George Capell was the son and heir of William Anne Capell, 4th Earl of Essex (1732–1799), from his first marriage to Frances Williams. He was also the elder half-brother of Thomas Bladen Capel, Captain (later Admiral) in the Royal Navy and one of Horatio Nelson"s Band of Brothers.
George Capell was educated at Corpus Christi College, Cambridge, receiving his Master of Arts in 1777.
His surname was Capell until 1781. On 4 March 1799 Capel-Coningsby succeeded his father as 5th Earl of Essex. He served as Recorder and High Steward of Leominster in 1802, and as Lord Lieutenant of Herefordshire from 1802 to 1817.
He became a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries in 1801, and received an honorary Doctorate.C.L. from Oxford University in 1810.
Upon his succession to the title of Earl of Essex, he set about a major reconstruction of the family seat, Cassiobury House in Watford, Hertfordshire, engaging the services of the architect James Wyatt and landscape designer Humphrey Repton to develop the house and grounds. Essex was noted as a major patron of the arts and was responsible for building up a large fine art collection at Cassiobury.
An obituary of Essex in 1839 records that "his Lordship has richly embellished his house at Cassiobury, as well as his town mansion in Belgrave Square, with numerous choice works of our native painters", and that he had entertained a number of noted British artists of the day at Cassiobury and commissioned works from them, including J. M. West. Turner, Augustus Pugin, John Callcott Horsley, David Wilkie and Edwin Henry Landseer. George Capel-Coningsby died on 23 April 1839 at Cassiobury, aged 81, and was buried at Watford, leaving behind his operatic widow, Kitty Stephens, who was now the Countess Dowager.
14th Parliament of Great Britain. 15th Parliament of Great Britain. 16th Parliament of Great Britain.
17th Parliament of Great Britain.
18th Parliament of Great Britain]
He was one of the two members of parliament for Westminster from 1779 to 1780, a member for Lostwithiel from 1781 to 1784, for Okehampton from 1785 to 1790, and for Radnor from 1794 to 1799.
