English: Daniel Gardner (Kendal 1745 - 1805 London)

Portrait of Robert Stewart, Viscount Castlereagh, 2nd Marquess of Londonderry (1769-1822)

Pastel and bodycolour

848 by 505 mm.

The sitter was born in Dublin, the second but only surviving son of Robert Stewart, later 1st Marquess of Londonderry (1739-1821) and his first wife Sarah Frances Seymour (1747-1770).

His early schooling took place in Ireland, before he went up to Cambridge University in 1786. In 1790 he was elected as a Member of the Irish Parliament for his family's Down constituency. This was the beginning of a great, if not divisive, political career which saw him serve in a number of high ranking governmental posts, including Secretary of State for War and the Colonies, Foreign Secretary and Leader of the House of Commons. He was instrumental in the decisions and events that led up to the Congress of Vienna (1814-15) and he was also an important voice in the struggle against slavery.

George IV was a great supporter and had - at one point - wanted Castlereagh to replace Lord Liverpool as Prime Minister. When it became clear that Castlereagh's mental state was fragile, the King wrote to him saying: 'remember of what importance Your Health is to the Country but above all things to Me'. Tragically Castlereagh never read this note for on the 12 August 1822 he took his own life.

As great statesman, he was buried at Westminster Abbey, and his coffin pallbearers included the Prime Minister Lord Liverpool, the former Prime Minister Lord Sidmouth, and two future Prime Ministers the Duke of Wellington and Frederick Robinson.