Nathaniel Clements, 2nd Earl of Leitrim, KP PC (Ire) (9 May 1768 – 31 December 1854), styled The Honourable from 1783 to 1795, and then Viscount Clements to 1804, was an Irish nobleman and politician.

Early life

Clements was born in

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 ...

on 9 May 1768. He was the eldest son of Robert Clements, 1st Earl of Leitrim and the former Lady Elizabeth Skeffington. His younger brother was Lt.-Col. Hon. Robert Clotworthy Clements (who died unmarried in 1828); his sisters were Lady Elizabeth Clements, Lady Louisa Clements, and Lady Caroline Elizabeth Letitia Clements (the second wife of John Townshend, 2nd Viscount Sydney). His paternal grandparents were the Rt. Hon. Nathaniel Clements and the former Hannah Gore (a daughter of the Very Rev. William Gore, Dean of Down). His mother was the eldest daughter of Clotworthy Skeffington, 1st Earl of Massereene. He was educated at a private school in Portarlington and

Oriel College, Oxford Oriel College () is Colleges of the University of Oxford, a constituent college of the University of Oxford in Oxford, England. Located in Oriel Square, the college has the distinction of being the oldest royal foundation in Oxford (a title for ...

, graduating in 1788. Two years later he was elected to 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, ...

as Whig member for

Roscommon Roscommon (; ; ) is the county town and the largest town in County Roscommon in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is roughly in the centre of Ireland, near the meeting of the N60 road (Ireland), N60, N61 road (Ireland), N61 and N63 road (Irelan ...

as well as Carrick, but chose to sit for the latter. In 1798, as Viscount Clements, he was returned for both Cavan Borough and

County Leitrim County Leitrim ( ; ) is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Connacht and is part of the Northern and Western Region. It is named after the village of Leitrim, County Leitr ...

. He represented the latter constituency until the Act of Union in 1801, and was then elected for Leitrim at

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until 1804.

Career

He was appointed Custos Rotulorum of Leitrim in 1795 and Custos Rotulorum of Donegal in 1804. Having served as High Sheriff of Leitrim in 1796, Clements became

Colonel Colonel ( ; abbreviated as Col., Col, or COL) is a senior military Officer (armed forces), officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, a colon ...

of the Prince of Wales's Own Donegal Militia on 22 June 1796, and retained the command even after its disembodiment in 1816.Arthur Sleigh, ''The Royal Militia and Yeomanry Cavalry Army List'', April 1850, London: British Army Despatch Press, 1850/Uckfield: Naval and Military Press, 1991, ISBN 978-1-84342-410-9, p. 139. In 1798 he succeeded his father as 2nd Earl of Leitrim, but subsequently failed in his attempts to be elected 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 ...

as an Irish representative peer. In 1831, as well as becoming Lord Lieutenant of Leitrim for life, Lord Leitrim was created Baron Clements in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. Three years later he was appointed a Knight of the Order of St Patrick, and later that year he became a member of the Irish Privy Council.

Personal life

On 24 July 1800, he was married to Mary Bermingham (d. 1840), eldest daughter and co-heiress of William Bermingham of Ross Hill and Mary (

née The birth name is the name of the person given upon their birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name or to the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a births registe ...

Ruttledge) Bermingham (eldest daughter and co-heiress of Thomas Ruttledge). Together, they were the parents of: * Lady Maria Clements (1802–1885), who married the Rev. Hon. Edward Southwell Keppel (1800–1883), Clerk of the Closet and Rector of Quidenham who was the fourth son of William Keppel, 4th Earl of Albemarle and the Hon. Elizabeth Southwell (second daughter of Edward Southwell, 20th Baron de Clifford) in 1828. * Lady Elizabeth Victoria Clements (1803–1892), who died unmarried. * Robert Bermingham Clements, ''styled'' Viscount Clements (1805–1839), a Whig Member of Parliament for County Leitrim from 1826 to 1830 and from 1832 until his death in 1839. * William Sydney Clements, 3rd Earl of Leitrim (1806–1878). * Hon. Charles Skeffington Clements (1807–1877), MP for Leitrim from 1847 to 1852. * Hon. George Robert Anson Clements (1810–1837), who served in the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the naval warfare force of the United Kingdom. It is a component of His Majesty's Naval Service, and its officers hold their commissions from the King of the United Kingdom, King. Although warships were used by Kingdom ...

. * Hon. Francis Nathaniel Clements (1812–1870), a reverend who served as Vicar of Norton and Canon of Durham; he married Charlotte King, daughter of Rev. Gilbert King; after her death, he married Amelia Verner, eldest daughter of Sir William Verner, 1st Baronet. * Lady Caroline Clements (d. 1869), who married John Ynyr Burges of Parkanaur House in 1833. Lady Leitrim died on 5 February 1840. Lord Leitrim died in 1854 aged 86 at his residence of Killadoon in

County Kildare County Kildare () is a Counties of Ireland, county in Ireland. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster and is part of the Eastern and Midland Region. It is named after the town of Kildare. Kildare County Council is the Local gove ...

. His eldest son having predeceased him in 1839, he was succeeded in the earldom by his younger son, William Sydney Clements.

References

External links

* *
Nathaniel Clements, 2nd Earl of Leitrim (1768–1854), Irish nobleman and politician
at the

National Portrait Gallery, London The National Portrait Gallery (NPG) is an art gallery in London that houses a collection of portraits of historically important and famous British people. When it opened in 1856, it was arguably the first national public gallery in the world th ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Leitrim, Nathaniel Clements, 2nd Earl of 1768 births 1854 deaths Alumni of Oriel College, Oxford Clements, Nathaniel Clements, Nathaniel Knights of St Patrick Lord-lieutenants of Leitrim High sheriffs of Leitrim Donegal Militia officers Members of the Privy Council of Ireland Clements, Nathaniel Politicians from County Dublin Politicians from County Leitrim Clements, Nathaniel Clements, Nathaniel UK MPs who inherited peerages UK MPs who were granted peerages Members of the Parliament of Ireland (pre-1801) for County Roscommon constituencies Members of the Parliament of Ireland (pre-1801) for County Leitrim constituencies Members of the Parliament of Ireland (pre-1801) for County Cavan constituencies

Nathaniel Nathaniel is an English variant of the biblical Hebrew name A name is a term used for identification by an external observer. They can identify a class or category of things, or a single thing, either uniquely, or within a given context. ...

2 Peers of the United Kingdom created by William IV