William Beresford, 4th Baron Decies
William Marcus de la Poer Horsley Beresford, 4th Baron Decies DL JP (12 January 1865 – 30 July 1910) was an Anglo-Irish aristocrat.
The Lord Decies | |
|---|---|
| Born | William Marcus de la Poer Horsley Beresford 12 January 1865 |
| Died | 30 July 1910 (aged 45) |
| Education | Eton College |
| Alma mater | Christ Church, Oxford |
| Spouse |
Maria Gertrude Willoughby
(m. 1901) |
| Parent(s) | William Beresford, 3rd Baron Decies Catherine Anne Dent |
Early life
Beresford was born on 12 January 1865. He was the eldest of five sons born to William Horsley Beresford, 3rd Baron Decies, a Captain in the 10th Hussars and Grenadier Guards, and Catherine Anne Dent, daughter of Commander William Dent. His paternal grandparents were John Horsley-Beresford, 2nd Baron Decies and the former Charlotte Philadelphia Horsley (only daughter and heiress of Robert Horsley of Bolam House).[1]
He was educated at Eton and Christ Church, Oxford.[2]
Career
Upon his father's death on 3 July 1893, he succeeded as the 4th Baron Decies. He served as Deputy Lieutenant of Northumberland and Justice of the Peace for Northumberland.[1]
A "well-known and popular sportsman," he had an interest in hunting and "all outdoor sports."[3] At the time of his death he had several horses in training with Pickering at Newmarket and with Maj. Morris at Wallingford.[3]
Personal life
On 12 March 1901, Lord Decies was married to Maria Gertrude Willoughby at St Michael's Church in Chester Square (in the Belgravia district of West London).[4] As Maria's father, Sir John Willoughby, 4th Baronet, had died in 1866, her brother, Maj. Sir John Willoughby, Bt of Jameson Raid fame, gave her away and William's groomsman was his brother, Capt. the Hon. John Graham Beresford, aide-de-camp to the Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught.[5][6] She was known for her "remarkable collection of cats."[2]
Lord Decies died, suddenly, on 30 July 1910, aged 45, at the Cottage Hospital in Hornsey, after having been "overcome by the oppressive heat" while attending the races at Alexandra Park.[3] As he died without issue,[7] he was succeeded in the barony by his younger brother, John.[8]
References
- Mosley, Charles, editor. Burke's Peerage, Baronetage & Knightage, 107th edition, 3 volumes. Wilmington, Delaware, U.S.A.: Burke's Peerage (Genealogical Books) Ltd, 2003, volume 1, page 335.
- "Lord Decies". The Times. 1 August 1910. p. 11. Retrieved 31 January 2022.
- "Death of Lord Decies | Well-Known Sportsman". The Ashbourne Telegraph. 5 August 1910. p. 10. Retrieved 31 January 2022.
- "Marriage Announcement". The Times. 13 March 1901. p. 10. Retrieved 31 January 2022.
- Sketch: A Journal of Art and Actuality. Ingram brothers. 1901. Retrieved 31 January 2022.
- "PROMINENT EARLY CAT FANCIERS - LADY DECIES (MISS GERTRUDE WILLOUGHBY)". messybeast.com. Retrieved 31 January 2022.
- Division, Great Britain High Court of Justice Chancery (1911). The Law Reports of the Incorporated Council of Law Reporting: Supreme Court of Judicature. Cases determined in the Chancery Division and in lunacy and on appeal therefrom in the Court of Appeal. Incorporated Council of Law Reporting. pp. 585–588. Retrieved 31 January 2022.
- "LORD DECIES DIES IN ENGLAND AT 77; Soldier, Sportsman, Friend of Taxpayer--Married Gould Heiress Here in 1911". The New York Times. 2 February 1944. Retrieved 29 January 2022.