Thomas Bermingham, 1st Earl of Louth

Thomas, 22nd Lord of Athenry from 1750 at age 33, born 16 November 1717. He was selected to be parliamentary representative for Co. Galway in 1745, and on the death of his father took his seat in parliament on 19 March 1749. King George II created him Earl of Louth by Privy Seal on 3 April 1759. He took his seat in the House of Lords on 23 November 1759. He was made a Privy Councillor of Ireland. He sold his Kilcloony estate to Edward Bodkin in 1759. Died 1799 aged 82.

With the death of Thomas, who had no lawfully begotten male heir, the Earldom of Louth became extinct. The Barony of Athenry, however, only fell into abeyance.

In November 1800 the Law Officers of the Crown in Ireland held that, concerning the Baronry of Athenry, the most ancient on the List of Barons, it was for His Majesty to determine whether the Baronry in abeyance should be terminated. One of the last of many claimants to the Baronry was Captain Robert Bermingham of the 11th Regiment, who claimed descent from Richard Bermingham, Esq., 5th son of the Hon. Meyler Bermingham, surnamed "Buighe" of Connagher, Co. Galway, second son of Edmond de Bermingham, 15th Lord of Athenry. Having submitted his case in 1816 to the Solicitor-General for Ireland, afterwards Lord Chief Justice, he received a reply to the effect that the title had become extinct with the lack of a lawfully begotten male heir from Thomas, 22nd Baron of Athenry, if not earlier for the same reason!

Date of death from http://thepeerage.com/p5067.htm#i50664 quoting Cokayne's Complete Peerage (1910-59).