Postmasters General of Ireland
Encyclopedia
Act of Union 1800
The Acts of Union 1800 describe two complementary Acts, namely:* the Union with Ireland Act 1800 , an Act of the Parliament of Great Britain, and...
in 1800 but in 1831.
Act 23, 24 George III
History
While both the Post Offices of England and Ireland had two postmasters general, in IrelandIreland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
the assent of only one was required for decisions as opposed to the assent of both being necessary in England. Besides confirming the monopoly for carrying letters in Ireland and giving the right to establish a four-mile limit penny post
Penny Post
The Penny Post is any one of several postal systems in which normal letters could be sent for one penny.-London Penny Post:In England, the Post Office had a monopoly on the collection and carriage of letters between post towns but there was no delivery system until the London Penny Post was...
in Dublin, one of the postmasters general's duties was to measure the post road
Post road
For other uses, see Post Road .A post road is a road designated for the transportation of postal mail. In past centuries only major towns had a post house, and the roads used by post riders or mail coaches to carry mail among them were particularly important ones or, due to the special attention...
s in Ireland. During the time the Postmasters General of Ireland existed profits in the Irish office increased from £15,000 in 1786 to £108,000 in 1831.
| Year | 1st Postmaster General | 2nd Postmaster General |
|---|---|---|
| 1784 | James Agar, 1st Viscount Clifden James Agar, 1st Viscount Clifden James Agar, 1st Viscount Clifden was an Irish peer and politician.He was the second son of Henry Agar, a former MP for Gowran, and Anne Ellis, and probably born at Gowran Castle... |
William Ponsonby, 1st Baron Ponsonby William Ponsonby, 1st Baron Ponsonby William Brabazon Ponsonby, 1st Baron Ponsonby , PC was a leading Irish Whig politician, being a member of the Irish House of Commons, and after 1800, of the United Kingdom parliament. Ponsonby was the son of the Hon... |
| January 1789 | Charles Loftus, 1st Viscount Loftus Charles Loftus, 1st Marquess of Ely Charles Tottenham Loftus, 1st Marquess of Ely KP, PC was an Irish peer and politician.Born Charles Tottenham, he assumed the surname of Loftus in 1783, after inheriting the estates of his uncle Henry Loftus, 1st Earl of Ely. He represented Fethard in the Irish House of Commons from 1776 to 1783... |
|
| July 1789 | Charles Coote | |
| 1797 | Charles Moore, 1st Marquess of Drogheda Charles Moore, 1st Marquess of Drogheda Field Marshal Charles Moore, 1st Marquess of Drogheda KP, PC was a British peer and military officer, styled Viscount Moore until 1758.-Military career:... |
|
| 1806 | Richard Hely-Hutchinson, 1st Earl of Donoughmore Richard Hely-Hutchinson, 1st Earl of Donoughmore Richard Hely Hely-Hutchinson, 1st Earl of Donoughmore , styled The Honourable Richard Hely-Hutchinson from 1783 to 1788, was an Irish peer and politician.... |
Lord Henry FitzGerald Lord Henry FitzGerald Lord Henry FitzGerald PC was the fourth son of the 1st Duke of Leinster and the Duchess of Leinster . A younger brother was the revolutionary Lord Edward FitzGerald.-Life:... |
| 1807 | Charles O'Neill, 1st Earl O'Neill Charles O'Neill, 1st Earl O'Neill Charles Henry St John O'Neill, 1st Earl O'Neill KP PC was an Irish politician, peer and landowner.... |
Richard Trench, 2nd Earl of Clancarty |
| 1809 | Laurence Parsons, 2nd Earl of Rosse Laurence Parsons, 2nd Earl of Rosse Lawrence Parsons, 2nd Earl of Rosse , known as Sir Lawrence Parsons, Bt, from 1791 to 1807, was an Irish peer.... |
Most of the postmasters were habitual absentees except for Richard Trench, 2nd Earl of Clancarty, who, concerned by the out-dated postal system in Ireland, sent Edward Lees, Secretary of the Irish Post Office, to London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
to study their modern methods of operations.
When the foundation-stone for the new General Post Office
General Post Office (Dublin)
The General Post Office ' in Dublin is the headquarters of the Irish postal service, An Post, and Dublin's principal post office...
in Dublin was laid by the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland
Lord Lieutenant of Ireland
The Lord Lieutenant of Ireland was the British King's representative and head of the Irish executive during the Lordship of Ireland , the Kingdom of Ireland and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland...
, Charles Whitworth, 1st Earl Whitworth
Charles Whitworth, 1st Earl Whitworth
Charles Whitworth, 1st Earl Whitworth GCB, PC , known as The Lord Whitworth between 1800 and 1813 and as The Viscount Whitworth between 1813 and 1815, was a British diplomat and politician.-Early years:...
, on 12 August 1814, the ceremony was attended by the incumbent Postmasters General, Charles O'Neill, 1st Earl O'Neill and Laurence Parsons, 2nd Earl of Rosse
Laurence Parsons, 2nd Earl of Rosse
Lawrence Parsons, 2nd Earl of Rosse , known as Sir Lawrence Parsons, Bt, from 1791 to 1807, was an Irish peer....
.
Termination
Curiously, the act establishing the independent Irish Post Office was not repealed upon the Act of UnionAct of Union 1800
The Acts of Union 1800 describe two complementary Acts, namely:* the Union with Ireland Act 1800 , an Act of the Parliament of Great Britain, and...
in 1800, so the post continued until April 6, 1831, when the offices of Postmasters General of Ireland was abolished and consolidated into the existing single post of the Postmaster General of the United Kingdom with appointments of all officers for the Dublin office being made in London, per Act 1 William, cap 18.
See also
- James J. Walsh: Postmaster General of the Irish Free State
- Minister for Posts and TelegraphsMinister for Posts and Telegraphs (Ireland)The Minister for Posts and Telegraphs was a senior post in the government of the Irish Free State and the Republic of Ireland from 1924 to 1984, when the post and the department was abolished....