The Marquess Wellesley

[marquess]

I read recently that Richard Wellesley, first and last marquess of that name had two illegitimate sons with his American mistress whom he subsequently married. Does anyone know if that line of the Wellesley family is still extant? 

[bx...@yahoo.com]

marquess, the answer to the question is yes, and it includes some very prominent names, including members of the aristocracy.

One of those people is actually a 4x great-grandson of the Marquess, HM King Charles III.

Here is the list of descendants from genealogics.org:

https://www.genealogics.org/descendtext.php?personID=I00004777&tree=LEO&display=block&generations=8

Brooke

[https:/www.LeighRayment.com.au]

"Marquess" is referring to another lover and other children:

"Wellesley also had at least two other illegitimate sons by his teenage mistress, Elizabeth Johnston, including Edward (later his father's secretary), born in Middlesex (1796-1877). Wellesley's children were seen by Richard's other relatives, including his brother Arthur, as greedy, unattractive and cunning, and as exercising an unhealthy influence over their father; in the family circle they were nicknamed "The Parasites"

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Wellesley,_1st_Marquess_Wellesley

[marquess]

Is the line descending from Edward and his brother still extant today?

[S. S.]

I am confused, who is the "American mistress"? I do not think Elizabeth Johnston was American (actually where did you get that she was American?). Wellesley married the French actress Hyacinthe. As for the children by Johnston, viz. Edward, I could not really find anything on him online after a cursory search. 

S.S.

[Timothy M]

Sounds to me like the source mixed up bits of Elizabeth Johnston’s story with that of Marianne. 

[https:/www.LeighRayment.com.au]

According to this site,  Historical scandals by Lynn Bryant.

https://www.lynnbryant.co.uk/the-wellesley-family-historical-scandals/

Richard Wellesley succeeded his father as Earl of Mornington but he did not make the traditional marriage expected of a Peer. Instead, he lived with a French actress called Hyacinthe-Gabrielle Roland. The couple had three sons and two daughters and Richard finally married her in 1794. Hyacinthe joined him in London, but the marriage was not a success. Hyacinthe was shunned by polite society because of her irregular union with Richard as well as her relatively humble origins. She never learned to speak English and was probably very lonely, and at some point during their marriage, the couple separated and lived apart.

Hyacinte Gabrielle Roland
https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=150197

In addition to Hyacinthe, Richard had a teenage mistress by the name of Elizabeth Johnston, with whom he had two children. One of them, Edward, was born in 1796 just two years after Richard’s marriage, and later became his father’s private secretary.

Hyacinthe died in 1816 and nine years later Richard, who was by then sixty-five years old, married a young widow by the name of Marianne Patterson who was thirty-seven. Marianne was the daughter of a wealthy American merchant and it is possible that her fortune was part of her appeal for Richard, who was always short of money. There were rumours that the couple were already lovers before the wedding, and there had also been gossip linking her name with Wellington. Certainly she and Wellington were close friends, and he tried to persuade her not to marry Richard. Despite this, the marriage seems to have worked well and Richard finally found marital peace in his later years.