Lawrence Parsons, 4th Earl of Rosse KP FRS(17 November 1840 – 29 August 1908) was the son and successor of the astronomer William Parsons, 3rd Earl of Rosse who built the "Leviathan of Parsonstown" telescope, largest of its day, and his wife, the Countess Rosse (née Mary Field), an amateur astronomer and pioneering photographer. His name is often given as Laurence Parsons.
He served as the eighteenth Chancellor of Trinity College, Dublin between 1885 and 1908. His father served as the sixteenth Chancellor.
Although overshadowed by his father (when astronomers speak of "Lord Rosse", it is almost always the father that they refer to), he nonetheless pursued some astronomical observations of his own, particularly of the Moon.
He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in December 1867 and delivered the Bakerian lecture there in 1873. He was vice-president of the society in 1881 and 1887.[1]
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He married Frances Cassandra Hawke, daughter of Edward Harvey-Hawke, 4th Baron Hawke and Frances Fetherstonhaugh, on 1 September 1870. They had three children:
| Honorary titles | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Francis Travers Dames-Longworth |
Lord Lieutenant of King's County 1892–1908 |
Succeeded by The Earl of Rosse |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded by Lord Farnham |
representative peer for Ireland 1868–1908 |
Succeeded by Lord Ashtown |
| Peerage of Ireland | ||
| Preceded by William Parsons |
Earl of Rosse 1867–1908 |
Succeeded by William Edward Parsons |