Earl of Portarlington

Earl of Portarlington is a title in the Peerage of Ireland. It was created in 1785 for John Dawson, 1st Earl of Portarlington, who had earlier represented Portarlington in the Irish House of Commons. He was the son of William Dawson, 1st Viscount Carlow, who had represented Portarlington and Queen's County in the Irish House of Commons, and had been created Baron Dawson, of Dawson's Court in the Queen's County, in 1770, and Viscount Carlow, in the County of Carlow, in 1776. These titles were also in the Peerage of Ireland. The first Earl was succeeded by his eldest son, the second Earl. He was a Colonel in the 23rd Light Dragoons but disappeared the night before the Battle of Waterloo and thus missed the start of the battle. He then attached himself to the 18th Hussars, but after the battle was forced to resign his commission in disgrace, fell into dissipation and 'died in an obscure London slum'.

He never married and was succeeded by his nephew, the third Earl. He was the son of Captain the Hon. Henry Dawson, second son of the first Earl, who had assumed by Sign Manual the additional surname of Damer on inheriting the large Milton Abbey estate in Dorset from his aunt Lady Caroline Damer. Lord Portarlington sat in the House of Lords as an Irish Representative Peer from 1855 to 1889.

On his death the titles passed to his cousin, the fourth Earl. He was the son of Colonel the Hon. George Dawson-Damer, third son of the first Earl. Lord Portarlington represented Portarlington in the House of Commons as a Conservative. He was succeeded by his son, the fifth Earl. He was an Irish Representative Peer from 1896 to 1900. the titles are held by his great-grandson, the seventh Earl, who succeeded his grandfather in 1959. He is the son of George Lionel Seymour Dawson-Damer, Viscount Carlow, proprietor of the Corvinus Press, who was killed in action in 1944.

The family seat is Gledswood House, near Melrose, Roxburghshire. The former family seat was Emo Court, near Emo, County Laois.

Viscounts Carlow (1776)

*William Henry Dawson, 1st Viscount Carlow (1712–1779)"Alumni Dublinenses : a register of the students, graduates, professors and provosts of Trinity College in the University of Dublin (1593–1860George Dames Burtchaell/ Thomas Ulick Sadleir p217: Dublin, Alex Thom and Co, 1935
*John Dawson, 1st Earl of Portarlington (1744–1798) (created Earl of Portarlington in 1785)

Earls of Portarlington (1785)

*John Dawson, 1st Earl of Portarlington (1744–1798)
*John Dawson, 2nd Earl of Portarlington (1781–1845)
* Henry John Reuben Dawson-Damer, 3rd Earl of Portarlington (1822–1889)
* Lionel Seymour William Dawson-Damer, 4th Earl of Portarlington (1832–1892)
*George Lionel Henry Seymour Dawson-Damer, 5th Earl of Portarlington (1858–1900)
*Lionel Arthur Henry Seymour Dawson-Damer, 6th Earl of Portarlington (1883–1959)
*George Lionel Yuill Seymour Dawson-Damer, 7th Earl of Portarlington (born 1938)

The heir apparent is the present holder's son Charles George Yuill Seymour Dawson-Damer, Viscount Carlow (born 1965).

The heir apparent of the heir apparent is his son Henry Dawson-Damer (born 2009).

See also

*Earl of Dorchester

Notes

References

*Kidd, Charles, Williamson, David (editors). ''Debrett's Peerage and Baronetage'' (1990 edition). New York: St Martin's Press, 1990,
*

{{DEFAULTSORT:Portarlington
Earldoms in the Peerage of Ireland
Noble titles created in 1785

Dawson-Damer family