Robert Barnewall, 12th Baron Trimlestown
Encyclopedia
Robert Barnewall, 12th Baron Trimlestown (c.1704 – 6 December 1779) was a prominent Anglo-Irish
landowner, active in the Roman Catholic cause.
and medicine
.
Barnewall returned home to Tremblestown Castle (sic) in Ireland
in 1746 when he inherited his title and quickly became known for his stylish living and hospitality, extending to generous help to local poor people.
By 1746, Catholics in Ireland were wholly disenfranchised
by a series of acts of policy of the British government (see Ireland 1691–1801: The Penal Laws). Barnewall saw himself as an inheritor of the Hiberno-Norman
establishment but, by the mid eighteenth century, agitation in the Catholic cause had shifted from the gentry to the rising merchant
and profession
al classes. Thus, in 1759, Barnewall split with the mercantile Catholics and mounted his own reform campaign but with little initial success. An offer that Catholics enlist in the armed forces
was rebuffed in 1762, a humiliation compounded when his son Thomas converted to Protestantism.
Barnewall's return to politics in 1775 was marked by a more conciliatory approach to his fellow Catholics and he was crucial to a successful project to develop an oath of allegiance
acceptable to the Catholic laity. Barnewall soon assumed the authority to speak for the entire Irish Catholic cause, including the Catholic Committee.
With the British government engaged by the American Revolutionary War
, Barnewall renewed his earlier offer of enlistment. The renewed offer was timely. The British government's Quebec Act
of 1774, which had granted concessions to Catholics in Quebec
, had been condemned by the revolutioniaries, and the Irish Catholic community was experiencing a wave of pro-British establishment enthusiasm. However, such patriotic
fervour itself roused Protestant hostility in Dublin. Barnewall's intervention to moderate Catholic passion was admired both by the British government and his Catholic following.
His health deteriorating, his final political act was to head the list of signatories to the Catholic address of loyalty to the new Lord Lieutenant of Ireland
John Hobart, 2nd Earl of Buckinghamshire
in 1777. Barnewall died in Dublin and was buried at Tremblestown.
He appears to have had four children, though two died very young.Two surviving sons, Thomas, and Mathias, adhered to the Anglican Church of Ireland
.
Anglo-Irish
Anglo-Irish was a term used primarily in the 19th and early 20th centuries to identify a privileged social class in Ireland, whose members were the descendants and successors of the Protestant Ascendancy, mostly belonging to the Church of Ireland, which was the established church of Ireland until...
landowner, active in the Roman Catholic cause.
Life
Robert was the eldest son of John Barnewall, 11th Baron Trimlestown (1672-1746). Robert's mother, John's wife, was Mary or Margaret (died 1771), daughter of Sir John Barnewall. Robert had two younger brothers, all three being educated privately. Robert travelled abroad extensively in his youth, studying botanyBotany
Botany, plant science, or plant biology is a branch of biology that involves the scientific study of plant life. Traditionally, botany also included the study of fungi, algae and viruses...
and medicine
Medicine
Medicine is the science and art of healing. It encompasses a variety of health care practices evolved to maintain and restore health by the prevention and treatment of illness....
.
Barnewall returned home to Tremblestown Castle (sic) in Ireland
Ireland
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...
in 1746 when he inherited his title and quickly became known for his stylish living and hospitality, extending to generous help to local poor people.
By 1746, Catholics in Ireland were wholly disenfranchised
Suffrage
Suffrage, political franchise, or simply the franchise, distinct from mere voting rights, is the civil right to vote gained through the democratic process...
by a series of acts of policy of the British government (see Ireland 1691–1801: The Penal Laws). Barnewall saw himself as an inheritor of the Hiberno-Norman
Hiberno-Norman
The Hiberno-Normans are those Norman lords who settled in Ireland who admitted little if any real fealty to the Anglo-Norman settlers in England, and who soon began to interact and intermarry with the Gaelic nobility of Ireland. The term embraces both their origins as a distinct community with...
