The Marquess of Donegall | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Captain of the Yeomen of the Guard | |
| In office 11 February 1848 – 21 February 1852 | |
| Monarch | Victoria |
| Prime Minister | Lord John Russell |
| Preceded by | The Viscount Falkland |
| Succeeded by | The Lord de Ros |
| Member of theHouse of Lords [a] | |
Lord Temporal | |
| In office 11 August 1841 – 20 October 1883 | |
| Preceded by | Peerage created |
| Succeeded by | The 4th Marquess of Donegall [b] |
| Personal details | |
| Born | George Hamilton Chichester 10 February 1797 Great Cumberland Place, London |
| Died | 20 October 1883(1883-10-20) (aged 86) |
| Nationality | British |
| Political party | Tory Whig |
| Spouses | |
| Children | 3 |
| Parents | |
| Alma mater | Christ Church, Oxford |
| Other titles |
|
George Hamilton Chichester, 3rd Marquess of Donegall (10 February 1797 – 20 October 1883), styledViscount Chichester until 1799 andEarl of Belfast between 1799 and 1844, was anAnglo-Irish landowner, courtier and politician. He served asVice-Chamberlain of the Household from 1830 to 1834, as well as from 1838 to 1841, and asCaptain of the Yeomen of the Guard between 1848 and 1852. Ennobled in his own right in 1841, he was alsoLord Lieutenant of Antrim from 1841 to 1883 and was made aKnight of St Patrick in 1857.
Lord Donegall was born at Great Cumberland Place, London, the eldest son ofViscount Chichester (who became the 2ndMarquess of Donegall in 1799) by his wife Anna May, daughter ofSir Edward May, 2nd Baronet. He was educated atEton andChrist Church, Oxford, before serving for a time as acaptain with the11th Hussars. He was known by thecourtesy title Viscount Chichester from birth until 1799 and as Earl of Belfast from 1799 to 1844.[1]
In 1818, Lord Belfast (as he was from 1799 until 1844) was elected to theHouse of Commons asMember of Parliament (MP) forCarrickfergus,[2] and two years later became representative forBelfast.[3] In July 1830 he was sworn of thePrivy Council[4] and appointedVice-Chamberlain of the Household in theDuke of Wellington'sTory administration.[5] In August he was returned toParliament forAntrim.[6] He continued as Vice-Chamberlain afterLord Grey formed hisWhig government in November 1830. In 1831 he was made a Knight Grand Cross of theRoyal Guelphic Order. He remained as Vice-Chamberlain until 1834, the last months under the premiership ofLord Melbourne.[7] In 1837 he was once again returned to Parliament for Belfast.[3] He did not initially serve in Melbourne'ssecond administration, but in 1838 he once again became Vice-Chamberlain of the Household.[8] He resigned when the government fell in 1841,[1] and during the same year he unsuccessfully contested Belfast as aLiberal candidate.[citation needed] He was instead raised to thePeerage of the United Kingdom in his own right asBaron Ennishowen and Carrickfergus, ofEnnishowen in theCounty of Donegal and ofCarrickfergus in theCounty of Antrim.[9] He sat in theHouse of Lords atWestminster for three years under this title before succeeding his father in the marquessate in 1844.[1]
Lord Donegall did not serve initially inLord John Russell'sfirst administration, but in 1848 he returned to the government asCaptain of the Yeomen of the Guard. He resigned along with the rest of the Whig government in early 1852. Apart from his political career he was alsoLord Lieutenant of Antrim from 1841 to 1883.[1] In 1857 he was made aKnight of the Order of St Patrick.[1][10] At the time of his death in 1883 he was the senior member of the Privy Council.
Lord Donegall marriedLady Harriet Anne Butler (d. 1860), daughter of the1st Earl of Glengall, in 1822. They had three children:
After his first wife's death in September 1860, he married as his second wife Harriett Graham (d. 1884), daughter ofSir Bellingham Reginald Graham, 7th Baronet, and widow of Sir Frederick Ashworth, in 1862. There were no children from this marriage. Lord Donegall died inBrighton,Sussex, in October 1883, aged 86, and was buried inBelfast.[1]
As both his sons had predeceased him, the larger part of the Donegall estates was inherited by his only daughter, Harriet Ashley-Cooper, Lady Ashley (later Countess of Shaftesbury and previously Lady Harriet Augusta Anna Seymourina Chichester), wife of the8th Earl of Shaftesbury.[citation needed]
He owned 23,000 acres, mostly in Donegal and Antrim.[11]
TheEnnishowen and Carrickfergus barony died with him, while he was succeeded in his other peerages by his younger brother,Lord Edward Chichester. The Marchioness of Donegall died in March 1884.[1]
| Parliament of the United Kingdom | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Member of Parliament forCarrickfergus 1818–1820 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Member of Parliament forBelfast 1820–1830 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Member of Parliament forAntrim 1830–1837 With:Hon. John O'Neill | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Member of Parliament forBelfast 1837–1838 With:James Gibson | Succeeded by |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded by | Vice-Chamberlain of the Household 1830–1834 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Vice-Chamberlain of the Household 1838–1841 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Captain of the Yeomen of the Guard 1848–1852 | Succeeded by |
| Honorary titles | ||
| Preceded by | Lord Lieutenant of Antrim 1841–1883 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Senior Privy Counsellor 1880–1883 | Succeeded by |
| Peerage of Ireland | ||
| Preceded by | Marquess of Donegall 1844–1883 | Succeeded by |
| Earl of Donegall 1844–1883 | ||
| Viscount Chichester 1844–1883 | ||
| Baron Chichester 2nd creation 1844–1883 | ||
| Peerage of Great Britain | ||
| Preceded by | Baron Fisherwick 1844–1883 | Succeeded by |
| Peerage of the United Kingdom | ||
| New creation | Baron Ennishowen and Carrickfergus 1841–1883 Member of theHouse of Lords (1841–1883) | Extinct |
