Thomas Knox, 1st Earl of Ranfurly

Thomas Knox, 1st Earl of Ranfurly (5 August 1754 – 26 April 1840), styled The Honourable Thomas Knox between 1781 and 1818 and known as The Viscount Northland between 1818 and 1831, was an Irish peer and politician.

The Earl of Ranfurly
Member of Parliament for Tyrone
In office
1806–1812
Serving with James Stewart
Preceded byJames Stewart
Sir John Stewart, Bt
Succeeded bySir John Stewart, Bt
Hon. Thomas Knox
Member of Parliament for County Tyrone
In office
1790–1797
Serving with James Stewart
Preceded byJames Stewart
Nathaniel Montgomery
Succeeded byJames Stewart
Viscount Corry
Member of Parliament for Dungannon
In office
1783–1790
Preceded byCharles O'Hara
William Eden
Succeeded byHon. John Knox
Hon. George Knox
Member of Parliament for Carlingford
In office
1776–1783
Serving with Theophilus Blakeney
Preceded byBlayney Townley-Balfour
Robert Ross
Succeeded bySir John Blaquiere
Thomas Coghlan
Personal details
Born
Thomas Knox

(1754-08-05)5 August 1754
Died26 April 1840(1840-04-26) (aged 85)
Spouse
Diana Jane Pery
(m. 1785; died 1839)
RelationsWilliam Knox (brother)
Edmund Knox (brother)
George Knox (brother)
John Vesey, 1st Baron Knapton (grandfather)
Parent(s)Thomas Knox, 1st Viscount Northland
Hon. Anne Vesey

Early life

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Ranfurly was the eldest son of Thomas Knox, 1st Viscount Northland, and the Hon. Anne Vesey, daughter of John Vesey, 1st Baron Knapton. His brothers included bishops William Knox and Edmund Knox, George Knox MP, and Archdeacon Charles Knox.[1] His father had been elevated to the Peerage of Ireland as Baron Welles, of Dungannon in the County of Tyrone, in 1781 and further ennobled as Viscount Northland, of Dungannon in the County of Tyrone, in 1791.[2]

His paternal grandparents were Hester (née Echlin) Knox and Thomas Knox, MP for Dungannon who was Deputy-Governor of County Tyrone.[1] His maternal grandparents were John Vesey, 1st Baron Knapton and the former Elizabeth Brownlow (daughter of William Brownlow).[1]

Career

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Ranfurly was elected a member of the Irish House of Commons for Carlingford in 1776, a seat he held until 1783, and then represented Dungannon between 1783 and 1790 and County Tyrone between 1790 and 1798.[3] He was also a member of the British House of Commons for County Tyrone from 1806 to 1812.[4]

On 18 May 1793 he was commissioned as Lieutenant-Colonel and second-in-command of the newly raised Royal Tyrone Militia. He commanded the regiment on garrison duty for a year, resigning in 1794.[5]

In 1818 he succeeded his father in the viscountcy of Northland, but, as this was an Irish peerage it did not entitle him to a seat in the House of Lords. However, in 1826 he was created Baron Ranfurly, of Ramphorlie in the County of Renfrew, in the Peerage of the United Kingdom, which entitled him and his successors to a seat in the upper chamber of parliament.[6] In 1831 he was further honoured when he was made Earl of Ranfurly in the Peerage of Ireland.[7]

Personal life

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Lord Ranfurly married his cousin the Hon. Diana Jane Pery, daughter of Edmund Pery, 1st Viscount Pery and Hon. Elizabeth Vesey, in 1785. Together, they were the parents of:[1]

Lady Ranfurly died in November 1839. Lord Ranfurly only survived her by a few months and died in April 1840, aged 85. He was succeeded in his titles by his eldest son, Thomas.[1]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g h Mosley, Charles, ed. (2003). Burke's Peerage, Baronetage & Knightage. Vol. 3 (107 ed.). Wilmington, Delaware: Burke's Peerage (Genealogical Books). p. 3270-3274. ISBN 0-9711966-2-1.
  2. ^ "No. 13322". The London Gazette. 2 July 1791. p. 387.
  3. ^ "Irish House of Commons 1692–1800". leighrayment.com. 21 May 2009. Archived from the original on 7 June 2008. Retrieved 17 June 2009.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  4. ^ "The House of Commons: Constituencies beginning with "T"". leighrayment.com. 12 May 2008. Archived from the original on 26 September 2008. Retrieved 17 June 2009.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  5. ^ QM John Core, Historical Record of the 2nd (now 80th), or Royal Tyrone Fusilier Regiment of Militia, from the Embodiment in 1793 to the Present Time, Omagh: Alexander Scarlett, 1872/Uckfield: Naval & Military Press, 2015, ISBN 978-1-84342-484-0: 'List of officers', facing p. 1; pp. 1–6.
  6. ^ "No. 18259". The London Gazette. 17 June 1826. p. 1478.
  7. ^ "No. 18846". The London Gazette. 9 September 1831. p. 1834.
  8. ^ Mrs.), Frances Pery Calvert (Hon (1911). An Irish Beauty of the Regency. John Lane. p. 20. Retrieved 13 December 2023.
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Parliament of Ireland
Preceded by Member of Parliament for Carlingford
1776–1783
With: Theophilus Blakeney
Succeeded by
Preceded by Member of Parliament for Dungannon
1783–1790
With: Edmund Sexton Pery 1783
Lorenzo Moore 1783–1790
Succeeded by
Preceded by Member of Parliament for County Tyrone
1790–1797
With: James Stewart
Succeeded by
Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by Member of Parliament for Tyrone
18061812
With: James Stewart
Succeeded by
Peerage of Ireland
New creation Earl of Ranfurly
1831–1840
Succeeded by
Preceded by Viscount Northland
1818–1840
Peerage of the United Kingdom
New creation Baron Ranfurly
1826–1840
Succeeded by