Family and Education

b. 1 Mar. 1736, 1st s. of Rev. Thomas Staples, rector of Derryloran, by Grace, da. of John Houston of Castle Stewart, coh. of her bro. John. educ. Trinity, Dublin 1752. m. (1) 14 June 1764, Harriet (d.1771), da. of William Conolly, MP [I], of Castletown, co. Kildare, 1s.; (2) 14 Oct. 1774, Hon. Henrietta Molesworth, da. of Richard, 3rd Visct. Molesworth [I], 4s. 5da. suc. fa. 1762.

Offices Held

MP [I] 1765-1800.

Commr. of customs [I] 1772-6, of excise 1774-6; examinator of customs 1795-d.; PC [I] 1801.

Sheriff, co. Tyrone 1766-7.

Biography

As a Member of the Irish parliament, Staples was thus described in 1782: ‘returned by Mr Conolly, to whose sister he was first married—was a commissioner of revenue—but on the reunion of the boards of excise and customs retired on a pension of £600 a year. His fortune lies in the counties of Derry and Tyrone.’ In 1793 he was in opposition, but in 1795 obtained a place in the customs worth £800 a year. He voted for the Union in 1799, being by then a county Member for Antrim, for which he was returned to Westminster. He took his seat and evidently supported the ministry in silence. As one of the Irish placeholders rendered ineligible, he did not contest his seat at the election of 1802. One of his sons had meanwhile been appointed chaplain to the lord lieutenant. Staples died 22 Dec. 1820.

Procs. R. Irish Acad. lvi, sec. C, no. 3 (1954), 242, 257; Grey mss, Grey to his wife [Jan. 1801]; CJ, lvi. 199; PRO 30/9/9, pt. 1/4; 30/9/13, pt. 2.

Ref Volumes: 1790-1820

Author: Arthur Aspinall

Notes