Thomas Southwell, 2nd Baron Southwell

Thomas Southwell, 2nd Baron Southwell PC (Ire), FRS (7 January 1698 – 19 November 1766),[1] styled The Honourable from 1717 until 1720, was an Irish peer, politician and freemason.

Background

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He was the oldest son of Thomas Southwell, 1st Baron Southwell and his wife Lady Meliora Coningsby, eldest daughter of Thomas Coningsby, 1st Earl Coningsby.[2] His uncles were William Southwell and Richard Southwell, his younger brother was Henry Southwell.[3] In 1743, Southwell became Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Ireland, a position he held until the following year.[4]

Career

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In 1717, Southwell entered the Irish House of Commons for County Limerick, the same constituency his father had represented before,[1] and sat for it until 1720, when he succeeded him also as baron.[5] In 1726, Southwell was sworn of the Privy Council of Ireland.[6] He became a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1735[7] and was Governor of County Limerick until his resignation in 1762.[8]

Family

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In March 1719, he married Mary Coke, eldest daughter of Thomas Coke, and by her he had three sons.[8] Southwell died at Craig's Court, Charing Cross, aged 68 and was succeeded in his titles by his eldest surviving son Thomas.[8] His younger brother, Edmund Southwell, "lived in intimacy with"[9] Samuel Johnson for many years, and was the first to introduce the great Shakespearean scholar Edmond Malone to him.[9]

References

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Notes

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  1. ^ a b Johnston-Liik 2006, p. 123.
  2. ^ Burke 1832, p. 465.
  3. ^ Lundy 2009.
  4. ^ Waite 2007, p. 400.
  5. ^ Lodge 1838, p. 462.
  6. ^ Rayment 2010.
  7. ^ The Royal Society 2009.
  8. ^ a b c Lodge 1789, p. 26.
  9. ^ a b Boswell 1824, pp. 421–23.

Sources

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  • Boswell, James (1824). The life of Samuel Johnson, LL.D. London: G. Cowie.
  • Burke, John (1832). A Genealogical and Heraldic History of the Peerage and Baronetage of the British Empire. Vol. II (4th ed.). London: Henry Colburn and Richard Bentley.
  • Johnston-Liik, Edith Mary (2006). MPs in Dublin: Companion to History of the Irish Parliament 1692–1800. Ulster Historical Foundation. ISBN 1-903688-60-4.
  • Lodge, Edmund (1838). The Genealogy of the Existing British Peerage (6th ed.). London: Saunder and Otley.
  • Lodge, John (1789). Archdall, Mervyn (ed.). The Peerage of Ireland or A Genealogical History of the Present Nobility of that Kingdom. Vol. VI. Dublin: James Moore.
  • Lundy, Darrel (24 November 2009). "Thomas Southwell, 2nd Baron Southwell of Castle Mattress". thePeerage.com. Retrieved 8 January 2011.[unreliable source]
  • Rayment, Leigh (23 January 2010). "Privy Council of Ireland". Leigh Rayment's Peerage Page. Archived from the original on 7 June 2008. Retrieved 8 January 2011.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)[unreliable source]
  • The Royal Society (2009). "Southwell; Thomas (1698–1766); 2nd Baron Southwell". Library and Archive catalogue. The Royal Society. Retrieved 8 January 2011.
  • Waite, Arthur Edward (2007). A New Encyclopedia of Freemasonry. Vol. I. Cosimo. ISBN 978-1-60206-641-0.
Parliament of Ireland
Preceded by Member of Parliament for County Limerick
1717–1720
With: Robert Oliver
Succeeded by
Masonic offices
Preceded by Grandmaster of the Grand Lodge of Ireland
1743–1744
Succeeded by
Peerage of Ireland
Preceded by Baron Southwell
1720–1766
Succeeded by