Gerald Wellesley (1885 - 1972)

Born 21 Aug 1885 in Inchicore, Dublin, Ireland

Ancestors

Descendants

Died 4 Jan 1972 at age 86 in London, England, United Kingdom

Problems/Questions Profile manager: William Bridge [send private message]

Biography

Gerald Wellesley is Notable.

Gerald Wellesley, 7th Duke of Wellington From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Jump to: navigation, search The Duke of WellingtonBorn21 August 1885Died4 January 1972 (aged 86)Tenure16 September 1943 – 4 January 1972Spouse(s)Dorothy Violet AshtonIssueValerian Wellesley, 8th Duke of Wellington Lady Elizabeth ClydeParentsArthur Wellesley, 4th Duke of Wellington Lady Kathleen Bulkeley-Williams Gerald Wellesley, 7th Duke of Wellington, KG (21 August 1885 – 4 January 1972), styled Lord Gerald Wellesley between 1900 and 1943, was a British diplomat, soldier, and architect.

Background and education Wellesley was the third son of Lord Arthur Wellesley (later 4th Duke of Wellington) and Lady Arthur Wellesley (later Duchess of Wellington, née Kathleen Bulkeley Williams). He was baptised at St Jude's Church of Ireland parish church, Kilmainham, Dublin, on 27 September 1885. He was educated at Eton.

Career Wellesley served as a diplomat in the Diplomatic Corps in 1908. He held the office of Third Secretary of the Diplomatic Service between 1910 and 1917, and the office of Second Secretary of the Diplomatic Service between 1917 and 1919. He was invested as a Fellow of the Royal Institute of British Architects in 1921, and as a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts in 1935, and was Surveyor of the King's Works of Art 1936–1943. He gained the rank of Lieutenant-Colonel in 1939 in the service of the Grenadier Guards. He fought in the Second World War between 1939 and 1945. In 1943, he succeeded his nephew Henry as Duke of Wellington, Earl of Mornington, and Prince of Waterloo. His nephew's other title, Duke of Ciudad Rodrigo, passed to Henry's sister (his niece) Lady Anne Rhys, before she ceded it to him in 1949. He served as Lord Lieutenant of the County of London between 1944 and 1949 and as Lord Lieutenant of Hampshire between 1949 and 1960. In 1951 he was made a Knight of the Garter.

Architecture projects Among his architecture projects was the remodeling of the London home of Anglo-American member of Parliament Henry "Chips" Channon. Working with Trenwith Wills, Wellesley also remodeled Castle Hill, Filleigh, in Devon; Hinton Ampner in Hampshire; and Biddick Hall in County Durham. Wellesley also designed the Faringdon Folly tower for Gerald Tyrwhitt-Wilson, 14th Baron Berners.

Books He was the author of the following books :

The Iconography of the First Duke of Wellington (1935) The Diary of a Desert Journey (1938) The Journal of Mrs. Arbuthnot (1950) A Selection from the Private Correspondence of the First Duke of Wellington (1952) Family Wellington married Dorothy Violet Ashton (21 August 1885 – 11 July 1956) on 30 April 1914; they separated in 1922. She was the daughter of Robert Ashton of Croughton, Cheshire (himself a second cousin of the 1st Baron Ashton of Hyde) and was descended from wealthy cotton manufacturers, and his wife (Lucy) Cecilia Dunn-Gardner, later Countess of Scarbrough. Her stepfather since 1899 was the 10th Earl of Scarbrough. They had two children :

(Arthur) Valerian Wellesley, Marquess Douro (later 8th Duke of Wellington), born 2 July 1915 Lady Elizabeth Wellesley, born 26 December 1918 The marriage failed quickly. Dorothy Wellesley, a poet, was either bisexual or lesbian. According to a family memoir written by her granddaughter Lady Jane Wellesley, "Dottie" Wellesley left her family to become a lover of Vita Sackville-West (who wrote her entry for the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography). Curiously, Gerald Wellington had been engaged, before his marriage, to Sackville-West's lover Violet Trefusis. Dottie Wellington later became the lover and long-time companion of Hilda Matheson, a prominent BBC producer. One scholar, Frank O'Shea, has claimed that Lord Gerald Wellesley himself was homosexual, while his wife was bisexual.

Sources

• http://www.thepeerage.com/p10381.htm#i103801

• C.F.J. Hankinson, editor, DeBretts Peerage, Baronetage, Knightage and Companionage, 147th year (London, U.K.: Odhams Press, 1949), page 1100. Hereinafter cited as DeBretts Peerage, 1949.

• Wikipedia entry for Gerald Wellesley]