Richard White, 1st Earl of Bantry (6 August 1767 – 2 May 1851) was an Anglo-Irish soldier and peer. White was born in a

gentry Gentry (from Old French ''genterie'', from ''gentil'', "high-born, noble") are "well-born, genteel and well-bred people" of high social class, especially in the past. Word similar to gentle imple and decentfamilies ''Gentry'', in its widest c ...

family in

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

. He was the son and heir of Simon White of Bantry by his wife Frances Jane Hedges, daughter of Richard Hedges of

Macroom Macroom (; ga, Maigh Chromtha) is a market town in County Cork, Ireland, located in the valley of the River Sullane, halfway between Cork city and Killarney. Its population has grown and receded over the centuries as it went through periods of ...

Castle. He was the grandson of Richard White, who had made an immense fortune through his work as a lawyer, and the family owned extensive estates in

County Cork County Cork ( ga, Contae Chorcaí) is the largest and the southernmost county of Ireland, named after the city of Cork, the state's second-largest city. It is in the province of Munster and the Southern Region. Its largest market towns a ...

. In 1797, White led forces loyal to the

Kingdom of Great Britain The Kingdom of Great Britain (officially Great Britain) was a Sovereign state, sovereign country in Western Europe from 1 May 1707 to the end of 31 December 1800. The state was created by the 1706 Treaty of Union and ratified by the Acts of ...

against a French invasion force, which had landed at Bantry Bay in order to support Irish rebels in the lead up to the

Irish Rebellion of 1798 The Irish Rebellion of 1798 ( ga, Éirí Amach 1798; Ulster-Scots: ''The Hurries'') was a major uprising against British rule in Ireland. The main organising force was the Society of United Irishmen, a republican revolutionary group influenced ...

. For his loyalty to

The Crown The Crown is the state in all its aspects within the jurisprudence of the Commonwealth realms and their subdivisions (such as the Crown Dependencies, overseas territories, provinces, or states). Legally ill-defined, the term has different ...

, he was created Baron Bantry 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 ...

on 24 March 1797. He was also awarded a gold medal as a token of thanks from the City of Cork. He was further honoured on 29 December 1800, when he was created Viscount Bantry. Lord Bantry was awarded an earldom on 22 January 1816 when he was made Earl of Bantry and Viscount Beerhaven, both titles in the Peerage of Ireland. He lived at Bantry House, Cork. He married Lady Margaret Anne Hare, the daughter of

William Hare, 1st Earl of Listowel William Hare, 1st Earl of Listowel (September 1751 – 13 July 1837), known as Lord Ennismore from 1800 to 1816 and as the Viscount Ennismore and Listowel from 1816 to 1822, was an Irish peer and Member of Parliament. Life He was the second son ...

, on 3 November 1799.William Courthope, ''Debrett's Complete Peerage of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland'' (J. G. & F. Rivington, 1838), 596. They had four children: *

Richard White, 2nd Earl of Bantry Richard White, 2nd Earl of Bantry DL (16 November 1800 – 16 July 1868), styled The Honourable from birth until 1816 and subsequently Viscount Berehaven until 1851, was an Irish peer and Conservative politician. He was the eldest son of ...

(1800–1868) *

William Hedges-White, 3rd Earl of Bantry William Henry Hare Hedges-White, 3rd Earl of Bantry (10 November 1801 – 15 January 1884) was an Anglo-Irish Conservative peer. He was the second son of Richard White, 1st Earl of Bantry and Lady Margaret Anne Hare. In 1840 he took the addition ...

(1801–1884) *Hon. Simon White, an officer in the British Army (1807–1837) *Hon. Lady Maria White (1805–1817)

References

, - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Bantry, Richard White, 1st Earl of 1767 births 1851 deaths Earls in the Peerage of Ireland Peers of Ireland created by George III 18th-century Anglo-Irish people 19th-century Anglo-Irish people