Sir John Perceval, 1st Baronet

He was appointed Privy Councillor to King Charles II, a Knight of the Shire for County Cork, and was a member of the Council of Trade.

[2] He was tutored in the home counties of England alongside Lord Inchequin's eldest son who had been placed under the guardianship of Sir Philip Perceval while his father was engaged in the Civil War in Ireland.

[11] There were some other estates over which he had control, some were already in his possession, some belonged to his mother, and he was also paid a small amount of rent from housing in Dublin City.

In recognition of this service, Perceval was granted the office of King's Bench, which had been sequestrated with his estate from the time of his father's death.

To provide a suitable living for himself, pay off some of his father's debts, and form a dowry for his sister, he sold 15,000 acres of his best land in a depressed market.

[13] In December 1653 the Council of Officers introduced a written constitution into the Commonwealth called the Instrument of Government and under its provisions declared Oliver Cromwell Lord Protector.

He had been working with Roger, Lord Broghill and one of his tenants, Vincent Gookin, in the interests of the Commonwealth but, on his return from England in July 1655, he retired to his castle at Liscarroll and tried to keep out of public affairs as much as possible.

He worked to improve his estates by inviting Protestant farmers to take up tenancies while retaining Roman Catholic tenants who had proved loyal to his family during the rebellion.

[4] When his friend Henry Cromwell arrived in Ireland as the New Deputy Governor, Perceval had no choice but to take a more active role in government as to do otherwise would have aroused suspicion.

[17] It was largely due to the counsel of Perceval that Henry Cromwell stayed out of the anarchy that engulfed England after the death of his father; in particular his passive behaviour over his elder brother Richard's removal from the office of Lord Protector.

[19] To secure his position, and so that his political enemies could not in the future use his conduct under the Commonwealth to attack him, Perceval obtained a Patent of Special Pardon for all treasons, rebellions, etc.

[21] In 1662 Perceval failed to prevent the passing of the Tenures Abolition Act[22] which abolished feudalism in Ireland and the Court of Wards.

[24] While in England following up trade issues in 1664, he fell ill and returned to Ireland to see his wife who was also very ill.[25] He lived long enough to see her but died soon afterwards, aged 36, on 1 November 1665 in Dublin and was buried in St. Audoen's Church, within the burial vault of his great-grandfather Sir William Usher.

Perceval had intended to build a church at Burton, County Cork, and a magnificent monument had been designed to be erected there so it was thought sufficient at that time to place a simple memorial stone over his grave.