James Verner (Irish parliamentarian)

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James Verner (1 March 1746 - 1822) was an MP in the Parliament of Ireland from County Antrim, Kingdom of Ireland. He was father to Sir William Verner, 1st Baronet. He and his sons played an instrumental role in the Battle of the Diamond near their home.

Parliament of Ireland Former parliament of Ireland

The Parliament of Ireland was the legislature of the Lordship of Ireland, and later the Kingdom of Ireland, from 1297 until 1800. It was modelled on the Parliament of England and from 1537 comprised two chambers: the House of Commons and the House of Lords. The Lords were members of the Irish peerage and bishops. The Commons was directly elected, albeit on a very restricted franchise. Parliaments met at various places in Leinster and Munster, but latterly always in Dublin: in Christchurch Cathedral, Dublin Castle, Chichester House (1661–1727), the Blue Coat School (1729–31), and finally a purpose-built Parliament House on College Green.

County Antrim Place in Antrim, Northern Ireland

County Antrim is one of six counties that form Northern Ireland. Adjoined to the north-east shore of Lough Neagh, the county covers an area of 3,046 square kilometres (1,176 sq mi) and has a population of about 618,000. County Antrim has a population density of 203 people per square kilometre or 526 people per square mile. It is also one of the thirty-two traditional counties of Ireland, as well as part of the historic province of Ulster.

Kingdom of Ireland Historical kingdom on the island of Ireland between 1542 and 1801

The Kingdom of Ireland was a client state of England and then of Great Britain that existed from 1542 until 1800. It was ruled by the monarchs of England and then of Great Britain in personal union with their other realms. The kingdom was administered from Dublin Castle nominally by the King or Queen, who appointed a viceroy to rule in their stead. It had its own legislature, peerage, legal system, and state church.

Contents

Early life

James was the son of Henry Verner, Esquire [nb 1] and Anne Kerr. [nb 2] His siblings included David, Thomas, Mary and Anne. The Verner's descended from the Scotch Verners of Auchendinny (also spelled Auchentennie). [3] In Scotland, they had property until 1650 [nb 3] near Edinburgh at Auchendinny starting in the 15th century and they spelled their name "Vernour". Prior to that, they are believed to have been Norman; Their surname was spelled "le Venour" and first appeared in England in the 13th century. [1]

Auchendinny village in the United Kingdom

Auchendinny is a small village in Glencorse near Penicuik, Midlothian, Scotland. The village had a paper mill at Dalmore, until its closure in 2005. This was Midlothian's last remaining papermill and after demolition is now the site of new home development. Nearby Auchendinny House was the last country house designed by gentleman architect Sir William Bruce.

Edinburgh Capital city in Scotland

Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian, it is located in Lothian on the Firth of Forth's southern shore.

Henry and Anne had three sons and three daughters. [1] James' siblings were Thomas, David, Mary and Anne. It is through childless Thomas that James' son William inherited the Churchill estate. [3]

Sir William Verner, 1st Baronet, KCH, was a British soldier who served in the Napoleonic wars, was wounded at the Battle of Waterloo and resigned as a Colonel. He served as a politician, including 36 years as a member of Parliament. Two of his sons were also members of Parliament. Verner was made Knight Commander of the Hanoverian Order and a Baronet, and was Grand Master of Armagh and Orange Order of Ireland.

Battle of the Diamond

In 1795, James Verner made himself known for his actions:

The Battle of the Diamond might have had a very different result had not James Verner and his sons with a party of the North Mayo militia seized the boats on the River Blackwater to prevent large numbers of Defenders from Tyrone and Londonderry from reaching the scene. [4]

Public service

Verner was a sheriff for the Armagh, Dublin, Meath, Monaghan and Tyrone counties. [3]

County Armagh Place in Northern Ireland, United Kingdom

County Armagh is one of the traditional counties of Ireland and one of six counties that form Northern Ireland. Adjoined to the southern shore of Lough Neagh, the county covers an area of 1,326 km² and has a population of about 174,792. County Armagh is known as the "Orchard County" because of its many apple orchards. The county is part of the historic province of Ulster.

