William Talbot, 1st Earl Talbot PC (16 May 1710 – 27 April 1782), known as the
Lord Talbot from 1737 to 1761, was a
BritishGreat Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
politician.
Talbot was born at
WorcesterThe City of Worcester, commonly known as Worcester, , is a city and county town of Worcestershire in the West Midlands of England. Worcester is situated some southwest of Birmingham and north of Gloucester, and has an approximate population of 94,000 people. The River Severn runs through the...
, the son of Charles Talbot, later
Baron TalbotEarl Talbot is a title that has been created twice in the Peerage of Great Britain. This branch of the Talbot family descends from the Hon. Sir Gilbert Talbot , third son of John Talbot, 2nd Earl of Shrewsbury. His great-great-great-grandson the Right Reverend William Talbot was Bishop of Oxford,...
. He was educated at
EtonEton College, often referred to simply as Eton, is a British independent school for boys aged 13 to 18. It was founded in 1440 by King Henry VI as "The King's College of Our Lady of Eton besides Wyndsor"....
from 1725 to 1728 and
matriculatedMatriculation, in the broadest sense, means to be registered or added to a list, from the Latin matricula – little list. In Scottish heraldry, for instance, a matriculation is a registration of armorial bearings...
at
Exeter College, OxfordExeter College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England and the fourth oldest college of the University. The main entrance is on the east side of Turl Street...
on 23 January 1727. He was created
DCLDoctor of Civil Law is a degree offered by some universities, such as the University of Oxford, instead of the more common Doctor of Laws degrees....
(Doctor of Civil Law) on 12 June 1736. He was
Member of ParliamentA Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
for
GlamorganshireGlamorganshire was a parliamentary constituency in Wales, returning two Members of Parliament to the British House of Commons. The Redistribution of Seats Act 1885 divided it into five new constituencies: East Glamorganshire, South Glamorganshire, Mid Glamorganshire, Gower and Rhondda.- MPs...
from 1734 to 1737, when he succeeded his father in the barony and entered the
House of LordsThe House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster....
. He was
Lord High StewardThe position of Lord High Steward of England is the first of the Great Officers of State. The office has generally remained vacant since 1421, except at coronations and during the trials of peers in the House of Lords, when the Lord High Steward presides. In general, but not invariably, the Lord...
at King George III's coronation, and became a member of the
Privy CouncilHer Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council, usually known simply as the Privy Council, is a formal body of advisers to the Sovereign in the United Kingdom...
in 1761. He served from then until his death as Lord Steward of the Household. He was created
Earl Talbot on 29 March 1761. Talbot had no sons so he was created
Baron Dynevor, of Dynevor in the county of
CarmarthenCarmarthen is a community in, and the county town of, Carmarthenshire, Wales. It is sited on the River Towy north of its mouth at Carmarthen Bay. In 2001, the population was 14,648....
on 17 October 1780, with a special remainder in favour of his only child, a daughter,
Cecil RiceCecil de Cardonnel, 2nd Baroness Dynevor was a Welsh peeress.She was the daughter of William Talbot, 1st Earl Talbot. Her mother was the daughter and heir of Adam de Cardonnel, British Secretary of War. Under the special remainder in the creation of the barony for her father, she and her heirs...
, and the heirs male of her body.
Talbot married Mary, daughter and heir of Adam de Cardonnel, secretary to the
Duke of MarlboroughJohn Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough, Prince of Mindelheim, KG, PC , was an English soldier and statesman whose career spanned the reigns of five monarchs through the late 17th and early 18th centuries...
, on 21 February 1733, at St George, Hanover Square.
He had an affair with Frances Scudamore (born 14 August 1711 – died 16 February 1750), wife of
Henry Scudamore, 3rd Duke of BeaufortHenry Somerset-Scudamore, 3rd Duke of Beaufort was born Henry Somerset, the elder son of Henry Somerset, 2nd Duke of Beaufort and his second wife, Rachel Noel. As his father's eldest son and heir to his father's title he was known as Marquess of Worcester, a courtesy title...
; this led to the Beauforts' divorce in 1743.
Mary Anne TalbotMary Anne Talbot was an Englishwoman who wore maleMary Anne Talbot was born in London. Later she claimed that she was one of the sixteen illegitimate children of Lord William Talbot, Baron of Hensol...
claimed to be one of sixteen illegitimate children of Lord Talbot.
Talbot died 27 April 1782 at Lincolns Inn Fields and was buried at Sutton. At his death, the earldom became extinct, while the barony of Talbot passed to his nephew (and is now part of the
earldom of ShrewsburyEarl of Shrewsbury is a hereditary title of nobility created twice in the peerage of England.-First creation, 1074:The first creation occurred in 1074 for Roger de Montgomerie, one of William the Conqueror's principal counselors...
, and the barony of Dynevor passed to his daughter.
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