John Edward Redmond (1806-1865)
Encyclopedia
John Edward Redmond was a banker and magistrate
, Liberal M.P. for the city of Wexford
from 1859-1865.
.
The Redmond family were one of the oldest of the Anglo-Norman
families in Ireland
, having been established in County Wexford
since 1170, building 'The Hall', or 'Redmond Hall' in 1350. The last to live there, his ancestor, the elderly Sir Alexander Redmond, resisted a siege from the Protestant Captain Alston until Oliver Cromwell
himself arrived from whence Redmond 'capitulated upon honourable terms'. Under the Act of Settlement 1662
the old castle was transferred to Sir Nicholas Loftus, and has since been known as Loftus Hall
. The family held on to one third of their original estates, the lands around Killygowan, and maintained a prominent position within the county. For the next two centuries the family vascillated between catholicism
and protestantism
. Two of his father's uncles fought with the French, General Michael Redmond, Aide-de-camp
to Francis I, Holy Roman Emperor
, and Gabriel Redmond (1713-1789), Chevalier de St. Louis, Captain in the Irish Brigade (French)
, but his grandfather supported the British in the 1798 Wexford Rebellion
and many other of his relatives adhered to the Protestant faith in order to maintain their land and lifestyles.
John Redmond's grandfather was one of a distinguished group of cousins who counted amongst them three European Countesses, of the House of Limburg-Stirum
, Probentow von Wilmsdorff and Sutton-de Clonard.
became eligible to sit in Parliament. As the first of his family to be elected to the Parliament of the United Kingdom
, he established the Redmonds as Liberals
.
He stood for Parliament in 1859 unopposed, the two rival candidates (Mr Devereux and Sir Frederick Hughes) having retired in his favour. He was introduced bv the mayor in a typical, old-fashioned speech, which took place on such occasions, which showed him as a representative citizen of a representative family. He was a typical example of a member of the nineteenth century Catholic gentry
.
Redmond was an advocate of the removal of all civil and religious dis-abilities, as well as for a revision of the conditions of the tenants' position, and 'full compensation for the outlay of capital', who in those days were not entitled to compensation for improvements. He was in favour of extension of the franchise
to 'those who by education and intelligence are entitled to enjoy it', but unlike later members of his family he did not advocate any form of independence or Home Rule
for Ireland
.
His memorial stands in Redmond Square near Wexford railway station
, where these words are inscribed on the pedestal: 'My heart is with the city of Wexford. Nothing can extinguish that love but the cold soil of the grave'. John Redmond inherited Newtown Lodge, where he lived until his death, and his elder brother, Patrick, inherited Ballytrent House.
John Redmond was the first of an Irish political dynasty. His nephew William Archer Redmond sat for Wexford as a Home Rule Party
M.P. from 1872-1880, and was the father of John Redmond
, who succeeded Charles Stewart Parnell
as the leader of the Irish Parliamentary Party
. This last named Redmond was the brother of Willie Redmond, another M.P., and the father of William Redmond M.P. John Redmond's first cousin, John Walsingham Cooke Meredith
, was the father of a notable Canadian
family.
Magistrate
A magistrate is an officer of the state; in modern usage the term usually refers to a judge or prosecutor. This was not always the case; in ancient Rome, a magistratus was one of the highest government officers and possessed both judicial and executive powers. Today, in common law systems, a...
, Liberal M.P. for the city of Wexford
Wexford Borough (UK Parliament constituency)
Wexford Borough was a United Kingdom Parliament constituency, in Ireland, returning one Member of Parliament . It was an original constituency represented in Parliament when the Union of Great Britain and Ireland took effect on 1 January 1801....
from 1859-1865.
Family
John Redmond was the son Walter Redmond Esq. of Newtown Lodge and afterwards Ballytrent House, Co. Wexford. Walter and his brother John Redmond (1770-1822) were well known in banking and shipping circles in Wexford, founding Redmond's Bank. Walter had successfully campaigned for removing the market tithes charged at Wexford, where they were particularly oppressive, and he built a small pier for the vessels in the harbour. Walter Redmond abolished the bridge tolls and reclaimed much of the low waste land. He also negotiated the extension of the railway to open up the West and South as well as to establish the new route then being opened at Rosslare StrandRosslare Strand
Rosslare Strand, or simply Rosslare , is a village and Seaside resort in County Wexford, Ireland. The name Rosslare Strand is used to distinguish it from the nearby community of Rosslare Harbour, site of the Rosslare Europort....
