Thomas Carter (1690–1763)
Encyclopedia
Thomas Carter was a politician, a Member of Parliament, Master of the Rolls
, Privy Councillor
and Secretary of State
for Ireland. He was "an able and intriguing man" - Horace Walpole, 4th Earl of Orford
.
which he acquired in 1729, was made Master of the Rolls in Ireland
in 1731, which office he had continued to hold until 1754. He was a skilful and experienced parliamentarian and political organiser. A strong, if not often violent Whig, noted for his rudeness and his loathing of English ministerial interference in Irish affairs and his satirical lampooning of political opponents earned him the nickname "Vicious Carter".
During the late 1740s Carter became one of the leaders of the country of Ireland
as a member of the Patriot party
along with Henry Boyle
, speaker of the Irish House of Commons
and Anthony Malone, the Prime Sergeant
.
He was made Master of the Rolls in 1731 but as one of the parliamentary managers employed by the Lord Lieutenant
to ensure that the King's business was passed in the House of Commons, his actions were often maverick. Horace Walpole
said of him that he had "Constantly fomented every discontent against the Lord Lieutenants in order to be bought off". Such behaviour was common in 18th century politics where interest was so often for sale. Quite content to "feather his own nest" Carter did not always help his colleagues.
, refused to hand over an Irish tax surplus to London.
As a result, Primate Stone Archbishop of Armagh, tried to reduce the influence of the leading parliamentary undertakers; Speaker Boyle, Anthony Malone and Thomas Carter. The archbishop tried to replace them with his own supporters, the Ponsonbys led by the Earl of Bessbourgh. Boyle, Malone and Carter whipped up popular support, turning the issue into a trial of strength between the Lord Lieutenant and the country or "Patriot" party. Boyle, helped by Carter's wickedly provocative tongue, began a whispering campaign against Primate Stone. There was a personal antagonism between Carter and Primate Stone as the latter had been instrumental in foiling Carter's attempts to obtain the reversion of his office of Master of the Rolls for his young unknown and inexperienced son.
The whole episode of the Money Bill dispute, the motives, intrigues, manoeuvrings and chicanery was wittily and ironically described by Edmund Sexton Pery, an eye-witness and MP for Wicklow town. His description is written in the form of a letter to the Duke of Bedford
around the time he was appointed Lord Lieutenant in 1757.
The dispute became an oft-quoted precedent to the policy of the Irish Patriot Party
of the 1780s.
and the King's Inns
.
He married 12 October 1719 at St Anne's, Dublin, Mary Claxton, youngest daughter of Thomas Claxton of Dublin and Lucy Pearce, and so first-cousin of Edward Lovett Pearce
who built them a magnificent house at No.9 Henrietta Street
with the finest staircase hall in Dublin. They had two sons and three daughters. Their daughter Frances was mother of Frances, Lady Jersey
. Their daughter Susan was grandmother of Elizabeth, Marchioness of Thomond.
Thomas Carter made significant contributions to farming and country pursuits, not sparing any expense to bring them to perfection. He imported the best breed of cattle.
He originally leased Castle Martin
in the early 1730s as his country seat, and did not buy the house and that estate until 1761, just two years before he died while staying with his elder son, Thomas MP, at Rathnally House, Trim. Twelve days after his father's death Thomas proceeded with his marriage to Anna Armytage daughter of a Yorkshire baronet but they had just one child, Mary, later Mrs Skeffington Thompson, before young Thomas Carter MP himself died.
So Carter was succeeded at Castlemartin by his second son Henry Boyle Carter, named after his father's friend and political ally, Speaker Boyle
. In 1750 Henry married Susanna Shaen, widow of James Wynne, daughter of Sir Arthur Shaen, 2nd baronet, and his Catholic
wife Susanna Magan, by whom Henry had three sons and one daughter. (see Carter-Campbell of Possil). Carter's descendants continued to live at Castlemartin until they sold the estate to the Blackers in 1850.
. What happened to these papers is not known. He was elected as an MP to the Irish House of Commons
and became Second Sergeant at Arms being returned first for Fethard
and then for Portarlington
.
