The Earl of Bessborough | |
|---|---|
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| Home Secretary | |
| In office 19 July 1834 – 15 November 1834 | |
| Monarch | William IV |
| Prime Minister | The Viscount Melbourne |
| Preceded by | The Viscount Melbourne |
| Succeeded by | The Duke of Wellington |
| Lord Lieutenant of Ireland | |
| In office 8 July 1846 – 16 May 1847 | |
| Monarch | Victoria |
| Prime Minister | Lord John Russell |
| Preceded by | The Lord Heytesbury |
| Succeeded by | The Earl of Clarendon |
| Personal details | |
| Born | John William Ponsonby 31 August 1781 (1781-08-31) |
| Died | 16 May 1847(1847-05-16) (aged 65) |
| Nationality | British |
| Party | Whig |
| Spouse(s) | Lady Maria Fane (1787–1834) |
| Children | 14, includingJohn,Frederick,Emily,Walter, andSpencer |
| Parent(s) | Frederick Ponsonby, 3rd Earl of Bessborough Lady Henrietta Spencer |
| Alma mater | Christ Church, Oxford |
John William Ponsonby, 4th Earl of Bessborough,PC (31 August 1781 – 16 May 1847), known asViscount Duncannon from 1793 to 1844, was a BritishWhig politician. He was notablyHome Secretary in 1834 and served asLord Lieutenant of Ireland between 1846 and 1847, the first years of theGreat Famine.
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A member of the prominent Ponsonby family ofCumberland, he was the eldest son ofFrederick Ponsonby, 3rd Earl of Bessborough, andLady Henrietta Frances Spencer, daughter ofJohn Spencer, 1st Earl Spencer.Sir Frederick Ponsonby andWilliam Ponsonby, 1st Baron de Mauley, were his younger brothers, whileLady Caroline Lamb was his younger sister. Ponsonby's mother wasLord Granville's lover before his marriage to Lady Harriet Cavendish, the Countess of Bessborough's niece. Lord Granville fathered two illegitimate children through her: Harriette Stewart and George Stewart. Lord Bessborough was educated atHarrow andChrist Church, Oxford.
He wasFirst Commissioner of Woods and Forests underLord Grey (1831–1834) and served underLord Melbourne in that office (1835–1841), briefly asHome Secretary (1834), and asLord Privy Seal (1835–1839). Later, he served asLord Lieutenant of Ireland underLord John Russell from 1846 until his death on 16 May 1847. During his service, theGreat Famine (Ireland) progressed. He was made aPrivy Counsellor in 1831, and in 1834, ten years before he succeeded his father, he was createdBaron Duncannon, of Bessborough in the County of Kilkenny. He wasLord Lieutenant of Kilkenny from November 1838 until his death.[1]
He had a stammer, which made him a very reluctant public speaker, believing that it hampered his political career. As Lord Duncannon, he was unkindly nicknamed "Dumbcannon". In private, on the other hand, he was regarded as a valued colleague in Government, due largely to his ability to keep his head in a crisis. He was one of the so-called Committee of Four who drafted theReform Act 1832.
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John Ponsonby marriedLady Maria Fane, daughter ofJohn Fane, 10th Earl of Westmorland, and his wifeSarah (née Child), on 16 November 1805 at Berkeley Square, London. They had eight sons and six daughters.[2][3]
Their daughterLady Emily Charlotte Mary remained unmarried, but she wrote several novels which were published without attribution.[4] Through his daughter Lady Augusta Gore, Bessborough was the grandfather of sportsmanSpencer Gore, who won the firstWimbledon singles title in 1877; and the Rt. Rev.Charles Gore, theBishop of Oxford, and barrister SirFrancis Charles Gore.[5]
Children of Lord and Lady Bessborough:[6]
The Viscountess Duncannon died in March 1834 at the age of 46.[2] Lord Bessborough survived her by thirteen years and died in May 1847, aged 65. He was succeeded in the earldom by his eldest son,John, and subsequently by his younger sonsFrederick andWalter.Bessborough Gardens in London was named in his honor[3]
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| Parliament of the United Kingdom | ||
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| Preceded by | Member of Parliament forKnaresborough 1805–1806 With:Lord John Townshend | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Member of Parliament forHigham Ferrers 1810–1812 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Member of Parliament forMalton 1812–1826 With:John Ramsden | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Member of Parliament forBandon 1826 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Member of Parliament forKilkenny County 1826–1832 With:Charles Clarke 1826–1830 Earl of Ossory 1830–1832 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Member of Parliament forNottingham 1832–1834 With:Sir Ronald Craufurd Ferguson | Succeeded by |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded by | First Commissioner of Woods and Forests 1831–1834 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Home Secretary 1834 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Lord Privy Seal 1835–1840 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | First Commissioner of Woods and Forests 1835–1841 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Lord Lieutenant of Ireland 1846–1847 | Succeeded by |
| Honorary titles | ||
| New title | Lord Lieutenant of Carlow 1830–1838 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Lord Lieutenant of Kilkenny 1838–1847 | Succeeded by |
| Peerage of Ireland | ||
| Preceded by | Earl of Bessborough 1844–1847 | Succeeded by |
| Viscount Duncannon 1844–1847 | ||
| Baron Bessborough 1844–1847 | ||
| Peerage of Great Britain | ||
| Preceded by | Baron Ponsonby of Sysonby 1844–1847 | Succeeded by |
| Peerage of the United Kingdom | ||
| New creation | Baron Duncannon 1834–1847 Member of theHouse of Lords (1834–1847) | Succeeded by |
| International | |
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| National | |
| People | |
| Other | |
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