Sir Edmund Butler (1534 – c. 1585) of Cloughgrenan (and the Dullough), was an Irish noble and the second son of

James Butler, 9th Earl of Ormond James Butler, 9th Earl of Ormond and 2nd Earl of Ossory ( – 1546), known as the Lame (Irish: ''Bacach''), was in 1541 confirmed as Earl of Ormond thereby ending the dispute over the Ormond earldom between his father, Piers Butler, 8th Earl o ...

and

Lady Joan Fitzgerald Joan Fitzgerald, Countess of Ormond, Countess of Desmond (Irish: ''Siobhán Nic Gearailt'') (died 1565), was an Irish noblewoman and heiress, a member of the Old English FitzGerald family, who were also known as the "Geraldines". She married ...

. He was a scion of the House of Ormond, and a rebel against the Tudors.

Life and career

In 1562, was in commission for presentation of the peace in County Carlow, during the Deputy's absence in the North against Shane O'Neill. He was knighted in 1567 and had a grant for the return of all Writs in the cantreds (

baronies Barony may refer to: * Barony, the peerage, office of, or territory held by a baron * Barony, the title and land held in fealty by a feudal baron * Barony (county division), a type of administrative or geographical division in parts of the British ...

) of Oremond ( Ormond Lower and

Ormond Upper Ormond Upper (Irish: ''Urumhain Uachtarach'') is a barony in County Tipperary, Ireland. This geographical unit of land is one of 12 baronies in County Tipperary. Its chief town is Toomevara. The barony lies between Ormond Lower to the north (whos ...

), Elyogerth ( Eliogarty), and Elyocarrol ( Ikerrin) in Tipperary.

Battle of Affane

During the Battle of Affane in 1565, Edmund wounded Gerald FitzGerald, 14th Earl of Desmond in the right hip with a pistol-shot, cracking his thigh-bone and throwing him from his mount. With their leader fallen, the

Geraldine Geraldine may refer to: People * Geraldine (name), the feminine form of the first name Gerald, with list of people thus named. * The Geraldines, Irish dynasty descended from the Anglo-Norman Gerald FitzWalter de Windsor * Geraldine of Albania, th ...

troops were routed and the Butlers, led by Edmund's brother Thomas Butler, 10th Earl of Ormond, pursued them to the riverbank killing about 300 Geraldines.

Butler Revolt

His father died in London in 1546 when Edmund was about 12 years of age. By his father's will, he received the Dullough - the western part of the barony of Idrone, which, with the Roscrea property, was considered to be worth £400 yearly.Hughes, James; ''The Journal of the Royal Historical and Archaeological Association of Ireland'', Fourth Series, Vol. 1, No. 1 (1870), pp. 153-192, 211-231. The 9th Earl had purchased the Dullogh from the Kavanaghs who had been in occupation of the land since before the Norman invasion of Ireland. Sir Peter Carew put forward his claims in right of his ancestors, the lords of Idrone. It was in defence of this property that Sir Edmund came into conflict with the Government. Edmund, then heir to his brother, earned renown when he led the Butler Revolt in 1569. Alongside his brothers Edward and Pierce, Edmund's rebellion was in direct response to 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 ...

Sir Henry Sidney Sir Henry Sidney (20 July 1529 – 5 May 1586), Lord Deputy of Ireland, was the eldest son of Sir William Sidney of Penshurst, a prominent politician and courtier during the reigns of Henry VIII and Edward VI, from both of whom he received ...

who unjustly granted Edmund's lands in Idrone to the English adventurer Sir Peter Carew. Edmund and his brothers responded by raiding English settlements up and down the breadth of Leinster and were declared traitors by Sidney. This was all the more remarkable because the Butlers had long been famed for their strong loyalty to the Crown of England. Eventually Edmund's brother, the Earl of Ormond, fearing for the future of his lands and titles, responded by joining his erstwhile enemy Sidney and marched against Edmund. Under pressure from Earl Thomas, he was attainted by Queen Elizabeth I. But on surrendering his estate to the Queen, 10 October 1570, he was pardoned, (together with his brothers Edward and Piers) dated at Gorhambury 12 March 1573, of all their treasons. While she agreed to save his life, Elizabeth did not remove the attainder on Edmund. His brothers Edward and Piers Butler remained with the Desmond forces. Nevertheless, the indefatigable Edmund, with the help of Fiach MacHugh O'Byrne, escaped from Dublin Castle where he was imprisoned. He rather ungallantly fell from a rope hung from the battlements and was forced to spend the night roaming around in the castle fosse evading Sidney's troops. Following his escape from Dublin, Edmund regained control of Cloughrenan once more, however, his holdings were in a ruinous state and he never lived there again. He remained at large until his death at

Inistioge Inistioge (; ) is a small village in County Kilkenny, Ireland. Historically, its name has been spelt as Ennistioge, Ennisteage, and in other ways. The village is situated on the River Nore, southeast of Kilkenny. Situated along the River No ...

between 1580 and 1590. He is buried at

St Canice's Cathedral St Canice's Cathedral ( ga, Ardeaglais Naomh Cainneach, ), also known as Kilkenny Cathedral, is a cathedral of the Church of Ireland in Kilkenny city, Ireland. It is in the ecclesiastical province of Dublin. Previously the cathedral of the Dioc ...

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 ...

Heirs and legacy

Some years after Edmund's death, Queen Elizabeth I reversed the attainder on his eldest son Piers, who was granted ancestral lands in Roscrea, County Tipperary. Both Piers and his brother James were executed at Thurles by their uncle Earl Thomas during another rebellion in 1596. In 1602, Elizabeth also reversed the attainder on his last remaining legitimate son Theobald, who became the 1st Viscount of Tulleophelim and Governor of County Carlow. He was also survived by an illegitimate son Thomas who was made a Baronet of Cloughrenan by King Charles I in 1628. The Butlers remained in possession of Cloughrenan until 1715, when James Butler, 2nd Duke of Ormonde was attainted and the lands were granted to the

Rochfort Rochfort is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: *Alexander Rochfort KCB CMG (1850–1916), British Army officer who became Lieutenant Governor of Jersey *Cecil Boyd-Rochfort CVO (1887–1983), British thoroughbred racehorse trainer ...

family.

Marriage and issue

He married Eleanor Eustace the second daughter of Rowland Eustace, 2nd Viscount Baltinglass, sister to

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 (disambiguat ...

(who was in rebellion against Queen Elizabeth, and died without issue). Their children were: * Piers Butler (d.1596), who married Mary Butler, with issue. * James Butler (d.1596) * Theobald Butler (c. 1570-1613), created Viscount Butler of Tulleophelim in 1603. He married Lady Elizabeth Butler. * Joan Butler, who married Teige, 4th

Baron Upper Ossory Baron Upper Ossory was a title in the Peerage of Ireland. It was created on 11 June 1541 for Barnaby Fitzpatrick. This was in pursuance of the Surrender and regrant policy of King Henry VIII. Under the policy, Gaelic chiefs were actively encou ...

. * Katherine Butler, who married William Fitzjohn Eustace. *

Sir Thomas Butler, 1st Baronet Sir Thomas Butler, 1st Baronet of Cloughgrenan (c.1578–1642), was an Irish nobleman, the illegitimate son of Sir Edmund Butler of Cloughgrenan (1534-c.1585) and grandson of James Butler, 9th Earl of Ormond, James Butler, 9th Earl of Ormond an ...

of Cloughgrenan (d.1642) (illegitimate). He married Anne Bagenal, with issue.

References