Edmund Sexton Pery, 1st Viscount Pery (8 April 1719 – 24 February 1806; middle name also spelt ''Sexten'') was an

Anglo-Irish Anglo-Irish people () denotes an ethnic, social and religious grouping who are mostly the descendants and successors of the English Protestant Ascendancy in Ireland. They mostly belong to the Anglican Church of Ireland, which was the establis ...

politician who served as

Speaker of the Irish House of Commons The Speaker of the Irish House of Commons was the presiding officer of the Irish House of Commons until its disestablishment in 1800. In the absence of a government chosen from and answerable to the Commons, the Speaker was the dominant politica ...

between 1771 and 1785.

Early life

He was born in

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 ...

, into one of the city's most politically influential families, elder son of the Rev. Stackpole Pery and Jane Twigge. His maternal grandfather was William Twigg,

Archdeacon of Limerick The Archdeacon of Limerick was a senior ecclesiastical officer within the Roman Catholic Diocese of Limerick, Diocese of Limerick (and later in the Church of Ireland) from the thirteenth century to the early twentieth.Crockford's Clerical Directo ...

Political career

A trained barrister, Pery became a member of 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 ...

for the Wicklow Borough constituency in 1751. On the dissolution of the house following the death of

George II George II or 2 may refer to: People * George II of Antioch (seventh century AD) * George II of Armenia (late ninth century) * George II of Abkhazia (916–960) * Patriarch George II of Alexandria (1021–1051) * George II of Georgia (1072–1089) * ...

, Pery was elected for the constituency of

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 c ...

and served from 1761 until 1785, becoming Speaker of the House in 1771. In 1783, he stood also for

Dungannon Dungannon () is a town in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland. It is the second-largest town in the county (after Omagh) and had a population of 14,340 at the 2011 Census. The Dungannon and South Tyrone Borough Council had its headquarters in the ...

, however chose to sit for Limerick City. He was considered one of the most powerful politicians in Ireland in his time, leading a faction which included his nephew the future Earl of Limerick and his relatives by marriage, the Hartstonges. Following his resignation, he was created Viscount Pery, of Newtown Pery, near the City of Limerick, in the

Peerage of Ireland The Peerage of Ireland consists of those titles of nobility created by the English monarchs in their capacity as Lord or King of Ireland, or later by monarchs of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. It is one of the five divisi ...

, entitling him to a seat in the

Irish House of Lords The Irish House of Lords was the upper house of the Parliament of Ireland that existed from medieval times until 1800. It was also the final court of appeal of the Kingdom of Ireland. It was modelled on the House of Lords of England, with membe ...

. As he had no male heirs, his title became extinct on his death.

Role in the development of Limerick

Pery is also noted for his part in the history of the architecture of

. In 1765, he commissioned the engineer

Davis Ducart Davis Ducart (active from c. 1761, died 1780/81), was an architect and engineer in Ireland in the 1760s and 1770s. He designed several large buildings and engineering projects. He had associations with the canal builders of the time and the mining ...

to design a town plan for land that Pery owned on the southern edge of the existing city, which led to the construction of the

Georgian Georgian may refer to: Common meanings * Anything related to, or originating from Georgia (country) ** Georgians, an indigenous Caucasian ethnic group ** Georgian language, a Kartvelian language spoken by Georgians **Georgian scripts, three scrip ...

area of the city later known as Newtown Pery. He was also commemorated in the naming of

Pery Square Pery Square ( ga, Cearnóg an Pheirigh) is a Georgian Terrace located in the Newtown Pery area of Limerick city, Ireland. The terrace was constructed as a speculative development by the Pery Square Tontine Company between 1835 and 1838. The sq ...

Family

Pery married Patricia Patty) Martin of Dublin in 1756, who died a year later, and secondly Elizabeth Vesey, daughter of

John Vesey, 1st Baron Knapton John Denny Vesey, 1st Baron Knapton (died 1761), was an Anglo-Irish politician and peer. Vesey was the son of Sir Thomas Vesey, 1st Baronet, and his wife and cousin Mary Muschamp, only surviving daughter and heiress of Denny Muschamp of Horsley, ...

and Elizabeth Brownlow. He and Elizabeth had two daughters: *Hon. Diana Pery, who married her cousin

Thomas Knox, 1st Earl of Ranfurly Thomas Knox, 1st Earl of Ranfurly (5 August 1754 – 26 April 1840), styled The Honourable Thomas Knox between 1781 and 1818 and known as The Viscount Northland between 1818 and 1831, was an Irish peer and politician. Background Ranfurly was the ...

. *Hon. Frances Pery, who married Nicolson Calvert, MP for Hertfordshire. Pery's younger brother,

William William is a male given name of Germanic origin.Hanks, Hardcastle and Hodges, ''Oxford Dictionary of First Names'', Oxford University Press, 2nd edition, , p. 276. It became very popular in the English language after the Norman conquest of Engl ...

, was a leading figure in the

Church of Ireland The Church of Ireland ( ga, Eaglais na hÉireann, ; sco, label= Ulster-Scots, Kirk o Airlann, ) is a Christian church in Ireland and an autonomous province of the Anglican Communion. It is organised on an all-Ireland basis and is the second ...

, becoming

Bishop of Killala The Bishop of Killala () is an episcopal title which takes its name after the village of Killala in County Mayo, Ireland. In the Roman Catholic Church it remains a separate title, but in the Church of Ireland it has been united with other bish ...

and subsequently

Bishop of Limerick The Bishop of Limerick is an episcopal title which takes its name after the city of Limerick in the Province of Munster, Ireland. In the Roman Catholic Church it still continues as a separate title, but in the Church of Ireland it has been uni ...

; he was also ennobled as

Baron Glentworth Glentworth can refer to: *Glentworth, Lincolnshire, a village in England; * Glentworth, Saskatchewan, an unincorporated community in Canada; *, a cargo steamer launched in 1920. * Glentworth, Paddington, a house in Paddington, Queensland Paddin ...

. William's son,

Edmund Edmund is a masculine given name or surname in the English language. The name is derived from the Old English elements ''ēad'', meaning "prosperity" or "riches", and ''mund'', meaning "protector". Persons named Edmund include: People Kings and ...

, was made

Earl of Limerick Earl of Limerick is a title that has been created twice in the Peerage of Ireland, associated first with the Dongan family, then with the Pery family. First creation The earldom was created for the first time in 1686 for Sir William Dongan, 4 ...

in 1803 as a result of his support for the Act of Union. Pery's younger sister was

Lucy Hartstonge Lucy Hartstonge (born Lucy Pery) was an Irish heiress and philanthropist who founded the first fever hospital in Ireland (located in the city of Limerick), in the late 18th century. Family Lucy Pery was born into one of Limerick city's most p ...

, the founder of what is now St John's Hospital.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pery, Edmund Pery, 1st Viscount 1719 births 1806 deaths Irish MPs 1727–1760 Irish MPs 1761–1768 Irish MPs 1769–1776 Irish MPs 1776–1783 Irish MPs 1783–1790 Speakers of the Parliament of Ireland (pre-1801) Peers of Ireland created by George III Viscounts in the Peerage of Ireland Members of the Privy Council of Ireland Members of the Irish House of Lords Members of the Parliament of Ireland (pre-1801) for County Wicklow constituencies Members of the Parliament of Ireland (pre-1801) for County Limerick constituencies Members of the Parliament of Ireland (pre-1801) for County Tyrone constituencies

Early life

Political career

Role in the development of Limerick

Family

See also

References