Isaac Corry
Encyclopedia
Isaac Corry FRS, PC (I)
, PC
(15 May 1753 – 15 May 1813) was an Irish
and British
Member of Parliament
and lawyer.
, he was the son of Edward Corry (d. 1792), sometime Member of Parliament, and Catharine Bristow. He was educated at the Royal School, Armagh, where his contemporaries included Viscount Castlereagh, and later at Trinity College, Dublin
, from which he graduated in 1773. On 18 October 1771 he was admitted to the Middle Temple
and called to the bar at King's Inns
in 1779.
, sitting in the Irish House of Commons
until the Act of Union
in 1801. From 1782-1789 he served as equerry
to the Duke of Cumberland, being described in 1794 by Rt. Hon. Sylvester Douglas
as "a well-bred man...He has no brogue
...He once acted as a sort of groom of the bedchamber to the late Duke of Cumberland." In 1798, he was also elected for Randalstown
, but chose not to sit and in 1802, he was returned to the British House of Commons
for Newry
. He served as a Whig
at Westminster until 1806. It was written in 1783 that Corry would expect to enter high office, given that "he lives expensively and does not pursue his profession, which is the law." Thus in 1788 he became Surveyor-General of the Ordnance
, a position which paid £1,000 per year for "doing virtually nothing." The following year Corry was appointed a commissioner of the revenue. Finally in 1799 he was appointed Irish Chancellor of the Exchequer
and a Lord High Treasurer of Ireland
in place of Sir John Parnell, who quarrelled violently with Pitt over the projected union, which he categorically refused to support. In 1795 he became a Privy Councillor
.
(later Lord Oriel), he was awarded, however, £2,000 p.a. in compensation. In 1806 the changes in ownership of the Newry estates altered Corry's position; the lands had passed to a senior line of the Needham family
and Lady Downshire, decided to return his brother General Francis Needham, 1st Earl of Kilmorey
at the general election. Corry did not have the funds needed, in excess of £5000, to purchase a seat elsewhere. However, Lady Downshire was inclined to support the Grenville ministry and came to a formal agreement with Corry to give him £1000 towards his expenses should he be successful in Newry, and, if not, to bring him in for another borough. Corry failed against the Needham interest in Newry, but a seat at Newport, Isle of Wight
, was purchased for him, with £4000 from Lady Downshire, and Corry was appointed to the Board of Trade
. Six months later Grenville's ministry had fallen and there was another general election. Corry stood, again unsuccessfully, for Newry.
Corry was unmarried but had a long-term relationship with Jane Symms, they had six children (three sons and three daughters); his daughter Ann married Lt.-Col. Henry Westenra, the brother of the first Baron Rossmore
. Corry's residence in Newry was the Abbey Yard, now a school, and Derrymore House
, Bessbrook
, which he had inherited from his father and sold in 1810. It is now the property of the National Trust
. During Corry's life, a road was constructed from near the main entrance of Derrymore House
around Newry
and linked up with the Dublin Road on the southern side of the town primarily for Corry's use. This road subsequently became known as "The Chancellor's Road," as a result of Corry's term as the Irish Chancellor of the Exchequer
. A local legend has it that the road was constructed after an incident in which Corry's stagecoach
was stoned while passing through Newry
by people angry at an unpopular window tax
he had introduced. The road has retained this name but it was cut in half by the Newry by-pass in the mid-1990s, however as a result of works associated with the new A1 dual carriageway the two halves of the road have now been reconnected.
He died at his house in Merrion Square, Dublin and is buried in St. Patrick's Cathedral, Dublin
.
Privy Council of Ireland
The Privy Council of Ireland was an institution of the Kingdom of Ireland until 31 December 1800 and of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland 1801-1922...
, PC
Privy Council of the United Kingdom
Her Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council, usually known simply as the Privy Council, is a formal body of advisers to the Sovereign in the United Kingdom...
(15 May 1753 – 15 May 1813) was an Irish
Kingdom of Ireland
The Kingdom of Ireland refers to the country of Ireland in the period between the proclamation of Henry VIII as King of Ireland by the Crown of Ireland Act 1542 and the Act of Union in 1800. It replaced the Lordship of Ireland, which had been created in 1171...
and British
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
and lawyer.
Early career
Born in NewryNewry
Newry is a city in Northern Ireland. The River Clanrye, which runs through the city, formed the historic border between County Armagh and County Down. It is from Belfast and from Dublin. Newry had a population of 27,433 at the 2001 Census, while Newry and Mourne Council Area had a population...
, he was the son of Edward Corry (d. 1792), sometime Member of Parliament, and Catharine Bristow. He was educated at the Royal School, Armagh, where his contemporaries included Viscount Castlereagh, and later at Trinity College, Dublin
Trinity College, Dublin
Trinity College, Dublin , formally known as the College of the Holy and Undivided Trinity of Queen Elizabeth near Dublin, was founded in 1592 by letters patent from Queen Elizabeth I as the "mother of a university", Extracts from Letters Patent of Elizabeth I, 1592: "...we...found and...
