Richard Wellesley, 1st Marquess Wellesley

2025-10-10T14:14:51Z

85.29.111.204:

{{Short description|British politician (1760–1842)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2020}}
{{More citations needed|date=December 2022}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| honorific-prefix = [[The Most Honourable]]
| name = The Marquess Wellesley
| honorific-suffix = {{postnominals|country=GBR|size=100%|KG|KP|PC|PCi}}
| image = Sir Thomas Lawrence (1769-1830) - Richard Colley Wellesley, Marquess Wellesley (1760-1842) - RCIN 400643 - Royal Collection.jpg
| imagesize =
| caption = ''[[Portrait of the Marquess Wellesley]]'' by [[Thomas Lawrence]], c.1813
| order1 = [[Lord Lieutenant of Ireland]]
| term_start1 = 8 December 1821
| term_end1 = 27 February 1828
| monarch1 = [[George IV]]
| primeminister1 = {{Ubl
|[[Robert Jenkinson, 2nd Earl of Liverpool|The Earl of Liverpool]]
|[[George Canning]]
|[[Frederick John Robinson, 1st Viscount Goderich|The Viscount Goderich]]
|[[Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington|The Duke of Wellington]]
}}
| predecessor1 = [[Charles Chetwynd-Talbot, 2nd Earl Talbot|The Earl Talbot]]
| successor1 = [[Henry Paget, 1st Marquess of Anglesey|The Marquess of Anglesey]]
| term_start2 = 12 September 1833
| term_end2 = November 1834
| monarch2 = [[William IV]]
| primeminister2 = {{Ubl
|[[Charles Grey, 2nd Earl Grey|The Earl Grey]]
|[[Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington|The Duke of Wellington]]
}}
| predecessor2 = [[Henry Paget, 1st Marquess of Anglesey|The Marquess of Anglesey]]
| successor2 = [[Thomas Hamilton, 9th Earl of Haddington|The Earl of Haddington]]
| order3 = [[Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs (UK)|Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs]]
| term_start3 = 6 December 1809
| term_end3 = 4 March 1812
| monarch3 = [[George III]]
| primeminister3 = [[Spencer Perceval]]
| predecessor3 = [[Henry Bathurst, 3rd Earl Bathurst|The Earl Bathurst]]
| successor3 = [[Robert Stewart, Viscount Castlereagh|Viscount Castlereagh]]
| order4 = [[Governor-General of India|Governor-General of the Presidency of Fort William]]
| term_start4 = 18 May 1798
| term_end4 = 30 July 1805
| monarch4 = [[George III]]
| primeminister4 = {{Ubl
|[[William Pitt the Younger]]
|[[Henry Addington, 1st Viscount Sidmouth|Henry Addington]]
}}
| predecessor4 = Sir [[Alured Clarke]] (provisional)
| successor4 = [[Charles Cornwallis, 1st Marquess Cornwallis|The Marquess Cornwallis]]
| birth_date = {{Birth date|1760|6|20|df=yes}}
| birth_place = [[Dangan Castle]], [[County Meath]], [[Kingdom of Ireland|Ireland]]
| death_date = {{Death date and age|1842|9|26|1760|6|20|df=yes}}
| death_place = [[Knightsbridge]], [[London]], [[United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland]]
| resting_place = [[Eton College Chapel]]
| nationality = British
| signature = Signature of Richard Wellesley, 1st Marquess Wellesley.svg
| party = [[Tories (British political party)|Tory]]
| alma_mater = [[Christ Church, Oxford]]
| father = [[Garret Wesley, 1st Earl of Mornington|Garret Wesley]]
| mother = [[Anne Wellesley, Countess of Mornington|Anne Hill-Trevor]]
| spouse = {{Ubl
|{{Marriage|[[Hyacinthe-Gabrielle Roland]]|29 November 1794|5 November 1816|reason=d.}}
|{{Marriage|[[Marianne Wellesley, Marchioness Wellesley|Marianne (Caton) Patterson]]|29 October 1825}}
}}
}}

'''Richard Colley Wellesley, 1st Marquess Wellesley''',<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.britannica.com/summary/Richard-Colley-Wellesley-Marquess-Wellesley|title=Richard Colley Wellesley, Marquess Wellesley summary | Britannica|website=www.britannica.com}}</ref> {{postnominals|country=GBR|size=100%|sep=,|KG|KP|PC|PCi}} (20 June 1760 – 26 September 1842) was an Anglo-Irish politician and [[colonial administrator]]. He was styled as Viscount Wellesley until 1781, when he succeeded his father as 2nd [[Earl of Mornington]]. In 1799, he was granted the [[Peerage of Ireland|Irish peerage]] title of Marquess Wellesley of Norragh. He was also Baron Wellesley in the [[Peerage of Great Britain]]. Older sources often refer to Wellesley as "Mornington" from 1799 onward.

Richard Wellesley first made his name as fifth [[Governor-General of Bengal]] between 1798 and 1805. He later served as [[Foreign Secretary (United Kingdom)|Foreign Secretary]] in the [[British Cabinet]] and as [[Lord Lieutenant of Ireland]]. In 1799, his forces invaded [[Kingdom of Mysore|Mysore]] and defeated [[Tipu Sultan|Tipu]], the Sultan of Mysore, in a major battle. He also initiated the [[Second Anglo-Maratha War]].

