William Ponsonby, 1st Viscount Duncannon

William Ponsonby, 1st Viscount Duncannon (1659 – 17 November 1724) was an Anglo-Irish peer.

Background

He was born in 1659, the third son of Sir John Ponsonby (c. 1609 – 1678) of Bessborough in county Kilkenny, a colonel of Horse in the Commonwealth service, and the second son by Sir John's second wife Elizabeth, widow of Edward Trevor and daughter of Henry Folliott, 1st Baron Folliott. Bessborough, formerly known as Kildaton, had been confiscated from Edmund Daton, whose family had held it since the 13th century, for his part in the Irish Rebellion of 1641. It was granted to Sir John Ponsonby who renamed it after his second wife Elizabeth (Bess).

Early life

William Ponsonby matriculated as a fellow-commoner at Trinity College, Dublin, on 14 November 1677, at the age of eighteen. He succeeded his elder brother Sir Henry Ponsonby (eldest son of Sir John and Elizabeth) during the reign of King William III, and served as a colonel in the Army.

Political career

Ponsonby sat in the Irish House of Commons for county Kilkenny from 1692 to 1693, from 1695 to 1699 and from 1703 to 1721; he was appointed a member of the Irish Privy Council on 11 November 1715. On 11 September 1721 he was created Baron Bessborough, of Bessborough, county Kilkenny, in the peerage of Ireland, and took his seat in the Irish House of Lords on 23 September. He was further created Viscount Duncannon, of the fort of Duncannon, county Wexford, on 28 February 1723.

Family

Ponsonby married Mary, daughter of the Hon. Randle Moore and granddaughter of Charles Moore, 2nd Viscount Drogheda. She died age 51 on 26 May 1713, and he died on 17 November 1724, when he was succeeded by his son Brabazon. Lord Duncannon and his wife are buried in the church at Fiddown.

Styles of address

Peerage of Ireland
Preceded by
New creation		 Viscount Duncannon
1723–1724 		Succeeded by
Brabazon Ponsonby
Preceded by
New creation		 Baron Bessborough
1721–1724 		Succeeded by
Brabazon Ponsonby

References

    This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 11/4/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.