Hon. John Ponsonby,
PC (Ire) (29 March 171316 August 1787) was an
Anglo-Irish politician.
Biography
Ponsonby was the second son of
Brabazon Ponsonby, who was created the
Earl of Bessborough
Earl of Bessborough is a title in the Peerage of Ireland. It was created in 1739 for Brabazon Ponsonby, 2nd Viscount Duncannon, who had previously represented Newtownards and County Kildare in the Irish House of Commons. In 1749, he was given t ...
in 1739, and his first wife, Sarah Margetson Colvill. He was the grandson of
William Ponsonby, 1st Viscount Duncannon
William Ponsonby, 1st Viscount Duncannon (1659 – 17 November 1724), was an Anglo-Irish peer.
Background
He was born in 1659, the third son of Sir John Ponsonby (c. 1608/9 – 1678) of Bessborough in County Kilkenny, a Cromwellian colonel of H ...
.
In 1739, Ponsonby 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 ...
for
Newtownards, becoming its
speaker
Speaker may refer to:
Society and politics
* Speaker (politics), the presiding officer in a legislative assembly
* Public speaker, one who gives a speech or lecture
* A person producing speech: the producer of a given utterance, especially:
** I ...
in 1756. He also served as First Commissioner of the Revenue and he became a member of the
Privy Council of Ireland in 1746. In 1761, Ponsonby was elected for
Kilkenny County and
Armagh Borough, and sat for the first. In 1768, he stood also for
Gowran and Newtownards, and in 1776 for
Carlow Borough, but chose each time Kilkenny County, which he represented until 1783. Subsequently, Ponsonby was again returned for Newtownards and sat for this constituency until his death in 1787.
Belonging to one of the great families which at this time monopolized the government of Ireland, Ponsonby was one of the principal "undertakers," men who controlled the whole of the king's business in Ireland, and he retained the chief authority until
George Townshend, 1st Marquess Townshend
Field Marshal George Townshend, 1st Marquess Townshend, PC (28 February 172414 September 1807), known as The Viscount Townshend from 1764 to 1787, was a British soldier and politician. After serving at the Battle of Dettingen during the War of t ...
became lord-lieutenant in 1767. Then followed a struggle for supremacy between the Ponsonby faction and the party dependent on Townshend, one result of this being that Ponsonby resigned the speakership in 1771.
He married in 1743 Lady Elizabeth Cavendish, daughter of the
3rd Duke of Devonshire, a connection which was of great importance to the Ponsonbys.
(His older brother,
William Ponsonby, 2nd Earl of Bessborough
William Ponsonby, 2nd Earl of Bessborough (1704 – 11 March 1793) was a British politician and public servant. He was an Irish and English peer and member of the House of Lords (styled Hon. William Ponsonby from 1723 to 1739 and Viscount Dunca ...
, had married the Duke's eldest daughter in 1739.) His sons,
William Ponsonby, 1st Baron Ponsonby of Imokilly
William Brabazon Ponsonby, 1st Baron Ponsonby (of Imokilly), PC (Ire) (15 September 17445 November 1806) was a leading Irish Whig politician, being a member of the Irish House of Commons, and, after 1800, of the United Kingdom parliament. Pon ...
, and
George Ponsonby
George Ponsonby (5 March 17558 July 1817), was a British lawyer and Whig politician. He served as Lord Chancellor of Ireland from 1806 to 1807 in the Ministry of All the Talents.
Background and education
Ponsonby was the second surviving so ...
, were also politicians of distinction. His daughter Catherine married
Richard Boyle, 2nd Earl of Shannon
Richard Boyle, 2nd Earl of Shannon KP, PC (Ire) (30 January 1727 – 20 May 1807), was an Irish peer and Member of Parliament. He represented Dungarvan and Cork County, and succeeded his father as Earl of Shannon.[Henry Boyle, 3rd Earl of Shannon
Henry Boyle, 3rd Earl of Shannon KP, PC (Ire) (8 August 1771 – 22 April 1842), styled Viscount Boyle from 1764 until 1807, was among the last surviving Members of the Parliament of Ireland. He represented Cork County in the new Parliament of ...]
.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ponsonby, John
1713 births
1789 deaths
Irish MPs 1727–1760
Irish MPs 1761–1768
Irish MPs 1769–1776
Irish MPs 1776–1783
Irish MPs 1783–1790
Cavendish family
Members of the Privy Council of Ireland
John Ponsonby (politician)
Hon. John Ponsonby, PC (Ire) (29 March 171316 August 1787) was an Anglo-Irish politician.
Biography
Ponsonby was the second son of Brabazon Ponsonby, who was created the Earl of Bessborough in 1739, and his first wife, Sarah Margetson Colvi ...
Speakers of the Parliament of Ireland (pre-1801)
Younger sons of earls
Members of the Parliament of Ireland (pre-1801) for County Donegal constituencies
Members of the Parliament of Ireland (pre-1801) for County Kilkenny constituencies
Members of the Parliament of Ireland (pre-1801) for County Armagh constituencies
Members of the Parliament of Ireland (pre-1801) for County Carlow constituencies