Wellesley was the eldest son of [[Garret Wesley, 1st Earl of Mornington]], an Irish peer, and Anne, the eldest daughter of [[Arthur Hill-Trevor, 1st Viscount Dungannon]]. His younger brother was [[Field Marshal (United Kingdom)|Field Marshal]] [[Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington]].

==Early life==
Wellesley was born in 1760 in [[Dangan Castle]] in [[County Meath]], [[Kingdom of Ireland|Ireland]], where his family was part of [[Protestant Ascendancy|the Ascendancy]], the old [[Anglo-Irish]] [[aristocracy]]. He was educated at the [[Royal School, Armagh]], [[Harrow School]] and [[Eton College]], where he distinguished himself as a classical scholar, and at [[Christ Church, Oxford]]. He is one of the few men known to have attended both Harrow and Eton.

In 1780, he entered the [[Irish House of Commons]] as the member for [[Trim (Parliament of Ireland constituency)|Trim]] until the following year when, at his father's death, he became 2nd [[Earl of Mornington]], taking his seat in the [[Irish House of Lords]]. He was elected Grand Master of the [[Grand Lodge of Ireland]] in 1782, a post he held for the following year.<ref>{{cite book|last=Waite|first=Arthur Edward|title=A New Encyclopedia of Freemasonry|publisher=Cosimo, Inc.|year=2007|isbn=978-1-60206-641-0|volume=I|pages=400}}</ref> Due to the extravagance of his father and grandfather, he found himself so indebted that he was ultimately forced to sell all the Irish estates. However, in 1781, he was appointed to the coveted position of [[Custos Rotulorum of Meath]].<ref>{{cite web|title=WELLESLEY, Richard Colley, 2nd Earl of Mornington [I] (1760-1842), of Dangan Castle, co. Meath.|url=http://www.historyofparliamentonline.org/volume/1790-1820/member/wellesley-richard-colley-1760-1842|access-date=18 June 2014|publisher=History of Parliament}}</ref>

In 1784, he joined also the [[House of Commons of Great Britain|British House of Commons]] as member for the [[rotten borough]] of [[Bere Alston (UK Parliament constituency)|Bere Alston]] in Devon. Soon afterwards he was appointed a [[Lord of the Treasury]] by [[William Pitt the Younger]].

The 1792 Slave Trade Bill passed the House of Commons. Mangled and mutilated by the modifications and amendments of [[William Pitt the Younger|Pitt]], the Earl of Mornington, [[Edward James Eliot]] and [[Sir Archibald Macdonald, 1st Baronet|the Attorney General]], it lay for years in the [[House of Lords]].<ref>{{cite web|year=1817|title=Parliamentary History|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=4wcxAQAAMAAJ|publisher=Corbett|page=1293}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|year=1790|title=Journal of the House of Lords|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=NxtDAAAAcAAJ|publisher=H.M. Stationery Office 1790|page=391 to 738}}</ref>

In 1793, he became a member of the [[India Board|Board of Control]] over Indian affairs. In 1797 he was appointed [[Governor-General of India]].

==India ==
[[File:Richard Wellesley 2.JPG|thumb|Portrait of Wellesley ca. 1803 in officer's uniform with star and sash of the [[Order of St Patrick]], painted by [[Robert Home]].]]
=== Voyage ===
{{More citations needed|section|date=January 2023}}

According to biographers of Wellesley, his highest priority during his term as Governor-General of India was for Britain to prevail over French power in India. This was a period in which Britain organized a series of military coalitions in Europe against France.<ref>See, e.g., William McCullagh Torrens, ''The Marquess Wellesley: Architect of Empire'' (London: Chatto and Windus, 1880); P.E. Roberts, ''India Under Wellesley'' (London: G. Bell and Sons, 1929); M.S. Renick, ''Lord Wellesley and the Indian States'' (Agra: Arvind Vivek Prakashan, 1987).</ref>

=== Governor-General ===
==== War with Mysore ====
{{main|Fourth Anglo-Mysore War}}
On the voyage out, he formed the design of curbing French influence in the [[Deccan Plateau|Deccan]]. Soon after his arrival, in April 1798, he learned that an alliance was being negotiated between [[Tipu Sultan]] and [[First French Republic|France]]. He soon after was appointed [[Governor-General of Bengal]] on May 12, replacing [[Charles Cornwallis, 1st Marquess Cornwallis|Lord Cornwallis]]. Wellesley resolved to anticipate the action of the Sultan and ordered preparations for war. The first step was to order the disbandment of the French troops employed by the [[Nizam of Hyderabad]].<ref>"Hyderabad Treaty (Appendix F)", ''The Despatches, Minutes & Correspondence of the Marquess Wellesley During His Administration in India'', ed. Robert Montgomery Martin, 5 vols (London: 1836–37), 1:672–675; Roberts, ''India Under Wellesley'', chap. 4, "The Subsidiary Alliance System".</ref>

The capture of [[Mysore]] followed in February 1799, and the campaign was brought to a swift conclusion by the [[Siege of Seringapatam (1799)|capture of Seringapatam]] on 4 May 1799 and the death of Tipu Sultan, who was killed in action. In 1803, the restoration of the [[Peshwa]], [[Baji Rao II]], proved the prelude to the [[Second Anglo-Maratha War|war]] against [[Daulat Rao Sindhia]] of [[Gwalior State|Gwalior]] and the raja of [[Berar Subah|Berar]], [[Raghoji II of Nagpur|Raghoji II Bhonsle]] in which his brother [[Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington|Arthur]] took a leading role.

