Marquess of Anglesey () is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created in 1815 for Henry Paget, 2nd Earl of Uxbridge, a hero of the Battle of Waterloo, second in command to the Duke of Wellington. The Marquess holds the subsidiary titles of Earl of Uxbridge, in the County of Middlesex, in the Peerage of Great Britain (1784), Baron Paget, de Beaudesert, in the Peerage of England (1553), and is also an Irish Baronet, of Plas Newydd in the County of Anglesey and of Mount Bagenall in the County of Louth.
The 8th Marquess carried the standard of Wales at the 2023 Coronation.
The family seat now is Plas Newydd, at Llanddaniel Fab, Anglesey. Most recent marquesses are buried at St Edwen's Church, Llanedwen, built and maintained by the Marquess. The former family seat was Beaudesert, near Cannock Chase, Staffordshire.
Family history 1553–1815
The Paget family descends from Sir William Paget, a close adviser to Henry VIII, who in 1553 was summoned to Parliament as Lord Paget de Beaudesert. His younger son, the third Baron, was a Catholic opponent of Elizabeth I. In 1589, he was attainted and his title forfeited. However, his son, the fourth Baron, was restored to the title in 1604. In contrast to his father, he was a prominent Protestant. He was succeeded by his son, the fifth Baron. He was Lord Lieutenant of Buckinghamshire for the parliamentarians between 1641 and 1642, when he joined the Royalists and was dismissed. His son, the sixth Baron, was Ambassador to both Austria and the Ottoman Empire. On his death, the title passed to his son, the seventh Baron. He had already been created Baron Burton, of Burton-on-Trent in the County of Stafford, in 1711, prior to succeeding to the barony of Paget in 1713. In 1714 he was further honoured when he was made Earl of Uxbridge, in the County of Middlesex. However, the earldom and barony of Burton became extinct on the death of his grandson, the second Earl (son of Thomas Catesby Paget, Lord Paget), in 1769.
The barony of Paget, which could be passed on through the female line, devolved on his cousin Henry Bayly, who became the ninth Baron. He was the son of Sir Nicholas Bayly, 2nd Baronet, of Plas Newydd, and Caroline, Lady Bayly (d. 1766), daughter of Thomas Paget and granddaughter of the Hon. Henry Paget, second son of William Paget, 5th Baron Paget. In 1770 Henry Bayly assumed the surname and arms of Paget only. Twelve years later, in 1782, he succeeded his father in the baronetcy, and in 1784 the earldom of Uxbridge was revived for him, when he was made Earl of Uxbridge, in the County of Middlesex. He was succeeded by his eldest son, the second Earl. He was a prominent military commander who gained fame at the Battle of Waterloo, where he lost his leg. A few weeks after the battle he was made Marquess of Anglesey.
Family history, 1815–present
Lord Anglesey later held political office as Master-General of the Ordnance and Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland. He was succeeded by his eldest son from his first marriage, the second Marquess. He served as Lord Chamberlain of the Household under Lord Melbourne between 1839 and 1841. His only son from his first marriage, the third Marquess, represented Staffordshire South in Parliament. He was childless and was succeeded by his half-brother, the fourth Marquess. He held the honorary post of vice-admiral of North Wales and West Carmarthen. His son, the fifth Marquess, became known for squandering his inheritance on a lavish social life and accumulating massive debts. In 1904 he was declared bankrupt. He died the following year aged only 29 and was succeeded by his cousin, the sixth Marquess. He was the son of Lord Alexander Paget, third son of the second Marquess. He was a soldier and courtier. He was succeeded by his only son, the seventh Marquess, who succeeded in 1947 and who was an author and historian. The seventh Marquess died in 2013 and was succeeded by his son Charles Alexander Vaughan Paget, 8th Marquess of Anglesey (born 13 November 1950). He was educated at Eton and Exeter College, Oxford (graduating M.A.), and at the University of Sussex (D.Phil.) His mother is the writer Shirley Paget, Marchioness of Anglesey, née Morgan. In 1986 he married Georgeanne Elizabeth Elliott Downes; they were divorced in 2011. They have a son, Benedict Dashiell Thomas Paget, Earl of Uxbridge, born 1986, the heir apparent, and a daughter, Clara Paget, born 1988, who is a model and actress. On 13 June 2015, the 8th Marquess married secondly in Mayfair Susan Blanche Louise de Paolis (née Sigmund), formerly wife of Pietro de Paolis.