Earl of Rosse
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Peerage of Ireland
The Peerage of Ireland is the term used for those titles of nobility created by the English and later British monarchs of Ireland in their capacity as Lord or King of Ireland. The creation of such titles came to an end in the 19th century. The ranks of the Irish peerage are Duke, Marquess, Earl,...
, both times for members of the Parsons family. It is not to be confused with the Scottish title of Earl of Ross
Earl of Ross
The Mormaer or Earl of Ross was the leader of a medieval Gaelic lordship in northern Scotland, roughly between the River Oykel and the River Beauly.-Origins and transfers:...
. The Parsons family were originally an English family of which five brothers settled in Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
during the late 16th century. One of the brothers, William Parsons, was created a Baronet, of Bellamont in the County of Dublin, in the Baronetage of Ireland 1620. The third Baronet was created Viscount Rosse in the Peerage of Ireland in 1681, and the second Viscount was created Earl of Rosse in the Peerage of Ireland in 1718. All titles became extinct on the death of the second Earl in 1764.
Laurence Ross, younger brother of Sir William Parsons, 1st Baronet, settled in Birr
Birr
Birr is a town in County Offaly, Ireland. Once called Parsonstown, after the Parsons family who were local landowners and hereditary Earls of Rosse. It is also a parish in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Killaloe....
, King's County
County Offaly
County Offaly is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Midlands Region and is also located in the province of Leinster. It is named after the ancient Kingdom of Uí Failghe and was formerly known as King's County until the establishment of the Irish Free State in 1922. Offaly County Council is...
, which became known as Parsonstown, and was the ancestor of another branch of the family. His descendant and namesake Laurence Parsons was created a Baronet, of Birr Castle in King's County, in the Baronetage of Ireland in 1677. He was attainted by King James II's
James II of England
James II & VII was King of England and King of Ireland as James II and King of Scotland as James VII, from 6 February 1685. He was the last Catholic monarch to reign over the Kingdoms of England, Scotland, and Ireland...
Parliament in 1689 and sentenced to death. The sentence was never carried out, however. His great-grandson, the third Baronet, and great-great-grandson, the fourth Baronet, both represented King's County
King's County (Parliament of Ireland constituency)
King's County was a constituency represented in the Irish House of Commons until 1800.-1692–1801:...
in the Irish House of Commons
Irish House of Commons
The Irish House of Commons was the lower house of the Parliament of Ireland, that existed from 1297 until 1800. The upper house was the House of Lords...
.
The latter's half-brother Laurence Harman Parsons was in 1792 raised to the Peerage of Ireland
Peerage of Ireland
The Peerage of Ireland is the term used for those titles of nobility created by the English and later British monarchs of Ireland in their capacity as Lord or King of Ireland. The creation of such titles came to an end in the 19th century. The ranks of the Irish peerage are Duke, Marquess, Earl,...
as Baron Oxmantown, with remainder to his nephew Sir Lawrence Parsons, 5th Baronet, who had succeeded his father the fourth Baronet in 1791. In 1795 he was made Viscount Oxmantown in the Peerage of Ireland, with normal remainder to the heirs male of his body, and in 1806 he was even further honoured when he was created Earl of Rosse in the Peerage of Ireland, with similar remainder as for the barony. Lord Rosse sat from 1800 to 1807 as one of the original Irish Representative Peers
Representative peer
In the United Kingdom, representative peers were those peers elected by the members of the Peerage of Scotland and the Peerage of Ireland to sit in the British House of Lords...
in the British House of Lords. On his death in 1807 the viscountcy became extinct while he was succeeded in the barony and earldom according to the special remainders by his aforementioned nephew, the second Earl. He represented King's County
King's County (UK Parliament constituency)
King's County was a parliamentary constituency in Ireland, represented in the House of Commons of the United Kingdom. It return two Members of Parliament 1801–1885 and one in 1918–1922.-Boundaries:...
in the British House of Commons
British House of Commons
The House of Commons is the lower house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, which also comprises the Sovereign and the House of Lords . Both Commons and Lords meet in the Palace of Westminster. The Commons is a democratically elected body, consisting of 650 members , who are known as Members...
and sat in the House of Lords as an Irish Representative Peer between 1809 and 1841.
