(Encyclopedia) Vansittart, Robert Gilbert Vansittart, 1st Baron, 1881–1957, British diplomat. After serving in a number of diplomatic positions, he was (1920–24) private secretary to Lord Curzon, who…
(Encyclopedia) Walpole, Robert, 1st earl of Orford, 1676–1745, English statesman.
Walpole is usually described as the first prime minister of Great Britain, but he was not a prime minister in the…
(Encyclopedia) Wellesley, Richard Colley Wellesley, 1st Marquess, 1760–1842, British colonial administrator; brother of Arthur Wellesley, 1st duke of Wellington. He became earl of Mornington on his…
(Encyclopedia) Wellington, Arthur Wellesley, 1st duke of, 1769–1852, British soldier and statesman.
Wellington, “the iron duke,” with the soldier's taste for discipline and order and the aristocrat…
(Encyclopedia) Westmorland, Ralph Neville, 1st earl of, 1364–1425, English nobleman. His family was one of the most powerful in England and shared domination of the northern counties with the Percy…
(Encyclopedia) Wharton, Thomas Wharton, 1st marquess of, 1648–1715, English politician. Before his entry into Parliament (1673) he had acquired the reputation as a rake and gambler that he retained…
(Encyclopedia) Wavell, Archibald Percival Wavell, 1st EarlWavell, Archibald Percival Wavell, 1st Earlwāˈvəl [key], 1883–1950, British field marshal and viceroy of India. Wavell first saw service in…
(Encyclopedia) Sackville, Thomas, 1st earl of Dorset, 1536–1608, English statesman and poet. A barrister of the Inner Temple, Sackville entered Parliament in 1558, gained favor with Elizabeth I, and…
(Encyclopedia) Southampton, Thomas Wriothesley, 1st earl of, c.1500–1550, lord chancellor of England. Appointed a clerk of the signet in 1530, he rose in the favor of Thomas Cromwell and Henry VIII,…