Francis Annesley, FRS (October 1663 – 7 April 1750) was an Irish lawyer and politician who sat 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 the end of 1800. The upper house was the Irish House of Lords, House of Lords. The membership of the House of Commons was directly elected, ...

between 1692 and 1714, in the English House of Commons from 1705 to 1708 and in the

British House of Commons The House of Commons is the lower house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the upper house, the House of Lords, it meets in the Palace of Westminster in London, England. The House of Commons is an elected body consisting of 650 memb ...

between 1708 and 1734.

Early life

Annesley was the eldest son of the Hon. Francis Annesley of

Castlewellan Castlewellan () is a small town in County Down, in the south-east of Northern Ireland close to the Irish Sea. It is beside Castlewellan Lake and Slievenaslat mountain, southwest of Downpatrick. It lies between the Mourne Mountains and Slieve ...

, County Down and his wife Deborah Jones, daughter of Henry Jones,

Bishop of Meath The Bishop of Meath is an episcopal title which takes its name after the ancient Kingdom of Meath. In the Catholic Church it remains as a separate title, but in the Church of Ireland it has been united with another bishopric. History Until the ...

. He entered

Trinity College, Dublin Trinity College Dublin (), officially titled The College of the Holy and Undivided Trinity of Queen Elizabeth near Dublin, and legally incorporated as Trinity College, the University of Dublin (TCD), is the sole constituent college of the Univ ...

in 1679 and qualified BA in 1682 and LL.B. and LL.D in 1725. He was admitted at the

Inner Temple The Honourable Society of the Inner Temple, commonly known as the Inner Temple, is one of the four Inns of Court and is a professional association for barristers and judges. To be called to the Bar and practice as a barrister in England and Wa ...

in 1684 and remained in London during the conflict in Ireland. He was

called to the bar The call to the bar is a legal term of art in most common law jurisdictions where persons must be qualified to be allowed to argue in court on behalf of another party and are then said to have been "called to the bar" or to have received "call to ...

in 1690. He made a financially beneficial marriage to Elizabeth Martin, the daughter of Joseph Martin, a London merchant, on 5 July 1695. In 1700 he became a Director of the New East India Company. He was elected a

Fellow of the Royal Society Fellowship of the Royal Society (FRS, ForMemRS and HonFRS) is an award granted by the Fellows of the Royal Society of London to individuals who have made a "substantial contribution to the improvement of natural science, natural knowledge, incl ...

in 1704.

Political career

Annesley was originally an Irish country whig and sought to protect Protestant interests against both Catholic and Scottish Presbyterian influences. He was elected MP for

Downpatrick Downpatrick () is a town in County Down, Northern Ireland. It is on the Lecale peninsula, about south of Belfast. In the Middle Ages, it was the capital of the Dál Fiatach, the main ruling dynasty of Ulaid. Down Cathedral, Its cathedral is sai ...

in the

Parliament of Ireland The Parliament of Ireland () was the legislature of the Lordship of Ireland, and later the Kingdom of Ireland, from 1297 until the end of 1800. It was modelled on the Parliament of England and from 1537 comprised two chambers: the Irish Hou ...

in 1695, sitting until he was expelled in 1703. He was a Commissioner of inquiry into forfeited estates in Ireland from 1699 to 1700, and a trustee for sale from 1700 to 1703. At the

1705 In the Swedish calendar it was a common year starting on Sunday, one day ahead of the Julian and ten days behind the Gregorian calendar. Events January–March * January 8 – George Frideric Handel's first opera, ''Almira'', is p ...

Annesley was returned unopposed as English MP for Preston. He was returned unopposed as MP for Westbury on Lord Abingdon's interest at the 1708 general election. He was elected there in a contest in

1710 In the Swedish calendar it was a common year starting on Saturday, one day ahead of the Julian and ten days behind the Gregorian calendar. Events January–March * January 1 – In Prussia, Cölln is merged with Alt-Berlin ...

and returned unopposed in

1713 Events January–March * January 17 – Tuscarora War: Colonel James Moore leads the Carolina militia out of Albemarle County, North Carolina, in a second offensive against the Tuscarora. Heavy snows force the troops to take ...

. He was also MP for Downpatrick for a third time from 1713 to 1714. At the 1715 general election, he was initially seated as MP for Westbury after a double return, but was unseated on petition two months later. In October 1716 he was appointed one of the trustees of Lord Bolingbroke's forfeited personal estate. He regained his seat at Westbury in

1722 Events January–March * January 27 – Daniel Defoe's novel '' Moll Flanders'' is published anonymously in London. * February 10 – The Battle of Cape Lopez begins off of the coast of West Africa (and present-day Gabon), ...

and retained in it

1727 Events January–March * January 1 – (December 21, 1726 O.S.) Spain's ambassador to Great Britain demands that the British return Gibraltar after accusing Britain of violating the terms of the 1713 Treaty of Utrecht. Britain ...

. He voted against the Administration in that Parliament. He did not stand at the 1734 general election

Later life and legacy

Annesley married again twice. In July 1732 he married Elizabeth Gomeldon, widow of William Gomeldon of Summerfield Hall, Kent and daughter of John Cropley of Rochester, Kent. He subsequently married Sarah Lady Fowler, the widow of Sir Richard Fowler, 2nd Baronet, of Harnage Grange, Shropshire and daughter of William Sloane of Portsmouth, Hampshire. Annesley died in 1750. He had seven sons and two daughters by his first wife. One of his sons was

William Annesley, 1st Viscount Glerawly William Annesley, 1st Viscount Glerawly (1710 – 2 September 1770) was an Irish politician and noble. Early life Annesley was born in 1710. He was the sixth of seven sons, and two daughters, born to Elizabeth ( Martin) Annesley and Francis An ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Annesley, Francis 1663 births 1750 deaths Alumni of Trinity College Dublin

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 ...

Members of the Inner Temple Irish MPs 1692–1693 Irish MPs 1695–1699 Members of the Parliament of Great Britain for English constituencies English MPs 1705–1707 British MPs 1707–1708 British MPs 1708–1710 British MPs 1710–1713 British MPs 1713–1715 British MPs 1722–1727 British MPs 1727–1734 Fellows of the Royal Society Whig members of the pre-1707 English Parliament Members of the Parliament of Ireland (pre-1801) for County Down constituencies People from Castlewellan Politicians from County Down