{{Infobox officeholder , honorific-prefix =

The Right Honourable ''The Right Honourable'' (abbreviation: The Rt Hon. or variations) is an honorific Style (form of address), style traditionally applied to certain persons and collective bodies in the United Kingdom, the former British Empire, and the Commonwealt ...

, name = The Earl of Inchiquin , honorific-suffix = KB

PC(I) PC or pc may refer to: Arts and entertainment * Player character or playable character, a fictional character controlled by a human player, usually in role-playing games or computer games * ''Port Charles'', an American daytime TV soap opera * P ...

, image = William_O’Brien,_4th_Earl_of_Inchiquin.jpg , caption = , alt = , CoA = , suc-type = , spouse = Lady Anne Hamilton , father =

William O'Brien, 3rd Earl of Inchiquin William O'Brien, 3rd Baron O'Brien of Burren, 8th Baron & 3rd Earl of Inchiquin PC (1662 – 24 December 1719) was an Irish nobleman. Life William O'Brien was the son of William O'Brien, 2nd Earl of Inchiquin and Lady Margaret Boyle. He marri ...

, mother = Mary O'Brien , birth_date = , birth_place =

Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...

, christening_date = , christening_place = , death_date = , death_place = Ireland , burial_date = , burial_place = , religion = , occupation = Politician , memorials = , website = , module = William O'Brien, 4th Earl of Inchiquin, KB,

(1700 – 18 July 1777) was an Irish peer, Chief of Clan O'Brien, and Whig politician who sat in the

House of Commons The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the Bicameralism, bicameral parliaments of the United Kingdom and Canada. In both of these countries, the Commons holds much more legislative power than the nominally upper house of ...

between 1722 and 1754.

Background

O'Brien was the eldest son of

, and his wife, Mary (née Villiers), sister of the 1st Earl of Jersey, and inherited his father's titles in 1719.{{cite web, url = http://www.historyofparliamentonline.org/volume/1715-1754/member/o8217brien-william-1700-77, title= O'BRIEN, William, 4th Earl of Inchiquin (c.1700-77)., publisher= History of Parliament Online, access-date = 28 April 2019 He founded the predecessor of the present day

Royal Cork Yacht Club The Royal Cork Yacht Club is a yacht club located in Crosshaven, County Cork, Ireland. Founded in 1720, it is a claimant to the title of the world's oldest yacht club, although this is challenged by the Neva Yacht Club in Russia. Formation T ...

, the ''Water Club of the Cork Harbour'', in 1720.

Political career

Inchiquin was Whig Member of Parliament for

Windsor Windsor may refer to: Places *Detroit–Windsor, Michigan-Ontario, USA-Canada, North America; a cross-border metropolitan region Australia New South Wales *Windsor, New South Wales ** Municipality of Windsor, a former local government area Queen ...

from 1722 to 1727, for Tamworth from 1727 to 1734, for

Camelford Camelford () is a town and civil parish in north Cornwall, England, United Kingdom, situated in the River Camel valley northwest of Bodmin Moor. The town is approximately north of Bodmin and is governed by Camelford Town Council. The ward pop ...

from 1741 to 1747 and for

Aylesbury Aylesbury ( ) is the county town of Buckinghamshire, England. It is home to the Roald Dahl Children's Gallery and the Aylesbury Waterside Theatre, Waterside Theatre. It is located in central Buckinghamshire, midway between High Wycombe and Milt ...

from 1747 to 1754. In 1725, he had been appointed a Knight Companion of the

Order of the Bath The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by King George I of Great Britain, George I on 18 May 1725. Recipients of the Order are usually senior British Armed Forces, military officers or senior Civil Service ...

. From 1740 to 1741, he was Grand Master of the

Premier Grand Lodge of England The organisation now known as the Premier Grand Lodge of England was founded on 24 June 1717 as the Grand Lodge of London and Westminster. Originally concerned with the practice of Freemasonry in London and Westminster, it soon became known as ...

