George Legge, 3rd Earl of Dartmouth KG,
PC,
FRS (3 October 1755 – 10
November 1810), styled
Viscount Lewisham until
1801, was a British politician.
Background
Dartmouth was the eldest son of
William Legge, 2nd Earl of
Dartmouth, and Frances Katherine, daughter of Sir Charles
Gounter Nicoll. He was the elder brother of Admiral the Hon.
Sir Arthur Kaye Legge and the Hon.
Edward Legge,
Bishop of Oxford.
Political career
Dartmouth was returned to Parliament for
Plymouth in 1778, a
seat he held until 1780.. The latter year he was returned for both
Horsham and
Staffordshire
1784, but chose to represent the latter. He continued to represent
this constituency until 1784. From 1783 to 1798 he served as
Lord Warden of the
Stannaries.
He
remained out of parliament for the next 17 years, but in 1801 he
was summoned to the House of Lords
through a writ of
acceleration in his father's junior title of Baron
Dartmouth. He succeeded his father in the earldom later the
same year. Dartmouth served under
Henry Addington as
President of the Board
of Control between 1801 and 1802 and as
Lord Steward between 1802 and 1804. From 1804
to 1810 he was
Lord Chamberlain
under successively
Pitt the
Younger,
Lord
Grenville, the
Duke of
Portland and
Spencer Perceval.
He was sworn of the
Privy Council in
1801 and appointed a
Knight of the
Garter in 1805. He was also admitted a
Fellow of the Royal Society on 3
May 1781.
Family
Lord Dartmouth married Lady Frances (d. 1810), daughter of Heneage
Finch, 3rd Earl of Aylesford, on 24 September 1782. They had twelve
children:
- Lady Harriet Legge (d. 11 March 1855), married in 1815 General
Hon. Sir Edward Paget, son of Henry Paget, 1st Earl of
Uxbridge and had issue.
- William Legge,
4th Earl of Dartmouth (1784–1853)
- Lady Louisa Legge (8 March 1787 – 13 August 1816), married
William Bagot, 2nd Baron Bagot and had issue.
- Hon. Henage Legge (29 February 1788 – 12 December 1844),
married Mary Johnstone.
- Lady Charlotte Legge (1795 – 15 June 1877), married in 1816
Very Rev. Hon. George Neville-Grenville (Dean of Windsor), son of
Richard Griffin,
2nd Baron Braybrooke and had issue.
- Lady Georgina Caroline Legge (c. 1795 – 11 August 1855)
- Lady Mary Legge (c. 1796 – 8 July 1886)
- Lady Anne Legge (c. 1797 – 24 November 1885)
- Hon. Charles Legge (1799–1821)
- General Hon. Arthur Charles Legge (25 June 1800 – 18 May 1890),
married first on 1 June 1827 Lady Anne Holroyd (d. 1829), daughter
of John Holroyd, 1st
Earl of Sheffield, second on 29 August 1837 Caroline Bouwens
and had issue.
- Lady Barbara Maria Legge (d. 22 April 1840), married in 1820
Francis Parker Newdigate
and had issue
- Hon. Henry Legge (1803 – 13 February 1887), vicar of Lewisham,
married on 12 May 1842 Maria Rogers (d. 1890), daughter of Sir
Frederick Rogers, 7th Baronet.
Lord Dartmouth died on 10 November 1810, aged 55, and was succeeded
in the earldom by his eldest son,
William. Lady Dartmouth
only survived her husband by eleven days and died on 21 November
1810.
References
- leighrayment.com - House of Commons,
Plymouth-Putney
- leighrayment.com - House of Commons,
Horncastle-Hythe
- leighrayment.com - House of Commons,
Southend-Stamford
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