Sir William Parsons, 1st Baronet Of Bellamont
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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 several plantations. He governed Ireland as joint Lord Justice of Ireland from February 1640 to April 1643 during the
Irish rebellion of 1641 The Irish Rebellion of 1641 was an uprising in Kingdom of Ireland, Ireland, initiated on 23 October 1641 by Catholic gentry and military officers. Their demands included an end to anti-Catholic discrimination, greater Irish self-governance, and ...
and the beginning of the Irish Confederate War.


Birth and origins

William was born in England about 1570, the eldest son of James Parsons and Catherine Fenton. His father was the second son of Thomas Parsons of Diseworth,
Leicestershire Leicestershire ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the East Midlands of England. It is bordered by Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire and Lincolnshire to the north, Rutland to the east, Northamptonshire to the south-east, Warw ...
. William's mother was a daughter of Henry Fenton and Cicely Beaumont, and a sister of Sir Geoffrey Fenton, the Principal Secretary of State in Ireland to Elizabeth I. Both his parents' families were English and Protestant.


Early life

Parsons settled in Ireland about 1590, in the last years of the reign of Queen Elizabeth I. He became a commissioner of plantations and obtained considerable territorial grants from the Crown. In 1602, Parsons became Surveyor General of Ireland; In 1610 he obtained a pension of £30 (English) per annum for life. In 1611, he was joined with his younger brother Laurence in the supervisorship of the crown lands, with a fee of £60 per annum for life. His proposal that a Court of Wards be established in Ireland was accepted and he became its first master.


MP 1613–1615

He sat in the Irish House of Commons of the Parliament of 1613–1615, the only Irish Parliament of James I, as one of the two members for Newcastle Borough, County Dublin. This was one of the 39 new boroughs the King created for this parliament in an effort to ensure a Protestant majority.


Marriage and children

About 1615 William Parsons married his cousin Elizabeth, eldest daughter of John Lany, an
Alderman An alderman is a member of a Municipal government, municipal assembly or council in many jurisdictions founded upon English law with similar officials existing in the Netherlands (wethouder) and Belgium (schepen). The term may be titular, denotin ...
of Dublin, and niece of his maternal uncle Sir Geoffrey Fenton. This marriage made him a cousin of
Richard Boyle, 1st Earl of Cork Richard Boyle, 1st Earl of Cork (13 October 1566 – 15 September 1643), also known as 'the Great Earl of Cork', was an English politician who served as Lord Treasurer of the Kingdom of Ireland. Lord Cork was an important figure in the continu ...
, the dominant
Anglo-Irish Anglo-Irish people () denotes an ethnic, social and religious grouping who are mostly the descendants and successors of the English Protestant Ascendancy in Ireland. They mostly belong to the Anglican Church of Ireland, which was the State rel ...
magnate of his time, to whom he was close. William and Elizabeth had five sons: # Richard (living 1639), MP for the borough of
Wicklow Wicklow ( ; , meaning 'church of the toothless one'; ) is the county town of County Wicklow in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is located on the east of Ireland, south of Dublin. According to the 2022 census of Ireland, 2022 census, it had ...
, married Lettice Loftus, eldest daughter of Sir Adam Loftus of
Rathfarnham Rathfarnham () is a Southside (Dublin), southside suburb of Dublin, Republic of Ireland, Ireland in County Dublin. It is south of Terenure, east of Templeogue, and is in the postal districts of Dublin 14 and Dublin 16, 16. It is between the Lo ...
, vice-treasurer of the Exchequer, and predeceased his father # John, married Elizabeth, daughter of Sir Walsingham Cooke, of Tomduffe,
County Wexford County Wexford () is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster and is part of the Southern Region, Ireland, Southern Region. Named after the town of Wexford, it was ba ...
# Francis (died 1668) of Garrydice,
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 ...
, married Sarah Faircloath, and left children # James, died unmarried and # William, died unmarried —and seven daughters: # Catherine, married Sir James Barry, created 1st Baron Barry of Santry # Margaret, married Thomas Stockdale of Bilton Park,
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# Elizabeth, married Sir William Ussher, of Grange Castle,
County Wicklow County Wicklow ( ; ) is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. The last of the traditional 32 counties, having been formed as late as 1606 in Ireland, 1606, it is part of the Eastern and Midland Region and the Provinces ...
, grandson of Sir William Ussher, clerk of 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 ...
# Jane, married Sir John Hoey, Knight of Dunganstown, County Wicklow # Mary, married Arthur Hill of
Hillsborough, County Down Royal Hillsborough (Irish: ''Cromghlinn'', meaning 'Crooked Glen'Patrick McKay, ''A Dictionary of Ulster Place-Names'', p. 81. The Institute of Irish Studies, The Queen's University of Belfast, Belfast, 1999.), more commonly known simply as ...
# Anne, married Sir Paul Davys, Secretary of State (Ireland) # Judith, married Thomas Whyte of Redhills, County Cavan