, Governor of County Clare from 1741 to 1777 and Custos Rotulorum of Clare from 1762 to 1767. From 1744 to 1751, he was a

Lord of the Bedchamber Gentleman of the Bedchamber was a title in the Royal Household of the Kingdom of England from the 11th century, later used also in the Kingdom of Great Britain. A Lord of the Bedchamber was a courtier in the Royal Household, the term being fir ...

Frederick, Prince of Wales Frederick, Prince of Wales (Frederick Louis, German: ''Friedrich Ludwig''; 31 January 1707 – 31 March 1751) was the eldest son and heir apparent of King George II of Great Britain. He grew estranged from his parents, King George and Queen C ...

, and admitted 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 1753. On his death in 1777, without surviving male heirs, his titles passed to his nephew, Murrough O'Brien, who was also his son-in-law and was later created

Marquess of Thomond A marquess (; ) 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 with the rank of a marquess or the wife (or widow) ...

Family

On 29 March 1720, he married his cousin, Lady Anne Hamilton, the eldest daughter and heiress of

George Hamilton, 1st Earl of Orkney Field marshal (United Kingdom), Field Marshal George Hamilton, 1st Earl of Orkney, (9 February 1666 – 29 January 1737), styled Lord George Hamilton from 1666 to 1696, was a British army officer and the first officer of the British Army to be ...

, and his wife

Elizabeth Elizabeth or Elisabeth may refer to: People * Elizabeth (given name), a female given name (including people with that name) * Empress Elisabeth (disambiguation), lists various empresses named ''Elisabeth'' or ''Elizabeth'' * Princess Elizabeth ...

(née Villiers). His wife became 2nd Countess of Orkney in her own right in 1737. They had five children: * Lady Mary (c.1721–1791), later 3rd Countess of Orkney *William, styled Lord O'Brien (1725–1727) *George, styled Lord O'Brien (1727–1728) *Augustus, styled Lord O'Brien (died in infancy) *Murrough, styled Lord O'Brien, later styled Viscount Kirkwall (1731–1741) He married, secondly, Mary Moore, daughter of

Stephen Moore, 1st Viscount Mount Cashell Stephen Moore, 1st Viscount Mount Cashell (1696 – 26 February 1766), known as The Lord Kilworth between 1764 and 1766, was an Irish politician. Early life Moore was the son of Richard Moore, of Cashell, County Tipperary, by the Honourable Eli ...

and Alicia Colville, on 12 October 1761 Additionally, Inchiquin was feted by antiquarians and many of the works of Irish history produced at this time are dedicated to him; as an Anglican deriving his lineage from an old Gaelic family, he was a politique choice for those wishing to disseminate their work in Ascendancy Ireland and Hanoverian Britain.

References

{{Reflist {{s-start {{s-par, gb {{s-bef , before = Sir Henry Ashurst , before2 =

Samuel Travers Samuel is a figure who, in the narratives of the Hebrew Bible, plays a key role in the transition from the biblical judges to the United Kingdom of Israel under Saul, and again in the monarchy's transition from Saul to David. He is venerated a ...

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, years =

1722 Events January–March * January 27 – Daniel Defoe's novel '' Moll Flanders'' is published anonymously in London. * February 10 – The Battle of Cape Lopez begins off of the coast of West Africa (and present-day Gabon), ...

–

1727 Events January–March * January 1 – (December 21, 1726 O.S.) Spain's ambassador to Great Britain demands that the British return Gibraltar after accusing Britain of violating the terms of the 1713 Treaty of Utrecht. Britain ...

, with =

Earl of Burford Earl () is a rank of the nobility in the United Kingdom. In modern Britain, an earl is a member of the peerage, ranking below a marquess and above a viscount. A feminine form of ''earl'' never developed; instead, ''countess'' is used. The titl ...

1722–1726 , with2 =

Lord Vere Beauclerk Admiral Vere Beauclerk, 1st Baron Vere (14 July 1699 – 21 October 1781), known as Lord Vere Beauclerk until 1750, was a Royal Navy officer, British peer and politician who sat in the House of Commons for 24 years from 1726 to 1750. After s ...

