Richard Temple-Nugent-Brydges-Chandos-Grenville, 2nd Duke of Buckingham and Chandos

His Grace
The Duke of Buckingham
and Chandos

KG GCH PC FSA

The Duke of Buckingham and Chandos by Richard James Lane.
Lord Privy Seal
In office
3 September 1841  2 February 1842
Monarch Queen Victoria
Prime Minister Sir Robert Peel
Preceded by The Earl of Clarendon
Succeeded by The Duke of Buccleuch
Personal details
Born 11 February 1797 (1797-02-11)
Stowe House, Buckinghamshire
Died 29 July 1861 (1861-07-30) (aged 64)
Great Western Hotel, Paddington, London
Nationality British
Political party Tory
Spouse(s) Lady Mary Campbell
(1795-1862)
Alma mater Oriel College, Oxford
The Grenville Armorial produced between 1822 and 1839 for Richard Temple-Grenville, Marquess of Chandos, the son of the 1st Duke of Buckingham and Chandos. The centrepiece of the Gothic Library at Stowe House, it shows 719 quarterings of the family.

Richard Plantagenet Temple-Nugent-Brydges-Chandos-Grenville, 2nd Duke of Buckingham and Chandos, KG GCH PC FSA (11 February 1797 29 July 1861), styled Viscount Cobham from birth until 1813, Earl Temple between 1813 and 1822 and Marquess of Chandos between 1822 and 1839, was a British Tory politician. He served as Lord Privy Seal between 1841 and 1842.

Two events in his life were remarkable, given the era he lived in and the position he held in society as a duke: firstly, he obtained a divorce at a time when that required an act of parliament; secondly, despite the great wealth to which he was born, he declared bankruptcy with debts of over a million pounds in 1847.

Background and education

Born at Stowe, Buckinghamshire, the Duke of Buckingham was the son of the Earl Temple (later created the 1st Duke of Buckingham and Chandos) and Lady Anne, daughter of the 3rd Duke of Chandos. He was a paternal grandson of the 1st Marquess of Buckingham and a great-grandson of Prime Minister George Grenville. He was educated at Eton and Oriel College, Oxford.[1]

Political career

Buckingham sat as Member of Parliament for Buckinghamshire between 1818 and 1839, when he succeeded his father in the dukedom and entered the House of Lords.[1][2] Two years later, in September 1841, he was sworn of the Privy Council[3] and appointed Lord Privy Seal[3] by Sir Robert Peel, a post he held only until February 1842. He was appointed a Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Hanoverian Order in 1835, elected a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries in 1840[1] and made a Knight of the Garter in 1842.[4]

Personal life

In 1819, Buckingham married Lady Mary, daughter of Lieut-Gen The 4th Earl of Breadalbane (later created Marquess of Breadalbane). They had one son and one daughter, but were divorced in 1850. At that time, divorce required an Act of Parliament.

In 1847, eight years after succeeding his father as Duke of Buckingham and Chandos, George was declared bankrupt with debts over a million pounds.[1][5] This occasioned the auction sale of the contents of Stowe House in August–September 1848, one of the handful of most prominent English country house contents auctions of the 19th century.

Buckingham died at the Great Western Hotel, Paddington, London, in July 1861, aged 64, and was succeeded in the dukedom by his only son, Richard. His sometime wife died less than a year later in June 1862, aged 66.[1]

References

Bibliography

Parliament of Great Britain
Preceded by
William Selby Lowndes
Thomas Grenville
Member of Parliament for Buckinghamshire
1818–1839
With: William Selby Lowndes 1818–1820
Robert Smith 1820–1831
John Smith 1831–1835
Sir George Dashwood, Bt 1832–1835
Sir William Young 1835–1839
George Simon Harcourt 1835–1839
Succeeded by
Sir William Young
George Simon Harcourt
Caledon Du Pré
Political offices
Preceded by
The Earl of Clarendon
Lord Privy Seal
1841–1842
Succeeded by
The Duke of Buccleuch
Peerage of the United Kingdom
Preceded by
Richard Temple-Grenville
Duke of Buckingham and Chandos
1839–1861
Succeeded by
Richard Temple-Grenville
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