Sir John Blunden, 1st Baronet (c. 1718 – January 1783) 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 ...

baronet and politician. He was the only son of John Blunden and his wife Martha Cuffe, daughter of Agmondesham Cuffe. In 1739, Blunden was called to the bar at 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 ...

and worked then as barrister. He was appointed Mayor of Kilkenny in 1753 and served as recorder of that city until his death. Blunden 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 ...

in 1761, sitting for Kilkenny City, the same constituency his father had also represented, until 1776. On 12 March 1766, he was created a

baronet A baronet ( or ; abbreviated Bart or Bt) or the female equivalent, a baronetess (, , or ; abbreviation Btss), is the holder of a baronetcy, a hereditary title awarded by the British Crown. The title of baronet is mentioned as early as the 14t ...

, of Blunden Castle, in the County of Kilkenny. On 25 February 1755, he married his cousin Susanna, daughter of

John Cuffe, 1st Baron Desart John Cuffe, 1st Baron Desart (died 26 June 1749) was an Anglo-Irish politician and peer. He was the son of Agmondesham Cuffe and his wife, Anne Otway. He was educated at Trinity College, Dublin. In 1708 he was High Sheriff of County Kilkenny. ...

and had by her three sons and four daughters. Blunden died at

Castle Blunden Castle Blunden is a historic country house in Kilkenny, home to the Blunden family. House The house itself is a classical style three storey detached country house with a single story Doric portico. The house dates from about 1750 and is belie ...

in 1783 and was succeeded in the baronetcy by his oldest son John. His third son Overington was a general in the British Army and sat in the

Parliament of the United Kingdom The Parliament of the United Kingdom is the supreme legislative body of the United Kingdom, the Crown Dependencies and the British Overseas Territories. It meets at the Palace of Westminster, London. It alone possesses legislative suprema ...

References

1720s births 1783 deaths Baronets in the Baronetage of Ireland Irish MPs 1761–1768 Irish MPs 1769–1776 Members of the Middle Temple Members of the Parliament of Ireland (pre-1801) for County Kilkenny constituencies Politicians from County Kilkenny Mayors of places in Ireland Mayors of Kilkenny {{Ireland-baronet-stub