William Handcock, 1St Viscount Castlemaine

Place: Dublin

Born: 1761

Death: 1839

Biography:

William Handcock, 1st Viscount Castlemaine (28 August 1761 – 7 January 1839) was an Irish MP and a supporter of the union of Ireland with Great Britain. He was born in Dublin, Ireland to Reverend Richard Handcock and Sarah Toler. In 1783, Handcock stood for Athlone in the Irish House of Commons and represented the constituency until the Acts of Union in 1801. He was Constable and Governor of Athlone 1813–1839 and Governor of County Westmeath 1814–1831. Handcock was killed on the Night of the Big Wind in 1839 when the wind blew his bedroom shutters open at Moydrum Castle and hurled him “so violently upon his back that he instantly expired”. The Australian city of Castlemaine in the state of Victoria was named in his honour by his nephew Captain W. Wright.