Friday 9 December 2022

The Gore Baronets

This family is the parent stock whence the noble house of GORE, Earls of Arran, branched. 

GERARD GORE (c1516-1607), of London, alderman, treasurer of the Merchant Taylors' Company (son of John Gore, of London), had a grant from ELIZABETH I of land held of the Manor of Molesey Prior, part of the dissolved monastery of Merton, Surrey.

Alderman Gore married Ellen, eldest daughter of Ralph Davenant, of London and Edmonton, Middlesex, and had issue,
Richard;
Thomas;
Gerard;
John (Sir);
William;
Ralph;
PAUL, of whom hereafter.
Helen, 
The youngest son,

PAUL GORE (1567-1629), a captain of horse, settled in Ireland during the reign of ELIZABETH I.
In 1602, Captain Gore was deputed by Lord Deputy Mountjoy to convey Her Majesty's protection to Rory O'Donnell, who had sued to be admitted to the Queen's favour, and to bring him to the Lord Deputy, then in Connaught, which mission he executed successfully.
Conducting O'Donnell to Athlone, the chieftain made his submission there to Her Majesty, and was created the next year Earl of Tyrconnel.
For this and other services, Sir Paul was rewarded by a grant from the Crown of the barony of Boylagh and Bannagh, in County Donegal, whch he enjoyed for some years, until JAMES I granted the same estate to the Earl of Annandale.
In lieu thereof, the King conferred a much inferior property upon the plantation of Ulster, viz. 1,348 acres of forfeited lands, called Magherabegg, in the same county; which estate was erected into a manor, under the designation of Manor Gore.
In the parliament which met in 1618, Sir Paul was returned for Ballyshannon.
Captain Paul Gore was created a baronet in 1622, designated of Magherabegg, County Donegal.

He married Isabella, daughter of Francis Wycliffe, and neice of Sir Thomas Wentworth, Earl of Strafford, and had issue,
RALPH, succeeded his father;
Arthur, cr a baronet, 1662; ancestor of the
Earls of Arran;
Henry, Lt-Col in the army; m Mary, daughter of R Blayney, of Castle Blayney;
Francis, of Artarman, Co Sligo (ancestor of the Gore-Booth Baronets).
Sir Paul died in 1629, and was succeeded by his eldest son, 

SIR RALPH GORE, 2nd Baronet (-c1651), who wedded Anne, second daughter of William, 2nd Baron Caulfeild, of Charlemont, by whom he had an only son,

THE RT HON SIR WILLIAM GORE,
3rd Baronet, Privy Counsellor, Custos Rotulorum for County Leitrim, who espoused Hannah, daughter and co-heir of James, son and heir of Sir F Hamilton, Knight, of Manor Hamilton, County Leitrim, by whom he had, with five daughters, two sons,
RALPH, his heir;
William (Very Rev), Dean of Down.
Sir William, died ca 1700, and was succeeded by his eldest son,

THE RT HON SIR RALPH GORE
, 4th Baronet (c1675-1733), Privy Counsellor, MP for Donegal Borough, 1703-13, County Donegal, 1713-27, Clogher, 1727-33, Chancellor of the Irish Exchequer, and subsequently, in 1729, Speaker of the House of Commons in Ireland, upon the retirement of the Rt Hon William Conolly.

Sir Ralph succeeded, in right of his mother, to the estate of Manor Hamilton, and, beautifying the island of Ballymacmanus, in Lough Erne, gave it the name of BELLE ISLE.

He married firstly, Elizabeth, daughter of Sir Robert Colville, of Newtown, County Leitrim, by whom he had two daughters; and secondly, Elizabeth, daughter of the Rt Rev Dr St George Ashe, Lord Bishop of Clogher, by whom he had three sons and four daughters,
ST GEORGE, his heir;
RALPH, successor to his brother;
Richard, of Sandymount, father of RALPH;
Jane; Elizabeth; Catherine; Mary.
Sir Ralph was succeeded by his eldest son, 

SIR ST GEORGE GORE-ST GEORGE, 5th Baronet (1722-46), MP for County Donegal, 1741-6, who assumed the latter surname upon inheriting the estates of his maternal ancestors, his mother being, first, co-heir, and eventually, sole heir of her brother, Sir Richard St George, of Dunmore. 

Sir St George wedded, in 1743, Anne, only daughter of the Rt Hon Francis Burton, of Buncraggy, and sister of Francis Pierrepoint Burton, 2nd Baron Conyngham; but left no issue at his decease, when the title devolved upon his brother,

GENERAL SIR RALPH GORE, 6th Baronet (1725-1802), a distinguished military officer who, having obtained the command of a battalion at the battle of Lauffeld, in 1747, when only a captain, owing to the fall of his senior officers, distinguished himself so highly that he received the thanks of the Duke of Cumberland on the following day, at the head of his regiment.

1st Earl of Ross (Image: the National Trust)

Sir Ralph, subsequently MP for County Donegal, 1727-64, was elevated to the pe
erage, in 1764, in the dignity of Baron Gore, of Manor Gore, County Donegal.

He was advanced to a viscountcy, in 1768, as Viscount Belleisle, of Belle Isle, County Fermanagh.

His lordship was further advanced, in 1772, to the dignity of an earldom, as EARL OF ROSS.

In 1788, Lord Ross, who had attained the rank of lieutenant-general, was appointed commander-in-chief in Ireland, during the absence of Lieutenant-General Sir A W Pitt. 

He married firstly, in 1754, Katherine, eldest daughter of the Rt Hon William Conolly, by whom he had no issue.

His lordship wedded secondly, Alice, daughter of the Rt Hon Nathaniel Clements, and sister of Robert, Lord Leitrim, by whom he had an only son, 

RALPH, Viscount Belleisle, who died issueless in 1789.

The 1st Earl died in 1802, when the titles expired; but the baronetcy devolved upon his nephew,

SIR RALPH GORE, 7th Baronet (1758-1842). (eldest son of the deceased Earl's brother, Richard Gore), who wedded the Lady Grace Maxwell, daughter of Barry, Earl of Farnham, and had issue,
ST GEORGE, his heir;
Grace; Martha; Elizabeth.
Sir Ralph was succeeded by his son, 

SIR ST GEORGE GORE, 8th Baronet (1811-78), who died unmarried.

*****

Sir
(St George) Ralph Gore was the 9th Baronet (1841-87).

Sir Ralph St George Claude Gore, 10th Baronet (1877-1961) was a major in the Westminster Dragoons; lieutenant, The Royals; Vice-Commodore, Royal Yacht, 1947; President, Royal Yachting Association, 1945.


Sir (Ralph St. George) Brian Gore, 11th Baronet (1908-73) was educated at Eton and Sandhurst; Lieutenant-Colonel, The Royals, during 2nd W
orld War.
  • Sir St George Ralph Gore, 12th Baronet (1914–1973)
  • Sir Richard Ralph St.George Gore, 13th Baronet (1954–1993)
  • Sir Nigel Hugh St George Gore, 14th Baronet (1922–2008)
  • Sir Hugh Frederick Corbet Gore, 15th Baronet (b. 1934). 
It is believed that the present baronet lives in Australia.

First published in May, 2011;  revised in 2014.

1 comment :

Demetrius said...

The Royals, way back were 7 Armd Div recce regiment by the banks of the Elbe who would have been first in if the Russkies had decided to go for broke. I played cricket against them. I don't think the Gore's were around then, however.