two years very friendly relations. A dispute, however, subsequently arose over a church-building question, and the bishop was determinedly hostile to the vicar during the last twenty years of his episcopate.
The closing years of Molesworth's life were spent in comparative peace. He died on 21 April 1877, and was buried at St. Martin's, Castleton Moor, Lancashire. He was twice married, first, in 1825, to Harriet, daughter of W. Mackinnon, esq., of Newton Park, by whom he had six sons and three daughters, among whom were William Nassau Molesworth [q. v.], the historian, and Sir Guilford Molesworth, K.C.I.E., the distinguished engineer; secondly, in 1854, to Harriett Elizabeth, daughter of the Rev. Sir Robert Affleck, bart., and widow of J. T. Bridges, esq., of St. Nicholas Court, Thanet, and Walmer.
Molesworth was a high churchman before tractarianism, and, like W. F. Hook, whom in many points of character and circumstance he resembled, found himself sometimes in agreement, sometimes in disagreement, with the leaders of the Oxford movement. He was a friend of Hugh James Rose [q. v.], and contributed to the 'British Magazine' and 'Encyclopædia Metropolitana,' of which Rose was editor. The courage and zeal with which he advocated unpopular opinions could not fail to arouse opposition and resentment, but his good temper and generosity disarmed many an adversary, and it was characteristic of him that he never allowed public quarrels to be carried into private life. Besides his sermons and pamphlets he published 'The Rick-burners,' a tale which enjoyed a large circulation at the time of the chartist riots. There is an engraved portrait by H. Cook.
[The Vicars of Rochdale, by the Rev. Canon Raines (Chetham Soc.); Foster's Peerage; private information.]
MOLESWORTH, Hon. MARY (d. 1715), poetess. [See Monk.]
MOLESWORTH, RICHARD, third Viscount Molesworth (1680–1758), field-marshal, born in 1680, was second son of Robert, first viscount Molesworth [q. v.] He was destined for the law and was entered at the Temple, but abandoning his studies set off with a servant to join the army in Holland, where he presented himself to his father's intimate friend Lord George Hamilton, earl of Orkney [q. v.] He served at first as a volunteer and was afterwards appointed captain in Orkney's regiment, the Scots Royal (1st foot), with which he was present at Blenheim (' Blenheim Roll ' in Treasury Papers, vol. xciii.) He was one of Marlborough's aides-de-camp, and saved the duke's life at the battle of Ramillies, 23 May 1706. Different versions of the incident have been given, but the most authentic appears to be that Marlborough, seeing the allied left, on the open ground to the left of the village of Ramillies, was sore pressed, had ordered reinforcements to proceed thither from the right, and was himself personally leading up some squadrons of horse of the left wing which he had rallied with great difficulty, when he was unhorsed and ridden over by a body of Dutch cavalry retiring in disorder. His horse galloped away among the Dutch, and his aide-de-camp, Molesworth, seeing his chief in immediate danger of capture from the pursuing squadrons of French, put him on his own horse and persuaded him to ride away. In the ardour of the pursuit Molesworth was overlooked, and the French were presently brought up by the steady fire of Albemarle's Dutch-Swiss, under Colonel Constant. Molesworth recovered Marlborough's horse from a soldier, and found his chief in the village of Ramillies, issuing orders. Marlborough essayed to shift back to his own horse, when he was stunned by a roundshot, which took off the head of his principal aide-de-camp, Colonel Bringfield of Lumley's horse, who was holding his stirrup. The affair was carefully hushed up at the time.
Molesworth was appointed a captain and lieutenant-colonel in the Coldstream guards the year after, served in Flanders, and was blown up by a mine at the siege of Mons, but without receiving much injury. In 1710 he was appointed colonel of a regiment of foot, in succession to Colonel Moore, and went with it to Spain the year after. The regiment was disbanded at the peace of Utrecht. Molesworth was made lieutenant of the ordnance in Ireland, 11 Dec. 1714, and was returned as M.P. for Swords, co. Dublin. During the Jacobite rising of 1715 he raised a regiment of dragoons, with which he served, under General Carpenter, against the rebels in Lancashire. The regiment was disbanded, and on 19 March 1724 Molesworth was appointed colonel of the 27th Inniskilling foot. On 5 Oct. 1731 he succeeded to the title on the death of his elder brother, John, second viscount, ambassador in Tuscany and Sardinia [see under Molesworth, Robert, first Viscount]. On 31 May 1732 Molesworth succeeded General Crofts as colonel of the 9th dragoons (now lancers); on 26 Oct. 1733 was sworn of the Irish privy council; on 18 Dec. 1735 became a major-general; on 19 Dec. 1736 he was sworn one of the lords justices of Ireland
