William Nassau de Zuylestein, 2nd Earl of Rochford (1682 – 27 July 1710), styled Viscount Tunbridge from 1695 to 1709, was a

British Army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurk ...

officer and Whig politician who sat in the

Irish House of Commons The Irish House of Commons was the lower house of the Parliament of Ireland that existed from 1297 until 1800. The upper house was the House of Lords. The membership of the House of Commons was directly elected, but on a highly restrictive fran ...

from 1705 and in the British House of Commons from 1708 until 1709 when he succeeded to the peerage and sat in the

House of Lords The House of Lords, also known as the House of Peers, is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Membership is by appointment, heredity or official function. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminste ...

. He was killed in battle. William Nassau de Zuylestein was baptized on 9 July 1682, the eldest son of William Henry Nassau de Zuylestein, 1st Earl of Rochford, and his wife Jane Wroth, daughter of Sir Henry Wroth of Durrants, Enfield, Middlesex. Tunbridge was an aide-de-camp to

John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough General John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough, 1st Prince of Mindelheim, 1st Count of Nellenburg, Prince of the Holy Roman Empire, (26 May 1650 – 16 June 1722 O.S.) was an English soldier and statesman whose career spanned the reign ...

Flanders Flanders (, ; Dutch: ''Vlaanderen'' ) is the Flemish-speaking northern portion of Belgium and one of the communities, regions and language areas of Belgium. However, there are several overlapping definitions, including ones related to cultu ...

in 1704, and was commissioned a lieutenant-colonel in the

32nd Regiment of Foot The 32nd Regiment of Foot was an infantry regiment of the British Army, raised in 1702. Under the Childers Reforms it amalgamated with the 46th (South Devonshire) Regiment of Foot to form the Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry in 1881. History ...

in January 1706. On 12 April, he received a commission as the colonel of a new regiment of foot, part of the Irish army, and on 1 February 1707, he was appointed colonel of the 3rd Regiment of Dragoons (succeeding the late Lord Cutts), which embarked for Spain in 1708. Tunbridge was returned for the Whig party as an Irish

Member of Parliament A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members o ...

for Kilkenny City in 1705. He was returned as

for

Steyning Steyning ( ) is a town and civil parish in the Horsham district of West Sussex, England. It is located at the north end of the River Adur gap in the South Downs, four miles (6.4 km) north of the coastal town of Shoreham-by-Sea. The smaller ...

at the

1708 British general election The 1708 British general election was the first general election to be held after the Acts of Union had united the Parliaments of England and Scotland. The election saw the Whigs finally gain a majority in the House of Commons, and by November ...

. In January 1709, he succeeded his father as

Earl of Rochford Earl of Rochford was a title in the Peerage of England. It was created in 1695 and became extinct in 1830. History The title of Earl of Rochford was created in 1695 for William Nassau de Zuylestein, one of the most trusted companions of his kin ...

, and vacated his seat in the House of Commons to sit in the House of Lords. He was commissioned a

brigadier general Brigadier general or Brigade general is a military rank used in many countries. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries. The rank is usually above a colonel, and below a major general or divisional general. When appointed ...

in January 1710. Rochford was killed on 27 July 1710 at the Battle of Almenar while leading his regiment, aged 28. He was succeeded by his brother Frederick Nassau de Zuylestein, 3rd Earl of Rochford.

References

*'' Dictionary of National Biography'', in article on his father. 1682 births 1710 deaths 32nd Regiment of Foot officers British military personnel of the War of the Spanish Succession Tunbridge, William Nassau de Zuylestein, Viscount Tunbridge, William Nassau de Zuylestein, Viscount Irish MPs 1703–1713 Tunbridge, William Nassau de Zuylestein, Viscount Tunbridge, William Nassau de Zuylestein, Viscount Members of the Parliament of Ireland (pre-1801) for County Kilkenny constituencies Earls of Rochford British military personnel killed in the War of the Spanish Succession {{England-earl-stub