Francis Conyngham, 2nd Baron Conyngham (born Francis Pierpoint Burton; 1725 – 22 May 1787) was an Irish peer and politician.

Biography

Burton was the eldest of two sons born to politician Francis Burton of

County Clare County Clare () is a Counties of Ireland, county in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster in the Southern Region, Ireland, Southern part of Republic of Ireland, Ireland, bordered on the west by the Atlantic Ocean. Clare County Council ...

by his wife, Mary (''née'' Conyngham). His paternal grandfather, also named Francis Burton (1640–1714), sat in the Irish parliament for

Ennis Ennis ( , meaning 'island' or 'river meadow') is the county town of County Clare, in the mid-west of Ireland. The town lies on the River Fergus, north of where the river widens and enters the Shannon Estuary. Ennis is the largest town in Cou ...

from 1691 to 1714. Originally a branch of the Musards, Lords of Stavely, the Burton family settled in

Richmond, Yorkshire Richmond is a market town and civil parish in North Yorkshire, England. It is located at the point where Swaledale, the upper valley of the River Swale, opens into the Vale of Mowbray. The town's population at the 2011 census was 8,413. The t ...

after the

Norman Conquest The Norman Conquest (or the Conquest) was the 11th-century invasion and occupation of England by an army made up of thousands of Normans, Norman, French people, French, Flemish people, Flemish, and Bretons, Breton troops, all led by the Du ...

. Sir Edward Burton (1442–1524), knighted by

Edward IV Edward IV (28 April 1442 – 9 April 1483) was King of England from 4 March 1461 to 3 October 1470, then again from 11 April 1471 until his death in 1483. He was a central figure in the Wars of the Roses, a series of civil wars in England ...

in 1460 after the

Second Battle of St Albans The Second Battle of St Albans was fought on 17 February 1461 during the Wars of the Roses in St Albans, Hertfordshire, England (the First Battle of St Albans had been fought in 1455). The army of the Yorkist faction, under the Earl of War ...

, settled in

Longnor, Shropshire Longnor is a village and civil parish off the A49 road, south of Dorrington, Shropshire, Dorrington and north of Leebotwood in Shropshire, England, with a population of 289. The nearest railway station is Church Stretton railway station, Church ...

. His descendant Thomas Burton moved to Ireland in 1610. On his maternal side, his great-grandfather was Lt.-Gen. Sir Albert Conyngham. His ancestors, Scottish Protestants whose name was spelt Cunningham, had come to Ireland during the

Plantation of Ulster The Plantation of Ulster (; Ulster Scots dialects, Ulster Scots: ) was the organised Settler colonialism, colonisation (''Plantation (settlement or colony), plantation'') of Ulstera Provinces of Ireland, province of Irelandby people from Great ...

. His grandfather was Major General Henry Conyngham, who claimed significant lands in

County Meath County Meath ( ; or simply , ) is a Counties of Ireland, county in the Eastern and Midland Region of Republic of Ireland, Ireland, within the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster. It is bordered by County Dublin to the southeast, County ...

, including

Slane Castle Slane Castle () is located in the village of Slane, within the Boyne Valley of County Meath, Ireland. The castle has been the family seat of the Conyngham family since it was built in the late 18th century, on land first purchased in 1703 by ...

. Burton's uncle Henry Conyngham served in the Irish and British Parliaments. He was created Baron Conyngham of Mount Charles in 1753 and Viscount Conyngham in 1756. On 4 January 1781, he was further elevated as Earl Conyngham and additionally created Baron Conyngham, this time with a special remainder to his eldest nephew. All the titles were in the

Peerage of Ireland 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 ...

. He was a Member of Parliament (MP) 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, ...

for

Killybegs Killybegs () is a town in County Donegal, Ireland. It is the largest fishing port in the country and on the island of Ireland. It is located on the south coast of the county, north of Donegal Bay, near Donegal Town. Its Irish name means 'littl ...

from 1753 until 1761. He then represented

between 1761 and 1768, a seat previously held by his father. When Earl Conyngham died childless on 3 April 1781, all the titles expired, except the barony, which Burton inherited. He changed his surname to Conyngham by royal license on 3 May 1781.A. P. W. Malcomson, P203, ''The Pursuit of the Heiress: Aristocratic Marriage in Ireland 1740–1840'', Ulster Historical Foundation, 2006 Conyngham was the elder brother of

William Burton Conyngham William Burton Conyngham (1733 – 31 May 1796) was an Anglo-Irish politician. Life He was born William Burton, the second son of Francis Burton and Mary Conyngham, sister of Henry Conyngham, 1st Earl Conyngham. In 1781, his name was changed ...

, who inherited his uncle's estates in Slane and Donegal. When he died in 1796, he left the estates to his eldest nephew, Henry.

Marriage and issue

On 19 March 1750, Burton married Elizabeth Clements, eldest daughter of

Nathaniel Clements Nathaniel Clements (1705 – May 1777) was an Ireland, Irish politician and financial figure, important in the political and financial administration of Ireland in the mid-18th century. Early history Clements was the fifth son of Robert Clement ...

and younger sister of

Robert Clements, 1st Earl of Leitrim Robert Clements, 1st Earl of Leitrim (25 November 1732 – 27 July 1804)Collen, G.W. (1840)''Debrett's Peerage of Great Britain and Ireland'' London. p. 444. Accessed 5 February 2020. was an Irish nobleman and politician. Son of Cavan Boroug ...

. They had twin sons and three daughters. * Henry Burton Conyngham, 1st Marquess Conyngham (1766–1832) *Sir Francis Nathaniel Pierpoint Burton Conyngham (1766–1832), governor-general of Quebec, married Valentina Letitia Lawless, daughter of

Nicholas Lawless, 1st Baron Cloncurry Nicolas Lawless, 1st Baron Cloncurry (30 October 1735 – 28 August 1799), known as Sir Nicholas Lawless, Bt, between 1776 and 1789, was an Irish peer, wool merchant, banker and politician. Lawless was the son of Robert Lawless and Mary Hadsor, d ...

*Catherine Burton, married on 26 March 1785 to Rev. John Shirley Fermor *Ellena Burton, married on 11 December 1777 to Stewart Weldon *Henrietta Burton (1765–1831), unmarried The second baron died in 1787 and was succeeded by his eldest son, Henry, a politician and courtier who was elevated to Viscount Conyngham of Mount Charles in 1789. He was further elevated in 1816 to Marquess Conyngham, Earl of Mount Charles and Viscount Slane. In 1821, he was created Baron Minster of Minster Abbey in the

Peerage of Great Britain The Peerage of Great Britain comprises all extant peerages created in the Kingdom of Great Britain between the Acts of Union 1707 and the Acts of Union 1800. It replaced the Peerage of England and the Peerage of Scotland, but was itself repla ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Conyngham, Francis Conyngham, 2nd Baron 1720s births 1787 deaths Barons in the Peerage of Ireland Irish MPs 1727–1760 Irish MPs 1761–1768 Irish MPs 1769–1776

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 Parliament of Ireland (pre-1801) for County Donegal constituencies Members of the Parliament of Ireland (pre-1801) for County Clare constituencies People from Minster-in-Thanet