Sir Henry Gore-Booth, 5th Baronet
Encyclopedia
Sir Henry William Gore-Booth, 5th Baronet (1 July 1843 – 13 January 1900), was a notable Arctic explorer
, adventurer and landowner from Lissadell House
, Sligo
, Ireland
.
in the County of Sligo, was created in the Baronetage of Ireland on 30 August 1760 for Booth Gore. His father, Sir Robert Gore-Booth, 4th Baronet
was an Anglo-Irish
landowner who was accused of evicting his starving tenant farmers during the period of the Great Irish famine and of packing them into coffin ships to emigrate. In contrast, other reports state that he mortgaged his estates and assisted his tenants by both providing them with food and refusing to accept any rents during the famine.
. His example is said to have inspired his daughters Constance and Eva
.
Sir Henry married Georgina May Hill of Tickhill Castle
, Yorkshire
, England
. They lived at Lissadell House, Drumcliffe
, County Sligo and were visited frequently by a childhood friend, the poet W. B. Yeats
, together with his daughters.
Eva later became involved in the labour movement and women's suffrage
in England and Constance became a Sinn Féin
politician, revolutionary
, Irish nationalist
and suffragette
. Constance, more commonly known as Countess Markievicz was the first woman elected to the British House of Commons
, although along with the other Sinn Féin MPs she did not take her seat, and set up the first
Dáil Éireann
. She was also the first woman in Europe to hold a cabinet position (Minister of Labour
of the Irish Republic
, 1919–1922).
in 1882. Sir Henry was also a prolific writer on a variety of topics including Arctic exploration
, yachting
, whaling
, polar bear
hunting
and shark
fishing
. He sailed his own yacht to the Arctic. He also hunted big game in Africa.
Much of his Arctic memorabilia is now on display in The Billiard Room of the now refurbished Lissadell House.
He was appointed High Sheriff of Sligo
for 1872.
Arctic exploration
Arctic exploration is the physical exploration of the Arctic region of the Earth. The region that surrounds the North Pole. It refers to the historical period during which mankind has explored the region north of the Arctic Circle...
, adventurer and landowner from Lissadell House
Lissadell House
Lissadell House is a neo-classical Greek revivalist style country house, located in County Sligo, Ireland.The house was built in the 1830s for Sir Robert Gore-Booth, 4th Baronet MP by London architect Francis Goodwin...
, Sligo
Sligo
Sligo is the county town of County Sligo in Ireland. The town is a borough and has a charter and a town mayor. It is sometimes referred to as a city, and sometimes as a town, and is the second largest urban area in Connacht...
, Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
.
Antecedents
The Gore Baronetcy, of ArtarmanGore Baronets
There have been three Baronetcies created for members of the Gore family, all in the Baronetage of Ireland. All three titles are still extant...
in the County of Sligo, was created in the Baronetage of Ireland on 30 August 1760 for Booth Gore. His father, Sir Robert Gore-Booth, 4th Baronet
Sir Robert Gore-Booth, 4th Baronet
Sir Robert Gore-Booth, 4th Baronet was an Anglo-Irish politician and landowner, who built Lissadell House, located in County Sligo.-Background and education:...
was an Anglo-Irish
Anglo-Irish
Anglo-Irish was a term used primarily in the 19th and early 20th centuries to identify a privileged social class in Ireland, whose members were the descendants and successors of the Protestant Ascendancy, mostly belonging to the Church of Ireland, which was the established church of Ireland until...
landowner who was accused of evicting his starving tenant farmers during the period of the Great Irish famine and of packing them into coffin ships to emigrate. In contrast, other reports state that he mortgaged his estates and assisted his tenants by both providing them with food and refusing to accept any rents during the famine.
Family
Sir Henry, enjoyed a much better relationship with the tenants on his 32,000 acre (12,950 ha) estate and he was seen as a "progressive landlord". Sir Henry was not involved in public affairs and was interested in the development of his estate, the welfare of his tenants and served both as the president of the Sligo Agricultural Society and the chairman of the Sligo, Leitrim and Northern Counties RailwaySligo, Leitrim and Northern Counties Railway
The Sligo, Leitrim and Northern Counties Railway was an Irish gauge railway in counties Cavan, Fermanagh, Leitrim and Sligo in north-west Ireland.-History:...
. His example is said to have inspired his daughters Constance and Eva
Eva Gore-Booth
Eva Selina Laura Gore-Booth was an Irish poet and dramatist, and a committed suffragist, social worker and labour activist...
.
Sir Henry married Georgina May Hill of Tickhill Castle
Tickhill Castle
Tickhill Castle was a castle in Tickhill, on the Nottingham/Yorkshire West Riding border, England and a prominent stronghold during the reign of King John I of England.-Early history:...
, Yorkshire
Yorkshire
Yorkshire is a historic county of northern England and the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its great size in comparison to other English counties, functions have been increasingly undertaken over time by its subdivisions, which have also been subject to periodic reform...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. They lived at Lissadell House, Drumcliffe
Drumcliffe
Drumcliffe, officially Drumcliff , is a village in County Sligo, Ireland. It is 8 km north of Sligo town on the N15 road between Ben Bulben and the sea.-History:...
, County Sligo and were visited frequently by a childhood friend, the poet W. B. Yeats
William Butler Yeats
William Butler Yeats was an Irish poet and playwright, and one of the foremost figures of 20th century literature. A pillar of both the Irish and British literary establishments, in his later years he served as an Irish Senator for two terms...
