Coote, Sir Charles

Coote, Sir Charles (1765–1857), baronet and author, was the illegitimate son of Charles Coote (qv) (1738–1800), earl of Bellamont, and Rebecca Palmer. The earl, who had eleven other illegitimate children by four other women, had obtained a special remainder for his English baronetcy, and Charles Coote junior succeeded to the English title on his father's death. His marriage to a Miss Richardson may have displeased his father; he inherited £1,000, but no share in the family's estates. Sir Charles seems to have married secondly (November 1814) Caroline Elizabeth Whalley; they possibly had a son the following year. In 1800 he undertook on behalf of the (Royal) Dublin Society a tour through four counties of Ireland as one of a number of writers gathering information for a projected series of county surveys, and also corresponded with local landowners and industrialists. In 1801 the society published his General view of the agriculture and manufactures of the King's County, and a similar survey of Queen's Co.; in the same year appeared Statistical survey of the county of Monaghan with observations on the means of improvement; in 1802 a similarly titled study of Cavan, and in 1804 one of Armagh. This series of surveys was regarded by contemporaries as slightly disappointing, but Coote's volumes are frequently cited by historians, and for some subjects provide unique evidence. He died 25 May 1857, and was succeeded by his son Charles (b. probably 1798). He should not be credited with creating the house and gardens at Ballyfin, a property owned by Sir Charles Henry Coote (1792–1864), 9th baronet (of a different family); nor should he be confused with the Charles Coote who published a number of well known historical works in the early nineteenth century.