, from which he graduated in 1773. On 18 October 1771 he was admitted to the Middle Temple
Middle Temple
The Honourable Society of the Middle Temple, commonly known as Middle Temple, is one of the four Inns of Court exclusively entitled to call their members to the English Bar as barristers; the others being the Inner Temple, Gray's Inn and Lincoln's Inn...
and called to the bar at King's Inns
King's Inns
The Honorable Society of King's Inns , is the institution which controls the entry of barristers-at-law into the justice system of Ireland...
in 1779.
Member of Parliament
In 1776 Corry succeeded his father as Member of Parliament for NewryNewry (Parliament of Ireland constituency)
Newry was a constituency represented in the Irish House of Commons until 1800.-1692–1801:...
, sitting 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...
until the Act of Union
Act of Union 1800
The Acts of Union 1800 describe two complementary Acts, namely:* the Union with Ireland Act 1800 , an Act of the Parliament of Great Britain, and...
in 1801. From 1782-1789 he served as equerry
Equerry
An equerry , and related to the French word "écuyer" ) is an officer of honour. Historically, it was a senior attendant with responsibilities for the horses of a person of rank. In contemporary use, it is a personal attendant, usually upon a Sovereign, a member of a Royal Family, or a national...
to the Duke of Cumberland, being described in 1794 by Rt. Hon. Sylvester Douglas
Sylvester Douglas, 1st Baron Glenbervie
Sylvester Douglas, 1st Baron Glenbervie PC, KC, FRS, FSA was a British lawyer, politician and diarist. He was Chief Secretary for Ireland between 1793 and 1794.-Background, education and legal career:...
as "a well-bred man...He has no brogue
Brogue
A brogue is a strong accent, notably in Irish dialects of English. For example, in the folksong "Finnegan's Wake", the character of the song, Tim Finnegan, was said to have a "beautiful brogue so rich and sweet"....
...He once acted as a sort of groom of the bedchamber to the late Duke of Cumberland." In 1798, he was also elected for Randalstown
Randalstown (Parliament of Ireland constituency)
Randalstown was a constituency represented in the Irish House of Commons until 1800.-1692–1801:...
, but chose not to sit and in 1802, he was returned to 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...
for Newry
Newry (UK Parliament constituency)
Newry was a United Kingdom Parliament constituency, in Ireland, returning one MP. It was an original constituency represented in Parliament when the Union of Great Britain and Ireland took effect on 1 January 1801.-Members of Parliament:...
. He served as a Whig
British Whig Party
The Whigs were a party in the Parliament of England, Parliament of Great Britain, and Parliament of the United Kingdom, who contested power with the rival Tories from the 1680s to the 1850s. The Whigs' origin lay in constitutional monarchism and opposition to absolute rule...
at Westminster until 1806. It was written in 1783 that Corry would expect to enter high office, given that "he lives expensively and does not pursue his profession, which is the law." Thus in 1788 he became Surveyor-General of the Ordnance
Surveyor-General of the Ordnance
The Surveyor-General of the Ordnance was a subordinate of the Master-General of the Ordnance and a member of the Board of Ordnance from its constitution in 1597. Appointments to the post were made by the crown under Letters Patent. His duties were to examine the ordnance received to see that it was...
, a position which paid £1,000 per year for "doing virtually nothing." The following year Corry was appointed a commissioner of the revenue. Finally in 1799 he was appointed Irish Chancellor of the Exchequer
Irish Chancellor of the Exchequer
The Chancellor of the Exchequer of Ireland was a member of the government of the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland under the Kingdom of Ireland. He headed the Exchequer of Ireland and sat as an MP in the Irish House of Commons....
and a Lord High Treasurer of Ireland
Lord High Treasurer of Ireland
The Lord High Treasurer of Ireland was the chief financial officer of that kingdom until the treasuries of Great Britain and Ireland were united in 1817...
in place of Sir John Parnell, who quarrelled violently with Pitt over the projected union, which he categorically refused to support. In 1795 he became a Privy Councillor
Privy Council of Ireland
The Privy Council of Ireland was an institution of the Kingdom of Ireland until 31 December 1800 and of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland 1801-1922...
.
Later years
In 1802 Corry was dismissed from the Exchequer and replaced by John FosterJohn Foster, 1st Baron Oriel
John Foster, 1st Baron Oriel was an Irish peer and politician.He was the son of Anthony Foster of Louth, an Irish judge . He was elected Member of Parliament to the Irish House of Commons for Dunleer in 1761, a seat he held until 1769...
