Earl of Rosse is a title that has been created twice 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 ...

, both times for the Parsons family. "Rosse" refers to

New Ross New Ross (, formerly ) is a town in southwest County Wexford, Republic of Ireland, Ireland, on the River Barrow on the border with County Kilkenny, northeast of Waterford. In 2022, it had a population of 8,610, making it the fourth-largest t ...

in County Wexford.

History

The Parsons were originally an English family from Dishworth (

Diseworth Diseworth is a village and former civil parish, now in the parish of Long Whatton and Diseworth, in the North West Leicestershire district, in the English county of Leicestershire. It is south of East Midlands Airport and off Junction 23A of t ...

) Grange in Leicestershire; there having been five brothers who settled in

Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...

during the late 16th century. One of the brothers, William Parsons, was created a Baronet in the

Baronetage of Ireland Baronets are hereditary titles awarded by the Crown. The current baronetage of the United Kingdom has replaced the earlier, existing baronetages of England, Nova Scotia, Ireland and Great Britain. To be recognised as a baronet, it is necessary ...

of Bellamont in the County of Dublin in 1620 by

James VI & I James VI and I (James Charles Stuart; 19 June 1566 – 27 March 1625) was King of Scotland as James VI from 24 July 1567 and King of England and Ireland as James I from the union of the Scottish and English crowns on 24 March 1603 until ...

. The third Baronet was created Viscount Rosse in the Peerage of Ireland in 1681, and the second Viscount was created Earl of Rosse in the Peerage of Ireland in 1718; these titles of the first creation became extinct on the death of the second Earl in 1764. Sir Lawrence Parsons, the younger brother of Sir William Parsons, 1st Baronet, settled in Birr, King's County, later known as Parsonstown, and was the ancestor of the younger (Birr) branch of the family. His grandson Laurence Parsons was created a Baronet, of

Birr Castle Birr Castle ( Irish: ) is a large castle in the town of Birr in County Offaly, Ireland. It is the home of the 7th Earl of Rosse and his family, and as the castle is generally not open to the public, though the grounds and gardens of the deme ...

in King's County, in the Baronetage of Ireland in 1677, but was

attainted In English criminal law, attainder was the metaphorical "stain" or "corruption of blood" which arose from being condemned for a serious capital crime (felony or treason). It entailed losing not only one's life, property and hereditary titles, but ...

by King James II's Parliament in 1689 and sentenced to death. The sentence was never carried out, however. His great-grandson, the third Baronet, and great-great-grandson, the fourth Baronet, both represented King's County 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, ...

. The latter's half-brother Laurence Harman Parsons was in 1792 raised to the

as Baron Oxmantown, with remainder to his nephew Sir Lawrence Parsons, 5th Baronet, who had succeeded his father the fourth Baronet in 1791. In 1795 he was made Viscount Oxmantown in the Peerage of Ireland, with normal remainder to the heirs male of his body, and in 1806 he was even further honoured when he was created Earl of Rosse in the Peerage of Ireland, with similar remainder as for the barony. Lord Rosse sat from 1800 to 1807 as one of the original

Irish representative peer This is a list of representative peers elected from the Peerage of Ireland to sit in the British House of Lords after the Kingdom of Ireland was brought into union with the Kingdom of Great Britain. No new members were added to the House after ...

in the

British 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, it meets in the Palace of Westminster in London, England. One of the oldest extant institutions in the world, its origi ...