The result of these wars and of the treaties which followed them was that French influence in India was reduced to [[Puducherry (union territory)|Pondicherry]], and that Britain acquired increased influence in the heartlands of central India. He proved to be a skilled administrator, and picked two of his talented brothers for his staff: Arthur was his military adviser, and [[Henry Wellesley, 1st Baron Cowley|Henry]] was his personal secretary. He founded [[Fort William College]], a training centre intended for those who would be involved in governing India. In connection with this college, he established the governor-general's office, to which civilians who had shown talent at the college were transferred, in order that they might learn something of the highest statesmanship in the immediate service of their chief. He endeavoured to remove some of the restrictions on the trade between Europe and Asia.<ref>C.H. Phillips, ''The East India Company, 1784–1834'', 2nd. ed., (Manchester: Manchester UP, 1961), 107–108; "Notice of the Board of Trade, 5 October 1798 (Appendix M)," ''Wellesley Despatches'', 2:736–738.</ref> He took the time to publish an appreciation of British composer [[Harriet Wainwright]]'s opera ''Comala'' in the ''Calcutta Post'' on 27 April 1804. During his tenure the magnificent [[Raj Bhavan, Kolkata|Government House in Calcutta]] was built as a residence for the governor-general.

=== Policies ===

Both the commercial policy of Wellesley and his educational projects brought him into hostility with the court of directors of the [[East India Company]], and he more than once tendered his resignation, which, however, public necessities led him to postpone till the autumn of 1805. He reached England just in time to see Pitt before his death.

He had been created a Peer of Great Britain in 1797 as '''Baron Wellesley''', and in 1799 became '''Marquess Wellesley''' in the [[Peerage of Ireland]].{{Efn|Having hoped to receive the [[Order of the Garter]], Wellesley was much disappointed by an Irish peerage, which he contemptuously referred to as a "double-gilt potato."}}<ref>Wellesley to Pitt, April 1800, ''The Wellesley Papers: The Life and Correspondence of Richard Colley Wellesley'', 2 vols (London: Herbert Jenkins, 1914), p. 121.</ref> He formed an enormous collection of over 2,500 painted miniatures in the [[Company style]] of Indian natural history.

He founded short-lived 'The Institution for Promoting the Natural History' in 1801 at [[Barrackpore]] near Calcutta. The institution was supervised by [[Francis Buchanan-Hamilton]]. As a part of this endeavor 'Barrackpore Menagerie' was founded which survived till 1878 when animals and birds were transferred to Alipore which later became [[Zoological Garden, Alipore|Calcutta Zoo]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Notes on the Birds of Barrackpore Menagerie |url=https://blogs.bl.uk/untoldlives/2023/06/notes-on-the-birds-of-barrackpore-menagerie.html |access-date=2023-06-14 |website=blogs.bl.uk |language=en}}</ref>

A motion by [[James Paull (MP)|James Paull]] MP to [[impeachment in the United Kingdom|impeach]] Wellesley due to his expulsion of British traders from [[Oudh State|Oudh]] was defeated in the House of Commons by 182 votes to 31 in 1808.<ref name="Impeachment">{{cite web|date=3 April 2015|title=10 March 1806. British "Invaders Seeking to Establish a Dominion and to Acquire an Empire" in India|url=http://www.dukesofbuckingham.co.uk/tag/wellesley/|access-date=28 February 2016|publisher=Dukes of Buckingham and Chandos}}</ref> Wellesley also disapproved of liaisons between Company officials and soldiers and locals, seeing them as improper.<ref>Dalrymple, William (2004). White Mughals: love and betrayal in eighteenth-century India. Penguin Books; {{ISBN|978-0-14-200412-8}}</ref>

==Britain==
=== Re-entering Parliament ===
After his governorship ended in 1808, he returned to [[United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland|Britain]] and began to join British politics yet again. The few years back in [[Parliament of the United Kingdom|Parliament]] were quite uneventful, despite the overwhelming crisis the British government faced with the war in Europe and its domination by [[Napoleon Bonaparte]]. The growing French influence threatened Britain and its [[British Empire|empire]] to the extent of causing high tensions in the country. While the crisis abroad wasn’t enough, the British government had been led by weak and unsuited men from 1806-1809 with two short-lived ministries under [[William Wyndham Grenville, 1st Baron Grenville|Lord Grenville]] and the [[William Henry Cavendish-Bentinck, 3rd Duke of Portland|Duke of Portland]] respectively.
{{Unreferenced section|date=January 2023}}
But when on the fall of the [[Ministry of All the Talents]] in 1807, Wellesley was invited by [[George III]] to join the Duke of Portland's cabinet, he declined, pending the discussion in parliament of certain charges brought against him in respect of his tenure as governor-general and because of criticism of his administration. Resolutions condemning him for the abuse of power were moved in both the Lords and Commons but defeated by large majorities.

