![Angelika Kauffmann Portrait Philip Tisdall](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d1/Angelika_Kauffmann_Portrait_Philip_Tisdall.jpg)
Philip Tisdall
SL (1 March 1703 – 11 September 1777) was an Irish lawyer and politician, who held the office of Attorney-General for Ireland. He was for many years a leading figure in the Irish Government.
Background
He was born in
County Louth
County Louth ( ; ga, An Lú) is a coastal county in the Eastern and Midland Region of Ireland, within the province of Leinster. Louth is bordered by the counties of Meath to the south, Monaghan to the west, Armagh to the north and Down to the ...
, son of Richard Tisdall (died 1742), who was MP for
Dundalk
Dundalk ( ; ga, Dún Dealgan ), meaning "the fort of Dealgan", is the county town (the administrative centre) of County Louth, Ireland. The town is on the Castletown River, which flows into Dundalk Bay on the east coast of Ireland. It is h ...
in 1703–1713 and for
Louth Louth may refer to:
Australia
*Hundred of Louth, a cadastral unit in South Australia
* Louth, New South Wales, a town
* Louth Bay, a bay in South Australia
**Louth Bay, South Australia, a town and locality
Canada
* Louth, Ontario
Ireland
* Cou ...
in 1717–1727, by his wife Marian Boyle, daughter of Richard Boyle, MP, a cousin of the
Earl of Cork
Earl of Cork is a title in the Peerage of Ireland, held in conjunction with the Earldom of Orrery since 1753. It was created in 1620 for Richard Boyle, 1st Baron Boyle. He had already been created Lord Boyle, Baron of Youghal, in the County ...
.
[ His father was also Registrar of the ]Court of Chancery (Ireland)
The Court of Chancery was a court which exercised equitable jurisdiction in Ireland until its abolition as part of the reform of the court system in 1877. It was the court in which the Lord Chancellor of Ireland presided. Its final sitting plac ...
: this seems to have been a sinecure
A sinecure ( or ; from the Latin , 'without', and , 'care') is an office, carrying a salary or otherwise generating income, that requires or involves little or no responsibility, labour, or active service. The term originated in the medieval chu ...
, since it passed to Philip on his father's death. They were cousins of the Reverend William Tisdall of Belfast
Belfast ( , ; from ga, Béal Feirste , meaning 'mouth of the sand-bank ford') is the capital and largest city of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan on the east coast. It is the 12th-largest city in the United Kingdo ...
, who nowadays is best remembered for his wish to marry Esther Johnson
Esther Johnson (13 March 1681 – 28 January 1728) was the English friend of Jonathan Swift, known as "Stella". Whether or not she and Swift were secretly married, and if so why the marriage was never made public, is a subject of debate.
Pare ...
, the beloved ''Stella'' of Jonathan Swift
Jonathan Swift (30 November 1667 – 19 October 1745) was an Anglo-Irish Satire, satirist, author, essayist, political pamphleteer (first for the Whig (British political party), Whigs, then for the Tories (British political party), Tories), poe ...
; this connection may explain the interest (not, it seems, entirely friendly) which Swift in old age took in Philip's career.[
He was educated at Thomas Sheridan's school in Dublin, and at ]Trinity College Dublin
, name_Latin = Collegium Sanctae et Individuae Trinitatis Reginae Elizabethae juxta Dublin
, motto = ''Perpetuis futuris temporibus duraturam'' (Latin)
, motto_lang = la
, motto_English = It will last i ...
, where he graduated Bachelor of Arts
Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four years ...
in 1722.[ He entered ]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 ...
in 1723 and was called to the Irish Bar
The Bar of Ireland ( ga, Barra na hÉireann) is the professional association of barristers for Ireland, with over 2,000 members. It is based in the Law Library, with premises in Dublin and Cork. It is governed by the General Council of the Ba ...
in 1733.[Hart, A. R. ''A History of the King's Serjeants-at-law in Ireland'' Dublin Four Courts Press 2000 p.183] He quickly became one of the leaders of the Bar, partly through his legal ability and partly through his marriage into the wealthy and influential Singleton family of Drogheda
Drogheda ( , ; , meaning "bridge at the ford") is an industrial and port town in County Louth on the east coast of Ireland, north of Dublin. It is located on the Dublin–Belfast corridor on the east coast of Ireland, mostly in County Louth ...