, together with his daughters.
Eva later became involved in the labour movement and women's suffrage
Women's suffrage
Women's suffrage or woman suffrage is the right of women to vote and to run for office. The expression is also used for the economic and political reform movement aimed at extending these rights to women and without any restrictions or qualifications such as property ownership, payment of tax, or...
in England and Constance became a Sinn Féin
Sinn Féin
Sinn Féin is a left wing, Irish republican political party in Ireland. The name is Irish for "ourselves" or "we ourselves", although it is frequently mistranslated as "ourselves alone". Originating in the Sinn Féin organisation founded in 1905 by Arthur Griffith, it took its current form in 1970...
politician, revolutionary
Revolutionary
A revolutionary is a person who either actively participates in, or advocates revolution. Also, when used as an adjective, the term revolutionary refers to something that has a major, sudden impact on society or on some aspect of human endeavor.-Definition:...
, Irish nationalist
Irish nationalism
Irish nationalism manifests itself in political and social movements and in sentiment inspired by a love for Irish culture, language and history, and as a sense of pride in Ireland and in the Irish people...
and suffragette
Suffragette
"Suffragette" is a term coined by the Daily Mail newspaper as a derogatory label for members of the late 19th and early 20th century movement for women's suffrage in the United Kingdom, in particular members of the Women's Social and Political Union...
. Constance, more commonly known as Countess Markievicz was the first woman elected to the British House of Commons
British House of Commons
The House of Commons is the lower house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, which also comprises the Sovereign and the House of Lords . Both Commons and Lords meet in the Palace of Westminster. The Commons is a democratically elected body, consisting of 650 members , who are known as Members...
, although along with the other Sinn Féin MPs she did not take her seat, and set up the first
First Dáil
The First Dáil was Dáil Éireann as it convened from 1919–1921. In 1919 candidates who had been elected in the Westminster elections of 1918 refused to recognise the Parliament of the United Kingdom and instead assembled as a unicameral, revolutionary parliament called "Dáil Éireann"...
Dáil Éireann
Dáil Éireann
Dáil Éireann is the lower house, but principal chamber, of the Oireachtas , which also includes the President of Ireland and Seanad Éireann . It is directly elected at least once in every five years under the system of proportional representation by means of the single transferable vote...
. She was also the first woman in Europe to hold a cabinet position (Minister of Labour
Minister for Labour (Ireland)
The Minister for Labour was originally the name of a government department in the Government of the Irish Republic, the self-declared state which was established in 1919 by Dáil Éireann, the parliamentary assembly made up of the majority of Irish MPs elected in the 1918 general election. Constance...
of the Irish Republic
Irish Republic
The Irish Republic was a revolutionary state that declared its independence from Great Britain in January 1919. It established a legislature , a government , a court system and a police force...
, 1919–1922).
Adventures
During his Arctic expeditions, Sir Henry was involved in the rescue of a fellow Arctic explorer called Benjamin Leigh SmithBenjamin Leigh Smith
Benjamin Leigh Smith, b. 1828 – d. 1913, was a British yachtsman and explorer. Between 1871 and 1882 Mr. Smith undertook no less than five scientific expeditions to Svalbard and Franz Josef Land. Benjamin Leigh Smith was shipwrecked at Cape Flora, Northbrook Island , in 1881. He discovered and...
in 1882. Sir Henry was also a prolific writer on a variety of topics including Arctic exploration
Arctic exploration
Arctic exploration is the physical exploration of the Arctic region of the Earth. The region that surrounds the North Pole. It refers to the historical period during which mankind has explored the region north of the Arctic Circle...
, yachting
Yachting
Yachting refers to recreational sailing or boating, the specific act of sailing or using other water vessels for sporting purposes.-Competitive sailing:...
, whaling
Whaling
Whaling is the hunting of whales mainly for meat and oil. Its earliest forms date to at least 3000 BC. Various coastal communities have long histories of sustenance whaling and harvesting beached whales...
, polar bear
Polar Bear
The polar bear is a bear native largely within the Arctic Circle encompassing the Arctic Ocean, its surrounding seas and surrounding land masses. It is the world's largest land carnivore and also the largest bear, together with the omnivorous Kodiak Bear, which is approximately the same size...
hunting
Hunting
Hunting is the practice of pursuing any living thing, usually wildlife, for food, recreation, or trade. In present-day use, the term refers to lawful hunting, as distinguished from poaching, which is the killing, trapping or capture of the hunted species contrary to applicable law...
and shark
Shark
Sharks are a type of fish with a full cartilaginous skeleton and a highly streamlined body. The earliest known sharks date from more than 420 million years ago....
fishing
Fishing
Fishing is the activity of trying to catch wild fish. Fish are normally caught in the wild. Techniques for catching fish include hand gathering, spearing, netting, angling and trapping....
. He sailed his own yacht to the Arctic. He also hunted big game in Africa.
Much of his Arctic memorabilia is now on display in The Billiard Room of the now refurbished Lissadell House.
He was appointed High Sheriff of Sligo
High Sheriff of Sligo
The High Sheriff of Sligo was the British Crown’s judicial representative in County Sligo, Ireland from the 16th century until 1922, when the office was abolished in the new Free State and replaced by the office of Sligo County Sheriff. The sheriff had judicial, electoral, ceremonial and...
for 1872.