=== Ambassador to Spain ===
In 1809, Wellesley was soon appointed as the British ambassador to Spain by [[Spencer Perceval]]. He landed at [[Cádiz]] just after the Allies victory at the [[Battle of Talavera]], and he tried to bring the [[Supreme Central Junta|Spanish government]] into an effective co-operative agreement to support the campaign against the French with his brother, Sir [[Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington|Arthur Wellesley]] who was commander-in-chief of the British Forces. However, the failure of his allies to cooperate with the British soon forced both allies to retreat after French counter-attacks.

=== Foreign Secretary ===
A few months later, after a dispute between [[George Canning]] and [[Robert Stewart, Viscount Castlereagh]] led to a duel and soon led to the resignation of both ministers, [[Spencer Perceval]] offered Wellesley the post of [[Foreign Secretary (United Kingdom)|Foreign Secretary]] in [[Perceval ministry|his cabinet]], which he accepted. Unlike his brother Arthur, he was an eloquent speaker, but was subject to inexplicable "black-outs" when he was apparently unaware of his surroundings.

He held this office until February 1812, when he retired, partly from dissatisfaction at the inadequate support given to Wellington by the ministry, but also because he had become convinced that the question of [[Catholic emancipation]] could no longer be kept in the background. From early life, Wellesley had, like his brother Arthur, been an advocate of [[Catholic emancipation]], and from then on he publicly supported that cause.

Twice [[Lord Lieutenant of Ireland]], and one of the original [[Order of St Patrick|Knights of St Patrick]], he surrendered that order on being made a [[Knight of the Garter]] on 31 March 1812.

Upon [[Assassination of Spencer Perceval|Perceval's assassination]] he, along with Canning, refused to join [[Robert Banks Jenkinson, 2nd Earl of Liverpool|Lord Liverpool's]] administration, and he remained out of office until 1821, severely criticising the proceedings of the [[Congress of Vienna]] and the European settlement of 1814, which, while it reduced [[Bourbon restoration in France|France]] to its ancient limits, left to the other great powers the territory that they had acquired by the [[Partitions of Poland]] and the destruction of the [[Republic of Venice]].

He was one of the peers who signed the protest against the enactment of the [[Corn Laws]] in 1815. His reputation never fully recovered from a fiasco in 1812 when he was expected to make a crucial speech denouncing the [[Liverpool ministry|new government]], but suffered one of his notorious "black-outs" and sat motionless in his place.

==Family life==
[[File:Elisabeth Vigée-Lebrun - Portrait of Hyacinthe Gabrielle Roland.jpg|thumb|''[[Portrait of Hyacinthe Gabrielle Roland]]'' by [[Élisabeth Vigée Le Brun]], 1791]]
Wellesley lived together for many years with [[Hyacinthe-Gabrielle Roland]], an actress at the [[Palais Royal]]. She had three sons and two daughters with Wellesley before he married her on 29 November 1794. He moved her to London, where Hyacinthe was generally miserable, as she never learned English and she was scorned by high society: [[Lady Caroline Lamb]] was warned by her mother-in-law, [[Elizabeth Milbanke]], a noted judge of what was socially acceptable, that no respectable woman could afford to be seen in Hyacinthe's company.

Their children were:
* [[Richard Wellesley (1787–1831)|Richard Wellesley]] (1787–1831), a member of parliament
* [[Lady Charles Bentinck|Anne Wellesley]] (1788–1875), who married firstly [[Sir William Abdy, 7th Baronet]], and secondly Lieutenant-Colonel [[Lord Charles Bentinck]]. She and her second husband are ancestors of King [[Charles III]])
* Hyacinthe Mary Wellesley (1789–1849), who married [[Edward Littleton, 1st Baron Hatherton]]
* Gerald Wellesley (1792–1833), who served as the East India Company's resident at [[Indore State|Indore]].<ref>{{cite web|author=Margaret Makepeace|title=British Library Untold Lives blog - Gerald Wellesley's secret family|url=http://blogs.bl.uk/untoldlives/2017/04/gerald-wellesleys-secret-family.html|access-date=25 April 2017}}</ref>
* [[Henry Wellesley (1794–1866)]], Principal of [[New Inn Hall]], Oxford.<ref>{{Cite ODNB|last=Bayly|first=C. A.|author-link=Christopher Alan Bayly|id=29008|title=Wellesley [formerly Wesley], Richard}}</ref>

Through his eldest daughter Lady Charles Bentinck, Wellesley was a great-great-great-grandfather to Queen [[Elizabeth II]].

