William à Court, 1st Baron Heytesbury
| The Right Honourable The Lord Heytesbury GCB PC | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Lord Lieutenant of Ireland | |
|
In office 17 July 1844 – 8 July 1846 | |
| Monarch | Victoria |
| Prime Minister | Sir Robert Peel, Bt |
| Preceded by | The Earl de Grey |
| Succeeded by | The Earl of Bessborough |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
11 July 1779 The Close, Salisbury, Wiltshire |
| Died | 31 May 1860 (aged 80) |
| Nationality | British |
| Political party | Tory |
| Spouse(s) |
Maria Bouverie (1783–1844) |
William à Court, 1st Baron Heytesbury GCB PC (11 July 1779 – 31 May 1860), known as Sir William à Court, Bt, from 1817 to 1828, was a British diplomat and Conservative politician.
Background and education
Heytesbury was the eldest son of Sir William à Court, 1st Baronet, and Laetitia, daughter of Henry Wyndham. He was educated at Eton and entered the Diplomatic Service at an early age.
Political and diplomatic career
In 1812 Heytesbury was elected to the House of Commons for Dorchester, a seat he held until 1814. He was also Envoy Extraordinary to the Barbary States from 1813 to 1814, to the Kingdom of Naples in 1814 and to Spain from 1822 to 1824 and served as Ambassador to Portugal between 1824 and 1828.
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The latter year Heytesbury was appointed Ambassador to Russia, where he had to deal with the Russo-Turkish War of 1828 to 1829. He remained in Russia until 1832. In 1835 Sir Robert Peel nominated him for the office of Governor-General of India, but the Tory government soon fell and he never took up the post. However, he later served under Peel as Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland from 1844 to 1846. Heytesbury succeeded his father as second Baronet in 1817, was admitted to the Privy Council the same year and made a GCB in 1819. In 1828 he was raised to the peerage as Baron Heytesbury, of Heytesbury in the County of Wiltshire.
Family
Lord Heytesbury married Maria Rebecca, daughter of the Hon. William Henry Bouverie, in 1808. They had four sons and two daughters. He died in May 1860, aged 80, and was succeeded in his titles by his eldest son William.
References
Lee, Sidney, ed. (1891). "Heytesbury, William A'Court". Dictionary of National Biography 26. London: Smith, Elder & Co. - Kidd, Charles, Williamson, David (editors). Debrett's Peerage and Baronetage (1990 edition). New York: St Martin's Press, 1990,
- Leigh Rayment's Peerage Pages
- Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs
External links
- Archival material relating to William à Court, 1st Baron Heytesbury listed at the UK National Archives
| Parliament of the United Kingdom | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Charles Henry Bouverie Robert Williams |
Member of Parliament for Dorchester 2 seat constituency (with Robert Williams) 1812–1814 |
Succeeded by Robert Williams Sir Samuel Shepherd |
| Diplomatic posts | ||
| Preceded by Sir Edward Thornton |
British Ambassador to Portugal 1824–1827 |
Succeeded by Hon. Sir Frederick Lamb |
| Preceded by The Viscount Strangford |
British Ambassador to Russia 1828–1832 |
Succeeded by Sir Stratford Canning |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded by The Earl de Grey |
Lord Lieutenant of Ireland 1844–1846 |
Succeeded by The Earl of Bessborough |
| Honorary titles | ||
| Preceded by The Earl of Malmesbury |
Governor of the Isle of Wight 1841–1857 |
Succeeded by The Viscount Eversley |
| Peerage of the United Kingdom | ||
| New creation | Baron Heytesbury 1828–1860 |
Succeeded by William à Court-Holmes |
| Baronetage of Great Britain | ||
| Preceded by William à Court |
Baronet (of Heytesbury) 1817–1860 |
Succeeded by William à Court-Holmes |