Charles Coote, 1st Earl of Bellomont KB PC(I) (6 April 1738 – 20 October 1800),[2] was an Irish peer.[1][3] He held a senior political position as one of the joint Postmasters General of Ireland. Charles was briefly styled as The 5th Baron Coote between February 1766 and his elevation to the earldom in September 1767.
The Earl of Bellomont | |
|---|---|
| Earl of Bellomont | |
 Portrait of Charles Coote, 1st Earl of Bellomont, by Sir Joshua Reynolds | |
| Tenure | 1767–1800 |
| Other titles | Baron Coote |
| Born | Charles Coote 6 April 1738 |
| Died | 20 October 1800 (aged 62) Dublin |
| Cause of death | Inflammation of the lungs[1] |
| Offices | Joint Postmaster General of Ireland |
| Spouse(s) | Lady Emily Maria Margaret FitzGerald |
| Issue | Charles, Viscount Coote: died 1786 Mary Prudentia Emily Louisa |
| Parents | Charles Coote (1695–1750) and Prudence Geering |
Life edit
Charles was the son of Charles Coote MP (1695–1750) and Prudence Geering of Cootehill, County Cavan. He was born on 6 April 1738 and baptised six days later.[2][3] He was educated at Trinity College Dublin.[4]
Lord Bellomont, as he then was, was badly wounded while fighting a duel with The Viscount Townshend on 2 February 1773: Townshend shot him in the groin. The quarrel seems to have been political, as Townshend had been a highly unpopular Lord Lieutenant of Ireland.[5]
Coote was the representative for County Cavan in the Irish House of Commons from 1761 to 1766.[2] He succeeded as The 5th Baron Coote in February 1766, and was created Earl of Bellomont in September 1767.
He married Lady Emily Maria Margaret FitzGerald, the daughter of The 1st Duke of Leinster and Emily, Duchess of Leinster, in Blackrock on 20 August 1774. The couple had five children: one son, Charles, who died in 1786, and four daughters, Mary, Prudentia, Emily and Louisa.[3]
Between 1789 and 1797, Lord Bellomont was one of the joint Postmasters General of Ireland with The 1st Marquess of Ely.[6]
His titles became extinct at his death.
Speeches edit
- Charles Coote Earl of Bellamont (1789). Earl of Bellamont's Speeches, in the House of Lords, on Friday the 13th and Monday the 16th February, 1789. Dublin: P Byrne. OCLC 228671162.
References edit
- ^ a b Cokayne, George Edward (1912). Complete peerage of England, Scotland, Ireland, Great Britain and the United Kingdom: Vol 2. London: The St. Catherine Press. p. 109.
- ^ a b c "Irish Legislation Database". Queen's University Belfast. 2013. Retrieved 7 October 2013.
- ^ a b c Lodge, John; Archdall, Mervyn (1789). Peerage of Ireland: or, A genealogical history of the present Nobility of that Kingdom: Vol III. Dublin: James Moore. pp. 216–217.
- ^ Alumni Dublinenses: a register of the students, graduates, professors and provosts of Trinity College in the University of Dublin (1593–1860), George Dames Burtchaell/Thomas Ulick Sadleir p. 176: Dublin, Alex Thom and Co, 1935
- ^ Gilchrist, James P (1821). A brief display of the origin and history of ordeals: trials by battle; courts of chivalry or honour; and the decision of private quarrels by single combat: also, a chronological register of the principal duels fought from the accession of His late Majesty to the present time. London: James P Gilchrist. pp. 105–106.
- ^ Haydn, Joseph (1851). The Book of Dignities Containing Lists of the Official Personages of the British Empire. Longmans, Brown, Green and Longmans. p. 461.
Postmasters General of Ireland