Joshua Dawson facts for kids

Joshua Dawson lived from 1660 to 1725. He was an important person in Ireland who worked for the government, helped build new parts of cities, and was also a politician. He was part of the Anglo-Irish community in the Kingdom of Ireland.

Joshua Dawson's Career in Government

Joshua Dawson started his career working for the government in Ireland. In 1697, he became a clerk for the Chief Secretary of Ireland, Matthew Prior. The Chief Secretary was a very important government official.

While working as a clerk, Joshua Dawson asked for a new office to be set up. This office would handle important papers and patents, which are like official documents that protect new inventions.

In 1703, he became the Collector of Dublin. This meant he was in charge of collecting money for the government in Dublin. From 1710, he held a very high position as the Chief Secretary for Ireland. He worked under Queen Anne, who was the ruler at that time.

Joshua Dawson was also a politician. He was a Member of Parliament (MP) for Wicklow. He served in the Irish House of Commons, which was like the parliament of Ireland, from 1705 to 1714.

Building New Parts of Dublin

Joshua Dawson was also a land developer, which means he helped plan and build new areas. Between 1705 and 1710, he developed a large area in Dublin. This project included creating several new streets.

Some of these streets were named after important people. Dawson Street was named after Joshua Dawson himself. Anne Street was named after Queen Anne. Grafton Street and Harry Street were named after Henry Fitzroy, the Duke of Grafton. Henry Fitzroy was the son of King Charles II and a cousin of Queen Anne.

As part of this development, the famous Mansion House was built on Dawson Street in 1710. In 1715, this grand house was bought to be the official home for the Mayor of Dublin. It has been the Mayor's residence for over 300 years!

Life in County Londonderry

Joshua Dawson lived in both Dublin and County Londonderry. His family had owned land in County Londonderry for a long time. In 1710, he founded a place called Dawson's Bridge there. It was named after a bridge over the River Moyola.

This area later grew into what is known today as Castledawson. In 1713, Joshua Dawson also built a large house called Moyola House on his estate in the area.

Personal Life and Family

Joshua Dawson was born in 1660 at his family's home, which later became Castledawson in County Londonderry. His father was Thomas Dawson, who worked for the army in Ireland.

In January 1695 or 1696, Joshua Dawson married Anne Carr. They had several children together. Their children included Mary, William, Charles, Anne Elizabeth, Eleanor, Arthur, Joseph, and Arabella. Joshua Dawson passed away on March 3, 1725.