William Handcock, 1st Viscount Castlemaine

William Handcock, 1st Viscount Castlemaine, PC (Ire) (28 August 1761 – 7 January 1839) was an Irish MP and supporter of Union 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 Act of Union in 1801. He was Constable and Governor of Athlone 1813–1839 and Governor of County Westmeath 1814–1831.

On 20 March 1782 he married Lady Florinda Trench (3 August 1766 – 9 February 1851), born in Twyford, Westmeath to William Power Keating Trench, 1st Earl of Clancarty and Anne Gardiner, Countess of Clancarty. William and Florinda had no children, and when Handcock was created Baron Castlemaine (in the Peerage of Ireland) on 21 December 1812 the title had a special remainder "failing heirs of his body to his brother". He was further created Viscount Castlemaine on 12 January 1822 but without a special remainder. On his death his viscountcy became extinct and his barony passed to his brother whose descendants still hold the title.

Further reading

• thepeerage.com Accessed March 12, 2008
• Lodge, Edmund. The Peerage of the British Empire As at Present Existing: Arranged and Printed from the Personal Communications Of the Nobility, by Edmund Lodge, to Which Is Added a View of the Baronetage of the Three Kingdoms. (p. 85) London: Saunders and Otley, 1834. googlebooks Accessed March 12, 2008

Parliament of Ireland
Preceded by William Handcock Sir Richard St George, 1st Bt	Member of Parliament for Athlone 1783 – 1801 With: Sir Richard St George, 1st Bt 1783–1789 Sir Richard St George, 2nd Bt 1789–1800 Richard Handcock 1800–1801	Succeeded by Parliament of the United Kingdom
Parliament of the United Kingdom
New constituency	Member of Parliament for Athlone 1801 – 1803	Succeeded by Thomas Tyrwhitt Jones
Peerage of Ireland
New creation	Viscount Castlemaine 1822–1839	Extinct
	Baron Castlemaine 1812–1839	Succeeded by Richard Handcock