William Heneage Legge, 6th Earl of Dartmouth, (6 May 1851 – 11 March 1936), styled Viscount Lewisham between 1853 and 1891, was a

British peer A Peerage is a form of crown distinction, with Peerages in the United Kingdom comprising both hereditary and lifetime titled appointments of various ranks, which form both a constituent part of the legislative process and the British hono ...

and

Conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy and ideology that seeks to promote and preserve traditional institutions, customs, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civiliza ...

politician. He served as

Vice-Chamberlain of the Household The Vice-Chamberlain of the Household is a member of the Royal Household of the Sovereign of the United Kingdom. The officeholder is usually a senior government whip in the British House of Commons ranking third or fourth after the Chief Whip and ...

between 1885 and 1886 and again between 1886 and 1891.

Background and education

Born at

Westminster Westminster is the main settlement of the City of Westminster in Central London, Central London, England. It extends from the River Thames to Oxford Street and has many famous landmarks, including the Palace of Westminster, Buckingham Palace, ...

, London, Dartmouth was the eldest son of

William Legge, 5th Earl of Dartmouth William Walter Legge, 5th Earl of Dartmouth (12 August 1823 – 4 August 1891), styled Viscount Lewisham until 1853, was a British peer and Conservative politician. Political career Legge was elected in 1849 as Member of Parliament (MP) for ...

, and Lady Augusta, daughter of

Heneage Finch, 5th Earl of Aylesford Heneage Finch, 5th Earl of Aylesford (24 April 1786 – 3 January 1859) was a British peer, the eldest son of Heneage Finch, 4th Earl of Aylesford. He was styled Lord Guernsey until he succeeded his father in 1812. He attended the University o ...

. Sir Henry Legge was his younger brother. He was educated at

Eton College Eton College ( ) is a Public school (United Kingdom), public school providing boarding school, boarding education for boys aged 13–18, in the small town of Eton, Berkshire, Eton, in Berkshire, in the United Kingdom. It has educated Prime Mini ...

and

Christ Church, Oxford Christ Church (, the temple or house, ''wikt:aedes, ædes'', of Christ, and thus sometimes known as "The House") is a Colleges of the University of Oxford, constituent college of the University of Oxford in England. Founded in 1546 by Henry V ...

. On 7 May 1868, he was commissioned an ensign in the 27th Staffordshire Rifle Volunteer Corps, and was promoted from lieutenant to captain on 19 August 1874. Later promoted to major in the 1st Volunteer Battalion of the

South Staffordshire Regiment The South Staffordshire Regiment was a line infantry regiment of the British Army in existence for only 68 years. The regiment was created in 1881 under the Childers Reforms by the amalgamation of the 38th (1st Staffordshire) Regiment of Foot a ...

, he resigned his commission on 20 December 1884. He played

first-class cricket First-class cricket, along with List A cricket and Twenty20 cricket, is one of the highest-standard forms of cricket. A first-class match is of three or more days scheduled duration between two sides of eleven players each and is officially adju ...

for

Marylebone Cricket Club The Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) is a cricket club founded in 1787 and based since 1814 at Lord's, Lord's Cricket Ground, which it owns, in St John's Wood, London, England. The club was the governing body of cricket from 1788 to 1989 and retain ...

in 1877, and was a county cricketer for

Shropshire Shropshire (; abbreviated SalopAlso used officially as the name of the county from 1974–1980. The demonym for inhabitants of the county "Salopian" derives from this name.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the West M ...

between 1869 and 1871, and for

Staffordshire Staffordshire (; postal abbreviation ''Staffs''.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the West Midlands (region), West Midlands of England. It borders Cheshire to the north-west, Derbyshire and Leicestershire to the east, ...

. He became one of the first vice-presidents of the

Kent County Football Association The Kent County Football Association, now known as ''Kent FA'', is the governing body of football in the county of Kent, England. It was formed in 1881 and has governed the game of football, under the aegis of The Football Association (FA), since ...

in 1884.

Political career

Legge entered Parliament in 1878 as Member of Parliament for

West Kent Kent is a traditional county in South East England with long-established human occupation. Prehistoric Kent Recent excavations and radiometric dating at a Lower Palaeolithic site at the West Gravel Pit, Fordwich, near Canterbury confirmed the ...

, a seat he held until the constituency was split in 1885, when he was elected to the new constituency of

Lewisham Lewisham ( ) is an area of southeast London, England, south of Charing Cross. It is the principal area of the London Borough of Lewisham, and was within the Historic counties of England, historic county of Kent until 1889. It is identified in ...

. The same year he was sworn of the Privy Council and made

in Lord Salisbury's first administration. The Conservatives fell from power in January 1886 but returned to office under Salisbury already in July of the same year, when Dartmouth was once again appointed Vice-Chamberlain of the Household, a post he retained until 1891. He left the

Commons The commons is the cultural and natural resources accessible to all members of a society, including natural materials such as air, water, and a habitable Earth. These resources are held in common even when owned privately or publicly. Commons ...

in August 1891 on succeeding his father's titles. In October of the same year he was also appointed

Lord Lieutenant of Staffordshire This is a list of people who have served as lord lieutenant for Staffordshire. Since 1828, all lord lieutenants have also been custos rotulorum of Staffordshire. Lord Lieutenants of Staffordshire *Henry Stafford, 1st Baron Stafford 1559 * George ...

