Monarch Victoria Name William Court, Political party Tories Nationality British Education Eton College | Preceded by The Earl de Grey Died May 31, 1860 Role British Politician | |
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Born 11 July 1779
The Close, Salisbury,
Wiltshire ( 1779-07-11 ) Spouse(s) Maria Bouverie
(1783–1844) Parents Sir William a Court, 1st Baronet Succeeded by John Ponsonby, 4th Earl of Bessborough | ||
Prime Minister Sir Robert Peel, Bt Grandparents William Ashe-a Court | ||
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.
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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.
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.