McElroy, Martin

Beresford, William (1743–1819), 1st Baron Decies, Church of Ireland archbishop of Tuam, was born 16 April 1743, an illegitimate son of Marcus Beresford, first earl of Tyrone (1694–1763). He entered Trinity College Dublin on 18 December 1759, and there graduated Bachelor of Arts in 1763…

Bianconi, Charles (1786–1875), transport entrepreneur, was born Joachim Carlo Guiseppe Bianconi on 24 September 1786 at Tregolo, near Como in Lombardy, Italy, the second of five children of Pietro and Maria Bianconi. His father owned a farm and a silk mill, and was agent for the…

Brodrick, Charles (1761–1822), Church of Ireland archbishop of Cashel, was born 3 May 1761 in London, the fourth son of George Brodrick (1730–1765), third Viscount Midleton, and his wife, Albinia, née Townshend (c.1737–1808). The Brodrick family had estates in England and…

Cowper, Francis Thomas de Grey (1834–1905), 7th Earl Cowper , landowner, and lord lieutenant of Ireland, was born 11 June 1834 in Berkeley Square, London, eldest son of George Augustus Frederick (1806–56), 6th Earl Cowper, lord lieutenant of Kent, and his wife Anne Florence (1806–…

Crofton, Sir Walter Frederick (1815–97), penal reformer, was born 27 February 1815 at Courtrai, in western Flanders, the second son of Walter Crofton (1784–1815), captain in the 54th foot, and his wife, Harriet (née Waukhope). His father was killed at the battle of Waterloo on 18…

Driscol, Denis (1762–1811), newspaper proprietor and radical, was born in Co. Cork. Little is known about his parentage and details of his early career are sparse, but he was born into a catholic family wealthy enough to provide him with an education on the continent. Having…

Gordon, Alexander (1818–87), professor of surgery, was born in Saintfield, Co. Down, in 1818, the son of Alexander Gordon, surgeon and physician at Saintfield. Initially educated in Belfast, he received his medical training at the University of Edinburgh, where he graduated…

Goulburn, Henry (1784–1856), chief secretary for Ireland, was born 19 March 1784 in London, the eldest of three sons of Munbee Goulburn (1758–1793), a Jamaican estate owner born in the West Indies, and Susannah Goulburn (née Chetwynd) (d. 1818), originally from a Staffordshire…

Gower, Francis Leveson- (1800–1857), 1st earl of Ellesmere , chief secretary for Ireland, was born 1 January 1800 in London, the youngest son of George Leveson-Gower (1758–1833), 1st duke of Sutherland, and his wife, Elizabeth (1765–1839), countess of Sutherland. Educated at Eton (…

Hill, Sir George Fitzgerald (1763–1839), 2nd baronet, politician, was born 1 June 1763 in Co. Londonderry, the son of Sir Hugh Hill (c.1727–95), 1st baronet, of Brook Hall, and his second wife, Hannah Hill (née McClintock). The Hill family had substantial landholdings in…

Moore, Robert Ross Rowan (1811–64), political economist, was born 23 December 1811 in Dublin, the eldest son of William Moore, clergyman, of Garden Hill, Dublin, and his wife, Helena Moore (née Rowan). William Moore belonged to a branch of the Rowallan family who had settled in…

O'Brien, Anna Maria (née Ball) (1785–1871), philanthropist, was born at 5 Werburgh Street in Dublin, the second eldest of five children (four girls and a boy) of John Ball (qv), a wealthy Dublin silk manufacturer, merchant, and catholic convert,…

Scully, William (1821–1906), landowner, was born 23 November 1821 in Kilfeacle, Co. Tipperary, the youngest son of Denys Scully (qv), lawyer, and his second wife, Katherine (née Eyre; d. 1843). The Scullys were a prosperous catholic…

Shirley, Evelyn Philip (1812–82), antiquarian and landowner, was born in South Audley Street, London, on 22 January 1812, the eldest son of Evelyn John Shirley (1788–1856), landowner and MP for Co. Monaghan (1826–31), and his wife, Eliza (née Stanhope; d. 1859). The Shirley family…

Stanley, Edward George Geoffrey Smith (1799–1869), 14th earl of Derby , politician and chief secretary for Ireland, was born 29 March 1799 at Knowsley Hall, Lancashire, the eldest son of Edward Smith Stanley (1775–1851), 13th earl of Derby, and his wife, Charlotte Margaret (née…

Talbot, Charles Chetwynd- (1777–1849), 2nd Earl Talbot of Hensol, lord lieutenant of Ireland , was born 25 April 1777 in London, the eldest son of John Chetwynd Talbot, 1st Earl Talbot (1749–93), and his wife, Lady Charlotte Hill (d. 1804). He succeeded to the title on his father'…

Tighe, William (1766–1816), politician, topographer, and landowner, was born 5 May 1766, the eldest son of William Tighe (1738–82), landowner of Rossanagh, Co. Wicklow, and MP for Athboy, Co. Meath (1761–76), and his wife, Sarah (née Fownes) of Woodstock, Co. Kilkenny. William…

Verschoyle, Barbara (1750/53–1837), land agent and philanthropist, was born in Dublin, the sixth of eight daughters of Bryan Fagan (d. 1761), land agent for the Fitzwilliam estate in Dublin and brewer, and Elizabeth Fagan (d. 1788), both of Dublin. Bryan Fagan's brewery was on…

Whitty, Michael James (1795–1873), newspaper editor and proprietor, was born in Enniscorthy, Co. Wexford, in 1795, the son of a corn merchant and owner of boats operating out of Wexford port. After failing to complete his studies for the priesthood, Whitty moved to London in 1821 to…

Whitworth, Charles (1752–1825), Earl Whitworth lord lieutenant of Ireland and diplomat, was born 19 May 1752 at Leybourne Grange, Kent, eldest son among three sons and four daughters of Sir Charles Whitworth (d. 1778), MP, and his wife, Martha (née Shelley; d. 1786). Whitworth was…