William Richard Arthur Pole-Tylney-Long-Wellesley, 5th Earl of Mornington (7 October 1813 – 25 July 1863) was a British nobleman.

Long-Wellesley, the son of the notorious spendthrift William Pole-Tylney-Long-Wellesley (later fourth

Earl of Mornington Earl of Mornington is a title in the Peerage of Ireland. It was created in 1760 for the Anglo-Irish politician and composer Garret Wellesley, 2nd Baron Mornington. On the death of the fifth earl in 1863, it passed to the Duke of Wellington; si ...

) and

Catherine Tylney-Long Catherine Tylney-Long (2 October 1789 – 12 September 1825) was a 19th-century British heiress, known as "The Wiltshire Heiress." Life She was the eldest daughter of Sir James Tylney-Long, 7th Baronet, of Draycot, Wiltshire. Her only brother ...

(daughter of

Sir James Tylney-Long, 7th Baronet Sir James Tylney-Long, 7th Baronet (1736 – 28 November 1794) was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons for 32 years from 1762 to 1794. The eldest son of Sir Robert Long, 6th Baronet and his wife Emma Child, he succeeded his ...

), was born on 7 October 1813 at

Wanstead House Wanstead House was a mansion built to replace the earlier Wanstead Hall. It was commissioned in 1715, completed in 1722 and demolished in 1825. Its gardens now form the municipal Wanstead Park in the London Borough of Redbridge. History Construct ...

, at that time in Essex, but within the London borough of Redbridge since 1965. His father's spending wreaked havoc on the family estate, but upon his mother's death in 1825, he inherited the remaining estates at

Wanstead Wanstead () is a town in East London, England, in the London Borough of Redbridge. It borders South Woodford to the north, Redbridge, London, Redbridge to the east and Forest Gate to the south, with Leytonstone and Walthamstow to the west. It is ...

; Athelhampton, Devon; and

Draycot Cerne Draycot Cerne (Draycott) is a small village and former civil parish in Wiltshire, England, about north of Chippenham. History The parish was referred to as ''Draicote'' (Medieval Latin) in the ancient Domesday hundred of Startley when Geoff ...

, Wiltshire. Bitter, protracted custody litigation followed — his mother's sisters with temporary custody succeeded in placing him under the guardianship of the

Duke of Wellington Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, (1 May 1769 – 14 September 1852) was an Anglo-Irish soldier and Tory statesman who was one of the leading military and political figures of 19th-century Britain, serving twice as prime minister of ...

, his great-uncle. In 1836 he took his father to court, after his father had sold furniture and pictures belonging to Draycot House to cover a £3,000 debt. These were passed out of a window after the sales agent was refused admission to the house. William junior maintained that these items belonged to him as heirlooms by the will of

Sir James Long, 2nd Baronet Sir James Long, 2nd Baronet (c. 1617 – 22 January 1692) was an English politician and Royalist soldier. Born at South Wraxall, Bradford-on-Avon, Wiltshire, the son of Sir Walter Long and Anne Ley (daughter of James Ley, 1st Earl of Marlborough ...

The Times ''The Times'' is a British daily national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its current name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its sister paper ''The Sunday Times'' (fou ...

2 May 1836; Issue 16092 His father succeeded as Earl of Mornington in 1845, after which William was styled Viscount Wellesley. In 1848, despite opposition from his father, he sold Athelhampton which had been purchased by

Sir Robert Long, 1st Baronet Sir Robert Long, 1st Baronet (c. 1600 – 13 July 1673) of Westminster was an English courtier and administrator who sat in the House of Commons at various times between 1626 and 1673. Background Long was the son of Sir Walter Long of South Wrax ...

, in 1665. He succeeded his father as Earl of Mornington on 1 July 1857. Mornington died unmarried in Paris on 25 July 1863 from cancer of the tongue, and is buried at Draycot Cerne in Wiltshire. Having originally made his will bequeathing all his estates to his only sister Lady Victoria (who died unmarried in 1897), he made another will three weeks before his death, leaving all his landed property to his father's cousin

Earl Cowley Earl Cowley is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created in 1857 for the diplomat Henry Wellesley, 2nd Baron Cowley. He was Ambassador to France from 1852 to 1867. He was made Viscount Dangan, of Dangan in the County of M ...

, then ambassador at Paris. In dismay, Lady Victoria wrote to her cousin Walter Long of

Rood Ashton House Rood Ashton House was a country house in Wiltshire, England, standing in parkland northeast of the village of West Ashton, near Trowbridge. Built in 1808 for Richard Godolphin Long, it was later the home of the 1st Viscount Long (1854–1924). ...

: 'my wish would have been that after our own immediate heirs, all Long property should have returned to your family as the elder branch'. He was succeeded as sixth

by his cousin, the second Duke of Wellington.

References

Sources

* Wiltshire Record Office, Cat. 947 Papers of Viscount Long * Hand of Fate. The History of the Longs, Wellesleys and the Draycot Estate in Wiltshire. Tim Couzens 2001 * The Lady Victoria Tylney Long Wellesley - A Memoir, Octavia Barry 1899 {{DEFAULTSORT:Mornington, William Pole-Tylney-Long-Wellesley, 5th Earl of 1813 births 1863 deaths William Pole-Tylney-Long-Wellesley, 5th Earl of Mornington Deaths from oral cancer Deaths from cancer in France Earls of Mornington