GRIBAYÈDOFF(1890) p150 Portrait of Colonel Charles Vereker

Charles Vereker, 2nd Viscount Gort PC (Ire) (1768 – 11 November 1842), known as Charles Vereker until 1817, was an Irish soldier and politician.

Background

Gort was the son of Thomas Vereker by Juliana, daughter of Charles Smyth and sister of

John Prendergast-Smyth, 1st Viscount Gort John Prendergast-Smyth, 1st Viscount Gort (1742 – 23 May 1817) was an Ireland, Irish politician. Born John Smyth, Gort was the son of Charles Smyth (politician), Charles Smyth, Member of the Irish Parliament for Limerick City, and Elizabeth Pre ...

thepeerage.com
/ref> and was born in Ireland in 1768. He served a short time in the navy, and was afterwards appointed lieutenant-colonel of the Limerick militia.

Political career

Gort represented

Limerick City Limerick ( ; ga, Luimneach ) is a western city in Ireland situated within County Limerick. It is in the province of Munster and is located in the Mid-West which comprises part of the Southern Region. With a population of 94,192 at the 2016 ...

in 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 fra ...

from 1790 until the Act of Union in 1801. On 5 September 1798 at Collooney he checked the advance of a French force, led by General Humbert, that had landed at

Killala Bay Killala Bay ( ga, Cuan Chill Ala) is a bay on the west coast of Ireland between County Mayo and County Sligo. It is situated between Kilcummin Head to the west and Lenadoon Point to the east. and is the estuary for the River Moy. The village ...

County Sligo County Sligo ( , gle, Contae Shligigh) is a county in Ireland. It is located in the Border Region and is part of the province of Connacht. Sligo is the administrative capital and largest town in the county. Sligo County Council is the local ...

whereupon they were defeated at Ballinamuck, where he was wounded. In 1802 he was elected to the

British House of Commons The House of Commons is the lower house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the upper house, the House of Lords, it meets in the Palace of Westminster in London, England. The House of Commons is an elected body consisting of 650 mem ...

for

Limerick Limerick ( ; ga, Luimneach ) is a western city in Ireland situated within County Limerick. It is in the province of Munster and is located in the Mid-West which comprises part of the Southern Region. With a population of 94,192 at the 2016 ...

, a seat he held until 1817, and served as a

Lord of the Treasury In the United Kingdom there are at least six Lords Commissioners of His Majesty's Treasury, serving as a commission for the ancient office of Treasurer of the Exchequer. The board consists of the First Lord of the Treasury, the Second Lord of the ...

between 1807 and 1812. He was sworn of the Irish Privy Council in 1809 and, having succeeded his uncle as second Viscount Gort in 1817, was elected an

Irish Representative Peer This is a list of representative peers elected from the Peerage of Ireland to sit in the British House of Lords after the Kingdom of Ireland was brought into union with the Kingdom of Great Britain. No new members were added to the House after ...

in 1824. He also held the honorary posts of Constable of Limerick Castle from 1809 to 1842 and Governor of County Galway from 1814 to 1831. He was amongst the most active opponents of the Union—"his name was found in every division and his voice in every debate;" and in answer to Lord Castlereagh's overtures he declared: "I have defended my country with my blood, and there is nothing in the gift of the Crown that would tempt me to betray her by my vote." After the Union, he represented Limerick until 1817, when by the death of his uncle he became Viscount Gort. He was a firm adherent of the Conservative party.

Family

Lord Gort was twice married. He married firstly Jane, daughter of Ralph Westropp and Mary Johnson, in 1789.Irish Marriages in Walker´s Hibernian Magazine, 1771-1812, Vol. II (K-Z), page 447.
Accessed via ancestry.com paid subscription site on 8 March 2022. One of his relatives, a "Miss Vereker", married Ralph Westrop Jr. in 1792. After Jane's death in February 1798 he married secondly Elizabeth, daughter of John Palliser and Grace Barton, in 1810. There were children from both marriages. Lord Gort died on 11 November 1842, aged 74, and was succeeded by his son from his first marriage,

John John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Secon ...

. Lady Gort died 2 April 1858 at Gort House,

Petersham, London Petersham is a village in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames on the east of the bend in the River Thames south of Richmond, which it shares with neighbouring Ham. It provides the foreground of the scenic view from Richmond Hill a ...

, and was buried at St Andrew's Church, Ham. Following the 1798

Battle of Collooney The Battle of Collooney, also called the Battle of Carricknagat, refers to a battle which occurred on 5 September during the Irish Rebellion of 1798 when a combined force of French troops and Irish rebels defeated a force of British troops outsi ...

, the thanks of Parliament were voted to him. By royal proclamation, he was permitted to

augment Augment or augmentation may refer to: Language *Augment (Indo-European), a syllable added to the beginning of the word in certain Indo-European languages * Augment (Bantu languages), a morpheme that is prefixed to the noun class prefix of nouns ...

his arms with the motto, "Collooney", so the rampant lion dexter supporter on his coat of arms displays a pennoncell with the motto "Collooney" raised on a lance. "Vincit Veritas" remained the mottoe of the family, located below the shield in a banderole.Debrett's Complete Peerage of the United Kingdom of Great Britain & Ireland ...
, by John Debrett. Publ. J. G. & F. Rivington, 1838. Page 649. Accessed 8 March 2022. His descendants include the

Member of Parliament A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members of ...

for

Walthamstow Walthamstow ( or ) is a large town in East London, east London, England, within the Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county of Greater London and the Historic counties of England, ancient county of Essex. Situated northeast of Chari ...

, Stella Creasy, and the former Governor of Bermuda, John Vereker.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Gort, Charles Vereker, 2nd Viscount 1768 births 1842 deaths Irish MPs 1790–1797 Irish MPs 1798–1800 Members of the Parliament of Ireland (pre-1801) for County Limerick constituencies Members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for County Limerick constituencies (1801–1922) UK MPs 1802–1806 UK MPs 1806–1807 UK MPs 1807–1812 UK MPs 1812–1818 UK MPs who inherited peerages Viscounts in the Peerage of Ireland Politicians from County Galway Members of the Privy Council of Ireland People of the Irish Rebellion of 1798 Irish representative peers Commissioners of the Treasury for Ireland