Thomas Butler, 10th Earl of Ormond and 3rd Earl of Ossory
PC (Ire) (; – 1614), was an influential courtier in London at the court of
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 ...
. He was
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 ...
from 1559 to his death. He fought for the crown in the
Rough Wooing
The Rough Wooing (December 1543 – March 1551), also known as the Eight Years' War, was part of the Anglo-Scottish Wars of the 16th century. Following its break with the Roman Catholic Church, England attacked Scotland, partly to break th ...
, the
Desmond Rebellions
The Desmond Rebellions occurred in 1569–1573 and 1579–1583 in the Irish province of Munster.
They were rebellions by the Earl of Desmond, the head of the Fitzmaurice/FitzGerald Dynasty in Munster, and his followers, the Geraldines an ...
, and
Tyrone's Rebellion. He fought his rival,
Gerald FitzGerald, 14th Earl of Desmond
Gerald FitzGerald, 14th Earl of Desmond ( – 1583), also counted as 15th or 16th, owned large part of the Irish province of Munster. In 1565 he fought the private Battle of Affane against his neighbours, the Butlers. After this, he was for so ...
in the
Battle of Affane in 1565.
Birth and origins
Thomas was born about February 1531. He was the eldest son of
James Butler and his wife
Joan FitzGerald. His father was the 9th Earl of Ormond and head of the
Butler dynasty
Butler ( ga, de Buitléir) is the name of a noble family whose members were, for several centuries, prominent in the administration of the Lordship of Ireland and the Kingdom of Ireland. They rose to their highest prominence as Dukes of Ormonde ...
, an
Old English
Old English (, ), or Anglo-Saxon, is the earliest recorded form of the English language, spoken in England and southern and eastern Scotland in the early Middle Ages. It was brought to Great Britain by Anglo-Saxon settlers in the mid-5th ...
family that descended from
Theobald Walter, who had been appointed Chief Butler of Ireland by
King Henry II in 1177. Thomas's mother was a child of
James FitzGerald, 10th Earl of Desmond. Her family, the
Geraldines
The FitzGerald/FitzMaurice Dynasty is a noble and aristocratic dynasty of Cambro-Norman, Anglo-Norman and later Hiberno-Norman origin. They have been peers of Ireland since at least the 13th century, and are described in the Annals of the ...
, also were an Old English family. It was once believed that his parents had married about 1520, but this is now known to be impossible as, in 1521-2, his father was briefly betrothed to his English cousin
Anne Boleyn
Anne Boleyn (; 1501 or 1507 – 19 May 1536) was Queen of England from 1533 to 1536, as the second wife of King Henry VIII. The circumstances of her marriage and of her execution by beheading for treason and other charges made her a key f ...
. James and Joan did not marry until about 1528, with Thomas as their first child being born three, rather than eleven, years later.
He had six brothers, no sisters seem to be known,
which are listed in his father's article.
Early life
Butler was born in Ireland but was sent to London in May 1544 when he was about 13 year old. to be brought up at the English court where he adopted English speech, dress, and manners, as well as the Protestant religion.
Elizabeth I
The future Lord Ormond and the future
Queen Elizabeth
Queen Elizabeth, Queen Elisabeth or Elizabeth the Queen may refer to:
Queens regnant
* Elizabeth I (1533–1603; ), Queen of England and Ireland
* Elizabeth II (1926–2022; ), Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms
* Queen ...
met in London as children. Thomas, the "son of an Irish Earl", and Elizabeth, the "illegitimate daughter of
Henry VIII
Henry VIII (28 June 149128 January 1547) was King of England from 22 April 1509 until his death in 1547. Henry is best known for his six marriages, and for his efforts to have his first marriage (to Catherine of Aragon) annulled. His disa ...
", shared a common experience: neither was well-treated by the other young nobles at court. They were distant (4th) cousins through her mother,
Anne Boleyn
Anne Boleyn (; 1501 or 1507 – 19 May 1536) was Queen of England from 1533 to 1536, as the second wife of King Henry VIII. The circumstances of her marriage and of her execution by beheading for treason and other charges made her a key f ...
, whose paternal grandmother,
Lady Margaret Butler
Lady Margaret Boleyn (c. 1454 – 1539) was an Irish noblewoman, the daughter and co-heiress of Thomas Butler, 7th Earl of Ormond. She married Sir William Boleyn and through her eldest son Sir Thomas Boleyn, was the paternal grandmoth ...
