My wife's ancestors - Fitzwilliam - Contents

Richard Fitzwilliam, 5th Viscount Fitzwilliam

5th Viscount, c.1710-15.
Used here with the kind permission of the Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge.

Richard Fitzwilliam, 5th Viscount Fitzwilliam,
of Merrion, Co.Dublin,
born c.1677.
See wikipedia and genealogics.
His father was Catholic, and so was he at first.
He succ 20 Feb 1704.

He mar (settlement 26 Feb 1704) to Frances Shelley [Roman Catholic, born 15 June 1685, descendant of Edward III].
Probably married in England.
Marriage not found in transcripts of St.Andrew's and St.Kevin's (St.Peter's) CoI par records in [Ms 2062].
She was descendant of Fitzwilliam of England.

Conforms to established church:
Their dau Mary was bapt in 1707, at Hampstead parish church in London (Church of England) but it notes that her father is still a Catholic.
5th Viscount conformed to established church 1710 so could take part in political life.
Took his seat in the Irish House of Lords 25 May 1710.
His son Richard was bapt Protestant in Dublin in 1711. The younger sons were bapt Protestant in Dublin in 1712-14.

Builds new seat at Mount Merrion:
The 5th Viscount abandoned Merrion Castle 1710 [Pearson, 1998].
He built a new residence, Mount Merrion House, on "Mount Merrion", the hill overlooking Merrion and Dublin Bay, in 1711.
The children grew up Mount Merrion.
[Ball, vol.2, 1903] mentions a large picture then in Mount Merrion of the three sons as boys playing in the grounds. Current location of picture unknown.
At the time of Queen Anne's death 1714, the Archbishop of Dublin, William King, was staying at Mount Merrion House working on the revision of his book.
The 5th Viscount became MP (Whig) for Fowey, Cornwall, in Jan 1727 [using new style year, at the time this was regarded as the end of 1726].
This was a "rotten borough", but in England, not Ireland, so he needed to be at the London parliament, not the Dublin parliament.

Leaves Ireland, moves to England, around 1726-27:
After centuries in Ireland, the Fitzwilliams moved to England. (Despite building a new seat in Dublin.)
The 5th Viscount moved to England around 1726-27.
He became a follower of the Prince of Wales (shortly George II). His family became favourites at Court. The Prince succ as George II in June 1727.
The Lodge at Mount Merrion was built c.1727.
They rented Mount Merrion out. See [Ball, vol.2, 1903] for an account of the successive tenants.
Frances separated from her husband c.1730. She entered a convent abroad. The fact that she entered a convent indicates that she stayed Catholic, even as her children were bapt Protestant.
5th Viscount was MP for Fowey until 1734.
He lived Thorpe, Surrey. Listed as of there at death.

5th Viscount dies, 1743:
See his eccentric will dated 4 Oct 1742.
He died 6 June 1743, at his house, Thorpe, Surrey, age c.66 yrs.
His will pr 22 October 1743, Prerogative Court of Canterbury.

Frances returned from abroad c.1750.
Her will dated 25 June 1761.
She lived to a great age. She lived to see the elopement of her grandson the 10th Earl of Pembroke in 1762, and the birth of her illegitimate great-grandchild Augustus Reebkomp in Nov 1762.
She outlived her daughter Mary, who died 1769.

Frances dies, 1771:
She died 11 Nov 1771, NOT 11 Dec, Old Burlington St, Mayfair, London (off Regent St, see map), age 86 yrs (NOT age 99 yrs).
She was bur 18 Nov 1771, St.James' church, Piccadilly, London.
(If she stayed Catholic, how was she buried at a Protestant church?)
Her will pr 13 Dec 1771, Prerogative Court of Canterbury.
5th Viscount and Frances had issue:

Mary Fitzwilliam.
She was bapt 8 Sept 1707 at Hampstead, London.
See extract from Hampstead parish register. From p.545 of vol.2 (1795) of The environs of London by Daniel Lysons.
Frances Fitzwilliam.
Fanny.
She mar 23 May 1732 to George Evans, 2nd Baron Carbery and had issue.