County Dublin Place in Ireland

County Dublin is one of the thirty-two traditional counties of Ireland. Prior to 1994 it was also an administrative county covering the whole county outside of Dublin City Council. In 1994, as part of a reorganisation of local government within Dublin the boundaries of Dublin City were redrawn, Dublin County Council was abolished and three new administrative county councils were established: Dún Laoghaire–Rathdown, Fingal and South Dublin.

County Meath County in the Republic of Ireland

County Meath is a county in Ireland. It is in the province of Leinster and is part of the Mid-East Region. It is named after the historic Kingdom of Meath. Meath County Council is the local authority for the county. At the 2016 census, the population of the county was 195,044. The county town of Meath is Navan. Other towns in the county include Trim, Kells, Laytown, Ashbourne, Dunboyne, and Slane.

For many years he was a member of the Irish parliament, [3] beginning in 1794 when he represented the borough of Dungannon in County Tyrone. He accepted the position in John Knox's place when Knox took the position of escheator of Munster (i.e. resigned). [2] [5] In Dublin, he had a home at Dawson Street until 1801 and the Act of Union in 1801 (creation of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland). [1]

Dungannon was a constituency represented in the Irish House of Commons until 1800.

County Tyrone Place

County Tyrone is one of the six counties of Northern Ireland and one of the thirty-two counties on the island of Ireland. It is no longer used as an administrative division for local government but retains a strong identity in popular culture.

Munster province in Ireland

Munster is one of the provinces of Ireland, in the south west of Ireland. In early Ireland, the Kingdom of Munster was one of the kingdoms of Gaelic Ireland ruled by a "king of over-kings". Following the Norman invasion of Ireland, the ancient kingdoms were shired into counties for administrative and judicial purposes. In later centuries, local government legislation has seen further sub-division of the historic counties.

Personal life

He married Jane Clarke, daughter of Rev. Henry Clarke of Anasammery, Armagh and his wife, the daughter of John Atkinson, of Money. [3] [6] Their children included Thomas, James, David, John, Sir William Verner, 1st Baronet, and Elizabeth. [3] In 1788, 5-year-old son William received the estate at Churchill (also Church Hill), Verner's Bridge in the County Armagh from his uncle Thomas Verner who had no children. James and Jane moved into the home with their family and were guardians of the residence until 1807. [1]

Set the foundation stone on 28 August 1816 for the Tartaraghan St. Paul's Church. [4]

James died in 1822 and Jane in 1827. Both are buried at Loughgall. [1]

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ Henry's father was Henry Verner of "Gullivenagh of County Antrim. His will was registered on 15 May 1683. He was buried at Loughgall, County Armagh. [1]
  2. ↑ Burke and Kerr both identify James Verner and Anne Kerr as parents of William Verner, 1st Baronet, and James' father is Henry Verner. Belmore states that David Verner, Esquire is the father of James, grandfather of William. Elizabeth Crossle is stated by Belmore to be James' mother. [2]
  3. ↑ According to historian John Kerr, "The main Verner family in Scotland was probably "planted" in Ulster about 1650."

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References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 John Kerr. "Churchill - Home of the Verners". Craigavon Historical Society. Retrieved 8 December 2013.
  2. 1 2 Somerset Richard Lowry-Corry Earl of Belmore (1887). Parliamentary Memoirs of Fermanagh and Tyrone, from 1613 to 1885. Alex. Thom & Company. p. 312.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 John Burke (1852). A Genealogical and Heraldic Dictionary of the Peerage and Baronetage of the British Empire. Colburn & Company. p. 1008.
  4. 1 2 Ph.D. Steven Jackson (2008). The Irish Ancestry of Stonewall Jackson. Lulu.com. p. 63. ISBN   978-1-920315-00-9.
  5. ↑ Ireland. Parliament. House of Commons (1795). The Parliamentary Register: Or, History of the Proceedings and Debates of the House of Commons of Ireland. J. Porter, P. Byrne, and W. Porter. p. 135.
  6. ↑ Charles Roger Dod (1856). The Peerage, Baronetage, and Knightage of Great Britain and Ireland, for ...: Including All the Titled Classes. Whittaker and Co. p. 547.
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