Douglas Pyne

Jasper Douglas Pyne (1847 – 14 November 1888) was an Irish nationalist politician from County Waterford who served as a Member of Parliament (MP) from 1885 until his unexplained death.

Rev W. M. Pyne came from Ballyvolane near Cork but he was the Rector of St Mary's Church in Oxted, Surrey, from 1828 to 1869, a remarkable tenure of 41 years.

As an Irish Parliamentary Party candidate for the Western division of Waterford at the general election in October 1885, he was called to court to show cause why he should not give security to keep the peace.

However, the magistrates refused to consider the authorities' application and Pyne was set free, winning the subsequent election with over 90% of the votes cast, and taking his seat in the House of Commons of the United Kingdom.

He addressed the crowd at Lisfinny for the last time on 12 December, but escaped that night, having passed unrecognised through the police cordon after the cattle were driven in earlier to surround the castle.

Illustration of Pyne by Sydney Prior Hall , 1888