The Dillon Baronetcy of Lismullen, in

County Meath County Meath ( ; or simply , ) is a Counties of Ireland, county in the Eastern and Midland Region of Republic of Ireland, Ireland, within the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster. It is bordered by County Dublin to the southeast, County ...

was created in

Baronetage of the United Kingdom Baronets are hereditary titles awarded by the Crown. The current baronetage of the United Kingdom has replaced the earlier, existing baronetages of England, Nova Scotia, Ireland and Great Britain. To be recognised as a baronet, it is necessary ...

in 1801. It became extinct with the death of the 8th Baronet in 1982. The

baronets A baronet ( or ; abbreviated Bart or Bt) or the female equivalent, a baronetess (, , or ; abbreviation Btss), is the holder of a baronetcy, a hereditary title awarded by the British Crown. The title of baronet is mentioned as early as the 1 ...

also held the title of Baron Dillon of the

Holy Roman Empire The Holy Roman Empire, also known as the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation after 1512, was a polity in Central and Western Europe, usually headed by the Holy Roman Emperor. It developed in the Early Middle Ages, and lasted for a millennium ...

, which was granted by Imperial Letters Patent of the

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dated 4 July 1783. The ancestral motto is ''Whilst I breathe I hope''. Royal Licence to use this title was granted by King

George III George III (George William Frederick; 4 June 173829 January 1820) was King of Great Britain and King of Ireland, Ireland from 25 October 1760 until his death in 1820. The Acts of Union 1800 unified Kingdom of Great Britain, Great Britain and ...

on 22 February 1784.

Dillon baronets, of Lismullen (1801)

* Sir John Talbot Dillon, 1st Baronet (1739–1805) * Sir Charles Drake Dillon, 2nd Baronet (died 1840) * Sir Arthur Richard Dillon, 3rd Baronet (died 1845) * Sir William Dillon, 4th Baronet (1774–1851) * Sir Arthur Henry Dillon, 5th Baronet (1828–1852) * Sir John Dillon, 6th Baronet (1806–1875) * Sir John Fox Dillon, 7th Baronet (1843–1925) * Sir Robert Dillon, 8th Baronet (1914–1982); brother of

Michael Dillon Laurence Michael Dillon (1 May 1915 – 15 May 1962) was a British doctor, author, Buddhist monk and the first known Trans man, transgender man to undergo a phalloplasty. Born in Ladbroke Estate, Ladbroke Gardens, Kensington, he and his elder ...

(1915–1962)

, the brother of Sir Robert Dillon, was assigned as female at birth in 1915. However, during 1944–1949, Michael Dillon became one of the first transgender men to undergo a successful legal and medical

gender reassignment Gender is the range of social, psychological, cultural, and behavioral aspects of being a man (or boy), woman (or girl), or third gender. Although gender often corresponds to sex, a transgender person may identify with a gender other than th ...

from female to male, including genital surgery and hormone therapy. In 1958, ''

Debrett's Peerage Debrett's () is a British professional coaching company and publisher and authority on etiquette and behaviour, founded in 1769 with the publication of the first edition of ''The New Peerage''. The company takes its name from its founder, John ...

'' thus listed Michael as heir to his brother's baronetcy, while ''

Burke's Peerage Burke's Peerage Limited is a British genealogical publisher, considered an authority on the order of precedence of noble families and information on the lesser nobility of the United Kingdom. It was founded in 1826, when the Anglo-Irish genea ...

'' continued to list Michael as a sister, using the name and gender from the original pre-1944 birth certificate. The editor of ''Debrett's'' told ''

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'' magazine that Michael Dillon was unquestionably next in line for the baronetcy, saying: "I have always been of the opinion that a person has all rights and privileges of the sex that is, at a given moment, recognized." Since Michael died before Robert, his candidacy to inherit the baronetcy ultimately became moot.

Notes

{{s-end Extinct baronetcies in the Baronetage of the United Kingdom