Col. William Persse (c. 1728 – 19 January 1803) was an Irish Volunteer.
Persse was born at Roxborough House, County Galway, a great-grandson of Dudley Persse of Northumberland (see House of Percy), who settled in Galway during the Cromwellian era, and was the ancestor of all subsequent Persses in the county.[1] In 1782, he was one of the five delegates from Galway representing the Volunteers at the Grand National Convention, alongside Edmond Kirwan, Peter D'Arcy, Major William Burke and Colonel Walter Lambert. He supported the full emancipation of Catholics in the United Kingdom.[2]
In 1777, he had founded the county's first volunteer unit.[3] The Roxborough Volunteers are commemorated with a bridge just inside the gates of Roxborough, with an inscription, dated 1783. He personally knew both George Washington and John Wesley, the latter being a guest at his Galway home, Roxborough, in May 1785. Washington and Persse corresponded from after 1783 to about 1795, with Persse advising Washington on planting in the gardens of Mount Vernon.[4]
Persse's great-granddaughter was the Irish nationalist landlord Lady Augusta Gregory.[5]
References
edit- ^ Burke, Sir Bernard (1863). A Genealogical and Heraldic Dictionary of the Landed Gentry of Great Britain and Ireland. Harrison. p. 1185. Retrieved 10 June 2018.
- ^ Roy, James Charles (2008). The Fields Of Athenry: A Journey Through Ireland. Basic Books. p. 214. ISBN 9780786742547. Retrieved 10 June 2018.
- ^ O'Dowd, Peadar (2004). A History of County Galway: A comprehensive study of Galway's history, culture and people. Gill & Macmillan Ltd. p. 134. ISBN 9780717165438. Retrieved 10 June 2018.
- ^ Fitzpatrick, John C. (1939). The Writings of George Washington from the Original Manuscript Sources 1745-1799 Volume 30 June 20, 1788-January 21, 1790. p. 216. ISBN 9781623764401. Retrieved 10 June 2018.
- ^ The History of Galway, Sean Spellissy, 1999. ISBN 978-0-9534683-3-1