James Butler, 1st Marquess of Ormonde
James Wandesford Butler, 1st Marquess of Ormonde | |
|---|---|
| Born | Template:Birth date Kilkenny Castle, Ireland |
| Died | May 18, 1838 (aged 63) |
| Occupation(s) | Aristocrat, Politician |
| Known for | Irish Member of Parliament, 19th Earl of Ormonde, 1st Marquess of Ormonde |
James Wandesford Butler, 1st Marquess of Ormonde (15 July 1774 – 18 May 1838) was a distinguished Irish aristocrat and political figure. Born at Kilkenny Castle, he was the second son of John Butler, the 17th Earl of Ormonde.
In 1796, Butler had a brief tenure as a Member of Parliament for Kilkenny City in the Irish House of Commons before serving as the representative for County Kilkenny until the 1801 Act of Union. Subsequently, he represented County Kilkenny in the UK Parliament until 1820, when he inherited the title of 19th Earl of Ormonde following the death of his elder brother Walter. His inaugural speech in Westminster criticized the Irish Window tax and advocated for the rights of Irish landowners.
Upon inheriting debts amounting to around £450,000 from his late brother, Butler proceeded to liquidate portions of the Ormonde Estates located in Derbyshire in 1824. The Sutton Hall Estate, comprising 5,500 acres with coal mining operations and generating an annual income of £5,800, was sold to John Arkwright, a Manchester-based spinner, for £216,000. The Chilcote Estate, covering 1,320 acres with yearly rents of £2,200, was purchased by Mr. Robinson from Surrey for £87,000. Additionally, Cottage Park Farm, spanning 281 acres, was sold to a solicitor representing brewer H. Worthington. These transactions collectively raised £450,000.
After establishing himself within London society, Butler became an associate of the Prince Regent. At the coronation of George IV, he was bestowed the title Baron Ormonde of Llanthony in Monmouth and later elevated to Marquess of Ormonde in 1825.
Marriage and children
On 12 October 1807, he wed Grace Louisa Staples, daughter of Rt. Hon. John Staples and Hon. Henrietta Molesworth (herself daughter of Richard Molesworth, 3rd Viscount Molesworth). Together they had ten children: five sons and five daughters:
- John Butler, 2nd Marquess of Ormonde (1808–1854), who married Frances Jane, daughter of Gen. Hon. Sir Edward Paget
- Lord Walter Wandesford Butler (1814–1861), an Army officer
- Captain Lord James Wandesford Butler (1815–1893), husband to Lady Rachel Evelyn Russell, daughter of the 6th Duke of Bedford
- Louisa Grace Butler (1816–1896), married Thomas Fortescue, 1st Baron Clermont
- Lord Richard Molesworth Butler (1818–1838)
- Lieutenant Lord Charles Wandesford Butler (1820–1857)
- Lady Harriet Eleanor Butler (died 1885), who married Robert Fowler, son of Rt Rev Robert Fowler, Bishop of Ossory, Ferns and Leighlin
- Anne Butler (died 1849), wife of John Wynne, associated with Hazlewood House, Sligo
- Lady Elizabeth Butler (died 1892)
- Lady Mary Charlotte Butler (died 1840)
Their London home in 1827 was listed as 14 Weymouth Street, Westminster.
Elevation to marquessate
The grandson of Lord Ormonde, James Butler, 3rd Marquess of Ormonde, corresponded with then Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli in 1868 regarding the revival of the dukedom of Ormonde. He referenced that his grandfather—the 19th Earl—had been advised by Lord Liverpool to first obtain promotion from Earl to Marquess before attempting to restore the dukedom. While the Marquessate was granted in 1825, progress ceased after Lord Liverpool's departure from office in 1827, and no further steps were taken by the first Marquess toward reinstating the dukedom.