Arthur Mountifort Longfield Ponsonby, 11th Earl of Bessborough (11 December 1912 – 5 April 2002), was a British peer. He was the son of Maj. Hon. Cyril Myles Brabazon Ponsonby, second son of

Edward Ponsonby, 8th Earl of Bessborough file:Chapel, Stansted Park- memorial (4) (geograph 1913346).jpg, Memorial in the chapel at Stansted Park Edward Ponsonby, 8th Earl of Bessborough, (1 March 1851 – 1 December 1920), known as Viscount Duncannon from 1895 until 1906, was a U ...

, and his wife Rita Narcissa Longfield, daughter of Lt. Col. Mountifort John Courtenay Longfield. He inherited the earldom on 5 December 1993 when his first cousin, Frederick Ponsonby, 10th Earl of Bessborough, died without a male heir.

Education and career

He was educated at

Harrow School Harrow School () is a Public school (United Kingdom), public school (English boarding school for boys) in Harrow on the Hill, Greater London, England. The school was founded in 1572 by John Lyon (school founder), John Lyon, a local landowner an ...

and

Trinity College, Cambridge Trinity College is a Colleges of the University of Cambridge, constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Founded in 1546 by King Henry VIII, Trinity is one of the largest Cambridge colleges, with the largest financial endowment of any ...

. Later he rose to the rank of captain in the service of the Welsh Guards and saw action in the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. In his later years he farmed at Roche Court, Winterslow, Wiltshire.

Family

On 28 July 1939, he married Patricia Minnigerode (died 12 September 1952), daughter of Col. Fitzhugh Lee Minnigerode of New York and

Alexandria, Virginia Alexandria is an independent city (United States), independent city in Northern Virginia, United States. It lies on the western bank of the Potomac River approximately south of Washington, D.C., D.C. The city's population of 159,467 at the 2020 ...

. Together they had two children: *Hon. Myles Fitzhugh Longfield Ponsonby (born 16 February 1941), later 12th Earl of Bessborough *Lady Sarah Ponsonby (13 October 1943 – 13 March 2010) Following the death of his first wife, he remarried, on 20 September 1956, Anne Marie Galitzine (1916–2007; ''née'' von Slatin), former wife of Prince George Galitzine and daughter of Lt. Gen. Sir Rudolf Carl von Slatin (Baron von Slatin). They were divorced in 1963. He married for the third time on 17 December 1963, Madeleine Lola Margaret Grand, daughter of Maj. Gen. Laurence Douglas Grand, and together they had two children: *Hon. Matthew Douglas Longfield Ponsonby (born 27 January 1965), married Jamilie Emett Searle *Hon. Charles Arthur Longfield Ponsonby (born 12 July 1967), married Jennifer Waghorn Lady Bessborough is the founder of the New Art Centre, formerly of Sloane Street, London, which runs the New Art Centre Sculpture Park and Gallery at Roche Court, Wiltshire. She is a trustee of the Roche Court Educational Trust charity. She was awarded a CBE in the 2023 New Year's Honours list.

Death and succession

He died on 5 April 2002 and was succeeded by his eldest son Myles Ponsonby, who became the 12th Earl of Bessborough.

Ancestry

Notes

References

External links

* 1912 births 2002 deaths People educated at Harrow School

Arthur Arthur is a masculine given name of uncertain etymology. Its popularity derives from it being the name of the legendary hero King Arthur. A common spelling variant used in many Slavic, Romance, and Germanic languages is Artur. In Spanish and Ital ...

Welsh Guards officers Alumni of Trinity College, Cambridge {{Ireland-earl-stub Bessborough