Irish Lives: RICHARD BARRY(1769–93), the spendthrift seventh earl of Barrymore, was born in London on August 14th, 1769, and succeeded his father, Richard, to the Irish earldom of Barrymore just before his fourth birthday. In his youth he became excessively interested in racehorses, gambling, practical joking and amateur theatricals.
He was also a member of the circle of the prince of Wales (the future George IV), who dubbed him Hellgate on account of his recklessness.
On coming of age he squandered his familys fortune, spending £60,000 on building and running a private theatre at Wargrave, Berkshire. Soon he was obliged to sell off the Barrymore estates in Ireland, Castle Lyons and Buttevant, with 140,000 acres in Co Cork being bought by John Anderson, a successful entrepreneur.
To avoid his creditors he became a member of the British House of Commons (for Heytesbury) in March 1791.
In June 1792 he married the 16-year-old Charlotte Goulding. There were no children.
Barrymore became a militia officer and was killed accidentally by an exploding weapon on March 6th, 1793, near Folkestone, in Kent, while conducting French prisoners of war from Dover.
He was succeeded by his brother Henry (1770–1823), dubbed Cripplegate because he was lame. Another brother, Augustus (1773–1818), a clergyman and compulsive gambler who was also an acquaintance of the prince, was dubbed Newgate. Their sister, Carolina (born 1768), was called Billingsgate on account of her language.
Adapted from the Royal Irish Academy's Dictionary of Irish Biography. See dib.ie
