Francis Annesley, 1st Viscount Valentia
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Francis Annesley, 1st Viscount Valentia, (1 February – 22 November 1660) was an English statesman during the colonisation of Ireland in the seventeenth century. He was a Member of Parliament for both the English and Irish houses, was elevated to the
Irish peerage The peerage of Ireland consists of those Peerage, titles of nobility created by the English monarchs in their capacity as Lordship of Ireland, Lord or Monarchy of Ireland, King of Ireland, or later by monarchs of the United Kingdom of Great B ...
as Baron Mountnorris, and later gain the additional title
Viscount Valentia Viscount Valentia is a title in the Peerage of Ireland. It has been created twice. The first creation came in 1621 for Henry Power. A year later, his kinsman Sir Francis Annesley, 1st Baronet, was given a "reversionary grant" of the viscountcy, ...
. He is best remembered for his clash with the Lord Lieutenant, Thomas Wentworth, who in order to render Annesley powerless had him sentenced to death on a spurious charge of mutiny, although it was clearly understood that the sentence would not be carried out.


Biography


Rise to power

Annesley, descended from the ancient
Nottinghamshire Nottinghamshire (; abbreviated ''Notts.'') is a ceremonial county in the East Midlands of England. The county is bordered by South Yorkshire to the north-west, Lincolnshire to the east, Leicestershire to the south, and Derbyshire to the west. Th ...
family of Annesley, was the son of Robert Annesley, high constable of Newport, Buckinghamshire, and his wife Beatrice Cornwall, daughter of John Cornwall of Moor Park,
Hertfordshire Hertfordshire ( or ; often abbreviated Herts) is a ceremonial county in the East of England and one of the home counties. It borders Bedfordshire to the north-west, Cambridgeshire to the north-east, Essex to the east, Greater London to the ...
, and was baptised 2 January 1586. As early as 1606 he had left England to reside at
Dublin Dublin is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Situated on Dublin Bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, and is bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, pa ...
, and he took advantage of the frequent distributions of Irish land made to English colonists in the early part of the seventeenth century to acquire estates in various parts of Ireland. With
Sir Arthur Chichester Arthur Chichester, 1st Baron Chichester (May 1563 – 19 February 1625), known between 1596 and 1613 as Sir Arthur Chichester, of Carrickfergus in Ireland, was an English administrator and soldier who served as Lord Deputy of Ireland from 1605 ...
, who became
Lord Deputy of Ireland The Lord Deputy was the representative of the monarch and head of the Irish executive (government), executive under English rule, during the Lordship of Ireland and then the Kingdom of Ireland. He deputised prior to 1523 for the Viceroy of Ireland ...
in 1604, he lived on terms of intimacy, and several small offices of state, with a pension granted 5 November 1607, were bestowed on him in his youthful days.Lee, 1885 In the colonisation of Ulster, which began in 1608, Annesley played a leading part, and secured some of the spoils. In October 1609 he was charged with the conveyance of Sir Niall Garve O'Donnell and other Ulster rebels to England for trial. On 13 March 1611–12
James I James I may refer to: People *James I of Aragon (1208–1276) * James I of Sicily or James II of Aragon (1267–1327) * James I, Count of La Marche (1319–1362), Count of Ponthieu * James I, Count of Urgell (1321–1347) *James I of Cyprus (1334†...
wrote to the Lord Deputy confirming his grant of the fort and land of Mountnorris to Annesley "in consideration of the good opinion he has conceived of the said Francis from Sir Arthur's report of him". On 26 May 1612, Annesley was granted a reversion to the clerkship of the Checque of the Armies and Garrisons, to which he succeeded on 9 December 1625. In 1614,
County Armagh County Armagh ( ) is one of the six counties of Northern Ireland and one of the traditional thirty-two counties of Ireland. It is located in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Ulster and adjoins the southern shore of Lough Neagh. It borders t ...
returned Annesley to the Irish parliament, and he supported the Protestants there in their quarrels with the Catholics. Meanwhile, his sister Bridget Annesley, a lady of the bedchamber in the household of
Anne of Denmark Anne of Denmark (; 12 December 1574 â€“ 2 March 1619) was the wife of King James VI and I. She was List of Scottish royal consorts, Queen of Scotland from their marriage on 20 August 1589 and List of English royal consorts, Queen of Engl ...
may have been able to promote his career.Lloyd Bowen & Simon Healy, 'ANNESLEY, Sir Francis (by 1584-1660)', ''The History of Parliament: the House of Commons 1604-1629'', ed. Andrew Thrush and John P. Ferris, 2010
