Ralph Howard, 1st Viscount Wicklow

Ralph Howard, 1st Viscount Wicklow PC (I) (29 August 1727 – 26 June 1789) was an Anglo-Irish politician and nobleman.

The Viscount Wicklow
Portrait of Viscount Wicklow by Pompeo Batoni, 1752
Member of Parliament for County Wicklow
In office
1761–1776
Preceded byAnthony Brabazon
Richard Chapel Whaley
Succeeded byWilliam Brabazon
Hon. John Stratford
Member of Parliament for St Johnstown
In office
1768–1769
Serving with William Talbot
Preceded byWilliam Forward
William Talbot
Succeeded byWilliam Talbot
Hugh Howard
In office
1761–1761
Serving with William Forward
Preceded byWilliam Forward
Hon. George Hamilton
Succeeded byWilliam Forward
William Talbot
Personal details
Born
Ralph Howard

(1727-08-29)29 August 1727
Shelton Abbey, County Wicklow
Died26 June 1789(1789-06-26) (aged 61)
Dublin, Ireland
Spouse
(m. 1755)
Children11
Parent(s)Robert Howard
Patience Boleyn
ResidenceClonmore Castle

Early life

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Ralph Howard was born on 29 August 1727 at Shelton Abbey, County Wicklow, the eldest son of seven children born to the former Patience Boleyn and the Rt. Rev. Robert Howard (1670–1740), Bishop of Elphin.[1]

His paternal grandfather was Dr. Ralph Howard. His maternal grandparents were Godfrey Boleyn of Fennor, County Meath ( a distant connection of the family of Anne Boleyn), and Mary Singleton, sister of Henry Singleton, Chief Justice of the Irish Common Pleas.[1]

Career

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Howard was High Sheriff of Wicklow in 1749, and of County Carlow in 1754. In 1761 and 1768 he was elected MP for both County Wicklow and the borough of St Johnstown, choosing to sit for the county.[2]

In May 1770, he was appointed to the Privy Council of Ireland and on 12 July 1776 Howard was raised to the Peerage of Ireland as Baron Clonmore of Clonmore Castle, County Carlow. In June 1785 he was further honoured as Viscount Wicklow, but died a year later.[1]

Personal life

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On 11 August 1755, Howard was married to Alice Forward, the daughter and sole heiress of William Forward of Castle Forward in County Donegal, and the former Isabella Stewart.[1] Together, they were the parents of eleven children, including:[3]

Lord Wicklow died on 26 June 1789 at his house in Rutland Square in Dublin. His widow was created Countess of Wicklow in her own right on 20 December 1793. She died on 7 March 1807. Their son, Robert Howard, succeeded her as Earl of Wicklow.[2] Their great-grandnephew Ralph Howard became the seventh Earl of Wicklow.[3]

Legacy

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Howard's grave site, the Howard Mausoleum, has become a landmark due to the large pyramid style marker.[4]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d "Howard, Ralph". www.dib.ie. Dictionary of Irish Biography. Retrieved 6 August 2021.
  2. ^ a b "Howard, Ralph" . Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co. 1885–1900.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g "Wicklow, Earl of (I, 1793 - 1978)". www.cracroftspeerage.co.uk. Heraldic Media Limited. Retrieved 6 August 2021.
  4. ^ "Mausoleum Pyramid in Ireland". Atlas Obscura. Retrieved 21 July 2020.
Parliament of Ireland
Preceded by Member of Parliament for County Wicklow
1761–1776
With: Hon. Richard Wingfield 1761–1765
William Brabazon 1765–1776
Succeeded by
Preceded by Member of Parliament for St Johnstown
1761
With: William Forward
Succeeded by
Preceded by Member of Parliament for St Johnstown
1768–1769
With: William Talbot
Succeeded by
Peerage of Ireland
New creation Viscount Wicklow
1785–1786
Succeeded by
Baron Clonmore
1776–1786