Nathaniel Clements (1705 – May 1777) was an
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 Clements (1664–1722). He married Hannah Gore, daughter of William Gore, D.D.,
Dean of Down, on 31 January 1730.
Career

Clements became
Member of Parliament
A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with Bicameralism, bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house ...
(MP) for
Duleek in 1727 under the patronage of
Luke Gardiner
Luke Gardiner (c. 1690 – 25 September 1755) was an Irish property developer and politician.
In the Irish House of Commons he represented Tralee from 1725 until 1727 and Thomastown from 1727 until his death in 1755. He was appointed to the ...
, a powerful political and business figure in
Dublin
Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of the Wicklow Mountains range. At the 2016 ...
. He commenced as a junior at the Irish Treasury in 1720 and held extensive offices there. He became the main financial manager of the British and Irish Government in Ireland during the period, and was ''de facto'' Minister for Finance from 1740 to 1777. He assumed the offices of Deputy Vice-Treasurer and Deputy Paymaster General on Gardiner's retirement in 1755. In 1761, Clements was returned for
Cavan Borough in, holding this seat until 1768. In this year, he was elected for
Roscommon
Roscommon (; ) is the county town and the largest town in County Roscommon in Ireland. It is roughly in the centre of Ireland, near the meeting of the N60, N61 and N63 roads.
The name Roscommon is derived from Coman mac Faelchon who bui ...
as well as
County Leitrim
County Leitrim ( ; gle, Contae Liatroma) is a county in Ireland. It is in the province of Connacht and is part of the Northern and Western Region. It is named after the village of Leitrim. Leitrim County Council is the local authority f ...
, and chose to sit for the latter. In 1776, Clements stood for again for Cavan Borough as well as
Carrick
Carrick is an Anglicised version of ''creag/carraig'', Gaelic for "rock", and may refer to:
People
*Carrick (surname)
* Donnchadh, Earl of Carrick (died 1250), Scottish Mormaer and first Earl of Carrick
* Marjorie of Carrick (1256–1292), ...
and represented the latter constituency until his death in 1777.
Property development
Clements was appointed to the office of Chief Ranger of the
Phoenix Park
The Phoenix Park ( ga, Páirc an Fhionnuisce) is a large urban park in Dublin, Ireland, lying west of the city centre, north of the River Liffey. Its perimeter wall encloses of recreational space. It includes large areas of grassland and tr ...
and Master of Game and built the Ranger's lodge (subsequently the
Viceregal Lodge to his own design in 1751.
He had an extensive property portfolio, including
Abbotstown,
County Dublin
"Action to match our speech"
, image_map = Island_of_Ireland_location_map_Dublin.svg
, map_alt = map showing County Dublin as a small area of darker green on the east coast within the lighter green background of ...
, estates in
County Leitrim
County Leitrim ( ; gle, Contae Liatroma) is a county in Ireland. It is in the province of Connacht and is part of the Northern and Western Region. It is named after the village of Leitrim. Leitrim County Council is the local authority f ...
and
County Cavan
County Cavan ( ; gle, Contae an Chabháin) is a county in Ireland. It is in the province of Ulster and is part of the Border Region. It is named after the town of Cavan and is based on the historic Gaelic territory of East Breffny (''Bréifn ...
. He was a developer of property in Georgian Dublin, including part of
Henrietta Street where he lived at No. 7 from 1734 to 1757. He was one of the richest commoners in
Ireland
Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...
, notwithstanding his involvement in a failed banking venture in 1759.
Charitable activities
Clements was involved in many charitable activities including
Dr Steevens' Hospital, the
Erasmus Smith Educational Foundation, the
Royal Hospital Kilmainham for retired soldiers, and others.
Family
Nathaniel Clements and Hannah Gore had six children:
#
Robert Clements (1732–1804), created
Earl of Leitrim in 1795, elected a
representative peer
In the United Kingdom, representative peers were those peers elected by the members of the Peerage of Scotland and the Peerage of Ireland to sit in the British House of Lords. Until 1999, all members of the Peerage of England held the right ...
in 1800
#Rt. Hon.
Henry Theophilus Clements
Henry may refer to:
People
*Henry (given name)
*Henry (surname)
* Henry Lau, Canadian singer and musician who performs under the mononym Henry
Royalty
* Portuguese royalty
** King-Cardinal Henry, King of Portugal
** Henry, Count of Portugal, ...
,
MP
# Elizabeth, m. 1750,
Francis Burton, second
Baron Conyngham
Baron is a rank of nobility or title of honour, often hereditary, in various European countries, either current or historical. The female equivalent is baroness. Typically, the title denotes an aristocrat who ranks higher than a lord or knigh ...
#Hannah, m. 1752,
George Montgomery George Montgomery may refer to:
* George Montgomery (actor) (1916–2000), American actor
*George Leslie Montgomery (c. 1727–1787), Irish Member of Parliament
*George Montgomery (set decorator) (1899–1951), American set decorator
* George Thoma ...
,
Ballyconnell,
MP
#Catherine, m.
Eyre Massey
Eyre Massey, 1st Baron Clarina (24 May 1719 – 17 May 1804), was an Anglo-Irish British army officer of the 18th century, known primarily for his successful action at La Belle-Famille during the French and Indian War. In 1800, he was made Bar ...
, 1st
Baron Clarina
#Alice, m. 1773, Gen. Sir
Ralph Gore, sixth Baronet, created
Earl of Ross
The Earl or Mormaer of Ross was the ruler of the province of Ross in northern Scotland.
Origins and transfers
In the early Middle Ages, Ross was part of the vast earldom of Moray. It seems to have been made a separate earldom in the mid 12 ...
.
References
Review.
See also
*
Irish House of Commons
The Irish House of Commons was the lower house of the Parliament of Ireland that existed from 1297 until 1800. The upper house was the House of Lords. The membership of the House of Commons was directly elected, but on a highly restrictive fr ...
*
Áras an Uachtaráin
{{DEFAULTSORT:Clements, Nathaniel
1705 births
1777 deaths
Nathaniel
, nickname =
{{Plainlist,
* Nat
* Nate
, footnotes =
Nathaniel is an English variant of the biblical Greek name Nathanael.
People with the name Nathaniel
* Nathaniel Archibald (1952–2018), American basketball player
* N ...
Irish MPs 1727–1760
Irish MPs 1761–1768
Irish MPs 1769–1776
Irish MPs 1776–1783
Members of the Privy Council of Ireland
Members of the Parliament of Ireland (pre-1801) for County Meath constituencies
Members of the Parliament of Ireland (pre-1801) for County Cavan constituencies
Members of the Parliament of Ireland (pre-1801) for County Roscommon constituencies
Members of the Parliament of Ireland (pre-1801) for County Leitrim constituencies