St Leger St Leger, 1st Viscount Doneraile facts for kids
St Leger St Leger, 1st Viscount Doneraile (born St Leger Aldworth; died 15 May 1787), was an Anglo-Irish politician and a nobleman. He is remembered for a legal dispute involving a Catholic priest and a challenge to a lawyer named John Philpot Curran.
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Who Was St Leger St Leger?
St Leger St Leger was born with the name St Leger Aldworth. His mother was Elizabeth St Leger. She was the daughter of Arthur St Leger, 1st Viscount Doneraile. This title was created for the first time in 1703.
Why Did He Change His Name?
On May 9, 1767, he legally changed his last name to St Leger. He did this because it was a requirement to inherit the Doneraile family lands in County Cork. This happened after his uncle, Hayes St Leger, 4th Viscount Doneraile, passed away without children. That is why he became known as St Leger St Leger.
His Political Career
Like many others in his family, St Leger St Leger served in the Irish House of Commons. This was the parliament of Ireland at the time. He represented the area of Doneraile. He was a Member of Parliament (MP) from 1749 until 1776.
On July 2, 1776, he was given the title Baron Doneraile. This was part of the Peerage of Ireland, which is a system of noble titles. Later, on January 5, 1785, the title of Viscount Doneraile was created again for him. This is why he is known as the 1st Viscount Doneraile of the "2nd creation."
A Notable Legal Dispute
In 1780, St Leger St Leger was involved in a court case in County Cork. The case was brought by an elderly Catholic priest. The priest was represented by a lawyer named John Philpot Curran.
What Happened in Court?
St Leger had visited the priest's home and asked him to change a decision. When the priest explained that only his bishop could do this, St Leger became angry. He used his horsewhip on the priest. He also whipped the priest's elderly housekeeper who tried to help.
At that time, laws called the Penal Laws were in place. These laws meant that juries in court cases were made up only of Protestants. St Leger might have believed that a jury would not rule against him in a case brought by a Catholic.
However, during the trial, John Philpot Curran, the priest's lawyer, showed that St Leger's witnesses were not telling the truth. Curran convinced the jury to ignore any religious differences. The jury decided in favor of the priest. They awarded him 30 guineas, which was a sum of money.
The Challenge After Court
After the court case, St Leger St Leger challenged John Philpot Curran to a duel. In a duel, two people fight, often with pistols, to settle a dispute. St Leger fired his shot but missed Curran. Curran then chose not to fire his own shot.
Family Life
St Leger St Leger married Mary Barry. She was the daughter of Redmond Barry. Together, they had six children. One of their children was Hayes St Leger, who would later inherit the family titles.
