King James I created the hereditary Order of Baronets in England on 22 May 1611, for the settlement of Ireland and ostensibly for support of troops in Ulster. He offered the dignity to 200 gentlemen of good birth, with a clear estate of £1,000 a year, on condition that each one should pay a sum equivalent to three years' pay to 30 soldiers at 8d per day per man into the King's Exchequer. A baronet ranked below a baron but above a knight and the title could only be inherited by male members of the baronetcy.
The Dungan Baronetcy, of Castletown in the County of Kildare, was created in the Baronetage of Ireland in 1623 for Walter Dungan. Land holdings consisted of over 21,000 acres.
Sir Walter Dongan, 1st Baronet (d. 1626)
Sir John Dongan, 2nd Baronet (d. 1650)
Sir Walter Dongan, 3rd Baronet (d. 1686)
Sir William Dongan, 4th Baronet (d. 1698) (created Earl of Limerick in 1686)
William Dongan, 1st Earl of Limerick (d. 1698) His only son Walter Dungan, Viscount Dungan, was killed at the Battle of the Boyne and Lord Limerick was succeeded according to the special remainders (and normally in the baronetcy) by his brother Thomas Dongan, the second Earl.
Thomas Dongan, 2nd Earl of Limerick (1634–1715) Thomas followed his brother William as the 2nd Earl of Limerick after serving as Governor of New York from 1683 to 1688 and was known for writing the Dongan Charter. All three titles became extinct on his death in 1715.
Thomas Dongan had been appointed colonial governor of New York in 1682 by King James II. Dongan called a legislative assembly in 1683 which produced a measure, known as the Charter of Liberties and Privileges. The Charter was passed granting popular rights and religious toleration. These and subsequent enactments (1684, 1685) were not approved by James II, but were continued by virtue of a permanent charter for New York City secured by Dongan in 1686.
