Mary Dill and Richard Dawson Bates.

Returning to Ireland, Mary Dill (1845-1931) was the third of the nine children of Robert Foster Dill and Catherine Haughton Rentoul, and thereby another great grand-daughter of Susanna West, and  third cousin once removed of Hetty Jane Owen. Mary married Richard Dawson Bates, a Belfast solicitor in 1872. 

Mary and Richard had two sons, John Bates, who died young, and Sir Richard Dawson Bates (1876-1949), and three daughters, Jane, Catherine and Mary.

Dawson Bates and Jessie Muriel Cleland
Photo copyright of The National Portrait Gallery

Sir Richard Dawson Bates, their son, was thus a fourth cousin of Hetty Jane Owen, and if there is a reincarnation of the spirit of original West settlers to be found in later generations, this is the candidate.

Sir Richard was born in Strandtown, Belfast in and died in Somerset, England. He married Jessie Muriel Cleland, daughter of Sir Charles John Cleland (K.B.E.)  in 1920. Sir Richard was usually known simply as Dawson Bates. 

In terms of the bare bones of his career, he variously held the offices of Justice of the Peace for County Down, Deputy Lieutenant of Belfast and Privy Counsellor. 

He was Unionist M.P for East Belfast between 1921 and 1929, and for Belfast Victoria between 1929 and 1943. He was Minister for Home Affairs for Northern Ireland between 1921 and 1943. 

He was awarded an OBE in 1919, knighted in 1921, and created 1st Baronet Bates, of Magherabuoy, Londonderry in 1937. 

Quite an illustrious career on the surface, but as we shall see, one not short of controversy.