Sir Richard Levinge, 7th Baronet

Sir Richard George Augustus Levinge, 7th Baronet (1 November 1811 – 28 September 1884)[1] was an Irish landowner and politician from Knockdrin Castle, County Westmeath. He sat in the House of Commons of the United Kingdom from 1857 to 1865.

His mother was a sister of the 2nd Baron Rancliffe, who died without issue in November 1850. Sir Richard inherited his uncle's entailed property, valued at between £1,000 and £2,000 per annum.[2] In 1846 he was commissioned as Lieutenant Colonel of the Westmeath Militia.[3] He was Sheriff of Westmeath in 1851–2,[4][5] and in 1853 was appointed as a Deputy Lieutenant of the county.[6]

At the 1852 general election, he contested the Westmeath constituency as a Conservative, without success.

Five years later, at the 1857 election,[7] he was returned unopposed for Westmeath as a Independent Opposition candidate.[8] That party collapsed in 1859, he was re-elected at the 1859 general election, [9] as a Liberal.[8]

He did not contest the 1865 election.[8] He was asked to stand again at the 1868 general election, but refused. He said that although he was a Liberal on all other points, he was a staunch Protestant, and opposed the Liberal policy of disestablishing the Church of Ireland.[10]

He died in Brussels on Sunday 28 September 1884, aged 73. He was succeeded in the baronetcy by his brother Vere Henry Levinge, an officer in the Madras Civil Service.[11]

References

  1. ↑ Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "W" (part 3)
  2. ↑ "Death of Lord Rancliffe". Dublin Evening Mail (British Newspaper Archive). November 1850. p. 3. (subscription required (help)).
  3. ↑ The Edinburgh Gazette: no. 6455. p. 29. 5 January 1855. Retrieved 10 July 2014.
  4. ↑ The Edinburgh Gazette: no. 6046. p. 101. 11 February 1851. Retrieved 10 July 2014.
  5. ↑ "High Sheriffs for 1851–'52". Freeman's Journal (British Newspaper Archive). 3 January 1851. p. 2. (subscription required (help)).
  6. ↑ The Edinburgh Gazette: no. 6287. p. 437. 3 June 1853. Retrieved 10 July 2014.
  7. ↑ The London Gazette: no. 21995. p. 1534. 1 May 1857. Retrieved 10 July 2014.
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 Walker, Brian M., ed. (1978). Parliamentary Election Results in Ireland 1801–1922. A New History of Ireland. Dublin: Royal Irish Academy. p. 320. ISBN 0901714127. ISSN 0332-0286.
  9. ↑ The London Gazette: no. 22264. p. 1988. 17 May 1859. Retrieved 10 July 2014.
  10. ↑ "Election News". Dublin Evening Mail (British Newspaper Archive). 18 August 1868. p. 2. (subscription required (help)).
  11. ↑ "Sir Richard George Augustus Levinge, Bart". Aberdeen Evening Express (British Newspaper Archive). 30 September 1884. p. 2. (subscription required (help)).

External links

Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by
William Henry Magan
William Pollard-Urquhart		 Member of Parliament for Westmeath
1857 – 1865
With: William Henry Magan to 1859
William Pollard-Urquhart from 1859		 Succeeded by
William Pollard-Urquhart
Hon. Algernon Greville-Nugent
Baronetage of Ireland
Preceded by
Richard Levinge		 Baronet
(of High Park)
1848 – 1884 		Succeeded by
Vere Henry Levinge