Lawrence Harman Parsons, 1st Earl of Rosse (26 July 1749 – 20 April 1807), known as The Lord Oxmantown between 1792 and 1795 and as The Viscount Oxmantown between 1795 and 1806, was an Anglo-Irish peer and politician.
Contents
Background
Rosse was the second son of Sir Laurence Parsons, 3rd Baronet, of Birr Castle, County Offaly, by his wife Anne, daughter of Wentworth Harman. He inherited the County Longford estates of his uncle the Rev. Cutts Harman, with the proviso that he would adopt the Harman surname (thus becoming Laurence Harman Parsons).
Political career
He was a Member of the Irish House of Commons for County Longford from 1775 to 1792 and for County Longford from 1790 to 1792. In 1792 he was raised to the Peerage of Ireland as Baron of Oxmantown, in the County of Dublin, with remainder to his nephew Sir Lawrence Parsons, 5th Baronet. In 1795 he was made Viscount Oxmantown, of Oxmantown in the County of Dublin, also in the Peerage of Ireland but with normal remainder to the heirs male of his body. Lord Oxmantown was even further honoured in 1806 when he was created Earl of Rosse in the Irish peerage, with similar remainder as for the barony. From 1800 to 1807, he sat in the House of Lords as one of the 28 original Irish representative peers.