Juliana Donovan, Countess of Anglesey
Encyclopedia
Juliana Donovan, Countess of Anglesey (died 26 February 1777), was the 2nd or 3rd wife and later widow of the notorious Richard Annesley, 6th Earl of Anglesey
, and mother of his son and heir Arthur Annesley, 1st Earl of Mountnorris
. Much maligned by their numerous enemies, many of them kin either dispossessed or desiring the Annesleys' titles and estates, the Countess became widely rumoured by them to be of very low birth and character. In doubt, and the subject of many proceedings during her life and following her death, was the date of her marriage to the 6th Earl and thus the legitimacy of his only son, of whom she was fortunate to be the mother.
merchant eventually evolved into the scandalous accusation she was the daughter of an unlicensed alehouse keeper in Camolin
, where Annesley had an estate. The Countess Juliana was in fact of noble lineage, however, and of a fairly prosperous family, which had only just arrived in the area. An O'Donovan
, she was the great-great-great granddaughter of the 1st Lord (Chief) of Clan Loughlin to hold his lands from the Crown. The daughter of Rickard Donovan (newly of Camolin), 4th son of Rickard Donovan of Clonmore (1st O'Donovan in County Wexford
), son of Mortogh O'Donovan, son of Rickard na Cartan O'Donovan, 3rd son of Donal Oge na Cartan O'Donovan of Cloghatradbally (now called Glandore Castle), who surrendered his considerable estates to James I of England
in 1615, receiving a regrant
in 1616.
A near cousin from the senior line was Jeremiah O'Donovan (MP Baltimore)
. Their common ancestor Donal Oge na Cartan was a kinsman and contemporary of the better known Donal II O'Donovan
, Lord of Clancahill. Between them the O'Donovans had until recently controlled approximately 100000 acres (404.7 km²) in the Barony of Carbery
, as well as several profitable harbours, including Glandore
, where Clan Loughlin was based. But most importantly they are considered to be of ancient royal extraction. The last to be styled a regional king in the Irish annals was Amlaíb Ua Donnabáin, slain in 1201.
Finally, the countess's brother Cornelius was a Captain of Dragoons. Her uncle Mortogh Donovan, elder brother of her father Rickard of Camolin, was Justice of the Peace and High Sheriff for County Wexford. A later cousin, and again from her own junior sept
, was Edward Westby Donovan
.
The Ballymore
estate in Camolin where the family based itself in Juliana's time is still in existence, with the Donovans still in possession of it. It can be visited as a museum.
Richard Annesley, 6th Earl of Anglesey
Richard Annesley, 6th Earl of Anglesey , known as The Lord Altham between 1727 and 1737, was an Irish peer and governor of Wexford. He is known for the doubts surrounding his claim to the barony of Altham, and for the questions as to the legitimacy of his marriages and therefore his son's claim to...
, and mother of his son and heir Arthur Annesley, 1st Earl of Mountnorris
Arthur Annesley, 1st Earl of Mountnorris
Arthur Annesley, 1st Earl of Mountnorris FRS was an Irish peer.He was the son of Richard Annesley, 6th Earl of Anglesey, and the Countess Juliana Donovan, who belonged to the junior sept of the O'Donovans of Clan Loughlin, the Donovans of Ballymore in County Wexford...
. Much maligned by their numerous enemies, many of them kin either dispossessed or desiring the Annesleys' titles and estates, the Countess became widely rumoured by them to be of very low birth and character. In doubt, and the subject of many proceedings during her life and following her death, was the date of her marriage to the 6th Earl and thus the legitimacy of his only son, of whom she was fortunate to be the mother.
Lineage
The early rumours that she was the daughter of a WexfordWexford
Wexford is the county town of County Wexford, Ireland. It is situated near the southeastern corner of Ireland, close to Rosslare Europort. The town is connected to Dublin via the M11/N11 National Primary Route, and the national rail network...
merchant eventually evolved into the scandalous accusation she was the daughter of an unlicensed alehouse keeper in Camolin
Camolin
Camolin is a village in County Wexford in Ireland.Camolin, according to a 2004 report in the German magazine Der Spiegel, is a secret counter-terrorism unit based in Paris, France. The article states that the USA, UK, Australia, Germany, and France - amongst others - created this unit after the 11...
, where Annesley had an estate. The Countess Juliana was in fact of noble lineage, however, and of a fairly prosperous family, which had only just arrived in the area. An O'Donovan
O'Donovan
O'Donovan or Donovan is an Irish surname, as well as a hereditary Gaelic title. It is also written Dhonnabháin in certain grammatical contexts, and Donndubháin, being originally composed of the elements donn, meaning lord or dark brown, dubh, meaning dark or black, and the diminutive suffix án...
, she was the great-great-great granddaughter of the 1st Lord (Chief) of Clan Loughlin to hold his lands from the Crown. The daughter of Rickard Donovan (newly of Camolin), 4th son of Rickard Donovan of Clonmore (1st O'Donovan 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...
