founded by himself and others for the improvement of ‘husbandry, manufactures, and other useful arts.’ He published ‘A Letter to the Dublin Society on the improving their Fund; and the Manufactures, Tillage, &c., in Ireland,’ Dublin, 1739, 8vo; and in order to promote his object he settled 150l. per annum during his life, adding in some years another 150l., besides obtaining a subscription of nearly 500l. per annum ‘for the encouragement of sundry arts, experiments, and several manufactures not yet brought to perfection in this kingdom.’ The scheme excited a beneficial spirit of emulation among the artists and manufacturers (Nichols, ii. 32, 33).
Dr. Johnson assisted Madden in preparing for publication ‘Boulter's Monument, a Panegyrical Poem, sacred to the memory of Dr. Hugh Boulter, late Lord Archbishop of Ardmagh,’ Dublin, 1745, 8vo; another edition, London, 1745, 8vo. It contains 2,034 lines of verse, and is dedicated to Frederic, prince of Wales. Notwithstanding his whig politics, and his connection with Boulter's party, Madden appears to have been on friendly terms with Swift. He contributed liberally to the funds of the ‘Physico-Historical Society,’ founded in 1744, and undertook, but did not complete, a ‘History of the County of Fermanagh,’ which was to have been brought out under its auspices. In 1746 he composed a tragedy, of which nothing is known except that he bequeathed it to Thomas Sheridan, and in 1748 he wrote a poem and dedicated it to Lord Chesterfield, but as it was published anonymously there is a difficulty in identifying it. His latest production is a metrical epistle of about two hundred lines, prefixed to the second edition of Dr. Thomas Leland's ‘History of Philip of Macedon,’ 1761. He died at Manor Waterhouse on 31 Dec. 1765. He acquired the sobriquet of ‘Premium Madden,’ and Dr. Johnson declared that ‘his was a name which Ireland ought to honour.’
Two three-quarter-length portraits of Madden, painted in oils, are preserved; one at the residence of his representatives at Hilton, co. Monaghan, the other in the possession of John Madden, esq., of Roslin Manor, Clones. In both he is represented in clerical costume, with full, flowing, curled dark hair, and a benevolent expression. The Dublin Society possess a white marble bust, and his portrait was engraved by John Brooks; by Spooner in 1752, ‘ex marmore Van Nost,’ and by R. Purcell in 1755, from the original by Thomas Hunter.
Madden married Jane, daughter of Mr. Magill of Kirkstown, co. Armagh, by whom he had five sons and five daughters. Skelton relates that he had frequent bickerings with Mrs. Madden, who was proud and parsimonious, and ruled her husband with supreme authority.
His second son, Samuel Molyneux Madden, who succeeded to the family estates, and died in 1783, bequeathed a fund to the university of Dublin, to be distributed in premiums at fellowship examinations. The Madden premiums were first bestowed in 1798 (see Taylor, Hist. of the University of Dublin, 109–12).
[Baker's Biog. Dram. 1812, i. 478, ii. 329; Boswell's Johnson; Burdy's Life of Skelton, 1824, pp. xxii. seq.; European Mag. 1802, xli. 243 (with portrait); Evans's Cat. of Engraved Portraits, i. 219; Gent. Mag. 1746, 46; Irish Quarterly Rev. 1853, iii. 693–734 (by J. T. Gilbert); Martin's Privately Printed Books, 2nd edit. p. 227; Nichols's Illustr. of Lit. v. 388, viii. 446; Nichols's Lit. Anecd. ii. 699; Cat. of Library of Trin. Coll. Dublin; Whitelaw and Walsh's Hist. of Dublin; John O'Donovan's The Tribes and Customs of Hy-many, commonly called O'Kelly's Country (Irish Archæological Soc. 1843).]
MADDISON or MADDESTONE, Sir RALPH (1571?–1655?), economic writer, born about 1571, was eldest son of Edward Maddison of Fonaby, Lincolnshire, by his wife Katharine, daughter of Ralph Bosville of Bradbourne, Kent. He was knighted at Whitehall in 1603, and was frequently employed by James I in commercial affairs. He was a member of the royal commission on the woollen trade in 1622, but on the reappointment of the commission in 1625 his name was omitted. He endeavoured, however, to bring his views to the notice of the commissioners, and he wrote to the king on ‘the depth of the mystery of trade.’ In 1640, when it was proposed to supply the king's financial necessities by debasing the currency, Maddison wrote to him (7 July), pointing out the evils which would result from such a measure. ‘A man of good affections to the parliament’ (Tanner MSS. lvi. 54), he advanced money to it during the civil war. During the Commonwealth he appears to have held some office in the mint. The committee on the coinage (August 1649) were instructed to confer with him upon the value of gold. He died probably about the end of 1655.
Maddison married, about 1594, Mary, daughter of Robert Williamson of Walkeringham, Nottinghamshire, by whom he had several children.
Maddison published ‘England's Looking in and out; presented to the High Court
