Thomas FitzWilliam, 4th Viscount FitzWilliam (c.1640–1704) was an Irish nobleman and statesman; he was a leading Irish
Jacobite
Jacobite means follower of Jacob or James. Jacobite may refer to:
Religion
* Jacobites, followers of Saint Jacob Baradaeus (died 578). Churches in the Jacobite tradition and sometimes called Jacobite include:
** Syriac Orthodox Church, sometimes ...
, and a political figure of some importance during the
Williamite War in Ireland.
Background
He was the only son of
William FitzWilliam, 3rd Viscount FitzWilliam and Mary Luttrell, daughter of Thomas Luttrell of
Luttrellstown Castle. He was probably born at
Dundrum Castle, where his parents lived in the early 1640s. After the
Irish Rebellion of 1641
The Irish Rebellion of 1641 ( ga, Éirí Amach 1641) was an uprising by Irish Catholics in the Kingdom of Ireland, who wanted an end to anti-Catholic discrimination, greater Irish self-governance, and to partially or fully reverse the plantatio ...
the FitzWilliams, who had previously been among the largest landowners in Dublin, were dispossessed of most of their lands. Thomas's father spent some years in
France and fought for
Charles I in England during the
English Civil War, becoming Governor of
Whitchurch. In 1655 William and his elder brother
Oliver FitzWilliam, 1st Earl of Tyrconnell
Oliver FitzWilliam, 1st Earl of Tyrconnell and 2nd Viscount FitzWilliam (died 11 April 1667), was an Irish nobleman.
His father was The 1st Viscount FitzWilliam (1581–1650). His mother was Margaret Plunkett, daughter of Oliver, 4th Baron Louth ...
, having made their peace with the English Parliament, were allowed to recover part of the family estate. After the
Restoration of Charles II the FitzWilliams, with their record of loyalty to the Crown, (apart perhaps from Oliver, who was accused of divided loyalties) were in high favour with the new regime, and recovered the remainder of their lands including their main seat,
Merrion Castle. Thomas' father succeeded to the Viscountcy in 1667 and Thomas himself succeeded three years later (the Earldom became extinct on Oliver's death). He also inherited considerable estates in
County Westmeath
"Noble above nobility"
, image_map = Island of Ireland location map Westmeath.svg
, subdivision_type = Sovereign state, Country
, subdivision_name = Republic of Ireland, Ireland
, subdivision_type1 = Provinces o ...
from his maternal uncle Thomas Luttrell.
Religion and politics
Thomas's father was an open and devout
Roman Catholic, who was attended at his death by several
Catholic priests
The priesthood is the office of the ministers of religion, who have been commissioned ("ordained") with the Holy orders of the Catholic Church. Technically, bishops are a priestly order as well; however, in layman's terms ''priest'' refers only ...
, and married his daughters into Catholic families. Thomas shared his father's religious beliefs: according to tradition he gave money for the building of a
Catholic Mass house at
Booterstown
Booterstown () is a coastal suburb of the city of Dublin in Ireland. It is also a townland and civil parish in the modern county of Dún Laoghaire–Rathdown. It is situated about south of Dublin city centre.
History
There is some debate on ...
.
When
James II James II may refer to:
* James II of Avesnes (died c. 1205), knight of the Fourth Crusade
* James II of Majorca (died 1311), Lord of Montpellier
* James II of Aragon (1267–1327), King of Sicily
* James II, Count of La Marche (1370–1438), King C ...
succeeded to the throne Thomas enthusiastically supported his pro-Catholic policy and for the next few years he was a political figure of some importance. James appointed him 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 ...
, and made him a Commissioner of the Treasury. During the Williamite Wars, he was given a military command: in 1691 he raised a troop for the relief of the
Siege of Limerick but was defeated in a clash with Williamite forces.
[Ball, p. 21]
After the downfall of the Jacobite cause, Lord FitzWilliam was the subject of an
Act of Attainder, but the attainder was later reversed, whether because of the family's record of loyalty to the Crown, or because of their wealth and influence, is unclear. He took his seat in the
Irish House of Lords in 1695, but although he was willing to swear allegiance to
William III William III or William the Third may refer to:
Kings
* William III of Sicily (c. 1186–c. 1198)
* William III of England and Ireland or William III of Orange or William II of Scotland (1650–1702)
* William III of the Netherlands and Luxembourg ...
, his conscience forbade him to join the
Church of Ireland and he withdrew from the House.
No further action was taken against him. He died, still in full possession of his estates, on 20 February 1704.
Family
Lord FitzWilliam married firstly Mary Stapleton, daughter of the leading Parliamentarian Sir
Philip Stapleton and his first wife Frances Hotham: this was a somewhat surprising marriage, given the deep divisions about religion and politics between the two families.
They had one surviving son-
*
Richard FitzWilliam, 5th Viscount FitzWilliam.
He married secondly Elizabeth Pitt, daughter of
George Pitt of
Strathfieldsaye and Lady Jane Savage, daughter of
John Savage, 2nd Earl Rivers, who had been married twice before; George Pitt was a distant cousin of
William Pitt the Elder, and himself a politician of some importance. They had one daughter-
*Mary, who married George Talbot and was the mother of nine children including-
**George Talbot, 14th
Earl of Shrewsbury[Cokayne p. 287]
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fitzwilliam
Viscounts in the Peerage of Ireland
17th-century Irish politicians
People from Dundrum, Dublin
1704 deaths
18th-century Irish people
Members of the Privy Council of Ireland
Year of birth uncertain
Members of the Irish House of Lords