George Evans, 1st Baron Carbery

George Evans, 1st Baron Carbery PC (Ire) (c. 1680 – 28 August 1749) was an Anglo-Irish politician and peer. A member of a County Limerick family of Whigs, he entered the Irish House of Commons and was created a peer in 1715 as a reward for his father's support of the Hanoverian succession, after his father declined the offer. At the same time, he was returned to the British House of Commons for Westbury. He contested control of the borough with the Tories led by the Earl of Abingdon until 1727, when he stood down.

Early life Evans was the eldest son of George Evans, of Bulgaden Hall, County Limerick and his wife Mary Eyre, a daughter of John Eyre of Eyre Court, County Galway, whom he married in 1679.

The Irish Compendium says that the first George Evans was a Welsh soldier who in 1641 came to Ireland with the Cromwellian forces, in which he "had a Command", and died in 1707.

With the death of Queen Anne on 1 August 1714, George I succeeded her, becoming the first monarch of the House of Hanover.

On 12 November 1714, Evans was appointed governor and constable of Limerick Castle. He held this office until 1727. The election was held on 25 January 1714/15, and conflicting returns were made: the Tory candidates, Lord Abingdon's nephew Willoughby Bertie and Francis Annesley were returned by the mayor of Westbury, while the constable of the borough returned Evans and Allanson. As the two Tories had polled 29 and 28 votes, respectively, to the 19 and 18 of Evans and Allanson, on 28 March 1714/1715 the House of Commons declared the Tories elected. alleging that many of the Tory voters had not possessed the right to vote at the election. There were also allegations of bribery on both sides. A Commons committee ultimately declared that Bertie and Annesley had not been duly elected and that Carbery (as he now was) and Allanson had been; on 1 June 1715, the Whig-dominated House of Commons concurred with the findings of the committee and resolved that the more narrow interpretation of the Westbury franchise was the correct one.

Carbery voted in favour of Whig projects such as the Septennial Act 1716 and the unsuccessful Peerage Bill in December 1719, but was not present for the vote on the Religious Worship Act 1718 in January 1718/19, which repealed the Occasional Conformity Act 1711 and Schism Act 1714. Although the results of the election were in their favour, they were unable to produce the original copy of the poll, and their petition was dismissed on 25 February 1723/4. Bertie had also been returned for Middlesex and chose to sit for that constituency; in the ensuing by-election at Westbury in 1724, Carbery defeated Edward Conway and returned to Parliament. He did not stand at the 1727 election.

Personal life In 1703, George Evans married Anne, a daughter of William Stafford. She later inherited Laxton Hall from her brother. They had five children:

Stafford Evans (b. 1704), died young George Evans, 2nd Baron Carbery (d. 1759) William Evans (died before 1756) John Evans (died 1758), of Bulgaden Hall, High Sheriff of County Limerick in 1734, married Grace Freke, sister and heiress of Sir Redmond Freke, 3rd Baronet, in June 1741 and had issue, including Sir John Evans-Freke, 1st Baronet Anne Evans, married Major Charles du Terme in 1734

Carbery's appointment as governor and constable of Limerick Castle was renewed in 1740. He died on 28 August 1749 and was succeeded by his son George. Lady Carbery died in 1757.