John Beresford, 5th Marquess of Waterford

(Redirected from Lady Blanche Waterford)

John Henry de la Poer Beresford, 5th Marquess of Waterford, KP, PC, DL (21 May 1844 – 23 October 1895), styled Earl of Tyrone from 1859 to 1866, was an Irish peer and Conservative politician. He served as Master of the Buckhounds under Lord Salisbury from 1885 to 1886.

The Marquess of Waterford
Master of the Buckhounds
In office
27 June 1885 – 28 January 1886
MonarchVictoria
Prime MinisterThe Marquess of Salisbury
Preceded byThe Earl of Cork
Succeeded byThe Lord Suffield
Personal details
Born21 May 1844
Died23 October 1895 (1895-10-24) (aged 51)
NationalityBritish
Political partyConservative
Spouse(s)
Florence Vivian
(m. 1873; died 1874)

Lady Blanche Somerset
(m. 1874)
Children4, including Henry Beresford, 6th Marquess of Waterford
Parent(s)John Beresford, 4th Marquess of Waterford
Christiana Leslie
"The Great Man of Waterford". Caricature by Spy published in Vanity Fair in 1879.

Background

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Beresford was the eldest son of John Beresford, 4th Marquess of Waterford, by his wife Christiana Leslie, daughter of Colonel Charles Leslie and sister of Sir John Leslie, 1st Baronet, of Castle Leslie, Glaslough, County Monaghan.[1] He was the elder brother of Lord Charles Beresford, Lord William Beresford, VC and Lord Marcus Beresford.[2]

Beresford was an avid sportsman: as with the rest of his family, he was very fond of hunting, racing and shooting. In his youth he rode to hounds with his infamous uncle, the 3rd Marquess of Waterford. He was educated at Eton, after which he was commissioned into the Household cavalry. In 1859, he became known as the Earl of Tyrone after his father succeeded to the marquessate.[2]

Career

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Lord Tyrone gained the rank of Captain in the 1st Life Guards.[2] It was said he was "one of the handsomest officers that ever wore the uniform of the Household Brigade".

Lord Waterford was returned to Parliament for County Waterford in 1865, a seat he held until the following year, when he succeeded his father in the marquessate and took his seat in the House of Lords.[3] In 1868 he was made a Knight of the Order of St Patrick.[4] He was appointed Lord Lieutenant of Waterford in 1874, which he remained until his death,[5] and was admitted to the Irish Privy Council in 1879.[6] In 1885 he was sworn of the British Privy Council[7] and appointed Master of the Buckhounds under Lord Salisbury,[8] a post he held until the fall of the Conservative administration in early 1886.[9]

In humour

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W. S. Gilbert refers to Lord Waterford as "reckless and rollicky" in Colonel Calverley's song "If You Want A Receipt For That Popular Mystery" from the Gilbert and Sullivan opera Patience.

Family

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Lord Waterford eloped with Florence Grosvenor Rowley, wife of John Vivian[10] and married her on 9 August 1872. She died on 4 April 1873, along with her stillborn child.[11] He married secondly, Lady Blanche Somerset, daughter of Henry Somerset, 8th Duke of Beaufort, on 21 July 1874. The second Lady Waterford suffered from a severe illness[12] which left her an invalid. She had a special carriage designed to carry her around the estate at Curraghmore. Lord Waterford and his second wife had four children:

He owned 66,000 acres including 39,000 in Waterford and 26,000 in Wicklow.[13]

Lord Waterford committed suicide in October 1895, aged 51, and was succeeded in the marquessate by his only son, Henry. Many national newspapers expressed their sorrow at Lord Waterford's suicide, especially given his position in society.

References

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  1. ^ Burke's Peerage (repr. 2003). p. 2306.
  2. ^ a b c Burke's Peerage (repr. 2003). p. 4091.
  3. ^ Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "W" (part 1)
  4. ^ leighrayment.com Knights of St Patrick[usurped]
  5. ^ leighrayment.com Peerage: Waddington to Welles[usurped]
  6. ^ leighrayment.com Privy Counsellors – Ireland[usurped]
  7. ^ "No. 25485". The London Gazette. 30 June 1885. p. 2987.
  8. ^ "No. 25485". The London Gazette. 30 June 1885. p. 3000.
  9. ^ "No. 25561". The London Gazette. 23 February 1886. p. 848.
  10. ^ "The Elopement of Mrs. Vivian with the Marquess of Waterford". Nottinghamshire Guardian. 19 March 1869. Retrieved 3 December 2015 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  11. ^ Burke's Peerage (repr. 2003). p. 3422.
  12. ^ The Graphic (27 February 1897). Obituary of Marchioness of Waterford. London.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  13. ^ The great landowners of Great Britain and Ireland
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Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by Member of Parliament for County Waterford
1865–1866
With: Sir John Esmonde, Bt
Succeeded by
Political offices
Preceded by Master of the Buckhounds
1885–1886
Succeeded by
Honorary titles
Preceded by Lord Lieutenant of Waterford
1874–1895
Succeeded by
Peerage of Ireland
Preceded by Marquess of Waterford
1866–1895
Succeeded by