Honorific Prefix: | The Right Honourable |
The Earl of Clancarty | |
Office: | Member of Parliament for County Galway |
Term Start: | 1768 |
Term End: | 1797 |
Predecessor: | Lord Dunkellin Denis Daly |
Alongside: | Denis Daly, Joseph Henry Blake |
Successor: | Hon. Richard Trench Joseph Henry Blake |
Birth Name: | William Power Keating Trench |
Birth Date: | 23 June 1741 |
Death Place: | Ballinasloe, Ireland |
Residence: | Garbally, County Galway |
Party: | Whig |
Parents: | Richard Trench Frances Power |
Children: | 19 |
William Power Keating Trench, 1st Earl of Clancarty (23 June 1741 – 27 April 1805) was an Irish aristocrat and politician and later United Kingdom statesman at the time of the Act of Union. His family, through his son Richard, became prominent and hereditary members of the Netherlands' nobility.
Trench was born on 23 June 1741. He was one of six sons and five daughters born to Frances (Power) Trench and Richard Trench. Among his siblings were Gen. Eyre Power Trench (who married Charlotte, widow of Lady Sir John Burgoyne, 7th Baronet and daughter of James Johnston), Nicholas Power Trench (who married Jane Butler, daughter of Sir Richard Butler, 5th Baronet), and Anne Power Trench (wife of Charles Cobbe, MP, son of Thomas Cobbe and grandson of Charles Cobbe, Archbishop of Dublin).[1]
His paternal grandparents were Elizabeth (Eyre) Trench and Frederick Trench, who represented Banagher and County Galway in the Irish House of Commons.[2] His maternal grandparents were David Power and Elizabeth (Keating) Power.[3]
William was a Member of Parliament in the Irish House of Commons, and supported the Whigs. He represented County Galway from 1768 until 1797 and served as High Sheriff of County Kilkenny in 1777.
He was advanced to the Irish House of Lords as Baron Kilconnel (created 25November 1797), and to the position of Viscount Dunlo (created 3January 1801) as a reward for his continuing support of the Whig Party. On 12February 1803 he became Earl of Clancarty. His choice of the title is derived from his descent from Elena MacCarty, wife of John Power, daughter of Cormac Oge MacCarty, Viscount Muskerry, and sister of Donough MacCarty, 1st Earl of Clancarty. He therefore became the first Earl of Clancarty in its second creation.
On 30 October 1762, Trench married Anne Gardiner, daughter of Florinda (Norman) Gardiner and Charles Gardiner of Dublin, MP for Taghmon. Anne's brother was Luke Gardiner, 1st Viscount Mountjoy. The Trench family seat was at Garbally in Ballinasloe. William and Anne had nineteen children:
Lord Clancarty died on 27 April 1805 at Ballinasloe, Ireland. He was succeeded in his titles by his son, Richard.[4]