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, after2 = Viscount Malpas {{s-bef , before = Hon. Francis Willoughby , before2 = Hon. George Compton {{s-ttl , title = Member of Parliament for Tamworth , years =

–

1734 Events January– March * January 8 – Salzburgers, Lutherans who were expelled by the Roman Catholic Bishop of Salzburg, Austria, in October 1731, set sail for the British Colony of Georgia in America. * February 16 – ...

, with = Thomas Willoughby {{s-aft , after =

Lord John Sackville Lord John Philip Sackville (22 June 1713 – 3 December 1765) was the second son of Lionel Sackville, 1st Duke of Dorset. He was a keen cricketer who was closely connected with the sport in Kent. He was member of parliament (MP) for Tamworth ...

, after2 = Hon. George Compton {{s-bef , before = Sir Thomas Lyttelton , before2 = Hon. James Cholmondeley {{s-ttl , title = Member of Parliament for

, years =

1741 Events January–March * January 13 ** Lanesborough, Massachusetts is created as a township. ** Conventicle Act of 1741 is introduced in Denmark-Norway. *February 13 – Sir Robert Walpole, the Prime Minister of Great Britain ...

–

1747 Events January–March * January 31 – The first venereal diseases clinic opens at London Lock Hospital. * February 11 – King George's War: A combined French and Indian force, commanded by Captain Nicolas Antoine II ...

, with = Charles Montagu {{s-aft , after = The Earl of Londonderry , after2 = Samuel Martin {{s-bef , before = Charles Pilsworth , before2 = Hon. William Stanhope {{s-ttl , title = Member of Parliament for

, years =

–

1754 Events January–March * January 28 – Horace Walpole, in a letter to Horace Mann, coins the word ''serendipity''. * February 22 – Expecting an attack by Portuguese-speaking militias in the Viceroyalty of the Río de la Plat ...

, with = Edward Willes {{s-aft , after = Thomas Potter , after2 = John Willes {{s-npo, mason , - {{s-bef , before=

Lord Paisley Lord is an appellation for a person or deity who has authority, control, or power over others, acting as a master, chief, or ruler. The appellation can also denote certain persons who hold a title of the peerage in the United Kingdom, or are e ...

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, years=1726–1727 {{s-aft , after= The Lord Coleraine {{s-reg, ie , - {{s-bef , before=

William O'Brien William O'Brien (2 October 1852 – 25 February 1928) was an Irish nationalist, journalist, agrarian agitator, social revolutionary, politician, party leader, newspaper publisher, author and Member of Parliament (MP) in the House of Commons of ...

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Earl of Inchiquin Earl () is a rank of the nobility in the United Kingdom. In modern Britain, an earl is a member of the peerage, ranking below a marquess and above a viscount. A feminine form of ''earl'' never developed; instead, ''countess'' is used. The titl ...

, years=1719–1777 {{s-aft , after= Murrough O'Brien {{s-end {{Ó Briain {{PGLE {{Authority control {{DEFAULTSORT:Inchiquin, William Obrien, 4th Earl Of 1700 births 1777 deaths 18th-century Irish nobility Politicians from County Clare People educated at Kilkenny College British MPs 1722–1727 British MPs 1727–1734 British MPs 1741–1747 British MPs 1747–1754 Knights Companion of the Order of the Bath Members of the Parliament of Great Britain for English constituencies Members of the Privy Council of Ireland

William William is a masculine given name of Germanic languages, Germanic origin. It became popular in England after the Norman Conquest, Norman conquest in 1066,All Things William"Meaning & Origin of the Name"/ref> and remained so throughout the Middle ...

Members of the Parliament of Great Britain for Camelford Freemasons of the Premier Grand Lodge of England Grand masters of the Premier Grand Lodge of England 9 Earls of Inchiquin Irish chiefs of the name