.
The Redmond family were one of the oldest of the Anglo-Norman
Anglo-Norman
The Anglo-Normans were mainly the descendants of the Normans who ruled England following the Norman conquest by William the Conqueror in 1066. A small number of Normans were already settled in England prior to the conquest...
families 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...
, having been established in County Wexford
County Wexford
County Wexford is a county in Ireland. It is part of the South-East Region and is also located in the province of Leinster. It is named after the town of Wexford. In pre-Norman times it was part of the Kingdom of Uí Cheinnselaig, whose capital was at Ferns. Wexford County Council is the local...
since 1170, building 'The Hall', or 'Redmond Hall' in 1350. The last to live there, his ancestor, the elderly Sir Alexander Redmond, resisted a siege from the Protestant Captain Alston until Oliver Cromwell
Oliver Cromwell
Oliver Cromwell was an English military and political leader who overthrew the English monarchy and temporarily turned England into a republican Commonwealth, and served as Lord Protector of England, Scotland, and Ireland....
himself arrived from whence Redmond 'capitulated upon honourable terms'. Under the Act of Settlement 1662
Act of Settlement 1662
The Act of Settlement 1662 passed by the Irish Parliament in Dublin. It was a partial reversal of the Cromwellian Act of Settlement 1652, which punished Irish Catholics and Royalists for fighting against the English Parliament in the Wars of the Three Kingdoms by the wholesale confiscation of their...
the old castle was transferred to Sir Nicholas Loftus, and has since been known as Loftus Hall
Loftus Hall
Loftus Hall is a large mansion house on the Hook peninsula, County Wexford, Ireland that is said to have been haunted both by the devil and by the ghost of a young woman....
. The family held on to one third of their original estates, the lands around Killygowan, and maintained a prominent position within the county. For the next two centuries the family vascillated between catholicism
Catholicism
Catholicism is a broad term for the body of the Catholic faith, its theologies and doctrines, its liturgical, ethical, spiritual, and behavioral characteristics, as well as a religious people as a whole....
and protestantism
Protestantism
Protestantism is one of the three major groupings within Christianity. It is a movement that began in Germany in the early 16th century as a reaction against medieval Roman Catholic doctrines and practices, especially in regards to salvation, justification, and ecclesiology.The doctrines of the...
. Two of his father's uncles fought with the French, General Michael Redmond, Aide-de-camp
Aide-de-camp
An aide-de-camp is a personal assistant, secretary, or adjutant to a person of high rank, usually a senior military officer or a head of state...
to Francis I, Holy Roman Emperor
Francis I, Holy Roman Emperor
Francis I was Holy Roman Emperor and Grand Duke of Tuscany, though his wife effectively executed the real power of those positions. With his wife, Maria Theresa, he was the founder of the Habsburg-Lorraine dynasty...
, and Gabriel Redmond (1713-1789), Chevalier de St. Louis, Captain in the Irish Brigade (French)
Irish Brigade (French)
The Irish Brigade was a brigade in the French army composed of Irish exiles, led by Robert Reid. It was formed in May 1690 when five Jacobite regiments were sent from Ireland to France in return for a larger force of French infantry who were sent to fight in the Williamite war in Ireland...
, but his grandfather supported the British in the 1798 Wexford Rebellion
Wexford Rebellion
The Wexford Rebellion refers to the outbreak in County Wexford, Ireland in May 1798 of a United Irishmen rebellion against the English domination of Ireland. It was the most successful and most destructive of all the uprisings that occurred throughout Ireland during the Irish Rebellion of 1798,...
and many other of his relatives adhered to the Protestant faith in order to maintain their land and lifestyles.
