MONAHAN, James Henry (eld. son of Michael Monahan of Heathlawn near Portumna, Galway). b. Portumna 1804; ed. at Banagher and Trin. coll. Dublin; passed first in science and took the gold medal 1823; student of Gray’s Inn 4 Feb. 1826; called to Irish bar 1828; became leader of Connaught circuit; Q.C. 6 Feb. 1840; bencher of King’s Inns 1847; solicitor general for Ireland 16 July 1846, attorney general 24 Dec. 1847 to 23 Sep. 1850; M.P. for borough of Galway 17 Feb. to Aug. 1847; contested Clonmel 10 Aug. 1847; P.C. Ireland 1848; chief justice of Irish court of common pleas Oct. 1850, resigned Jany. 1876, presided at special commission for trial of the Fenian prisoners at Cork and Limerick 1867; a comr. of national education 1861; author of The method of law, an essay on the statement and arrangement of the legal standard of conduct 1878. d. 5 Fitzwilliam sq. Dublin 8 Dec. 1878. bur. Glasnevin cemet. 11 Dec. The voice of the bar (1850); Irish law times, xii 605 (1878); O. J. Burke’s Anecdotes (1885) 309–12.
MONCK, Sir Charles Miles Lambert Middleton, 6 Baronet (only son of sir Wm. Middleton, 5 bart. 1738–95). b. London 7 April 1779; ed. at Rugby 1787 etc.; succeeded 7 July 1795; changed his name to Monck under will of his grandfather Lawrence Monck 1799; sheriff of Northumberland 1801; M.P. Northumberland 1812–20; built Belsay castle, a Doric structure 1809; owner of race horses; purchased Twinkle, dam of Cast Steel, whose progeny won for him 100 races; his mare Gossamer ran third for the Oaks 1853; won the Chester cup with Vanity 1858; with Gamester won the St. Leger 1859; sold his stud at York in 1860 for 3595 guineas; author of An address to the county of Northumberland on the bills for the reform of the house of commons. Newcastle 1832. d. Belsay castle, Northumberland 20 July 1867. Baily’s Mag. v 271–4 (1863), portrait; Sporting Review, lviii 87–8 (1867).
MONCORVO, Viscount da Torre de. b. 13 May 1788; envoy extraord. and minister-plenipo. from Portugal to England 1835 to death. d. 57 Upper Seymour st. London 11 Jany. 1851, remains removed to French chapel. bur. Chelsea cemetery 18 Jany.
MONCREIFF, Sir Henry Wellwood, 10 Baronet (eld. son of the succeeding). b. Edinburgh 21 May 1809; ed. at Edinb. high sch. and univ. Edinb. 1823; matric. from New coll. Oxf. 5 April 1827, B.A. 1831; president of Union debating soc.; minister of parish of Baldernock, Stirlingshire 1836–7; minister of East Kilbride, Lanarkshire 1837–43; minister of Free East Kilbride 1843–52; minister of Free St. Cuthbert’s, Edinb. 1852 to death; succeeded his father as 10 baronet 4 April 1851; joint principal clerk to free general assembly 1855; D.D. Glasgow 1860; secretary of the Bible board Jany. 1861 to death; moderator of free church assembly 1871; sec. to H.M. master printer in Scotland 1 Jany. 1861; author of Creeds and churches in Scotland 1869; A vindication of the free church claim of right 1877; The free church principle, its character and history, Chalmer lectures 1883. d. 6 Murchiston terrace, Edinburgh 4 Nov. 1883. J. A. Wylie’s Disruption worthies (1881) 419–28, portrait; W. Wilson’s Memorials of R. S. Candlish (1880) 225–59; Biograph, iv 107–8 (1880).
MONCREIFF, Sir James Wellwood, Lord Moncreiff (2 son of rev. sir Henry Moncreiff Wellwood, 8 baronet and divine 1750–1827). b. 13 Sep. 1776; ed. at Edinb. and Glasgow univs.; matric. from Balliol coll. Oxf. 30 Nov. 1793, exhibitioner; B.C.L. 1800; called to Scottish bar 26 Jany. 1799; sheriff of Clackmannan and Kinross 7 Feb. 1807; dean of the faculty of advocates 22 Nov. 1826 to 1829; defended the resurrectionist Burke 1828; succeeded his father as 9 baronet 9 Aug. 1827; a judge of court of session with title of lord Moncreiff 24 June 1829 to death. d. 47 Moray place, Edinburgh 30 March 1851. bur. in the Dean cemetery, bust in National portrait gallery, Edinb. Chambers’s Eminent Scotsmen, iii 154–6 (1870), portrait; Brunton and Haig’s Senators of the college of justice (1832) 552; B. W. Crombie’s Modern Athenians (1882) 157–60, portrait; Law Magazine, ii 557–97 (1829) xlv 261–5 (1851).
