Frederick Flood

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Sir Frederick Flood, 1st Baronet, KC (1741–1 February 1824), was an Irish lawyer and politician. He was a Member of Parliament (MP) in the Irish House of Commons from 1776 until 1801, and then later an MP in the United Kingdom House of Commons from 1801 until 1818. Flood opposed the Act of Union 1800 that merged the Kingdoms of Ireland and Great Britain. He sat as a member of the united Parliament in London.

Flood was the younger son of John Flood of Farmley, County Kilkenny, and nephew of Warden Flood, chief justice of the court of king's bench in Ireland, the father of the Right Hon. Henry Flood. He was born in 1741, and was educated at Kilkenny College and at Trinity College Dublin, where he proceeded B.A. in 1761, M.A. in 1764, LL.B. in 1766, and LL.D. in 1772. He was called to the Irish Bar in 1763, soon attained considerable legal practice, and in the social circles of Dublin was immensely popular from his wit and oddity.

He married twice; firstly Lady Juliana Annesley, the daughter of Richard Annesley, 6th Earl of Anglesey and secondly Frances, the daughter of Sir Henry Cavendish, 1st Baronet of Doveridge, with whom he had an only surviving daughter Frances, who married Richard Solly of Walthamstow and York Place, London, whose son Frederick became Sir Fredericks's heir.^[1]

He succeeded to handsome estates, including Ballynaslaney House, County Wexford from both his parents, and in 1776 was elected to the Irish House of Commons as MP for Enniscorthy.

He sat for Enniscorthy until 1783. From 1783 to 1790 he was MP for Ardfert, and in 1796–7 for the borough of Carlow. His relationship to Henry Flood did more for his reputation than his own abilities, and he consistently followed in his cousin's footsteps. In 1778 he was made a King's Counsel and was elected a bencher of the King's Inns. He was the Custos Rotulorum of County Wexford. On 3 June 1780 he was created a baronet in the Baronetage of Ireland of Newton Ormonde on the County of Kilkenny and of Banna Lodge in the County of Wexford.^[2] Two years later he married Lady Juliana Annesley, daughter of Arthur Annesley, 5th Earl of Anglesey, and he took a prominent part in the volunteer movement, being elected colonel of the Wexford regiment.

In many debates which preceded the abolition of the Irish parliament Flood was a frequent speaker. Sir Jonah Barrington calls him an ostentatious blunderer, whose 'bulls' did not contain the pith of sound sense which underlay the mistakes of Sir Boyle Roche. He adds that Flood would rashly accept any suggestions made to him while speaking, and one day, just after he had declared "that the magistrates of Wexford deserved the thanks of the lord-lieutenant", he added, on some wit's suggestion, "and should be whipped at the cart's tail".^[3] He steadily opposed the Act of Union. He later sat in the House of Commons of the United Kingdom for County Wexford from 1812 to 1818. He made no particular impression there.

His only son died unmarried in 1800, and it was proposed to perpetuate Flood's title by creating him a baronet of the United Kingdom, with remainder to his only daughter Frances, who was married to Richard Solly, esq. He died on 1 February 1824, before the patent for this new honour had passed the great seal, and left his estates to his grandson, Frederick, who took the name of Flood in addition to his own.

 This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: "Flood, Frederick". Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co. 1885–1900.

• Hansard 1803–2005: contributions in Parliament by Sir Frederick Flood