He married secondly, Isabella, the dowager Countess Roscommon on 2 August 1702 by which marriage he acquired the extensive Roscommon estates in and around Trim. The Countess was born Isabella Boynton. They had no children and she died in 1721. Thomas Carter's father's seat was at Robertstown, County Meath
.
Master of the Rolls in Ireland
The office of Master of the Rolls in Ireland originated in the office of the keeper of the Rolls in the Irish Chancery and became an office granted by letters patent in 1333. It was abolished in 1924....
, Privy Councillor
Privy Council of Ireland
The Privy Council of Ireland was an institution of the Kingdom of Ireland until 31 December 1800 and of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland 1801-1922...
and Secretary of State
Secretary of State
Secretary of State or State Secretary is a commonly used title for a senior or mid-level post in governments around the world. The role varies between countries, and in some cases there are multiple Secretaries of State in the Government....
for Ireland. He was "an able and intriguing man" - Horace Walpole, 4th Earl of Orford
Horace Walpole, 4th Earl of Orford
Horatio Walpole, 4th Earl of Orford was an English art historian, man of letters, antiquarian and Whig politician. He is now largely remembered for Strawberry Hill, the home he built in Twickenham, south-west London where he revived the Gothic style some decades before his Victorian successors,...
.
Political career
The Carters were a political family. Thomas Carter, the first to live at CastlemartinCastlemartin House and Estate
Castlemartin is the name of a historic house and estate, and the townland in which they sit, on the banks of the River Liffey in Kilcullen, County Kildare, Ireland...
which he acquired in 1729, was made Master of the Rolls in Ireland
Master of the Rolls in Ireland
The office of Master of the Rolls in Ireland originated in the office of the keeper of the Rolls in the Irish Chancery and became an office granted by letters patent in 1333. It was abolished in 1924....
in 1731, which office he had continued to hold until 1754. He was a skilful and experienced parliamentarian and political organiser. A strong, if not often violent Whig, noted for his rudeness and his loathing of English ministerial interference in Irish affairs and his satirical lampooning of political opponents earned him the nickname "Vicious Carter".
During the late 1740s Carter became one of the leaders of the country of 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...
as a member of the Patriot party
Patriot Whigs
The Patriot Whigs and, later Patriot Party, was a group within the Whig party in Great Britain from 1725 to 1803. The group was formed in opposition to the ministry of Robert Walpole in the House of Commons in 1725, when William Pulteney and seventeen other Whigs joined with the Tory party in...
along with Henry Boyle
Henry Boyle, 1st Earl of Shannon
Henry Boyle, 1st Earl of Shannon, PC was a prominent Irish politician.Boyle was the second son of Lieutenant-Colonel Henry Boyle , second son of Roger Boyle, 1st Earl of Orrery. His mother was Lady Mary O'Brien, daughter of Murrough O'Brien, 1st Earl of Inchiquin...
, speaker of the Irish House of Commons
Irish House of Commons
The Irish House of Commons was the lower house of the Parliament of Ireland, that existed from 1297 until 1800. The upper house was the House of Lords...
and Anthony Malone, the Prime Sergeant
Serjeant-at-law (Ireland)
This is a list of lawyers who held the rank of serjeant-at-law at the Irish Bar.Unlike in England, for many years there was only one Serjeant-at-Law in Ireland, who was known as the King’s Serjeant or simply Serjeant. In 1627 another was appointed, and they were known as the Prime Serjeant and...
.
He was made Master of the Rolls in 1731 but as one of the parliamentary managers employed by the Lord Lieutenant
Lord Lieutenant of Ireland
The Lord Lieutenant of Ireland was the British King's representative and head of the Irish executive during the Lordship of Ireland , the Kingdom of Ireland and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland...
to ensure that the King's business was passed in the House of Commons, his actions were often maverick. Horace Walpole
Horace Walpole, 4th Earl of Orford
Horatio Walpole, 4th Earl of Orford was an English art historian, man of letters, antiquarian and Whig politician. He is now largely remembered for Strawberry Hill, the home he built in Twickenham, south-west London where he revived the Gothic style some decades before his Victorian successors,...
said of him that he had "Constantly fomented every discontent against the Lord Lieutenants in order to be bought off". Such behaviour was common in 18th century politics where interest was so often for sale. Quite content to "feather his own nest" Carter did not always help his colleagues.
