Lucas More Plunket of Killeen,

County Meath County Meath ( ; or simply , ) is a Counties of Ireland, county in the Eastern and Midland Region of Republic of Ireland, Ireland, within the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster. It is bordered by County Dublin to the southeast, County ...

(before 1602 – 29 March 1637), styled Lucas Môr, tenth lord Killeen, created Earl of Fingall on 26 September 1628, was an Irish peer.

Biography

Plunket was the elder son of Christopher Plunket, 9th

Baron Killeen Baron is a rank of nobility or title of honour, often hereditary, in various European countries, either current or historical. The female equivalent is baroness. Typically, the title denotes an aristocrat who ranks higher than a lord or knight, ...

, and Jenet, daughter of Sir Lucas Dillon,

Chief Baron of the Irish Exchequer The Chief Baron of the Irish Exchequer was the Baron (judge) who presided over the Irish Court of Exchequer. This was a mirror of the equivalent court in England, and was one of the four courts which sat in the building in Dublin which is still ...

and his first wife Jane Bathe. He succeeded to the barony in January 1613. Plunket was created Earl of Fingall by King's letter of 26 September 1628, "on account of the good testimony which the King had received as to his honour and virtue, and for the encouragement of his continuance in such courses". He was granted 2,400 acres in

County Cavan County Cavan ( ; ) is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Ulster and is part of the Northern and Western Region. It is named after the town of Cavan and is based on the hi ...

; he was one of the founders of the town of

Virginia, County Cavan Virginia () is a town in County Cavan, Ireland. Founded in the 17th century as a plantation town, it now holds both local industry and commuter housing. History Foundation Virginia was founded in the early 17th century, at Aghanure (), during ...

. He sat on the

Irish House of Lords The Irish House of Lords was the upper house of the Parliament of Ireland that existed from medieval times until the end of 1800. It was also the final court of appeal of the Kingdom of Ireland. It was modelled on the House of Lords of Englan ...

Committee for Privileges in the Parliament of 1634–5. He was a staunch

Roman Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...

and an advocate for The Graces, the programme of religious concessions promised by the English Crown in the 1620s, but never implemented. As a result, he clashed with the

Lord Lieutenant of Ireland Lord Lieutenant of Ireland (), or more formally Lieutenant General and General Governor of Ireland, was the title of the chief governor of Ireland from the Williamite Wars of 1690 until the Partition of Ireland in 1922. This spanned the K ...

, the formidable

Thomas Wentworth, 1st Earl of Strafford Thomas Wentworth, 1st Earl of Strafford (13 April 1593 (New Style, N.S.)12 May 1641), was an English people, English statesman and a major figure in the period leading up to the English Civil War. He served in Parliament of England, Parliament ...

, who was determined to reject the Graces.

Family

Plunket married first Elizabeth FitzGerald, daughter of

Henry FitzGerald, 12th Earl of Kildare Henry FitzGerald, 12th Earl of Kildare (1562 – 30 September 1597) was an Irish peer and soldier. Background Kildare was the second son of Gerald FitzGerald, 11th Earl of Kildare and Mabel Browne. cites His eldest brother died in 1580, and He ...

and Lady Frances Howard. She died, probably of

bubonic plague Bubonic plague is one of three types of Plague (disease), plague caused by the Bacteria, bacterium ''Yersinia pestis''. One to seven days after exposure to the bacteria, flu-like symptoms develop. These symptoms include fever, headaches, and ...

, in 1611. Plunket married secondly Susannah, daughter of

Edward Brabazon, 1st Baron Ardee Edward Brabazon, 1st Baron Ardee (c. 1548 – 7 August 1625) was an Anglo-Irish peer. Brabazon was the eldest son of William Brabazon (Lord Justice of Ireland), Sir William Brabazon (died 1552), the Lord Justice of the Kingdom of Ireland, and El ...

and Mary Smythe. They had two sons

Christopher Christopher is the English language, English version of a Europe-wide name derived from the Greek language, Greek name Χριστόφορος (''Christophoros'' or ''Christoforos''). The constituent parts are Χριστός (''Christós''), "Jesus ...

, who succeeded as 2nd Earl, and George, from whom later

Earls of Fingall Earl of Fingall and Baron of Killeen were titles in the Peerage of Ireland, the latter one of the earliest surviving, while Baron Fingall was a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. The seat of the title-holders was, from the 1400s until 195 ...

were descended; and a daughter, Eleanor, who married Andrew Nugent. Plunket married thirdly Eleanor, daughter of Dudley Bagenal and Mabel FitzGerald, and widow of Sir Thomas Colclough of

Tintern Abbey Tintern Abbey ( ) is a ruined medieval abbey situated adjacent to the village of Tintern in Monmouthshire, on the Welsh bank of the River Wye, which at this location forms the border between Monmouthshire in Wales and Gloucestershire in England. ...

County Wexford County Wexford () is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster and is part of the Southern Region, Ireland, Southern Region. Named after the town of Wexford, it was ba ...

. She died in 1632. He married fourthly Margaret, daughter of Nicholas St Lawrence, 9th Baron Howth and his second wife Mary White, and widow of Jenico Preston, 5th

Viscount Gormanston Viscount Gormanston is a noble title, created in 1478, held by the Anglo-Irish Preston family since the Middle Ages. The oldest vicomital title in the British Isles, Lord Gormanston is accorded the style of Premier Viscount of Ireland. Desc ...

Notes

References

* * *''The O’Donnells of Tyrconnell – A Hidden Legacy'', by

Francis Martin O'Donnell Francis Martin O'Donnell GCMM, GCEG, KC*SG, KM, KCHS, KCMCO (born in 1954) is an Irish citizen who has served abroad as an international diplomat in senior representative positions with the United Nations until retirement, and later with ...

, published by

Academica Press Academica Press is a scholarly and trade publisher of non-fiction, particularly research in the social sciences, humanities, education, law, public policy, international relations, and other disciplines. Long managed by the late Robert Redfern-We ...

LLC in

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

and

Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

, 2018, (750 pages; see pages 149–150) ()

1637 deaths Nobility from County Meath 17th-century Irish people Year of birth unknown Year of birth uncertain Earls of Fingall {{Ireland-earl-stub