Lawrence Parsons, 2nd Earl of Rosse (21 May 1758 - 24 February 1841), known as Sir Lawrence Parsons, Bt, from 1791 to 1807, was an Irish

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...

 peer.

Parsons was the son of Sir William Parsons, 4th Baronet

Sir William Parsons, 4th Baronet

Sir 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...

 and Mary Clere. Between 1782 and 1790, he represented Dublin University

Dublin University (Parliament of Ireland constituency)

Dublin University was a constituency represented in the Irish House of Commons from 1603 to 1801.-History:This university constituency was first enfranchised as a Parliamentary constituency in 1603...

 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...

. Parsons sat then as 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,...

 (MP) for 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:...

 from 1791 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. In the following co-option

United Kingdom general election, 1801

The United Kingdom general election, 1801 was not an election as such, but the co-option of members to serve in the first Parliament to be held after the formation of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland on 1 January 1801...

, he chose to sit for 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:...

 also 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...

, a seat he held until 1807. The latter year he succeeded his uncle as second Earl of Rosse. In 1809 he became one of the Postmasters General of Ireland

Postmasters General of Ireland

The Postmasters General of Ireland, held by two people simultaneously, was a new appointment set up as part of the establishment of the Irish Post Office independent from that of Great Britain, by the Act 23, 24 George III in 1784. The post lasted nearly fifty years...

 with Charles O'Neill, 1st Earl O'Neill

Charles O'Neill, 1st Earl O'Neill

Charles Henry St John O'Neill, 1st Earl O'Neill KP PC was an Irish politician, peer and landowner....

 with whom he attend the laying of the foundation-stone for the new General Post Office

General Post Office (Dublin)

The General Post Office ' in Dublin is the headquarters of the Irish postal service, An Post, and Dublin's principal post office...

 in Dublin on 12 August 1814 by the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland

Lord Lieutenant of Ireland

The Lord Lieutenant of Ireland was the British King's representative and head of the Irish executive during the Lordship of Ireland , the Kingdom of Ireland and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland...

, Charles Whitworth, 1st Earl Whitworth

Charles Whitworth, 1st Earl Whitworth

Charles Whitworth, 1st Earl Whitworth GCB, PC , known as The Lord Whitworth between 1800 and 1813 and as The Viscount Whitworth between 1813 and 1815, was a British diplomat and politician.-Early years:...

. He later sat in the House of Lords

House of Lords

The House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster....

 as an Irish Representative Peer

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...

 from 1809 until 1841.

Marriage and children

He married Alice Lloyd, daughter of John Lloyd, on 1 May 1797. They had five children:

• Lady
  Lady
  The word lady is a polite term for a woman, specifically the female equivalent to, or spouse of, a lord or gentleman, and in many contexts a term for any adult woman...
  
   Jane Parsons (d. 31 December 1883)
• William Parsons, 3rd Earl of Rosse
  William Parsons, 3rd Earl of Rosse
  William 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...
  
   (b. 17 June 1800, d. 31 October 1867)
• Hon. John Clere Parsons (b. 17 August 1802, d. 10 August 1828)
• Hon. Laurence Parsons (b. 2 November 1805, d. 22 November 1894)
• Lady
  Lady
  The word lady is a polite term for a woman, specifically the female equivalent to, or spouse of, a lord or gentleman, and in many contexts a term for any adult woman...
  
   Alicia Parsons (b. c 1815, d. 21 January 1885)

Jane Parsons married Arthur Edward Knox. They had two sons and three daughters.
One of the sons, Lawrence E. Knox

Lawrence E. Knox

Major Lawrence Edward Knox was a British Army officer and founder of The Irish Times. He was born in the Kemp Town area of Brighton in East Sussex, England...

founded the Irish Times.