Thomas Southwell, 1st Viscount Southwell

Thomas George Southwell, 1st Viscount Southwell (4 May 1721 – 29 August 1780),[1] styled The Honourable from birth until 1766, was an Irish politician and freemason.

Contents

Background

He was the oldest son of Thomas Southwell, 2nd Baron Southwell and his wife Mary Coke, eldest daughter of Thomas Coke.[2] Southwell was educated at Lincoln's Inn and went then to Christ Church College, Oxford.[3] He served in the 2nd Foot and became an ensign in 1738.[4] Between 1753 and 1757, Southwell was Grandmaster of the Grand Lodge of Ireland.[5]

Career

In 1747, Southwell entered the Irish House of Commons for Enniscorthy, sitting for it until 1761.[6] Subsequently he was returned for Limerick County, the same constituency his father and his uncle Henry Southwell had represented before,[6] until 1766, when he succeeded his father as baron.[7] Three years later, Southwell delivered his maiden speech in the Irish House of Lords.[4] He was appointed Constable of Limerick Castle in 1750, and Governor of County Limerick in 1762, posts he held until his death in 1780.[4] In 1776, Southwell was elevated to the title Viscount Southwell, of Castle Mattress, in the County of Limerick.[8]

Family

On 18 June 1741, he married Margaret Hamilton, daughter of Arthur Cecil Hamilton of Castle Hamilton, Killeshandra, Co. Cavan [9] and had by her three sons and a daughter.[2] Southwell died, aged 59 and was buried at Rathkeale.[4] He was succeeded in his titles by his oldest son Thomas.[2], while his younger son Robert sat also in the Parliament of Ireland.[6]

References

  1. ^ "Leigh Rayment - Peerage". http://www.leighrayment.com/peers/peersS4.htm. Retrieved 10 June 2009. 
  2. ^ a b c Burke, John (1832). A Genealogical and Heraldic History of the Peerage and Baronetage of the British Empire. vol. II (4th ed.). London: Henry Colburn and Richard Bentley. pp. 465. 
  3. ^ "ThePeerage - Thomas George Southwell, 1st Viscount Southwell of Castle Mattress". http://thepeerage.com/p14819.htm#i148186. Retrieved 11 June 2009. 
  4. ^ a b c d Lodge, John (1789). Mervyn Archdall. ed. The Peerage of Ireland or A Genealogical History of the Present Nobility of that Kingdom. vol. VI. Dublin: James Moore. pp. 26–27. 
  5. ^ Waite, Arthur Edward (2007). A New Encyclopedia of Freemasonry. vol. I. Cosimo, Inc.. pp. 400. ISBN 1602066418. 
  6. ^ a b c "Leigh Rayment - Irish House of Commons 1692-1800". http://www.leighrayment.com/commons/irelandcommons.htm. Retrieved 11 June 2009. 
  7. ^ Lodge, Edmund (1838). The Genealogy of the Existing British Peerage (6th ed.). London: Saunder and Otley. pp. 462. 
  8. ^ London Gazette: no. 11679. p. 1. 29 June 1776. Retrieved 11 June 2009.
  9. ^ Debrett, John (1828). Debrett's Peerage of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. vol. II (17th ed.). London: G. Woodfall. pp. 781. 
Parliament of Ireland
Preceded by
Anderson Saunders
Richard Le Hunt		 Member of Parliament for Enniscorthy
1747 – 1761
With: Anderson Saunders		 Succeeded by
Beauchamp Bagenal
John Grogan
Preceded by
Eyre Evans
Hugh Massy		 Member of Parliament for Limerick County
1761 – 1766
With: Hugh Massy		 Succeeded by
Hon. Thomas Arthur Southwell
Hugh Massy
Masonic offices
Preceded by
Lord George Sackville		 Grandmaster of the Grand Lodge of Ireland
1753 – 1757		 Succeeded by
Brinsley Butler, Lord Newtown-Butler
Peerage of Ireland
New creation Viscount Southwell
1776 – 1780		 Succeeded by
Thomas Southwell
Preceded by
Thomas Southwell		 Baron Southwell
1766 – 1780