Walter William Brabazon Ponsonby, 7th Earl of Bessborough (13 August 1821 – 24 February 1906), was a British peer and member of the

House of Lords The House of Lords, also known as the House of Peers, is the Bicameralism, upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Membership is by Life peer, appointment, Hereditary peer, heredity or Lords Spiritual, official function. Like the ...

. He was the fifth son of

John Ponsonby, 4th Earl of Bessborough John William Ponsonby, 4th Earl of Bessborough, PC (31 August 1781 – 16 May 1847), known as Viscount Duncannon from 1793 to 1844, was a British Whig politician. He was notably Home Secretary in 1834 and served as Lord Lieutenant of Ireland ...

, and his wife Lady Maria Fane. He inherited the earldom on 11 March 1895 when his elder brother

Frederick Ponsonby, 6th Earl of Bessborough Frederick George Brabazon Ponsonby, 6th Earl of Bessborough (11 September 1815 – 11 March 1895), was an Anglo-Irish peer who played first-class cricket 1834–56 for Surrey, Cambridge Town Club (''aka'' Cambridgeshire), Cambridge University ( ...

, died unmarried and without a male heir.

Education and career

He was educated at

Harrow School (The Faithful Dispensation of the Gifts of God) , established = (Royal Charter) , closed = , type = Public schoolIndependent schoolBoarding school , religion = Church of E ...

and

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

. Between 1846 and 1894 he acted as Rector for the parishes of Canford Magna, Wiltshire; Beer Ferris, Devon; Marston Bigot, Somerset; and Stutton, Suffolk.

Family

On 15 January 1850 he married Lady Louisa Susan Cornwallis Eliot, daughter of

Edward Granville Eliot, 3rd Earl of St Germans Edward Granville Eliot, 3rd Earl of St Germans (29 August 1798 – 7 October 1877; styled Lord Elliot from 1823 to 1845) was a British politician and diplomat. Background and education St Germans was born in Plymouth, Devon, the son of Willi ...

, and his wife Lady Jemima Cornwallis. Together they had eight children: *

Edward Ponsonby, 8th Earl of Bessborough 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 British peer. Background Ponsonby was the eldest son of Reverend ...

(born 1 March 1851, died 1 December 1920) *Maria Ponsonby (born c1852, died 19 November 1949) *Cyril Walter Ponsonby (born 8 September 1853, died 29 November 1927) - married Emily H Eyre Addington *Granville Ponsonby (born 13 September 1854, died 24 February 1924) - married Mabel Jackson *Arthur Cornwallis Ponsonby (born 8 January 1856, died 25 April 1918) - married Kathleen Eva Sillery *Ethel Jemima Ponsonby (born 8 April 1857, died 22 June 1940) - married

George Somerset, 3rd Baron Raglan George FitzRoy Henry Somerset, 3rd Baron Raglan, (18 September 1857 – 24 October 1921), styled The Honourable George Somerset until 1884, was a British soldier and Conservative politician. He served as Under-Secretary of State for War from ...

*Walter Gerald Ponsonby (born 31 July 1859, died 28 April 1934) *Sara Kathleen Ponsonby (died 10 June 1936) - married Maj. Charles Lancelot Andrews Skinner

References

thepeerage.comCracroft's Peerage

External links

* 1821 births 1906 deaths People educated at Harrow School Alumni of Trinity College, Cambridge Ordained peers

Walter Walter may refer to: People * Walter (name), both a surname and a given name * Little Walter, American blues harmonica player Marion Walter Jacobs (1930–1968) * Gunther (wrestler), Austrian professional wrestler and trainer Walter Hahn (born 19 ...

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