Wellesley also had at least two other illegitimate sons by his teenage mistress, Elizabeth Johnston, including Edward (later his father's secretary), born in Middlesex (1796-1877). Wellesley's children were seen by Richard's other relatives, including his brother Arthur, as greedy, unattractive and cunning, and as exercising an unhealthy influence over their father; in the family circle they were nicknamed "The Parasites".<ref>{{cite book|author=Joanne Major, Sarah Murden|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=p4SbDQAAQBAJ&q=richard+wellesley+children+parasites&pg=PA17|title=A Right Royal Scandal: Two Marriages That Changed History|date=30 November 2016| publisher=Pen and Sword |isbn=9781473863422|access-date=25 April 2017}}</ref>

Following his first wife's death in 1816, he married, on 29 October 1825, the widowed [[Marianne Wellesley, Marchioness Wellesley|Marianne (Caton) Patterson]] (died 1853), whose mother Mary was the daughter of [[Charles Carroll of Carrollton]], the last surviving signatory of the [[United States Declaration of Independence]]; her former sister-in-law was [[Elizabeth Patterson Bonaparte]]. Wellington, who was very fond of Marianne (rumour had it that they were lovers) and was then on rather bad terms with his brother, pleaded with her not to marry him, warning her in particular that "The Parasites" would see her as an enemy.<ref>{{harv|Longford|1972|pp=113–4}}</ref> The Duke's concern seems to have been misplaced; they had no children, but the marriage was a relatively happy one - "much of the calm and sunshine of his old age can be attributed to Marianne".<ref>{{cite book|last1=Butler|first1=Iris|title=The Eldest Brother - the Marquess Wellesley 1760-1842|date=1973|publisher=Hodder and Stoughton|location=London|page=561}}</ref>

== Later life==
=== Lord Lieutenant of Ireland ===
[[File:Richard Colley Wellesley, Marquess Wellesley.jpg|thumb|Lord Wellesley in Garter Robes, with the badge of the Grand Master of the [[Order of St Patrick]] around his neck and carrying the white staff of office as [[Lord Steward]], presumably dressed for the [[Coronation of William IV and Adelaide|coronation of William IV]] on 8 September 1831. [[Westminster Abbey]] in the background. Portrait by Sir [[Martin Archer Shee]] and exhibited at the [[Royal Academy]] in 1833]]
In 1821, he was appointed [[Lord Lieutenant of Ireland]]. Catholic emancipation had now become an open question in the [[Cabinet of the United Kingdom|cabinet]], and Wellesley's acceptance of the viceroyalty was believed in Ireland to herald the immediate settlement of the Catholic claims but they would remain unfulfilled. Some efforts were made to placate Catholic opinion, notably the dismissal of the long-serving [[Attorney-General for Ireland]], [[William Saurin]], whose anti-Catholic views had made him bitterly unpopular. Lord Liverpool died without having grappled with the problem. His successor, Canning, died only a few months after taking up office as prime minister, to be succeeded briefly by [[F. J. Robinson, 1st Viscount Goderich|Lord Goderich]].

On the assumption of office by Wellington, his brother resigned the lord-lieutenancy. He is said to have been deeply hurt by his brother's failure to find a Cabinet position for him (Arthur made the usual excuse that one cannot give a Cabinet seat to everyone who wants one).<ref>{{harv|Longford|1972|p=153}}</ref>

He had, however, the satisfaction of seeing the Catholic claims settled in the next year by the very statesmen who had declared against them. In 1833, he resumed the office of Lord Lieutenant under [[Charles Grey, 2nd Earl Grey|Earl Grey]], but the [[Whig government, 1830–1834|ministry]] soon fell, and, with one short exception, Wellesley did not take any further part in official life.{{citation needed|date=January 2023}}

===Death===

On his death, he had no successor in the marquessate, but the earldom of Mornington and minor honours devolved on his brother [[William Wellesley Pole, 3rd Earl of Mornington|William, Lord Maryborough]], on the failure of whose issue in 1863 they fell to [[Arthur Wellesley, 2nd Duke of Wellington]].

He and Arthur, after a long estrangement, had been once more on friendly terms for some years: Arthur wept at the funeral and said that he knew of no honour greater than being Lord Wellesley's brother.<ref>{{harv|Longford|1972|p=394}}</ref>

Wellesley was buried in [[Eton College Chapel]], at his old school.<ref>{{cite magazine|last=Vernon|first=W. J.|date=March 1868|title=Eton and the Marquis Wellesley|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=BO8IAAAAIAAJ&pg=PA363|magazine=The Gentleman's Magazine|page=363}}</ref> Wellesley's library was sold at auction in London by R. H. Evans on 17 January 1843 (and three following days); a copy of the catalogue, annotated with prices and buyers' names, is held at [[Cambridge University Library]] (shelfmark Munby.c.149(1)).

==Legacy==
[[Image:Richard Colley Wellesley, Marquess Wellesley by John Philip Davis ('Pope' Davis).jpg|thumb|200px| Marquess Wellesley by [[John Philip Davis]] ("Pope" Davis).]]
The [[Township of Wellesley]], in [[Ontario]], Canada, was named in Richard Wellesley's honour, despite the many references (e.g.: [[Waterloo, Ontario|Waterloo]], [[Wellington County, Ontario|Wellington County]]) to his brother, Arthur Wellesley in the surrounding area, as was [[Wellesley Island]], located in the St. Lawrence river at [[Alexandria Bay, New York|Alexandria Bay]]. Wellesley Island also serves as the last point exiting the United States before crossing to Hill Island, in Canada.

