Baron Riversdale, of Rathcormuck in the County of Cork, was a title in the Peerage of Ireland. It was created on 13 October 1783 for William Tonson, who had earlier represented Rathcormack and Tuam in the Irish House of Commons. His eighth son, the third Baron (who succeeded his elder brother in 1848), was

Bishop of Killaloe and Clonfert The Bishop of Killaloe and Clonfert (''Full title'': Bishop of Killaloe and Kilfenora with Clonfert and Kilmacduagh) was the Ordinary of the Church of Ireland diocese of Killaloe and Clonfert; comprising all of County Clare and part of counties ...

. The title became extinct on his death in 1861. The Tonson family descended from Benjamin Tonson, Treasurer of the Navy during the reign of

Queen Elizabeth I Elizabeth I (7 September 153324 March 1603) was Queen of England and Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death in 1603. Elizabeth was the last of the five House of Tudor monarchs and is sometimes referred to as the "Virgin Queen". El ...

. His descendant Richard Tonson was granted lands in

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

for his services during the

English Civil War The English Civil War (1642–1651) was a series of civil wars and political machinations between Parliamentarians (" Roundheads") and Royalists led by Charles I ("Cavaliers"), mainly over the manner of England's governance and issues of re ...

and settled at Spanish Island,

County Cork County Cork ( ga, Contae Chorcaí) is the largest and the southernmost county of Ireland, named after the city of Cork, the state's second-largest city. It is in the province of Munster and the Southern Region. Its largest market towns are ...

. His grandson Richard Tonson was a member of the Irish Parliament for

Baltimore Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...

for many years. The latter's only son was the aforementioned William Tonson who was elevated to the peerage in 1783.

Barons Riversdale (1783)

William Tonson, 1st Baron Riversdale Lieutenant-Colonel William Tonson, 1st Baron Riversdale (3 May 1724 – 4 December 1787), was an Irish landowner, soldier and politician. Tonson was the son of Richard Tonson, for many years Member of Parliament for Baltimore, by his second wife ...

(1724–1787) *William Tonson, 2nd Baron Riversdale (1775–1848) * Ludlow Tonson, 3rd Baron Riversdale (1784–1861)

References

* * William Courthope (ed.)
''Debrett's Complete Peerage of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. Twenty-second edition.''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Riversdale Extinct baronies in the Peerage of Ireland Noble titles created in 1783