.
In 1616, he was sworn of the
Irish Privy Council His or Her Majesty's Privy Council in Ireland, commonly called the Privy Council of Ireland, Irish Privy Council, or in earlier centuries the Irish Council, was the institution within the Dublin Castle administration which exercised formal execut ...
. On 16 July, the King
knighted A knight is a person granted an honorary title of a knighthood by a head of state (including the pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the church, or the country, especially in a military capacity. The concept of a knighthood ...
him at
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; in 1618 he was acting as Principal Secretary of State for Ireland, although he may not have been formally appointed; on 5 August 1620 received from the king an Irish
baronetcy A baronet ( or ; abbreviated Bart or Bt) or the female equivalent, a baronetess (, , or ; abbreviation Btss), is the holder of a baronetcy, a hereditary title awarded by the British Crown. The title of baronet is mentioned as early as the 14th ...
; and, on 11 March 1620–21, received a reversionary grant to the viscounty of Valentia, which had recently been conferred on Sir Henry Power, a kinsman of Annesley, who had no direct heir. In 1625, he was elected to represent the county of
Carmarthen Carmarthen (, ; , 'Merlin's fort' or possibly 'Sea-town fort') is the county town of Carmarthenshire and a community (Wales), community in Wales, lying on the River Towy north of its estuary in Carmarthen Bay. At the 2021 United Kingdom cen ...
in the English parliament. Meanwhile, in 1622,
Lord Falkland Viscount Falkland is a title in the Peerage of Scotland. The name refers to the royal burgh of Falkland in Fife. History The title was created in 1620 by King James VI for Sir Henry Cary, a member of the Cary family. He was born in Hertf ...
became
Lord Deputy of Ireland The Lord Deputy was the representative of the monarch and head of the Irish executive (government), executive under English rule, during the Lordship of Ireland and then the Kingdom of Ireland. He deputised prior to 1523 for the Viceroy of Ireland ...
. Dissensions between Annesley and the new governor in the council chamber were constant, and, in March 1625, the Lord Deputy wrote to
Conway Conway may refer to: Places United States * Conway, Arkansas * Conway County, Arkansas * Lake Conway, Arkansas * Conway, Florida * Conway, Iowa * Conway, Kansas * Conway, Louisiana * Conway, Massachusetts * Conway, Michigan * Conway Townshi ...
, the English Secretary of State, that a minority of the councillors, "amongst whom Sir Francis Annesley is not least violent nor the least impertinent", was thwarting him in every direction. But Annesley's friends at the English court contrived his promotion two months later to the important post of Vice-Treasurer and Receiver-General of Ireland, which gave him full control of Irish finance, and, in 1628,
Charles I Charles I may refer to: Kings and emperors * Charlemagne (742–814), numbered Charles I in the lists of Holy Roman Emperors and French kings * Charles I of Anjou (1226–1285), also king of Albania, Jerusalem, Naples and Sicily * Charles I of ...
raised him to the Irish peerage as Baron Mountnorris of Mountnorris. In October of the same year, an opportunity was given Annesley, of which he readily took advantage, to make Falkland's continuance in office impossible. He was nominated on a committee of the
Irish privy council His or Her Majesty's Privy Council in Ireland, commonly called the Privy Council of Ireland, Irish Privy Council, or in earlier centuries the Irish Council, was the institution within the Dublin Castle administration which exercised formal execut ...
appointed to investigate charges of injustice preferred against Falkland by the
Byrne Byrne is an Irish surname and less commonly a given name. It is derived from the Gaelic ''Ó Broin'' or ''Ó Beirn'', which are also linked to the surname O'Byrne. There are two Irish surnames which have Byrne as their English spelling; the mos ...
Clan A clan is a group of people united by actual or perceived kinship and descent. Even if lineage details are unknown, a clan may claim descent from a founding member or apical ancestor who serves as a symbol of the clan's unity. Many societie ...
, who had held land in
County Wicklow County Wicklow ( ; ) is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. The last of the traditional 32 counties, having been formed as late as 1606 in Ireland, 1606, it is part of the Eastern and Midland Region and the Provinces ...
for centuries. The committee, relying on the testimony of corrupt witnesses, condemned Falkland's treatment of the Byrnes, and Falkland was of necessity recalled on 10 August 1629. On 13 June 1632, the additional office of Treasurer at Wars was conferred on Mountnorris.


