Sir James Butler of Polestown (died 1487) was a

warlord A warlord is a person who exercises military, economic, and political control over a region in a country without a strong national government; largely because of coercive control over the armed forces. Warlords have existed throughout much of h ...

in Yorkist

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

Career

James was the eldest son of Sir Edmund MacRichard Butler, whom he succeeded in 1464 as Lord Deputy of Ireland over his absentee cousins John and Thomas, the 6th and 7th Earls of Ormond, respectively. As was his family's tradition, he had a long career as a Gaelic warlord which included raiding and rustling across southern

Leinster Leinster ( ; ga, Laighin or ) is one of the provinces of Ireland, situated in the southeast and east of Ireland. The province comprises the ancient Kingdoms of Meath, Leinster and Osraige. Following the 12th-century Norman invasion of ...

. He sided with the House of Lancaster against King Edward IV of England, for which he was attainted; but when that King was settled on the throne, he overlooked this mistake in his conduct, and an Act of Parliament passed in Ireland, repealed all attainders, judgments, and outlawries, against him. The King, in consideration of his faithful services from that time, granted him, in April 1468 (among other things) the manor and

advowson Advowson () or patronage is the right in English law of a patron (avowee) to present to the diocesan bishop (or in some cases the ordinary if not the same person) a nominee for appointment to a vacant ecclesiastical benefice or church living ...

(right to nominate the parish priest) of

Callan Callan is a given name and surname of Irish and Scottish origin. It can derive from Ó Cathaláin, meaning ''descendant of Cathalán''. Callan can also be an Anglicized form of the Gaelic Mac Allin or Mac Callin. Notable people with the name includ ...

for life. And on 12 October 1477, he was constituted by John, Earl of Ormond, his attorney and deputy, to manage his lands in Ireland. In this way he ordered the reform of the town of

Carrick-on-Suir Carrick-on-Suir () is a town in County Tipperary, Ireland. It lies on both banks of the River Suir. The part on the north bank of the Suir lies in the civil parish of "Carrick", in the historical barony of Iffa and Offa East. The part on the s ...

. He was knighted, and built the castle of Neigham (Nehorn old name) near Gowran.

Death

He died on 16 April 1487 and was buried in

Callan Augustinian Friary The Callan Augustinian Friary () is an Augustinian friary situated in Callan, Co Kilkenny, Ireland. It is known locally as the "Abbey Meadow" and is located to the north-east of the town, on the banks of the Kings River. The new Augustinian ...

, of which he was the founder.

Marriage and Children

Around 1450 he began a love affair with Sabh Kavanagh. Her parents were Donal Reagh MacMurrough-Kavanagh (a.k.a. Domhnall mac Gerald MacMurrough-Kavanagh),

King of Leinster The kings of Leinster ( ga, Rí Laighín), ruled from the establishment of Leinster during the Irish Iron Age, until the 17th century Early Modern Ireland. According to Gaelic traditional history, laid out in works such as the ''Book of Invasion ...

and an unknown daughter of an O'Nolan chieftain. Three children were born before James and Sabh were married. James later arranged for the Irish Parliament to declare them legitimate. * Edmund Butler of Polestown * Theobald Butler of Polestown * John FitzJames Butler of Polestown whose only daughter and heir, Margaret, was married to Edmond Blanchville of Blanchvillestown, county Kilkenny.Lodge John ''The Peerage of Ireland or, A Genealogical History Of The Present Nobility Of That Kingdom'', 1789, Vol IV, pg 19. * Alice Butler (or Ellice) the first wife of Sir George Fleming of Stephenstown, second son of James Fleming, 7th Baron Slane: she was mother of James, who by his wife Ismay, daughter of the

Lord Chief Justice of Ireland The Court of King's Bench (or Court of Queen's Bench during the reign of a Queen) was one of the senior courts of common law in Ireland. It was a mirror of the Court of King's Bench in England. The Lord Chief Justice was the most senior judge ...

, Sir Bartholomew Dillon of Riverstown, was the father of

Thomas Fleming, 10th Baron Slane Thomas Fleming (died 1601) was an Irish peer, and a member of the Parliament of Ireland of 1585. He was the son of James Fleming, and great-grandson of James Fleming, 7th Baron Slane. His mother was Ismay Dillon, daughter of Sir Bartholomew Di ...

. * Margaret, who married as his second wife Sir Alexander Plunket, Lord Chancellor of Ireland, and had issue. *

Piers Butler, 8th Earl of Ormond Piers Butler, 8th Earl of Ormond, 1st Earl of Ossory (1539) also known as Red Piers (Irish ''Piers Ruadh''), was from the Polestown–– branch of the Butler family of Ireland. In the succession crisis at the death of Thomas Butler, 7th Earl ...

and 1st

Earl of Ossory Earl of Ossory is a subsidiary title held by the Earl of Ormond that was created in the Peerage of Ireland in 1528. During King Henry VIII of England's pursuit of Anne Boleyn, who would be his second wife, he arranged for the main claimant to the ...

(1467-1539), also known as (

Irish Irish may refer to: Common meanings * Someone or something of, from, or related to: ** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe ***Éire, Irish language name for the isle ** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...

''Piers Ruadh'') Red Piers.

References

*''Ormond, Duke of, Life 1610-'88: Thomas A. Carte, M.A. 6 vols. Oxford, 1851'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Butler, James 1487 deaths

James James is a common English language surname and given name: *James (name), the typically masculine first name James * James (surname), various people with the last name James James or James City may also refer to: People * King James (disambiguati ...

15th-century Irish people People of the Tudor period Year of birth missing

Career

Death

Marriage and Children

See also

References