[[Province Wellesley]], in the state of [[Penang]], Malaysia, was named after Richard Wellesley. It was originally part of the [[Kedah Sultanate|state of Kedah]]. It was ceded to the [[British East India Company]] by Sultan
[[Dziaddin Mukarram Shah II of Kedah]] in 1798, and has been part of the settlement and state of Penang ever since. It was renamed ''Seberang Perai'' ("across the [[Perai River|Perai]]" in the [[Malay language]]) not long after independence within Malaya.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web|title=P 01. A brief history of Prai|url=http://butterworthguide.com.my/index.php/prai-discover-secrets-of-a-town-s-forgotten-heyday/51-a-brief-history-of-prai|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170123003929/http://butterworthguide.com.my/index.php/prai-discover-secrets-of-a-town-s-forgotten-heyday/51-a-brief-history-of-prai|url-status=usurped|archive-date=23 January 2017|access-date=2017-05-01|website=butterworthguide.com.my|language=en-gb}}</ref>

The [[Wellesley Islands]] off the north coast of [[Queensland]], Australia, were named by [[Matthew Flinders]] in honour of Richard Wellesley, as was the largest island in the group, [[Mornington Island]]. Flinders is believed to have done this during his imprisonment by the French on [[Isle de France (Mauritius)|Mauritius]] as Wellesley had tried to secure his release.<ref name=":0">{{cite QPN|access-date=15 February 2017}}</ref><ref>{{Cite QPN|22847|Mornington Island|island in the Shire of Mornington|access-date=8 November 2020}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Three Letters from Matthew Flinders - No 13 March 1974|url=http://www3.slv.vic.gov.au/latrobejournal/issue/latrobe-13/t1-g-t1.html|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190910132414/http://www3.slv.vic.gov.au/latrobejournal/issue/latrobe-13/t1-g-t1.html|archive-date=2019-09-10|access-date=2020-11-08|website=[[State Library of Victoria]]|language=en-AU}}</ref>

[[Mornington Peninsula]], south of Melbourne, was named after him.

A street in [[Mirzapur]] (United Provinces) was named Wellesleyganj.

==Ancestry==
{{Ahnentafel|collapsed=yes|align=center
|boxstyle_1=background-color: #fcc;
|boxstyle_2=background-color: #fb9;
|boxstyle_3=background-color: #ffc;
|boxstyle_4=background-color: #bfc;
|1= 1. '''Richard Wellesley, 1st Marquess of Wellesley of Norragh'''
|2= 2. [[Garret Wesley, 1st Earl of Mornington]]
|3= 3. Anne Hill-Trevor
|4= 4. [[Richard Wesley, 1st Baron Mornington]]
|5= 5. Elizabeth Sale
|6= 6. [[Arthur Hill-Trevor, 1st Viscount Dungannon]]
|7= 7. Anne Stafford
|8= 8. [[Henry Colley (died 1719)|Henry Colley]]
|9= 9. Mary Ussher
|10= 10. John Sale
|11= 11. Ellinor Desminières
|12= 12. [[Michael Hill (1672–1699)|Michael Hill]]
|13= 13. Anne Trevor
|14= 14. Edmund Francis Stafford
|15= 15. Penelope Leslie
}}

==Arms==
{{Infobox COA wide|name=Richard Wellesley, 1st Marquess Wellesley
|image={{center|[[File:Shield of arms of Richard Wellesley, 1st Marquess Wellesley, KG, PC.png|250px]]}}
|bannerimage=
|badgeimage=
|notes=
|crest= 1st: Out of a Ducal Coronet Or a Demi Lion rampant Gules holding a Banner Purpure charged with an Estoile radiated wavy between eight Spots of the Royal Tiger in pairs saltirewise Or Staff Gold surmounted by a Pennon Argent charged with the Cross of St George, motto over in Hindustan characters; 2nd: A Cubit Arm erect vested Gules enfiled with a Ducal Coronet Or holding a Staff bendwise on the top thereof the Union Standard of Great Britain and Ireland and underneath the Mysore Standard all proper.
|torse=
|helm=
|escutcheon= Quarterly, 1st and 4th, Gules a Cross Argent between five Plates saltirewise in each quarter (Wellesley); 2nd and 3rd, Or a Lion rampant Gules ducally gorged of the field (Colley); and as an Honourable Augmentation, by Sign Manual in Dec 1790, an Inescutcheon Purpure charge with an Estoile radiated wavy between eight Spots of the Royal Tiger in pairs saltirewise Or, representing the Standard of the Sultan of Mysore.
|supporters= Dexter: a Lion Gules holding in the off-paw the Republican Flag of France inscribed "Republic of France" within a Wreath of Laurel the Staff broken all proper; Sinister: the Royal Tiger Guard Vert spotted Or supporting in the off-paw the Mysore Standard Staff also broken all proper, both supporters ducally crowned and chained Gold.
|compartment=
|motto= Above the second crest: Virtutis Fortuna Comes; Beneath the shield: Porro Unum Est Necessarium.
|orders=
|other_elements=
|banner=
|symbolism=
|previous_versions=}}

