Mullingar native publishes fictional account of Belvedere’s ‘Wicked Earl’

A native of Mullingar new resident in the UK has published a fictionalised account of the jealously-fuelled misdeeds of Robert Rochfort, the 1st Earl of Belvedere, who has achieved infamy as ‘The Wicked Earl’ – the title chosen for the book.

Martin Coyne, formerly of Ginnell Terrace and now living near Newcastle-upon-Tyne, has had a lifelong fascination with Belvedere and the story of Rochfort.

The book, Martin writes, “is a combination of historical data, innuendo, rumour and a generous dollop of fiction”.

“All anyone can say for certain is, Robert Rochfort did not inherit the title of Wicked Earl: he earned it,” he adds.

Robert Rochfort, then a gentleman without title and the sitting MP for Westmeath, married Mary Molesworth in 1736. Two years later, he entered the peerage as Baron Belfield, and his standing rose at court, earning him an earldom in 1756.

Despite his meteoric rise, the aristocrat – resident at Belvedere House on the shores of Lough Ennell – harboured a dark secret. In 1743, Robert accused Mary of committing adultery with his brother, Arthur, and as punishment, had her locked up in the Rochfort family home at Gaulstown House, near Rochfortbridge.

There, Mary spent the next 31 years of her life, while Robert sued Arthur for criminal conversation. Arthur, who couldn’t pay damages to his brother, was committed to Browne’s Castle, a Dublin debtors’ prison, where he died. Mary, meanwhile, was kept under house arrest until an attempted escape, which failed, giving rise to even worse abuse at the hands of her captor.

Her mind broken, Mary died not long after being released following her husband’s death after being struck on the head on the shores of Lough Ennell in 1774.

Martin believes that the Belvedere story should be more widely known, and hopes that his novelised version will serve this purpose, bringing more visitors to Belvedere House.

Retired and living in Gateshead, Martin is married to Angela (née Reid, Green Road, Mullingar).

In 2013, he wrote a poem in the voice of Mary Molesworth’s ghost, telling the story of this sad chapter in the history of Belvedere.

His book, ‘The Wicked Earl’, goes on sale on Amazon in the coming days.