From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Baron de Freyne
Baron de Freyne
Baron de Freyne is a title in the Peerage of the United refused the offer of the peerage originally intended for
Kingdom. his brother. His son Arthur French (d. 1820) was also
a member of the Irish House of Commons for County
Two baronies Roscommon. His eldest son was the first Baron de Freyne.
Fitzstephen French, youngest brother of the first Baron,
Freyne,
Baron de Freyne of Coolavin in the County of Sligo, is a was Member of Parliament for County Roscommon.
title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was cre- The ancestral seat of the Barons de Freyne was the
ated 1851 for Arthur French, 1st Baron de Freyne, with French Park Estate, near Boyle, County Roscommon, in
remainder to his younger brothers John, Charles and the Republic of Ireland. The manor house, originally built
Fitzstephen. He had earlier represented County Roscom- in the mid-17th century before being rebuilt in the Geor-
mon in the House of Commons and later served as Lord gian style in the 18th century was demolished after the
Lieutenant of County Roscommon. French had already sale of the estate by the French family to the Irish Land
Freyne,
been created Baron de Freyne of Artagh in the County Commission in 1952. The Land Commission removed the
of Roscommon, in 1839, also in the Peerage of the United roof of the buildings in 1953 and eventually demolished
Kingdom but with normal remainder to heirs male. Lord the remaining structures in ca 1975.
de Freyne was childless and on his death in 1856 the
barony of 1839 became extinct. He was succeeded in the
barony of 1851 according to the special remainder by his
Barons de Freyne (of Artagh,
younger brother John, the second Baron. 1839)
On his death the title passed to another brother,
Richard, the third Baron. In 1851 he married Catherine • Arthur French, 1st Baron de Freyne (1786–1856)
Maree, daughter of Luke Maree, by a Catholic priest.
Afterwards a question arose as to the validity of the mar- Barons de Freyne (of Coolavin,
riage with she being a Roman Catholic and he a Protes-
tant and they were again married in 1854 in the Church 1851)
of Ireland. By then they had had three sons, Charles • Arthur French, 1st Baron de Freyne (1786–1856)
French (1851–1925) (Member of Parliament for County • John French, 2nd Baron de Freyne (1788–1863)
Roscommon), John French (1853–1916) and William • Charles French, 3rd Baron de Freyne (1790–1868)
French (1854–1868). However, due to the uncertainty • Arthur French, 4th Baron de Freyne (1855–1913)
over the first marriage Lord de Freyne was succeeded by • Arthur Reginald French, 5th Baron de Freyne
his eldest son born after the marriage of 1854, Arthur (1879–1915)
French, the fourth Baron. His eldest son, the fifth Baron, • Francis Charles French, 6th Baron de Freyne
was killed in action at the Battle of Aubers Ridge in 1915. (1884–1935)
He was succeeded by his half-brother, the sixth Baron. • Francis Arthur John French, 7th Baron de Freyne
As of 2010 the title is held by the latter’s grandson, the (1927–2009)
eighth Baron, who succeeded his father in 2009. • Fulke Charles Arthur John French, 8th Baron de
Freyne (b. Dublin, Ireland, 1957)
The Frenchs of French Park The heir apparent is the present holder’s son, the Hon.
Alexander French (b. 1988)
The French family is descended from John French, of
French Park, County Roscommon, nicknamed "Tierna
More" (the great landowner). He sat in the Irish House of Sources
Commons for Carrick, County Galway and Tulsk. His son, • Kidd, Charles, Williamson, David (editors). Debrett’s
Arthur French, represented County Roscommon in the Peerage and Baronetage (1990 edition). New York: St
Irish Parliament. His elder son, John French, was a mem- Martin’s Press, 1990.
ber of the Irish Parliament for County Roscommon. He • Leigh Rayment’s Peerage Pages
was about to be raised to the Peerage of Ireland as Baron
Dangar in 1775 but died before the peerage was formally
created. His younger brother Arthur French (1728–1799),
member of the Irish Parliament for County Roscommon,
1
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Baron de Freyne
See also External links
• Frenchpark • David Beamish’s Peerage Page (1839 creation)
• David Beamish’s Peerage Page (1851 creation)
• Article on the French family
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Baron_de_Freyne&oldid=435206370"
Categories:
• Baronies
This page was last modified on 20 June 2011 at 03:12. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-
ShareAlike License; additional terms may apply. See Terms of use for details. Wikipedia® is a registered trademark of
the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization.Contact us
Privacy policy About Wikipedia Disclaimers
2