Thomas Taylour, 1st Earl of Bective

Thomas Taylour Bective
Thomas Taylour, 1st earl of Bective (Gilbert Stuart and studio)
Born	20 October 1724
Died	14 February 1795 (aged 70)
Occupation	Irish politician

Thomas Taylour, 1st Earl of Bective KP, PC (Ire) (20 October 1724 – 14 February 1795)^[1] was an Irish peer and politician.

Background

He was the oldest son of Sir Thomas Taylor, 2nd Baronet and his wife Sarah Graham, daughter of John Graham.^[2] In 1757, Bective succeeded his father as baronet.^[2] He was educated at Trinity College, Dublin.^[3]

Career

Bective entered the Irish House of Commons in 1747 and sat as Member of Parliament (MP) for Kells until 1760,^[4] when he was elevated to the Peerage of Ireland as Baron Headfort, of Headfort, in the County of Meath.^[5] He was further honoured in 1762, he was made Viscount Headfort, of Headfort, in the County of Meath in 1762,^[6] and on 24 October 1766, he was finally advanced to the dignity of Earl of Bective, of Bective Castle, in the County of Meath.^[7] In 1783, Bective became a founding member of the Most Illustrious Order of St Patrick^[8] and in 1785 he was sworn of the Privy Council of Ireland.^[9]

Family

On 4 July 1754, he married Jane Rowley, daughter of Hercules Langford Rowley and his wife Elizabeth Rowley, 1st Viscountess Langford.^[10] They had four daughters and six sons.^[11] Bective died aged 70 and was succeeded in his titles by his oldest son Thomas.^[2] His second son Hercules and his third son Robert represented both the same constituency as their father.^[4] The fourth son Clotworthy was ennobled in his own right as Baron Langford.^[12] His grandson General Sir Richard Taylor enjoyed a distinguished career in the army.

References

1. "Leigh Rayment - Peerage". Retrieved 5 May 2009.
2. Lodge, Edmund (1838). The Genealogy of the Existing British Peerage (6th ed.). London: Saunder and Otley. p. 243.
3. "ThePeerage - Thomas Taylour, 1st Earl of Bective". Retrieved 21 February 2007.
4. "Leigh Rayment - Irish House of Commons 1692-1800".
5. The London Gazette: no. 10029. p. 1. 23 August 1760. Retrieved 5 May 2009.
6. The London Gazette: no. 10194. p. 2. 23 March 1762. Retrieved 5 May 2009.
7. The London Gazette: no. 10671. p. 2. 25 October 1766. Retrieved 5 May 2009.
8. "Leigh Rayment - Knights of St Patrick". Retrieved 5 May 2009.
9. "Leigh Rayment - Privy Council of Ireland". Retrieved 5 May 2009.
10. Debrett, John (1828). Debrett's Peerage of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. vol. II (17th ed.). London: G. Woodfall. p. 629.
11. Lodge, John (1789). Mervyn Archdall, ed. The Peerage of Ireland or A Genealogical History of the Present Nobility of that Kingdom. vol. III. Dublin: James Moore. p. 176.
12. Burke, John (1832). A Genealogical and Heraldic History of the Peerage and Baronetage of the British Empire. vol. I (4th ed.). London: Henry Colburn and Richard Bentley. p. 597.