Hugh Tyrrel (

Anglo-Norman Anglo-Norman may refer to: *Anglo-Normans, the medieval ruling class in England following the Norman conquest of 1066 * Anglo-Norman language **Anglo-Norman literature * Anglo-Norman England, or Norman England, the period in English history from 10 ...

: ''Huge Tyrel''), 1st Baron of Castleknock (died 1199) was an

nobleman and crusader who played a prominent part in the

Norman invasion of Ireland The Anglo-Norman invasion of Ireland took place during the late 12th century, when Anglo-Normans gradually conquered and acquired large swathes of land from the Irish, over which the kings of England then claimed sovereignty, all allegedly sanc ...

and took part in the

Third Crusade The Third Crusade (1189–1192) was an attempt by three European monarchs of Western Christianity (Philip II of France, Richard I of England and Frederick I, Holy Roman Emperor) to reconquer the Holy Land following the capture of Jerusalem by ...

. He was born in

Hampshire Hampshire (, ; abbreviated to Hants) is a ceremonial county, ceremonial and non-metropolitan county, non-metropolitan counties of England, county in western South East England on the coast of the English Channel. Home to two major English citi ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

, the son of Hugh Tyrrel the elder, who held substantial lands in England, and was also lord of

Poix-de-Picardie Poix-de-Picardie (, literally ''Poix of Picardy''; pcd, Poé-d’Picardie) is a commune in the Somme department in Hauts-de-France in northern France. Geography The commune is situated at the junction of the N1 and N29 roads, some southwest of ...

in France. Their ancestor

Walter Tirel Walter Tyrrell III, the “Red Knight of Normandie” (1065 – some time after 1100), was an Anglo-Norman nobleman. He is infamous for his involvement in the death of King William II of England, also known as William Rufus. Life Walter Tire ...

(died after 1100) is notorious as the killer (although whether the killing was

murder Murder is the unlawful killing of another human without justification (jurisprudence), justification or valid excuse (legal), excuse, especially the unlawful killing of another human with malice aforethought. ("The killing of another person wit ...

or accident is still a matter of debate) of King

William Rufus William II ( xno, Williame; – 2 August 1100) was King of England from 26 September 1087 until his death in 1100, with powers over Normandy and influence in Scotland. He was less successful in extending control into Wales. The third so ...

. On the death of his elder brother Walter, in about the year 1170, Hugh succeeded to all his father's estates.

Invasion of Ireland

In 1169 when

Richard de Clare, 2nd Earl of Pembroke Richard de Clare, 2nd Earl of Pembroke (of the first creation), Lord of Leinster, Justiciar of Ireland (113020 April 1176), also known as Richard FitzGilbert, was an Anglo-Norman nobleman notable for his leading role in the Anglo-Norman invasion ...

, nicknamed ''Strongbow'', invaded Ireland on behalf of

Henry II of England Henry II (5 March 1133 – 6 July 1189), also known as Henry Curtmantle (french: link=no, Court-manteau), Henry FitzEmpress, or Henry Plantagenet, was King of England from 1154 until his death in 1189, and as such, was the first Angevin king ...

, Tyrrel accompanied him.Ball, F. Elrington ''History of the Parishes of Dublin'' Alexander Thom and Co Dublin 1920 Vol.6 pp.8-9 By 1172 he was described as one of the right-hand men of

Hugh de Lacy, Lord of Meath Hugh de Lacy, Lord of Meath, 4th Baron Lacy (; before 1135 – 25 July 1186), was an Anglo-Norman landowner and royal office-holder. He had substantial land holdings in Herefordshire and Shropshire. Following his participation in the Norman Inva ...

, who conferred on him the feudal barony of Castleknock. He built Castleknock Castle, possibly on the site of an earlier fortification. When de Lacy left Ireland to join the King in France, he made Tyrrel Constable of

Trim Castle Trim Castle ( ga, Caisleán Bhaile Átha Troim) is a castle on the south bank of the River Boyne in Trim, County Meath, Ireland, with an area of 30,000 m2. Over a period of 30 years, it was built by Hugh de Lacy and his son Walter as ...

