Col. William Persse (c. 1728 – 19 January 1803) was an

Irish Irish may refer to: Common meanings * Someone or something of, from, or related to: ** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe ***Éire, Irish language name for the isle ** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...

Volunteer Volunteering is a voluntary act of an individual or group freely giving time and labor for community service. Many volunteers are specifically trained in the areas they work, such as medicine, education, or emergency rescue. Others serve ...

. Persse was born at Roxborough House, County Galway, a great-grandson of

Dudley Persse Dudley Persse (1625–1699) was an Anglo-Irish landlord and Anglican priest. He was a grandson of the Rev. Robert Persse (died 1612), who originated in Northumberland but settled in Ireland in the late 16th century and was buried at Bodenstown, ...

Northumberland Northumberland () is a county in Northern England, one of two counties in England which border with Scotland. Notable landmarks in the county include Alnwick Castle, Bamburgh Castle, Hadrian's Wall and Hexham Abbey. It is bordered by land on ...

(see

House of Percy A house is a single-unit residential building. It may range in complexity from a rudimentary hut to a complex structure of wood, masonry, concrete or other material, outfitted with plumbing, electrical, and heating, ventilation, and air co ...

), who settled in Galway during the Cromwellian era, and was the ancestor of all subsequent Persses in the county. In 1782, he was one of the five delegates from Galway representing the Volunteers at the Grand National Convention, alongside Edmond Kirwan, Peter D'Arcy, Major William Burke and Colonel Walter Lambert. He supported the full emancipation of Catholics in the United Kingdom. In 1777, he had founded the county's first volunteer unit. The Roxborough Volunteers are commemorated with a bridge just inside the gates of Roxborough, with an inscription, dated 1783. He personally knew both

George Washington George Washington (February 22, 1732, 1799) was an American military officer, statesman, and Founding Father who served as the first president of the United States from 1789 to 1797. Appointed by the Continental Congress as commander of th ...

and

John Wesley John Wesley (; 2 March 1791) was an English people, English cleric, Christian theology, theologian, and Evangelism, evangelist who was a leader of a Christian revival, revival movement within the Church of England known as Methodism. The soci ...

, the latter being a guest at his Galway home, Roxborough, in May 1785. Washington and Persse corresponded from after 1783 to about 1795, with Persse advising Washington on planting in the gardens of

Mount Vernon Mount Vernon is an American landmark and former plantation of Founding Father, commander of the Continental Army in the Revolutionary War, and the first president of the United States George Washington and his wife, Martha. The estate is on ...

. Persse's great-granddaughter was the Irish nationalist landlord

Lady Augusta Gregory Isabella Augusta, Lady Gregory (''née'' Persse; 15 March 1852 – 22 May 1932) was an Irish dramatist, folklorist and theatre manager. With William Butler Yeats and Edward Martyn, she co-founded the Irish Literary Theatre and the Abbey Theatre, ...

.''The History of Galway'', Sean Spellissy, 1999.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Persse, William Date of birth missing 1720s births 1802 deaths People from County Galway Irish Anglicans Irish people of English descent