Biography of Frederick Arthur Wellesley 1844-1931

Paternal Family Tree: Colley

On 24th May 1844 Frederick Arthur Wellesley was born to [his father] Henry Richard Charles Wellesley 1st Earl Cowley (age 39).

On 27th April 1847 [his grandfather] Henry Wellesley 1st Baron Cowley (age 74) died. His son [his father] Henry (age 42) succeeded 2nd Baron Cowley.

On 2nd February 1852 [his father] Henry Richard Charles Wellesley 1st Earl Cowley (age 47) was appointed Privy Council.

On 11th April 1857 [his father] Henry Richard Charles Wellesley 1st Earl Cowley (age 52) was created 1st Earl Cowley, 1st Viscount Dangan of Meath.

In 1863 [his brother-in-law] Charles Philip "Champagne Charlie" Yorke 5th Earl of Hardwicke (age 26) and [his sister] Sophia Georgiana Robertina Wellesley Countess Hardwicke (age 22) were married. She the daughter of [his father] Henry Richard Charles Wellesley 1st Earl Cowley (age 58). He the son of Charles Yorke 4th Earl of Hardwicke (age 63) and Susan Liddell Countess Hardwicke (age 52).

On 8th August 1863 [his brother] William Henry Wellesley 2nd Earl Cowley (age 28) and [his sister-in-law] Emily Gwendoline Williams Countess Cowley (age 24) were married. He the son of [his father] Henry Richard Charles Wellesley 1st Earl Cowley (age 59).

In 1873 Frederick Arthur Wellesley (age 28) and Emma Loftus were married. He the son of Henry Richard Charles Wellesley 1st Earl Cowley (age 68).

On 17th September 1873 Charles Yorke 4th Earl of Hardwicke (age 74) died. His son [his brother-in-law] Charles (age 37) succeeded 5th Earl Hardwicke, 5th Viscount Royston. [his sister] Sophia Georgiana Robertina Wellesley Countess Hardwicke (age 33) by marriage Countess Hardwicke.St Andrew's Church, Wimpole [Map].

Charles Yorke 4th Earl of Hardwicke: On 2nd April 1799 he was born to Admiral Joseph Sydney Yorke and Elizabeth Weake Rattray at Sydney Lodge, Hamble le Rice. In August 1833 Charles Yorke 4th Earl of Hardwicke and Susan Liddell Countess Hardwicke were married. On 18th November 1834 Philip Yorke 3rd Earl of Hardwicke died. He was buried in St Andrew's Church, Wimpole [Map]. His nephew Charles succeeded 4th Earl Hardwicke, 4th Viscount Royston. Susan Liddell Countess Hardwicke by marriage Countess Hardwicke.

Charles Philip "Champagne Charlie" Yorke 5th Earl of Hardwicke: On 23rd April 1836 he was born to Charles Yorke 4th Earl of Hardwicke and Susan Liddell Countess Hardwicke. In 1863 Charles Philip "Champagne Charlie" Yorke 5th Earl of Hardwicke and Sophia Georgiana Robertina Wellesley Countess Hardwicke were married. She the daughter of Henry Richard Charles Wellesley 1st Earl Cowley. He the son of Charles Yorke 4th Earl of Hardwicke and Susan Liddell Countess Hardwicke. On 18th May 1897 Charles Philip "Champagne Charlie" Yorke 5th Earl of Hardwicke died. His son Albert succeeded 6th Earl Hardwicke, 6th Viscount Royston.

Sophia Georgiana Robertina Wellesley Countess Hardwicke: On 3rd March 1840 she was born to Henry Richard Charles Wellesley 1st Earl Cowley. On 3rd June 1923 Sophia Georgiana Robertina Wellesley Countess Hardwicke died.

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Chronicle of Abbot Ralph of Coggeshall

The Chronicle of Abbot Ralph of Coggeshall (Chronicon Anglicanum) is an indispensable medieval history that brings to life centuries of English and European affairs through the eyes of a learned Cistercian monk. Ralph of Coggeshall, abbot of the Abbey of Coggeshall in Essex in the early 13th century, continued and expanded his community’s chronicle, documenting events from the Norman Conquest of 1066 into the tumultuous reign of King Henry III. Blending eyewitness testimony, careful compilation, and the monastic commitment to record-keeping, this chronicle offers a rare narrative of political intrigue, royal power struggles, and social upheaval in England and beyond. Ralph’s work captures the reigns of pivotal figures such as Richard I and King John, providing invaluable insights into their characters, decisions, and the forces that shaped medieval rule. More than a simple annal, Chronicon Anglicanum conveys the texture of medieval life and governance, making it a rich source for scholars and readers fascinated by English history, monastic authorship, and the shaping of the medieval world.

