Baron Rossmore, of

Monaghan Monaghan ( ; ) is the county town of County Monaghan, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It also provides the name of its Civil parishes in Ireland, civil parish and Monaghan (barony), Monaghan barony. The population of the town as of the 2022 cen ...

in the County of Monaghan, is a title in the

Peerage of Ireland The peerage of Ireland consists of those Peerage, titles of nobility created by the English monarchs in their capacity as Lordship of Ireland, Lord or Monarchy of Ireland, King of Ireland, or later by monarchs of the United Kingdom of Great B ...

. It was created in 1796 for the soldier Robert Cuninghame, with remainder to his wife Elizabeth's nephews Henry Alexander Jones (the son of Theophilus Jones and Anne Murray, eldest sister of Elizabeth; Henry Alexander Jones died childless before his uncle Lord Rossmore) and Warner William Westenra, son of Henry Westenra and Harriet Murray, youngest sister of Elizabeth. Cuninghame was a General in the Army and served as Commander-in-Chief of Ireland. From January to August 1801 he also sat in the

House of Lords The House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the lower house, the House of Commons of the United Kingdom, House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster in London, England. One of the oldest ext ...

as an Irish representative peer. Lord Rossmore died childless (his death gave rise to the legend of the Rossmore

banshee A banshee ( ; Irish language, Modern Irish , from , "woman of the Tumulus#Ireland, fairy mound" or "fairy woman") is a female spirit in Irish folklore who heralds the death of a family member, usually by screaming, wailing, shrieking, or kee ...

) and was succeeded according to the special remainder by his nephew Warner William Westenra, the second Baron. He represented

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 650 memb ...

and also served as Lord Lieutenant of Monaghan from 1831 to 1842. In 1838 he was created Baron Rossmore, of the County of Monaghan, 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 B ...

. This gave the barons an automatic seat in the

. His eldest son, Henry Robert Westenra, the third Baron, represented Monaghan in Parliament as a Whig and was Lord Lieutenant of Monaghan from 1843 to 1852. Henry's younger son, the fifth Baron (who succeeded his elder unmarried brother), was Lord Lieutenant of Monaghan from 1897 to 1921. the titles are held by the latter's great-grandson, the eighth Baron, who succeeded his father in that year. The Westenra family is of Dutch descent. Warner Westenra (died 1676) immigrated to Dublin and became an Irish subject. The seat of the Barons Rossmore was Rossmore Castle,

County Monaghan County Monaghan ( ; ) is a Counties of Ireland, county in Ireland. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Ulster and is part of Border Region, Border strategic planning area of the Northern and Western Region. It is named after the town ...

. Warner Westenra, grandfather of the second Baron, represented Maryborough in the Irish Parliament. Henry Westenra, father of the second Baron, represented

in the Irish Parliament. The Honourable John Westenra, third son of the second Baron, was member of parliament for King's County. The family seat was Rossmore Park, near

, in Ireland.

Baron Rossmore (1796, 1838)

* Robert Cuninghame, 1st Baron Rossmore (1726–1801) * Warner William Westenra, 2nd Baron Rossmore (1765–1842) (created Baron Rossmore Kin 1838) * Henry Robert Westenra, 3rd Baron Rossmore (1792–1860) * Henry Cairnes Westenra, 4th Baron Rossmore (1851–1874) * Derrick Warner William Westenra, 5th Baron Rossmore (1853–1921) * William Westenra, 6th Baron Rossmore (1892–1958) *

William Warner Westenra, 7th Baron Rossmore William Warner Westenra, 7th Baron Rossmore (14 February 1931 – 4 May 2021), known as Hon. William Westenra, and nicknamed Paddy, was an Anglo-Irish noble, photographer and author. Biography Born at the family seat of Rossmore Castle, William ...

(1931–2021) * Benedict William Westenra, 8th Baron Rossmore (born 1983) There is currently no heir to the title.

Title succession chart

References

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Rossmore Baronies in the Peerage of Ireland Peerages created with special remainders Noble titles created in 1796 1796 establishments in Ireland Baronies in the Peerage of the United Kingdom Noble titles created in 1838 Peerages created for UK MPs