Richard Parsons, 1st Earl of Rosse
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Richard Parsons (1702-1741) was the first Earl of Rosse, from Parsonstown, Kings County (now Birr, Co. Offaly).
A freemason and founder member of the Hell-Fire Club, Parsons was a notable Libertine (and nihilist[citation needed]), rebelling against the norms of the day[citation needed].
He wrote the book Dionysus Rising after a trip to Egypt where he claimed to have found Dionysian scrolls looted from the Great Library of Alexandria.
After writing his book he founded the Sacred Sect of Dionysus. An offshoot of freemasonry called the Revived Order of Dionysus is in existence in New Orleans, USA, and split due to a belief that Freemasonry is descendant from a pre-Christian cult called Dionysiac Architects. They were inspired by Richard Parsons book[citation needed], only two copies of which exist to this day.
Today's Parsons of Birr Castle are his direct descendants, as are the numerous Parsons in the town.
[edit] References
- http://www.moderndrunkardmagazine.com/issues/07_05/0705_dionysus_rising.htm
- http://freemasonry.bcy.ca/biography/parsons_r/parsons_r.html
- http://www.sra-ireland.freepress-freespeech.com/archivehellfireclub.htm
| Peerage of Ireland | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by none |
Earl of Rosse 1718–1741 |
Succeeded by Richard Parsons |
| Preceded by Richard Parsons |
Viscount Rosse 1703-1741 |
Succeeded by Richard Parsons |