(succeeding his father), which he remained until 1927. He was also an Alderman of the

Staffordshire County Council Staffordshire County Council is the upper-tier Local government in England, local authority for the non-metropolitan county of Staffordshire, England. The non-metropolitan county is smaller than the ceremonial county, which additionally includ ...

and a justice of the peace for both

and

. In July 1901 he was appointed an additional member of the

Royal Commission on Historical Manuscripts The Royal Commission on Historical Manuscripts (widely known as the Historical Manuscripts Commission, and abbreviated as the HMC to distinguish it from the Royal Commission on the Historical Monuments of England), was a United Kingdom Royal Co ...

. Lord Dartmouth was honorary Colonel of the 5th volunteer battalion of the

from 1891, and of the 46th North Midland Divisional Train of the

Royal Army Service Corps The Royal Army Service Corps (RASC) was a corps of the British Army responsible for land, coastal and lake transport, air despatch, barracks administration, the Army Fire Service, staffing headquarters' units, supply of food, water, fuel and do ...

from 1908 to 1928, a period including the

First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, for which he was appointed a KCB in 1917. On his retirement, he was made a

GCVO The Royal Victorian Order () is a dynastic order of knighthood established in 1896 by Queen Victoria. It recognises distinguished personal service to the monarch, members of the royal family, or to any viceroy or senior representative of the m ...

in 1928. He was appointed Provincial Grand Master for the Masonic Province of Staffordshire 1919.

Family

Lord Dartmouth married Lady Mary, fourth daughter of the

Thomas Coke, 2nd Earl of Leicester Thomas William Coke, 2nd Earl of Leicester (26 December 1822 – 24 January 1909), known as Viscount Coke from 1837 to 1842, was a British peerage, British peer. Background Leicester was the son of Thomas Coke, 1st Earl of Leicester (seventh ...

, on 18 December 1879. They had five children: * William Legge, Viscount Lewisham (1881–1958), later 7th Earl of Dartmouth. *The Hon. Captain Gerald Legge (1882–1915), killed during the

landing at Suvla Bay The landing at Suvla Bay was an amphibious warfare, amphibious landing made at Suvla on the Aegean Sea, Aegean coast of the Gallipoli peninsula in the Ottoman Empire as part of the Battle of Sari Bair, August Offensive, the final United Kingdo ...

on 9 August 1915 whilst serving with the 7th Bn.

. He is commemorated on the

Helles Memorial The Helles Memorial is a Commonwealth War Graves Commission war memorial near Sedd el Bahr, in Turkey, on the headland at the tip of the Gallipoli peninsula overlooking the Dardanelles. It includes an obelisk which is over high. The memorial i ...

. He was a well-known

ornithologist Ornithology, from Ancient Greek ὄρνις (''órnis''), meaning "bird", and -logy from λόγος (''lógos''), meaning "study", is a branch of zoology dedicated to the study of birds. Several aspects of ornithology differ from related discip ...

. *Lady Dorothy Legge

OBE The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

(1883–1974), Justice of the Peace for Staffordshire, married Colonel Francis Meynell (grandson of

Charles Wood, 1st Viscount Halifax Charles Wood, 1st Viscount Halifax (20 December 1800 – 8 August 1885), known as Sir Charles Wood, 3rd Baronet, between 1846 and 1866, was a British Whigs (British political party), Whig politician and Member of the Parliament. He was Chancel ...

). * The Hon. Humphry Legge (1888–1962), later 8th Earl of Dartmouth. *

Lady Joan Margaret Legge Lady Joan Margaret Legge JP (21 February 1885 – 4 July 1939) was an English botanist who had a fatal accident while collecting samples in the Valley of Flowers in India. Early life Legge was born at 55 Manchester St. in Marylebone, London, ...

(1885–1939), Justice of the Peace for Staffordshire,

botanist Botany, also called plant science, is the branch of natural science and biology studying plants, especially Plant anatomy, their anatomy, Plant taxonomy, taxonomy, and Plant ecology, ecology. A botanist or plant scientist is a scientist who s ...

, died in India. The Countess of Dartmouth, who was made a

CBE The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

in 1920, died in December 1929. Lord Dartmouth survived her by seven years and died at

Patshull Hall Patshull Hall is a substantial Georgian mansion house situated near Pattingham in Staffordshire, England. It is a Grade I listed building and by repute is one of the largest listed buildings in the county. History The Hall was built to designs ...

, Staffordshire, in March 1936, aged 84. He was succeeded in the earldom by his eldest son,

William William is a masculine given name of Germanic languages, Germanic origin. It became popular in England after the Norman Conquest, Norman conquest in 1066,All Things William"Meaning & Origin of the Name"/ref> and remained so throughout the Middle ...

References

External links

1893 photograph of Lord Dartmouth at thepeerage.com

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Dartmouth, William Legge, 6th Earl of 1851 births 1936 deaths South Staffordshire Regiment officers 6 Alumni of Christ Church, Oxford English justices of the peace Knights Commander of the Order of the Bath Knights Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order Lord-lieutenants of Staffordshire Members of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom Lewisham, William Legge, Viscount Lewisham, William Legge, Viscount Lewisham, William Legge, Viscount Lewisham, William Legge, Viscount Lewisham, William Legge, Viscount UK MPs who inherited peerages British Army personnel of World War I English cricketers Marylebone Cricket Club cricketers

Presidents of the Marylebone Cricket Club Military personnel from the City of Westminster People educated at Eton College People from Westminster Cricketers from the City of Westminster