Ulysses Burgh, 2nd Baron Downes
Encyclopedia
General
Ulysses de Burgh, 2nd Baron Downes GCB
(15 August 1788 – 26 July 1864), was an Irish soldier and Tory politician. A General in the British Army
, he served as Surveyor-General of the Ordnance
under Lord Liverpool
between 1820 and 1827. After succeeding a cousin as second Baron Downes in 1826, he sat in the House of Lords
as an Irish Representative Peer
from 1833 until his death.
and Anne, daughter of David Aigion. His great-grandfather was Ulysses Burgh, Bishop of Ardagh
. In 1848 he assumed by Royal license the surname of de Burgh in lieu of simply Burgh.
and Peninsular War
, and notably fought at the Battle of Nivelle
, the Battle of the Nive
and the Battle of Toulouse
. He was returned to parliament for Carlow County
in 1818, a seat he held until 1826, and then represented Queenborough
between 1826 and 1830. He held office under Lord Liverpool
as Surveyor-General of the Ordnance
between 1820 and 1827. In 1826 he succeeded his second cousin William Downes, 1st Baron Downes
, as second Baron Downes according to a special remainder in the letters patent
. As this was an Irish peerage
it did not entitle him to an automatic seat in the House of Lords
and he was able to remain a member of the House of Commons
. However, in 1833 he was elected an Irish Representative Peer
and entered the House of Lords. In 1860 he was appointed a Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath
.
, in 1846. There were no children from this marriage. She died in October 1860. Lord Downes died in July 1864, aged 75. The barony became extinct on his death as he had no sons.
General
A general officer is an officer of high military rank, usually in the army, and in some nations, the air force. The term is widely used by many nations of the world, and when a country uses a different term, there is an equivalent title given....
Ulysses de Burgh, 2nd Baron Downes GCB
Order of the Bath
The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate mediæval ceremony for creating a knight, which involved bathing as one of its elements. The knights so created were known as Knights of the Bath...
(15 August 1788 – 26 July 1864), was an Irish soldier and Tory politician. A General in the British Army
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
, he served as 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...
under Lord Liverpool
Robert Jenkinson, 2nd Earl of Liverpool
Robert Banks Jenkinson, 2nd Earl of Liverpool KG PC was a British politician and the longest-serving Prime Minister of the United Kingdom since the Union with Ireland in 1801. He was 42 years old when he became premier in 1812 which made him younger than all of his successors to date...
between 1820 and 1827. After succeeding a cousin as second Baron Downes in 1826, he 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 1833 until his death.
Background
Born Ulysses Burgh, he was the son of Thomas BurghThomas Burgh
Thomas Burgh may refer to:*Thomas Burgh, 1st Baron Burgh of Gainsborough , English peer, High Sheriff of Lincs, 1460*Thomas Burgh, 1st Baron Burgh , English peer, 5th Baron Strabolgi...
and Anne, daughter of David Aigion. His great-grandfather was Ulysses Burgh, Bishop of Ardagh
Bishop of Ardagh
The Bishop of Ardagh was a separate episcopal title which took its name after the village of Ardagh in County Longford, Ireland. It was used by the Roman Catholic Church until 1756, and intermittently by the Church of Ireland until 1839....
. In 1848 he assumed by Royal license the surname of de Burgh in lieu of simply Burgh.
Military and political career
de Burgh served in the Napoleonic WarsNapoleonic Wars
The Napoleonic Wars were a series of wars declared against Napoleon's French Empire by opposing coalitions that ran from 1803 to 1815. As a continuation of the wars sparked by the French Revolution of 1789, they revolutionised European armies and played out on an unprecedented scale, mainly due to...
and Peninsular War
Peninsular War
The Peninsular War was a war between France and the allied powers of Spain, the United Kingdom, and Portugal for control of the Iberian Peninsula during the Napoleonic Wars. The war began when French and Spanish armies crossed Spain and invaded Portugal in 1807. Then, in 1808, France turned on its...
, and notably fought at the Battle of Nivelle
Battle of Nivelle
The Battle of Nivelle took place in front of the River Nivelle near the end of the Peninsular War . After the Allied siege of San Sebastian, Wellington's 80,000 British, Portuguese and Spanish troops were in hot pursuit of Marshal Soult who only had 60,000 men to place in a 20-mile perimeter...
, the Battle of the Nive
Battle of the Nive
The Battles of the Nive were fought towards the end of the Peninsular War. Arthur Wellesley, Marquess of Wellington's Anglo-Portuguese and Spanish army defeated Marshal Nicolas Soult's French army in a series of battles near the city of Bayonne.Unusually, for most of the battle, Wellington...
and the Battle of Toulouse
Battle of Toulouse
There have been two battles known as the Battle of Toulouse:* Battle of Toulouse during the Islamic conquest of Hispania* Battle of Toulouse during the Napoleonic Wars...
. He was returned to parliament for Carlow County
Carlow County (UK Parliament constituency)
Carlow County was a parliamentary constituency in Ireland, which from 1801 to 1885 returned two Members of Parliament to the House of Commons of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, and one MP from 1885 to 1922....
in 1818, a seat he held until 1826, and then represented Queenborough
Queenborough (UK Parliament constituency)
Queenborough was a rotten borough situated on the Isle of Sheppey in Kent.From 1572 until it was abolished by the great reform act of 1832, it returned two Members of Parliament. The franchise was vested in the freemen of the town, of whom there were more than 300. Its electorate was therefore one...
between 1826 and 1830. He held office under Lord Liverpool
Robert Jenkinson, 2nd Earl of Liverpool
Robert Banks Jenkinson, 2nd Earl of Liverpool KG PC was a British politician and the longest-serving Prime Minister of the United Kingdom since the Union with Ireland in 1801. He was 42 years old when he became premier in 1812 which made him younger than all of his successors to date...
as 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...
between 1820 and 1827. In 1826 he succeeded his second cousin William Downes, 1st Baron Downes
William Downes, 1st Baron Downes
William Downes, 1st Baron Downes was one of the leading Irish judges of his time.He was the only son of Robert Downes of Donnybrook and his wife Elizabeth Twigge; he was a grandson of Dive Downes, Bishop of Cork and Ross....
, as second Baron Downes according to a special remainder in the letters patent
Letters patent
Letters patent are a type of legal instrument in the form of a published written order issued by a monarch or president, generally granting an office, right, monopoly, title, or status to a person or corporation...
. As this was an Irish peerage
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,...
it did not entitle him to an automatic seat 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....
and he was able to remain a member of the 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...
. However, in 1833 he was elected 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...
and entered the House of Lords. In 1860 he was appointed a Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath
Order of the Bath
The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate mediæval ceremony for creating a knight, which involved bathing as one of its elements. The knights so created were known as Knights of the Bath...
.
Family
Lord Downes was twice married. He married firstly Maria, daughter of Walter Bagenal, in 1815. They had two daughters. After her death in August 1842 he married secondly Christopheria, daughter of James Buchanan and widow of John Willis FlemingJohn Willis Fleming
John Willis Fleming was an English landed proprietor and Conservative Member of Parliament.He was born at Bletchley in Buckinghamshire. He was educated at Eton College. He was the great grandson of the antiquary Browne Willis...
, in 1846. There were no children from this marriage. She died in October 1860. Lord Downes died in July 1864, aged 75. The barony became extinct on his death as he had no sons.