The title Baron of Dunsany or, more commonly, Lord Dunsany, is one of the oldest (1439 or 1462) dignities in the Peerage of Ireland, one of just a handful of 13th- to 15th-century titles still extant, having had 21 holders, of the Plunkett name, to date. Other surviving medieval baronies include Kerry (1223, now a subsidiary title of the Marquess of Lansdowne), Kingsale (1344, feudally 1223), Trimlestown (1469), Baron Louth (second creation, 1541), [1] and Dunboyne (1541, feudally 1324). [2]
The first Baron of Dunsany was Sir Christopher Plunkett, second son of Christopher Plunkett, 1st Baron Killeen. The elder Christopher married Joan Cusack, heiress of Killeen and Dunsany, and passed Killeen to his eldest son and Dunsany to the second. The date at which Christopher Plunkett became a peer, and a hereditary member of the Irish Parliament, is uncertain; according to Cokayne's Complete Peerage, there is no record of a Dunsany as a peer before 1489, and the creation may well have been as late as 1462, the year Sir Christopher died. [3] On the other hand, Debrett's listed the date of creation of the peerage as 1439, [4] confirmed by Letters Patent in 1461.
The third Baron was a founder member of the military order known as the Brotherhood of Saint George and supported the claims of the pretender Lambert Simnel to the English Crown. The fourth Baron was a soldier of some repute who was killed trying to put down a rising in 1521. His son, the fifth Baron, was a soldier and statesman who was accused of complicity in the rebellion of Silken Thomas.
The eleventh Baron was a follower of King James II, who was outlawed after the Glorious Revolution. He was restored to his estates after the Treaty of Limerick, but neglected the necessary measures needed to have himself recognised as the holder of the peerage, and, as such, was not summoned to further Parliaments. The twelfth Baron conformed to the Church of Ireland to preserve the lands of both Dunsany and Killeen, but did not take the necessary steps to confirm his right to the title and to the seat in the Irish House of Lords it would bestow.
The thirteenth Baron, son of the twelfth, did go through the necessary procedures to have his title and claim to a seat in the former Irish upper house properly admitted, and thus sat in the House of Lords as a peer of proven right. He was succeeded by his son, the fourteenth Baron, who served as Lord Lieutenant of County Meath, and also sat in the House of Lords as an Irish representative peer from 1836 to 1848.
The fifteenth Baron represented Drogheda in the House of Commons and was an Irish Representative Peer from 1850 to 1852. He was succeeded by his younger brother, the sixteenth Baron. The latter was an admiral in the Royal Navy, and also served as an Irish Representative Peer between 1864 and 1889. The seventeenth Baron, son of the sixteenth, sat as a Conservative Member of Parliament for Gloucestershire South and was an Irish Representative Peer from 1893 to 1899. His brother, Horace Plunkett was a key figure in the development of Irish agriculture and the Irish cooperative movement.
The seventeenth Baron was succeeded by his son, the eighteenth Baron. He was a well-known poet, playwright and author of short stories and novels, best known now for his short stories in the field of fantasy, the Jorkens stories, and his novel The King of Elfland's Daughter . The descendants of his younger brother, Reginald Drax, bear not only the Dunsany's surname Plunkett, but also other surnames inherited from their mother, Ernle Elizabeth Louisa Maria Grosvenor Ernle-Erle-Drax, née Ernle Elizabeth Louisa Maria Grosvenor Burton (1855–1916), giving them a rare quadruple-barrelled surname of Plunkett-Ernle-Erle-Drax.
The nineteenth Baron was a career soldier, primarily in the British Indian Army, while the twentieth, the painter and sculptor Edward Plunkett, 20th Baron of Dunsany, was the first Roman Catholic holder of the title since the 12th Baron. As of 2013 [update] , the title is held by the eighteenth Baron's great-grandson, Randal Plunkett, 21st Baron of Dunsany, who in 2011, succeeded his father; as of 2022, he has one daughter. [5]
The ancestral seat of this branch of the Plunkett family is Dunsany Castle in County Meath in Ireland.
The title is listed in Burke's Peerage and Baronetage and Debrett's Peerage and Baronetage as Baron of Dunsany, but in The Complete Peerage as Baron Dunsany without the of. In either case, the holder of the title is called Lord Dunsany in all but the most formal contexts.
