Anthony Foster
Anthony Foster (1705 – April 1779), of
He was the eldest son of
Career
He attended the school in Dublin run by
As a member of Parliament he worked hard to promote the interests of the manufacturers of Irish linen;[3] there is no reason to doubt the sincerity of his belief in this cause (it fits well with his known interest in the improvement of agriculture), although Elrington Ball rather cynically notes that his support for the linen manufacturers brought him rich rewards, including a gold box. As an orator (which was a much-prized skill among the Irish public figures of his time) he was badly thought of, being described as "slow, sleepy and charmless".[3]
Family and personal life
He married firstly Elizabeth Burgh, daughter of William Burgh[2] in 1736; she died in 1744. They had three children:
- John Foster, 1st Baron Oriel, the last Speaker of the Irish House of Commons.[2]
- William Foster, who was successively Bishop of Cork and Ross, Bishop of Kilmore and Bishop of Clogher.
- Margaret Foster who married Henry Maxwell, successively Dean of Kilmore, Bishop of Dromore and Bishop of Meath.
He married secondly Elizabeth's cousin Dorothea Burgh, daughter of the celebrated architect
He built an impressive country seat, Collon House, which was much added to by his son and heir, John, Lord Oriel. Anthony had a keen interest in agricultural development, and his improvements at Collon were described as being "of a magnitude never before attempted". Collon became famous for its great variety of trees and shrubs and its cider orchard.
Reputation
Foster was not regarded as the most outstanding lawyer on the Irish Bench in his lifetime, but it has been argued that he was its most gifted member overall, with his wide-ranging interests in law, politics, trade and agriculture. If he has been largely forgotten, this may be because his reputation was eclipsed by that of his even more gifted son, John.