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Simon Fleming (died 1370) is the first
Baron Slane Baron Slane was a title in the Peerage of Ireland. It was created in 1370 for the Fleming family but forfeited in 1691. Origins The Flemings of Slane descend from Erchenbald, otherwise referred to as "Archembald le Fleming", of Bratton Flemin ...
whose holding of the title can be conclusively established. Fleming was a descendant of Archembald le Fleming of Bratton Fleming,
Devon Devon ( , historically known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South West England. The most populous settlement in Devon is the city of Plymouth, followed by Devon's county town, the city of Exeter. Devon is ...
, who was alive in 1087. Archembald's grandson, Archembald fitz Stephen le Fleming, came to Ireland with King
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 ...
in 1171 and participated in Hugh de Lacy's plantation of the
Kingdom of Mide Meath (; Old Irish: ''Mide'' ; spelt ''Mí'' in Modern Irish) was a kingdom in Ireland from the 1st to the 12th century AD. Its name means "middle," denoting its location in the middle of the island. At its greatest extent, it included all of ...
. He was a great-great-grandfather of Simon. Simon was the son of Sir Baldwin Fleming, and Maud de Geneville, daughter of Simon de Geneville of Culmullin and Joan Fitz Leones. Simon de Geneville was a younger son of
Geoffrey de Geneville, 1st Baron Geneville Geoffrey de Geneville, 1st Baron Geneville (c. 1226 – 21 October 1314) also known as Geoffrey de Joinville, was an Anglo-French noble, supporter of Henry III, who appointed him Baron of Trim, County Meath, and, subsequently, a staunch supporte ...
,
Justiciar of Ireland The chief governor was the senior official in the Dublin Castle administration, which maintained English and British rule in Ireland from the 1170s to 1922. The chief governor was the viceroy of the English monarch (and later the British monarc ...
. Simon was a member of the Irish Parliament of 1370. He became the lord of Slane in 1335 on the death of his father. In 1346 he served as Commissioner of the Peace in
County Meath County Meath (; gle, Contae na Mí or simply ) is a county in the Eastern and Midland Region of Ireland, within the province of Leinster. It is bordered by Dublin to the southeast, Louth to the northeast, Kildare to the south, Offaly to the ...
. In 1352 Slane was declared
forfeit Forfeit or forfeiture may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * ''Forfeit'', a 2007 thriller film starring Billy Burke * "Forfeit", a song by Chevelle from '' Wonder What's Next'' * '' Forfeit/Fortune'', a 2008 album by Crooked Fingers ...
to the Crown, but Simon recovered it three years later. He had been
knight A knight is a person granted an honorary title of knighthood by a head of state (including the Pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the church or the country, especially in a military capacity. Knighthood finds origins in the G ...
ed before 1365. He was in close attendance on
Lionel of Antwerp Lionel of Antwerp, Duke of Clarence, (; 29 November 133817 October 1368) was the third son, but the second son to survive infancy, of the English king Edward III and Philippa of Hainault. He was named after his birthplace, at Antwerp in the Duc ...
, younger son of King
Edward III Edward III (13 November 1312 – 21 June 1377), also known as Edward of Windsor before his accession, was King of England and Lord of Ireland from January 1327 until his death in 1377. He is noted for his military success and for restoring r ...
, 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 King ...
, during his years in Ireland. He spent much of his time in England, and acquired extensive lands in Devon and
Cornwall Cornwall (; kw, Kernow ) is a historic county and ceremonial county in South West England. It is recognised as one of the Celtic nations, and is the homeland of the Cornish people. Cornwall is bordered to the north and west by the Atlan ...
(he was related by marriage to a number of prominent families in those counties, notably the Bassets and Champernownes). In 1363–64 he was a prominent member of the "reform party", which campaigned against the widespread
corruption Corruption is a form of dishonesty or a criminal offense which is undertaken by a person or an organization which is entrusted in a position of authority, in order to acquire illicit benefits or abuse power for one's personal gain. Corruption m ...
and maladministration of the Irish Government: he was part of a powerful delegation sent by the
Irish House of Commons The Irish House of Commons was the lower house of the Parliament of Ireland that existed from 1297 until 1800. The upper house was the House of Lords. The membership of the House of Commons was directly elected, but on a highly restrictive fr ...
to England to outline their grievances, and King Edward III appointed him to a royal commission to consider what reforms to government were necessary. The reform party had some success: in particular, they secured the removal from office, for a time, of
Thomas de Burley Thomas de Burley (died c.1371) was an English-born monk who served as a Crown official and judge in fourteenth-century Ireland. He held office twice as Lord Chancellor of Ireland. He was the Irish Prior of the Order of St. John of Jerusalem, who ...
, the notoriously corrupt Lord Chancellor of Ireland. Simon married Cecily Champernowne, daughter of Sir Thomas Champernowne, of
Modbury Modbury is a large village, ecclesiastical parish, civil parish and former manor situated in the South Hams district of the county of Devon in England. Today due to its large size it is generally referred to as a "town" although the parish co ...
, Devon and his wife Eleanor de Rohart. The Champernownes were a distinguished and long-established Devonshire family: notable later members included
Kat Ashley Katherine Astley (née Champernowne; circa 1502 – 18 July 1565), also known as Kat Astley, was the first close friend, governess, and Lady of the Bedchamber to Queen Elizabeth I of England. S ...
, née Champernowne, the much-loved governess of Queen
Elizabeth I Elizabeth I (7 September 153324 March 1603) was Queen of England and Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death in 1603. Elizabeth was the last of the five House of Tudor monarchs and is sometimes referred to as the "Virgin Queen". Eli ...
, and Sir
Walter Raleigh Sir Walter Raleigh (; – 29 October 1618) was an English statesman, soldier, writer and explorer. One of the most notable figures of the Elizabethan era, he played a leading part in English colonisation of North America, suppressed rebellio ...
, whose mother was a Champernowne. Simon was succeeded by his son,
Thomas Thomas may refer to: People * List of people with given name Thomas * Thomas (name) * Thomas (surname) * Saint Thomas (disambiguation) * Thomas Aquinas (1225–1274) Italian Dominican friar, philosopher, and Doctor of the Church * Thomas the ...
( 1358 – c. 1434/1435), who with his own son Christopher cut a rather villainous path in the 1390s. He also had at least two daughters, Matilda, who married Luke Cusack, and Margaret, who married Sir William Basset of
Tehidy Tehidy Country Park is a country park in Illogan in Cornwall, England which incorporates of the parkland and estate around Tehidy House, a former manor house of the Tehidy manor . The park's facilities include an events field, barbecue hire ...
, Cornwall.


External links

*
The Gentleman's Magazine, Volume 102, Part 1
'


Sources

* G. E. C., ed. Geoffrey F. White. ''The Complete Peerage''. (London: St. Catherine Press, 1953) Vol. XII, Part 1, p. 3–4. *Smith, Brendan ''Crisis and Survival in Late Medieval Ireland- the English of Louth and their Neighbours 1330-1450'' (
Oxford University Press Oxford University Press (OUP) is the university press of the University of Oxford. It is the largest university press in the world, and its printing history dates back to the 1480s. Having been officially granted the legal right to print book ...
, 2013) *Fleming, F. Lawrence,
A Genealogical History of the Barons Slane
' (Rothersthorpe: Paragon Press, 2008) {{DEFAULTSORT:Slane, Simon Fleming, 1st Baron 1370 deaths People from County Meath 14th-century Irish people Year of birth unknown Barons in the Peerage of Ireland