This ivory medal belonged to Lord Macnaghten, President of the Benevolent Society of St Patrick in 1888. His descendants, Charles and Jane Macnaghten, presented it to today’s President, Judge Patrick Clyne.
Edward Macnaghten was born in London but brought up at Roe Park, Limavady, not far from Londonderry. He went to Trinity College Dublin and Trinity College Cambridge, graduating in 1852. At Cambridge he distinguished himself as an oarsmen with wins at Henley and a place (bow) in the Cambridge boat in the 1852 Oxford and Cambridge Boat Race; the light blues came second. He was called to the Bar in 1857, and appointed a QC in 1880. In the same year he was elected a Conservative MP for Antrim.
The Liberals offered to make him a judge in 1883 and the Conservatives Home Secretary in 1886, both of which he declined. In 1887 he was a Lord of Appeal in Ordinary which came with a Life Peerage. There had been Life Peers (often women) since the reign of James I but it was only in 1887 that the Appellate Jurisdiction Act allowed senior judges to sit in the House of Lords as Life Peers. So it is impressive that he felt able to accept the Presidency of the BSSP in 1888. He was decorated with a GCB, GCMG and made a Privy Councillor. He inherited his elder brother’s baronetcy in 1911 and died in 1913 aged eighty-three.
The Benevolent Society was founded in 1783. Many charities of such antiquity become anachronisms but not the BSSP founded to assist needy people of Irish descent in London. How are they helped, you ask? Here is a snapshot of some recent grants.
The grants are quite small, if you are well off, but mean a great deal to the recipients. They are administered by the London Irish Centre and the Southwark Irish Pensioners’ Project which, in spite of its name, gives grants to applicants of all ages and in all London boroughs south of the Thames.
You are most welcome to come to what, I think, will be an interesting talk and bring friends. The three previous talks have been convivial occasions.
Tickets can be bought from FIXR Tickets.
Otherwise a small donation to the BSSP’s Just Giving page would be appreciated. Donations may also be made through the Charities Aid Foundation.
Lortd McNaghtern, as any law student knows was also responsible for the McNaghten rules, which, to this day, underpin our law on Charities. It is a moot point as to whether or not we still need to see donations to very oddball charities (I daren’t name my corkers) supported by the commuting of Income Tax, but they are something make show us to be a good and civilised country
Good work Christopher,
When all is said and done this is the best we can be, may you have many more years to enjoy the Society, and it’s good works.
Lord Macnaghten looks a jovial cove from the Spy cartoon! An excellent charity and we have booked 4 tickets for this talk.