Member for Lisburn
02/10/2006
'THE MEMBER FOR LISBURN - FRENCH, NOT ENGLISH'
Dennis Kennedy
Presidential address to the Belfast Literary Society, 2 October 2006
When Richard Wallace, the illegitimate son of the Fourth Marquis of Hertford, inherited in 1870 his father's fortune and priceless collection of art - later to become the Wallace Collection - he also effectively inherited a seat in the House of Commons.. Described as 'more French than English' Sir Richard was an MP from 1973 to 1985 sitting for the borough of Lisburn in the heart of the Hertford estates in County Antrim. This paper examines both his political involvement and his partial immersion in things Irish.