establishment but, by the mid eighteenth century, agitation in the Catholic cause had shifted from the gentry to the rising merchant
Merchant
A merchant is a businessperson who trades in commodities that were produced by others, in order to earn a profit.Merchants can be one of two types:# A wholesale merchant operates in the chain between producer and retail merchant...
and profession
Profession
A profession is a vocation founded upon specialized educational training, the purpose of which is to supply disinterested counsel and service to others, for a direct and definite compensation, wholly apart from expectation of other business gain....
al classes. Thus, in 1759, Barnewall split with the mercantile Catholics and mounted his own reform campaign but with little initial success. An offer that Catholics enlist in the armed forces
Armed forces
The armed forces of a country are its government-sponsored defense, fighting forces, and organizations. They exist to further the foreign and domestic policies of their governing body, and to defend that body and the nation it represents from external aggressors. In some countries paramilitary...
was rebuffed in 1762, a humiliation compounded when his son Thomas converted to Protestantism.
Barnewall's return to politics in 1775 was marked by a more conciliatory approach to his fellow Catholics and he was crucial to a successful project to develop an oath of allegiance
Oath of allegiance
An oath of allegiance is an oath whereby a subject or citizen acknowledges a duty of allegiance and swears loyalty to monarch or country. In republics, modern oaths specify allegiance to the country's constitution. For example, officials in the United States, a republic, take an oath of office that...
acceptable to the Catholic laity. Barnewall soon assumed the authority to speak for the entire Irish Catholic cause, including the Catholic Committee.
With the British government engaged by the American Revolutionary War
American Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War , the American War of Independence, or simply the Revolutionary War, began as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and thirteen British colonies in North America, and ended in a global war between several European great powers.The war was the result of the...
, Barnewall renewed his earlier offer of enlistment. The renewed offer was timely. The British government's Quebec Act
Quebec Act
The Quebec Act of 1774 was an Act of the Parliament of Great Britain setting procedures of governance in the Province of Quebec...
of 1774, which had granted concessions to Catholics in Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
, had been condemned by the revolutioniaries, and the Irish Catholic community was experiencing a wave of pro-British establishment enthusiasm. However, such patriotic
Patriotism
Patriotism is a devotion to one's country, excluding differences caused by the dependencies of the term's meaning upon context, geography and philosophy...
fervour itself roused Protestant hostility in Dublin. Barnewall's intervention to moderate Catholic passion was admired both by the British government and his Catholic following.
His health deteriorating, his final political act was to head the list of signatories to the Catholic address of loyalty to the new 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...
John Hobart, 2nd Earl of Buckinghamshire
John Hobart, 2nd Earl of Buckinghamshire
John Hobart, 2nd Earl of Buckinghamshire was an English nobleman and politician.The son of John Hobart, 1st Earl of Buckinghamshire by his first marriage, he was educated at Westminster School and Christ's College, Cambridge. He was Member of Parliament for Norwich from 1747–56, having also been...
in 1777. Barnewall died in Dublin and was buried at Tremblestown.
Personal life
He married three times:- Margaret (died c.1740), daughter of James Rochfort of LaraghLaragh-Villages in Ireland:* Laragh, County Wicklow* Laragh, County Cavan* Laragh, County Monaghan...
, County KildareCounty KildareCounty Kildare is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Mid-East Region and is also located in the province of Leinster. It is named after the town of Kildare. Kildare County Council is the local authority for the county...
; - Elizabeth, daughter of John Colt of BrightlingseaBrightlingseaBrightlingsea is a coastal town in the Tendring district of Essex, England, located between Colchester and Clacton-on-Sea, situated at the mouth of the River Colne, on Brightlingsea Creek. It has an estimated population of 8500....
(in or before 1757); and - Anne (died 1831), the fifth daughter of William Hervey from LondonLondonLondon 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...
.
He appears to have had four children, though two died very young.Two surviving sons, Thomas, and Mathias, adhered to the Anglican Church of Ireland
Church of Ireland
The Church of Ireland is an autonomous province of the Anglican Communion. The church operates in all parts of Ireland and is the second largest religious body on the island after the Roman Catholic Church...
.