Arthur Jones-Nevill ( – 24 September 1771) was an

Irish Irish may refer to: Common meanings * Someone or something of, from, or related to: ** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe ***Éire, Irish language name for the isle ** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...

politician. He served as Surveyor General of Ireland from 1743, and later as a Member of the

Parliament of Ireland The Parliament of Ireland ( ga, Parlaimint na hÉireann) was the legislature of the Lordship of Ireland, and later the Kingdom of Ireland, from 1297 until 1800. It was modelled on the Parliament of England and from 1537 comprised two cham ...

, although he lost both positions following allegations of maladministration and

peculation Embezzlement is a crime that consists of withholding assets for the purpose of conversion of such assets, by one or more persons to whom the assets were entrusted, either to be held or to be used for specific purposes. Embezzlement is a type ...

. He later returned to Parliament, serving until his death. Born Arthur Jones, he was the son of Colonel Edward Jones of

Wexford Wexford () is the county town of County Wexford, Ireland. Wexford lies on the south side of Wexford Harbour, the estuary of the River Slaney near the southeastern corner of the island of Ireland. The town is linked to Dublin by the M11/N11 ...

and Mary, daughter of Richard Nevill of Furness, County Kildare. As Nevill's only grandson, he adopted the surname Nevill before succeeding to that family's property in 1750. In November 1742 he married Elinor, daughter of Rear Admiral Christopher Parker and sister of Admiral Sir Peter Parker. By 1742 he was a member of the Dublin Society for improving Husbandry, Manufactures and other Useful Arts and Sciences. In 1743 Jones-Nevill purchased the office of Surveyor General of Ireland for £3,300 from the previous Surveyor,

Arthur Dobbs Arthur Dobbs (2 April 1689 – 28 March 1765) was a British colonial official who served as the seventh governor of North Carolina from 1754 until 1764. Early life and career Dobbs was born in Ayrshire, Scotland, where his mother had been sen ...

. He was appointed by letters patent of 15 June 1743, issued by Lionel Sackville, 1st Duke of Dorset, Lord Lieutenant of Ireland. During his time in office he drew plans for barracks at

Charles Fort Charles Hoy Fort (August 6, 1874 – May 3, 1932) was an American writer and researcher who specialized in anomalous phenomena. The terms "Fortean" and "Forteana" are sometimes used to characterize various such phenomena. Fort's books sold ...

and for the Bedford Tower range at

Dublin Castle Dublin Castle ( ga, Caisleán Bhaile Átha Cliath) is a former Motte-and-bailey castle and current Irish government complex and conference centre. It was chosen for its position at the highest point of central Dublin. Until 1922 it was the s ...

. In 1751, Jones-Nevill entered the

Irish House of Commons The Irish House of Commons was the lower house of the Parliament of Ireland that existed from 1297 until 1800. The upper house was the House of Lords. The membership of the House of Commons was directly elected, but on a highly restrictive fran ...

as MP for County Wexford. He was dismissed from the post of Surveyor General on 30 August 1752, following accusations of maladministration: he had failed to procure contractors for the upkeep of Ireland's barracks, one of his primary responsibilities as Surveyor General. However, he managed to sell the office on to his successor, Thomas Eyre. The "politically motivated" affair continued until the following year, when on 23 November 1753, he was expelled from Parliament. During the 1750s, attempts were made by John Rochfort, MP for Mullingar, to recoup the losses caused, through the introduction of several unsuccessful bills intended "To oblige Arthur Jones Nevill, esquire, late engineer and surveyor-general, at his own expense, and without any further charge to the public, to make good the defects in the several barracks, built, re-built and repaired under his direction, and to complete the same in the most effectual manner, according to the several contracts entered into for that purpose." Jones-Nevill was a patron of the arts, installing a continental stucco ceiling in his new house at 40 St Stephen's Green, later known as Tracton House. When the house was demolished in 1912 the ceiling stucco work was transferred to the state apartments in Dublin Castle. He subscribed to a number of books on

architecture Architecture is the art and technique of designing and building, as distinguished from the skills associated with construction. It is both the process and the product of sketching, conceiving, planning, designing, and constructing building ...

and surveying. He was also known for having sent the painter Jacob Ennis to Italy in 1753–1757. In 1761, he returned to Parliament as MP for Wexford Borough. He introduced a number of bills, including proposals "For the further encouragement of planting timber trees" (1765) and "For the better regulating of buildings in the city of Dublin, the liberties and suburbs thereof" (1769). He was appointed

High Sheriff of Kildare The High Sheriff of Kildare was the British Crown's judicial representative in County Kildare, Ireland from the 16th century until 1922, when the office was abolished in the new Free State and replaced by the office of Kildare County Sheriff. T ...

for 1762–63. His eldest son

Richard Richard is a male given name. It originates, via Old French, from Old Frankish and is a compound of the words descending from Proto-Germanic ''*rīk-'' 'ruler, leader, king' and ''*hardu-'' 'strong, brave, hardy', and it therefore means 'stro ...

took over his Wexford parliamentary seat on his death in 1771.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Jones-Nevill, Arthur Year of birth uncertain 1710s births 1771 deaths High Sheriffs of Kildare Members of the Parliament of Ireland (pre-1801) for County Wexford constituencies Irish MPs 1727–1760 Irish MPs 1761–1768 Irish MPs 1769–1776 People expelled from public office Surveyors General of Ireland