Page:Dictionary of National Biography volume 56.djvu/422

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lifelong rival at the bar and in parliament. Tisdal was defeated, but was returned at the same general election for Armagh. A petition was lodged against Hutchinson's return, which was subsequently declared void. Tisdal died in Belgium, at Spa, on 11 Sept. 1777, and was buried at Finglas, near Dublin.

Tisdal married, in 1736, Mary, daughter of the Rev. Rowland Singleton, and niece and coheiress of Henry Singleton, chief justice of the common pleas and master of the rolls. The great wealth of this lady, who was also a distinguished beauty, aided Tisdal's political career. Mrs. Tisdal was the chief patroness in Dublin of Angelica Kauffmann, who was a frequent visitor at Tisdal's residence at Stillorgan Park, co. Dublin, and at his town mansion in Leinster Street.

Portraits of Tisdal and his wife and two daughters, his only children, including two portraits of Tisdal by Angelica Kauffmann, passed to the possession of Tisdal's descendant, Mr. Tighe, at Ashgrove, Ellesmere, Salop. There is also a portrait of Tisdal, as a young man, by Latham, in the collection of the provost of Trinity College, Dublin. His papers were by his directions destroyed after his death.

[Notes kindly furnished by Surgeon-captain W. W. Webb; Donoughmore Papers, Hist. MSS. Comm., 12th Rep. App. pt. iv. passim; Hardy's Life of Charlemont, i. 152; The Batchelor, or Speculations of Jeoffry Wagstaffe, 1773; Pugh's Remarkable Occurrences in the Life of Jonas Hanway; Gilbert's History of Dublin, iii. 249; Duigenan's Lachrymæ Academicæ, 1777, p. 39; Hutchinson's Commercial Restraints of Ireland, ed. W. G. Carroll, pp. xxi–xxiii; Stubbs's History of Dublin University, p. 236; Caldwell's Debates relative to the Affairs of Ireland; Campbell's Philosophical Survey of the South of Ireland, 1777; Burke's Landed Gentry.]

C. L. F.

TISDAL or TISDALL, WILLIAM (1669–1735), controversialist and acquaintance of Swift, born in Dublin in 1669, was the son of William Tisdall of Carrickfergus, by his wife Anna. He entered Trinity College on 8 April 1687, his tutor being Edward Smith [q. v.], afterwards bishop of Down and Connor, became scholar in 1692, fellow in 1696, and obtained the degree of D.D. in 1707. Swift seems to have made his acquaintance as early as 1695–6, while he was at Kilroot, during one of his estrangements from Sir William Temple. Swift sympathised with Tisdall's arrogant churchmanship and hatred of presbyterians, and thought a good deal of his capacity as a preacher. They corresponded, too, upon political questions, and were in agreement as to the desirability of passing a bill against occasional conformity. These relations were abruptly changed in 1704 when Tisdall announced to his friend that he had designs upon the hand of ‘Stella’ (Esther Johnson). Swift replied in a letter dated 20 April 1704, in which rage and irony are apparent enough beneath the studied calmness which he affected. The episode was very soon closed, but Swift never got over his grudge against the ‘interloper.’ When he wanted a contemptuous epithet for Steele, he called him a ‘Tisdall fellow.’ Tisdall consoled himself by marrying, on 16 May 1706, Eleanor, daughter of Hugh Morgan of Cottlestown, co. Sligo.

In 1706 Tisdall became vicar of Kerry and Ruavan, co. Antrim; he was appointed rector of Drumcree, co. Armagh, on 29 Nov. 1711, and was admitted vicar of Belfast in the following year. His reputation as a controversialist was already considerable in the north of Ireland. In 1709 appeared his ironical ‘A Sample of True-Blew Presbyterian Loyalty, in all Changes and Turns of Government’ (Dublin, 4to), which was followed in 1712 by his vigorous ‘Conduct of the Dissenters in Ireland.’ Tisdall declared jocularly (though the joke was not relished by Swift) that he had saved Ireland by this as Swift England by his ‘Conduct of the Allies.’ John McBride [q. v.] retorted in ‘A Sample of Jet-black Prelatic Calumny.’ Tisdall published two other small tracts, before the dominion of the whigs was definitely established in 1715. After this he was silent. His relations with Swift became closer again after Stella's death, and he was a witness to Swift's will. He died on 8 June 1735, being survived just a year and a day by his wife. A son William became vicar of St. James's, Dublin, married Lady Mary, daughter of Chambre Brabazon, fifth earl of Meath, and had issue (Burke, Landed Gentry and Peerage, s.v. ‘Meath’).

[Dublin Univ. Cal.; Stubbs's Trinity Coll. Dublin; Benn's Hist. of Belfast; Reid's Presbyterian Church in Ireland; Craik's Life of Swift; Forster's Life of Swift; Swift's Journal to Stella, ed. Ryland; Lodge's Peerage, ed. Archdall, vi. 304; notes kindly supplied by Surgeon-captain W. W. Webb.]

T. S.

TISDALE, TYSDALL, or TYSDALE, JOHN (fl. 1550–1563), printer and stationer, began to print in 1550 ‘at Knight-Rider strete, nere to the Quenes Waredrop,’ London. At a later date he had ‘a shoppe in the upper ende of Lombard strete, in Allhallowes churchyard nere unto gracechurche,’ at the ‘sygne of the Eagles foote.’ He was an original member of the Company of Sta-