The King Baronetcy

The family of KING came originally from Barra, Aberdeenshire. 

JAMES KING, of Corrard, Gola, County Fermanagh, living in 1674 (whose kinsman, the Most Rev Dr William King, an eminent divine and statesman, was Lord Archbishop of Dublin), married Nichola, daughter of ______ Johnston, of County Fermanagh, and had issue, with daughters (of whom Sarah wedded Alderman Somerville of Dublin, ancestor of the Lord Athlumney),

James, dsp 1727;
Robert, MP for Lifford, 1698-9, 1709-11;
JOHN, of whom hereafter;
William;
Charles, of County Donegal;
Thomas;
David.

The third son,

JOHN KING, of Gola, married and had issue,

James, of Gola; m Katherine, dau. of Very Rev Wm Gore, Dean of Down;

CHARLES, of whom presently;

Robert, of Derrybrusk.

The second son,

CHARLES KING, of Dublin and Corrard, County Fermanagh, wedded, in 1731, Elizabeth, daughter of the Rev Dr James Cottingham, of Cavan, and had issue,

JAMES KING, of Dublin and Corrard, Captain, Belleisle Yeomanry Cavalry, who espoused, in 1763, Elizabeth, second daughter and in her issue sole heir of Abraham Bradley, of Dublin, King's Stationer in Ireland, and had issue,

James, m Letitia Irvine; High Sheriff of Fermanagh, 1802;
ABRAHAM BRADLEY, of whom we treat;
Hulton Smyth;
Joseph;

Sarah; Elizabeth Caroline; Anne.

Mr King was buried at St Michan's in 1798.

The second son, 

ABRAHAM BRADLEY KING (1774-1838), of Corrard and Dublin,

Was elected Alderman of the City of Dublin in 1805, and chosen Lord Mayor in 1813; and a second time, in 1821, when he had the honour of receiving, in his official capacity, GEORGE IV. In commemoration of the occasion of that monarch's visiting the metropolis of His Majesty's Irish dominions, the chief magistrate was created a baronet in 1821, designated of Corrard, County Fermanagh. 

Sir Abraham inherited, from his maternal grandfather, the patent office of King's Stationer in Ireland, which he surrendered to the Crown in 1830 and was granted by Parliament a pension of £2,500 (£213,000 in today's money) for life. He was also deputy grand master of the Orange Order, and printed revised rules for that body. On the issue of publicly celebrating WILLIAM III's birthday he took the side of the government in 1821 and banned public ceremonies. 

When his prohibition was disobeyed by a dissident group of tailors, he resigned from the Orange Order. As Lord Mayor in 1821, he joined with the catholic Lord Fingall at a public dinner in Morrison’s hotel to demonstrate unity and amity for the royal visit of GEORGE IV. In the following year he resisted the passage of resolutions, in the merchant’s guild of Dublin Corporation, for repeal of the act of union. 

King was popular in municipal circles for the lavishness of his public functions and for his personal defence of the right of Dublin Corporation to present petitions at the bar of the house of commons. In 1829, his mode of conducting business as king’s stationer came under government scrutiny. It became clear that King was in the habit of offering money gifts in lieu of stationery to members of the vice-regal household. 

He was forced to resign his patent in 1830, and refused compensation. In Ireland, even his political opponents believed that he had been treated shabbily and there was much sympathy for him when he was declared a bankrupt in 1831. Daniel O’Connell MP vigorously championed Sir Abraham's case in parliament, and in 1832 secured him a measure of compensation. This was augmented, in 1836, by a life pension of £2,500 per annum, voted by parliament. 

Sir Abraham was an active member of the Dublin Society during 1802-15, and in the latter year was paid £170 12s. 2d. by the Society for stationery supplies. Between 1803-15, he proposed or seconded nine candidates for membership of the Society, including Captain John D’Esterre, killed in a duel with Daniel O’Connell in 1815. 

King’s stationery business was conducted from offices at 36 Dame Street, and he was also a committee member of the Atlas Assurance Company. His Dublin residence was Bloomsbury, and he had a country seat at Corrard, County Fermanagh.

Sir Abraham married, in 1793, Anne, daughter of Plato Oulton, and had issue,

JAMES WALKER, his successor;
Abraham;
Anne, Elizabeth; Mary; Jane; Sarah; Harriett.

His eldest son,

THE REV SIR JAMES WALKER KING, 2nd Baronet (1796-1874), Vicar of Rathmore and Kilteel, County Kildare, Chaplain to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland (Lord Anglesey), wedded, in 1834, his first cousin, Anne Sophia Smyth, eldest daughter of Hulton Smyth King, formerly a commissioner of the customs.

His son and heir,

SIR CHARLES SIMEON KING, 3rd Baronet (1840-1921), lived at Corrard (below), Swerford Park, Oxfordshire, and The Highlands House, St Leonards-on-Sea, East Sussex.

The baronetcy expired on the death of Sir Charles in 1921, who edited "A great Archbishop of Dublin, William King, DD 1650-1729: His autobiography, family, and a selection from his correspondence." (1906, Longman Green).

Corrard

The King family were certainly in possession of Gola Abbey as far back as the late 17th century.

John King of Gola, took part in the defence of Enniskillen in 1689, and his name also appears in the list of signatories to the address to WILLIAM & MARY written in that town in 1690.

He died between 1720 and 1726 and his son James took possession of the estate.

James King was appointed Sheriff of Fermanagh in 1728 and presented the communion plate to Derryvullan Church.

He died in 1756 and Gola passed to his eldest son also called James, who married Elizabeth Coote of Limerick (a cousin of his) but died childless in London in 1823.

In 1815 Gola was purchased by Sir Abraham Bradley King Bt, another cousin.

It passed after his death to his son Sir Charles Simeon King Bt.

Although Sir Charles listed Gola as his address, he moved into the rebuilt house at Corrard nearby.

His new lands included a small island called Inishbeg.

During the 19th century Sir Charles sold Gola Abbey.

The evidence from the King family indicates that they lived in the priory as far back as 1689 and had remained in residence until Sir Charles moved to Corrard.

The Kings were resident in Gola Abbey at the time of the siege of Enniskillen and were still there in the time that Thomas Burke was writing in 1772; the restoration happened in 1660.

It is possible that the house was abandoned for some years, as the Kings had renovated Corrard as early as 1825.

Archdall’s account indicates that there were three friars living there in 1756 but the records indicate clearly that the Kings were firmly in possession of the old priory at that stage. 

First published in November, 2010.