Duke of Wellington
The
Dukedom of Wellington, derived from
Wellington in
Somerset, is a hereditary title and the senior Dukedom in the
Peerage of the United Kingdom. The first holder of the title was
Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington (
1769–
1852), the noted Anglo-Irish general and statesman, and unqualified references to
the Duke of Wellington almost always refer to him.
The titles of
Duke of Wellington and
Marquess Douro were bestowed upon
Arthur Wellesley, 1st Marquess of Wellington, on
May 11,
1814. The subsidiary titles of the Duke of Wellington are:
Marquess of Wellington (
1812),
Marquess Douro (
1814),
Earl of Mornington (
1760 - but only inherited by the Dukes of Wellington in
1863),
Earl of Wellington (
1812),
Viscount Wellesley (
1760 - inherited in
1863),
Viscount Wellington (
1809),
Baron Mornington (
1746 - also inherited in
1863), and
Baron Douro (
1809). The Viscountcy of Wellesley and the Barony and Earldom of Mornington are in the
Peerage of Ireland; the rest are in the
Peerage of the United Kingdom.
The Dukes of Wellington also hold the foreign titles of
Prince of Waterloo (
The Netherlands,
1815),
Duque de Ciudad Rodrigo (Spain,
1812),
Duque de Vitória and
Marquês de Torres Vedras (Portugal,
1812) and
Conde de Vimeiro (Portugal,
1811). These were conferred on the first Duke as
victory titles for his distinguished services as victorious commanding general in the
Peninsular War and at the
Battle of Waterloo.
The family seat is
Stratfield Saye, near
Basingstoke,
Hampshire.
Apsley House, in
London, is now owned by
English Heritage, although the family retain an apartment there.
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1st Duke of Wellington |
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Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington (
1769-
1852)
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Arthur Richard Wellesley, 2nd Duke of Wellington (
1807-
1884)
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Henry Wellesley, 3rd Duke of Wellington (
1846-
1900)
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Arthur Charles Wellesley, 4th Duke of Wellington (
1849-
1934)
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Arthur Charles Wellesley, 5th Duke of Wellington (
1876-
1941)
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Henry Valerian George Wellesley, 6th Duke of Wellington (
1912-
1943)
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Gerald Wellesley, 7th Duke of Wellington (
1885-
1972)
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Arthur Valerian Wellesley, 8th Duke of Wellington (b.
1915)
The current heir-apparent to the title is the 8th Duke's son
Arthur Charles Valerian Wellesley, Marquess of Douro (b.
August 19 1945). (He has chosen to use the
style "Marquess of Douro", even though the peerage held by his father is "Marquess Douro".) His son and heir-apparent is
Arthur Gerald Wellesley, Earl of Mornington (b.
January 31 1978).
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Duke of Wellington's Regiment
