The Wellesley family is an Anglo-Irish noble family of Anglo-Saxon heritage. The family was originally from Somerset, deriving its name from the City of Wells in that county, with which they had a close association. The family holds the office of Hereditary Royal Standard Bearer of Ireland, which they initially received through Grand Serjantcy.William Lynch, A View of the Legal Institutions, Honorary Hereditary Offices, and Feudal Baronies, Established in Ireland During the Reign of Henry the Second: Deduced from Court Rolls, Inquisitions, and Other Original Records , p.94 A Wellesley accompanied King Henry II of England to Ireland in 1172 as his standard bearer during the Hiberno-Norman Invasion and for this service received large grants of land in County Meath and Kildare.Maxwell, Life of Wellington, p.6
It has been suggested that Guy, the first known Wellesley was made a thegn by King Athelstan in 938 and he is said to have resided near Wells in Somerset. Stephenson, George, Memorials of the Wesley family, pp.17-18 Furthermore, the manor of Wellesley, located in Somerset, was expressly mentioned in a charter of Edward the Confessor to the Church of Wells in 1065. Serel, T., The Origin of the name Wellesley. pp.178 In the reign of Henry I, Avenant de Wellesley was King's serjeant of all the country lying east of the river Parret in Somersetshire.William Lynch, A View of the Legal Institutions, Honorary Hereditary Offices, and Feudal Baronies, Established in Ireland During the Reign of Henry the Second: Deduced from Court Rolls, Inquisitions, and Other Original Records , p.95
According to Burke's Peerage, the Wellesley lineage can be directly traced to Waleran de Wellesley who became first itinerant justice of Ireland in 1255.Burke's Peerage (1887)Ball, F. Elrington, The Judges in Ireland 1221-192 , pp.46-7 It is generally accepted that he was the first member of the family to permanently settle in Ireland.Longford, Elizabeth, Wellington - the Years of the Sword, pp.27-8 A close descendant, Sir William de Wellesley was given custody of Kildare castle by Edward II and was summoned to Parliament in 1339, receiving the title of Baron Noragh. Stephenson, George, Memorials of the Wesley family, pp.xiii-xiv However, the Wellesley family became extinct in the male line with the death of Garret Wesley in 1728 so a royal licence was obtained, allowing the estates and arms to be inherited by a cousin Richard Colley. Richard descended from the Wellesley's family through female line, as is shown below.Irish Genealogical Office, Registered Pedigrees Vol. 19, [ca. 1818-1833]. , pp216-229
Waleran de Wellesley, Justice Itinerant (died 1276) Waleran de Wellesley of Brianstown (died 1303) Sir John de Wellesley, Sheriff of Kildare Sir John de Wellesley (2) Sir William de Wellesley, Lord Wellesley Sir Richard de Wellesley, Sheriff of Kildare William de Wellesley Waleran Wellesley Gerald Wellesley James Wellesley of Newcastle Macormigan Edward Wellesley John Wellesley John Wellesley Christopher Wellesley of Dangan (died 1464) Sir William Wellesley of Dangan (died 1502) Gerald Wellesley of Dangan and Mornington William Wellesley of Dangan and Mornington Gerald Wellesley of Dangan and Mornington Alison Wellesley Sir Thomas Cusack, Lord Chancellor of Ireland (1490-1571) Catherine Cusack (died 1597/98) Sir Henry Colley Sir Henry Colley M.P (died 1637) Dudley Colley M.P (1621-1674 Henry Colley (died 1719) Richard Wesley, 1st Baron Mornington (1690-1758) Garret Wesley, 1st Earl of Mornington (1735-1781) Richard Wellesley, 1st Marquess Wellesley (1760–1842) William Wellesley-Pole, 3rd Earl of Mornington (1763–1845) Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, (1769–1852) Gerald Wellesley (1770–1848) Henry Wellesley, 1st Baron Cowley (1773–1847) Edmund de Wellesley William de Wellesley, Constable of Kildare Castle Sir William de Wellesley, Lord of Norragh
Arms of the Wellesley Family
Barons of Mornington
Earls of Mornington
Earls Cowley
Dukes of Wellington
Prominent members Waleran de Wellesley Richard Wesley, 1st Baron Mornington Henry Wellesley, 1st Baron Cowley Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington Richard Wellesley, 1st Marquess Wellesley
Notes
References
Bibliography
External links Library of Ireland Page