Sir Mark Rainsford (c. 1652 – November 1709) was an Irish

Lord Mayor of Dublin The Lord Mayor of Dublin () is the honorary title of the chairperson ( ) of Dublin City Council which is the local government body for the city of Dublin, the capital of Ireland. The incumbent, since December 2024, is Fine Gael councillor Emma ...

and the owner of what was to later become the

Guinness Brewery St. James's Gate Brewery is a brewery founded in 1759 in Dublin, Ireland, by Arthur Guinness. The company is now a part of Diageo, a company formed from the merger of Guinness and Grand Metropolitan in 1997. The main product of the brewery is ...

Political career

Sir Mark Rainsford was Lord Mayor of Dublin from 1700 to 1701. During his term as Lord Mayor, the King William III equestrian statue in

College Green, Dublin College Green () is a three-sided plaza in the centre of Dublin, Ireland. On its northern side is the Bank of Ireland building, which until 1800 was Ireland's Parliament House. To its east stands Trinity College Dublin. To its south stands a se ...

was unveiled on 1 July 1701.A transcription of the statue's plaque read: "I am seeing here the Third King of Great Britain, France and Hibernia./ For the keeping of Religious Reinstated Laws. / Bring Freedom and this Statue To the eminent citizens of Dublin. / It was begun A.D 1700 Sir Anthony Percy, Lord Mayor. Charles Forrest, James Barlow - Esquires Sheriffs / Finished, A.D 1701 Sir Mark Rainsford, Lord Mayor. John Eceles, Ralph Gore - Esquires Sheriffs" He had previously served as High Sheriff of Dublin City in 1689 and 1690.

Professional career

Rainsford was the owner of what would later become the Guinness Brewery in

St. James's Gate St. James's Gate, located off the south quays of Dublin, on James's Street, Dublin, James's Street, was the western entrance to the city during the Middle Ages. During this time the gate was the traditional starting point for the Camino pilgrima ...

Dublin Dublin is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Situated on Dublin Bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, and is bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, pa ...

. His business manufactured 'Beer and Fine Ales' and he was succeeded by his son - also named Mark Rainsford. In 1715, the business was leased to Captain Paul Espinasse. By 1750, the Rainsford family had resumed possession of the business and site. Rainsford's grandson, also called Mark Rainsford, signed over the now famous 9000 year

lease A lease is a contractual arrangement calling for the user (referred to as the ''lessee'') to pay the owner (referred to as the ''lessor'') for the use of an asset. Property, buildings and vehicles are common assets that are leased. Industrial ...

Arthur Guinness Arthur Guinness ( 172523 January 1803) was an Irish brewer, entrepreneur, and philanthropist. The inventor of Guinness beer, he founded the Guinness Brewery at St. James's Gate in 1759. Guinness was born in Ardclogh, near Celbridge, County Ki ...

on 31 December 1759.

Personal life

Rainsford was married twice; His first wife was Jane Mee, the daughter of Giles Mee. He had three sons: Edward, Mark, Giles Mee, and several daughters. He acquired land in Portarlington in Queen's County (later

County Laois County Laois ( ; ) is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Eastern and Midland Region and in the province of Leinster. It was known as Queen's County from 1556 to 1922. The modern county takes its name from Loígis, a medieval kingdom. Hist ...

) as well as plantations in

County Kildare County Kildare () is a Counties of Ireland, county in Ireland. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster and is part of the Eastern and Midland Region. It is named after the town of Kildare. Kildare County Council is the Local gove ...

and

County Kilkenny County Kilkenny () is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster and is part of the Southern Region, Ireland, Southern Region. It is named after the City status in Ir ...

. In 1691, upon the death of his father-in-law, Giles Mee, Rainsford inherited water rights in the district around

and leveraged these rights to undertake his brewing business. Rainsford was married for a second time, to Isabella Bolton, on 16 May 1695 in St. Michan's Church Dublin.Ancestry.com. Ireland, Select Marriages, 1619-1898 atabase on-line Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2014. He died in 1709, and Rainsford Street (which stands at the junction of Crane Street and the entrance to Guinness Brewery) was named in his honour.

Images

File:St James Gate.jpg, Thomas Street entrance to St James' Gate Brewery, the site of Rainsford's brewing business File:King_William_Statue_1.jpg, King William III statue, unveiled during Rainsford's tenure as Lord Mayor File:Arms entry of Sir Mark Rainsford, Sheriff of City of Dublin, Sept. 24, 1690.jpg, Arms entry of Mark Raynford, Sheriff of City of Dublin, a Captain of Dublin Militia, 24 September 1690

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rainsford, Mark 1650s births 1709 deaths Year of birth uncertain Businesspeople from County Dublin Irish Anglicans Irish brewers Irish knights Lord mayors of Dublin High sheriffs of Dublin City 18th-century Irish businesspeople 17th-century Irish businesspeople