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Valentine Lawless, 2nd Baron Cloncurry facts for kids

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Valentine Brown Lawless, 2nd Baron Cloncurry (born August 19, 1773 – died October 28, 1853), was an important Irish noble, politician, and landowner. In the 1790s, he worked with groups in London who wanted changes in Ireland, like the Society of United Irishmen. He was even held twice because people thought he was causing trouble. Later, he lived at Lyons Hill in Ardclough, County Kildare. Even though he was an Anglo-Irish lord, he seemed to get along with the government in Dublin. Lawless became an advisor to the Viceroy (the King's representative in Ireland) and eventually received a British peerage. However, he wasn't just loyal to the ruling group. He strongly supported allowing Catholics into parliament and stopping the unfair taxes (called tithes) that everyone had to pay to the Church of Ireland.

Early Life and Education

Lawless was born in Merrion Square in Dublin. His father, Nicholas Lawless, was a successful wool merchant and banker. Nicholas became a baronet in 1776 and then a baron (Baron Cloncurry) in 1789. Valentine's mother was Margaret Browne. The family mostly lived at Maretimo House in Blackrock, County Dublin.

When Valentine was 12, he went to school in Blackrock. He was happy to study in Ireland, unlike some others who went to England. In 1792, Lawless graduated from Trinity College Dublin. While there, he was active in the Historical Society. This was a club where future leaders like Wolfe Tone and Thomas Addis Emmet had their first debates. After college, he spent two years in Switzerland.

Lawless later wrote that he left Ireland loving his country. He hated the unfair rules placed on Irish people by the powerful few. He returned even more dedicated to Ireland. In Switzerland, he met French people who had left their country. He heard their stories of how their families had been treated unfairly in Ireland.

Working for Change

Lawless returned to Ireland in 1795. At this time, hopes for reform were low. In June 1795, Lawless joined the Dublin Society of United Irishmen. He believed in their original goal: to unite Irish people of all religions. They wanted to achieve fair representation for Ireland in parliament.

Lawless openly spoke out against Prime Minister William Pitt's plan. Pitt wanted to get rid of the Dublin parliament and join Ireland with Great Britain. In 1797, Lawless wrote a pamphlet called Thoughts on the Projected Union between Great Britain and Ireland. He also wrote regularly for The Press, the newspaper of the United Irishmen. He tried to convince Lord Edward Fitzgerald to run for parliament to oppose the union. Lawless also led a large protest meeting against the union in Dublin.

Lawless started attending meetings of the United Irish executive. This group was increasingly planning a rebellion with help from France. Lawless helped James Coigly, who was working to connect the Irish rebels with groups in England and France. Valentine himself helped Coigly in London. He was in contact with Edward Despard, who was later accused of plotting to kill the king.

In February 1798, Coigly was arrested while trying to cross the English Channel. Coigly was found guilty of treason and hanged. Lawless helped pay for Coigly's defense. This made the authorities even more suspicious of him. On May 31, 1798, Lawless was arrested in London. He was held in the Tower of London without any charges until March 1801. Many believed his long imprisonment made his father's death happen sooner.

Life in Europe

After his release, Lawless traveled to Paris and then Rome. In Rome, he met and married his first wife, Elizabeth Gergiana Morgan. He was in Rome during Robert Emmet's rebellion in Ireland. Some believe he was part of a new Irish Republican government waiting to take power. While in Rome, Lawless bought many works of art. Italian nobles were selling them because of Napoleon's high taxes. He sent four shiploads of art to Ireland to decorate Lyons House. These included a statue of Venus and three pillars from the palace of Nero. Sadly, some art was lost when one ship sank off Wicklow Head.

Lyons House

Lyonscastle1
Lyons House, a grand home in County Kildare, Ireland.

Lawless returned to Ireland in 1804. He oversaw a large renovation of Lyons House by Sir Richard Morrison. He also reorganized his large estates. He hired an Italian painter, Gaspare Gabrielli, to paint beautiful frescoes (wall paintings) in the house.

At Lyons, Lawless hosted Catherine Despard. She was the wife of Captain Edward Despard, who had been executed for treason.

Family Life

Lawless divorced his first wife, Lady Cloncurry, in 1811. They had a son, Valentine, who died young, and a daughter, Mary. Mary later married twice and had children.

Lawless remarried in 1811 to Emily Douglas. Emily was the widow of Joseph Leeson. They had three more children, including Edward, who became the 3rd Baron Cloncurry. Emily died in 1841. Lawless wrote in his memoir about their happy thirty years together.

Political Influence

From 1811, Lawless strongly supported Catholic Emancipation. This meant giving Catholics the same rights as Protestants, including the right to sit in parliament. Later, he urged Daniel O'Connell to push for the repeal of the Act of Union. This would have made Ireland independent from Great Britain again. However, Lawless did not publicly join O'Connell's movement. He wanted to keep his friendship with Henry Paget, 1st Marquess of Anglesey, who was the new Lord Lieutenant of Ireland.

After 1828, Lawless became a member of Anglesey's private advisory group. He kept horses ready at Lyons for quick meetings with the viceroy. Even so, the government in Dublin Castle remained suspicious of him. In 1829, Daniel O'Connell said that the Lord Lieutenant was called back to London because he had visited Lord Cloncurry.

Lawless also worked as a magistrate. He helped start public petty sessions in Kildare. These were local courts that made the legal system easier for ordinary people to access. He also spoke out against the unfair collection of tithes for the Church of Ireland. In December 1831, he spoke about this in the House of Lords. Soon after, he was admitted to the privy council and became the second Baron Cloncurry in the British peerage.

Later Years and Legacy

Lawless's health began to decline in 1851. He died at Maretimo House, Blackrock, on October 28, 1853. He was buried in the family vault at Lyons Hill. His eldest surviving son, Edward, inherited his title.

Daniel O'Connell, who often disagreed with Lawless politically, spoke highly of him. He said Lawless was a great example of virtue in his family life. He also said Lawless deserved the admiration of the people in his public life.

Lawless was known as a good landlord. He worked hard to help people during the Great Hunger. He was very interested in making laws fairer. As a magistrate, he started the practice of holding petty sessions. This idea was later used across Ireland by a law in 1851.

Writings

In his memoir, published in 1849, Lawless wrote about his belief in Ireland's future independence. He questioned if England had always acted fairly towards Ireland.

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