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Henry Conyngham, 1st Earl Conyngham

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Henry Conyngham, 1st Earl Conyngham PC (1705 – 3 April 1781) was an Anglo-Irish nobleman and politician.

He was the second son of General Henry Conyngham of Slane Castle and his wife Mary Williams, daughter of Sir John Williams, 2nd Baronet, and widow of Charles Petty, 1st Baron Shelburne. He succeeded to the family estate on the death of his brother William.

An absentee landlord, he owned extensive properties in counties Meath and Donegal, while spending most of his time abroad. Despite being a British MP, he also controlled the pocket Irish constituency of Newtown Limavady and sat for Killybegs between 1727 and 1753.[1]

In 1765 he was made a Privy Councillor of Ireland.

He married Ellen Merrett, daughter of Solomon Merrett and Rebecca Savage but had no children. On his death all his titles became extinct except Baron Conyngham, which passed by special remainder to his nephew Francis Burton, who adopted the surname Conyngham.

References

[edit]
  1. ^ James Kelly, 'Conyngham, William Burton (1733–1796)’, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, Sept 2004
Secondary sources
Parliament of Ireland
Preceded by Member of Parliament for Killybegs
1727–1753
With: William Conyngham 1727–39
Leslie Corry 1739–41
Henry Conyngham 1741–49
Henry Gore 1749–53
Succeeded by
Parliament of Great Britain
Preceded by Member of Parliament for Tiverton
17471754
With: Sir Dudley Ryder
Succeeded by
Preceded by Member of Parliament for Sandwich
1756 – 1774
With: John Clevland 1756–61
George Hay 1761–68
Philip Stephens 1768–74
Succeeded by
Peerage of Ireland
New creation Earl Conyngham
1781
Extinct
Viscount Conyngham
1756–1781
Baron Conyngham
1753–1781
Baron Conyngham
1781
Succeeded by