Nicholas Preston, 6th Viscount Gormanston

Nicholas Preston, 6th Viscount Gormanston (1606–1643) sat in the House of Lords of the Irish Parliament of 1634–1635 and sided with the insurgents after the Irish Rebellion of 1641.

Nicholas Preston
Viscount Gormanston
Tenure	1630–1643
Predecessor	Jenico, 5th Viscount Gormanston
Successor	Jenico, 7th Viscount Gormanston
Born	c. 1608
Died	29 July 1643
Spouse(s)	Mary Barnewall
Issue Detail	Jenico & others
Father	Jenico, 5th Viscount Gormanston
Mother	Margaret St. Lawrence

Birth and origins

Nicholas was born about 1608,^[1] the eldest son of Jenico Preston and his wife Margaret St. Lawrence. His father was the 5th Viscount Gormanston.^[2] His father's family descended from Robert Preston, 1st Baron Gormanston whose ancestors had come from Preston, Lancashire, England, some generations before. His mother was a daughter of Nicholas St Lawrence, 9th Baron Howth.^[3]

Family tree

Nicholas Preston with wife, parents, and other selected relatives.[a] Christopher 4th Viscount Gormanston d. 1600 Catherine FitzWilliam Jenico 5th Viscount Gormanston 1585–1630 Margaret St. Lawrence d. 1637 Nicholas 1st Viscount Barnewall 1592–1663 Thomas 1st Viscount Tara 1585–1655 General Nicholas 6th Viscount c. 1608 – 1643 Mary Barnewall Mabel Barnewall Christopher 2nd Earl Fingall d. 1649 Anthony 2nd Viscount d. 1649 Jenico 7th Viscount d. 1691 Margaret Caryll Nicholas Preston Elizabeth Preston Mary Preston d. 1750 Jenico 8th Viscount d. 1697 Anthony 9th Viscount d. 1716 Legend XXX Subject of the article XXX Viscounts Gormanston XXX Earls of Fingall XXX Viscounts Barnewall XXX Viscounts Tara

Marriages and children

Preston married Mary Barnewall. She was a daughter of Nicholas Barnewall, 1st Viscount Barnewall and Lady Bridget FitzGerald.^[5] Her family was Old English.^[6]

Nicholas and Mary had two sons:

1. Jenico (died 1691), his successor^[7]
2. Nicholas, married his cousin Elizabeth Preston, daughter of Anthony Preston, 2nd Viscount Tara^[8]

—and two daughters, who do not seem to be known by name.^[9]

6th Viscount and House of Lords

Preston succeeded his father in 1630 as the 6th Viscount Gormanston.^[10] Gormanston, as he was now, sat in the House of Lords during the two Irish parliaments of King Charles I.

Parliament of 1634–1635

The Irish Parliament of 1634–1635 was opened on 14 July 1634^[11][12] by the new Lord Deputy of Ireland, Thomas Wentworth^[13] (the future Lord Strafford), who had taken office in July 1633.^[14] Gormanston took his seat on the day of opening, the 14 July 1634.^[b] Wentworth asked to vote taxes: six subsidies of £50,000^[17] (equivalent to about £10,600,000 in 2023^[18]) were passed unanimously by both houses.^[19][20] The parliament also belatedly and incompletely ratified the Graces^[21] of 1628,^[22] in which the King conceded rights for money.^[23]

Parliament of 1640–1649

The Irish Parliament of 1640–1649.^[c] was opened on 16 March 1640 by Christopher Wandesford, whom Strafford, as Wentworth was now called, had appointed Lord Deputy.^[27][28] Strafford arrived two days later.^[27] Gormanston was there on the 18 March.^[29]

In its first session the parliament unanimously voted four subsidies of £45,000^[30] (about £10,100,000 in 2023^[18]) to raise an Irish army of 9000^[31] for use by the King against the Scots in the Second Bishops' War. On 3 April 1640 Strafford left Ireland.^[32]

The Lords sent a separate delegation for their grievances. Gormanston was part of it.^[33][34]

Death

Gormantown died on 29 July 1643, aged about 35. He was posthumously outlawed on 17 November 1643. He was succeeded by his elder son Jenico as the 7th Viscount Gormanston.