William Waldegrave, 8th Earl Waldegrave

For other people named William Waldegrave, see William Waldegrave (disambiguation).

The Right Honourable The Earl Waldegrave CB
Born	27 October 1788
Died	24 October 1859
Allegiance	United Kingdom
Service / branch	Royal Navy
Years of service	1801–1846
Rank	Vice-Admiral
Commands	HMS Melpomene HMS Macedonian HMS Seringapatam HMS Revenge
Battles / wars	Napoleonic Wars Action of 5 October 1804 War of 1812 Egyptian-Ottoman War Bombardment of Acre
Alma mater	Eton College

Vice-Admiral William Waldegrave, 8th Earl Waldegrave CB (27 October 1788 – 24 October 1859) was a British naval commander and politician.

Biography

Waldegrave was the son of George Waldegrave, 4th Earl Waldegrave and his wife, the former Lady Elizabeth Laura Waldegrave. His parents were first cousins. He was educated at Eton. In 1802, he became a Midshipman in the Royal Navy, rising to the ranks of Lieutenant in 1806 and Commander in 1809. He fought during the War of 1812, commanding frigate HMS Macedonian (which was later captured by the United States).

On his return to England, he married Elizabeth Whitbread, the daughter of Samuel Whitbread and took over from his father-in-law's post as Member of Parliament (MP) for Bedford in 1815.

Leaving that post in 1818, Waldegrave then commanded HMS Seringapatam from 1829 to 1832 and HMS Revenge from 1839 to 1842 and was created a Companion of the Order of the Bath in 1840.

He retired from the navy in 1846 as a rear-admiral, inherited his childless nephew's titles in 1846 and was married for a second time that year, to Sarah Milward, née Whitear. He was promoted to Vice-Admiral in 1858 and died a year later, at age 70. His eldest son, William Waldegrave, Viscount Chewton had died in 1854 and he was succeeded by his grandson, William.

Ancestry

Ancestors of William Waldegrave, 8th Earl Waldegrave

Henry Waldegrave, 1st Baron Waldegrave James Waldegrave, 1st Earl Waldegrave Henrietta FitzJames John Waldegrave, 3rd Earl Waldegrave Sir John Webb, 3rd Baronet Mary Webb Barbara Belasyse George Waldegrave, 4th Earl Waldegrave Sir John Leveson-Gower, 1st Baron Gower John Leveson-Gower, 1st Earl Gower Catherine Manners Lady Elizabeth Leveson-Gower Evelyn Pierrepont, 1st Duke of Kingston-upon-Hull Lady Evelyn Pierrepont Mary Feilding William Waldegrave, 8th Earl Waldegrave Henry Waldegrave, 1st Baron Waldegrave James Waldegrave, 1st Earl Waldegrave Henrietta FitzJames James Waldegrave, 2nd Earl Waldegrave Sir John Webb, 3rd Baronet Mary Webb Barbara Belasyse Elizabeth Laura Waldegrave, Countess Waldegrave Sir Robert Walpole Sir Edward Walpole Catherine Shorter Maria Walpole Hammond Clement Dorothy Clement Priscilla

References

• O'Byrne, William Richard (1849). "Waldegrave, William" . A Naval Biographical Dictionary . John Murray – via Wikisource.

External links

• Hansard 1803–2005: contributions in Parliament by the Earl Waldegrave