchess | Notes | Other titles | |
| 1 | Arthur Wellesley (1769-1852) |
1814-1852 | Hon. Catherine Pakenham | British Army officer and statesman who defeated Napoleon I at Waterloo | Prince of Waterloo, Duke of Ciudad Rodrigo, Duke of Victoria, Marquess of Wellington, Marquess Douro, Marquis of Torres Vedras, 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 Douro Marquis of Torres Vedras Count of Vimeiro Earl of Mornington Viscount Wellesley Viscount Wellington Baron Douro Baron of Mornington |
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| 3 | Henry Wellesley (1846-1900) |
1884-1900 | Evelyn Williams | Nephew of the preceding | ||
| 4 | Arthur Richard 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 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 (b. 1915) |
since 1972 | Diana McConnel | Son of the preceding | ||
- Heir apparent: Arthur Charles Valerian Wellesley, Marquess of Douro (b. 1945), eldest son of the 8th Duke
- His heir apparent: Arthur Gerald Wellesley, Earl of Mornington (b. 1978), eldest son of Lord Douro
- His heir apparent: Arthur Darcy Wellesley, Viscount Wellesley (b. 2010), only son of Lord Mornington
- His heir apparent: Arthur Gerald Wellesley, Earl of Mornington (b. 1978), eldest son of Lord Douro
Title succession
Line of succession
- Arthur Charles Valerian Wellesley, Marquess of Douro (b. 1945) (eldest son of the 8th Duke)
- Arthur Gerald Wellesley, Earl of Mornington (b. 1978) (eldest son of Lord Douro)
- Arthur Darcy Wellesley, Viscount Wellesley (b. 2010) (only son of Lord Mornington)
- Lord Frederick Charles Wellesley (b. 1992) (second and youngest son of Lord Douro)
- Lord Richard Gerald Wellesley (b. 1949) (second son of the 8th Duke)
- Lord John Henry Wellesley (b. 1954) (third son of the 8th Duke)
- Gerald Valerian Wellesley (b. 1981) (only son of Lord John)
- Lord James Christopher Douglas Wellesley (b. 1965)[2] (fourth and youngest son of the 8th Duke)
- Oliver Valerian Wellesley (b. 2005) (only son of Lord James)
- Thomas Richard Henry Wellesley (b. 2000) (great-grandson of Lord George Wellesley, fourth and youngest son of the 4th Duke)
See also
- Catherine Wellesley, Duchess of Wellington (1773–1831), wife of the 1st Duke
- Elizabeth Wellesley, Duchess of Wellington (1820–1904), wife of the 2nd Duke
- Dorothy Wellesley, Duchess of Wellington (1889–1956), wife of the 7th Duke
- Diana Wellesley, Duchess of Wellington (1922–2010), wife of the 8th Duke
References
- ^ Debrett's Peerage, 1968, p.1140
- ^ Wellesley, Jane (2008). A Journey Through My Family. Weidenfeld & Nicolson. ISBN 978-0-297-85231-5.
External links
- Duke of Wellington's Regiment
- An Online Gotha - Wellington
- Genealogical information on the Dukes of Vitória
- Genealogical information on the Marquesses of Torres Vedras
- Genealogical information on the Counts of Vimeiro
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