Beauchamp Bagenal (abt. 1735 - 1802)

Born about 1735 in Dunleckney, County Carlow, Ireland [uncertain]

Ancestors

Descendants

Died 1 May 1802 at about age 67 in Ireland

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Beauchamp Bagenal is Notable.

Biography

Beauchamp was born in 1735, the son of Walter Bagenal and Eleanor Beauchamp.

He was admitted to Trinity College Cambridge on 11th June 1753 aged 17.^[1]

A personal sketch of Beauchamp Bagenal recorded in Maxwell's History of the Irish rebellion in 1798 offers a wonderfully descriptive observation of the man and his times:-

"He was one of those persons, who, born to a large inheritance, and having no profession to interrupt their propensities, generally made in those times the grand tour of Europe, as the finishing part of a gentleman's education. Mr. Bagenal followed the general course; and on that tour had made himself very conspicuous. He had visited every capital of Europe, and had exhibited the native original character of the Irish gentleman at every place he visited. In the splendour of his travelling establishment, he quite eclipsed the petty potentates with whom Germany was garnished. His person was fine — his manners open and generous — his spirit high — and his liberality profuse. During his tour, he had performed a variety of feats which were emblazoned in Ireland, and endeared him to his countrymen. He had fought a prince — jilted a princess— intoxicated the Doge of Venice — carried off a duchess from Madrid — scaled the walls of a convent in Italy — narrowly escaped the Inquisition at Lisbon — concluded his exploits by a duel at Paris ; and returned to Ireland with a sovereign contempt for all continental men and manners, and an inveterate antipathy to all despotic kings and arbitrary governments. Domesticated in his own mansion at Dunleckny — surrounded by a numerous and devoted tenantry— and possessed of a great territory, Mr. Bagenal determined to spend the residue of his days on his native soil, according to the usages and customs of country gentlemen — and he was shortly afterwards returned a representative to parliament for the county of Carlow, by universal acclamation. Though Mr. Bagenal did not take any active part in the general business of the Irish parliament, he at least gave it a good example of public spirit and high-minded independence. His natural talents were far above mediocrity; but his singularities, in themselves extravagant, were increased by the intemperance of those times; and an excellent capacity was neutralized by inordinate dissipation. Prodigally hospitable, irregular, extravagant, uncertain, vivacious ; the chase, the turf, the sod, and the bottle, divided a great portion of his intellects between them, and generally left, for the use of parliament, only so much as he could spare from his other occupations."

Beauchamp married Maria (surname unknown), the widow of Stannard Ryan at Carlow on 8th July 1758.^[2][3] They had:

1. Emelia or Amelia, who married Walter Carroll
2. Catherine, who married Alexander Bissett and had four daughters
3. Walter b 1762 d 1814.^[3]

Beauchamp had at least one illegitimate child, Sarah born in 1770.

1. Sarah Westrop was the natural daughter and eventual heiress of Beauchamp Bagenal.^[4]

Another possible natural child was John Bennett who also received a substantial inheritance in Beauchamp's will.^[5]

Beauchamp represented Enniscorthy in the Irish House of Commons from 1761 to 1768. He sat then as Member of Parliament (MP) for Carlow County between 1768 and 1776 and again between 1778 and 1783. Beauchamp, one of the largest landowners in county Carlow, secured his election for the county in 1768 by duelling with one opponent and scaring off another, and preferred ‘amusements’ to ‘business’. In consequence the bulk of the estate was sold about 1784. ^[3]

1782 - To be let furnished or unfurnished the house and concerns at Donnybrook, lately occupied by Beauchamp Bagenal Esq.

Beauchamp died aged 67 on 1st May 1802 and was buried next to his beloved granddaughter Catherine Newton in Dunleckney churchyard.^[6]

His will left bequests to:^[5]

• Sarah Newton
• wife Maria and her daughter Maria Ryan
• daughter Catherine, wife of Alexander Bissett and her four daughters Mary, Catherine, Eliza, and Robiana
• son Walter
• daughter Amelia, wife of Walter Carroll
• John Bennett.

See his home: Dunleckney Manor

Research Notes

The Ryans were of Inch in county Tipperary, but Stannard was born in Dublin.

Sources

1. ↑ Venn, J. A. Alumni Cantabrigienses; a biographical list of all known students, graduates and holders of office at the University of Cambridge, from the earliest times to 1900 Part II, Volume I, Page 113 (1940)
2. ↑ The Gentleman's and London Magazine: Or Monthly Chronologer, 1741-1794 Page 424
3. ↑ ^{3.0 3.1 3.2} https://www.historyofparliamentonline.org/volume/1790-1820/member/bagenal-walter-1762-1814
4. ↑ http://thepeerage.com/p26497.htm#i264970
5. ↑ ^{5.0 5.1} Testamentary documents in the Public Record Office, Dublin T16994
6. ↑ Bagenal, Philip H. Vicissitudes of an Anglo-Irish family, 1530-1800 : a story of Irish romance and tragedy Page 164 (London: 1925)

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beauchamp_Bagenal
• Saunders's News-Letter 3 October 1782 pg 4
• Maxwell, W. H. (William Hamilton), History of the Irish rebellion in 1798 : with memoirs of the union, and Emmett's insurrection in 1803, (https://archive.org/details/historyofirishre00maxwuoft/page/344/mode/2up), London : H.G. Bohn, 1854, p.345.