Sir Thomas Wentworth

In 1633 the formidable Sir Thomas Wentworth, afterwards Earl of Strafford, became Lord Deputy, and Mountnorris soon discovered that he was determined to insist on the rights of his office far more emphatically than Falkland. Although they were related by marriage, Wentworth disliked Mountnorris from the first as a gay liver, and as having been long guilty, according to popular report, of
corruption Corruption is a form of dishonesty or a criminal offense that is undertaken by a person or an organization that is entrusted in a position of authority to acquire illicit benefits or abuse power for one's gain. Corruption may involve activities ...
in the conduct of official duties. In May 1634 Wentworth obtained an order from the English Privy Council forbidding his practice of taking percentages on the revenue to which he was not lawfully entitled; this order Mountnorris refused to obey. Fresh charges of malversation were brought against him in 1635, and, after threatening to resign office, he announced that all intercourse between the Lord Deputy and himself was at an end, and that he would take his case to the king personally. Mountnorris's relatives took up the quarrel. His younger brother at a military review made an insulting gesture to Wentworth, who struck him with his cane in return, and another kinsman deliberately dropped a stool in
Dublin Castle Dublin Castle () is a major Government of Ireland, Irish government complex, conference centre, and tourist attraction. It is located off Dame Street in central Dublin. It is a former motte-and-bailey castle and was chosen for its position at ...
on Wentworth's
gout Gout ( ) is a form of inflammatory arthritis characterized by recurrent attacks of pain in a red, tender, hot, and Joint effusion, swollen joint, caused by the deposition of needle-like crystals of uric acid known as monosodium urate crysta ...
y foot. At a dinner (8 April 1635) at the house of Lord Loftus, the
Lord Chancellor of Ireland The Lord High Chancellor of Ireland, commonly known as the Lord Chancellor of Ireland, was the highest ranking judicial office in Ireland until the establishment of the Irish Free State in 1922. From 1721 until the end of 1800, it was also the hi ...
, one of his supporters, Mountnorris boasted of this last act as having been done in revenge of the Lord Deputy's conduct towards himself; he referred to his brother as being unwilling to take "such a revenge", and was understood to imply that some further insult to Wentworth was contemplated.


