William St Lawrence, 12th Baron Howth (1628 – June 1671) was an Irish nobleman of the Restoration period. He was an intelligent and popular man who would undoubtedly have played an influential role in Irish politics had it not been for his premature death.

Biography

Though some sources refer to him as the nephew of the previous Baron, the weight of evidence is that he was the only surviving son of Nicholas St Lawrence, 11th Baron Howth and Jane Montgomery, only daughter of George Montgomery,

Bishop of Derry The Bishop of Derry is an episcopal title which takes its name after the monastic settlement originally founded at Daire Calgach and later known as Daire Colm Cille, Anglicised as Derry. In the Catholic Church it remains a separate title, but in ...

and his first wife Susan Steyning. He was born, probably in Colchester,

Essex Essex ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the East of England, and one of the home counties. It is bordered by Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, the North Sea to the east, Kent across the Thames Estuary to the ...

, in 1628. The St Lawrence family had inherited estates near

Colchester Colchester ( ) is a city in northeastern Essex, England. It is the second-largest settlement in the county, with a population of 130,245 at the 2021 United Kingdom census, 2021 Census. The demonym is ''Colcestrian''. Colchester occupies the ...

from William's grandmother Elizabeth Wentworth of

Gosfield Hall Gosfield Hall is a English country houses, country house in Gosfield, near Braintree, Essex, Braintree in Essex, England. It is a Grade I listed building. The house was built in 1545 by Sir John Wentworth, a member of Thomas Wolsey, Cardinal Wo ...

, which presumably explains why he was sent to Colchester Grammar School, where he enrolled in 1639. His father died at the height of the

English Civil War The English Civil War or Great Rebellion was a series of civil wars and political machinations between Cavaliers, Royalists and Roundhead, Parliamentarians in the Kingdom of England from 1642 to 1651. Part of the wider 1639 to 1653 Wars of th ...

; as he was a staunch

Royalist A royalist supports a particular monarch as head of state for a particular kingdom, or of a particular dynastic claim. In the abstract, this position is royalism. It is distinct from monarchism, which advocates a monarchical system of gove ...

, his property had suffered considerably from attacks by the Parliamentary forces. William himself is said to have been left in peace after his father's death, despite serving briefly with the

forces. In 1660 he used his political influence to support the

Restoration of Charles II The Stuart Restoration was the reinstatement in May 1660 of the Stuart monarchy in Kingdom of England, England, Kingdom of Scotland, Scotland, and Kingdom of Ireland, Ireland. It replaced the Commonwealth of England, established in January 164 ...

, and was recommended to the King by

James Butler, 1st Duke of Ormonde Lieutenant general, Lieutenant-General James FitzThomas Butler, 1st Duke of Ormond, Knight of the Garter, KG, Privy Council of England, PC (19 October 1610 – 21 July 1688), was an Anglo-Irish statesman and soldier, known as Earl of Ormond fr ...

as a military commander. He was appointed Custos Rotulorum for Dublin in 1661, and sat in the

Irish House of Lords The Irish House of Lords was the upper house of the Parliament of Ireland that existed from medieval times until the end of 1800. It was also the final court of appeal of the Kingdom of Ireland. It was modelled on the House of Lords of Englan ...

on several committees, including the Committee for Grievances. In 1665 he is found acting in a judicial capacity at the general sessions in

Kilmainham Kilmainham (, meaning " St Maighneann's church") is a south inner suburb of Dublin, Ireland, south of the River Liffey and west of the city centre. It is in the city's Dublin 8 postal district. History Origins Kilmainham's foundation dates ...

. He was also on good terms with Ormond's successor as

Lord Lieutenant of Ireland Lord Lieutenant of Ireland (), or more formally Lieutenant General and General Governor of Ireland, was the title of the chief governor of Ireland from the Williamite Wars of 1690 until the Partition of Ireland in 1922. This spanned the K ...

, John Robartes, 1st Earl of Radnor, and entertained him at

Howth Castle Howth Castle ( ) is a historic dwelling, originally of Norman origin, that lies by the village of Howth, County Dublin, Ireland; it is sited within a substantial estate. The castle was the ancestral home of the St Lawrence family that had held ...

in 1669. In 1671 he fell ill, and died in June. His last will, dated 14 May 1671, contains evidence of his wide circle of gifted friends including Thomas Butler, 6th Earl of Ossory (whom he appointed his children's guardian), John Keating, the future

Lord Chief Justice of Ireland The Court of King's Bench (or Court of Queen's Bench during the reign of a Queen) was one of the senior courts of common law in Ireland. It was a mirror of the Court of King's Bench in England. The Lord Chief Justice was the most senior judge ...

, and the leading physician Nicholas Henshaw. He was buried, by his own direction, in a new vault in St. Mary's Church,

Howth Howth ( ; ; ) is a peninsular village and outer suburb of Dublin, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. The district as a whole occupies the greater part of the peninsula of Howth Head, which forms the northern boundary of Dublin Bay, and includes the ...

Personal life

He married his cousin Elizabeth St Lawrence, widow of Colonel Fitzwilliam.Lodge and Archdall ''Peerage of Ireland'' Their children were: * Thomas St Lawrence, 13th Baron Howth *Charles *Mary, who married Henry Montgomery, 3rd Earl of Mount Alexander *Sarah, who married Thomas Stepney *Martha, who married Hugh O'Neill, who became a judge.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Howth, William St Lawrence, 12th Baron Members of the Irish House of Lords Nobility from Dublin (city) 1628 births 1671 deaths 17th-century Irish nobility Cavaliers Barons Howth People educated at Colchester Royal Grammar School