Arthur Chichester, 1st Marquess of Donegall (13 June 1739 – 5 January 1799), known as Arthur Chichester until 1757 and as The Earl of Donegall between 1757 and 1791, was an Irish nobleman and politician.

Background and education

He was educated at Trinity College, Oxford

Trinity College, Oxford

The College of the Holy and Undivided Trinity in the University of Oxford, of the foundation of Sir Thomas Pope , or Trinity College for short, is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. It stands on Broad Street, next door to Balliol College and Blackwells bookshop,...

 before succeeding his uncle in 1757 as fifth Earl of Donegall.

Political career

After taking his seat in the Irish House of Lords

Irish House of Lords

The Irish House of Lords was the upper house of the Parliament of Ireland that existed from mediaeval times until 1800. It was abolished along with the Irish House of Commons by the Act of Union.-Function:...

 in 1765, Donegall served at Westminster

Parliament of Great Britain

The Parliament of Great Britain was formed in 1707 following the ratification of the Acts of Union by both the Parliament of England and Parliament of Scotland...

 as Member of Parliament

Member of Parliament

A 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 Malmesbury

Malmesbury (UK Parliament constituency)

Malmesbury was a parliamentary borough in Wiltshire, which elected two Members of Parliament to the House of Commons from 1275 until 1832, and then one member from 1832 until 1885, when the borough was abolished.- MPs 1275–1508 :...

 (1768–1774). As a means of securing his support for the Government in the Irish House of Commons

Irish House of Commons

The Irish House of Commons was the lower house of the Parliament of Ireland, that existed from 1297 until 1800. The upper house was the House of Lords...

, he was in 1790 created Baron Fisherwick, of Fisherwick in the County of Stafford

Staffordshire

Staffordshire is a landlocked county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes, the county is a NUTS 3 region and is one of four counties or unitary districts that comprise the "Shropshire and Staffordshire" NUTS 2 region. Part of the National Forest lies within its borders...

, in the Peerage of Great Britain

Peerage of Great Britain

The Peerage of Great Britain comprises all extant peerages created in the Kingdom of Great Britain after the Act of Union 1707 but before the Act of Union 1800...

. The following year he was also created Marquess of Donegall and Earl of Belfast in the Peerage of Ireland

Peerage of Ireland

The Peerage of Ireland is the term used for those titles of nobility created by the English and later British monarchs of Ireland in their capacity as Lord or King of Ireland. The creation of such titles came to an end in the 19th century. The ranks of the Irish peerage are Duke, Marquess, Earl,...

.

Family

Lord Donegall married three times. On 11 September 1761, he married Lady Anne Hamilton, daughter of James Hamilton, 5th Duke of Hamilton

James Hamilton, 5th Duke of Hamilton

James Hamilton, 5th Duke of Hamilton and 2nd Duke of Brandon KT FRS was a Scottish peer, the son of the 4th Duke of Hamilton....

. By her he had one son:

• George Chichester, 2nd Marquess of Donegall
  George Chichester, 2nd Marquess of Donegall
  George Augustus Chichester, 2nd Marquess of Donegall, KP, PC , styled Viscount Chichester until 1799, was an Irish nobleman and politician....
  
  

In October 1790 he married for the third time with Barbara, daughter of the Rev. Dr. Luke Godfrey.

Lord Donegall died aged 59 at his London

London

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 home in St James's Square, Westminster

City of Westminster

The City of Westminster is a London borough occupying much of the central area of London, England, including most of the West End. It is located to the west of and adjoining the ancient City of London, directly to the east of the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, and its southern boundary...

.