Richard Wesley, 1st Baron Mornington

Richard Colley Wesley, 1st Baron Mornington (circa 1690 – 31 January 1758), was an Irish peer known primarily as the grandfather of Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington. His birth name was Richard Colley, and he was born around 1690 to Henry Colley, who died in 1719, and Mary Ussher, daughter of Sir William Ussher. He had a younger brother named Henry Colley, who died in 1723.

Wesley graduated from Trinity College, Dublin, earning a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1711 and a Master of Arts in 1714. He also obtained an N.F.P. (likely a professional or academic qualification) on 6 July 1740 under his birth name, Richard Colley. In 1712, he held the position of Chamberlain of the Court of Exchequer in Ireland.

On 23 September 1728, Wesley inherited the estates of Dangan and Mornington in County Meath upon the death of his cousin, Garret Wesley. Shortly thereafter, on 15 November 1728, he legally changed his surname from Colley to Wesley, aligning his family name with the Wellesley estates of his wife’s family.

Between 1729 and 1746, Wesley served as a Member of Parliament for Trim in the Irish House of Commons. He held the position of High Sheriff of Meath in 1734. On 9 July 1746, he was elevated to the Irish Peerage as the 1st Baron Mornington.

The character of Richard Wesley has been described in historical records as “a civilised and eccentric country gentleman.” Mary Delany, a diarist and Garret Wesley’s godmother, visited Dangan in 1748 and noted him as “the same good-humoured, agreeable man he was on my last visit.” She characterized him as someone with “most merits and fewest faults,” appreciating wealth as a means to happiness for others.

Wesley was notably proud of his son’s musical talents and supported this pursuit. However, he was also extravagant in his personal finances, which resulted in significant debt at his death. His financial difficulties initiated a cycle of family indebtedness that persisted for decades, leading to the eventual sale of the Dangan estate by his grandson Richard approximately 40 years later.

The Colley family originated from Glaston in Rutland, England, migrating to Ireland around 1500. Sir Henry Colley was ennobled as Lord Glaston by Henry VIII. Richard Wesley’s maternal family was connected to the Wellesley lineage through his wife’s grandmother, Catherine Wellesley Cusack, who died in 1598.

On 23 December 1719, Richard Colley married Elizabeth Sale, daughter of John Sale, Registrar of the Diocese of Dublin. After inheriting Garret Wesley’s estates, Richard adopted the surname Wellesley, reflecting his family connections. Richard and Elizabeth Wellesley had one son and two daughters: Garret Wesley, who became the 1st Earl of Mornington; Frances, who married William Francis Crosbie; and Elizabeth, who married Chichester Fortescue.

Through his descendants—including his son Garret Wesley, 1st Earl of Mornington, and grandson Arthur Wellesley—the family established a prominent legacy in Irish nobility and British history.