His son, the third Earl, was a well-known astronomer and is famous for his construction of the giant telescope
Telescope
A telescope is an instrument that aids in the observation of remote objects by collecting electromagnetic radiation . The first known practical telescopes were invented in the Netherlands at the beginning of the 1600s , using glass lenses...
the Leviathan of Parsonstown
Leviathan of Parsonstown
Leviathan of Parsonstown is the unofficial name of the Rosse six foot telescope. This is a historic reflecting telescope of 72 in aperture, which was the largest telescope in the world from 1845 until the construction of the 100 in Hooker Telescope in 1917...
at his seat Birr Castle
Birr Castle
Birr Castle is a large castle in the town of Birr in County Offaly, Ireland. It is the home of the seventh Earl of Rosse, and as such the residential areas of the castle are not open to the public, though the grounds and gardens of the demesne are publicly accessible.-Ireland's Historic Science...
. Lord Rosse also sat as Member of Parliament for King's County, was an Irish Representative Peer from 1845 to 1867, Lord Lieutenant of King's County
Lord Lieutenant of King's County
This is a list of those who have served as Lord Lieutenant of King's County. The office was created on 23 August 1831.*William Parsons, 3rd Earl of Rosse 7 October 1831 – 31 October 1867*Thomas Bernard 17 December 1867 – 13 December 1883...
from 1831 to 1867 and President of the Royal Society
Royal Society
The Royal Society of London for Improving Natural Knowledge, known simply as the Royal Society, is a learned society for science, and is possibly the oldest such society in existence. Founded in November 1660, it was granted a Royal Charter by King Charles II as the "Royal Society of London"...
from 1849 to 1854. He was succeeded by his son, the fourth Earl. He was an Irish Representative Peer between 1868 and 1908 and Lord Lieutenant of King's County between 1892 and 1908. His son, the fifth Earl, was an Irish Representative Peer from 1911 to 1918 and Lord-Lieutenant of King's County from 1908 to 1918. Lord Rosse fought in the First World War and died from wounds received in action in 1918. the titles are held by his grandson, the seventh Earl, who succeeded his father in 1979.
The home of the Earl of Rosse is Birr Castle
Birr Castle
Birr Castle is a large castle in the town of Birr in County Offaly, Ireland. It is the home of the seventh Earl of Rosse, and as such the residential areas of the castle are not open to the public, though the grounds and gardens of the demesne are publicly accessible.-Ireland's Historic Science...
in the town of Birr
Birr
Birr is a town in County Offaly, Ireland. Once called Parsonstown, after the Parsons family who were local landowners and hereditary Earls of Rosse. It is also a parish in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Killaloe....
, County Offaly
County Offaly
County Offaly is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Midlands Region and is also located in the province of Leinster. It is named after the ancient Kingdom of Uí Failghe and was formerly known as King's County until the establishment of the Irish Free State in 1922. Offaly County Council is...
. It is the principal respository of the Rosse Papers, an exhaustive calendar of which was published, following many decades work, by the Irish Manuscripts Commission in 2008, and which covers over four centuries of the Parsons family archive, and their related interests in Ireland and abroad.
Parsons Baronets, of Bellamont (1620)
- Sir William Parsons, 1st BaronetSir William Parsons, 1st Baronet of BellamontSir William Parsons, 1st Baronet of Bellamont was an Anglo-Irish Surveyor General of Ireland. Member of Parliament for the county of Wicklow and a Lord Justice of Ireland.-Biography:...
(d. 1650)- Richard Parsons
- Sir William Parsons, 2nd Baronet (d. 1658)
- Sir Richard Parson, 3rd Baronet (c. 1657–1703) (created Viscount Rosse in 1681)
Viscounts Rosse (1681)
- Richard Parsons, 1st Viscount Rosse (c. 1657–1703)
- Richard Parsons, 2nd Viscount RosseRichard Parsons, 1st Earl of RosseRichard Parsons, 1st Earl of Rosse , Freemason and a founder-member of the Hell-Fire Club, 2nd Viscount Rosse of Bellamont co. Dublin, Baron Oxmantown, 3rd baronet....
