Richard FitzWilliam, 5th Viscount FitzWilliam


Richard FitzWilliam, 5th Viscount FitzWilliam, PC, of Mount Merrion in Dublin, was an Irish nobleman and politician.

Origins

He was the only son of Thomas FitzWilliam, 4th Viscount FitzWilliam by his first wife Mary Stapleton, a daughter of the English statesman Sir Philip Stapleton. The FitzWilliam family are recorded in Ireland from about 1210, and had become one of the largest landowners in Dublin.

Career

He succeeded to the Viscountcy of FitzWilliam in 1704, and became a member of the Irish Privy Council in 1715. He was elected a Member of Parliament for Fowey in 1727, a seat he held until 1734. His father and grandfather had been Roman Catholics, and his father had been under attainder for a time for his loyalty to James II; but Richard conformed to the Church of Ireland.

Properties

In 1711, he built Mount Merrion House in Dublin. The older family home of Merrion Castle was, rather surprisingly, allowed to fall into decay: it was a ruin by 1730, and was pulled down later in the century. Richard spent his later years in England, but his heirs returned to Mount Merrion.

Marriage and children

Lord Fitzwilliam married Frances Shelley, daughter of Sir John Shelley, 3rd Baronet of Michaelgrove and his first wife Bridget Neville, daughter of George Nevill, 11th Baron Bergavenny. They had five children: