Richard FitzWilliam, 5th Viscount FitzWilliam,PC (Ireland) (c. 1677 – 6 June 1743), ofMount Merrion in Dublin, was an Irish nobleman andWhig politician.[1]
He was the only son ofThomas FitzWilliam, 4th Viscount FitzWilliam by his first wife Mary Stapleton, a daughter of the English statesman SirPhilip Stapleton and his first wife Frances Hotham.[2] The FitzWilliam family is recorded in Ireland from about 1210, and by the seventeenth century had become one of the largest landowners in Dublin.
He succeeded to theViscountcy of FitzWilliam in 1704, and became a member of theIrish Privy Council in 1715.[1] He was elected amember of parliament forFowey in 1727, a seat he held until 1734.[1] His father and grandfather had beenRoman Catholics, and his father had been underattainder for a time for his loyalty to the Catholic KingJames II;[3] but Richard conformed to theChurch of Ireland.[1]
In 1711, he builtMount Merrion House in Dublin. The older family home ofMerrion Castle was, rather surprisingly, allowed to fall into decay: it was a ruin by 1730, and was pulled down later in the century.[3] Richard spent his later years in England, but his heirs returned to Mount Merrion. He let the house toJohn Wainwright, one of the Barons of theCourt of Exchequer (Ireland).
Lord Fitzwilliam married Frances Shelley, daughter of Sir John Shelley, 3rd Baronet of Michaelgrove and his first wife Bridget Neville, daughter ofGeorge Nevill, 11th Baron Bergavenny.[2] They had five children:
| Parliament of Great Britain | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Member of Parliament forFowey 1727–1734 With:William Bromley 1727 Jonathan Rashleigh 1727–1734 | Succeeded by |
| Peerage of Ireland | ||
| Preceded by | Viscount FitzWilliam 1704–1743 | Succeeded by |