Later life


Knight and Baronet

Parsons personally presented surveys of
escheat Escheat () is a common law doctrine that transfers the real property of a person who has died without heirs to the crown or state. It serves to ensure that property is not left in "limbo" without recognized ownership. It originally applied t ...
ed estates to King James I. On 7 June 1620 Parsons was knighted by
Oliver St John Sir Oliver St John (; c. 1598 – 31 December 1673) was an English barrister, judge and politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1640-53. He supported the Parliamentary cause in the English Civil War. Early life St John was the son o ...
,. He was created 1st Baronet Parsons on 10 November. Parsons built or perhaps rebuilt Bellamount Castle in 1622. The ruin of a tower remains and stands in
Ballymount Ballymount (), is a locality on the south side of Dublin, near the mainly residential areas of Walkinstown to the east, Tallaght to the west and Greenhills, Dublin, Greenhills to the south. Ballymount is accessed by a number of public bus routes ...
Park, SW-Dublin, alongside the M50 Motorway. This baronetcy must not be confused with the later baronetcy Parsons of Birr Castle created in 1677. In 1623 Parsons was sworn a member of 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 ...
. On 12 January 1632 Thomas Wentworth, 1st Viscount Wentworth (later
Earl of Strafford Earl of Strafford is a title that has been created three times in English and British history. The first creation was in the Peerage of England in January 1640 for Thomas Wentworth, 1st Earl of Strafford, the 1st Viscount Wentworth, the clo ...
) was appointed Lord Deputy of Ireland. During the years 1633–40, when Strafford was all-powerful in Ireland, Parsons prudently offered him no open opposition, but he came increasingly to dislike and distrust "that strange man ... a mischief to so many". Parsons was notorious as a "land-hunter", who acquired lands previously held by Irish clans by dubious legal means. He has been particularly censured by historians for the seizure of the former O'Byrne lands in
County Wicklow County Wicklow ( ; ) is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. The last of the traditional 32 counties, having been formed as late as 1606 in Ireland, 1606, it is part of the Eastern and Midland Region and the Provinces ...
, although it has also been argued that his behaviour was no worse than that of his partner in the transaction, Lord Lieutenant Wentworth, who proceeded to swindle Parsons out of his share.


MP 1634–1635 and 1639–1649

According to Bagwell (1909) and Clavin (2009), Parson was one of the two MPs for
County Armagh County Armagh ( ) is one of the six counties of Northern Ireland and one of the traditional thirty-two counties of Ireland. It is located in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Ulster and adjoins the southern shore of Lough Neagh. It borders t ...
during the Parliament of 1634–1635, the first of Charles I, but the list of Irish MPs compiled in 1878 states that Sir Faithful Fortescue, knight, and Sir George Radcliffe, knight, sat for County Armagh in that parliament. Parsons sat in the Irish House of Commons of the Parliament of 1639–1649, the second parliament of Charles I, as one of the two members for
County Wicklow County Wicklow ( ; ) is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. The last of the traditional 32 counties, having been formed as late as 1606 in Ireland, 1606, it is part of the Eastern and Midland Region and the Provinces ...
, at which occasion his residence is given as "Bellamont, Dublin". His son Richard sat for
Wicklow Wicklow ( ; , meaning 'church of the toothless one'; ) is the county town of County Wicklow in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is located on the east of Ireland, south of Dublin. According to the 2022 census of Ireland, 2022 census, it had ...
.