(later Lord Oriel), he was awarded, however, £2,000 p.a. in compensation. In 1806 the changes in ownership of the Newry estates altered Corry's position; the lands had passed to a senior line of the Needham family
Earl of Kilmorey
Earl of Kilmorey is a title in the Peerage of Ireland. It was created in 1822 for Francis Needham, 12th Viscount Kilmorey, a General in the British Army and former Member of Parliament for Newry. He was made Viscount Newry and Mourne, in the County of Down, at the same time, also in the Peerage of...
and Lady Downshire, decided to return his brother General Francis Needham, 1st Earl of Kilmorey
Francis Needham, 1st Earl of Kilmorey
Francis Needham, 1st Earl of Kilmorey , known as Francis Needham until 1818 and as The Viscount Kilmorey from 1818 to 1822, was an Anglo-Irish soldier and Member of Parliament....
at the general election. Corry did not have the funds needed, in excess of £5000, to purchase a seat elsewhere. However, Lady Downshire was inclined to support the Grenville ministry and came to a formal agreement with Corry to give him £1000 towards his expenses should he be successful in Newry, and, if not, to bring him in for another borough. Corry failed against the Needham interest in Newry, but a seat at Newport, Isle of Wight
Newport (Isle of Wight) (UK Parliament constituency)
Newport was a parliamentary borough located in Newport , which was abolished in for the 1885 general election. It was occasionally referred to by the alternative name of Medina....
, was purchased for him, with £4000 from Lady Downshire, and Corry was appointed to the Board of Trade
Board of Trade
The Board of Trade is a committee of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom, originating as a committee of inquiry in the 17th century and evolving gradually into a government department with a diverse range of functions...
. Six months later Grenville's ministry had fallen and there was another general election. Corry stood, again unsuccessfully, for Newry.
Corry was unmarried but had a long-term relationship with Jane Symms, they had six children (three sons and three daughters); his daughter Ann married Lt.-Col. Henry Westenra, the brother of the first Baron Rossmore
Baron Rossmore
Baron Rossmore, of Monaghan in the County of Monaghan, is a title in the Peerage of Ireland. It was created in 1796 for the soldier Robert Cuninghame, with remainder to his wife Elizabeth's nephews Henry Alexander Jones and Warner William Westenra...
. Corry's residence in Newry was the Abbey Yard, now a school, and Derrymore House
Derrymore House
Derrymore House is a National Trust property in Bessbrook, County Armagh, Northern Ireland. It is open to the public and is described by the National Trust as a "late 18th-century thatched house in gentrified vernacular style".-Features:...
, Bessbrook
Bessbrook
Bessbrook is a village in County Armagh, Northern Ireland. It lies about three miles northwest of Newry and close to the main Dublin–Belfast road and rail line...
, which he had inherited from his father and sold in 1810. It is now the property of the National Trust
National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty
The National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty, usually known as the National Trust, is a conservation organisation in England, Wales and Northern Ireland...
. During Corry's life, a road was constructed from near the main entrance of Derrymore House
Derrymore House
Derrymore House is a National Trust property in Bessbrook, County Armagh, Northern Ireland. It is open to the public and is described by the National Trust as a "late 18th-century thatched house in gentrified vernacular style".-Features:...
around Newry
Newry
Newry is a city in Northern Ireland. The River Clanrye, which runs through the city, formed the historic border between County Armagh and County Down. It is from Belfast and from Dublin. Newry had a population of 27,433 at the 2001 Census, while Newry and Mourne Council Area had a population...
and linked up with the Dublin Road on the southern side of the town primarily for Corry's use. This road subsequently became known as "The Chancellor's Road," as a result of Corry's term as the Irish Chancellor of the Exchequer
Irish Chancellor of the Exchequer
The Chancellor of the Exchequer of Ireland was a member of the government of the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland under the Kingdom of Ireland. He headed the Exchequer of Ireland and sat as an MP in the Irish House of Commons....
. A local legend has it that the road was constructed after an incident in which Corry's stagecoach
Stagecoach
A stagecoach is a type of covered wagon for passengers and goods, strongly sprung and drawn by four horses, usually four-in-hand. Widely used before the introduction of railway transport, it made regular trips between stages or stations, which were places of rest provided for stagecoach travelers...
was stoned while passing through Newry
Newry
Newry is a city in Northern Ireland. The River Clanrye, which runs through the city, formed the historic border between County Armagh and County Down. It is from Belfast and from Dublin. Newry had a population of 27,433 at the 2001 Census, while Newry and Mourne Council Area had a population...
by people angry at an unpopular window tax
Window tax
The window tax was a significant social, cultural, and architectural force in England, France and Scotland during the 18th and 19th centuries. Some houses from the period can be seen to have bricked-up window-spaces , as a result of the tax.-Details:The tax was introduced in England and Wales under...
he had introduced. The road has retained this name but it was cut in half by the Newry by-pass in the mid-1990s, however as a result of works associated with the new A1 dual carriageway the two halves of the road have now been reconnected.
He died at his house in Merrion Square, Dublin and is buried in St. Patrick's Cathedral, Dublin
St. Patrick's Cathedral, Dublin
Saint Patrick's Cathedral , or more formally, the Cathedral of the Blessed Virgin Mary and St Patrick is a cathedral of the Church of Ireland in Dublin, Ireland which was founded in 1191. The Church has designated it as The National Cathedral of Ireland...
.