. On his death in 1807 the viscountcy became extinct while he was succeeded in the barony and earldom according to the special remainders by his aforementioned nephew, the 5th Baronet. The latter represented King's County 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 ...

and sat in the House of Lords as an Irish Representative Peer between 1809 and 1841. The 2nd Earl's son, the 3rd Earl, was a well-known astronomer and famous for his construction of the giant

telescope A telescope is a device used to observe distant objects by their emission, Absorption (electromagnetic radiation), absorption, or Reflection (physics), reflection of electromagnetic radiation. Originally, it was an optical instrument using len ...

the

Leviathan of Parsonstown Leviathan of Parsonstown, or Rosse six-foot telescope, is a historic reflecting telescope of aperture, which was the largest telescope in the world from 1845 until the construction of the Hooker Telescope in California in 1917. The Rosse six-f ...

at his seat Birr Castle. Lord Rosse also sat as Member of Parliament for King's County, was an Irish Representative Peer from 1845 to 1867 – years during which millions of the Irish population died from starvation or emigrated. He was one of the very few who foresaw the consequences of the potato blight and tried to alert the British authorities. He was

Lord Lieutenant of King's County This is a list of those who have served as Lord Lieutenant of King's County. There were lieutenants of counties in Ireland until the reign of James II, when they were renamed governors. The office of Lord Lieutenant was recreated on 23 August 18 ...

from 1831 to 1867 and President of the

Royal Society The Royal Society, formally The Royal Society of London for Improving Natural Knowledge, is a learned society and the United Kingdom's national academy of sciences. The society fulfils a number of roles: promoting science and its benefits, re ...

from 1849 to 1854. He was succeeded by his son, the fourth Earl. He was an Irish Representative Peer between 1868 and 1908 and Lord Lieutenant of King's County between 1892 and 1908. His son, the fifth Earl, was an Irish Representative Peer from 1911 to 1918 and Lord-Lieutenant of King's County from 1908 to 1918. Lord Rosse fought in 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 ...

and died from wounds received in action in 1918. the titles are held by his grandson, the seventh Earl, who succeeded his father in 1979. When the present Earl worked for the

United Nations Development Programme The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) is a United Nations agency tasked with helping countries eliminate poverty and achieve sustainable economic growth and human development. The UNDP emphasizes on developing local capacity towar ...

, he did not use his title, preferring to be known by his family surname of Parsons. The family seat is

, near Birr,

County Offaly County Offaly (; ) is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is part of the Eastern and Midland Region and the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster. It is named after the Ancient Ireland, ancient Kingdom of Uí ...

Parsons Baronets, of Bellamont (1620)

Sir William Parsons, 1st Baronet of Bellamont Sir William Parsons, 1st Baronet of Bellamont, PC (Ire) ( – 1650), was known as a "land-hunter" expropriating land from owners whose titles were deemed defective. He also served as Surveyor General of Ireland and was an undertaker in ...

(1570–1650) * Sir William Parsons, 2nd Baronet of Bellamont (died 1658) grandson of the first baronet *Richard Parsons, 3rd Baronet of Bellamont (–1703) (created Viscount Rosse in 1681)

Viscounts Rosse (1681)

*Richard Parsons, 1st Viscount Rosse (–1703) * Richard Parsons, 2nd Viscount Rosse (died 1741) (created Earl of Rosse in 1718)

Earls of Rosse, First Creation (1718)

Richard Parsons, 1st Earl of Rosse Richard is a male given name. It originates, via Old French, from Old Frankish and is a compound of the words descending from Proto-Germanic language">Proto-Germanic ''*rīk-'' 'ruler, leader, king' and ''*hardu-'' 'strong, brave, hardy', and ...

(died 1741) * Richard Parsons, 2nd Earl of Rosse (–1764)

Parsons Baronets, of Birr Castle (1677)

*Sir Laurence Parsons, 1st Baronet (–1698) *

Sir William Parsons, 2nd Baronet Sir William Parsons, 2nd Baronet (8 June 1661 – 17 March 1741) was an Anglo-Irish politician. Parsons was the son of Sir Laurence Parsons, 1st Baronet and Frances Savage, and succeeded to his father's baronetcy in 1698. He was the Member of P ...

