Baron O'Neill, of

Shane's Castle Shane's Castle is a ruined castle near Antrim, County Antrim, Antrim in County Antrim, Northern Ireland, which was mostly destroyed in 1816 by fire. The castle is situated on the north-east shores of Lough Neagh, 2.7 miles from Randalstown. Built ...

in the County of Antrim, is a title in the

Peerage of the United Kingdom The Peerage of the United Kingdom is one of the five peerages in the United Kingdom. It comprises most peerages created in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland after the Acts of Union in 1801, when it replaced the Peerage of Great B ...

. It was created in 1868 for the musical composer

The Reverend The Reverend (abbreviated as The Revd, The Rev'd or The Rev) is an honorific style (form of address), style given to certain (primarily Western Christian, Western) Christian clergy and Christian minister, ministers. There are sometimes differen ...

William O'Neill. Born William Chichester, he succeeded to the estates of his cousin John Bruce Richard O'Neill, 3rd

Viscount O'Neill Viscount O'Neill, of Shane's Castle in the County of Antrim, was a title in the Peerage of Ireland. It was created in 1795 for John O'Neill, 1st Baron O'Neill, who had earlier represented Randalstown and County Antrim in the Irish House of Comm ...

, in 1855 (on whose death the viscountcy and first barony of O'Neill became extinct) and assumed by royal licence the surname of O'Neill in lieu of Chichester in order to inherit the lands of his cousin, despite not being descended in the male line from an O'Neill. The Chichesters trace their lineage to the name O'Neill through Mary Chichester, daughter of Henry O'Neill of Shane's Castle. Lord O'Neill was the patrilineal great-great-great-grandson of John Chichester, younger brother of

Arthur Chichester, 2nd Earl of Donegall Arthur is a masculine given name of uncertain etymology. Its popularity derives from it being the name of the legendary hero King Arthur. A common spelling variant used in many Slavic, Romance, and Germanic languages is Artur. In Spanish and Ital ...

.Debrett's Peerage and Baronetage 1995, edited by Charles Kidd and David Williamson, published by Debrett’s Peerage Limited, and Macmillan Reference Books, London, 1995, & 0-312-12557-7 (p.P969). The latter two were both nephews of

Arthur Chichester, 1st Earl of Donegall Arthur Chichester, 1st Earl of Donegall (16 June 1606 – 18 March 1675), was an Anglo-Irish military officer, politician and peer. Origins He was the eldest son and heir of the Edward Chichester, 1st Viscount Chichester, 1st Viscount Chicheste ...

, and grandsons of

Edward Chichester, 1st Viscount Chichester Edward Chichester, 1st Viscount Chichester (1568 – 8 July 1648), was an English peer. Origins He was the third son of Sir John Chichester (died 1569), John Chichester (died 1569), knight, lord of the manor of Raleigh, Pilton, Raleigh, in the ...

(see the

Marquess of Donegall Marquess of Donegall is a title in the Peerage of Ireland held by the head of the Chichester family, originally from Devon, England. Sir John Chichester sat as a Member of Parliament and was High Sheriff of Devon in 1557. One of his sons, Si ...

for more information). Lord O'Neill was succeeded by his eldest son, the second Baron. He sat as a

Conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy and ideology that seeks to promote and preserve traditional institutions, customs, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civiliza ...

Member of Parliament for Antrim. His eldest son and heir apparent, the Hon. Arthur O'Neill, represented Antrim Mid in the

House of Commons The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the Bicameralism, bicameral parliaments of the United Kingdom and Canada. In both of these countries, the Commons holds much more legislative power than the nominally upper house of ...

as a Conservative from 1910 until 1914, when he was killed in action during the

First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, the first MP to die in the conflict. The second Baron was therefore succeeded by his grandson,

Shane O'Neill, 3rd Baron O'Neill Shane Edward Robert O'Neill, 3rd Baron O'Neill (6 February 1907 – 24 October 1944) was an Anglo-Irish peer and British Army officer. He served during World War II and was killed in action in Italy. Early life and family O'Neill was born on 6 F ...

(the son of the Hon. Arthur O'Neill). He was killed in action in

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

during the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. The title is currently held by his son, the fourth Baron, who succeeded in 1944. He was

Lord Lieutenant of Antrim A list of people who have served as Lord-Lieutenant of Antrim, located in Northern Ireland. There were lieutenants of counties in Ireland until the reign of James II, when they were renamed governors. G. E. C., ed. Vicary Gibbs, ''The Complete ...

from 1994 to 2008. Two other members of the O'Neill family have been elevated to the peerage.

Hugh O'Neill, 1st Baron Rathcavan Robert William Hugh O'Neill, 1st Baron Rathcavan, (8 June 1883 – 28 November 1982), known as Sir Hugh O'Neill, 1st Baronet, from 1929 to 1953, was an Ulster Unionist member of both the Parliament of the United Kingdom and the Parliament of ...

, was the youngest son of the second Baron O'Neill, while

Terence O'Neill, Baron O'Neill of the Maine Terence Marne O'Neill, Baron O'Neill of the Maine, Privy Council of Northern Ireland, PC (NI) (10 September 1914 – 12 June 1990), was the fourth Prime Minister of Northern Ireland and leader (1963–1969) of the Ulster Unionist Party (UUP). ...

Prime Minister of Northern Ireland The prime minister of Northern Ireland was the head of the Government of Northern Ireland (1921–1972), Government of Northern Ireland between 1921 and 1972. No such office was provided for in the Government of Ireland Act 1920; however, the L ...

, was the youngest brother of the third Baron. The holders of the O'Neill and Rathcavan baronies are in the remainder of the titles Earl of Donagall, Viscount Chichester and Baron Chichester, though the chances of that happening are very slim. The family seat is

, near

Randalstown Randalstown () is a small town and townland in County Antrim, Northern Ireland, between Antrim and Toome. The town, which contains a prominent disused railway viaduct, lies beside Lough Neagh and the Shane's Castle estate. Randalstown is bypas ...

County Antrim County Antrim (named after the town of Antrim, County Antrim, Antrim, ) is one of the six counties of Northern Ireland, located within the historic Provinces of Ireland, province of Ulster. Adjoined to the north-east shore of Lough Neagh, the c ...

Baron O'Neill (1868)

William O'Neill, 1st Baron O'Neill Reverend William O'Neill, 1st Baron O'Neill (4 March 1813 – 18 April 1883), was an Anglo-Irish hereditary peer, clergyman and musical composer. Born William Chichester, he changed his surname to O'Neill in 1855. Background and education The el ...

(1813–1883) *

Edward O'Neill, 2nd Baron O'Neill Edward O'Neill, 2nd Baron O'Neill (31 December 1839 – 19 November 1928), known as Edward Chichester until 1855, was an Irish peer and Conservative politician. O'Neill was the eldest son of William O'Neill, 1st Baron O'Neill, and his first w ...

(1839–1928) * Shane Edward Robert O'Neill, 3rd Baron O'Neill (1907–1944) * Raymond Arthur Clanaboy O'Neill, 4th Baron O'Neill (born 1933) The

heir apparent An heir apparent is a person who is first in the order of succession and cannot be displaced from inheriting by the birth of another person. A person who is first in the current order of succession but could be displaced by the birth of a more e ...

is the present holder's son, the Hon. Shane Sebastian Clanaboy O'Neill (born 1965).

Title succession chart

References

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Oneill Baronies in the Peerage of the United Kingdom Noble titles created in 1868 Extinct baronies in the Peerage of Ireland Chichester family

Baron O'Neill (1868)

Title succession chart

See also

References