Arthur Acheson, 1st Earl of Gosford

Arthur Acheson, 1st Earl of Gosford PC (c. 1744-5 – 14 January 1807), known as The Viscount Gosford between 1790 and 1806, was an Irish peer of Scottish descent and politician.[1]

The Right Honourable The Earl of Gosford PC
The Earl of Gosford by Gilbert Stuart
Member of Parliament for Old Leighlin
In office 1783–1791
Preceded by	Robert Jephson Sir John Blaquiere
Succeeded by	Edward Cooke Patrick Duigenan
Personal details
Born	Arthur Acheson c. 1744-5
Died	14 January 1807 (aged 61–62) Bath, England
Spouse(s)	Millicent Pole ​ ​ (m. 1774; his death 1807)​
Relations	Arthur Acheson, 5th Baronet (grandfather)
Children	Archibald Acheson, 2nd Earl of Gosford
Parents	Archibald Acheson, 1st Viscount Gosford Mary Richardson

Early life

Arthur Acheson was born c. 1744-5. He was the eldest son of Archibald Acheson, 1st Viscount Gosford and his wife, the former Mary Richardson.[2]

His paternal grandfather was Sir Arthur Acheson, 5th Baronet, and his maternal grandfather was John Richardson of Rich Hill.[3] His father succeeded to the baronetcy in 1748 upon the death of his father, and was subsequently created Baron Gosford in 1776 and Viscount Gosford in 1785.[4]

Career

Acheson was a Member of Parliament (MP) for Old Leighlin from 1783 until 1791.[5] He served as governor of County Armagh at the time of the Armagh disturbances of 1795 and denounced the Protestant extremists:

It is no secret that a persecution is now raging in this country… the only crime is… profession of the Roman Catholic faith. Lawless banditti have constituted themselves judges... and the sentence they have denounced... is nothing less than a confiscation of all property, and an immediate banishment.[6]

Upon the death of his father in 1790, Arthur succeeded to the viscountcy. He was subsequently created Earl of Gosford in February 1806.[3][7]

Personal life

In 1774, Gosford married Millicent Pole, daughter of Lieutenant-General Edward Pole (who was descended from the Poles of Radbourne Hall in Derbyshire) and Olivia (née Walsh) Pole (a daughter and heiress of John Walsh of Ballykilcavan).[5] Their children were:[8]

• Lady Olivia Acheson (1775[9]–1863), who married Brig. Gen. Robert Bernard Sparrow of Brampton Park in 1797.[10]
• Archibald Acheson, 2nd Earl of Gosford (1776–1849), who married Mary Sparrow, only daughter and heiress of Robert Sparrow of Worlingham Hall.[5]
• Hon. Edward Acheson CB (d. 1828), a captain in the Coldstream Guards and collector at the port of Dublin.[5]
• Lady Mary Acheson (1787–1843), who married Lt. Gen. Lord William Cavendish Bentinck, second son of William Cavendish-Bentinck, 3rd Duke of Portland, in 1803.[5]
• Lady Millicent Acheson, who married the Rev. J. H. Barber, rector of Aston Sandford and perpetual curate of St James's Chapel, Brighton, in 1826.[11]

They were also the parents of two more sons, Arthur Acheson and Arthur Pole Acheson, who both died young. Lord Gosford died on 14 January 1807. His widow, Lady Gosford, wife died on 1 November 1825.[5]

References

1. "Alumni Dublinenses : a register of the students, graduates, professors and provosts of Trinity College in the University of Dublin (1593–1860 George Dames Burtchaell/Thomas Ulick Sadleir p2: Dublin, Alex Thom and Co, 1935
2. Johnston-Liik, E. M. (2006). MPs in Dublin: Companion to History of the Irish Parliament, 1692-1800. Ulster Historical Foundation. p. 66. ISBN 9781903688601.
3. "New Irish Peers". The Times. The Times Digital Archive. 13 February 1806. p. 3.
4. Courthope, William (1839). Debrett's Complete Peerage of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland: With Additions to the Present Time and a New Set of Coats of Arms from Drawings by Harvey. J. G. & F. Rivington. p. 370.
5. "Gosford, Earl of (I, 1806)". www.cracroftspeerage.co.uk. Heraldic Media Limited. Retrieved 11 March 2020.
6. James Bardon, A History of Ulster: New Updated Edition (Blackstaff Press, 2005, ISBN 0-85640-764-X)
7. Lodge, Edmund (1838). The Genealogy of the Existing British Peerage. Saunders and Otley. p. 216.
8. "Obituary of Remarkable Persons". The Gentleman's Magazine, and Historical Chronicle. 77 (1): 94. 1807.
9. Westminster, London, England, Church of England Baptisms, Marriages and Burials, 1558-1812
10. Lady Olivia Sparrow
11. Debrett, John (1828). Debrett's Peerage of England, Scotland, and Ireland. Vol. II. Debrett's Peerage. p. 729.