William Willoughby Cole, 1st Earl of Enniskillen (1 March 1736 – 22 May 1803), styled The Honourable from 1760 to 1767, then known as Lord Mountflorence to 1776 and as Viscount Enniskillen to 1789, 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 ...

peer and politician. Enniskillen was the eldest son of

John Cole, 1st Baron Mountflorence John Cole, 1st Baron Mountflorence (13 October 1709 – 30 November 1767) was an Irish peer and politician. Born in Dublin, he was the son of John Cole, Member of Parliament for Enniskillen. In 1726 he was admitted to Trinity College Dublin,''Al ...

Florence Court Florence Court is a large 18th-century house and estate located 8 miles south-west of Enniskillen, County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland. It is set in the foothills of Cuilcagh Mountain. The nearby village is distinguished by the one-word name F ...

, County Fermanagh. Cole represented

Enniskillen Enniskillen ( , from ga, Inis Ceithleann , ' Ceithlenn's island') is the largest town in County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland. It is in the middle of the county, between the Upper and Lower sections of Lough Erne. It had a population of 13,823 a ...

in 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 fran ...

from 1761 to 1767, when he succeeded his father as second Baron Mountflorence and took his seat 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 ...

. In 1776, he was created Viscount Enniskillen and in 1789 he was even further honoured when he was made Earl of Enniskillen. Both these titles are 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 ...

Private life

In November 1763 Enniskillen married Anne, daughter of Galbraith Lowry-Corry, MP for Tyrone and sister of Armar Lowry-Corry, 1st Earl Belmore. They had four sons and four daughters: * John Willoughby Cole, Viscount Enniskillen (1768–1840), his heir * Hon. Sir

Galbraith Lowry Cole Hon. Sir Galbraith Lowry Cole, (1 May 1772 – 4 October 1842) was an Anglo-Irish British Army general and politician. Early life Cole was the second son of an Irish peer, William Willoughby Cole, 1st Earl of Enniskillen (1 March 1736&nda ...

(1772–1842) * Hon. Rev. William Montgomery Cole (died October 1804),

Dean of Waterford The Dean of Waterford in the United Dioceses of Cashel and Ossory in the Church of Ireland is the dean of Christ Church Cathedral, Waterford. List of deans of Waterford *?–1223 William Wace (afterwards Bishop of Waterford 1223) *?–1252 P ...

*Hon.

Arthur Henry Cole Hon. Arthur Henry Cole (28 June 1780 – 16 June 1844) was an Anglo-Irish politician and civil servant who sat in the British House of Commons for Enniskillen from 1828 to 1844. Cole was the fourth son of William Cole, 1st Earl of Enniskillen ...

(1780–1844) *Lady Sarah Cole (died 14 March 1833), married Owen Wynne *Lady Elizabeth Anne (died 1807), married Richard Magenis *Lady Florence Cole (died 1 March 1862), married Blayney Townley-Balfour * Lady Henrietta Frances (22 June 1784 – 2 July 1848), married

Earl de Grey Earl de Grey, of Wrest in the County of Bedford, was a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. History The title was created on 25 October 1816 (as Countess de Grey) for Amabell Hume-Campbell, Dowager Lady Polwarth and ''suo jure'' 5th ...

Lord Enniskillen died in May 1803, aged 67, and was succeeded in his titles by his eldest son.

References

, - {{DEFAULTSORT:Enniskillen, William Cole, 1st Earl of 1736 births 1803 deaths People educated at Kilkenny College Irish MPs 1761–1768 Members of the Parliament of Ireland (pre-1801) for County Fermanagh constituencies Earls of Enniskillen Cole family (Anglo-Irish aristocracy)