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

Biography

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

Alexander MacDonnell, 5th Earl of Antrim Alexander is a male given name. 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 Aleksandar, Al ...

by his second wife Anne, daughter of Charles Patrick Plunkett. As Viscount Dunluce 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 1800. The upper house was the House of Lords. The membership of the House of Commons was directly elected, but on a highly restrictive fra ...

for

County Antrim County Antrim (named after the town of Antrim, ) is one of six counties of Northern Ireland and one of the thirty-two counties of Ireland. Adjoined to the north-east shore of Lough Neagh, the county covers an area of and has a population o ...

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 of Antrim is a title that has been created twice, both times in the Peerage of Ireland and both times for members of the MacDonnell family, originally of Scottish origins. History The MacDonells of Antrim descended from Sorley Boy MacDo ...

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 1800. It was also the final court of appeal of the Kingdom of Ireland. It was modelled on the House of Lords of England, with membe ...

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 George I of Great Britain, George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate medieval ceremony for appointing a knight, which involved Bathing#Medieval ...

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

Viscount Dunluce A viscount ( , for male) or viscountess (, for female) is a title used in certain European countries for a noble of varying status. In many countries a viscount, and its historical equivalents, was a non-hereditary, administrative or judicial ...

and

in the

Peerage of Ireland The Peerage of Ireland consists of those titles of nobility created by the English monarchs in their capacity as Lord or King of Ireland, or later by monarchs of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. It is one of the five divisi ...

, 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 (; french: marquis ), es, marqués, pt, marquês. 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 w ...

in the Peerage of Ireland, but without a special remainder. Antrim married on 3 July 1774 Letitia, widow of the Hon. Arthur Trevor (who died 19 June 1770), and first 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, daughter of

Brabazon Ponsonby, 1st Earl of Bessborough Brabazon Ponsonby, 1st Earl of Bessborough (1679 – 4 July 1758), was a British politician and peer. He was the son of William Ponsonby, 1st Viscount Duncannon, and Mary Moore. He was an active politician from 1705 to 1757 in Great Britain and ...

. He died on 29 July 1791 at Antrim House,

Merrion Square Merrion Square () is a Georgian garden square on the southside of Dublin city centre. History The square was laid out in 1752 by the estate of Viscount FitzWilliam and was largely complete by the beginning of the 19th century. The demand fo ...

, Dublin, and was buried at Bonamargy. 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 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.

Successors

* Anne Katharine, as first daughter and co-heir, inherited the abovenamed peerages under the special remainder of 1785, becoming ''suo jure'' Countess of Antrim and Viscountess Dunluce. She was born on 11 February 1778 along with a twin, Letitia Mary.Letitia Mary was buried at St James's Church, Westminster, on 6 August 1797. Source: ''The Register Book for Burials. In the Parish of St James in Westminster in the County of Middlesex. 1754-1812''. 6 August 1797. She married firstly by special licence, 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. Life He ...

, of Wynyard, County Durham. He died without male issue on 1 August 1813; their only daughter

Frances Anne Emily Vane-Tempest Frances Anne Vane, Marchioness of Londonderry (17 January 1800 – 20 January 1865) was a wealthy English heiress and noblewoman. She was the daughter of Sir Henry Vane-Tempest, 2nd Baronet. She married Charles William Stewart, 1st Baron Stewar ...

inherited his large estates. Lady Antrim married secondly on 27 June 1817, by special licence in

Bruton Street Bruton Street is a street in London's Mayfair district. It runs from Berkeley Square in the south-west to New Bond Street in the north-east, where it continues as Conduit Street. Notable residents have included Field Marshal John Campbell, 2n ...

St James's St James's is a central district in the City of Westminster, London, forming part of the West End. In the 17th century the area developed as a residential location for the British aristocracy, and around the 19th century was the focus of the de ...

, Edmund Phelps, who took the name of McDonnell by Royal licence on 27 June 1817 and died at Rome on 30 May 1852, aged seventy-two. Lady Antrim died without male issue in

Park Lane Park Lane is a dual carriageway road in the City of Westminster in Central London. It is part of the London Inner Ring Road and runs from Hyde Park Corner in the south to Marble Arch in the north. It separates Hyde Park to the west from ...

on 30 June 1834, aged fifty-six, and was buried at St James's Westminster on 7 July. Her will was proved in August 1853 and July 1854. * Charlotte, her only surviving sister and heir, inherited the peerages under the special remainder of 1785, succeeding as ''suo jure'' Countess of Antrim and Viscountess Dunluce. She was born on 12 August 1779, and as "Lady Charlotte McDonnell" married on 18 July 1799 Vice-Admiral

Lord Mark Robert Kerr Vice-Admiral Lord Mark Robert Kerr (12 November 1776 – 9 September 1840) was an officer of the Royal Navy, the third son of William John Kerr, 5th Marquess of Lothian, by his wife, Elizabeth, daughter of Chichester Fortescue of Dromisken. ...

, third son of

William John Kerr, 5th Marquess of Lothian General William John Kerr, 5th Marquess of Lothian (13 March 1737 – 4 January 1815) was a British soldier and peer, styled Lord Newbattle until 1767 and Earl of Ancrum from 1767 to 1775. He was buried at St Andrew's parish Church, Farnham, S ...

, at her mother's house in Hanover Square. She died at Holmwood at

Shiplake Shiplake consists of three settlements: Shiplake, Shiplake Cross and Lower Shiplake. Together these villages form a civil parish situated beside the River Thames south of Henley-on-Thames, Oxfordshire, England. The river forms the parish bounda ...

Row, near Henley, on 26 October 1835, and was buried at

on 4 November. Her husband, who was born on 12 November 1776, died on 9 September 1840. Their sixth but first surviving son, Hugh Seymour Kerr, succeeded to the Earldom and assumed the surname of McDonnell by royal licence of 27 June 1836.

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