(d. 1741) (created Earl of Rosse in 1718)
Earls of Rosse, First Creation (1718)
- Richard Parsons, 1st Earl of RosseRichard Parsons, 1st Earl of RosseRichard Parsons, 1st Earl of Rosse , Freemason and a founder-member of the Hell-Fire Club, 2nd Viscount Rosse of Bellamont co. Dublin, Baron Oxmantown, 3rd baronet....
(d. 1741) - Richard Parsons, 2nd Earl of Rosse (c. 1716–1764)
Parsons Baronets, of Birr Castle (1677)
- Sir Laurence Parsons, 1st Baronet (c. 1637–1698)
- Sir William Parsons, 2nd Baronet (d. 1741)
- William Parsons (d. before 1740)
- Sir Laurence Parsons, 3rd Baronet (1707–1756)
- Sir William Parsons, 4th BaronetSir William Parsons, 4th BaronetSir William Parsons, 4th Baronet of Birr Castle was an Irish politician and baronet.He was the son of Sir Laurence Parsons, 3rd Baronet and Mary Sprigge...
(1731–1791) - Sir Laurence Parsons, 5th BaronetLaurence Parsons, 2nd Earl of RosseLawrence Parsons, 2nd Earl of Rosse , known as Sir Lawrence Parsons, Bt, from 1791 to 1807, was an Irish peer....
(1758–1841) (succeeded as Earl of Rosse in 1806)
Earls of Rosse, Second Creation (1806)
- Laurence Harman Parsons, 1st Earl of RosseLaurence Parsons, 1st Earl of RosseLawrence Harman Parsons, 1st Earl of Rosse , known as the Lord Oxmantown between 1792 and 1795 and as the Viscount Oxmantown between 1795 and 1806, was an Irish peer and politician.-Background:...
(1749–1807) - Laurence Parsons, 2nd Earl of RosseLaurence Parsons, 2nd Earl of RosseLawrence Parsons, 2nd Earl of Rosse , known as Sir Lawrence Parsons, Bt, from 1791 to 1807, was an Irish peer....
(1758–1841) - William Parsons, 3rd Earl of RosseWilliam Parsons, 3rd Earl of RosseWilliam Parsons, 3rd Earl of Rosse, Knight of the Order of St Patrick was an Irish astronomer who had several telescopes built. His 72-inch telescope "Leviathan", built 1845, was the world's largest telescope until the early 20th century.-Life:He was born in Yorkshire, England, in the city of...
(1800–1867) - Lawrence Parsons, 4th Earl of RosseLawrence Parsons, 4th Earl of RosseLawrence Parsons, 4th Earl of Rosse KP FRS was the son and successor of the astronomer William Parsons, 3rd Earl of Rosse who built the "Leviathan of Parsonstown" telescope, largest of its day, and his wife, the Countess Rosse , an amateur astronomer and pioneering photographer...
(1840–1908) - William Edward Parsons, 5th Earl of RosseWilliam Parsons, 5th Earl of RosseWilliam Edward Parsons, 5th Earl of Rosse was the son of Lawrence Parsons, 4th Earl of Rosse and Frances Cassandra Hawke. He was elected a Representative Peer in 1911...
(1873–1918) - Lawrence Michael Harvey Parsons, 6th Earl of RosseLawrence Parsons, 6th Earl of RosseLawrence Michael Harvey Parsons, 6th Earl of Rosse was an Irish peer. He was the son of William Edward Parsons, 5th Earl of Rosse, whom he succeeded in 1918, and Frances Lois Lister-Kaye...
(1906–1979) - Brendan Parsons, 7th Earl of Rosse (b. 1936)
The heir apparent
Heir apparent
An heir apparent or heiress apparent is a person who is first in line of succession and cannot be displaced from inheriting, except by a change in the rules of succession....
is the present holder's son Lawrence Patrick Parsons, Lord Oxmantown (b. 1969)