Brabazon Ponsonby, 1st Earl of Bessborough (1679 – 4 July 1758) was a British politician and peer. He was the son of William Ponsonby, 1st Viscount Duncannon and Mary Moore. He was an active politician from 1705 to 1757 in Great Britain

Great Britain

Great 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...

 and Ireland

Ireland

Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...

. He represented Newtownards

Newtownards

Newtownards is a large town in County Down, Northern Ireland. It lies at the most northern tip of Strangford Lough, 10 miles east of Belfast, on the Ards Peninsula. Newtownards is the largest town in the Borough of Ards. According to the 2001 Census, it has a population of 27,821 people in...

 and County Kildare

County Kildare

County Kildare is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Mid-East Region and is also located in the province of Leinster. It is named after the town of Kildare. Kildare County Council is the local authority for the county...

 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 is buried in Fiddown, County Kilkenny

County Kilkenny

County Kilkenny is a county in Ireland. It is part of the South-East Region and is also located in the province of Leinster. It is named after the city of Kilkenny. The territory of the county was the core part of the ancient Irish Kingdom of Osraige which in turn was the core of the Diocese of...

, Ireland.

Ponsonby married an heiress who owned Bishopscourt, County Kildare

Bishopscourt, County Kildare

Bishopscourt is a townland and historic site in County Kildare, Ireland near Kill, Ardclough and Straffan and beside the N7 road. The estate was once held by the Bishops of Kildare.-Calendar and historical references:...

, and his family remained there until the 1830s.

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Ranks and Offices Held

• Member of Parliament for Newtonards, County Down
  County Down
  -Cities:*Belfast *Newry -Large towns:*Dundonald*Newtownards*Bangor-Medium towns:...
  
   between 1705 to 1714.
• Captain, 27th Regiment
  27th (Inniskilling) Regiment of Foot
  The 27th Regiment of Foot was an Irish infantry regiment of the British Army, formed in 1689 and amalgamated into The Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers in 1881.- History :...
  
  ; Enniskillen
  Enniskillen
  Enniskillen is a town in County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland. It is located almost exactly in the centre of the county between the Upper and Lower sections of Lough Erne. It had a population of 13,599 in the 2001 Census...
  
   - 1707
• Sheriff and Governor of County Kilkenny - 1713
• Sheriff and Governor of County Kildare - 1714
• 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,...
  
   : County of Kildare - 1715 to 1724
• Privy Counsellor
  Privy council
  A privy council is a body that advises the head of state of a nation, typically, but not always, in the context of a monarchic government. The word "privy" means "private" or "secret"; thus, a privy council was originally a committee of the monarch's closest advisors to give confidential advice on...
  
   (invested) - May 10, 1727.
• Commissioner of the Revenue - 1739 to 1744.
• Marshal of the Admiralty in Ireland - 1751 to 1752.
• Lord Justice
  Lord Chief Justice of Ireland
  thumb|200px|The Four CourtsThe headquarters of the Irish judicial system since 1804. The Court of King's Bench was one of the original four courts that sat there....
  
   in Ireland - 1754 to 1755.
• Vice-Admiral of Munster
  Munster
  Munster is one of the Provinces of Ireland situated in the south of Ireland. In Ancient Ireland, it was one of the fifths ruled by a "king of over-kings" . Following the Norman invasion of Ireland, the ancient kingdoms were shired into a number of counties for administrative and judicial purposes...
  
   - 1755.
• Lord Justice in Ireland - 1756 to 1757.

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Titles & Styles

• 2nd Viscount Duncannon, of the Fort of Duncannon, county of Wexford (succeeded) - Nov. 17, 1724.
• 2nd Baron Bessborough, of Bessborough, county of Kilkenny (succeeded) - Nov. 17, 1724.
• 1st Earl of Bessborough, Ireland (created) - October 6, 1739.
• 1st Baron Ponsonby of Sysonby, county of Leicester, Great Britain (created) - June 12, 1749.

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Marriages

• Sarah Margetson (d. May 21, 1773), daughter of John Margetson and Alice Caulfeild, in 1704. Sarah was married before to Hugh Colvill. Sarah's children by Brabazon Ponsonby:

Name	|Death	William Ponsonby William Ponsonby, 2nd Earl of Bessborough William Ponsonby, 2nd Earl of Bessborough PC PC was an Irish and English peer and member of the House of Lords, styled Hon. William Ponsonby from 1723 to 1739 and Viscount Duncannon from 1739 to 1758...	1704	March 11, 1793	married: July 5, 1739, Lady Caroline Cavendish; had issue
John Ponsonby	March 29, 1713	Aug 16, 1787	married: September 22, 1743, Lady Elizabeth Cavendish; had issue
Lady Letitia Ponsonby	circa 1720	Feb 9, 1754	married: November 3, 1742, Hervey Morres, 1st Viscount Mountmorres; had issue

• Elizabeth Sankey: (circa 1680 - July 17, 1738), daughter of John Sankey and Eleanor Morgan, on November 28, 1733.