Thomas Henry Skeffington, 2nd Viscount Ferrard (January 1772 – 18 January 1843), styled The Honourable from 1790 until 1824, was an Irish peer and politician.

Background

Born Thomas Henry Foster, he was the son of John Foster, 1st Baron Oriel, the last

Speaker of the Irish House of Commons The Speaker of the Irish House of Commons was the presiding officer of the Irish House of Commons until its disestablishment in 1800. In the absence of a government chosen from and answerable to the Commons, the Speaker was the dominant politica ...

, and Margaretta Amelia Burgh, 1st Viscountess Ferrard.

Political career

He entered the

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. The membership of the House of Commons was directly elected, but on a highly restrictive fran ...

for

Dunleer Dunleer () is a town and townland in County Louth, Ireland. Dunleer is situated midway between Dundalk and Drogheda and is located on the junction of the R132, R169 and R170 regional roads that intersect the town. Dunleer used to be the pr ...

in 1793, representing it until the Act of Union in 1801. Ferrard sat as

Member of Parliament A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members o ...

in the

British House of Commons The House of Commons is the lower house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the upper house, the House of Lords, it meets in the Palace of Westminster in London, England. The House of Commons is an elected body consisting of 65 ...

for

Drogheda Drogheda ( , ; , meaning "bridge at the ford") is an industrial and port town in County Louth on the east coast of Ireland, north of Dublin. It is located on the Dublin–Belfast corridor on the east coast of Ireland, mostly in County Louth ...

between 1807 and 1812 and for

County Louth County Louth ( ; ga, An Lú) is a coastal Counties of Ireland, county in the Eastern and Midland Region of Republic of Ireland, Ireland, within the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster. Louth is bordered by the counties of County Meath, M ...

between 1821 and 1824. In 1811 he was appointed

High Sheriff of Louth The High Sheriff of Louth was the Crown's representative for County Louth, a territory known as his bailiwick. Selected from three nominated people, he held his office for the duration of a year. He had judicial, ceremonial and administrative func ...

and in 1818, appointed

High Sheriff of Antrim The High Sheriff of Antrim is the Sovereign's judicial representative in County Antrim. Initially an office for lifetime, assigned by the Sovereign, the high sheriff became annually appointed from the Provisions of Oxford in 1258. Besides his jud ...

. He succeeded his mother as second Viscount Ferrard in 1824. As this was an

Irish peerage The Peerage of Ireland consists of those titles of nobility created by the English monarchs in their capacity as Lord or King of Ireland, or later by monarchs of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. It is one of the five di ...

it disqualified him from sitting in the Commons for an Irish seat, but it did not entitle him to a seat in the

House of Lords The House of Lords, also known as the House of Peers, is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Membership is by appointment, heredity or official function. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminst ...

. In 1828 he succeeded his father in the barony of Oriel, which was in the

Peerage of the United Kingdom The Peerage of the United Kingdom is one of the five Peerages in the United Kingdom. It comprises most peerages created in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland after the Acts of Union in 1801, when it replaced the Peerage of Great ...

, and was able to take a seat in the upper chamber of the British Parliament.

Family

Lord Ferrard married Harriet Skeffington, ''suo jure 9th'' Viscountess Massereene, daughter of Chichester Skeffington, 4th

Earl of Massereene Earl () is a rank of the nobility in the United Kingdom. The title originates in the Old English word ''eorl'', meaning "a man of noble birth or rank". The word is cognate with the Scandinavian form ''jarl'', and meant "chieftain", particular ...

and 8th Viscount Massereene. She died in 1831. Lord Ferrard died in January 1843 and was succeeded by his son,

John John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Secon ...

, who had already succeeded his mother as tenth Viscount Massereene.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Ferrard, Thomas Foster, 2nd Viscount 1772 births 1843 deaths High Sheriffs of Antrim High Sheriffs of County Louth Irish MPs 1790–1797 Irish MPs 1798–1800 Members of the Parliament of Ireland (pre-1801) for County Louth constituencies Members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for County Louth constituencies (1801–1922) UK MPs 1807–1812 UK MPs 1820–1826 UK MPs who inherited peerages Viscounts in the Peerage of Ireland Younger sons of barons Members of the Privy Council of Ireland Commissioners of the Treasury for Ireland