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The Earl of Bessborough
The Earl of Bessborough
	William Ponsonby by Sir Joshua Reynolds
Born	1704
Died	11 March 1793 (aged 88–89)
Spouse(s)	Caroline Cavendish
Issue	Catherine Beauclerk, Duchess of St Albans; Charlotte Fitzwilliam, Countess Fitzwilliam; Frederick Ponsonby, 3rd Earl of Bessborough;
Father	Brabazon Ponsonby, 1st Earl of Bessborough
Mother	Sarah Margetson

William Ponsonby, 2nd Earl of Bessborough PC PC (Ire) (1704 – 11 March 1793) was a British politician and public servant. He was an Irish and English peer and member of the House of Lords (styled Hon. William Ponsonby from 1723 to 1739 and Viscount Duncannon from 1739 to 1758). He served in both the Irish and the British House of Commons, before entering the House of Lords, and held office as a Lord Commissioner of the Admiralty, Lord Commissioner of the Treasury, and as Postmaster General of the United Kingdom. He was also a Privy Counsellor, Chief Secretary for Ireland and Earl of Bessborough.

Education

Ponsonby was educated at Trinity College Dublin.^[1]

Political life

In 1725 Ponsonby was returned to the Irish House of Commons for Newtownards and in 1727 for County Kilkenny, holding the seat until 1758, when his father died and he took his father's titles.^[2] From 1741 to 1745, he served as Chief Secretary for Ireland under his father-in-law, then Lord Lieutenant of Ireland.

As Viscount Duncannon, Ponsonby was first appointed a Lord Commissioner of the Admiralty on 27 June 1746, a position he held until 1756, when he was appointed a Lord Commissioner of the Treasury. He also represented the British constituencies of Derby from 1742 to 1754, Saltash from 1754 to 1756 and Harwick from 1756 to 1758. Upon the death of his father on 4 July 1758, Ponsonby succeeded him in the House of Lords under the title Baron Ponsonby of Sysonby on 23 November of that year.^[3]

Postmaster General

On 2 June 1759 Ponsonby left the Treasury and was appointed Postmaster General of Great Britain jointly with Robert Hampden-Trevor, 1st Viscount Hampden. He resigned the position when his brother-in-law, William Cavendish, 4th Duke of Devonshire, was dismissed as Lord Chamberlain in October 1762. He was reappointed to the position (and sworn of the Privy Council) in July 1765 jointly with Thomas Robinson, 1st Baron Grantham, until he resigned in 1766, his initial offer to resign having been refused.^[4]

Upon William Ponsonby's death on 11 March 1793 his son, Frederick Ponsonby, succeeded to his titles.^[5]

Family

William Ponsonby was the son of Brabazon Ponsonby, 1st Earl of Bessborough, and his wife Sarah Margetson, and elder brother of John Ponsonby.

On 5 July 1739, William married Lady Caroline Cavendish, eldest daughter of William Cavendish, 3rd Duke of Devonshire, who died in 1760 aged 40.^[6]

They had three surviving children:^[6]

Lady Catherine Ponsonby (b. 1742), married Aubrey Beauclerk, 5th Duke of St Albans
Lady Charlotte Ponsonby (b. 1747), married William Fitzwilliam, 4th Earl Fitzwilliam
Frederick Ponsonby, 3rd Earl of Bessborough (1758–1844)

Parkstead House, Roehampton, was built in 1750 for William Ponsonby,^[7] and now forms part of Roehampton University.

References

^ "Alumni Dublinenses: a register of the students, graduates, professors and provosts of Trinity College in the University of Dublin (1593–1860)" George Dames Burtchaell/Thomas Ulick Sadleir p63: Dublin, Alex Thom and Co, 1935
^ Leigh Rayment's historical List of Members of the Irish House of Commons. Cites: Johnston-Liik, Edith Mary (2002). The History of the Irish Parliament 1692-1800 (6 volumes). Ulster Historical Foundation.
^ "PONSONBY, William, Visct. Duncannon (1704-93)". historyofparliament.com.
^ Barker, George Fisher Russell (1896). "Ponsonby, William (1704-1793)" . In Lee, Sidney (ed.). Dictionary of National Biography. Vol. 46. London: Smith, Elder & Co.
^ Walpole, Horace (1894). Memoirs of the reign of King George the Third, Volume 2. London: Lawrence and Bullen. p. 16. ISBN 9780836954890.
^ ^a ^b Innes (editors), A., E., and M. (1829). The Annual peerage of the British empire for 1829. London: Saunders and Otley. pp. 87–88. Retrieved 15 February 2013. {{cite book}}: |last= has generic name (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
^ "Parkstead House: History". Parkstead House. Retrieved 6 February 2010.

External links

ODNB article

Parliament of Ireland
Preceded by Charles Campbell Richard Tighe	Member of Parliament for Newtownards 1725–1727 With: Richard Tighe	Succeeded by John Vesey Robert Jocelyn
Preceded by William Flower Patrick Wemyss	Member of Parliament for County Kilkenny 1727–1758 With: Patrick Wemyss 1727–1747 Patrick Wemys 1747–1758	Succeeded by Patrick Wemys Henry Flood
Parliament of Great Britain
Preceded by Lord James Cavendish John Stanhope	Member of Parliament for Derby 1742–1754 With: John Stanhope 1742–1748 Thomas Rivett 1748–1754	Succeeded by Lord Frederick Cavendish George Venables-Vernon
Preceded by Stamp Brooksbank George Brydges Rodney	Member of Parliament for Saltash 1754–1756 With: George Clinton	Succeeded by George Clinton Charles Townshend
Preceded by John Phillipson Wenman Coke	Member of Parliament for Harwich 1756–1758 With: Wenman Coke	Succeeded by Wenman Coke Thomas Sewell
Political offices
Preceded by Hon. Henry Bilson-Legge	Chief Secretary for Ireland 1741–1745	Succeeded by Richard Liddell
Preceded by The Earl of Leicester Everard Fawkener	Postmaster General of Great Britain 1759–1762 With: The Lord Trevor	Succeeded by The Lord Trevor The Earl of Egmont
Preceded by The Lord Trevor The Lord Hyde	Postmaster General of Great Britain 1765–1766 With: The Lord Grantham	Succeeded by The Viscount Hillsborough The Lord le Despencer
Peerage of Ireland
Preceded by Brabazon Ponsonby	Earl of Bessborough 1758–1793	Succeeded by Frederick Ponsonby
	Viscount Duncannon 1758–1793
	Baron Bessborough 1758–1793
Peerage of Great Britain
Preceded by Brabazon Ponsonby	Baron Ponsonby of Sysonby 1758–1793 Member of the House of Lords (1758–1793)	Succeeded by Frederick Ponsonby