Letters of Marmaduke Coghill, 1722–1738 (review)

Abstract

Reviewed by: Letters of Marmaduke Coghill, 1722-1738 Paddy McNally Letters of Marmaduke Coghill, 1722-1738. Edited by D.W. Hayton. Dublin: Irish Manuscripts Commission. 2005. xxiii, 198 pp. ISBN 1874280681. Marmaduke Coghill was one of the most influential politicians in Ireland during the reign of George I and the early years of his successor. In spite of his pivotal role in the parliamentary politics of this period, however, he remains a relatively unknown figure today. This is all the more surprising given that his surviving correspondence represents some of the most comprehensive and informative sources available to historians of Irish politics in the early eighteenth century. Coghill's relative obscurity is perhaps explained by Professor Hayton's observation that while he was 'a man of considerable power' this 'had been quietly accumulated and for the most part discreetly exercised' (p. xvi). A possible explanation for Coghill's 'discretion' may be his association with the tory party prior to 1714. Belonging to a staunchly royalist family from Yorkshire, Coghill's father had settled in Ireland during the reign of Charles II where he formed close connexions with the Church of Ireland primate, Michael Boyle. Marmaduke would maintain this family devotion to the established church for the whole of his life. Although a tory, Coghill was clearly of the 'Hanoverian' variety. His voting record during the parliamentary sessions of Anne's reign is described by Hayton as 'mixed', particularly in the critical session of 1713 (p. xiv). Like many Irish tories, Coghill's toryism was probably motivated above all by a devotion to the established church whereas his attitude on non-religious matters might be best described as 'patriotic' or 'country'. Like a number of other leading tories in Ireland, 'Coghill was able to accommodate himself to the Hanoverian succession with minimal fuss' (p. xv). The split within the Irish whig party after 1715 presented ambitious former tories with an opportunity to offer their support to an emerging court party in the house of commons headed [End Page 251] by Speaker William Conolly. By refraining from involvement in controversial issues and working diligently in the background, Coghill obtained the confidence of the increasingly powerful Speaker so that by 'the mid-1720s he was recognized as one of Conolly's parliamentary lieutenants' (p. xv). The appointment of the former tory Lord Carteret as viceroy in 1724 further enhanced Coghill's influence as he quickly established a warm relationship with the lord lieutenant. The four years following the death of Conolly in 1729 saw Coghill's power at its height. He inherited Conolly's lucrative and politically influential position as 'chief' revenue commissioner and acted as Speaker Gore's principal lieutenant in the commons. This brief period of prominence ended with Gore's death in 1733 and his succession by Henry Boyle. Hayton notes that Coghill's comments on Boyle were consistently hostile and it seems that after 1733 the former felt increasingly isolated and excluded from the corridors of power. Coghill's health was also deteriorating. Thus when it was suggested that he resign his revenue commissionership for the much less demanding position of chancellor of the exchequer he readily agreed. While he did not retire from public life, Hayton describes the remainder of Coghill's career until his death in 1739 as a 'diminuendo' (p. xviii). The bulk of Coghill's surviving correspondence reproduced here consists of letters to Edward Southwell from 1722 to 1730, Edward Southwell, junior, from 1730 to 1738 and Sir John Perceval (Viscount Perceval and 1st earl of Egmont) from 1729 to 1731. A very few single letters to various other correspondents are also included. These letters are exceptionally valuable to historians. They were written by an intelligent, well-informed individual who found himself at the centre of Irish parliamentary politics throughout this period. That the vast bulk of the letters are directed to correspondents in England makes them even more informative as Coghill consciously strove to keep his English friends up to date on events in Ireland. In short, Coghill sent the kind of detailed and lengthy accounts of parliamentary proceedings in Dublin which are extremely rare for this period. He also offers fascinating insights into...