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William Cary Dobbs

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William Cary Dobbs
Member of Parliament
for Carrickfergus
In office
2 April 1857 – 6 May 1859
Preceded byWellington Stapleton-Cotton
Succeeded byRobert Torrens
Personal details
Born17 August 1806
Belfast, Ireland, United Kingdom
Died17 April 1869(1869-04-17) (aged 62)
London, United Kingdom
Resting placeCarrickfergus, Ireland, United Kingdom
Political partyConservative
Spouse
Elinor Jones Westropp
(m. 1834)
ChildrenFive
Parent(s)Robert Conway Dobbs
Wilhelmina Josepha Bristow
Alma materTrinity College, Cambridge

William Cary Dobbs QC (17 August 1806 – 17 April 1869)[1][2] was an Irish Conservative politician, and barrister.[3] He sat in the House of Commons of the United Kingdom from 1857 to 1859 as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Carrickfergus.

Early life and family

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Born in Belfast, Dobbs was the only son of five children of Reverend Robert Conway Dobbs and Wilhelmina Josepha née Bristow.[2] He was admitted to Trinity College, Cambridge, and graduated with a wrangler's degree in 1827, and a Master of Arts in 1830, before being called to the bar in 1833.[3]

He married Elinor Jones Westropp, daughter of Henry Sheares Westropp, in 1834 and they had five children: Elinor Dobbs (1838–1892); Wilhelmena Josepha Dobbs (1840–1842); Robert Conway Dobbs (1842–1915); Charity Frances Dobbs (1846–1893); and Henry Sheares Dobbs.[3][2]

In 1851, he became a crown prosecutor for Drogheda and Dundalk on the Irish north-eastern circuit, before being elevated to a Queen's Counsel in 1858.[3]

Member of Parliament

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Ahead of the 1857 general election, Dobbs was selected as the Conservative candidate for Carrickfergus, a seat for which his grandfather, Conway Richard Dobbs had represented in the Parliament of Ireland and his cousin, also named Conway Richard Dobbs, had represented from 1832 to 1833.[3]

His candidature was successful and, in Parliament, he promoted free trade, and, as an Anglican promised constituents he would uphold Protestantism and protect the constitution. He sought clarification of the law on tenant rights, and favoured ending the Maynooth Grant, arguing public money should not be used to support the church. While he also supported an extension of education and the franchise, he was cautious about the Irish national school system and felt religion should feature highly in education.[3][4]

Just before the 1859 general election, Dobbs was made a judge in the Landed Estates Court in Dublin, making him ineligible to stand at the election, and ending his political career after one term.[3][4]

Death

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While seeking medical attention in London in 1869, Dobbs died. By this time, he had become a senior judge of the court, recognised by the public for his "amiable character... intelligent and cultivated mind... [and] the consistency and uprightness of his conduct". His body was later returned to Dublin, before being interred at the family burial ground near Carrickfergus.[3]

Arms

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Coat of arms of William Cary Dobbs
Crest
On a wreath a unicorn's head erased Argent.
Escutcheon
Party per pale Azure and Sable a chevron engrailed gouttée between three unicorns' heads erased all counterchanged with a crescent for difference.
Motto
Amor Dei Et Proximi Summa Beatitudo [5]

References

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  1. ^ Rayment, Leigh (30 December 2017). "The House of Commons: Constituencies beginning with "C"". Leigh Rayment's Peerage Page. Archived from the original on 15 September 2018. Retrieved 15 September 2018.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  2. ^ a b c Lundy, Darryl (29 August 2018). "William Cary Dobbs". The Peerage. Archived from the original on 15 September 2018. Retrieved 15 September 2018.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h Harkness, David (2008) [2004]. "Dobbs, William Cary (1806–1869)". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/55725. Retrieved 15 September 2018. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
  4. ^ a b Walker, B.M., ed. (1978). Parliamentary Election Results in Ireland, 1801-1922. Dublin: Royal Irish Academy. p. 257. ISBN 978-0901714121.
  5. ^ Debrett's Judicial Bench. 1869.
[edit]
Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by Member of Parliament for Carrickfergus
18571859
Succeeded by