William Richardson (died 1755)
William Richardson (c.1690–1755) was the Member of Parliament for Augher, Ireland, from 1737 to 1755.[1] His elder brother Archibald had been member for Augher in 1692.[2]
Life[edit]
He was the son of William Richardson of Tullyreavey, near Cookstown, and brother of the Rev. John Richardson. He was an agent for the Irish Society of London, and made a fortune.[1] He bought the Merchant Taylors Company estate near Coleraine, of which he is said to have been the manager, in 1729.[2]
The estate had the English name of Somerset, and became the seat of the Richardson family.[3] Richardson married Mary Eyles, fourth daughter of Sir Francis Eyles, 1st Baronet.[4] The original Somerset House built in 1732 burned down in 1802.[5]
Somerset estate descent[edit]
On Richardson's death in 1755, the Somerset estate passed to his nephew the Rev. John Richardson, son of his brother John.[1] It was inherited by the Rev. John's son John, member of the Irish parliament for Newtown Limavady. He married, but left no heir on his death in 1800.[6]
John Nash was active in co. Tyrone in the period 1800 to 1820.[7] He left a drawing for Somerset House, Coleraine, made for a Mr Richardson. It is assumed this is for work not carried out.[8] In the 19th century Somerset House was a villa in the style of Sir Richard Morrison.[3]
In the memoirs of Frederick Young by his daughter, Somerset appears as "a fine large property ... including a beautiful salmon leap on the River Bann", owned by "Tom Richardson" (the Rev. Thomas Rumbold Richardson), a cleric and brother-in-law via a cousin marriage to Young.[9] The estate passed to the Torrens family, with the marriage of Barbara Maria Richardson, heiress with her sister Maria Frederica to the Rev. Richardson, to the Rev. Thomas Henry Torrens.[10] Ultimately, during the period of the Irish Land Acts, the estate was offered for purchase to its tenants, and much of it was sold.[11]
References[edit]
- ^ a b c "Richardson, John, Dictionary of Irish Biography". www.dib.ie.
- ^ a b Blackstock, Allan (16 May 2016). Science, politics and society in early nineteenth-century Ireland: The Reverend William Richardson. Manchester University Press. p. 14. ISBN 978-1-5261-1180-7.
- ^ a b Bence-Jones, Mark (1990). A Guide to Irish Country Houses. Constable. p. 261. ISBN 978-0-09-469990-8.
- ^ Burke, John; Burke, Bernard (1841). A Genealogical and Heraldic History of the Extinct and Dormant Baronetcies of England, Ireland and Scotland. Scott, Webster, and Geary. p. 190.
- ^ "Ireland at the turn of the Century" (PDF). 2000. p. 3.
- ^ "Richardson, John (RCRT759J)". A Cambridge Alumni Database. University of Cambridge.
- ^ "nash, john - Dictionary of Irish Architects". www.dia.ie.
- ^ "CO. DERRY, COLERAINE, SOMERSET HOUSE Dictionary of Irish Architects -". www.dia.ie.
- ^ Jenkins, Louisa Hadow Young (1923). General Frederick Young: First Commandant of Sirmur Battalion (Second Gurka Rifles) the Life-story of One of the Old Brigade in India : 1786-1874, Including Reminiscences of Ireland and India in the 'fifties. G. Routledge & sons, Limited. p. 82.
- ^ Walford, Edward (1909). The county families of the United Kingdom; or, Royal manual of the titled and untitled aristocracy of England, Wales, Scotland, and Ireland . London: R. Hardwicke. p. 1093.
- ^ Kernohan, J. W. (1921). The county of Londonderry in three centuries, with notices of the Ironmongers' estate. Belfast: The author. p. 79.
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