Percy Wyndham-O'Brien, 1st Earl of Thomond

Percy Wyndham-O'Brien, 1st Earl of Thomond (c. 1713 – 1774) was a British Member of Parliament and an Irish peer.

Percy Wyndham-O'Brien
Member of the British House of Commons
In office 1745–1774
Preceded by	John Buck
Succeeded by	William Nedham
Constituency	Taunton (1745-1747) Minehead (1747-1754) Cockermouth (1754-1761) Winchelsea (1761) Minehead (1761-1768) Winchelsea (1768-1774)
Personal details
Born	c. 1713
Died	1774 (aged c. 61)
Political party	Whig
Parent	William Wyndham

Arms of O'Brien: Quarterly of 4: 1&4: Gules, three lions passant guardant in pale per pale or and argent (O'Brien); 2nd: Or, (perhaps argent), three piles conjoined in point gules; 3rd: Or, a pheon azure (Sydney?)

Origins

He was the younger of the two sons of Tory statesman Sir William Wyndham, 3rd Baronet (c.1688–1740) of Orchard Wyndham, Somerset, Secretary at War in 1712, Chancellor of the Exchequer in 1713 and Tory leader in the House of Commons during the reign of King George I (1714–1727) and during the early years of King George II (1727–1760). His mother was Catherine Seymour, daughter of Charles Seymour, 6th Duke of Somerset (1662–1748), KG, and sister of Algernon Seymour, 7th Duke of Somerset (1684–1750), created in 1749 Earl of Egremont and Baron Cockermouth, with special remainder to his nephew Charles Wyndham (1710–1763), Percy's elder brother, who duly became 2nd Earl of Egremont in 1750.^[1]

Inheritance

When Percy was 28 years old in 1741, Henry O'Brien, 8th Earl of Thomond died without issue and in his will left all his Irish estates to him as the younger son of his wife's sister. In compliance with the terms of the bequest, Percy took the additional surname name of O'Brien.^[2] On 11 December 1756,^[3] he was created Earl of Thomond and Baron Ibracken (the second creation).

Career

He was educated at St Mary Hall, Oxford. He was MP for of Taunton, Somerset, from 1745 to 1747 when he was succeeded by his elder brother Sir Charles Wyndham, 4th Baronet (1710–1763), who would succeed as 2nd Earl of Egremont three years later in 1750. He was MP for Minehead, Somerset, 1747–1754 and MP for Cockermouth, Cumberland, 1754–1761, (Cockermouth and nearby Egremont were parts of the ancient Cumberland estate of the Percy Earls of Northumberland, whose heir was Algernon Seymour, 7th Duke of Somerset (1684–1750), whose co-heir (to these estates and to Petworth House) was his elder nephew Charles Wyndham, (Percy's brother). Percy Wyndham was later MP for Winchelsea between 1768 and 1774.

Death and succession

When Percy died unmarried and without issue in 1774, the earldom again became extinct.^[4] His estates passed to his nephew George O'Brien Wyndham, 3rd Earl of Egremont (1751–1837) of Petworth House, Sussex and Orchard Wyndham.

Further reading

• History of Parliament biography
• Wyndham, the Hon H. A., "A Family History, The Wyndhams of Somerset, Sussex and Wiltshire", 1950.

References

1. Debretts peerage, 1968, p.411, Baron Leconfield and Egremont
2. Deed Poll Office: Private Act of Parliament 1741 (15 Geo. 2). c. 17
3. "Person Page 2418". Thepeerage.com. Retrieved 16 August 2012.
4. Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Thomond, Earl and Marquess of" . Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 26 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 869.

Parliament of Great Britain
Preceded by Sir John Chapman, Bt John Buck	Member of Parliament for Taunton 1745–1747 With: Sir John Chapman, Bt	Succeeded by Sir Charles Wyndham Robert Webb
Preceded by Thomas Carew John Periam	Member of Parliament for Minehead 1747–1754 With: Charles Whitworth	Succeeded by Charles Whitworth Daniel Boone
Preceded by Sir John Mordaunt William Finch	Member of Parliament for Cockermouth 1754–1761 With: Sir John Mordaunt	Succeeded by Sir John Mordaunt Charles Jenkinson
Preceded by Arnold Nesbitt Thomas Orby Hunter	Member of Parliament for Winchelsea 1761 With: Thomas Orby Hunter	Succeeded by Thomas Orby Hunter Thomas Sewell
Preceded by Charles Whitworth Daniel Boone	Member of Parliament for Minehead 1761–1768 With: Henry Shiffner	Succeeded by Henry Fownes-Luttrell Sir Charles Whitworth
Preceded by Thomas Orby Hunter Thomas Sewell	Member of Parliament for Winchelsea 1768–1774 With: Thomas Orby Hunter 1768–70 Arnold Nesbitt 1770–74	Succeeded by Arnold Nesbitt William Nedham
Political offices
Preceded by The Viscount Bateman	Treasurer of the Household 1757–1761	Succeeded by The Earl of Powis
Preceded by James Grenville	Cofferer of the Household 1761–1765	Succeeded by The Earl of Scarbrough
Honorary titles
Preceded by The Earl Poulett	Lord Lieutenant of Somerset 1764–1774	Succeeded by Lord North
Peerage of Ireland
New creation	Earl of Thomond 1756–1774	Extinct