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, 1st Earl of Ranfurly, and the Hon. Diana Jane Pery, who were first cousins. His younger brothers, Hon. Edmund Knox, was 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 ...

. His maternal grandparents were

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 the former Elizabeth Vesey. His paternal grandparents were Thomas Knox, 1st Viscount Northland, and the Hon. Anne Vesey (a daughter of John Vesey, 1st Baron Knapton). Among his extended family were uncles, Bishop William Knox and Bishop Edmund Knox, George Knox , and Archdeacon Charles Knox. He studied at

St John's College, Cambridge St John's College, formally the College of St John the Evangelist in the University of Cambridge, is a Colleges of the University of Cambridge, constituent college of the University of Cambridge, founded by the House of Tudor, Tudor matriarch L ...

Career

Ranfurly was returned to Parliament as one of two representatives for

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 ...

in 1812 (succeeding his father), a seat he held until 1818. Between 1818 and 1830 he was the sole representative for

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 Parliament. He gained 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 ...

Viscount Northland when his father was elevated to the earldom of Ranfurly in 1831. In 1840 he succeeded his father in the earldom and entered 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 ...

as Baron Ranfurly. His residence was Dungannon Park in

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 as a country, province or region. Northern Ireland shares Repub ...

Personal life

In 1815, Lord Ranfurly married Mary Juliana Stuart, daughter of the Most Reverend William Stuart, Archbishop of Armagh, 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 ...

). Together, they had four sons and six daughters, including:Mosley, Charles, editor. ''Burke's Peerage, Baronetage & Knightage, 107th edition, 3 volumes.''

Wilmington, Delaware Wilmington is the List of municipalities in Delaware, most populous city in the U.S. state of Delaware. The city was built on the site of Fort Christina, the first Swedish colonization of the Americas, Swedish settlement in North America. It lie ...

Burke's Peerage 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 genea ...

(Genealogical Books) Ltd, 2003, volume 3, page 3272. * Thomas Knox, 3rd Earl of Ranfurly (1816–1858), who married Harriet Rimington, a daughter of James Rimington, in 1848. * Lady Mary Stuart Knox (1818–1903), who married John Page Reade, son of George Reade, in 1854.Mosley, Charles, editor. ''Burke's Peerage and Baronetage, 106th edition, 2 volumes.'' Crans,

Switzerland Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...

(Genealogical Books) Ltd, 1999, volume 1, page 573. * Lady Louisa Juliana Knox (–1896), who married Henry Alexander, son of Rt. Hon and Rt. Rev. Nathaniel Alexander, in 1839.Montgomery-Massingberd, Hugh. ''Burke's Irish Family Records.''

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

, U.K.: Burkes Peerage Ltd, 1976, page 10. * Lady Juliana Caroline Frances Knox (1820–1906), who married General Sir Edward Forestier-Walker in 1862. * Hon. William Stuart Knox (1826–1900), a Major in the 51st Foot and MP for

, who married Georgiana Rooper, daughter of John Bonfoy Rooper, in 1856. * Hon. Granville Henry John Knox (–1845), who drowned while bathing. * Lady Adelaide Henrietta Louisa Hortense Knox (–1911), who married Joseph Goff, son of Joseph Goff of Hale Park, in 1850. Lord Ranfurly died in March 1858, aged 71, and was succeeded in the earldom 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 ...

. Lady Ranfurly died in July 1866.

Descendants

Through his daughter, Lady Mary, he was a grandfather of Major General Raymond Reade, Commandant of the Royal Military College of Canada.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Ranfurly, Thomas Knox, 2nd Earl of 1786 births 1858 deaths Alumni of St John's College, Cambridge Knox, Thomas Knox, Thomas Knox, Thomas Knox, Thomas Knox, Thomas UK MPs who inherited peerages Earls of Ranfurly