John Redmond's grandfather was one of a distinguished group of cousins who counted amongst them three European Countesses, of the House of Limburg-Stirum
House of Limburg-Stirum
The house of Limburg-Stirum, which adopted its name in the 12th century from the castle of Limburg an der Lenne in what is now Germany, descends from the Ezzonen dynasty in the 9th century, making it one of the oldest families in Europe....
, Probentow von Wilmsdorff and Sutton-de Clonard.
Politics
The Redmonds had always held political sway within County Wexford to one extent or another, but it was only in the latter half of the nineteenth century that a CatholicCatholic
The word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"...
became eligible to sit in Parliament. As the first of his family to be elected to the Parliament of the United Kingdom
Parliament of the United Kingdom
The Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the supreme legislative body in the United Kingdom, British Crown dependencies and British overseas territories, located in London...
, he established the Redmonds as Liberals
Liberal Party (UK)
The Liberal Party was one of the two major political parties of the United Kingdom during the 19th and early 20th centuries. It was a third party of negligible importance throughout the latter half of the 20th Century, before merging with the Social Democratic Party in 1988 to form the present day...
.
He stood for Parliament in 1859 unopposed, the two rival candidates (Mr Devereux and Sir Frederick Hughes) having retired in his favour. He was introduced bv the mayor in a typical, old-fashioned speech, which took place on such occasions, which showed him as a representative citizen of a representative family. He was a typical example of a member of the nineteenth century Catholic gentry
Gentry
Gentry denotes "well-born and well-bred people" of high social class, especially in the past....
.
Redmond was an advocate of the removal of all civil and religious dis-abilities, as well as for a revision of the conditions of the tenants' position, and 'full compensation for the outlay of capital', who in those days were not entitled to compensation for improvements. He was in favour of extension of the franchise
Suffrage
Suffrage, political franchise, or simply the franchise, distinct from mere voting rights, is the civil right to vote gained through the democratic process...
to 'those who by education and intelligence are entitled to enjoy it', but unlike later members of his family he did not advocate any form of independence or Home Rule
Home rule
Home rule is the power of a constituent part of a state to exercise such of the state's powers of governance within its own administrative area that have been devolved to it by the central government....
for 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...
.
His memorial stands in Redmond Square near Wexford railway station
Wexford railway station
Wexford railway station serves the town of Wexford in County Wexford, Ireland. The station consists of a single platform, and up until April 2008 the station was devoid of a passing loop, although sidings existed, used in recent years by occasional permanent way trains...
, where these words are inscribed on the pedestal: 'My heart is with the city of Wexford. Nothing can extinguish that love but the cold soil of the grave'. John Redmond inherited Newtown Lodge, where he lived until his death, and his elder brother, Patrick, inherited Ballytrent House.
John Redmond was the first of an Irish political dynasty. His nephew William Archer Redmond sat for Wexford as a Home Rule Party
Home Rule Party
The Home Rule Party may refer to:*Home Rule Party *Home Rule Party of Hawaii*Home Rule Party of Iceland*Home Rule League...
M.P. from 1872-1880, and was the father of John Redmond
John Redmond
John Edward Redmond was an Irish nationalist politician, barrister, MP in the House of Commons of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and leader of the Irish Parliamentary Party from 1900 to 1918...
, who succeeded Charles Stewart Parnell
Charles Stewart Parnell
Charles Stewart Parnell was an Irish landowner, nationalist political leader, land reform agitator, and the founder and leader of the Irish Parliamentary Party...
as the leader of the Irish Parliamentary Party
Irish Parliamentary Party
The Irish Parliamentary Party was formed in 1882 by Charles Stewart Parnell, the leader of the Nationalist Party, replacing the Home Rule League, as official parliamentary party for Irish nationalist Members of Parliament elected to the House of Commons at...
. This last named Redmond was the brother of Willie Redmond, another M.P., and the father of William Redmond M.P. John Redmond's first cousin, John Walsingham Cooke Meredith
John Walsingham Cooke Meredith
John Walsingham Cooke Meredith J.P., an Anglo-Irish-Canadian office holder and businessman, best remembered as the father of the Eight London Merediths.-Background:...
, was the father of a notable Canadian
family.