Richard Baldwin (provost)

[2] Another theory is that Baldwin was born in Lancashire, England, to a poor family before fleeing to Ireland and being taken into the care of Robert Huntington.

[2] That same year, the college was occupied by Jacobites during the Williamite War in Ireland and Baldwin, a staunch Whig, fled to England.

[1] As provost, Baldwin was known for his arbitrary and harsh manner, and focussed his work on improving the discipline among both staff and students.

This led to opposition from some of his fellows, including Richard Helsham and Patrick Delany, who resented Baldwin's fervent Whiggism and approach to academia.

Baldwin wielded increasing influence over all aspects of Trinity life, including personally approving successful parliamentary candidates for the Dublin University constituency.

[1] Baldwin remained provost until his death, in part owing to his political reliability in the opinion of the Dublin Castle administration.