Biography of William Ponsonby 1st Viscount Duncannon 1659-1724

Paternal Family Tree: Ponsonby

On 7th May 1640 Richard Wingfield and [his mother] Elizabeth Folliot (age 20) were married. She the daughter of [his grandfather] Henry Folliott 1st Baron Folliott and [his grandmother] Anne Strode Countess Roscommon. They were half sixth cousins.

On 12th April 1646 Edward Trevor and [his mother] Elizabeth Folliot (age 26) were married. She the daughter of [his grandfather] Henry Folliott 1st Baron Folliott and [his grandmother] Anne Strode Countess Roscommon.

In 1658 [his father] John Ponsonby (age 49) and [his mother] Elizabeth Folliot (age 38) were married. She the daughter of [his grandfather] Henry Folliott 1st Baron Folliott and [his grandmother] Anne Strode Countess Roscommon.

In 1659 William Ponsonby 1st Viscount Duncannon was born to [his father] John Ponsonby (age 50) and [his mother] Elizabeth Folliot (age 39).

In September 1660 [his half-brother] Folliot Wingfield 1st Viscount Powerscourt (age 17) and [his sister-in-law] Elizabeth Boyle Viscountess Powerscourt (age 18) were married. She the daughter of Roger Boyle 1st Earl Orrery (age 39) and Margaret Howard Countess Orrery (age 38). They were sixth cousins.

On 22nd February 1665 [his half-brother] Folliot Wingfield 1st Viscount Powerscourt (age 22) was created 1st Viscount Powerscourt. [his sister-in-law] Elizabeth Boyle Viscountess Powerscourt (age 23) by marriage Viscountess Powerscourt.

On 14th November 1677 William Ponsonby 1st Viscount Duncannon (age 18) was educated at Trinity College, Dublin.

In 1678 [his father] John Ponsonby (age 69) died.

William of Worcester's Chronicle of England

William of Worcester, born around 1415, and died around 1482 was secretary to John Fastolf, the renowned soldier of the Hundred Years War, during which time he collected documents, letters, and wrote a record of events. Following their return to England in 1440 William was witness to major events. Twice in his chronicle he uses the first person: 1. when writing about the murder of Thomas, 7th Baron Scales, in 1460, he writes '… and I saw him lying naked in the cemetery near the porch of the church of St. Mary Overie in Southwark …' and 2. describing King Edward IV's entry into London in 1461 he writes '… proclaimed that all the people themselves were to recognize and acknowledge Edward as king. I was present and heard this, and immediately went down with them into the city'. William’s Chronicle is rich in detail. It is the source of much information about the Wars of the Roses, including the term 'Diabolical Marriage' to describe the marriage of Queen Elizabeth Woodville’s brother John’s marriage to Katherine, Dowager Duchess of Norfolk, he aged twenty, she sixty-five or more, and the story about a paper crown being placed in mockery on the severed head of Richard, 3rd Duke of York.

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Before 1679 William Ponsonby 1st Viscount Duncannon (age 19) and Mary Moore were married.

In 1679 [his son] Brabazon Ponsonby 1st Earl Bessborough was born to William Ponsonby 1st Viscount Duncannon (age 20) and [his wife] Mary Moore. He married before 1704 his second cousin Sarah Margetson, daughter of John Margetson and Alice Caulfeild Baroness Carpenter, and had issue.

In 1685 [his son] Henry Ponsonby was born to William Ponsonby 1st Viscount Duncannon (age 26) and [his wife] Mary Moore. He married in or before 1720 Frances Brabazon, daughter of Chambre Brabazon 5th Earl Meath and Juliana Chaworth Countess Meath, and had issue.

Before 1704 [his son] Brabazon Ponsonby 1st Earl Bessborough (age 24) and [his daughter-in-law] Sarah Margetson (age 25) were married. They were second cousins.

On 26th May 1713 [his wife] Mary Moore died.

Around 5th February 1717 [his half-brother] Folliot Wingfield 1st Viscount Powerscourt (age 74) died. Viscount Powerscourt extinct.

In or before 1720 [his son] Henry Ponsonby (age 34) and [his daughter-in-law] Frances Brabazon (age 31) were married. She the daughter of Chambre Brabazon 5th Earl Meath and Juliana Chaworth Countess Meath.

On 11th September 1721 William Ponsonby 1st Viscount Duncannon (age 62) was created 1st Baron Bessborough of Bessborough in Kilkenny.

The Deeds of the Dukes of Normandy

The Gesta Normannorum Ducum [The Deeds of the Dukes of Normandy] is a landmark medieval chronicle tracing the rise and fall of the Norman dynasty from its early roots through the pivotal events surrounding the Norman Conquest of England. Originally penned in Latin by the monk William of Jumièges shortly before 1060 and later expanded at the behest of William the Conqueror, the work chronicles the deeds, politics, battles, and leadership of the Norman dukes, especially William’s own claim to the English throne. The narrative combines earlier historical sources with firsthand information and oral testimony to present an authoritative account of Normandy’s transformation from a Viking settlement into one of medieval Europe’s most powerful realms. William’s history emphasizes the legitimacy, military prowess, and governance of the Norman line, framing their expansion, including the conquest of England, as both divinely sanctioned and noble in purpose. Later chroniclers such as Orderic Vitalis and Robert of Torigni continued the history, extending the coverage into the 12th century, providing broader context on ducal rule and its impact. Today this classic work remains a foundational source for understanding Norman identity, medieval statesmanship, and the historical forces that reshaped England and Western Europe between 800AD and 1100AD.

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On 28th February 1723 William Ponsonby 1st Viscount Duncannon (age 64) was created 1st Viscount Duncannon of Duncannon in Wexford.

On 17th November 1724 William Ponsonby 1st Viscount Duncannon (age 65) died. His son Brabazon (age 45) succeeded 2nd Viscount Duncannon of Duncannon in Wexford, 2nd Baron Bessborough of Bessborough in Kilkenny.

[his daughter] Elizabeth Ponsonby was born to William Ponsonby 1st Viscount Duncannon and Mary Moore. She married Richard Moore of Cashell County Tipperary and had issue.

[his daughter] Anne Ponsonby was born to William Ponsonby 1st Viscount Duncannon and Mary Moore. She married April 1806 her fourth cousin once removed Nicholas Loftus 1st Viscount Loftus and had issue.