Downfall

Wentworth was now resolved to crush Mountnorris, and on 31 July following obtained the consent of
Charles I Charles I may refer to: Kings and emperors * Charlemagne (742–814), numbered Charles I in the lists of Holy Roman Emperors and French kings * Charles I of Anjou (1226–1285), also king of Albania, Jerusalem, Naples and Sicily * Charles I of ...
to inquire formally into the Vice-Treasurer's alleged malversation and to bring him before a
court-martial A court-martial (plural ''courts-martial'' or ''courts martial'', as "martial" is a postpositive adjective) is a military court or a trial conducted in such a court. A court-martial is empowered to determine the guilt of members of the arme ...
for the words spoken at the dinner in April. At the end of November, a committee of the Irish Privy Council undertook the first duty, and on 12 December Mountnorris was brought before a
council of war A council of warDublin Castle Dublin Castle () is a major Government of Ireland, Irish government complex, conference centre, and tourist attraction. It is located off Dame Street in central Dublin. It is a former motte-and-bailey castle and was chosen for its position at ...
and charged, as an officer in the army, with having spoken words disrespectful to his commander and likely to breed
mutiny Mutiny is a revolt among a group of people (typically of a military or a crew) to oppose, change, or remove superiors or their orders. The term is commonly used for insubordination by members of the military against an officer or superior, ...
, an offence legally punishable by death. Mountnorris demanded as the
privilege of peerage The privilege of peerage is the body of special privileges belonging to members of the British peerage. It is distinct from parliamentary privilege, which applies only to those peers serving in the House of Lords and the members of the House of ...
, a trial before 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 the end of 1800. It was also the final court of appeal of the Kingdom of Ireland. It was modelled on the House of Lords of Englan ...
: he was told brusquely that a military court knew nothing of his privilege. Wentworth appeared as a suitor for justice; after he had stated his case, and
counsel A counsel or a counsellor at law is a person who gives advice and deals with various issues, particularly in legal matters. It is a title often used interchangeably with the title of ''lawyer''. The word ''counsel'' can also mean advice given ...
had been refused Mountnorris, the court briefly deliberated in Wentworth's presence, and pronounced sentence of death. The Lord Deputy informed Mountnorris that he would appeal to the king against the sentence, and added, rather tactlessly: "I would rather lose my ''hand'' than you should lose your ''head.''" In England the sentence was condemned on all hands; in letters to friends, Wentworth attempted to justify it in the cause of discipline, and even at his trial he spoke of it as in no way reflecting upon himself. The only real justification for Wentworth's conduct, however, lies in the fact that he had obviously no desire to see the sentence executed; he felt it necessary, as he confessed two years later, to remove Mountnorris from office, and this was the most effective means he could take. Hume attempts to extenuate Strafford's conduct, but Hallam condemns the vindictive bitterness he here exhibited in strong terms; and although Mr. S. R. Gardiner has shown that law was technically on Wentworth's side, and his intention was merely to terrify Mountnorris, Hallam's verdict seems substantially just. As the result, Mountnorris, after three days' imprisonment, was promised his freedom if he would admit the justice of the sentence, but this he refused to do. On the report of the privy council's committee of inquiry he was stripped of all his offices, but on 13 February 1635–6 a petition to Strafford from Lady Mountnorris, which was never answered, proves that he was still in prison. In the petition, she pleaded eloquently with Strafford to remove his "heavy hand" from her dear husband, and appealed to the memory of his beloved second wife Arabella Holles, who was her cousin. She later managed to gain entry to his house, and went on her knees to him: Wentworth treated her courteously but remained implacable. Later in the year, Lady Mountnorris petitioned the king to permit her husband to return to England, and the request was granted.


Life after Strafford

The rest of Mountnorris's life was passed in attempts to regain his lost offices. On 11 May 1641, he wrote to Strafford enumerating the wrongs he had done him, and desiring, on behalf of his wife and children, a reconciliation with himself, and his aid in regaining the king's favour. But other agencies had already been set at work on his behalf. A committee of the
Long Parliament The Long Parliament was an Parliament of England, English Parliament which lasted from 1640 until 1660, making it the longest-lasting Parliament in English and British history. It followed the fiasco of the Short Parliament, which had convened f ...
had begun at the close of 1640 to examine his relations with Strafford, and on 9 September 1641, a vote of the commons declared his sentence, imprisonment, and deprivations unjust and illegal. The declaration was sent up to the
House of Lords The House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the lower house, the House of Commons of the United Kingdom, House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster in London, England. One of the oldest ext ...
, who made several orders between October and December 1641 for the attendance before them of witnesses to enable them to judge the questions at issue; but their final decision is not recorded in their journals. In 1642 Mountnorris succeeded by special remainder to the viscounty of Valentia on the death of his cousin Sir Henry Power. In 1643 the House of Commons granted him permission, after much delay, to go to
Duncannon Duncannon () is a village in southwest County Wexford, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Bordered to the west by Waterford Harbour, Waterford harbour and sitting on a rocky headland jutting into the channel is the strategically prominent Duncanno ...
in Ireland. In 1646 he was for some time in London, but he lived, when not in Ireland, on an estate near his birthplace, at
Newport Pagnell Newport Pagnell is a town and civil parish in the City of Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, England. The Office for National Statistics records Newport Pagnell as part of the Milton Keynes urban area. The town is separated from the rest of the u ...
,
Buckinghamshire Buckinghamshire (, abbreviated ''Bucks'') is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England and one of the home counties. It is bordered by Northamptonshire to the north, Bedfordshire to the north-east, Hertfordshir ...
, which had been sold to him by Charles I in 1627. In 1648 Parliament restored him to the office of
Clerk of the Signet The Clerks of the Signet were English officials who played an intermediate role in the passage of letters patent through the seals. For most of the history of the position, four clerks were in office simultaneously. Letters patent prepared by th ...
in Ireland, and made him a grant of £500. Later he appears to have lived on friendly terms with
Henry Cromwell Henry Cromwell (20 January 1628 – 23 March 1674) was the fourth son of Oliver Cromwell and Elizabeth Bourchier, and an important figure in the Parliamentarian regime in Ireland. Biography Early life Henry Cromwell was born at Huntingdon on ...
, the Lord Deputy of Ireland during the
Protectorate A protectorate, in the context of international relations, is a State (polity), state that is under protection by another state for defence against aggression and other violations of law. It is a dependent territory that enjoys autonomy over ...
, and to have secured the office of Secretary of State at Dublin. In November 1656 he proposed to the English Government that he should resign these posts to his son
Arthur 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 ...
. Henry Cromwell, writing to General Fleetwood, urges him to aid in carrying out this arrangement, and speaks in high terms of father and son. Lord Mountnorris died in 1660.


