William FitzWilliam, Earl FitzWilliam

(b. May 30, 1748, Milton House, Peterborough, Cambridgeshire – d. Feb. 8, 1833, Milton House, Peterborough, Cambridgeshire )

Gender: M

William FitzWilliam, 4th Earl FitzWilliam (1748-1833), was the nephew and heir of the Marquess of Rockingham. On inheriting his uncle’s estates in 1782, he became one of the richest men in Britain. He succeeded Rockingham as leader of the Whigs, and played an active role in politics throughout his life, often being mentioned as a possible Prime Minister but never appointed. He married firstly Lady Charlotte Ponsonby, daughter of William Ponsonby, 2nd Earl of Bessborough, in 1770. After her death in 1822 he married Louisa Ponsonby, daughter of Richard Molesworth, 3rd Viscount Molesworth and widow of William Ponsonby, 1st Baron Ponsonby.

Also known as:

William Fitzwilliam
Earl Fitzwilliam

Please note that all dates and location information are provisional, initially taken from the library and archive catalogues. As our section editors continue to work through the material we will update our database and the changes will be reflected across the edition.

Browser support: The website works best using the Chrome, Edge, and Firefox browsers on the PC, and only Chrome and Firefox on the Mac.