William Townsend Mullins, 2nd Baron Ventry (25 September 1761 – 5 October 1827) was an

Anglo-Irish Anglo-Irish people () denotes an ethnic, social and religious grouping who are mostly the descendants and successors of the English Protestant Ascendancy in Ireland. They mostly belong to the Anglican Church of Ireland, which was the establis ...

politician and peer. Mullins was the son of

Thomas Mullins, 1st Baron Ventry Thomas Mullins, 1st Baron Ventry (25 October 1736 – 11 January 1824) was an Anglo-Irish politician and peer. Biography Mullins was the son of William Mullins and Mary Rowan.Michael C. O'Laughlin, ''Families of Co. Kerry, Ireland'' (Irish Roots ...

, and Elizabeth Gunn, the daughter of Townsend Gunn. He served as 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 of ...

for

Dingle Dingle (Irish language, Irish: ''An Daingean'' or ''Daingean Uí Chúis'', meaning "fort of Ó Cúis") is a town in County Kerry, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. The only town on the Dingle Peninsula, it sits on the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic coas ...

between January and December 1800. In this capacity, he was instrumental in securing the passage of the Irish Act of Union of 1800, for which his father was awarded a

peerage A peerage is a legal system historically comprising various hereditary titles (and sometimes non-hereditary titles) in a number of countries, and composed of assorted noble ranks. Peerages include: Australia * Australian peers Belgium * Belgi ...

. He succeeded to his father's title in 1824 and died three years later. He was married three times: firstly in 1784 to Sarah Anne Falkiner, youngest daughter of Sir Riggs Falkiner, 1st Baronet, and his only child by his second wife Anne Maturin. Sarah Anne died in 1788, leaving two daughters. He married secondly in 1790 Frances Sage, daughter of Isaac Sage; this marriage ended in 1796 with a

divorce Divorce (also known as dissolution of marriage) is the process of terminating a marriage or marital union. Divorce usually entails the canceling or reorganizing of the legal duties and responsibilities of marriage, thus dissolving the ...

Act of Parliament Acts of Parliament, sometimes referred to as primary legislation, are texts of law passed by the Legislature, legislative body of a jurisdiction (often a parliament or council). In most countries with a parliamentary system of government, acts of ...

, by which both parties were free to remarry (Frances remarried Boyle O'Sullivan: she was also awarded a sum equivalent to her widow's

jointure Jointure is, in law, a provision for a wife after the death of her husband. As defined by Sir Edward Coke, it is "a competent livelihood of freehold for the wife, of lands or tenements, to take effect presently in possession or profit after the dea ...

). His third wife was Clara Jones, daughter of Benjamin Jones who outlived him. She remarried Thomas Fitzgibbon Henchy. Her only child by Lord Ventry died young. He left daughters, but no surviving male issue, and was succeeded by his nephew,

Thomas de Moleyns, 3rd Baron Ventry Thomas Townsend Aremberg de Moleyns, 3rd Baron Ventry (born Mullins) (January 1786 – 18 January 1868), was an Anglo-Irish soldier and nobleman. He was the son of Townsend Mullins, the second son of The 1st Baron Ventry, and his second wife ...

.Lodge Edmund, ''The peerage of the British empire as at present existing. To which is added the baronetage'' (1832), 400.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ventry, William Mullins, 2nd Baron 1761 births 1827 deaths 18th-century Anglo-Irish people Barons in the Peerage of Ireland Members of the Parliament of Ireland (pre-1801) for County Kerry constituencies Irish MPs 1798–1800