), son of Mortogh O'Donovan, son of Rickard na Cartan O'Donovan, 3rd son of Donal Oge na Cartan O'Donovan of Cloghatradbally (now called Glandore Castle), who surrendered his considerable estates to James I of England
James I of England
James VI and I was King of Scots as James VI from 24 July 1567 and King of England and Ireland as James I from the union of the English and Scottish crowns on 24 March 1603...
in 1615, receiving a regrant
Surrender and regrant
During the Tudor conquest of Ireland , "surrender and regrant" was the legal mechanism by which Irish clans were to be converted from a power structure rooted in clan and kin loyalties, to a late-feudal system under the English legal system...
in 1616.
A near cousin from the senior line was Jeremiah O'Donovan (MP Baltimore)
Jeremiah O'Donovan (MP Baltimore)
Jeremiah O'Donovan , The O'Donovan of Clan Loughlin, Lord of Clan Loughlin, was MP for Baltimore, County Cork, Ireland, in James II's Patriot Parliament of 1689, alongside his kinsmen Daniel O'Donovan of Clancahill and Daniel O'Donovan .Obtaining letters patent from Charles II, his extensive...
. Their common ancestor Donal Oge na Cartan was a kinsman and contemporary of the better known Donal II O'Donovan
Donal II O'Donovan
Donal II O'Donovan , The O'Donovan of Clann Cathail, Lord of Clancahill , was the son of Ellen O'Leary, daughter of O'Leary of Carrignacurra, and Donal of the Skins, The O'Donovan of Clann Cathail....
, Lord of Clancahill. Between them the O'Donovans had until recently controlled approximately 100000 acres (404.7 km²) in the Barony of Carbery
Barony of Carbery
Carbery, or the Barony of Carbery, was once the largest barony in Ireland, and essentially a small, semi-independent kingdom on the southwestern coast of Munster, in what is now County Cork, from its founding in the 1230s by Donal Gott MacCarthy to its gradual decline in the late 16th and early...
, as well as several profitable harbours, including Glandore
Glandore
Glandore |Cork]] city.The village has several pubs, with traditional music. It is a very popular holiday destination for Irish holiday makers in particular. Famous homeowners include Margaret Jay, former leader of the House of Lords, and Tony O'Reilly. The village yacht club's official headquarters...
, where Clan Loughlin was based. But most importantly they are considered to be of ancient royal extraction. The last to be styled a regional king in the Irish annals was Amlaíb Ua Donnabáin, slain in 1201.
Finally, the countess's brother Cornelius was a Captain of Dragoons. Her uncle Mortogh Donovan, elder brother of her father Rickard of Camolin, was Justice of the Peace and High Sheriff for County Wexford. A later cousin, and again from her own junior sept
Sept
A sept is an English word for a division of a family, especially a division of a clan. The word might have its origin from Latin saeptum "enclosure, fold", or it can be an alteration of sect.The term is found in both Ireland and Scotland...
, was Edward Westby Donovan
Edward Westby Donovan
Lieutenant General Edward Westby Donovan was Commander of British Troops in China, Hong Kong and the Straits Settlements.-Military career:...
.
The Ballymore
Ballymore
Ballymore may refer to:*Ballymore , an Irish property company*Ballymore, County Cork, village on Great Island, Cork Harbour, Ireland*Ballymore, County Donegal, Ireland*Ballymore, County Westmeath, Ireland*Ballymore, County Wexford, Ireland...
estate in Camolin where the family based itself in Juliana's time is still in existence, with the Donovans still in possession of it. It can be visited as a museum.
Dorothea Dubois
Contributing to the countess's poor image was the poet Dorothea Dubois, dispossessed daughter of Richard Annesley by his earlier wife or partner Ann Simpson, whom he had set aside for Juliana in 1740 or 1741. Dubois devoted some lines of her poetry to her feelings and imaginations about this sad affair, and the countess is the "Tenant's Daughter" referred to in the following passage:Issue
- Arthur Annesley, 1st Earl of MountnorrisArthur Annesley, 1st Earl of MountnorrisArthur Annesley, 1st Earl of Mountnorris FRS was an Irish peer.He was the son of Richard Annesley, 6th Earl of Anglesey, and the Countess Juliana Donovan, who belonged to the junior sept of the O'Donovans of Clan Loughlin, the Donovans of Ballymore in County Wexford...
- Lady Richarda
- Lady Juliana
- Lady Catherine, married Count John O'TooleO'Toole (family)The O'Tooles of Leinster, one of the leading families of that province, are descended from Tuathal mac Augaire, King of Leinster , who belonged to the Uí Dúnlainge dynasty...
, a colonel in the French service, considered "the handsomest man in Paris before the Revolution"- Lorenzo O'Toole, Esq., married a Miss Harriett Hall, heiress to a very large fortune, daughter of Hugh Hall, Esq.
- Lorenzo O'Toole, since Lorenzo-Kirkpatrick Hall, married 2nd Emma-Selina Mundy, and had issue one son and four daughters
- Cecilia Juliana
- Lorenzo O'Toole, Esq., married a Miss Harriett Hall, heiress to a very large fortune, daughter of Hugh Hall, Esq.