The Marquess of Exeter | |
|---|---|
 The Marquess of Exeter byCarlo Pellegrini, 1881. | |
| Captain of the Gentlemen-at-Arms | |
| In office 20 March 1867 – 1 December 1868 | |
| Monarch | Victoria |
| Prime Minister | The Earl of Derby Benjamin Disraeli |
| Preceded by | The Earl of Tankerville |
| Succeeded by | The Lord Foley |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 30 April 1825 (1825-04-30) |
| Died | 14 July 1895 (1895-07-15) (aged 70) |
| Nationality | British |
| Political party | Conservative |
| Spouse | |
| Children | Brownlow Cecil, 4th Marquess of Exeter Lord Francis Cecil Lord William Cecil Catherine Vane, Baroness Barnard Col.Lord John Joicey-Cecil Lady Isabella Battie-Wrightson Mary Hozier, Baroness Newlands Lady Louisa Cecil Lady Frances Cecil |
| Parent(s) | Brownlow Cecil, 2nd Marquess of Exeter Isabella Poyntz |
William Alleyne Cecil, 3rd Marquess of ExeterPC (30 April 1825 – 14 July 1895), styledLord Burghley between 1825 and 1867, was a Britishpeer andConservative politician. He served asTreasurer of the Household between 1866 and 1867 and asCaptain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms between 1867 and 1868.
Exeter was the eldest son ofBrownlow Cecil, 2nd Marquess of Exeter, and his wifeIsabella, daughter ofWilliam Stephen Poyntz, MP.[1] He was educated atSt. John's College, Cambridge, where he was president of theUniversity Pitt Club.[2]
Exeter playedfirst-class cricket for theMarylebone Cricket Club andCambridge University between 1847 and 1851.[3]
Exeter was elected to theHouse of Commons forSouth Lincolnshire in 1847, a seat he held until 1857,[1][4] and then representedNorth Northamptonshire from 1857 to 1867.[1][5] He served under theEarl of Derby asTreasurer of the Household from 1866 to 1867,[6] when he succeeded his father in the marquessate and entered theHouse of Lords.[6]
In March 1867 Derby appointed himCaptain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms, a post he held until December 1868,[6] the last nine months under the premiership ofBenjamin Disraeli. In 1866 he was admitted to thePrivy Council.[7]
Lord Exeter married Lady Georgina Sophia Pakenham, daughter ofThomas Pakenham, 2nd Earl of Longford, on 17 October 1848. They had at least nine children:
Lord Exeter died in July 1895, aged 70, and was succeeded in his titles by his eldest sonBrownlow, who also became a government minister. The Marchioness of Exeter died in March 1909.[1]Lady Angela Forbes wrote in her 1919 memoir,Memories and Base Details, of how she "[stood] in wholesome dread, in company, I may say, with her own family" of the formidable Marchioness. "Not to speak until you were spoken to, was a doctrine I did not at all appreciate, but one rigidly enforced at Burleigh! Prayers were read daily by Lady Exeter in the beautiful old chapel adjoining the house ... [on] one fatal occasion I giggled – and Lady Exeter stopped dead in the middle of a sentence, looking straight at me. 'When the wicked man turneth away from his wickedness' – and then there was a horrid pause. No notice was taken as we went out, but a little later a message came that 'her ladyship would like to see me.' My outward bravado was not in the least indicative of my feelings as I stood in front of her listening to a severe lecture couched in the most satirical language, whilst her two daughters stood, dragon-like, on either side of her."[8]
He held 28,000 acres across England[9]
| Parliament of the United Kingdom | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Member of Parliament forSouth Lincolnshire 1847–1857 With:Sir John Trollope, Bt | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Member of Parliament forNorth Northamptonshire 1857–1867 With:Augustus O'Brien-Stafford 1857 George Ward Hunt 1857–1867 | Succeeded by |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded by | Treasurer of the Household 1866–1867 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Captain of the Gentlemen-at-Arms 1867–1868 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Captain of the Gentlemen-at-Arms 1874–1875 | Succeeded by |
| Peerage of the United Kingdom | ||
| Preceded by | Marquess of Exeter 1867–1895 | Succeeded by |