. In 1173 the

Lordship of Meath The Lordship of Meath was an extensive seigneurial Liberty (division), liberty in medieval History of Ireland (1169–1536), Ireland that was awarded to Hugh de Lacy, Lord of Meath, Hugh de Lacy by King Henry II of England by the service of fifty ...

was invaded by

Ruaidrí Ua Conchobair Ruaidrí mac Tairrdelbach Ua Conchobair (Modern Irish: Ruairí Ó Conchúir; anglicized as Rory O'Conor) ( – 2 December 1198) was Kings of Connacht, King of Connacht from 1156 to 1186, and High King of Ireland from 1166 to 1198. He was the l ...

High King of Ireland High King of Ireland ( ga, Ardrí na hÉireann ) was a royal title in Gaelic Ireland held by those who had, or who are claimed to have had, lordship over all of Ireland. The title was held by historical kings and later sometimes assigned ana ...

, and

was besieged.Otway-Ruthven, A.J. ''History of Medieval Ireland'' Barnes and Noble reissue 1993 p.55 A

poet A poet is a person who studies and creates poetry. Poets may describe themselves as such or be described as such by others. A poet may simply be the creator ( thinker, songwriter, writer, or author) who creates (composes) poems (oral or writte ...

records Tyrrel's urgent appeal to Strongbow: "Through me the baron sends you word, Old Hugh Tyrrel of Trim, That you aid him in every way".Ball p.9 Tyrrel was forced to evacuate

Trim Trim or TRIM may refer to: Cutting * Cutting or trimming small pieces off something to remove them ** Book trimming, a stage of the publishing process ** Pruning, trimming as a form of pruning often used on trees Decoration * Trim (sewing), or ...

, but Ruaidrí soon withdrew and Tyrrel quickly reoccupied the castle and strengthened its defences; the same poet records: "Hugh Tyrrel went to Trim, And refortified his fortress, And safeguarded it with great honour". Despite their earlier friendship Tyrrel and de Lacy quarrelled in 1185: de Lacy accused Tyrrel of despoiling the monastery of

Armagh Armagh ( ; ga, Ard Mhacha, , "Macha's height") is the county town of County Armagh and a city in Northern Ireland, as well as a civil parish. It is the ecclesiastical capital of Ireland – the seat of the Archbishops of Armagh, the Pri ...

and carrying away its valuables. Elrington Ball considers the accusation to be most unlikely, noting that Tyrrel was renowned as a benefactor, not a despoiler, of religious houses. In particular, he made a substantial grant of lands in present-day

Phoenix Park The Phoenix Park ( ga, Páirc an Fhionnuisce) is a large urban park in Dublin, Ireland, lying west of the city centre, north of the River Liffey. Its perimeter wall encloses of recreational space. It includes large areas of grassland and tre ...

to the

Order of St. John of Jerusalem The Order of Knights of the Hospital of Saint John of Jerusalem ( la, Ordo Fratrum Hospitalis Sancti Ioannis Hierosolymitani), commonly known as the Knights Hospitaller (), was a medieval and early modern Catholic Church, Catholic Military ord ...

, whose Irish house was at

Kilmainham Kilmainham (, meaning " St Maighneann's church") is a south inner suburb of Dublin, Ireland, south of the River Liffey and west of the city centre. It is in the city's Dublin 8 postal district. The area was once known as Kilmanum. History In th ...

Third crusade

Though described in 1173 as "old Hugh Tyrrel" he was clearly not too old to participate in the Third Crusade, where he was known, for no clear reason, as "the Grecian knight,” and was present at the

Siege of Acre Siege of Acre may refer to: * Siege of Acre (1104), following the First Crusade *Siege of Acre (1189–1191), during the Third Crusade * Siege of Acre (1263), Baibars laid siege to the Crusader city, but abandoned it to attack Nazareth. *Siege of A ...

in 1189-1191. He died at Selincourt in

Picardy Picardy (; Picard and french: Picardie, , ) is a historical territory and a former administrative region of France. Since 1 January 2016, it has been part of the new region of Hauts-de-France. It is located in the northern part of France. Hi ...

in 1199. He married firstly Isabel de Vignacourt and secondly Marie de Sennarpont. He had issue by both marriages, including Richard, second baron of Castleknock.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tyrrel, Hugh Christians of the Third Crusade 1199 deaths Military personnel from Hampshire Normans in Ireland Norman warriors Year of birth unknown 12th-century English nobility 12th-century Irish people Castleknock (barony)