Family

He married firstly Dorothea (died 1624), daughter of Sir John Philipps, 1st Baronet of Picton Castle,
Pembrokeshire Pembrokeshire ( ; ) is a Principal areas of Wales, county in the South West Wales, south-west of Wales. It is bordered by Carmarthenshire to the east, Ceredigion to the northeast, and otherwise by the sea. Haverfordwest is the largest town and ...
, and his first wife Anne, daughter of
Sir John Perrot Sir John Perrot (7 November 1528 – 3 November 1592) was a member of the Welsh people, Welsh gentry who served as Lord Deputy of Ireland under Queen Elizabeth I of England during the Tudor conquest of Ireland. It was formerly speculated that he ...
, and they had eleven children of whom three sons and several daughters reached adulthood. He married secondly Jane (died 1683/4), widow of Sir Peter Courten, 1st Baronet, of Aldington and daughter of Sir John Stanhope and his second wife Catherine Trentham, and half-sister of Philip Stanhope, 1st Earl of Chesterfield, and they had nine children of whom at least one son and one daughter reached adulthood. The eldest son of that marriage, Francis, was born on 23 January 1628. On 29 December 1662, he married Deborah, daughter of Henry Jones, Bishop of Meath, and widow of John Boudler of Dublin, who died on 4 September 1672. He served as High Sheriff of Down in 1665 and 1672.* His only surviving son was Francis Annesley, who sat in the Irish, English and British Houses of Commons. Valentia died and was buried in Thorganby,
Yorkshire Yorkshire ( ) is an area of Northern England which was History of Yorkshire, historically a county. Despite no longer being used for administration, Yorkshire retains a strong regional identity. The county was named after its county town, the ...
, in November 1660. He was succeeded by his eldest son,
Arthur 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 ...
, who was later created Lord Annesley and
Earl of Anglesey Earl of Anglesey was a title in the Peerage of England during the 17th and 18th centuries. History The first creation came in 1623 when Christopher Villiers was created Earl of Anglesey, in Wales, as well as Baron Villiers. He was the elder br ...
.


Arms


Notes


References

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Valentia, Francis Annesley, 1st Viscount 1580s births 1660 deaths Members of the Parliament of England (pre-1707) for constituencies in Wales Members of the Parliament of Ireland (pre-1801) for County Armagh constituencies Viscounts in the Peerage of Ireland Peers of Ireland created by Charles I Annesley, Francis Members of the Privy Council of Ireland
Francis Francis may refer to: People and characters *Pope Francis, head of the Catholic Church (2013–2025) *Francis (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters * Francis (surname) * Francis, a character played by YouTuber Boogie2 ...
English MPs 1625 English MPs 1628–1629 Expatriates from the Kingdom of England in Ireland