Thomas Knox, 1st Earl of Ranfurly (5 August 1754 – 26 April 1840), styled The Honourable Thomas Knox between 1781 and 1818 and known as The Viscount Northland between 1818 and 1831, was an Irish peer and politician.

Early life

Ranfurly was the eldest son of Thomas Knox, 1st Viscount Northland, and the Hon. Anne Vesey, daughter of John Vesey, 1st Baron Knapton. His brothers included bishops William Knox and Edmund Knox, George Knox , and Archdeacon Charles Knox. His father had been elevated to 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 ...

as Baron Welles, of

Dungannon Dungannon (, ) is a town in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland. It is the second-largest town in the county (after Omagh) and had a population of 16,282 at the United Kingdom Census 2011, 2021 Census. The Dungannon and South Tyrone Borough Counci ...

in the County of Tyrone, in 1781 and further ennobled as Viscount Northland, of Dungannon in the County of Tyrone, in 1791. His paternal grandparents were Hester ( Echlin) Knox and Thomas Knox, MP for Dungannon who was Deputy-Governor of County Tyrone. His maternal grandparents were John Vesey, 1st Baron Knapton and the former Elizabeth Brownlow (daughter of William Brownlow).

Career

Ranfurly was elected a member of 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 Carlingford in 1776, a seat he held until 1783, and then represented

between 1783 and 1790 and

County Tyrone County Tyrone (; ) is one of the six counties of Northern Ireland, one of the nine counties of Ulster and one of the thirty-two traditional counties of Ireland. Its county town is Omagh. Adjoined to the south-west shore of Lough Neagh, the cou ...

between 1790 and 1798. He was also a member of the

British House of Commons The House of Commons is the lower house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the upper house, the House of Lords, it meets in the Palace of Westminster in London, England. The House of Commons is an elected body consisting of 650 memb ...

for

from 1806 to 1812. On 18 May 1793 he was commissioned as Lieutenant-Colonel and second-in-command of the newly raised Royal Tyrone Militia. He commanded the regiment on garrison duty for a year, resigning in 1794. In 1818 he succeeded his father in the viscountcy of Northland, but, as this was an

Irish peerage 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 ...

it did not entitle him to a seat in 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 ...

. However, in 1826 he was created Baron Ranfurly, of Ramphorlie in the County of Renfrew, in the

Peerage of the United Kingdom The Peerage of the United Kingdom is one of the five peerages in the United Kingdom. It comprises most peerages created in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland after the Acts of Union in 1801, when it replaced the Peerage of Great B ...

, which entitled him and his successors to a seat in the upper chamber of parliament. In 1831 he was further honoured when he was made Earl of Ranfurly in the Peerage of Ireland.

Personal life

Lord Ranfurly married his cousin the Hon. Diana Jane Pery, daughter of

Edmund Pery, 1st Viscount Pery Edmund Sexton Pery, 1st Viscount Pery (8 April 1719 – 24 February 1806) was an Anglo-Irish politician who served as the penultimate Speaker of the Irish House of Commons between 1771 and 1785. He was one of the most powerful and prominent poli ...

and Hon. Elizabeth Vesey, in 1785. Together, they were the parents of: *

Thomas Knox, 2nd Earl of Ranfurly Thomas Knox, 2nd Earl of Ranfurly (19 April 1786 – 21 March 1858), styled Viscount Northland between 1831 and 1840, was an Anglo-Irish peer and politician. Early life Ranfurly was born on 19 April 1786. He was the eldest son of Thomas Knox, 1 ...

(1786–1858), who married Mary Juliana Stuart, a daughter of William Stuart,

Archbishop of Armagh The Archbishop of Armagh is an Episcopal polity, archiepiscopal title which takes its name from the Episcopal see, see city of Armagh in Northern Ireland. Since the Reformation in Ireland, Reformation, there have been parallel apostolic success ...

, and the former Sophia Margaret Penn (the daughter of

Thomas Penn Thomas Penn ( – 21 March 1775) was an English landowner and mercer who was the List of colonial governors of Pennsylvania, chief proprietor of Pennsylvania from 1746 to 1775. He was one of 17 children of William Penn, the founder of the colo ...

, a son of

William Penn William Penn ( – ) was an English writer, religious thinker, and influential Quakers, Quaker who founded the Province of Pennsylvania during the British colonization of the Americas, British colonial era. An advocate of democracy and religi ...

, founder of

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state, state spanning the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern United States, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes region, Great Lakes regions o ...

), in 1815. * Hon. Edmund Knox (1787–1867), an Admiral 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 ...

who married Jane Sophia Hope-Vere, a daughter of William Hope-Vere (a grandson of the 1st Earl of Hopetoun) and sister to

James Joseph Hope-Vere James Joseph Hope-Vere of Craigiehall FRSE (3 June 1785 – 19 May 1843) was a 19th-century Scottish landowner and politician. As a politician he was deemed a moderate Whig. Early life He was born on 3 June 1785 the first surviving son of ...

, in 1813. * Hon. John Henry Knox (1788–1872), who married Lady Mabella Josephine Needham, daughter of Gen. Francis Needham, 1st Earl of Kilmorey, in 1822. * Hon. John James Knox (1790–1856), who married Mary Louisa Taylor, a daughter of Edward Taylor, in 1824. Lady Ranfurly died in November 1839. Lord Ranfurly only survived her by a few months and died in April 1840, aged 85. He was succeeded in his titles by his eldest son,

Thomas Thomas may refer to: People * List of people with given name Thomas * Thomas (name) * Thomas (surname) * Saint Thomas (disambiguation) * Thomas Aquinas (1225–1274) Italian Dominican friar, philosopher, and Doctor of the Church * Thomas the A ...

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Ranfurly, Thomas Knox, 1st Earl of 1754 births 1840 deaths Irish MPs 1776–1783 Irish MPs 1783–1790 Irish MPs 1790–1797 Members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for County Tyrone constituencies (1801–1922) UK MPs 1806–1807 UK MPs 1807–1812 UK MPs who inherited peerages UK MPs who were granted peerages Members of the Parliament of Ireland (pre-1801) for County Louth constituencies Members of the Parliament of Ireland (pre-1801) for County Tyrone constituencies Tyrone Militia officers Earls of Ranfurly Peers of the United Kingdom created by George IV Peers of Ireland created by William IV