William Irby, 1st Baron Boston (8 March 1707 – 30 March 1775), known as Sir William Irby, 2nd Baronet from 1718 to 1761, was a British peer and Member of Parliament.

Early life

Irby was born on 8 March 1707. He was the only son of Sir Edward Irby, 1st Baronet (1676–1718) and Dorothy Paget (d. ).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 II, page 227. His paternal grandparents were Anthony Irby (heir of Sir Anthony Irby) and the former Mary Stringer (a daughter of John Stringer of Ashford, Kent). His maternal grandparents were Hon. Henry Paget (second son of the 5th Baron Paget) and the former Mary O'Rorke (a daughter of Col. Hugh O'Rorke, High Sheriff of Leitrim). His maternal uncle was Brig.-Gen. Thomas Paget, the Governor of

Menorca Menorca or Minorca (from , later ''Minorica'') is one of the Balearic Islands located in the Mediterranean Sea belonging to Spain. Its name derives from its size, contrasting it with nearby Mallorca. Its capital is Maó, situated on the isl ...

. Through him, he was a first cousin of Caroline Paget, who married Sir Nicholas Bayly, 2nd Baronet in 1737. On the death of his father on 11 November 1718, he succeeded as the 2nd Baronet Irby, of Whaplode and

Boston, Lincolnshire Boston is a market town and inland port in the borough of the same name in the county of Lincolnshire, England. It lies to the south-east of Lincoln, east of Nottingham and north-east of Peterborough. The town had a population of 45,339 at ...

in the Baronetage of Great Britain. After inheriting the baronetcy, he attended

Westminster School Westminster School is a Public school (United Kingdom), public school in Westminster, London, England, in the precincts of Westminster Abbey. It descends from a charity school founded by Westminster Benedictines before the Norman Conquest, as do ...

from 1719 to 1722.

Career

Irby served as a Page of Honour to King George I and King George II in the final and first few years of their reigns, respectively. He was also an

equerry An equerry (; from French language, French 'stable', and related to 'squire') is an officer of honour. Historically, it was a senior attendant with responsibilities for the horses of a person of rank. In contemporary use, it is a personal attend ...

to Frederick, Prince of Wales from 1728 to 1736, Vice-Chamberlain to the Prince's wife, Augusta from 1736 to 1751 and her Lord Chamberlain from 1751 to 1772. Irby was also Member of Parliament for Launceston from 1735 to 1747, for Old Sarum in 1747, and for

Bodmin Bodmin () is a town and civil parish in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It is situated south-west of Bodmin Moor. The extent of the civil parish corresponds fairly closely to that of the town so is mostly urban in character. It is bordered ...

from 1747 to 1761. In 1743, he inherited the unsettled estates of his cousin, Henry Paget, 1st Earl of Uxbridge. In 1761 he was raised to the peerage as Baron Boston, of Boston in the County of Lincoln, and became

Lord of the Manor Lord of the manor is a title that, in Anglo-Saxon England and Norman England, referred to the landholder of a historical rural estate. The titles date to the English Feudalism, feudal (specifically English feudal barony, baronial) system. The ...

of Hedsor,

Buckinghamshire Buckinghamshire (, abbreviated ''Bucks'') is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England and one of the home counties. It is bordered by Northamptonshire to the north, Bedfordshire to the north-east, Hertfordshir ...

, in 1764. Between 1770 and 1775, he served as Chairman of the Committees of 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 ...

Personal life

On 26 August 1746, he married Albinia Selwyn (1719–1769), a daughter of Henry Selwyn, the Receiver-General of Customs, and Ruth Compton (a daughter of Anthony Compton of Gainslaw, near Berwick-on-Tweed,

Northumberland Northumberland ( ) is a ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in North East England, on the Anglo-Scottish border, border with Scotland. It is bordered by the North Sea to the east, Tyne and Wear and County Durham to the south, Cumb ...

). Among Albinia's siblings was William Selwyn, MP for Whitchurch. His wife served as

Maid of Honour A maid of honour is a junior attendant of a queen in royal households. The position was and is junior to the lady-in-waiting. The equivalent title and office has historically been used in most European royal courts. Tudors and Stuarts Traditi ...

to Augusta, Princess of Wales. Together, they had three children: * Hon. Augusta Georgina Elizabeth Irby (1747–1818), who married Thomas de Grey, 2nd Baron Walsingham, son of Chief Justice William de Grey, 1st Baron Walsingham and Mary Cowper, in 1772. * Frederick Irby, 2nd Baron Boston (1749–1825), who married Christian Methuen, daughter of Catharine Cobb and Paul Methuen of Corsham Court, MP for Westbury, Warwick, and Great Bedwyn). in 1775. * Hon. William Henry Irby (1750–1830), who married Mary Blackman, younger daughter and co-heiress of Rowland Blackman of Bath and

Antigua Antigua ( ; ), also known as Waladli or Wadadli by the local population, is an island in the Lesser Antilles. It is one of the Leeward Islands in the Caribbean region and the most populous island of the country of Antigua and Barbuda. Antigua ...

and Priscilla ( Warren) Blackman, in 1781. Lord Boston died on 30 March 1775, aged 68 and was buried in Whiston, Northamptonshire. He was succeeded in the barony by his eldest son, Frederick.

Descendants

Through his only daughter Augusta, he was a grandfather of Lt.-Gen. George de Grey, 3rd Baron Walsingham and Thomas de Grey, 4th Baron Walsingham, the Archdeacon of Winchester and Archdeacon of Surrey. Through his son Frederick, he was a grandfather of George Irby, 3rd Baron Boston, Rear-Admiral Hon. Frederick Paul Irby, and Capt. Hon. Charles Leonard Irby, Anne Maria Louisa Irby (who married Henry Peachey, 3rd Baron Selsey).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 (Genealogical Books) Ltd, 2003, volume 1, page 445. Through his youngest son William, he was a grandfather of Augusta Priscilla Irby, who married Sir William Langham, 8th Baronet, and William Henry Rowland Irby, who attended Eton and

St John's College, Oxford St John's College is a Colleges of the University of Oxford, constituent college of the University of Oxford. Founded as a men's college in 1555, it has been coeducational since 1979.Communication from Michael Riordan, college archivist Its foun ...

Notes

References

External links

Hedsor House – The Seat of the Boston's
{{DEFAULTSORT:Boston, William Irby, 1st Baron 1707 births 1775 deaths 1 Peers of Great Britain created by George III Irby, William Irby, William British MPs 1734–1741 British MPs 1741–1747 British MPs 1747–1754 British MPs 1754–1761 Pages of Honour Irby, William Princess Augusta of Saxe-Gotha Frederick, Prince of Wales