Sir John Rogerson (1648–1724) 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 A politician is a person active in party politics, or a person holding or seeking an elected office in government. Politicians propose, support, reject and create laws that govern the land and by an extension of its people. Broadly speaking, a ...

, wealthy

merchant A merchant is a person who trades in commodities produced by other people, especially one who trades with foreign countries. Historically, a merchant is anyone who is involved in business or trade. Merchants have operated for as long as indust ...

and

property developer Real estate development, or property development, is a business process, encompassing activities that range from the renovation and re-lease of existing buildings to the purchase of raw land and the sale of developed land or parcels to others. R ...

. Very little is known about his family background or his early life, except that he was born in

the Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

in 1648, and that his father was named Francis. The Rogerson family were probably recent arrivals in Ireland, and may have been political exiles from the political troubles of the 1640s. He lived in London in the late 1660s. He is recorded as a householder of Dublin from 1674, by which time he was already in business as a merchant. How precisely he made his money is not clear, but there is no doubt that he became a very rich man, with a reputation for being "hard-nosed" in his business dealings. The wealthy and well-connected Susan, Lady Belasyse, who had lent him substantial sums of money, found that he simply refused to repay them, and a

lawsuit - A lawsuit is a proceeding by a party or parties against another in the civil court of law. The archaic term "suit in law" is found in only a small number of laws still in effect today. The term "lawsuit" is used in reference to a civil actio ...

over the money dragged on until her death. He was elected

Lord Mayor of Dublin The Lord Mayor of Dublin ( ga, Ardmhéara Bhaile Átha Cliath) is the honorary title of the chairperson ( ga, Cathaoirleach, links=no ) of Dublin City Council which is the local government body for the city of Dublin, the capital of Ireland. Th ...

in 1693–94 and represented

Clogher Clogher () is a village and civil parish in the border area of south County Tyrone, Northern Ireland. It lies on the River Blackwater, 5.8 miles from the border crossing to County Monaghan. It stands on the townlands of Clogher Demesne and ...

in 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 chamb ...

from 1692 to 1693, then Dublin City from 1695 to 1703. He was a firm supporter of the

Glorious Revolution The Glorious Revolution; gd, Rèabhlaid Ghlòrmhor; cy, Chwyldro Gogoneddus , also known as the ''Glorieuze Overtocht'' or ''Glorious Crossing'' in the Netherlands, is the sequence of events leading to the deposition of King James II and ...

, and hostile to

Roman Catholics The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

, even protesting against the employment of Catholic labourers. He built his country residence, "The Glen" or "Glasnevin House" outside the village of

Glasnevin Glasnevin (, also known as ''Glas Naedhe'', meaning "stream of O'Naeidhe" after a local stream and an ancient chieftain) is a neighbourhood of Dublin, Ireland, situated on the River Tolka. While primarily residential, Glasnevin is also home t ...

: critics said that his manner of living suggested a nobleman rather than a merchant. A quay in

Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of th ...

was named

Sir John Rogerson's Quay Sir John Rogerson's Quay is a street and quay in Dublin on the south bank of the River Liffey between City Quay in the west and Britain Quay. Named for politician and property developer Sir John Rogerson (1648–1724), the quay was formerl ...

owing to his association with its development. In 1713 Dublin Corporation leased him lands by the

River Liffey The River Liffey (Irish: ''An Life'', historically ''An Ruirthe(a)ch'') is a river in eastern Ireland that ultimately flows through the centre of Dublin to its mouth within Dublin Bay. Its major tributaries include the River Dodder, the River ...

, on condition that he build a quay there. He married firstly Elizabeth Proby (or Probie), daughter of Emmanuel Proby and Mary Bland, and granddaughter of Sir

Peter Probie Sir Peter Probie (died March 1625) was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons at times between 1593 and 1598. He was Lord Mayor of London in 1622. He was the second son of Ralph Probie and Alice Bernard of Brampton, Cambridgeshire ...

, Lord Mayor of Dublin and his wife Elizabeth Thoroughgood. He married secondly Elizabeth Ward, daughter of John Ward and Elizabeth Vincent. By his first wife he was the father of

John Rogerson (1676-1741) John Rogerson may refer to: * John Rogerson (MP for Coventry), see Coventry *Sir John Rogerson (1648–1724), Irish politician, wealthy merchant and property developer; Member of Parliament for Clogher and Dublin City *John Rogerson (1676–1741), ...

Lord Chief Justice of the King's Bench in Ireland The Court of King's Bench (or Court of Queen's Bench during the reign of a Queen) was one of the senior courts of common law in Ireland. It was a mirror of the Court of King's Bench in England. The Lord Chief Justice was the most senior judge ...

, and two younger sons, Richard, who was a

barrister A barrister is a type of lawyer in common law jurisdictions. Barristers mostly specialise in courtroom advocacy and litigation. Their tasks include taking cases in superior courts and tribunals, drafting legal pleadings, researching law and ...

of the

Middle Temple The Honourable Society of the Middle Temple, commonly known simply as Middle Temple, is one of the four Inns of Court exclusively entitled to call their members to the English Bar as barristers, the others being the Inner Temple, Gray's Inn an ...

, and William (died 1721), who married Alice Molyneux, daughter of the leading physician Sir Thomas Molyneux, 1st Baronet and his second wife Catherine Howard. They also had one daughter Susanna. His widow died in 1726.

References

* , - 1648 births 1724 deaths Irish MPs 1692–1693 Irish MPs 1695–1699 Lord Mayors of Dublin Businesspeople from Dublin (city) Knights Bachelor Members of the Parliament of Ireland (pre-1801) for County Dublin constituencies Members of the Parliament of Ireland (pre-1801) for County Tyrone constituencies {{Ireland-pre1801-MP-stub