The Money Bill dispute
Both the zenith and the nadir of Carter's career came during the Money Bill dispute of the 1750s. The crisis came in 1753-56 when the Chancellor of the Exchequer of Ireland, Henry BoyleHenry Boyle, 1st Earl of Shannon
Henry Boyle, 1st Earl of Shannon, PC was a prominent Irish politician.Boyle was the second son of Lieutenant-Colonel Henry Boyle , second son of Roger Boyle, 1st Earl of Orrery. His mother was Lady Mary O'Brien, daughter of Murrough O'Brien, 1st Earl of Inchiquin...
, refused to hand over an Irish tax surplus to London.
As a result, Primate Stone Archbishop of Armagh, tried to reduce the influence of the leading parliamentary undertakers; Speaker Boyle, Anthony Malone and Thomas Carter. The archbishop tried to replace them with his own supporters, the Ponsonbys led by the Earl of Bessbourgh. Boyle, Malone and Carter whipped up popular support, turning the issue into a trial of strength between the Lord Lieutenant and the country or "Patriot" party. Boyle, helped by Carter's wickedly provocative tongue, began a whispering campaign against Primate Stone. There was a personal antagonism between Carter and Primate Stone as the latter had been instrumental in foiling Carter's attempts to obtain the reversion of his office of Master of the Rolls for his young unknown and inexperienced son.
The whole episode of the Money Bill dispute, the motives, intrigues, manoeuvrings and chicanery was wittily and ironically described by Edmund Sexton Pery, an eye-witness and MP for Wicklow town. His description is written in the form of a letter to the Duke of Bedford
Duke of Bedford
thumb|right|240px|William Russell, 1st Duke of BedfordDuke of Bedford is a title that has been created five times in the Peerage of England. The first creation came in 1414 in favour of Henry IV's third son, John, who later served as regent of France. He was made Earl of Kendal at the same time...
around the time he was appointed Lord Lieutenant in 1757.
The dispute became an oft-quoted precedent to the policy of the Irish Patriot Party
Irish Patriot Party
The Irish Patriot Party was the name of a number of different political groupings in Ireland throughout the 18th century. They were primarily supportive of Whig concepts of personal liberty combined with an Irish identity that rejected full independence, but advocated strong self-government within...
of the 1780s.
Family
Thomas Carter was born in 1690, the son of Thomas Carter (1650–1726) and his wife born Margaret Houghton, of Robertstown, County Meath. He was educated at Trinity College, DublinTrinity College, Dublin
Trinity College, Dublin , formally known as the College of the Holy and Undivided Trinity of Queen Elizabeth near Dublin, was founded in 1592 by letters patent from Queen Elizabeth I as the "mother of a university", Extracts from Letters Patent of Elizabeth I, 1592: "...we...found and...
and the King's Inns
King's Inns
The Honorable Society of King's Inns , is the institution which controls the entry of barristers-at-law into the justice system of Ireland...
.
He married 12 October 1719 at St Anne's, Dublin, Mary Claxton, youngest daughter of Thomas Claxton of Dublin and Lucy Pearce, and so first-cousin of Edward Lovett Pearce
Edward Lovett Pearce
Sir Edward Lovett Pearce was an Irish architect, and the chief exponent of palladianism in Ireland. He is thought to have initially studied as an architect under his father's first cousin, Sir John Vanbrugh. He is best known for the Irish Houses of Parliament in Dublin, and his work on Castletown...
who built them a magnificent house at No.9 Henrietta Street
Henrietta Street
Henrietta Street is a Dublin street, to the north of Bolton Street on the north side of the city, first laid out and developed by Luke Gardiner during the 1720s. A very wide street relative to streets in other 18th-century cities, it includes a number of very large red-brick city palaces of...
with the finest staircase hall in Dublin. They had two sons and three daughters. Their daughter Frances was mother of Frances, Lady Jersey
Frances Villiers, Countess of Jersey
Frances Villiers, Countess of Jersey was one of the more notorious of the many mistresses of King George IV when he was Prince of Wales, "a scintillating society woman, a heady mix of charm, beauty, and sarcasm".-Early life:She was born Frances Twysden, second and posthumous daughter of the Rev...