, and was reputed to earn £30000 a year. [ He was made a Bencher of the ]King's Inns
The Honorable Society of King's Inns ( ir, Cumann Onórach Óstaí an Rí) is the "Inn of Court" for the Bar of Ireland. Established in 1541, King's Inns is Ireland's oldest school of law and one of Ireland's significant historical environment ...
in 1742.[
]
Career
He sat 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 ...
as MP for Dublin University
The University of Dublin ( ga, Ollscoil Átha Cliath), corporately designated the Chancellor, Doctors and Masters of the University of Dublin, is a university located in Dublin, Ireland. It is the degree-awarding body for Trinity College Dubl ...
from 1739 to 1776 and then for the city of Armagh from 1776 to his death. He had been elected as member for Armagh in 1768, but chose to continue sitting for the University.William John Fitzpatrick
William John Fitzpatrick (31 August 1830 – 24 December 1895) was an Irish historian.
Life
He was born at Thomas Street, Dublin.
His father, John FitzPatrick, was a successful merchant or trader who left his son a competence.
FitzPatrick was e ...
, ''Ireland Before the Union'', p. 32 (1867)
In 1742, he was appointed Third Serjeant, then Solicitor-General in 1751 and Attorney-General
In most common law jurisdictions, the attorney general or attorney-general (sometimes abbreviated AG or Atty.-Gen) is the main legal advisor to the government. The plural is attorneys general.
In some jurisdictions, attorneys general also have exec ...
in 1760.[Burke, Sir Bernard ''History of the Landed Gentry of Great Britain and Ireland'' Pall Mall London 1871 Vol. II, p. 1384] He enjoyed the crucial support of George Stone, Archbishop of Armagh
In Christian denominations, an archbishop is a bishop of higher rank or office. In most cases, such as the Catholic Church, there are many archbishops who either have jurisdiction over an ecclesiastical province in addition to their own archdio ...
. He was also appointed judge of the Prerogative Court of Ireland, an office he held from 1745 to his death, but failed to become Master of the Rolls in Ireland
The Master of the Rolls in Ireland was a senior judicial office in the Irish Chancery under English and British rule, and was equivalent to the Master of the Rolls in the English Chancery. Originally called the Keeper of the Rolls, he was respons ...
as he had hoped to on the death of his wife's uncle, Henry Singleton, in 1759.[ In 1763, he became Principal Secretary of State, and on 28 February 1764 he was appointed to the ]Privy Council of Ireland
His or Her Majesty's Privy Council in Ireland, commonly called the Privy Council of Ireland, Irish Privy Council, or in earlier centuries the Irish Council, was the institution within the Dublin Castle administration which exercised formal executi ...
.[ For almost 20 years he was a crucial figure in the Irish Government, which relied on him to manage the Irish House of Commons, a task which he performed with great skill and tact.][
Tisdall was almost all-powerful until 1767, when ]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 ...
arrived as Lord Lieutenant of Ireland
Lord Lieutenant of Ireland (), or more formally Lieutenant General and General Governor of Ireland, was the title of the chief governor of Ireland from the Williamite Wars of 1690 until the Partition of Ireland in 1922. This spanned the Kingdo ...
. Townshend had a mandate to restore the direct power of the Crown over Irish affairs and to bypass the Irish political managers like Tisdall.[Hart pp. 97-98] To his credit, Townshend recognised that Tisdall's support was still an asset to the Government, and made great efforts to conciliate him.[
Townshend lobbied hard for Tisdall to be appointed ]Lord Chancellor of Ireland
The Lord High Chancellor of Ireland (commonly known as Lord Chancellor of Ireland) was the highest judicial office in Ireland until the establishment of the Irish Free State in 1922. From 1721 to 1801, it was also the highest political office of ...
, but to his bitter disappointment he came up against the inflexible British reluctance, which endured for many years afterwards, to appoint an Irishman to this crucial office.[
Tisdall retained the confidence of successive Lords Lieutenants, and, in 1777, despite his age and failing health, he was asked to resume his role as Government leader in the House of Commons: he agreed, but died at ]Spa, Belgium
Spa (; wa, Spå) is a city and municipality of Wallonia located in the province of Liège, Belgium, whose name became an eponym for mineral baths with supposed curative properties. It is situated in a valley in the Ardennes mountains sout ...
on 11 September the same year.[
]
Family
He married in 1736 Mary Singleton, daughter of the Rev. Rowland Singleton and Elizabeth Graham, and niece and co-heiress of Henry Singleton, Chief Justice of the Irish Common Pleas
The chief justice of the Common Pleas for Ireland was the presiding judge of the Court of Common Pleas in Ireland, which was known in its early years as the Court of Common Bench, or simply as "the Bench", or "the Dublin bench". It was one of the s ...
