Speaker Conolly?
In the last HI (Summer 1995), in the review of Stella Tillyard’s Aristocrats (the lives of Caroline, Emily, Louisa and Sarah Lennox 1740-1832) by Eleanor Burgess, due to an editing error, Thomas Conolly, who married Louisa Lennox, was incorrectly referred to as ‘Speaker of the Irish House of Commons’. In fact it was his renowned great-uncle William who was ‘Speaker Conolly’. He died in 1729, a decade before Thomas was born. It was the former who commenced building Castletown and although his widow lived on there until her death in 1752, it remained unfinished. William had no children and left it to his brother (Thomas’ father). On his father’s death in 1754 Thomas inherited. He married Louisa Lennox in 1759 and she was responsible for the final result. Apologies to the reviewer, Eleanor Burgess, for the mix-up. Incidentally, Aristocrats is now available in paperback, priced £8.99.