Henry Boyle, 3rd Earl of Shannon

Henry Boyle, 3rd Earl of Shannon, KP, PC (Ire) (8 August 1771 – 22 April 1842), styled Viscount Boyle from 1764 until 1807, was an Anglo-Irish politician and peer who was one of the last surviving members of the Parliament of Ireland. He represented County Cork in the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1801 to 1807. He then briefly served as Member of Parliament for Bandon in 1807, succeeding as Earl of Shannon later in the same year. He served as Custos rotulorum for County Cork from 1807 to his death. He was the first Lord Lieutenant of Cork from 1831 to his death.

Family

He was a son of Richard Boyle, 2nd Earl of Shannon, and Catherine Ponsonby. His sister Catherine Henrietta Boyle married Francis Bernard, 1st Earl of Bandon. T

Career

Parliament of Ireland Boyle was educated at Winchester College. At the time the Kingdom of Great Britain and the Kingdom of Ireland were under personal union. The Yeomanry were volunteer regiments raised in many counties from yeomen. Their purpose was to strengthen the defence of the two Kingdoms which faced the threat of an invasion by the French First Republic.

The Irish Rebellion of 1798 was assisted by a French invasion force under Jean Joseph Amable Humbert. The rebellion and the invasion failed. To secure control of Ireland, the Parliament of Ireland and the Parliament of Great Britain negotiated a merger of the two kingdoms. The Act of Union 1800 resulted in the formation of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. The final passage of the Act in the Irish Parliament was achieved with substantial majorities, achieved in part, according to contemporary documents, through bribery, in the form of peerages and honours to critics to get their votes. Whereas the first attempt had been defeated in the Irish House of Commons by 109 votes against to 104 for, the second vote in 1800 produced a result of 158 to 115. By agreement, Ireland gained 100 seats in the British House of Commons and 32 seats in the House of Lords: 28 Irish representative peer elected for life, and four clergymen of the (Anglican) Church of Ireland, chosen for each session.

Parliament of the United Kingdom Boyle was among the new Members of the House of Commons, representing County Cork in the new Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1801 to 1807. Her mother was Sarah Burton. Their twelve children were listed by order of birth in his obituary:

Lady Catharine Boyle, listed as "unmarried" in 1842. The Honourable Richard Boyle, "died an infant in 1803". Lady Sarah Boyle, listed as "unmarried" in 1842. Lady Harriet Boyle, listed "deceased" in 1842. Lady Louisa Grace-Boyle, unmarried in 1842. Richard Boyle, 4th Earl of Shannon (12 May 1809 – 1 August 1868). Lady Jane Boyle, unmarried in 1842. Lady Elizabeth Boyle, unmarried in 1842. The Honourable Henry Charles Boyle, "Lieut. Royal Fusiliers". Married Catharine-Sophronia-Jane Ede in 1841. Lady Charlotte-Anne Boyle, unmarried in 1842. The Honourable Robert Francis Boyle, "born in 1818". Lady Frances Boyle, "died in 1824, aged four years".