Thomas St Lawrence, 13th Baron Howth facts for kids

Thomas St Lawrence, 13th Baron Howth (1659–1727), was an important Irish nobleman. He lived during the time of the later Stuart kings and the early Georgian era. He was born in 1659. He was the oldest son of William St Lawrence, 12th Baron Howth, and Elizabeth Fitzwilliam. His father died when Thomas was only twelve. During his childhood, Thomas was looked after by Thomas Butler, 6th Earl of Ossory. Ossory had been a close friend of Thomas's father.

Choosing Sides: A Smart Move

After the `Glorious Revolution` in 1688, Lord Howth wanted to support the winning side. At first, he supported `King James II`. He even sat in the `Patriot Parliament` in 1689. But when King James II's cause failed, Lord Howth quickly changed his loyalty. He then supported `King William III`. He sat in the `Parliament of Ireland` in 1692. In 1697, he signed a paper showing his loyalty to King William. There is a family story that King William visited `Howth Castle`. However, this story is probably not true.

Even though he changed his political support, people who knew him respected him. His closest friends were the Grattan family. They were also good friends with the famous writer `Jonathan Swift`. Swift later became friends with Lord Howth's oldest son and his wife.

Lord Howth also did good things for his community. He built a `quay` (a kind of dock) to bring `coal` to the Howth lighthouse. This cost him a lot of money. He was also known for being very charitable. In his will, he left a large amount of money. This money was for helping the poor people in the parish of Howth. When he died in 1727, a poem was written about him. It praised his good qualities:

"Behold this stone whose vault contains More precious dust than India's veins, For honour's sake then shed a tear, Since honour's self lies buried here."

This poem means that a very honorable person was buried there.

His Family

Thomas St Lawrence married Mary Barnewall. She was the daughter of Henry, 2nd `Viscount Barnewall` of Kingsland. They had nine children together. Six of their children lived to be adults:

• `William St Lawrence, 14th Baron Howth`
• Henry, who died in 1736. He was killed in a famous `duel` with Hamilton Gorges. Hamilton was the brother of Lucy, who was the 14th Baron's wife.
• Oliver
• Mark
• Nicholas
• Elizabeth, who married two times. First, she married Edward Rice. Second, she married Dominick Quin. From her first marriage, she had one daughter:
  • Mary, who also married two times. First, she married Lieutenant-Colonel William Degge (who died in 1741). Second, she married the High Court judge `Arthur Blennerhassett`.