As the title descends in the male line only, as noted by the current holder, the heir presumptive is the holder's brother, the Hon. Oliver Plunkett (born 1985). [6]
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Viscount de Vesci, of Abbeyleix in the Queen's County, now called County Laois, is a title in the Peerage of Ireland. It was created in 1776 for Thomas Vesey, 2nd Baron Knapton and 3rd Baronet. The title Baron Knapton was created in the Peerage of Ireland in 1750 for the first Viscount's father, John Vesey, 2nd Baronet, who had earlier represented Newtownards in the Irish House of Commons. The baronetcy, of Abbeyleix in the Queen's County, was created in the Baronetage of Ireland on 28 September 1698 for the first Baron's father, Reverend Thomas Vesey, Bishop of Killaloe (1713–1714) and Bishop of Ossory (1714–1730).
Baron Louth is a title in the Peerage of Ireland. It has been created twice.
Baron Carbery, of Carbery in the County of Cork, is a title in the Peerage of Ireland. It was created in 1715 for George Evans, with remainder to the heirs male of his father and namesake George Evans, a supporter of William and Mary during the Glorious Revolution, who had earlier declined the offer of a peerage. After his elevation to the peerage, Lord Carbery represented Westbury in the House of Commons. He was succeeded by his eldest son, the second Baron. He also sat as Member of Parliament for Westbury. His grandson, the fourth Baron, briefly represented Rutland in Parliament. He was succeeded by his uncle, the fifth Baron. On his death, the line of the eldest son of the first Baron failed. He was succeeded by his first cousin once removed, the sixth Baron, who had previously succeeded his father as second Baronet, of Castle Freke. Lord Carbery sat in the House of Lords as an Irish representative peer from 1824 to 1845. His nephew, the eighth Baron, was an Irish Representative Peer from 1891 to 1894. As of 2014 the titles are held by the latter's great-great-grandson, the twelfth Baron, who succeeded his father in 2012.
Baron Crofton is a title in the Peerage of Ireland. It was created in 1797 for Dame Anne Crofton. She was the widow of Sir Edward Crofton, 2nd Baronet, of the Mote, who had represented Roscommon in the Irish House of Commons and had been offered a peerage just before his death. The peerage was instead bestowed upon his widow. She was succeeded by her grandson, the second Baron, who had already succeeded as fourth Baronet. He sat in the House of Lords as an Irish representative peer from 1840 to 1869 and served as a Lord-in-waiting in the three Conservative administrations of the Earl of Derby and in Benjamin Disraeli's first government. His son, the third Baron, served as an Irish Representative Peer between 1873 and 1912 and was also State Steward to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland. His nephew, the fourth Baron, was an Irish Representative Peer from 1916 to 1942. As of 2014 the titles are held by the latter's great-great-grandson, the eighth Baron, who succeeded his father in 2007.
Baron Bellew, of Barmeath in the County of Louth, is a title in the Peerage of Ireland. It was created on 17 July 1848 for Sir Patrick Bellew, 7th Baronet, who had previously represented Louth in the House of Commons as a Whig and also served as Lord Lieutenant of County Louth. His grandson, the third Baron, was also Lord Lieutenant of County Louth and sat in the House of Lords as an Irish representative peer from 1904 to 1911. He was succeeded by his younger brother, the fourth Baron. He was an Irish Representative Peer from 1914 to 1931. In 1881 Lord Bellew assumed by Royal licence the additional surname of Bryan under the terms of the will of his maternal uncle Colonel George Bryan. However, he is the only one of the Barons to have held this surname. On his death the titles passed to his nephew, the fifth Baron, and then to his younger brother, the sixth Baron. As of 2018 the titles are held by the latter's grandson, the eighth Baron, who succeeded in 2010.
The Ernle Baronetcy, of Etchilhampton in the County of Wiltshire, was a title in the Baronetage of England. It was created on 2 February 1661 for Walter Ernle, later Member of Parliament for Devizes. He died on 25 July 1682, and was buried at Bishops Cannings, Wiltshire. He was succeeded by his grandson, Sir Walter Ernle (1672–1690), 2nd Baronet, of Maddington, Wiltshire, who was, in turn, succeeded at his own death by his younger brother, Sir Edward Ernle (1673–1728/9), 3rd Baronet, P.C., MP. The third Baronet was succeeded by a kinsman, Sir Walter Ernle (1676–1732), 4th Baronet, of Conock, in the parish of Chirton, Wiltshire, who died childless, and was succeeded by his younger brother, the Reverend Sir John Ernle, 5th Baronet, Rector of All Cannings, Wiltshire, who was predeceased by his only son.
