William Henry Holmes Lyons (31 July 1843 – 27 March 1924) was the

High Sheriff of Antrim The High Sheriff of Antrim is the Sovereign's judicial representative in County Antrim. Initially an office for lifetime, assigned by the Sovereign, the high sheriff became annually appointed from the Provisions of Oxford in 1258. Besides his judi ...

in 1904. He was a political leader who fought to maintain the union between Great Britain and Northern Ireland. He was born in Belfast and educated at

Harrow School (The Faithful Dispensation of the Gifts of God) , established = (Royal Charter) , closed = , type = Public schoolIndependent schoolBoarding school , religion = Church of E ...

and in France. He intended to pursue a military career and passed his examinations with distinction, but owing to defective eyesight (he lost an eye playing rackets at Harrow) he was unable to enter the Army. Mr Lyons became a prominent Unionist. He was a member of the

Orange Institution The Loyal Orange Institution, commonly known as the Orange Order, is an international Protestant fraternal order based in Northern Ireland and primarily associated with Ulster Protestants, particularly those of Ulster Scots heritage. It als ...

and in December 1915, he was promoted to the position of Sovereign Grand Master of the Orange Lodge of Ireland. For fifty years he was a prominent member of the Black Institution. He was also Grand Master of the

Imperial Grand Black Chapter of the British Commonwealth The Royal Black Institution, the Imperial Grand Black Chapter Of The British Commonwealth, or simply the Black Institution,wikipedia:Manual of Style/Words to watch#Unsupported%20attributions">who?''/sup> argue is an Ulster syncretism of rit ...

. Mr Lyons was appointed a Privy Councillor in Ireland in 1922. Mr Lyons married in 1888 a daughter of Geoffrey Evans of Gortmerron House in County Tyrone. He had three daughters and a son who died on 1 November 1918 from influenza contracted in

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. According to the ''Belfast News'', a memorial service took place at

St Anne’s Cathedral, Belfast St Anne's Cathedral, also known as Belfast Cathedral, is a Church of Ireland cathedral in Donegall Street, Belfast, Northern Ireland. It is unusual in serving two separate dioceses (Diocese of Connor (Church of Ireland), Connor and Diocese of Do ...

on 27 March 1924. His death was reported around the British Empire.

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* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Lyons, W 1843 births 1924 deaths People educated at Harrow School Grand Masters of the Orange Order High Sheriffs of Antrim Members of the Privy Council of Ireland