, a marriage which brought him both wealth and influence.[ They had three daughters:
*Elizabeth, who married Colonel Hugh Morgan of Cottlestown, ]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 ...
, and had issue
*Alicia, who married Thomas Meredyth: they were the parents of Sir John Meredyth, first of the Meredyth baronets
There have been two baronetcies created for persons with the surname Meredyth, both in the Baronetage of Ireland. Both are extinct.
The Meredyth Baronetcy, of Greenhills in County Kildare, was created in the Baronetage of Ireland on 20 November ...
of Carlandstown, County Meath
County Meath (; gle, Contae na Mí or simply ) is a county in the Eastern and Midland Region of Ireland, within the province of Leinster. It is bordered by Dublin to the southeast, Louth to the northeast, Kildare to the south, Offaly to the sou ...
*Mary, who died unmarried.[
Mary Singleton Tisdall (nicknamed "la belle Marie") was renowned for her beauty and as a patron of the arts. In particular, she was one of the principal Irish patrons of the celebrated ]Swiss
Swiss may refer to:
* the adjectival form of Switzerland
* Swiss people
Places
* Swiss, Missouri
* Swiss, North Carolina
*Swiss, West Virginia
* Swiss, Wisconsin
Other uses
*Swiss-system tournament, in various games and sports
*Swiss Internation ...
painter Angelica Kauffman
Maria Anna Angelika Kauffmann ( ; 30 October 1741 – 5 November 1807), usually known in English as Angelica Kauffman, was a Swiss Neoclassical painter who had a successful career in London and Rome. Remembered primarily as a history painter, K ...
, who visited the Tisdalls regularly in Dublin in the early 1770s and painted Philip, Mary and their daughters.[
]
Character
He was strikingly dark in complexion, hence his nicknames "Black Phil" and "Philip the Moor", and was described as "grave in manner and sardonic in temper". Despite his somewhat forbidding appearance, he was a hospitable character, who was noted for entertaining lavishly, even when he was well into his seventies, both at his Dublin house in South Leinster Street, and his country house at Stillorgan
Stillorgan (, also ''Stigh Lorcáin'' and previously ''Tigh Lorcáin'' or ''Teach Lorcáin''), formerly a village in its own right, is now a suburban area of Dublin in Ireland. Stillorgan is located in Dún Laoghaire–Rathdown, and contains ma ...
(now a suburb of Dublin). Even by Irish standards, he was a heavy drinker, although accounts of his consuming eight bottles of wine a day are barely credible (admittedly a bottle of wine then held a good deal less than its modern equivalent). John Scott, 1st Earl of Clonmell
John Scott, 1st Earl of Clonmell PC (Ire) KC SL (8 June 1739 – 23 May 1798), known as The Lord Earlsfort between 1784 and 1789 and as The Viscount Clonmell between 1789 and 1793, was an Irish barrister and judge. Sometimes known as "Copperfa ...
, who succeeded him as Attorney General, wrote that he would have lived longer if he had adopted a more sedate lifestyle in his later years (although Scott did not take his own good advice, dying from the effects of over-indulgence in food and drink at fifty-eight). Tisdall did much to foster the career of the rising young lawyer and orator Walter Hussey Burgh
Walter Hussey Burgh SL (; ; 1742 – 1783) was an Irish statesman, barrister and judge who sat in the Irish House of Commons, served as Prime Serjeant (1777–79, 1782) and Chief Baron of the Irish Exchequer (1782–83). He was considered t ...
, and it was through his influence that Burgh became Prime Serjeant in 1776.[
By his own wish, all his papers were destroyed after his death.
]
References
Links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Tisdall, Philip
1703 births
1777 deaths
Attorneys-General for Ireland
Irish MPs 1727–1760
Irish MPs 1761–1768
Irish MPs 1769–1776
Irish MPs 1776–1783
Members of the Privy Council of Ireland
Solicitors-General for Ireland
Irish ecclesiastical judges
Members of the Parliament of Ireland (pre-1801) for Dublin University
Members of the Parliament of Ireland (pre-1801) for County Armagh constituencies
Serjeants-at-law (Ireland)