Sir Richard Shee (c. 1550 - 1608) was an Irish lawyer, politician, and Deputy

Lord Treasurer of Ireland The Lord High Treasurer of Ireland was the head of the Exchequer of Ireland, chief financial officer of the Kingdom of Ireland. The designation ''High'' was added in 1695. After the Acts of Union 1800 created the United Kingdom of Great Britain a ...

. He was a prominent member of the ruling class in

Kilkenny city Kilkenny (). is a city in County Kilkenny, Ireland. It is located in the South-East Region and in the province of Leinster. It is built on both banks of the River Nore. The 2016 census gave the total population of Kilkenny as 26,512. Kilkenn ...

. He is best remembered for his influence on the architecture of Kilkenny city through his founding of the

Shee Alms House Shee Alms House was founded by the Shee family in 1582 'to accommodate twelve poor persons' in the city of Kilkenny, Ireland. It is a nationally significant Tudor period Almshouse. House Sir Richard Shee founded the alms house, originally call ...

in Rose Inn Street, Kilkenny, and for his ornate tomb in Saint Mary's Church.

Family background

The Shee family were descended from Gaelic lords Clan Ua Seaghdha in the

Iveragh peninsula The Iveragh Peninsula () is located in County Kerry in Ireland. It is the largest peninsula in southwestern Ireland. A mountain range, the MacGillycuddy's Reeks, lies in the centre of the peninsula. Carrauntoohil, its highest mountain, is als ...

County Kerry County Kerry ( gle, Contae Chiarraí) is a county in Ireland. It is located in the South-West Region and forms part of the province of Munster. It is named after the Ciarraige who lived in part of the present county. The population of the co ...

, in southwestern Ireland. During the 14th century they moved to Tipperary and then on to Kilkenny where Richard Shee's grandfather Robert O'Shee rose to prominence and was recorded as being

sovereign ''Sovereign'' is a title which can be applied to the highest leader in various categories. The word is borrowed from Old French , which is ultimately derived from the Latin , meaning 'above'. The roles of a sovereign vary from monarch, ruler or ...

of Kilkenny city. Richard Shee was an important member of the prominent Shee family of Kilkenny as noted by archaeologist Cóilín Ó Drisceoil:

The O’Shees became firm allies of the ruling
Butler A butler is a person who works in a house serving and is a domestic worker in a large household. In great houses, the household is sometimes divided into departments with the butler in charge of the dining room, wine cellar, and pantry. Some a ...
(Ormonde) family and this Robert died in battle in 1500 whilst fighting under their standard. The close relationship with the Butler family guaranteed success for the Shee family politically, financially and culturally which today is reflected in a legacy of architectural and sculptural heritage in Kilkenny city – the
Shee Alms house Shee Alms House was founded by the Shee family in 1582 'to accommodate twelve poor persons' in the city of Kilkenny, Ireland. It is a nationally significant Tudor period Almshouse. House Sir Richard Shee founded the alms house, originally call ...
, domestic houses, a now destroyed wayside cross and their funeral monuments.

Biography

Richard Shee was the eldest son of Robert Shee (Sovereign of Kilkenny 1545-46, 1553–54; M.P. for Kilkenny in 1559) and his wife Margaret Rothe. Shee pursued a career in law, first as a student of Grey's Inn and later as a bencher of the

King's Inns The Honorable Society of King's Inns ( ir, Cumann Onórach Óstaí an Rí) is the "Inn of Court" for the Bar of Ireland. Established in 1541, King's Inns is Ireland's oldest school of law and one of Ireland's significant historical environment ...

. He was also

seneschal The word ''seneschal'' () can have several different meanings, all of which reflect certain types of supervising or administering in a historic context. Most commonly, a seneschal was a senior position filled by a court appointment within a royal, ...

of Kilkenny's Irishtown district in 1568.

Bishop of Ossory The Bishop of Ossory () is an Episcopal polity, episcopal title which takes its name after the ancient of Kingdom of Ossory in the Provinces of Ireland, Province of Leinster, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. In the Roman Catholic Church it remain ...

Christopher Gafney granted him the manor of Uppercourt in County Kilkenny in 1570, and in the following year he was made Treasurer of the regalities of Tipperary in 1571 and in 1576 he was made Deputy to the Lord Treasurer of Ireland. This led to his knighthood sometime shortly after 1582. He worked closely Thomas, Earl of Ormonde throughout his legal career which led to him greatly increasing his property holdings and wealth. Richard Shee founded the Hospital of Jesus of Kilkenny, but popularly known as the Shee's Alms House in Rose Inn Street, Kilkenny which still stands today and was used for as the Tourist Information Office. Richard Shee died on 10 August 1608 in his residence in Bonnetstown, a short distance outside of Kilkenny City.

Wives and children

Shee was married twice, first to Margaret Sherlock of

Waterford "Waterford remains the untaken city" , mapsize = 220px , pushpin_map = Ireland#Europe , pushpin_map_caption = Location within Ireland##Location within Europe , pushpin_relief = 1 , coordinates ...

, and then to Margaret Fagan of Dublin. He had no children by his second wife. His surviving children were: * Robert, died in England before 1608 without issue. * Lucas of Uppercourt, M.P.1613-15, died 27 July 1622, aged 56 years. His eldest son and heir, Robert, hosted the first assembly of an independent Irish state at his Kilkenny home in October 1642 (see

Confederate Ireland Confederate Ireland, also referred to as the Irish Catholic Confederation, was a period of Irish Catholic self-government between 1642 and 1649, during the Eleven Years' War. Formed by Catholic aristocrats, landed gentry, clergy and military ...

) * Thomas of Freneystown, died without issue October 1636. * John, died 13 November 1633, leaving a son, Richard, and a daughter, Anne. * Marcus of Sheestown, ancestor of the Shees of Sheestown and Gardenmorris,

Mayor of Kilkenny The Mayor of Kilkenny ( ga, Cathaoirleach) is an honorific title used by the head of Kilkenny Borough Council. The Council has jurisdiction throughout its administrative area which is the city of Kilkenny in the Republic of Ireland. The office was ...

1631. * Lettice, wife of John Grace, of Courtstown. * Katherine, wife of Edmund Cantwell, of Moycarky. * Margate, wife of James Walsh, of Waterford. * Isabel, wife of David, eldest son of Robert Rothe, of Kilkenny.

Shee family tombs

The Shee family tombs projected the wealth and influence the family had in Kilkenny. Richard Shee was buried in Saint Mary's Church in Kilkenny City under an engraved monument. He stipulated in his will for his son and heir Lucas to build an appropriate tomb for a man of his standing in the community:

"I bequeath my soul to God, and my body to the buried in my said ffather’s burial in my parish church of our Ladye in Kilkennye. Executors of this my last will and testament doe make constitute and appoynte my sonnes Lucas Shee, Marcus Shee and John Shee; whom I doe appoynte to buylde a decent monument of the value of 100 marks sterling over my said burial”

References

External links

Shee family coat of arms
{{DEFAULTSORT:Shee, Sir Richard 16th-century Irish politicians 17th-century Irish politicians 1608 deaths People from County Kilkenny 16th-century Irish lawyers 1550s births