MONCREIFFE, Sir Thomas, 7 Baronet. b. Moncreiffe house, Bridge of Earne, Perthshire 9 Jany. 1822; succeeded 20 Nov. 1830; ensign grenadier guards 15 May 1840, sold out 21 Jany. 1842; lieut.-col. of Perthshire militia 1846–55 and hon. col. 30 Oct. 1855 to death. d. Moncreiffe house 16 Aug. 1879.
MONCRIEFF, Alexander (eld. son of Hugh Moncrieff, advocate Glasgow). Ed. Glasgow coll.; advocate 1852; advocate depute 1862; sheriff of Ross and Cromarty 1869. d. 22 Abercromby place, Edinburgh 2 June 1870. Journal of jurisprudence July 1870 p. 376.
MONCRIEFF, George. b. 1806; ensign Scots fusilier guards 8 April 1826, lieut.-col. 20 June 1854 to 14 June 1858; M.G. 14 June 1858, L.G. 27 Dec. 1864. d. Edinburgh 22 Feb. 1869.
MONCRIEFF, Robert Scott Wellwood. Treasurer of the Soc. of Scottish antiquaries 1812; great friend of William Henry Murray actor who d. 1852; resided at 17 Leopold place, Edinb.; Old dean of guild 297 High st. Edinb.; came into the Garvoch estate on death of Andrew Wellwood about 1842; built a house near Dalmeny which was so ugly that Lord Rosebery bought it and pulled it down. d. about 1854. Crombie’s Modern Athenians (1882) 169–70, portrait.
MONCRIEFF, William Thomas, stage name of W. T. Thomas (son of a tradesman in Newcastle st. Strand, London). b. London 24 Aug. 1794; clerk in a solicitor’s office about 1804; a writer of songs; manager of the Regency theatre, Westminster; wrote theatrical criticisms for the Satirist and the Scourge; a working law stationer; wrote for the Olympic theatre, All at Coventry, musical farce 20 Oct. 1815, The diamond arrow, comedy 18 Dec. 1815, Giovanni in London, extravaganza 26 Dec. 1817, and Rochester musical comedy 16 Nov. 1818; manager of Astley’s Amphitheatre, where his equestrian drama. The dandy family ran nearly 100 nights; managed Coburg theatre, where his drama the Lear of private life ran 53 nights; managed Drury Lane theatre 1820, produced The spectre bridegroom 2 July 1821, The cataract of the Ganges 27 Oct. 1823, and Zoroaster 19 April 1824; dramatised Pierce Egan’s Life in London under the title of Tom and Jerry or life in London, and produced it at Adelphi theatre 26 Nov. 1821, it ran nearly two seasons; wrote The bashful man 1826 and many other entertainments for Charles Mathews the elder; manager of Vauxhall gardens 1827; opened with John Barnett a music shop in Regent st. 1828; produced at Surrey theatre, Old heads and young shoulders 8 Jany. 1828, Tobit’s Dog 30 April 1838; at Haymarket theatre, The peer and the peasant 11 Sep. 1832; lessee of City theatre, Milton st. 1833–5; produced at Strand theatre, Sam Weller or the Pickwickians 10 July 1837, and at Sadler’s Wells, Giselle or the phantom night dancers 23 Aug. 1841; became totally blind 1843; a brother of the Charterhouse 1844 to death; wrote his theatrical reminiscences in Sunday Times under title of Dramatic Feuilletons 1851; his dramatic pieces number upwards of 170; edited Richardson’s New minor drama 4 vols. 1828–30; author of A new guide to the spa of Leamington Priors 1822, 3 ed. 1824; Poems 1829; Selections from dramatic works 3 vols. 1850. d. the Charterhouse, London 3 Dec. 1857. Reynolds’s Miscellany, ix 28–9 (1853), portrait; Era 13 Dec. 1857 p. 11.