Thomas George Southwell, 1st Viscount Southwell (4 May 1721 – 29 August 1780), styled The Honourable from birth until 1766, was an Irish politician and freemason.

Background

He was the oldest son of

Thomas Southwell, 2nd Baron Southwell Thomas Southwell, 2nd Baron Southwell PC (Ire), FRS (7 January 1698 – 19 November 1766), styled The Honourable from 1717 until 1720, was an Irish peer, politician and freemason. Background He was the oldest son of Thomas Southwell, 1st Baron ...

and his wife Mary Coke, eldest daughter of Thomas Coke. Southwell was educated at

Lincoln's Inn The Honourable Society of Lincoln's Inn is one of the four Inns of Court in London to which barristers of England and Wales belong and where they are called to the Bar. (The other three are Middle Temple, Inner Temple and Gray's Inn.) Lincoln ...

and went then to

Christ Church, Oxford Christ Church ( la, Ædes Christi, the temple or house, '' ædēs'', of Christ, and thus sometimes known as "The House") is a constituent college of the University of Oxford in England. Founded in 1546 by King Henry VIII, the college is uniqu ...

. He was commissioned an ensign in the 2nd Regiment of Foot Guards on 1 May 1738, retiring from the Army in November 1741. Between 1753 and 1757, Southwell was Grandmaster of the

Grand Lodge of Ireland The Grand Lodge of Ireland is the second most senior Grand Lodge of Freemasons in the world, and the oldest in continuous existence. Since no specific record of its foundation exists, 1725 is the year celebrated in Grand Lodge anniversaries, as ...

Career

In 1747, Southwell 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 fra ...

for

Enniscorthy Enniscorthy () is the second-largest town in County Wexford, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. At the 2016 census, the population of the town and environs was 11,381. The town is located on the picturesque River Slaney and in close proximity to the ...

, sitting for it until 1761. Subsequently, he was returned for Limerick County, the same constituency his father and his uncle Henry Southwell had represented before, until 1766, when he succeeded his father as baron. Three years later, Southwell delivered his maiden speech in the

Irish House of Lords The Irish House of Lords was the upper house of the Parliament of Ireland that existed from medieval times until 1800. It was also the final court of appeal of the Kingdom of Ireland. It was modelled on the House of Lords of England, with membe ...

. He was appointed Constable of

Limerick Castle King John's Castle ( ga, Caisleán Luimnigh) also known as Limerick Castle is a 13th-century castle located on King's Island in Limerick, Ireland, next to the River Shannon. Although the site dates back to 922 when the Vikings lived on the ...

in 1750 and Governor of County Limerick in 1762, posts he held until his death in 1780. He was made

High Sheriff of County Limerick The High Sheriff of Limerick was the British Crown's judicial representative in County Limerick, Ireland from the 13th century until 1922, when the office was abolished in the new Free State and replaced by the office of Limerick County Sheriff. ...

for 1759. In 1776, Southwell was elevated to the title Viscount Southwell, of Castle Mattress, in the County of Limerick.

Family

On 18 June 1741, he married Margaret Hamilton, daughter of Arthur Cecil Hamilton of Castle Hamilton, Killeshandra, Co. Cavan and had by her three sons, Thomas (died young),

Thomas Southwell, 2nd Viscount Southwell Thomas Arthur Southwell, 2nd Viscount Southwell (16 April 1742 – 14 February 1796), styled The Honourable from 1766 until 1780, was an Irish peer and politician. He was the oldest son of Thomas Southwell, 1st Viscount Southwell and his wife M ...

, and Robert, and a daughter, Lucia. Southwell had another daughter, Meliora, named after her paternal great-grandmother. The identity of this daughter's mother is not clear. Southwell recognised her as his daughter and, being her natural father, he was granted guardianship of her by the Court of Chancery of Great Britain. On 19 December 1758, Meliora married, by licence from the Archbishop of Canterbury, Joseph Otway, at St James's Church, Piccadilly. As a minor, Southwell had to give his permission for the marriage to proceed. The marriage was witnessed by Southwell, his son, Thomas, and his daughter Lucia.''The Register of Marriages solemnized in the Parish Church of St James within the Liberty of Westminster & County of Middlesex. 1754-1765.'' No. 1397. 19 December 1758. Southwell died, aged 59 and was buried at

Rathkeale Rathkeale () is a town in west County Limerick, in Ireland. It is 30 km (18 mi) southwest of Limerick city on the N21 road to Tralee, County Kerry, and lies on the River Deel. Rathkeale has a significant Irish Traveller population, and ...

. He was succeeded in his titles by his eldest surviving son,

Thomas Thomas may refer to: People * List of people with given name Thomas * Thomas (name) * Thomas (surname) * Saint Thomas (disambiguation) * Thomas Aquinas (1225–1274) Italian Dominican friar, philosopher, and Doctor of the Church * Thomas the Ap ...

, while his younger son,

Robert The name Robert is an ancient Germanic given name, from Proto-Germanic "fame" and "bright" (''Hrōþiberhtaz''). Compare Old Dutch ''Robrecht'' and Old High German ''Hrodebert'' (a compound of '' Hruod'' ( non, Hróðr) "fame, glory, honou ...

, also sat 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 ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Southwell, Thomas Southwell, 1st Viscount 1721 births 1788 deaths Alumni of Christ Church, Oxford Coldstream Guards officers Members of Lincoln's Inn Irish MPs 1727–1760 Irish MPs 1761–1768 Viscounts in the Peerage of Ireland Politicians from County Limerick High Sheriffs of County Limerick Members of the Parliament of Ireland (pre-1801) for County Wexford constituencies Members of the Parliament of Ireland (pre-1801) for County Limerick constituencies