Marquess of Waterford is a title in the Peerage of Ireland and the premier marquessate in that peerage. It was created in 1789 for George Beresford, 2nd Earl of Tyrone.
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The Beresford family descends from Tristram Beresford, who originated from Kent but settled in Ireland in the 17th century. His eldest son Tristram Beresford sat as a member of the Irish House of Commons. On 5 May 1665 he was created a Baronet, of Coleraine in the County of Londonderry, in the Baronetage of Ireland. His great-grandson (the title having descended from father to son), the fourth Baronet, married Lady Catherine, oldest daughter of James de la Poer, 3rd Earl of Tyrone (see Earl of Tyrone). In 1720 he was raised in the Peerage of Ireland as Baron Beresford, of Beresford, in the County of Cavan, and Viscount Tyrone.[1] He was further honoured when he was made Earl of Tyrone in the Peerage of Ireland in 1746.[2] In 1767, four years after his death, the Dowager Countess of Tyrone was confirmed with the hereditary peerage title Baroness La Poer in the Peerage of Ireland (created by writ ca. 1650).
Lord Tyrone was succeeded by his fourth but eldest surviving son, the second Earl, who also inherited the title Baron La Poer from his mother in 1769. In 1786 he was created Baron Tyrone, of Haverfordwest in the County of Pembroke, in the Peerage of Great Britain.[3] Three years later he was made Marquess of Waterford in the Peerage of Ireland. The titles descended in the direct line until the death of his grandson, the third Marquess, in 1859. The late Marquess was succeeded by his younger brother, the fourth Marquess. As of 2010[update] the titles are held by the latter's great-great-grandson, the eighth Marquess, who succeeded in 1934 at the age of one on the early death of his father.
The eldest son of the Marquess is styled with courtesy title Earl of Tyrone[4] and the eldest son of the Earl as Lord Le Pour.[5]
Several other members of the Beresford family have also gained distinction. John Beresford, fifth son of the first Earl, was an influential statesman. Marcus Beresford, eldest son of John Beresford, represented Dungarvan in the Irish Parliament. His second son was the Conservative politician William Beresford, who was the father of Mostyn Beresford (1835–1911), a Lieutenant-General in the Army, and of Edward Marcus Beresford (1836–1896), a Major-General in the Army. The Right Reverend George Beresford, second son of John Beresford, was Bishop of Kilmore. His son the Most Reverend Marcus Beresford was Archbishop of Armagh. He was the father of George Beresford, a politician, and of Major Henry Marcus Beresford, who was the father of the photographer George Charles Beresford. John Claudius Beresford, third son of John Beresford, was a politician.
William Beresford, seventh son of the first Earl, was Archbishop of Tuam and was created Baron Decies in 1812. Lord John Beresford, second surviving son of the first Marquess, was Archbishop of Armagh. Lord George Beresford, younger son of the first Marquess, was a politician. William Beresford, illegitimate son of the first Marquess, was a Field Marshal in the British Army and was created Viscount Beresford in 1823. John Beresford, illegitimate son of the first Marquess, was a soldier and politician and was created a Baronet in 1814 (see Beresford-Peirse Baronets). Lord Charles Beresford, second son of the fourth Marquess, was a naval commander and politician and was created Baron Beresford in 1916. Lord William Beresford, third son of the fourth Marquess, was a soldier and recipient of the Victoria Cross. Lord Marcus Beresford, fourth son of the fourth Marquess, was a courtier.
The ancestral seat of the Marquesses of Waterford is the Curraghmore Estate, near Portlaw, County Waterford, in the Republic of Ireland. The family previously owned Tyrone House in County Galway, now in ruins.
The heir apparent is the present holder's son Henry Nicholas de la Poer Beresford, Earl of Tyrone (b. 1958)
The heir apparent's heir apparent is his son Richard John de la Poer Beresford, Lord Le Poer (b. 1987), a polo professional who is known as Richard Le Poer.[6]