, was a daughter of the
7th Earl (open the collapsed family tree below).
Elizabeth called him her "black husband."
Earl of Ormond
On 28 October 1546, when Butler was 15, his father, the 9th Earl of Ormond died in London after having been poisoned during a banquet at
Ely House, probably at the instigation of
Anthony St Leger, who was
Lord Deputy of Ireland
The Lord Deputy was the representative of the monarch and head of the Irish 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. The plural form is ' ...
and a political opponent. Thomas Butler succeeded as the 10th Earl of Ormond and the 3rd Earl of Ossory. He became a ward of the King.
Ormond, as he now was, was knighted on 20 February 1547, at the coronation of
Edward VI
Edward VI (12 October 1537 – 6 July 1553) was King of England and Ireland from 28 January 1547 until his death in 1553. He was crowned on 20 February 1547 at the age of nine. Edward was the son of Henry VIII and Jane Seymour and the first E ...
. On 10 September 1547 during the
Rough Wooing
The Rough Wooing (December 1543 – March 1551), also known as the Eight Years' War, was part of the Anglo-Scottish Wars of the 16th century. Following its break with the Roman Catholic Church, England attacked Scotland, partly to break th ...
he served at the
Battle of Pinkie under
Edward Seymour, 1st Duke of Somerset
Edward Seymour, 1st Duke of Somerset (150022 January 1552) (also 1st Earl of Hertford, 1st Viscount Beauchamp), also known as Edward Semel, was the eldest surviving brother of Queen Jane Seymour (d. 1537), the third wife of King Henry VI ...
against the Scots. In 1554, during the reign of Queen Mary, Ormond helped to put down
Wyatt's rebellion.
His mother remarried to
Francis Bryan
Sir Francis Bryan (about 1490 – 2 February 1550) was an English courtier and diplomat during the reign of Henry VIII. He was Chief Gentleman of the Privy chamber and Lord Justice of Ireland. Unlike many of his contemporaries, Bryan always ret ...
in 1548, and then to
Gerald FitzGerald, 14th Earl of Desmond
Gerald FitzGerald, 14th Earl of Desmond ( – 1583), also counted as 15th or 16th, owned large part of the Irish province of Munster. In 1565 he fought the private Battle of Affane against his neighbours, the Butlers. After this, he was for so ...
in 1551.
In 1554 his illegitimate son,
Piers FitzThomas Butler of Duisk, was born. There were unfounded rumours that Elizabeth was the mother, something which was particularly impossible at the time of Piers's birth when the Princess was away from court, imprisoned, then under house arrest, and frequent public questioning for her alleged complicity in the Wyatt Rebellion. Piers's son,
Edward
Edward is an English given name. It is derived from the Anglo-Saxon name ''Ēadweard'', composed of the elements '' ēad'' "wealth, fortune; prosperous" and '' weard'' "guardian, protector”.
History
The name Edward was very popular in Anglo-Sax ...
would become the 1st
Viscount Galmoye
Butler ( ga, de Buitléir) is the name of a noble family whose members were, for several centuries, prominent in the administration of the Lordship of Ireland and the Kingdom of Ireland. They rose to their highest prominence as Dukes of Ormonde ...
.
On 17 November 1558 Elizabeth succeeded Mary as Queen of England. On 26 August 1559 Ormond was appointed Lord Treasurer of Ireland by the Queen, which automatically made him a privy councillor of Ireland.
First marriage
About 1559 Ormond married his first wife,
Elizabeth Berkeley, daughter of Thomas Berkeley, 6th Baron Berkeley and
Anne Savage. She was considered a beauty at the court. However, the marriage was not happy and she had lovers. They separated in 1564 without having had children, but she refused a divorce. She would finally die on 1 September 1582 in Bristol. That meant that Ormond did not have an heir and that according to the normal rule of succession, his younger brother Edmund was his
heir presumptive
An heir presumptive is the person entitled to inherit a throne, peerage, or other hereditary honour, but whose position can be displaced by the birth of an heir apparent or a new heir presumptive with a better claim to the position in question. ...
.
In the 1560s Ormond built the Tudor manor-house extension to
Ormonde Castle
Ormond Castle () is a castle on the River Suir on the east side of Carrick-on-Suir, County Tipperary, