Randal William MacDonnell, 1st Marquess of Antrim KB PC (Ire) (4 November 1749 – 29 July 1791) was an Irish peer.

Early life

He was born on 4 November 1749, the only son and heir of

Alexander MacDonnell, 5th Earl of Antrim Alexander () is a male name of Greek origin. The most prominent bearer of the name is Alexander the Great, the king of the Ancient Greek kingdom of Macedonia who created one of the largest empires in ancient history. Variants listed here are A ...

by his second wife Anne Plunkett, daughter of Charles Patrick Plunkett. From his father's first marriage to Elizabeth Pennefather (a daughter of Matthew Pennefather), he had a half-sister who died in infancy. From his parents' marriage, he had two sisters, Lady Rachel MacDonnell (who married Joseph Sanford) and Lady Elizabeth Helena MacDonnell (who married, as his third wife, Col. Sir James Campbell). After his mother's death in 1755, his father married Catharine Meredyth (a daughter of Thomas Meredyth), on 5 July 1755. His paternal grandparents were

Randal MacDonnell, 4th Earl of Antrim Randal MacDonnell, 4th Earl of Antrim (1680–1721) was an Irish aristocrat.Ohlmeyer p.34-35 Early life His parents were Alexander MacDonnell, 3rd Earl of Antrim and Helena Burke. He had a young sister named Mary. Through his grandmother Ell ...

and Hon. Rachael Skeffington (a daughter of the 3rd Viscount Massereene). His maternal grandparents were Charles Patrick Plunkett and Elizabeth Stratford (a daughter of Edward Stratford).G.E. Cokayne; with Vicary Gibbs, H.A. Doubleday, Geoffrey H. White, Duncan Warrand and Lord Howard de Walden, editors, ''The Complete Peerage of England, Scotland, Ireland, Great Britain and the United Kingdom, Extant, Extinct or Dormant, new ed., 13 volumes in 14'' (1910-1959; reprint in 6 volumes,

Gloucester Gloucester ( ) is a cathedral city, non-metropolitan district and the county town of Gloucestershire in the South West England, South West of England. Gloucester lies on the River Severn, between the Cotswolds to the east and the Forest of Dean ...

Alan Sutton Publishing The History Press is a British publishing company specialising in the publication of titles devoted to local and specialist history. It claims to be the United Kingdom's largest independent publisher in this field, publishing approximately 300 ...

, 2000), volume I, page 176.

Career

Portrait of The Marquess and Marchioness of Antrim

Viscount Dunluce A viscount ( , for male) or viscountess (, for female) is a title used in certain European countries for a noble of varying status. The status and any domain held by a viscount is a viscounty. In the case of French viscounts, the title is so ...

, the

courtesy title A courtesy title is a title that does not have legal significance but is rather used by custom or courtesy, particularly, in the context of nobility, the titles used by children of members of the nobility (cf. substantive title). In some context ...

afforded him as his father's

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 ...

, he 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, ...

for

County Antrim County Antrim (named after the town of Antrim, County Antrim, Antrim, ) is one of the six counties of Northern Ireland, located within the historic Provinces of Ireland, province of Ulster. Adjoined to the north-east shore of Lough Neagh, the c ...

from 1768 to 1775, and served as

High Sheriff of Antrim The High Sheriff of Antrim is the Sovereign's judicial representative in County Antrim. Initially an office for lifetime, assigned by the Sovereign, the high sheriff became annually appointed from the Provisions of Oxford in 1258. Besides his judi ...

in 1771. At this time Sir John Blaquiere wrote of him as "an idle, unsteady young man, not to be depended upon". He succeeded his father as sixth

Earl of Antrim Earl () is a rank of the nobility in the United Kingdom. In modern Britain, an earl is a member of the peerage, ranking below a marquess and above a viscount. A feminine form of ''earl'' never developed; instead, ''countess'' is used. The titl ...

on 13 October 1775 and took his seat in the

Irish House of Lords The Irish House of Lords was the upper house of the Parliament of Ireland that existed from medieval times until the end of 1800. It was also the final court of appeal of the Kingdom of Ireland. It was modelled on the House of Lords of Englan ...

on 13 March 1776. On 5 May 1779, he was made a Knight Companion of the

Order of the Bath The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by King George I of Great Britain, George I on 18 May 1725. Recipients of the Order are usually senior British Armed Forces, military officers or senior Civil Service ...

. On 5 February 1783, on the institution of the order, he was nominated a Knight of the

Order of St Patrick The Most Illustrious Order of Saint Patrick is a dormant British order of chivalry associated with Ireland. The Order was created in 1783 by King George III at the request of the then Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, George Nugent-Temple-Grenville, ...

, but was never installed as he was unwilling to resign the Order of the Bath. He "relinquished the stall intended for him" as a Knight of St Patrick on 8 March 1783. Having no male issue, he was, on 19 June 1785, created

and

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 ...

, with a special remainder of those dignities, failing heirs male of his body, to his daughters in order of seniority, and the heirs male of their bodies respectively. He was appointed to the

Privy Council of Ireland His or Her Majesty's Privy Council in Ireland, commonly called the Privy Council of Ireland, Irish Privy Council, or in earlier centuries the Irish Council, was the institution within the Dublin Castle administration which exercised formal executi ...

in 1786, and on 18 August 1789 he was created

Marquess of Antrim A marquess (; ) is a nobleman of high hereditary rank in various European peerages and in those of some of their former colonies. The German-language equivalent is Markgraf (margrave). A woman with the rank of a marquess or the wife (or widow) ...

in the Peerage of Ireland, but without a special remainder.

Personal life

On 3 July 1774, Antrim married Hon. Letitia ( Morres) Trevor, widow of the Hon. Arthur Trevor (who died in 1770), the daughter of

Harvey Morres, 1st Viscount Mountmorres Hervey Morres, 1st Viscount Mountmorres (1707 – 6 April 1766), was an Irish landowner and politician. Morres was the son of Francis Morris, of Castle Morres, County Kilkenny, by Catherine Evans, daughter of Sir William Evans, 1st Baronet. His ...

by his first wife, Letitia Ponsonby (a daughter of 1st Earl of Bessborough). Together, they were the parents of: * Anne Katharine MacDonnell, 2nd Countess of Antrim (1778–1834), a twin, she inherited his peerages under the special remainder of 1785, becoming ''

suo jure ''Suo jure'' is a Latin phrase, used in English to mean 'in his own right' or 'in her own right'. In most nobility-related contexts, it means 'in her own right', since in those situations the phrase is normally used of women; in practice, especi ...

'' Countess of Antrim and Viscountess Dunluce; she married by

special licence A marriage license (or marriage licence in Commonwealth spelling) is a document issued, either by a religious organization or state authority, authorizing a couple to marry. The procedure for obtaining a license varies between jurisdictions ...

, on 25 April 1799 at her mother's house in Hanover Square,

Sir Henry Vane-Tempest, 2nd Baronet Sir Henry Vane-Tempest, 2nd Baronet (25 January 1771 – 1 August 1813) was a British politician. In early life his name was Henry Vane. He changed his name to Vane-Tempest when he inherited from his uncle John Tempest, Jr., in 1793. Early ...

, of

Wynyard, County Durham Wynyard is a garden village in County Durham, England. It was designated a Garden Village by the government in 2020. Administratively, it is divided between the Borough of Stockton-on-Tees and the Borough of Hartlepool, with each containing a ci ...

. After his death in 1813, she married secondly on 27 June 1817, by special licence in

Bruton Street Bruton Street is a street in London's Mayfair district. Queen Elizabeth II was born there, and the fashion designer Norman Hartnell lived there for 44 years. It runs from Berkeley Square in the south-west to New Bond Street in the north-east, w ...

St James's St James's is a district of Westminster, and a central district in the City of Westminster, London, forming part of the West End of London, West End. The area was once part of the northwestern gardens and parks of St. James's Palace and much of ...

, Edmund Phelps, who took the name of McDonnell by Royal licence on 27 June 1817. * Lady Letitia Mary MacDonnell (1778–1797), a twin who died unmarried and was buried at St James's Church, Westminster. * Charlotte MacDonnell, 3rd Countess of Antrim (1779–1835), who also inherited the peerages under the special remainder of 1785, succeeding as ''suo jure'' Countess of Antrim and Viscountess Dunluce, in 1834; she married on 18 July 1799 Vice-Admiral Lord Mark Robert Kerr, third son of

William John Kerr, 5th Marquess of Lothian General William John Kerr, 5th Marquess of Lothian, (13 March 1737 – 4 January 1815), styled Lord Newbattle until 1767 and Earl of Ancram from 1767 to 1775, was a British soldier and peer. Early life He was the son of William Kerr, 4th Marq ...

, at her mother's house in Hanover Square. Lord Antrim died on 29 July 1791 at Antrim House,

Merrion Square Merrion Square () is a Georgian architecture, Georgian garden square on the Southside Dublin, southside of Dublin city centre. History The square was laid out in 1762 to a plan by John Smyth and Jonathan Barker for the estate of Richard Fitz ...

, Dublin, and was buried at

Bonamargy Bonamargy () is a townland in County Antrim, Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ; ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, part of the United Kingdom in the north-east of the island of Ireland. It has been #Descriptions, variously described ...

. On his death the Marquessate of Antrim and such peerage honours as he had inherited (viz. the Earldom of Antrim created in 1620 and the Viscountcy of Dunluce created in 1618) became extinct, but the creations of 1785 devolved as below. His will, dated 14 August 1790, was proved at Dublin on 15 August 1791. His widow died of cancer in

Grosvenor Square Grosvenor Square ( ) is a large garden square in the Mayfair district of Westminster, Greater London. It is the centrepiece of the Mayfair property of the Duke of Westminster, and takes its name from the duke's surname "Grosvenor". It was deve ...

on 7 December 1801, and was buried at St James's Church, Westminster on 14 December. Her will (with nine codicils) was proved on 21 January 1802.

Descendants

Through his eldest daughter

Anne Anne, alternatively spelled Ann, is a form of the Latin female name Anna (name), Anna. This in turn is a representation of the Hebrew Hannah (given name), Hannah, which means 'favour' or 'grace'. Related names include Annie (given name), Annie a ...

, he was posthumously a grandfather of Frances Anne Emily Vane-Tempest (1800–1865), who inherited her father's large estates. She married

Charles Vane, 3rd Marquess of Londonderry Charles William Vane, 3rd Marquess of Londonderry, (born Charles William Stewart; 1778–1854), was an Anglo-Irish people, Anglo-Irish nobleman, a British soldier and a politician. He served in the French Revolutionary Wars, in the suppressi ...

and was the mother of

George Vane-Tempest, 5th Marquess of Londonderry George Henry Robert Charles William Vane-Tempest, 5th Marquess of Londonderry, KP (26 April 1821 – 6 November 1884), styled Viscount Seaham between 1823 and 1854 and known as The Earl Vane between 1854 and 1872, was a British aristocrat, busi ...

, Lady Frances Anne Emily Vane (wife of

John Spencer-Churchill, 7th Duke of Marlborough John Winston Spencer-Churchill, 7th Duke of Marlborough, (2 June 18224 July 1883), styled Earl of Sunderland from 1822 to 1840 and Marquess of Blandford from 1840 to 1857, was a British Conservative cabinet minister, politician, peer, and noble ...

), Lady Alexandrina Octavia Maria Vane (godchild of Czar

Alexander I of Russia Alexander I (, ; – ), nicknamed "the Blessed", was Emperor of Russia from 1801, the first king of Congress Poland from 1815, and the grand duke of Finland from 1809 to his death in 1825. He ruled Russian Empire, Russia during the chaotic perio ...

; she married

Henry Dawson-Damer, 3rd Earl of Portarlington Henry John Reuben Dawson-Damer, 3rd Earl of Portarlington (5 September 1822 – 1 March 1889) was an Irish peer. Early life Henry was born on 5 September 1822 as the eldest son of Hon. Henry Dawson-Damer, a Captain in the Royal Navy, and the f ...

Lord Adolphus Vane-Tempest Lord Adolphus Frederick Charles William Vane-Tempest (2 July 1825 – 11 June 1864), known until 1854 as Lord Adolphus Vane, was a Conservative Party (UK), Conservative Party politician in the United Kingdom. He was the fourth child (and second ...

, and Lady Adelaide Emelina Caroline Vane (who eloped with her brother's tutor, Rev. Frederick Henry Law). Through his youngest daughter Charlotte, he was a grandfather of Hugh Seymour Kerr (1812–1855), who succeeded to the earldom and assumed the surname of McDonnell by royal licence of 27 June 1836,Mosley, Charles, editor. ''Burke's Peerage and Baronetage, 106th edition, 2 volumes.'' Crans, Switzerland:

Burke's Peerage (Genealogical Books) Ltd Burke's Peerage Limited is a British genealogical publisher, considered an authority on the order of precedence of noble families and information on the lesser nobility of the United Kingdom. It was founded in 1826, when the Anglo-Irish geneal ...

, 1999, volume 1, page 91. as well as

Mark McDonnell, 5th Earl of Antrim Captain Mark McDonnell, 5th Earl of Antrim DL ( Kerr; 3 April 1814 – 19 December 1869), was an Anglo-Irish peer of Irish and Scottish descent who served in the Royal Navy. Early life Born Mark Kerr on 3 April 1814, he was baptised on 21 April ...

(1814–1869).

References

External links

p. 176-8
{{DEFAULTSORT:Antrim, Randal William MacDonnell, 1st Marquess Of 1749 births 1791 deaths Irish MPs 1769–1776 High sheriffs of Antrim Knights Companion of the Order of the Bath Members of the Privy Council of Ireland Marquesses of Antrim Members of the Parliament of Ireland (pre-1801) for County Antrim constituencies People from Shiplake