2nd marriage

His first wife died in April 1640. He probably remarried soon after this. His second wife was Catherine Jones, a daughter of Arthur Jones, 2nd Viscount Ranelagh.


Lord Justice

In December 1640 Parsons was appointed Lord Justice jointly with Robert Dillon, the future 2nd Earl of Roscommon. However, Dillon was soon removed as he was considered to have been too close to Strafford. On 10 February 1641 Parsons was resworn with Sir John Borlase,
Master-General of the Ordnance The Master-General of the Ordnance (MGO) was a very senior British military position from 1415 to 2013 (except 1855–1895 and 1939–1958) with some changes to the name, usually held by a serving general. The Master-General of the Ordnance was ...
. The King appointed Robert Sidney, 2nd Earl of Leicester Lord Lieutenant of Ireland in 1641 but Leicester never went to Ireland and left the administration of the country to the Lords Justices. Leicester would resign in 1643 to make place for Ormond. Strafford was executed on 12 May 1641. His downfall ruined those members of the Irish administration who had been close to him, but Parsons, who had quarrelled with Strafford over the O'Byrne land deal, was clearly identified as one of his enemies, and Strafford's fall strengthened Parsons's position in the short term. When the
Irish Rebellion of 1641 The Irish Rebellion of 1641 was an uprising in Kingdom of Ireland, Ireland, initiated on 23 October 1641 by Catholic gentry and military officers. Their demands included an end to anti-Catholic discrimination, greater Irish self-governance, and ...
broke out, Sir William had to cope with it virtually single-handedly, since his colleague Borlase was incompetent. His management of the crisis has been much criticised, in particular, his habit of dealing with the
English Parliament The Parliament of England was the legislature of the Kingdom of England from the 13th century until 1707 when it was replaced by the Parliament of Great Britain. Parliament evolved from the great council of bishops and peers that advised th ...
directly without informing King Charles I. His enemies accused him of inflaming, or even provoking the Rebellion, as a pretext for a second and more thorough conquest of Ireland. Certainly he argued that the Rebellion must be crushed ruthlessly, and rejected all attempts at compromise. Parsons continued in the government until April 1642, when Charles I replaced him with Sir Henry Tichborne. In 1643 Parsons was charged with
treason Treason is the crime of attacking a state (polity), state authority to which one owes allegiance. This typically includes acts such as participating in a war against one's native country, attempting to Coup d'état, overthrow its government, spy ...
, and committed to prison, together with Adam Loftus, 1st Viscount Loftus and others. He was quickly released, but complained bitterly of this "poor reward" for his "zealous and painful toil on behalf of the Crown". He continued to live in Dublin until 1648 when he retired to England.


Death, succession, and timeline

Parsons died in January or February 1650 at Westminster, London, and was buried in
St Margaret's, Westminster The Church of St Margaret, Westminster Abbey is in the grounds of Westminster Abbey on Parliament Square, London, England. It is dedicated to Margaret the Virgin, Margaret of Antioch, and forms part of a single World Heritage Site with the Pal ...
. As his eldest son Richard had predeceased him, he was succeeded by his grandson William as the 2nd Baronet Parsons. The 2nd Baronet married Catherine, the eldest daughter of Arthur Jones, 2nd Viscount Ranelagh and his wife Katherine Jones, Viscountess Ranelagh, née Boyle.


See also

* List of Irish Parliaments


Notes and references


Notes


Citations


Sources

* * * – 1603 to 1642 * * * * – L to M (for Earl of Leicester) * – N to R * – 1611 to 1625 * – 1665 to 1707 * * * – (for timeline) * – (for the subject and his son Richard as MPs) * – Viscounts (for Ranelagh) * – Knights bachelors & Index * – 1641 to 1643 {{DEFAULTSORT:Parsons, William 1570s births 1650 deaths 17th-century Anglo-Irish people Baronets in the Baronetage of Ireland Burials at St Margaret's, Westminster 17th-century English knights Irish MPs 1613–1615 Irish MPs 1639–1649 Members of the Parliament of Ireland (pre-1801) for County Dublin constituencies Members of the Parliament of Ireland (pre-1801) for County Wicklow constituencies People of Elizabethan Ireland People of the Irish Confederate Wars Surveyors General of Ireland