King William IV of the United Kingdom
(1765-1837)

1st Duke of Clarence and St Andrews (1789-1830) and 3rd King of the United Kingdom (1830-1837)

Died aged c. 72

William IV (William Henry; 21 August 1765 – 20 June 1837) was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and King of Hanover from 26 June 1830 until his death in 1837. The third son of George III, William succeeded his elder brother George IV, becoming the last king and penultimate monarch of Britain's House of Hanover. William served in the Royal Navy in his youth, spending time in North America and the Caribbean, and was later nicknamed the "Sailor King". In 1789, he was created Duke of Clarence and St Andrews. In 1827, he was appointed Britain's first Lord High Admiral since 1709. As his two elder brothers died without leaving legitimate issue, he inherited the throne when he was 64 years old. His reign saw several reforms: the Poor Law was updated, child labour restricted, slavery abolished in nearly all of the British Empire, and the electoral system refashioned by the Reform Acts of 1832. Although William did not engage in politics as much as his brother or his father, he was the last British monarch to appoint a prime minister contrary to the will of Parliament. He granted his German kingdom a short-lived liberal constitution. At the time of his death, William had no surviving legitimate children, but he was survived by eight of the ten illegitimate children he had by the actress Dorothea Jordan, with whom he cohabited for twenty years. Late in life, he married and apparently remained faithful to Princess Adelaide of Saxe-Meiningen. William was succeeded by his niece Victoria in the United Kingdom and his brother Ernest Augustus in Hanover.

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Family tree

Commemorated on 7 plaques

sleepymyf on Flickr
Bath, United Kingdom
Spudgun67 on Wikimedia Commons
Brighton, United Kingdom
Nick Harrison on Flickr
London, United Kingdom
Spudgun67 on Wikimedia Commons
London, United Kingdom
Elliott Brown on Flickr
London, United Kingdom
Elliott Brown on Flickr
London, United Kingdom
Spudgun67 on Wikimedia Commons
Shrewsbury, United Kingdom

Here dwelt the Duke of Clarence afterwards King William the Fourth. 1817. B.1765. D.1837.

103 Sydney Place, Bath, United Kingdom where they lived

William IV and Queen Adelaide stayed here 1829

Royal York Hotel, Old Steine, Brighton, United Kingdom where they stayed

H.R.H. The Duke of Clarence lived here 1826. Later to become King William IV (The Sailor King) 1830-1837

Charles St, W1, London, United Kingdom where they lived

Ashberry Cottage. Here lived William, Duke of Clarence later King William IV and Mrs Dorothea Jordan actress

Ashberry Cottage, 62 Honor Oak Road, Forest Hill, London, United Kingdom where they lived

This statue stood formerly in King William Street in the City of London where it was set up in 1845. It was removed to this site and presented to H M Office of Works by the Corporation of the City of London in 1936

Statue of King William IV, Greenwich Park, London, United Kingdom where they is commemorated

The Site of the Toy Inn An ancient Hostelry of Note Built for Oliver Cromwell's Troops c, 1650 rebuilt c. 1700, demolished c. 1840, wherein Pope wrote the Rape of the Lock; the Duke of Clarence, afterwards William IV, formed & presided over his Toy Club; and Thomas Dunckerley founded the Masonic Lodge of Harmony 255 in 1785. The Lodge held here for 37 years, now erects this Tablet July 1933

Hampton Court Palace - Hampton Court Way, London, United Kingdom where they met

The Lion. Dating from before 1618, the premier coaching on the London-Holyhead route. Famous visitors include Charles Dickens, Paganini, William IV, Jenny Lind, D'Quincy, Madame Tussaud, Disraeli. Particular features of note include Adam Ballroom & Tapestry Lounge

Wyle Cop, Shrewsbury, United Kingdom where they stayed