(died 1741) *

Sir Laurence Parsons, 3rd Baronet Sir Laurence Parsons, 3rd Baronet (1708 – 24 October 1756) was an Anglo-Irish politician. Parsons was the son of William Parsons and Martha Pigott, and the grandson of Sir William Parsons, 2nd Baronet. His father predeceased his grandfather, an ...

(1707–1756) *

Sir William Parsons, 4th Baronet Sir William Parsons, 4th Baronet of Birr Castle (6 May 1731 – 1 May 1791) was an Irish politician and baronet. He was the son of Sir Laurence Parsons, 3rd Baronet and Mary Sprigge. From 1757 until his death in 1797, Parsons served as member ...

(1731–1791) * Sir Lawrence Parsons, 5th Baronet (1758–1841) (succeeded as Earl of Rosse in 1807)

Earls of Rosse, Second Creation (1806)

Laurence Harman Parsons, 1st Earl of Rosse Lawrence Harman Parsons, 1st Earl of Rosse (26 July 1749 – 20 April 1807), known as The Lord Oxmantown between 1792 and 1795 and as The Viscount Oxmantown between 1795 and 1806, was an Anglo-Irish peer and politician. Background Rosse was th ...

(1749–1807) *

Lawrence Parsons, 2nd Earl of Rosse Lawrence Parsons, 2nd Earl of Rosse (21 May 1758 – 24 February 1841), known as Sir Lawrence Parsons, Bt, from 1791 to 1807, was an Irish peer. Biography Parsons was the son of Sir William Parsons, 4th Baronet and Mary Clere. He succeeded h ...

(1758–1841) *

William Parsons, 3rd Earl of Rosse William Parsons, 3rd Earl of Rosse (17 June 1800 – 31 October 1867), was an English engineer and astronomer. He built several giant telescopes. His 72-inch telescope, built in 1845 and colloquially known as the "Leviathan of Parsonstown", was ...

(1800–1867) *

Lawrence Parsons, 4th Earl of Rosse Lawrence Parsons, 4th Earl of Rosse, (17 November 1840 – 29 August 1908) was a member of the Irish peerage and an amateur astronomer. His name is often given as Laurence Parsons. Biography He was born at Birr Castle, Parsonstown, King's Co ...

(1840–1908) *

William Edward Parsons, 5th Earl of Rosse William Edward Parsons, 5th Earl of Rosse (14 June 1873 – 10 June 1918) was an Irish peer and British Army officer. He was known as Lord Oxmantown until 1908. Early life He was the son of Lawrence Parsons, 4th Earl of Rosse and Frances Cas ...

(1873–1918) * Lawrence Michael Harvey Parsons, 6th Earl of Rosse (1906–1979) * William Clere Leonard Brendan Parsons, 7th Earl of Rosse (born 1936) 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, Lawrence Patrick Parsons, Lord Oxmantown (born 1969).
The heir apparent's heir apparent is his son, the Hon. William Charles Yufan Parsons (born 2008).

Line of Succession

* ''James Parsons'' ** Ulster

'' Sir William Parsons of Bellamont, 1st Baronet (d. c. 1649/50)'' *** ''Richard Parsons (d. a. 1642)'' **** Ulster

''Sir William Parsons, 2nd Baronet (d. 1658)'' ***** Coronet of a British Viscount

''Richard Parsons, 1st Viscount Rosse (c. 1656—1702/3)'' (remainder to great-grandfather) ****** Coronet of a British Earl

(d. 1741)'' ******* Coronet of a British Earl

''Richard Parsons, 2nd Earl of Rosse (b. 1718–1764)'' ** ''Sir Laurence Parsons (d. 1628)'' *** ''William Parsons (d. 1653)'' **** Ulster

''Sir Laurence Parsons, of Birr Castle, 1st Baronet (c. 1637–1698)'' ***** Ulster

''Sir William Parsons, 2nd Baronet (d. 1740/1)'' ****** ''William Parsons (d. bef. 1740)'' ******* Ulster

''Sir Laurence Parsons, 3rd Baronet (1707–1756)'' ******** Ulster

(1731–1791)'' ********* Coronet of a British Earl

'' Laurence Parsons, 2nd Earl of Rosse (1758–1841)'' Rep. peer from 1809, taking the

Earl of Normanton Earl of Normanton is a title in the Peerage of Ireland. It was created in 1806 for Charles Agar, 1st Viscount Somerton, Archbishop of Dublin. He had already been created Baron Somerton, of Somerton in the County of Kilkenny, in 1795 and Visco ...