Available at Amazon in eBook and Paperback format.

In 1874 [his brother-in-law] Francis Bertie 1st Viscount Bertie Thame (age 29) and [his sister] Feodorowna Cecilia Wellesley Viscountess Bertie Thame (age 36) were married. She the daughter of [his father] Henry Richard Charles Wellesley 1st Earl Cowley (age 69). He the son of Montagu Bertie 6th Earl of Abingdon (age 65) and Elizabeth Lavinia Harcourt Countess Abingdon.

In 1882 Frederick Arthur Wellesley (age 37) and Emma Loftus were divorced.

On 7th March 1882 Henry Wellesley 3rd Duke Wellington (age 35) and [his future wife] Evelyn Katrine Gwenfra Williams Duchess Wellington (age 27) were married.

In 1884 Frederick Arthur Wellesley (age 39) and Kate Vaughan (age 32) were married. He the son of Henry Richard Charles Wellesley 1st Earl Cowley (age 79).

On 15th July 1884 [his father] Henry Richard Charles Wellesley 1st Earl Cowley (age 80) died at 20 Albermarle Street. He was buried at Draycott, Wiltshire. His son [his brother] William (age 49) succeeded 2nd Earl Cowley, 2nd Viscount Dangan of Meath, 3rd Baron Cowley. [his sister-in-law] Emily Gwendoline Williams Countess Cowley (age 45) by marriage Countess Cowley.

On 13th August 1884 Arthur Wellesley 2nd Duke Wellington (age 77) died. His nephew Henry (age 38) succeeded 3rd Duke Wellington, 7th Earl Mornington, 7th Viscount Wellesley of Dangan Castle, 3rd Viscount Wellington of Talavera. [his future wife] Evelyn Katrine Gwenfra Williams Duchess Wellington (age 29) by marriage Duchess Wellington.

On 28th February 1895 [his brother] William Henry Wellesley 2nd Earl Cowley (age 60) died at Shute Manor Draycott, Wiltshire. His son [his nephew] Henry (age 29) succeeded 3rd Earl Cowley, 3rd Viscount Dangan of Meath, 4th Baron Cowley. Violet Neville Countess Cowley (age 28) by marriage Countess Cowley.

On 21st February 1903 [his wife] Kate Vaughan (age 51) died.

In 1904 Frederick Arthur Wellesley (age 59) and Evelyn Katrine Gwenfra Williams Duchess Wellington (age 49) were married. He the son of Henry Richard Charles Wellesley 1st Earl Cowley.

On 30th March 1920 [his sister] Feodorowna Cecilia Wellesley Viscountess Bertie Thame (age 82) died.

On 3rd June 1923 [his sister] Sophia Georgiana Robertina Wellesley Countess Hardwicke (age 83) died.

William of Worcester's Chronicle of England

William of Worcester, born around 1415, and died around 1482 was secretary to John Fastolf, the renowned soldier of the Hundred Years War, during which time he collected documents, letters, and wrote a record of events. Following their return to England in 1440 William was witness to major events. Twice in his chronicle he uses the first person: 1. when writing about the murder of Thomas, 7th Baron Scales, in 1460, he writes '… and I saw him lying naked in the cemetery near the porch of the church of St. Mary Overie in Southwark …' and 2. describing King Edward IV's entry into London in 1461 he writes '… proclaimed that all the people themselves were to recognize and acknowledge Edward as king. I was present and heard this, and immediately went down with them into the city'. William’s Chronicle is rich in detail. It is the source of much information about the Wars of the Roses, including the term 'Diabolical Marriage' to describe the marriage of Queen Elizabeth Woodville’s brother John’s marriage to Katherine, Dowager Duchess of Norfolk, he aged twenty, she sixty-five or more, and the story about a paper crown being placed in mockery on the severed head of Richard, 3rd Duke of York.

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On 9th February 1931 Frederick Arthur Wellesley (age 86) died.

On 11th March 1939 [his former wife] Evelyn Katrine Gwenfra Williams Duchess Wellington (age 84) died at West Green House, Hartley.