Arms, titles, honours and styles of Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington

Arthur Wellesley, painted by
Sir Thomas Lawrence

Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington KG, GCB, GCH, PC, FRS (c.1 May 1769–14 September 1852) was an Anglo-Irish soldier and statesman and one of the leading military and political figures of the 19th century. His military career culminated at the Battle of Waterloo, where, along with Blücher, he defeated the forces of Napoleon Bonaparte. He was also twice Tory Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. During his life, Wellington received numerous honours, titles and awards throughout his career as a statesman and soldier.[1] These include awards, statues and monuments, as well as buildings and places named after him.

Funeral

At his funeral Wellesley's style was proclaimed (laid out in the following order and format in the London Gazette):[2]

Arthur,
Duke and Marquess of Wellington,
Marquess Douro, Earl of Wellington,
Viscount Wellington and Baron Douro,
Knight of the Most Noble Order of the Garter,
Knight Grand Cross of The Most Honourable Order of the Bath,
One of Her Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council, and
Field Marshal and Commander-in-Chief of Her Majesty's Forces.
Field Marshal of the Austrian Army,
Field Marshal of the Hanoverian Army,
Field Marshal of the Army of the Netherlands,
Marshal-General of the Portuguese Army,
Field Marshal of the Prussian Army,
Field Marshal of the Russian Army,
and
Captain-General of the Spanish Army.
Prince of Waterloo, of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, Duke of Ciudad Rodrigo
and Grandee of Spain of the First Class.
Duke of Victoria, Marquess of Torres Vedras, and Count of Vimiera in Portugal.
Knight of the Most Illustrious Order of the Golden Fleece, and of the Military Orders
of St. Ferdinand and of St. Hermenigilde of Spain.
Knight Grand Cross of the Orders of the Black Eagle and of the Red Eagle of Prussia.
Knight Grand Cross of the Imperial Military Order of Maria Teresa of Austria.
Knight of the Imperial Orders of St. Andrew, St. Alexander Newski, and St. George of Russia.
Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Portuguese Military Order of the Tower and Sword.
Knight Grand Cross of the Royal and Military Order of the Sword of Sweden.
Knight of the Order of St. Esprit of France.
Knight of the Order of the Elephant of Denmark.
Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Hanoverian Guelphic Order.
Knight of the Order of St. Januarius and of the Military Order of St. Ferdinand and
of Merit of the Two Sicilies.
Knight or Collar of the Supreme Order of the Annunciation of Savoy.
Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Military Order of Maximilian Joseph of Bavaria.
Knight of the Royal Order of the Rue Crown of Saxony,
Knight Grand Cross of the Order of Military Merit of Wurtemberg.
Knight Grand Cross of the Military Order of William of the Netherlands.
Knight of the Order of the Golden Lion of Hesse Cassel,
and
Knight Grand Cross of the Orders of Fidelity and of the Lion of Baden.

Arms

Wellington's coat of arms

Wellington's arms were given an Augmentation of Honour of the union badge of the United Kingdom to commemorate his services. He bore, Quarterly, I and IV gules, a cross argent, in each quarter five plates of the same; II and III, Or, a lion rampant gules, armed and langued azure. For augmentation, an inescutcheon charged with the crosses of St. George, St. Andrew, and St. Patrick combined, being the union badge of the United Kingdom.[3]

Titles, honours and styles

Peerage of the United Kingdom

His brother William selected the name Wellington for its similarity to the family surname of Wellesley, which derives from the village of Wellesley in Somerset, not far from that of Wellington.

Since he did not return to England until the Peninsular War was over, he was awarded all his patents of nobility in a single day.[7]

British and Irish honours

The Duke of Wellington stood as godfather to Queen Victoria's seventh child, Prince Arthur, in 1850. Prince Arthur was also born on the first of May; and as a toddler, young Arthur was encouraged to remind people that the Duke of Wellington was his godfather.

International

The Duke of Wellington wearing several decorations. Neck badges: i) Order of the Sword ii) Order of the Golden Fleece iii) Peninsular Cross with nine bars Stars on the left breast: i) Order of the Garter ii) Order of Saint George iii) Order of Maria Theresa iv) Order of Saint Ferdinand and of Merit v) unknown vi) Order of the Sword Sash over his right shoulder: Order of Maria Theresa

Noble titles

Honours

Military rank

The nations of Austria, Hanover, the Netherlands, Portugal, Prussian, Russia and Spain gave him their highest military rank:[2]

Each nation presented him with a baton as a symbol of his rank (see Batons of Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington)

Styles

In the United Kingdom
In the Netherlands
In Spain
In Portugal

Military promotions and dates of rank

Ranks up to Lieutenant Colonel were obtained by purchasing commissions, subject to minimum service periods. The army did not allow ranks from Colonel and above to be purchased, so they were obtained through promotion only.

