Brabazon Ponsonby, 1st Earl of Bessborough (1679 – 4 July 1758), was a British politician and peer. He was the son of

William Ponsonby, 1st Viscount Duncannon William Ponsonby, 1st Viscount Duncannon (1659 – 17 November 1724), was an Anglo-Irish peer. Background He was born in 1659, the third son of John Ponsonby (colonel), Sir John Ponsonby (c. 1608/9 – 1678) of Bessborough in County Kilkenny, a ...

, and Mary Moore. He was an active politician from 1705 to 1757 in

Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the north-west coast of continental Europe, consisting of the countries England, Scotland, and Wales. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the List of European ...

and

Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...

. He represented

Newtownards Newtownards (; ) is a town in County Down, Northern Ireland. It lies at the most northern tip of Strangford Lough, 10 miles (16 km) east of Belfast, on the Ards Peninsula. It is in the Civil parishes in Ireland, civil parish of Newtow ...

and

County Kildare County Kildare () is a Counties of Ireland, county in Ireland. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster and is part of the Eastern and Midland Region. It is named after the town of Kildare. Kildare County Council is the Local gove ...

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 the end of 1800. The upper house was the Irish House of Lords, House of Lords. The membership of the House of Commons was directly elected, ...

. He inherited his father's viscountcy in 1724 and was made Earl of Bessborough in the

Peerage of Ireland The peerage of Ireland consists of those Peerage, titles of nobility created by the English monarchs in their capacity as Lordship of Ireland, Lord or Monarchy of Ireland, King of Ireland, or later by monarchs of the United Kingdom of Great B ...

in 1739. He is buried in Fiddown,

County Kilkenny County Kilkenny () is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster and is part of the Southern Region, Ireland, Southern Region. It is named after the City status in Ir ...

, Ireland. Ponsonby married Sarah Margetson, an heiress whose family owned Bishopscourt, County Kildare, and his family remained there until the 1830s.

Family

Ponsonby married twice. His first marriage was in 1704 to Sarah Margetson (d. 21 May 1733), daughter of John Margetson and Alice Caulfeild, and granddaughter of James Margetson,

Archbishop of Armagh The Archbishop of Armagh is an Episcopal polity, archiepiscopal title which takes its name from the Episcopal see, see city of Armagh in Northern Ireland. Since the Reformation in Ireland, Reformation, there have been parallel apostolic success ...

. Sarah had previously been married to Hugh Colville, son of Sir Robert Colville of

and his third wife Rose Leslie. Sarah's children by Brabazon Ponsonby: * Lady Sarah Ponsonby (d. 19 January 1736 or 1737); married in 1727 Edward Moore, 5th Earl of Drogheda, and had issue. *

William Ponsonby, 2nd Earl of Bessborough William Ponsonby, 2nd Earl of Bessborough (1704 – 11 March 1793) was a British politician and public servant. He was an Irish people, Irish and English people, English peerage, peer and member of the House of Lords (styled Hon. William Ponsonb ...

(1704 – 11 March 1793); married on 5 July 1739, Lady Caroline Cavendish, eldest daughter of

William Cavendish, 3rd Duke of Devonshire William Cavendish, 3rd Duke of Devonshire, (26 September 1698 – 5 December 1755) was a British nobleman and Whig politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1721 to 1729 when he inherited the Dukedom. Life Cavendish was the son of Wi ...

; had issue. * John Ponsonby (29 March 1713 – 16 August 1787); married on 22 September 1743 Lady Elizabeth Cavendish, also a daughter of the 3rd Duke of Devonshire; had issue. He was the ancestor of

Princess Diana Diana, Princess of Wales (born Diana Frances Spencer; 1 July 1961 – 31 August 1997), was a member of the British royal family. She was the first wife of Charles III (then Prince of Wales) and mother of Princes William ...

and Sarah Ferguson. * Lady Letitia Ponsonby ( – 9 February 1754); married on 3 November 1742 Hervey Morres; had issue. She was the ancestor of the UK prime minister

Winston Churchill Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill (30 November 1874 – 24 January 1965) was a British statesman, military officer, and writer who was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1940 to 1945 (Winston Churchill in the Second World War, ...

. Following his wife's death in May 1733, Ponsonby married Elizabeth Sankey (circa 1680 – 17 July 1738), daughter of John Sankey and Eleanor Morgan, on 28 November 1733.

Ranks and offices held

* Member of Parliament for

, County Down, between 1705 and 1714 * Captain, 27th Regiment;

Enniskillen Enniskillen ( , from , ' Ceithlenn's island') is the largest town in County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland. It is in the middle of the county, between the Upper and Lower sections of Lough Erne. It had a population of 14,086 at the 2011 censu ...

– 1707 * Sheriff and Governor of County Kilkenny – 1713 * Sheriff and Governor of County Kildare – 1714 * Member of Parliament:

– 1715 to 1724 *

Privy Counsellor The Privy Council, formally His Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council, is a formal body of advisers to the sovereign of the United Kingdom. Its members, known as privy counsellors, are mainly senior politicians who are current or former ...

(invested) – 10 May 1727 * Commissioner of the Revenue – 1739 to 1744 * Marshal of the Admiralty in Ireland – 1751 to 1752 * Lord Justice in Ireland – 1754 to 1755 * Vice-Admiral of

Munster Munster ( or ) is the largest of the four provinces of Ireland, located in the south west of the island. In early Ireland, the Kingdom of Munster was one of the kingdoms of Gaelic Ireland ruled by a "king of over-kings" (). Following the Nor ...

– 1755 * Lord Justice in Ireland – 1756 to 1757

Titles

* 17 November 1724: Succeeded his father as 2nd Viscount Duncannon, of the Fort of Duncannon, county of Wexford, and as 2nd Baron Bessborough, of Bessborough, county of Kilkenny * 6 October 1739: Created 1st Earl of Bessborough, Ireland * 12 June 1749: Created 1st Baron Ponsonby of Sysonby, county of Leicester, Great Britain

References

1768 deaths 1679 births 27th Regiment of Foot officers Members of the Privy Council of Ireland Brabazon High sheriffs of Kildare Members of the Parliament of Ireland (pre-1801) for County Down constituencies Members of the Parliament of Ireland (pre-1801) for County Kildare constituencies Ponsonby, Brabazon Ponsonby, Brabazon Brabazon Peers of Great Britain created by George II {{Ireland-pre1801-MP-stub