Arthur Guinness (1725 - 1803)

Born 28 Sep 1725 in Oakley Park, Celbridge, Ireland

Ancestors

Husband of Olivia (Whitmore) Guinness — married 1761 in County Dublin, Ireland

Descendants

Died 23 Jan 1803 in Beaumont, County Dublin, Ireland

Profile managers: Phil Richardson [send private message], Andrew Sich [send private message], and Ireland Project WikiTree [send private message]

Arthur Guinness is a profile under management of the Irish Roots Project. Join: Irish Roots Project Discuss: irish_roots

Arthur Guinness was born in Ireland.

Arthur Guinness is Notable.

Biography

Arthur Guinness, the founder of Guinness brewery

Uncertain Origin

Arthur is said to have been born in 1725 near Celbridge, Co Kildare, Ireland, at Oakley Park.^[1][2] He was a son of Richard Guinness.^[3] Arthur's mother is sometimes said to have been Elizabeth Read, but proof is lacking. In fact, Mike Rendell reports that Richard Guinness married Catherine Unknown.^[4] Bill Yenne reports that Richard Guinness' origin is unknown, though Richard is thought to have had a brother, William, who became a Dublin gunsmith.^[3]

Arthur's place of birth has been the subject of some question, or "family tradition." One often reported birth place is the home of his Read grandparents, at Huttonread, Co. Kildare, Ireland. Some say it was then the custom for an expectant mother to return to her home to give birth. Apparently there is a lack of evidence for the name of Arthur's mother and no record of Arthur's birth.^[3]

At the time of his birth, Arthur's father is said to have been employed by Dr. Arthur Price (later Archbishop of Cashel), as the Land Steward to his property.^[1] One of the Steward's responsibilities was to brew the beer for the workers at the estate near Cashel.^[1]

Note: This profile reported an exact birth date March 12, 1725, but the source is questionable (Ancestry.com "Family Tree"). The information about Arthur's mother's name and the origin of Richard Guinness are also questionable. The sources for this information seem to be either Guinness Beer corporate publications or Ancestry.com "Family Trees." Bill Yenne, who researched the family for his book, Guinness, found no such evidence for the mother's name, nor for Richard Guinness' origins.^[3]

Family

Arthur married 14 June 1761 at St. Mary, Dublin, County Dublin, Ireland to Olivia Whitmore.^[5] They are said to have had 21 children (10 who survived to adulthood).^[1]

Children:

1. Elizabeth Guinness
2. Hosea Guinness
3. Hosea Guinness
4. Arthur Hart Guinness
5. Edward Guinness
6. Olivia Guinness
7. Benjamin Guinness
8. Louisa Guinness
9. John Grattan Esq Guinness
10. William Lunell Esq Mg Guinness
11. Mary Anne Guinness

Brewer

Arthur probably learned about beer brewing by helping his father. Once on his own, Arthur started with a small brewery near Leixlip.^[1] He gifted that business to his younger brother, and on 31 December 1759, signed a lease on a floundering brewery at St James’s Gate in Dublin.^[1] By the 1770's, Arthur was brewing the new darker ale called porter.^[1] In the span of only eight years, he went from a new member of the Dublin Brewers and Maltsters Corporation to become Master of the Corporation.^[1] In 1799, he made the momentous decision to brew only the iconic Guinness porter.^[1]

Death and Legacy

Arthur died in 1803. According to Bill Yenne, in Guinness, he died at his country estate, Beaumont (page 24), "leaving a legacy and a name that would stand the test of time."^[3]

Arthur was buried at Read family plot Oughterard, Co. Kildare.^{[citation needed]}

He left a considerable fortune, £23,000, as well as the thriving business.^[1] Three of his sons continued in the Guinness Brewery.^[1]

Sources

1. ↑ ^{1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10} Guinness Corporation, Archive Fact Sheet: Arthur Guinness (1725-1803) Guinness Storehouse, Guinness Corporation, accessed February 17, 2015
2. ↑ Oakley Park, Celbridge, County Kildare
3. ↑ ^{3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4} Yenne, Bill, Guinness. accessed February 17, 2015
4. ↑ Rendell, Mike, Arthur Guinness (1725 - 1803) - A Stout Fellow if Ever There Was One accessed February 17, 2015
5. ↑ Platt, Lyman, Irish Records Extraction Online publication - Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 1999.

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arthur_Guinness

More Genealogy Tools

More records on Arthur Guinness may be available offline. Schedule a free consultation with our friends at Trace.

Get Help