Commissions purchased[11]
Promotions[11]

Tributes

Statues, monuments and places

Wellington astride Copenhagen his charger statue on Round Hill, Aldershot.
Great Britain
Wellington statue, in the East End of Edinburgh, Scotland
Hong Kong
Ireland
Australia
Engraving of Dublin's Wellington Testimonial including the never completed equestrian statue
New Zealand
Canada
India

Military units

Wellington died in 1852 and in the following year Queen Victoria, in recognition of the 33rd foot regiment's long ties to him, ordered that the 33rd foot regiment's title be changed to The Duke of Wellington's Regiment.

Ships

HMS Duke of Wellington, a 131 gun first-rate ship of the line was named after the first Duke of Wellington. HMS Iron Duke, named after Wellington, was the flagship of Admiral Sir John Jellicoe at the Battle of Jutland in World War I, one of three so named in the Royal Navy.

Aircraft

Wellington is the only person to have the honour of having not one but two Royal Air Force bombers named for him - the Vickers Wellesley and the Vickers Wellington, and at a time when the convention was for British bombers to be named after landlocked cities.

Locomotives

Great Western Railways "Iron Duke" Class locomotives were named after Wellington, including one of the 1847 originals which was named "Iron Duke" and lent its name to the class. It was withdrawn in 1871, and a replica built in 1985 for the National Railway Museum to exhibit.[22]

Banknotes

The Duke of Wellington's picture featured on the reverse of Series D (Pictoral Series) £5 banknotes issued by the Bank of England (11 November 1971 – 29 November 1991), along with a scene from the Battle of Waterloo.[23]

Food and drink

Beef Wellington gets its name from the general and prime minister. Ironically, his favourite meat was mutton.

Wellington's likeness appears on the beer labels of the beer brewed by Wellington Brewery in Guelph, Ontario, and the beer "Iron Duke Strong Ale" was named in his honour.

Freedom of the City

British Empire


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References

  1. Gifford, C.A. (1817). The Life of the Most Noble Arthur, Duke of Wellington. London: W.Lewis. p. 375.
  2. 1 2 "Issue 21388". London Gazette. 6 December 1852. pp. 3563,3564.
  3. Brooke-Little, J.P., FSA (1978) [1950]. Boutell's Heraldry (Revised ed.). London: Frederick Warne LTD. p. 127. ISBN 0-7232-2096-4.
  4. 1 2 The London Gazette: no. 16291. p. 1342. 26 August 1809. Retrieved 23 February 2013.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 Elliott, George (1816). The Life of the Most Noble Arthur, Duke of Wellington. London: J.Cundee. p. xiii–xiv.
  6. 1 2 3 4 Gifford, C.A. (1817). The Life of the Most Noble Arthur, Duke of Wellington. London: W.Lewis. p. 100.
  7. Nafziger, =George F. (2001). Historical Dictionary of the Napoleonic Era. Scarecrow Press. p. 301. ISBN 978-0-8108-6617-1.
  8. Watson, Garth (1988). The Civils. Thomas Telford. p. 118. ISBN 0-7277-0392-7.
  9. 1 2 Arthur Wellesley, first Duke of Wellington (1769–1852) – website historyhome.co.uk
  10. Posttidningar, 30 April 1814, p.2
  11. 1 2 Wellesley, Arthur (1837). Gurwood, John, ed. The dispatches of Field Marshal the Duke of Wellington: During his various campaigns in India, Denmark, Portugal, Spain, the Low Countries, and France, from 1799 to 1818. Vol I. London: John Murray. p. xviii.
  12. London Gazette, 6 March 1787
  13. London Gazette, 26 January 1788
  14. London Gazette, 27 September 1791
  15. London Gazette, 29 June 1793
  16. London Gazette, 23 November 1793
  17. London Gazette, 14 May 1796
  18. The London Gazette, 3 August 1811
  19. "Wellington College History". Retrieved 8 August 2008.
  20. "Mount Wellington". Bivouac.com. Retrieved 20 May 2009.
  21. "Wellington Street, Ottawa". National Inventory of Military Memorials. National Defence Canada. 2008-04-16.
  22. "Broad-gauge 'Iron Duke' 4-2-2". Archived from the original on 19 May 2011. Retrieved 23 May 2011.
  23. "Withdrawn banknotes reference guide". Bank of England. Archived from the original on 10 June 2011. Retrieved 9 June 2011.
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