Richard St Lawrence, 7th Baron Howth (c. 1510–1558) was an Anglo-Irish nobleman and military commander of the

Tudor era The Tudor period occurred between 1485 and 1603 in England and Wales and includes the Elizabethan period during the reign of Elizabeth I until 1603. The Tudor period coincides with the dynasty of the House of Tudor in England that began with t ...

Family

He was the second son of Christopher St Lawrence, 5th Baron Howth and his wife Anne Bermingham. He succeeded to the title in 1549 on the death of his brother Edward, 6th Baron Howth, who had married Alison FitzLyon, daughter of James FitzLyon, but had outlived his only son. Richard married Lady Catherine FitzGerald, daughter of

Gerald FitzGerald, 9th Earl of Kildare Gerard FitzGerald, 9th Earl of Kildare (1487 – 12 December 1534; Irish: ''Gearóid Óg Mac Gearailt'', meaning "Young Gerald FitzGerald"), was a leading figure in 16th-century Irish History. In 1513 he inherited the title of Earl of Kildare an ...

by his second wife Elizabeth Grey, and widow of Jenico Preston, 3rd

Viscount Gormanston Viscount Gormanston is a title in the Peerage of Ireland created in 1478 and held by the head of the Preston family, which hailed from Lancashire. It is the oldest vicomital title in the British Isles; the holder is Premier Viscount of Ireland. ...

, but they had no children.Lodge, John, and Archdale, Mervyn: ''Peerage of Ireland''. Dublin 1789

Career

Whereas his elder brother Edward is said to have left no mark on the history of his time,Ball, F. Elrington: ''History of Dublin'', 6 volumes. Alexander Thom and Co. Dublin 1902-1920 Richard was a political figure of considerable importance. He had some legal training, having entered

Lincoln's Inn The Honourable Society of Lincoln's Inn is one of the four Inns of Court in London to which barristers of England and Wales belong and where they are called to the Bar. (The other three are Middle Temple, Inner Temple and Gray's Inn.) Lincoln ...

in 1541. He was a

justice of the peace A justice of the peace (JP) is a judicial officer of a lower or ''puisne'' court, elected or appointed by means of a commission ( letters patent) to keep the peace. In past centuries the term commissioner of the peace was often used with the sa ...

for Meath and

Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of th ...

, and sat on a Commission of

oyer and terminer In English law, oyer and terminer (; a partial translation of the Anglo-French ''oyer et terminer'', which literally means "to hear and to determine") was one of the commissions by which a judge of assize sat. Apart from its Law French name, the ...

. He was also entrusted with the levying of

subsidies A subsidy or government incentive is a form of financial aid or support extended to an economic sector (business, or individual) generally with the aim of promoting economic and social policy. Although commonly extended from the government, the ter ...

. He enjoyed the confidence of the English Crown and was on good terms with successive

Deputies A legislator (also known as a deputy or lawmaker) is a person who writes and passes laws, especially someone who is a member of a legislature. Legislators are often elected by the people of the state. Legislatures may be supra-national (for ex ...

, including Sir

Edward Bellingham Sir Edward Bellingham (1506–1549) was an English soldier and lord deputy of Ireland. Life He was a son of Edward Bellingham of Erringham, Sussex, his mother being Jane Shelley of the Shelley family. After his father's death in 1511, he and h ...

, Sir

James Croft Sir James Croft PC (c.1518 – 4 September 1590) was an English politician, who was Lord Deputy of Ireland, and MP for Herefordshire in the Parliament of England. Life He was born the second but eldest surviving son of Sir Richard Croft of Cro ...

and

Thomas Radclyffe, 3rd Earl of Sussex Thomas Radclyffe (or Ratclyffe), 3rd Earl of Sussex KG (c. 15259 June 1583), was Lord Deputy of Ireland during the Tudor period of English history, and a leading courtier during the reign of Elizabeth I. Family He was the eldest son of Hen ...

. He is chiefly remembered as a soldier, and he played a leading role in all the military expeditions of his time. His most famous campaign was against the Scots at

Lecale Lecale (, ) is a peninsula in the east of County Down, Northern Ireland. It lies between Strangford Lough and Dundrum Bay. In the Middle Ages it was a district or ''túath'' in the Gaelic Irish kingdom of Ulaid, then became a county in the Anglo ...

in present-day County Down in 1551. He defeated Shane O'Neill in an engagement in 1553, and saw further action in 1555. In 1556 Sussex sent him on another expedition against the Scots, whom he defeated at

Glenarm Glenarm () is a village in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. It lies on the North Channel coast north of the town of Larne and the village of Ballygalley, and south of the village of Carnlough. It is situated in the civil parish of Tickmacreva ...

in present-day

County Antrim County Antrim (named after the town of Antrim, ) is one of six counties of Northern Ireland and one of the thirty-two counties of Ireland. Adjoined to the north-east shore of Lough Neagh, the county covers an area of and has a population o ...

. In 1558 in the absence of the

Lord Deputy of Ireland The Lord Deputy was the representative of the monarch and head of the Irish executive (government), executive under English rule, during the Lordship of Ireland and then the Kingdom of Ireland. He deputised prior to 1523 for the Viceroy of Ireland ...

he was appointed one of the guardians of

the Pale The Pale (Irish: ''An Pháil'') or the English Pale (' or ') was the part of Ireland directly under the control of the English government in the Late Middle Ages. It had been reduced by the late 15th century to an area along the east coast st ...

, and was credited with maintaining firm order there. He died at

Drogheda Drogheda ( , ; , meaning "bridge at the ford") is an industrial and port town in County Louth on the east coast of Ireland, north of Dublin. It is located on the Dublin–Belfast corridor on the east coast of Ireland, mostly in County Louth ...

in the autumn of 1558, and was succeeded in the title by his brother Christopher, 8th Baron Howth.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Howth, Richard St Lawrence, 7th Baron Irish generals Nobility from Dublin (city) 1558 deaths Year of birth uncertain 16th-century Irish people Barons Howth Members of Lincoln's Inn Military personnel from Dublin (city)