Thomas Taylour, 2nd Marquess of Headfort KP PC (4 May 1787 – 6 December 1870), styled Viscount Headfort from 1795 to 1800 and Earl of Bective from 1800 to 1829, was an Anglo-Irish Whig politician. He was the

Member of Parliament A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members o ...

(MP) for Meath from 1812 to 1830. Headfort was the son of

Thomas Taylour, 1st Marquess of Headfort Thomas Taylour, 1st Marquess of Headfort (18 November 1757 – 24 October 1829), styled Viscount Headford from 1766 to 1795, and known as The Earl of Bective from 1795 to 1800, was an Irish peer and politician. Early life Taylour was born on 1 ...

, and his wife Mary (née Quin), and succeeded his father in the marquessate in 1829. In 1831 he was created Baron Kenlis, of Kenlis in the County of Meath, in the Peerage of the United Kingdom, which entitled him to an automatic seat in the

House of Lords The House of Lords, also known as the House of Peers, is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Membership is by appointment, heredity or official function. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminste ...

(his other titles being 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 ...

). He was sworn of the Irish Privy Council in 1835 and served in the Whig administration of

Lord Melbourne William Lamb, 2nd Viscount Melbourne, (15 March 177924 November 1848), in some sources called Henry William Lamb, was a British Whig politician who served as Home Secretary (1830–1834) and Prime Minister (1834 and 1835–1841). His first pre ...

as a Lord-in-waiting (government whip in the House of Lords) from 1837 to 1841. Between 1831 and 1870 Headfort also held the post of Lord Lieutenant of Cavan. He was made a

Knight of the Order of St Patrick The Most Illustrious Order of Saint Patrick is a dormant British order of chivalry associated with Ireland. The Order was created in 1783 by King George III at the request of the then Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, The 3rd Earl Temple (later cre ...

in 1839. Lord Headfort first married Olivia, daughter of

John Andrew Stevenson Sir John Andrew Stevenson (November 1761 – 14 September 1833) was an Irish composer. He is best known for his piano arrangements of ''Irish Melodies'' with poet Thomas Moore. He was granted an honorary doctorate by the University of Dublin an ...

, in 1822. At the time of her early death (at the hands of cholera) on 21 July 1834, she left her husband with nine children to mourn her passing. On 6 May 1853, he married Lady Frances Macnaghten, daughter of John Livingstone Martyn and widow of (i) Lieutenant-Colonel James McClintock of the Bombay Army and (ii) Sir

William Hay Macnaghten Sir William Hay Macnaghten, 1st Baronet (24 August 179323 December 1841), was a British civil servant in India, who played a major part in the First Anglo-Afghan War. Life William was the second son of Sir Francis Macnaghten, Bart., judge of the ...

, British Envoy to Afghanistan who was murdered in Kabul in 1841. Headfort died in December 1870, aged 83, and was succeeded in the marquessate by his son from his first marriage,

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 A ...

. Another of his children by his first marriage was the author

Virginia Sandars Virginia Sandars R.H.A. (17 March 1828 – 26 January 1922), was an Irish author. Biography Lady Virginia Frances Zerlina Taylour was born on 17 March 1828 at Headford, County Meath to Olivia Stevenson and Thomas Taylour, 2nd Marquess of Headfo ...

. The second Marchioness of Headfort died in 1878.

References

*Kidd, Charles, Williamson, David (editors). ''Debrett's Peerage and Baronetage'' (1990 edition). New York: St Martin's Press, 1990. * *
www.thepeerage.com

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Headfort, Thomas Taylour, 2nd Marquess of 1787 births 1870 deaths Knights of St Patrick Lord-Lieutenants of Cavan Members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for County Meath constituencies (1801–1922) UK MPs 1812–1818 UK MPs 1818–1820 UK MPs 1820–1826 UK MPs 1826–1830 Members of the Privy Council of Ireland

Marquesses of Headfort Peers of the United Kingdom created by William IV