. Their daughter Susan was grandmother of Elizabeth, Marchioness of Thomond.
Thomas Carter made significant contributions to farming and country pursuits, not sparing any expense to bring them to perfection. He imported the best breed of cattle.
He originally leased Castle Martin
Castlemartin House and Estate
Castlemartin is the name of a historic house and estate, and the townland in which they sit, on the banks of the River Liffey in Kilcullen, County Kildare, Ireland...
in the early 1730s as his country seat, and did not buy the house and that estate until 1761, just two years before he died while staying with his elder son, Thomas MP, at Rathnally House, Trim. Twelve days after his father's death Thomas proceeded with his marriage to Anna Armytage daughter of a Yorkshire baronet but they had just one child, Mary, later Mrs Skeffington Thompson, before young Thomas Carter MP himself died.
So Carter was succeeded at Castlemartin by his second son Henry Boyle Carter, named after his father's friend and political ally, Speaker Boyle
Henry Boyle, 1st Earl of Shannon
Henry Boyle, 1st Earl of Shannon, PC was a prominent Irish politician.Boyle was the second son of Lieutenant-Colonel Henry Boyle , second son of Roger Boyle, 1st Earl of Orrery. His mother was Lady Mary O'Brien, daughter of Murrough O'Brien, 1st Earl of Inchiquin...
. In 1750 Henry married Susanna Shaen, widow of James Wynne, daughter of Sir Arthur Shaen, 2nd baronet, and his Catholic
Catholic
The word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"...
wife Susanna Magan, by whom Henry had three sons and one daughter. (see Carter-Campbell of Possil). Carter's descendants continued to live at Castlemartin until they sold the estate to the Blackers in 1850.
Thomas Carter (1650-1726) M.P. father of Thomas Carter (1690-1763)
Thomas Carter the elder was obviously a very ambitious young man, he married firstly Margaret Houghton (c1660-1696) on the 16 December 1681 at St. Audoen's Church, Dublin. During the revolution he served with distinction at Derry and the Boyne where according to Burke's Irish Landed Gentry (1850 edition) he secured books and writings belonging to James II of EnglandJames II of England
James II & VII was King of England and King of Ireland as James II and King of Scotland as James VII, from 6 February 1685. He was the last Catholic monarch to reign over the Kingdoms of England, Scotland, and Ireland...
. What happened to these papers is not known. He was elected as an MP to the Irish House of Commons
Irish House of Commons
The Irish House of Commons was the lower house of the Parliament of Ireland, that existed from 1297 until 1800. The upper house was the House of Lords...
and became Second Sergeant at Arms being returned first for Fethard
Fethard (County Tipperary) (Parliament of Ireland constituency)
Fethard was a constituency in County Tipperary represented in the Irish House of Commons to 1800.-History:In the Patriot Parliament of 1689 summoned by King James II, Fethard was represented with two members.-1689–1801:...
and then for Portarlington
Portarlington (Parliament of Ireland constituency)
Portarlington was a parliamentary borough partly in King's County but mostly in Queen's County...
.
He married secondly, Isabella, the dowager Countess Roscommon on 2 August 1702 by which marriage he acquired the extensive Roscommon estates in and around Trim. The Countess was born Isabella Boynton. They had no children and she died in 1721. Thomas Carter's father's seat was at Robertstown, County Meath
County Meath
County Meath is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Mid-East Region and is also located in the province of Leinster. It is named after the ancient Kingdom of Mide . Meath County Council is the local authority for the county...
.