== Notes ==
{{Notelist}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}
* {{EB1911|wstitle=Wellesley, Richard Colley Wesley, Marquess}}

==Bibliography==
{{Commons category}}
* Butler, Iris. ''The Eldest Brother: the Marquess Wellesley 1760-1842''. London: [[Hodder and Stoughton]], 1973.
* {{Cite book |last= Harrington |first= Jack |year= 2010 |title= Sir John Malcolm and the Creation of British India |location= New York |publisher= [[Palgrave Macmillan]] |isbn= 978-0-230-10885-1}}
* [[Edward Ingram (historian)|Ingram, Edward]], ed. ''Two Views of British India: The Private Correspondence of Mr. Dundas and Lord Wellesley, 1798–1801''. Bath: Adams and Dart, 1970.
* {{cite book |last= Longford |first= Elizabeth |author-link= Elizabeth Longford |date=November 1972 |title= Wellington: Pillar of state |publisher= Weidenfeld & Nicolson |isbn=978-0-297-00250-5 |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=XTwqAQAAMAAJ}}
* [[Robert Montgomery Martin|Martin, Robert Montgomery]], ed. ''The Despatches, Minutes & Correspondence of the Marquess Wellesley During His Administration in India''. 5 vols. London: 1836–37.
* Pearce, Robert Rouiere. ''Memoirs and Correspondence of the Most Noble Richard Marquess Wellesley.'' 3 vols. London: 1846.
* Renick, M. S. ''Lord Wellesley and the Indian States''. Agra: Arvind Vivek Prakashan, 1987.
* Roberts, P. E. ''India Under Wellesley''. London: [[George Bell & Sons]], 1929.
* {{cite book |last1=Severn |first1=John Kenneth |title=Architects of empire : the Duke of Wellington and his brothers |date=2007 |publisher=University of Oklahoma Press |location=Norman, OK |isbn=9780806138107 |url=https://archive.org/details/architectsofempi0000seve |access-date=October 28, 2021}}
* [[William McCullagh Torrens|Torrens, William McCullagh]]. ''The Marquess Wellesley: Architect of Empire.'' London: [[Chatto and Windus]], 1880.
* {{cite IrishBio|wstitle=Wellesley, Richard Colley, Earl of Mornington, Marquis Wellesley|pages=550–552}}
*{{cite book |last= Wellesley |first= Richard Colley |year= 1914 |title= The Wellesley Papers: The Life and Correspondence of Richard Colley Wellesley |location= London |publisher= [[Herbert Jenkins Ltd|Herbert Jenkins]] |type= Hardcover}}

==Further reading==
* {{Cite book |last= Dalrymple |first= William |year= 2019 |title= The Anarchy: The Relentless Rise of the East India Company |location= New York |publisher= Bloomsbury publishing |type= Hardcover |isbn= 978-1-63557-395-4}}

==External links==

{{s-start}}
{{s-par|ie}}
{{s-bef| before = [[Thomas Fortescue (1744–1799)|Thomas Fortescue]] [[John Pomeroy (politician)|John Pomeroy]] }}
{{s-ttl| title = Member of Parliament for [[Trim (Parliament of Ireland constituency)|Trim]]
| with = [[John Pomeroy (politician)|John Pomeroy]]
| years = 1780–1781 }}
{{s-aft| after = [[William Arthur Crosbie]] [[John Pomeroy (politician)|John Pomeroy]] }}

{{s-par|gb}}
{{s-bef| before = [[William Feilding, Viscount Feilding|Viscount Feilding]] [[Laurence Cox]] }}
{{s-ttl| title = Member of Parliament for [[Bere Alston (UK Parliament constituency)|Bere Alston]]
| with = [[William Feilding, Viscount Feilding|Viscount Feilding]]
| years = [[1784 British general election|1784]]–1787 }}
{{s-aft| after = [[William Feilding, Viscount Feilding|Viscount Feilding]] [[Charles Rainsford]] }}

{{s-bef| before = [[Charles Jenkinson, 1st Earl of Liverpool|Charles Jenkinson]] [[Charles Ambler (barrister)|Charles Ambler]] }}
{{s-ttl| title = Member of Parliament for [[Saltash (UK Parliament constituency)|Saltash]]
| with = [[Charles Ambler (barrister)|Charles Ambler]]
| years = 1786–1787 }}
{{s-aft| after = [[Charles Ambler (barrister)|Charles Ambler]] [[John Lemon]] }}

{{s-bef| before = [[John Hussey-Montagu]] [[Peniston Portlock Powney]] }}
{{s-ttl| title = Member of Parliament for [[Windsor (UK Parliament constituency)|Windsor]]
| with = [[Peniston Portlock Powney]] 1787–1794
| with2 = [[Sir William Grant|William Grant]] 1794–1796
| years = 1787–[[1796 British general election|1796]] }}
{{s-aft| after = [[Robert Fulke Greville]] [[Henry Isherwood]] }}