Plunkett-Ernle-Erle-Drax is the quadruple-barrelled surname of the descendants of Admiral The Honourable Sir Reginald Aylmer Ranfurly Plunkett-Ernle-Erle-Drax (1880–1967), who was the younger son of the 17th Baron of Dunsany by his wife Ernle Elizabeth Louisa Maria Grosvenor, née Burton, later Ernle-Erle-Drax (1855–1916). The surname of Plunkett-Ernle-Erle-Drax was assumed in lieu of Plunkett, his name from birth, by royal licence on 4 October 1916. Ernle is pronounced earnly. The current head of the family is the Westminster M.P. Richard Grosvenor Plunkett-Ernle-Erle-Drax, otherwise Richard Drax.
Sir Reginald Aylmer Ranfurly Plunkett-Ernle-Erle-Drax, KCB, DSO, JP, DL, commonly known as Reginald Plunkett or Reginald Drax, was an Anglo-Irish admiral. The younger son of the 17th Baron of Dunsany, he was Director of the Royal Naval Staff College, President of the Naval Inter-Allied Commission of Control in (Berlin), commander-in-chief of successive Royal Navy bases. His brother Edward, who became the 18th Baron of Dunsany, was best known as the famous playwright and author Lord Dunsany. Edward inherited the paternal estates in Ireland, while Reginald was bequeathed most of his mother's inheritance across portions of the West Indies, Kent, Surrey, Dorset, Wiltshire and Yorkshire. He extended his surname by special Royal licence in 1916, and was noted for the quadruple-name result, Plunkett-Ernle-Erle-Drax.
Plunkett is an Irish surname derived from the Gaelic Ó Pluingceid. It is associated with Ireland, and possibly of Norse or Norman origin; it may be spelled O'Plunket, Plunket, Plunkit, Plunkitt, Plonkit, Plonkitt, Plonket, Plonkett, or Ó Plunceid, and may refer to:
Earl of Fingall and Baron Fingall were titles in the Peerage of Ireland. Baron Fingall was a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. The seat of the title-holders was, from its establishment until 1953, Killeen Castle in County Meath, Ireland, and there was an ongoing close relationship with the related Plunkett family of Dunsany, and with the Viscounts Gormanston, with whom they intermarried. Around 1426, Christopher Plunkett was created Baron Killeen: his seven sons founded five separate branches of the Plunket family, including the Plunkets of Dunsany, Rathmore and Dunsoghly. He also had a daughter Matilda, who became celebrated as "the bride of Malahide", when her first husband, Thomas Hussey, Baron Galtrim, was reputedly murdered on their wedding day.
Charborough House, also known as Charborough Park, is a Grade I listed building, the manor house of the ancient manor of Charborough. The house is between the villages of Sturminster Marshall and Bere Regis in Dorset, England.
John William Plunkett, 17th Baron of Dunsany was an Anglo-Irish Conservative politician and peer.
Christopher Plunkett, 1st Baron of Dunsany was an Anglo-Norman peer. He was the second son of Sir Christopher Plunkett, and Uncle of Christopher Plunkett, 1st Baron of Killeen, through his elder brother John Plunkett.
Randal Arthur Henry Plunkett, 19th Baron of Dunsany was an Irish peer. An only child, he was the son of author and playwright Edward Plunkett, 18th Baron of Dunsany and Lady Beatrice Child Villiers, daughter of Victor Child Villiers, 7th Earl of Jersey.
Richard Grosvenor Plunkett-Ernle-Erle-Drax is a British Conservative Party politician, landowner and former journalist serving as the Member of Parliament (MP) for South Dorset since 2010.
John Plunkett, 3rd Baron of Dunsany was an Irish nobleman.
Richard Plunkett, 2nd Baron of Dunsany was an Irish nobleman. He was one of at least five surviving sons of Christopher Plunkett, 1st Baron of Dunsany, and his first wife Anne Fitzgerald, daughter of Richard FitzGerald. He succeeded to the title in 1462.
Edward Wadding Plunkett, 14th Baron Dunsany was an Anglo-Irish peer.
Randall Edward Plunkett, 15th Baron Dunsany was an Anglo-Irish peer and Conservative politician.
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