Richard Fitzwilliam, 6th Viscount Fitzwilliam,
bapt Church of Ireland, 24 July 1711, St. Andrew's Church, Dublin.
Transcript of baptism recorded on p.76 of [Ms 2062]. Original burnt in 1922.
[Ball, vol.2, 1903] said "children" of 5th Viscount were bapt at St. Andrew's Church. This may be an error. It cannot be checked since originals burnt.
William Fitzwilliam,
bapt Church of Ireland, St. Kevin's church, Dublin (later taken over by St. Peter's Church).
Transcript on p.87 of [Ms 2062] says bapt 11 Feb 1712.
Online transcript says bapt 11 July 1712
Other source says bapt 11 Sept 1712.
The original exists in [RCB] so this can be solved.
John Fitzwilliam,
bapt 28 Mar 1714 [St.Kevin's (St.Peter's) CoI par records].
Transcript of baptism on p.87 of [Ms 2062].
He became Lieutenant-general.
MP for Windsor 1754-1768.

Frances Shelley, 1723.
Used here with the kind permission of the Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge.

Herman Moll's map of Dublin, 1714.
NAI is wrong to say this is John Speed, 1610.

5th Viscount in list of Peers of Ireland in [Watson's Almanack, 1738, p.44].
[NLI] microfilm.

5th Viscount listed in [Watson's Almanack, Dublin, 1740, p.41].
Also listed on p.43.

The eccentric will of the 5th Viscount in 1742.
From The Mirror of literature, amusement, and instruction, Volume 28, 1836, no.798, 1 Oct 1836, p.223.

William Fitzwilliam, 1775.
Portrait by Thomas Gainsborough.
Used here with the kind permission of the Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge.
Also here.

5th Viscount in [Complete Peerage].

Irish House of Lords

5th Viscount took his seat in the Irish House of Lords 1710.
In this period the Irish Parliament met at Chichester House on College Green (built before 1605, demolished and replaced with the new Parliament building 1729) and the Blue Coat School (built 1671, demolished and replaced in 1773).
5th Viscount moved to England around 1726-27.
The grand new Irish Houses of Parliament were built in 1729.

Tapestry of King William at the Boyne (commissioned 1728).
House of Lords chamber of the Irish Houses of Parliament (opened 1729).
Photo 2007. See larger and full size.
From Aapo Haapanen. See terms of use.
See more pictures.

College Green, Dublin. Looking from Trinity College up Dame St. 1753 or later.
Irish Houses of Parliament on RHS.
From here.
See other version. On sale here.

References

Early 19th century extracts from Dublin city CoI parish records. (Some later burnt in 1922.) Compiled by William Monck Mason (died 1859). [TCD] Mss 2062-2063.

Sources yet to be consulted

Will of 5th Viscount. PROB 11/729/334 in [NA.UK].
- See transcript by Bob Janes.
Will of Frances Shelley. PROB 11/973/190 in [NA.UK].
- See transcript by Bob Janes.
[RCB] PC24A is a copy of a Ms with early baptisms at St. Andrew's, Dublin. Try also RCB T34.
[RCB] has original bapts of St. Kevin's church, Dublin (later St.Peter's church).

The Catholic Bulletin, 1925:
- An anonymous anti-British writer called "Fear Cualann" writes an angry article against the Fitzwilliams in the Catholic Bulletin, Nov 1925.
- He condemns their history as being based on oppression of the Catholic Irish, and he celebrates the demise of their estate.
- He is particularly angry about the 5th Viscount becoming Protestant: "The pervert Viscount had his children baptised Protestants, in St Andrew's Church, Dublin. ... His wife, who was a staunch convert, dealt properly with him. She left him, entered a French Convent and lived there till the recreant husband went before his Creator and Judge. ... The pervert Irish peer was the builder of Mount Merrion House, or Castle. ... The pervert who built it deserted it, and went to live in England. Within a generation the male line died out; it ended up with three imbeciles. The title vanished: the property passed to an English Earl who married one of the Protestantised daughters of the pervert of 1710."