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William, the third son of King George III, was made Duke of Clarence in 1789. In 1797, he was appointed Keeper (or Ranger) of Bushy Park and he moved into Bushy House with his mistress, the Irish comedy actress, Mrs Dorothea Jordan (also known as Dorothy or Dora), and their three children. William and Dorothy produced seven more children while at Bushy House. In 1820, George III died and was succeeded by his eldest son, the Prince Regent, who became King George IV. George IV’s only daughter, Charlotte, had died in 1817, so William became second in line to the throne. |
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| In 1818, following considerable pressure for some years, William married Princess Adelaide of Saxe-Meiningen. William and Adelaide had two daughters, but they died in infancy. In 1827, George III’s second son, Frederick, Duke of York, died and William became heir to the throne. George IV died in 1830 and was succeeded by William who became King William IV. William and Adelaide moved to Windsor Castle and used Clarence House as their main London residence. |
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| In 1836, the city of Adelaide, South Australia, was founded and named after the Queen. William died the following year, and was succeeded by his niece, Victoria, the daughter of his late brother, Edward, Duke of Kent. The dowager Queen Adelaide moved back to Bushy House and lived there until she died in 1849. Roads and public houses in Teddington and Hampton Hill have been named after William and Adelaide. From about 1899 Bushy House was used by the National Physical Laboratory and is occasionally open to the public. |
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further reading:
Bushy Park – Royals, Rangers and Rogues, Kathy White and Peter Foster, Foundry Press, 1997, ISBN 0 9530245 0 4
www.npl.co.uk/about/bushy_house_history
www.royal.gov.uk
text originally supplied by Paul Gibbons
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