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 ...

, 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 hereditary titles awarded by the Crown. The current baronetage of the United Kingdom has replaced the earlier, existing baronetages of England, Nova Scotia, Ireland and Great Britain. To be recognised as a baronet, it is necessary ...

and one in the

Baronetage of Ireland Baronets are hereditary titles awarded by the Crown. The current baronetage of the United Kingdom has replaced the earlier, existing baronetages of England, Nova Scotia, Ireland and Great Britain. To be recognised as a baronet, it is necessary ...

. 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 the end of 1800. The upper house was the Irish House of Lords, House of Lords. The membership of the House of Commons was directly elected, ...

for

Carlow Carlow ( ; ) is the county town of County Carlow, in the south-east of Republic of Ireland, Ireland, from Dublin. At the 2022 census of Ireland, 2022 census, it had a population of 27,351, the List of urban areas in the Republic of Ireland, ...

. The family seat was Mount Wolseley in

County Carlow County Carlow ( ; ) is a Counties of Ireland, county located in the Southern Region, Ireland, Southern Region of Ireland, within the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster. Carlow is the List of Irish counties by area, second smallest and t ...

. 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 an English given name or last name of Latin origin. In Latin the meaning of the name Frances is 'from France' or 'the French.' The male version of the name in English is Francis (given name), Francis. The original Franciscus, meaning "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, senior to the general officer ranks. Usually, it is the highest rank in an army (in countries without the rank of Generalissimo), and as such, few persons a ...

, the highest executive position in the British Army, then

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

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 (1833–1913) * Frances Garnet Wolseley, 2nd Viscountess Wolseley (1872–1936)

References

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