William Walter Legge, 5th Earl of Dartmouth (12 August 1823 – 4 August 1891), styled Viscount Lewisham until 1853, was a British peer and

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politician.

Political career

Legge was elected in 1849 as Member of Parliament (MP) for

South Staffordshire South Staffordshire is a local government district in Staffordshire, England. Its council is based in Codsall. Other notable settlements include Brewood, Cheslyn Hay, Coven, Essington, Featherstone, Four Ashes, Great Wyrley, Huntington, ...

and held the seat until 1853, when he succeeded his father William Legge, 4th Earl of Dartmouth. He was appointed a deputy lieutenant of Staffordshire on 9 October 1852, and

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 ...

in 1887.

Family

The Earl married Lady Augusta Finch, daughter of Heneage Finch, 5th Earl of Aylesford, on 9 June 1846. They had two sons, William Heneage, Viscount Lewisham (1851–1936), and the Hon.

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(1852–1924), and four daughters, who died unmarried. It was the third intermarriage between the Earls of Dartmouth and Aylesford, as the first Earl had married Lady Anne Finch, daughter of Heneage Finch, 1st Earl of Aylesford and also the third Earl married Lady Frances Finch, daughter of Heneage Finch, 3rd Earl of Aylesford. He owned 20,000 acres, with most rent coming from 8,000 acres in West Yorkshire.

Military career

He raised the 27th Staffordshire Rifle Volunteer Corps at

Patshull Patshull is a former civil parish, now in the parish of Pattingham and Patshull, in the South Staffordshire district, in the county of Staffordshire, England. It is 7 miles west of Wolverhampton and 7½ miles east of Bridgnorth. According to th ...

on 7 March 1860 during a French invasion scare, and commanded it in the rank of captain.

Legacy

In 1876, land from the Dartmouth estate was leased at Cooper's Hill for the creation of

Dartmouth Park Dartmouth Park is a district of north west London in the London Borough of Camden, north of Charing Cross. The area adjoins Highgate and Highgate Cemetery (to the north) and Kentish Town (to the south). Parliament Hill, London, Parliament Hill ...

; the park was opened to the public by the Earl on 3 June 1878. In 1919, the freehold to the park was awarded to the people of West Bromwich.

Notes

References

* ''Burke's Peerage, Baronetage and Knightage,'' 100th Edn, London, 1953. * Ray Westlake, ''Tracing the Rifle Volunteers'', Barnsley: Pen and Sword, 2010, .

External links

* 1823 births 1891 deaths 5 Lord-lieutenants of Staffordshire Lewisham, William Legge, Viscount Conservative Party (UK) hereditary peers Lewisham, William Legge, Viscount Lewisham, William Legge, Viscount UK MPs who inherited peerages Conservative Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies

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 ...

Deputy lieutenants of Staffordshire Younger sons of earls {{England-Conservative-UK-MP-1820s-stub