Viscount Wolseley, of Wolseley in the County of Stafford, was a title in the

Peerage of the United Kingdom The Peerage of the United Kingdom is one of the five Peerages in the United Kingdom. It comprises most peerages created in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland after the Acts of Union in 1801, when it replaced the Peerage of Great B ...

created in 1885 for the Anglo-Irish military commander Garnet Wolseley, 1st Baron Wolseley. It became extinct upon the death of his daughter, Frances Garnet Wolseley, in 1936.

History

The Wolseleys were an ancient landed family in

Wolseley, Staffordshire Colwich is a civil parish and village in Staffordshire, England. It is situated off the A51 road, about 3 miles (5 km) north-west of Rugeley and 7 miles (11 km) south-east of Stafford. It lies principally on the north-east bank of the R ...

, whose roots can be traced back a thousand years, before becoming prominent in Ireland. Two baronetcies were created for Wolseley family, one in the

Baronetage of England Baronets are a rank in the British aristocracy. The current Baronetage of the United Kingdom has replaced the earlier but existing Baronetages of England, Nova Scotia, Ireland, and Great Britain. Baronetage of England (1611–1705) King James I ...

and one in the

Baronetage of Ireland Baronets are a rank in the British aristocracy. The current Baronetage of the United Kingdom has replaced the earlier but existing Baronetages of England, Nova Scotia, Ireland, and Great Britain. Baronetage of England (1611–1705) King James ...

. Viscount Wolseley's paternal grandfather was Rev. William Wolseley, Rector of Tullycorbet, and the third son of Sir Richard Wolseley, 1st Baronet, who sat in the

Irish House of Commons The Irish House of Commons was the lower house of the Parliament of Ireland that existed from 1297 until 1800. The upper house was the Irish House of Lords, House of Lords. The membership of the House of Commons was directly elected, but on a h ...

for

Carlow Carlow ( ; ) is the county town of County Carlow, in the south-east of Ireland, from Dublin. At the 2016 census, it had a combined urban and rural population of 24,272. The River Barrow flows through the town and forms the historic bounda ...

. The family seat was Mount Wolseley in

County Carlow County Carlow ( ; ga, Contae Cheatharlach) is a county located in the South-East Region of Ireland, within the province of Leinster. Carlow is the second smallest and the third least populous of Ireland's 32 traditional counties. Carlow Co ...

. Wolseley had already been created Baron Wolseley, of Cairo and of Wolseley in the County of Stafford, on 25 November 1882, with normal remainder to the heirs male of his body. He was created a viscount in 1885, with remainder, in default of male issue, to his daughter and only child,

Frances Frances is a French and English given name of Latin origin. In Latin the meaning of the name Frances is 'from France' or 'free one.' The male version of the name in English is Francis. The original Franciscus, meaning "Frenchman", comes from the F ...

, and the heirs male of her body. Wolseley rose to the position of

Field Marshal Field marshal (or field-marshal, abbreviated as FM) is the most senior military rank, ordinarily senior to the general officer ranks. Usually, it is the highest rank in an army and as such few persons are appointed to it. It is considered as ...

, the highest executive position in the British Army, then

Commander-in-Chief of the Forces The Commander-in-Chief of the Forces, later Commander-in-Chief, British Army, or just the Commander-in-Chief (C-in-C), was (intermittently) the professional head of the English Army from 1660 to 1707 (the English Army, founded in 1645, was succ ...

for a period of six years from 1895.

Extinction

On Lord Wolseley's death the barony became extinct and he was succeeded in the viscountcy, according to the special remainder, by his daughter,

, author of ''Gardens – Their Form and Design'' (1919). Viscountess Wolseley never married and upon her death in 1936 the viscountcy became extinct.

Barons Wolseley (1882)

* Garnet Joseph Wolseley, 1st Baron Wolseley (1833–1913), created viscount in 1885

Viscounts Wolseley (1885)

Garnet Joseph Wolseley, 1st Viscount Wolseley Field Marshal Garnet Joseph Wolseley, 1st Viscount Wolseley, (4 June 183325 March 1913), was an Anglo-Irish officer in the British Army. He became one of the most influential and admired British generals after a series of successes in Canada, We ...

(1833–1913) *

Frances Garnet Wolseley, 2nd Viscountess Wolseley Frances Garnet Wolseley, 2nd Viscountess Wolseley (15 September 1872 – 24 December 1936) was an English gardening author and instructor. Her Glynde College for Lady Gardeners in East Sussex had the patronage of famous gardening names such as G ...

(1872–1936)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wolseley Extinct viscountcies in the Peerage of the United Kingdom Peerages created with special remainders Noble titles created in 1885