Life

He was a grandson of Anthony St Leger

Anthony St Leger (Lord Deputy of Ireland)

Sir Anthony St Leger was Lord Deputy of Ireland during the Tudor period.The eldest son of Ralph St Leger, a gentleman of Kent and Elizabeth Haut. He was educated abroad and at the University of Cambridge. He quickly gained the favour of King Henry VIII, and in 1537 was appointed president of a...

. He took part in the Flight of the Earls

Flight of the Earls

The Flight of the Earls took place on 14 September 1607, when Hugh Ó Neill of Tír Eóghain, Rory Ó Donnell of Tír Chonaill and about ninety followers left Ireland for mainland Europe.-Background to the exile:...

 in 1607, when Hugh O'Neill, Earl of Tyrone

Earl of Tyrone

The Earl of Tyrone is a title created three times in the Peerage of Ireland.It was first created as part of the Tudor attempt to establish a uniform social structure in Ireland by converting the Gaelic kings and chiefs into hereditary nobles of the Kingdom of Ireland...

, and Rory O'Donnell, 1st Earl of Tyrconnell

Rory O'Donnell, 1st Earl of Tyrconnell

Rudhraighe Ó Domhnaill, 1st Earl of Tyrconnell was the last King of Tír Chonaill . An apparent original of the Letters Patent of the Earldom are in the possession of Graf O'Donell von Tyrconnell in Austria, although that family did not inherit the title, nor the related territorial Lordship of...

, together with more than ninety of their family and followers, the chief of the Gaelic and Catholic resistance in Ireland, fled to Europe. Sir William spent several years abroad.

Having received a pardon from King James I

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...

 and extensive grants of land in Ireland, he was appointed President of Munster by Charles I

Charles I of England

Charles I was King of England, King of Scotland, and King of Ireland from 27 March 1625 until his execution in 1649. Charles engaged in a struggle for power with the Parliament of England, attempting to obtain royal revenue whilst Parliament sought to curb his Royal prerogative which Charles...

 in 1627. He warmly supported the arbitrary government of Thomas Wentworth, Earl of Strafford, actively assisting in raising and drilling the Irish levies destined for the service of the king against the Parliament. He was a member of 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...

 from 1634, as MP for County Cork

Cork County (Parliament of Ireland constituency)

Cork County was a constituency represented in the Irish House of Commons to 1800.-Boundaries and Boundary Changes:This constituency was the borough in County Cork. It returned two members to the Parliament of Ireland to 1800.-History:...

.

In the great Irish Rebellion of 1641

Irish Rebellion of 1641

The Irish Rebellion of 1641 began as an attempted coup d'état by Irish Catholic gentry, who tried to seize control of the English administration in Ireland to force concessions for the Catholics living under English rule...

 he bore the chief responsibility for dealing with the insurgents in Munster; but the forces and supplies placed at his disposal were utterly inadequate. He executed martial law in his province with the greatest severity, hanging large numbers of rebels, often without much proof of guilt. He was still struggling with the insurrection when he died at Cork

Cork (city)

Cork is the second largest city in the Republic of Ireland and the island of Ireland's third most populous city. It is the principal city and administrative centre of County Cork and the largest city in the province of Munster. Cork has a population of 119,418, while the addition of the suburban...

 in 1642.

William had two wives during his life and 6 children. Sir William's daughter Margaret married Murrough O'Brien, 1st Earl of Inchiquin; his son John was father of Arthur St Leger, created Viscount Doneraile

Viscount Doneraile

Viscount Doneraile is a title that has been created twice in the Peerage of Ireland, both times for members of the St Leger family. It was first created in 1703 for Arthur St Leger, along with the subsidiary title of Baron Kilmayden, also in the Peerage of Ireland. This creation became extinct in...

 in 1703.

External links

• Sir William St Leger - Family tree for Sir William St Leger by Nigel Batty-Smith