William Legge, 1st Earl of Dartmouth
British noble and politician
The Earl of Dartmouth
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Portrait by
Godfrey Kneller
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Southern Secretary | |
In office
1710–1713 |
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Preceded by | The Earl of Sunderland |
Succeeded by | The Viscount Bolingbroke |
Lord Privy Seal | |
In office
1713–1714 |
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Preceded by | John Robinson |
Succeeded by | The Marquess of Wharton |
Personal details | |
Born | ( 1672-10-14 ) 14 October 1672 |
Died | 15 December 1750 (1750-12-15) (aged 78) [1] |
Spouse | Anne Finch |
Education | Westminster School |
Alma mater | King's College, Cambridge |
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William Legge, 1st Earl of Dartmouth (14 October 1672 – 15 December 1750), was Lord Privy Seal from 1713 to 1714. He was a Hanoverian Tory , supporting the Hanoverian succession following the death of Queen Anne .
Life
The only son of George Legge, 1st Baron Dartmouth , he was educated as a town-boy at Westminster School . He subsequently went to King's College, Cambridge , where he graduated M.A. in 1689. [2] He succeeded to his father's barony in 1691.
In 1702, he was appointed a member of the Board of Trade and Plantations , and eight years later he became Secretary of State for the Southern Department and joint keeper of the signet for Scotland .
In 1711, he was created Viscount Lewisham and Earl of Dartmouth . [3] In 1713, he exchanged his offices for that of Lord Privy Seal , which he held until the end of 1714. After a long period of retirement from public life he died on 15 December 1750. Dartmouth's eldest son, George Legge, Viscount Lewisham (c. 1703 – 1732), had predeceased him, leaving a son, William . Another son of the first earl was Henry Bilson-Legge , who later served as Chancellor of the Exchequer .
In politics he was a moderate; though himself a Tory, he was prepared to work with the Whigs. He earned the regard of Robert Harley , another believer in moderation; Dartmouth in return remained a loyal friend after Harley's downfall. [4] He also had the confidence of Queen Anne , who praised him as "an honest man." [5] As a Minister, though far from brilliant, he earned a reputation for competence and hard work. He was also noted for discretion; foreign ambassadors complained that it would be easier to get information from a brick wall than from Dartmouth. In his private life, his fondness for laughing at his own jokes led to his nickname "the Jester". [6]
Marriage and children
Lord Dartmouth married Lady Anne Finch, third daughter of Heneage Finch, 1st Earl of Aylesford , in July 1700. They had six children: [2] [7]
- George Legge, Viscount Lewisham (born c. 1704, died 29 August 1732), father of William Legge, 2nd Earl of Dartmouth .
- Lady Barbara Legge (born 1701, died 29 October 1765), married Sir Walter Bagot, 5th Baronet , of Blithfield Hall . [8]
- Hon. Heneage Legge (born 1704, [9] died 29 August 1759)
- Lady Anne Legge (born 1705, died July 1740), married Sir Lister Holte, 5th Baronet , of Aston Hall . [10]
- Rt Hon. Henry Bilson-Legge , PC , FRS (born 29 May 1708, died 23 August 1764), Chancellor of the Exchequer three times between 1754 and 1761.
- Commodore Hon. Edward Legge , FRS (born 1710, died 1747) [11]
Dartmouth was succeeded by his grandson, William , son of his eldest son George Legge, Viscount Lewisham, who died young in 1732.
The Dartmouth family lived at Sandwell Hall (since demolished) in Sandwell Valley .
Legacy
The city of Dartmouth in Nova Scotia , Canada, is named for him.
References
- ↑ Biographical notice of the Earl of Dartmouth , Page 104, The New Hampshire Repository, Volumes 1-2, William Cogswell, Publisher:Alfred Prescott, 1846
- 1 2 Barker 1892 .
- ↑ "London, Sept. 6" . The Newcastle Courant: with News Forreign and Domestick . British Newspaper Archive . 8–10 September 1711 . Retrieved 1 July 2014 .
- ↑ Hamilton, Elizabeth. The Backstairs Dragon - a life of Robert Harley, Earl of Oxford . Hamish Hamilton: London, 1969.
- ↑ Gregg, Edward. Queen Anne (2nd ed.) Yale University Press , 2001.
- ↑ Hamilton, The Backstairs Dragon .
- ↑ The Peerage, entry for the 1st Earl of Dartmouth
- ↑ The Peerage, entry for Lady Barbara Legge
- ↑ UK and Ireland, Find a Grave Index, 1300s-Current
- ↑ The Peerage, entry for Lady Anne Legge
- ↑ The Peerage, entry for Edward Legge
- Attribution
This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain : Barker, George Fisher Russell (1892). " Legge, William (1672-1750) ". In Lee, Sidney (ed.). Dictionary of National Biography . Vol. 32. London: Smith, Elder & Co.
Political offices | ||
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Preceded by |
Secretary of State for the Southern Department
1710–1713 |
Succeeded by |
Preceded by |
Lord Privy Seal
1713–1714 |
Succeeded by |
Peerage of England | ||
Preceded by |
Baron Dartmouth
1691–1750 |
Succeeded by |
Peerage of Great Britain | ||
New creation |
Earl of Dartmouth
1711–1750 |
Succeeded by |
International | |
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National | |
People |