William Brownlow (1726–1794)

William Brownlow PC (I) (10 April 1726 – 28 October 1794)[1] of Lurgan, County Armagh was an Anglo-Irish politician.

The Right Honourable
William Brownlow
PC (I)
Portrait of Brownlow, by Gilbert Stuart, c. 1790
Member of the Ireland Parliament
for County Armagh
In office
1753–1794
Preceded byWilliam Richardson
Robert Cope
Succeeded byWilliam Richardson
William Brownlow
Member of the Ireland Parliament
for Strabane
In office
1768–1769
Preceded byGeorge Montgomery
John Stuart Hamilton
Succeeded byClaude Hamilton
John Stuart Hamilton
Personal details
Born(1726-04-10)10 April 1726
Died28 October 1794(1794-10-28) (aged 68)
Spouses
  • Judith Meredyth
  • Catherine Hall
Parents

Early life

He was the only son of William Brownlow MP and Lady Elizabeth Hamilton, daughter of James Hamilton, 6th Earl of Abercorn[1] and Elizabeth Reading.[2]

Career

Brownlow served as High Sheriff of Armagh for 1750 and was first elected to the Irish House of Commons as the Member of Parliament for County Armagh in 1753, styled The Right Honourable and holding the seat until his death.[1] He was also returned for the Strabane constituency in 1768, but was replaced in 1769.[3] He was an officer of the Irish Volunteers and one of the founding subscribers of the Bank of Ireland in 1783.[1] He was generally seen as a reformer, although there were allegations that he misused public funds to improve his demesne.[1]

Personal life

He married firstly Judith Letitia Meredyth, daughter of the Reverend Charles Meredyth, Dean of Ardfert, and had at least two sons and a daughter, including:[4]

  • William Brownlow (1755–1815), MP for County Armagh who married Charity Forde, daughter of Mathew Forde, in 1795.[4]
  • Catherine Brownlow (1755–1815), who married Mathew Forde, son of Mathew Forde, in 1782.[4]
  • Charles Brownlow (1757–1822), who married Caroline Ashe, daughter of Benjamin Ashe, in 1785.[4]

He married secondly Catherine Hall, daughter of Roger Hall of Mount Hall, County Down, and the former and Catherine Savage. Together, they had at least six further children, including:[lower-alpha 1]

William, his eldest son and heir, also became an MP for County Armagh and founded the bank of William Brownlow Esq.,& Co. Charles became a Lieutenant-Colonel in the 57th Foot and succeeded his childless brother in 1815.[6][7] Charles's son, also named Charles, became 1st Baron Lurgan.[4]

Notes
  1. Sources vary as to the number of children Brownlow had. The Dictionary of Irish Biography[1] suggests a total of nine: two sons by Judith, and two sons and five daughters by Catherine. Conversely, Linkin[5] indicates that he had three sons and one daughter by Judith, and at least two sons and four daughters (and possibly four additional children) by Catherine.

References
  1. Linde Lunney. "Brownlow, William". Dictionary of Irish Biography. Retrieved 16 August 2021.
  2. Sir James Balfour Paul, The Scots Peerage: founded on Wood's edition of Sir Robert Douglas's The Peerage of Scotland (Edinburgh, Scotland: David Douglas, 1904), volume I, page 62.
  3. E. M. Johnston-Liik, MPs in Dublin: Companion to History of the Irish Parliament, 1692-1800 (Ulster Historical Foundation, 2006), p.74 (Retrieved 26 February 2016).
  4. Mosley, Charles, editor. Burke's Peerage, Baronetage & Knightage, 107th edition, 3 volumes. Wilmington, Delaware, U.S.A.: Burke's Peerage (Genealogical Books) Ltd, 2003, volume 1, page 1033.
  5. Harriet Kramer Linkin, ed. (2020). The Collected Letters of Mary Blachford Tighe. Rowman & Littlefield. p. 438.
  6. James Quinn. "Brownlow, William". Dictionary of Irish Biography. Retrieved 16 August 2021.
  7. Charles Lethbridge Kingsford (1916). The Story of the Duke of Cambridge's Own (Middlesex Regiment). Country Life. p. 24.
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