Barry Maxwell, 1st Earl of Farnham
Barry Maxwell, 1st Earl of Farnham PC (Ire), styled The Honourable Barry Maxwell from 1756 to 1779, was an Irish peer and politician. He succeeded as the 3rd Baron Farnham in 1779, and was later created the 1st Viscount Farnham in 1781 and, in 1785, he was further advanced in the Peerage of Ireland as the 1st Earl of Farnham.
Background
He was the son of John Maxwell, 1st Baron Farnham and Judith Barry.Political career
He was Prothonotary of the Court of Common Pleas between 1741 and 1800, was called to the Irish Bar in 1748 and was appointed a Bencher in 1757. On his brother's death in November 1779, he succeeded as the 3rd Baron Farnham, inheriting the Farnham estate. He commissioned James Wyatt, one of the most fashionable architects of the time, to design a new house. These plans are now housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.Lord Farnham was created Viscount Farnham on 10 January 1781, Earl of Farnham on 22 June 1785, and became a Privy Councillor in Ireland on 6 June 1796. From 1756 to 1760 and again from 1768 to 1779, he sat in the Irish House of Commons for Cavan Borough. Between 1761 and 1768, he represented Armagh Borough.
Family
He married twice, firstly in January 1757 to Margaret King, daughter of Robert King of Drewstown. They had the following children:- John James Maxwell, 2nd Earl of Farnham.
- Anne Maxwell; she married Richard Fox of Fox Hall in 1787.
- Judith Maxwell, died unmarried in 1818.
- Grace Maxwell ; she married Sir Ralph St George, 7th Baronet
- Elizabeth Maxwell, died unmarried in January 1782.