{{s-bef| before = [[George Hardinge]] [[John Sullivan (MP)|John Sullivan]] }}
{{s-ttl| title = Member of Parliament for [[Old Sarum (UK Parliament constituency)|Old Sarum]]
| with = [[George Hardinge]]
| years = [[1796 British general election|1796]]–1797 }}
{{s-aft| after = [[George Hardinge]] [[Charles Williams-Wynn (1775–1850)|Charles Williams-Wynn]] }}

{{s-npo|mason}}
{{s-bef| before = [[Randal MacDonnell, 1st Marquess of Antrim (1789 creation)|The Earl of Antrim]] }}
{{s-ttl| title = Grandmaster of the [[Grand Lodge of Ireland]]
| years = 1782–1783 }}
{{s-aft| after = [[Robert Deane, 1st Baron Muskerry|The Lord Muskerry]] }}

{{s-gov}}
{{succession box
| before = [[Alured Clarke|Sir Alured Clarke]], ''acting''
| title = [[Governor-General of India]]
| years = 1798–1805
| after = [[Charles Cornwallis, 1st Marquess Cornwallis|The Marquess Cornwallis]]}}
{{s-off}}
{{succession box
| before = [[Henry Bathurst, 3rd Earl Bathurst|The Earl Bathurst]]
| title = [[Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs (UK)|Foreign Secretary]]
| years = 1809–1812
| after = [[Robert Stewart, Viscount Castlereagh|Viscount Castlereagh]]}}
{{succession box
| before = [[Charles Chetwynd-Talbot, 2nd Earl Talbot|The Earl Talbot]]
| title = [[Lord Lieutenant of Ireland]]
| years = 1821–1828
| after = [[Henry Paget, 1st Marquess of Anglesey|The Marquess of Anglesey]]}}
{{succession box
| before = [[Richard Temple-Nugent-Brydges-Chandos-Grenville, 1st Duke of Buckingham and Chandos|The Duke of Buckingham and Chandos]]
| title = [[Lord Steward]]
| years = 1830–1833
| after = [[George Campbell, 6th Duke of Argyll|The Duke of Argyll]]}}
{{succession box
| before = [[Henry Paget, 1st Marquess of Anglesey|The Marquess of Anglesey]]
| title = [[Lord Lieutenant of Ireland]]
| years = 1833–1834
| after = [[Thomas Hamilton, 9th Earl of Haddington|The Earl of Haddington]]}}
{{succession box
| before = [[George Child-Villiers, 5th Earl of Jersey|The Earl of Jersey]]
| title = [[Lord Chamberlain]]
| years = 1835
| after = [[Francis Conyngham, 2nd Marquess Conyngham|The Marquess Conyngham]]}}

{{s-dip}}
{{succession box|title=[[List of Ambassadors from the United Kingdom to Spain|British Ambassador to Spain]]|before=[[John Hookham Frere]]|after=[[Henry Wellesley, 1st Baron Cowley]]|years=1808–1809}}

{{s-reg|ie}}
{{succession box
| before = [[Garret Wesley, 1st Earl of Mornington|Garret Wesley]]
| title = [[Earl of Mornington]]
| years = 1781–1842
| after = [[William Wellesley, 3rd Earl of Mornington|William Wellesley]]}}
{{s-end}}

{{Foreign Secretary}}
{{Viceroys of India}}
{{Wellesley}}

{{Authority control}}

{{Indian Independence Movement}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wellesley, Richard Wellesley, 1st Marquess}}
[[Category:1760 births]]
[[Category:1842 deaths]]
[[Category:19th-century Irish politicians]]
[[Category:People educated at The Royal School, Armagh]]
[[Category:People educated at Harrow School]]
[[Category:Alumni of Christ Church, Oxford]]
[[Category:Members of the Parliament of Ireland (pre-1801) for County Meath constituencies]]
[[Category:Irish MPs 1776–1783]]
[[Category:Members of the Parliament of Great Britain for English constituencies]]
[[Category:British MPs 1784–1790]]
[[Category:British MPs 1790–1796]]
[[Category:British MPs 1796–1800]]
[[Category:British secretaries of state for foreign affairs]]
[[Category:Diplomatic peers]]
[[Category:Founders of Indian schools and colleges]]
[[Category:Governors-general of India]]
[[Category:Wellesley family|Richard Wellesley, 1st Marquess Wellesley]]
[[Category:Knights of St Patrick]]
[[Category:Knights of the Garter]]
[[Category:Lords Lieutenant of Ireland]]
[[Category:Marquesses in the Peerage of Ireland]]
[[Category:Peers of Great Britain created by George III]]
[[Category:Members of the Privy Council of Great Britain]]
[[Category:Members of the Privy Council of Ireland]]
[[Category:Tory MPs (pre-1834)]]
[[Category:Ambassadors of the United Kingdom to Spain]]
[[Category:Irish expatriates in India]]
[[Category:Irish expatriates in Spain]]
[[Category:Irish expatriates in England]]
[[Category:Earls of Mornington]]
[[Category:Hereditary peers elected to the House of Commons]]
[[Category:Members of the Parliament of Great Britain for Bere Alston]]
[[Category:Members of the Parliament of Great Britain for Saltash]]
[[Category:People educated at Eton College]]

Vero - Wikipedia - User contributions [en]

Richard Wellesley, 1st Marquess Wellesley