's room; the Earl of Caledon followed. ********** Coronet of a British Earl

(1800–1867)'' Rep. peer from 1845, taking the

Earl of Limerick Earl of Limerick is a title that has been created twice in the Peerage of Ireland, associated first with the Dongan family, then with the Pery family. It should not be confused with the title Viscount of the City of Limerick (usually shortened ...

's room; Lord Dunboyne followed. *********** Coronet of a British Earl

(1840–1908)'' Rep. peer from 1868, taking Lord Farnham's room; Lord Ashtown followed. ************ Coronet of a British Earl

(1873–1918)'' Rep. peer from 1911, taking the 3rd Lord Bellew's room; Lord Charlemont followed. ************* Coronet of a British Earl

'' Laurence Michael Harvey Parsons, 6th Earl of Rosse (1906–1979)'' ************** Coronet of a British Earl

William Clere Leonard Brendan Parsons, 7th Earl of Rosse (b. 1936) *************** (1) Lawrence Patrick Parsons, ''Lord Oxmantown'' (b. 1969) **************** (2) ''Hon.'' William Charles Parsons (b. 2008) *************** (3) ''Hon.'' Michael John Finn Parsons (b. 1981) ************** ''Hon. Desmond Oliver Martin Parsons (1938–2010)'' *************** (4) Rupert Alexander Michael Parsons (b. 1966) **************** (5) Harry Oliver Parsons (b. 2000) *************** (6) Desmond Edward Richard Parsons (b. 1968) *********** '' Hon. Richard Clere Parsons (1851–1923)'' ************ ''Arthur David Clere Parsons (1881–1955)'' ************* ''Arthur Christopher Parsons (1919–1999)'' ************** (7) Sir John Christopher Parsons (b. 1946) *************** (8) Michael Reginald Parsons (b. 1983) *************** (9) David Guy Parsons (b. 1985) **************** (10) Reginald John Vernon Parsons (b. 2014) ************ '' Rev. Canon Richard Edward Parsons (1888–1971)'' ************* ''Reverend Desmond John Parsons (1925–2014)'' ************** (11) Benedict Desmond Drummond Parsons (b. 1969) ********** ''Hon. Laurence Parsons (1805–1894)'' *********** ''Reverend Randolph Cecil Parsons (1852–1941)'' ************ ''John Cecil Lawrence Parsons (1905–1978)'' ************* (12) Michael Charles Parsons (b. 1950) ******** Coronet of a British Earl

(1749–1807)'' Rep. peer from 1801, the

Earl of Kingston Earl of Kingston is a title in the Peerage of Ireland. It was created in 1768 for Edward King, 1st Earl of Kingston, Edward King, 1st Viscount Kingston. The Earl holds the subsidiary titles Baron Kingston, of Rockingham in the County of Rosc ...

followed.

Notes

References

*Kidd, Charles, Williamson, David (editors). ''Debrett's Peerage and Baronetage'' (1990 edition). New York: St Martin's Press, 1990, *Malcomson, A.P.W. (editor), ''Calendar of the Rosse Papers'' (2008). Dublin: Irish Manuscripts Commission . *
History of the Parsons family

External links

Birr Castle
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rosse Noble titles created in 1806 Earldoms in the Peerage of Ireland Noble titles created in 1718 Extinct earldoms in the Peerage of Ireland People from Birr, County Offaly Peerages created with special remainders 1718 establishments in Ireland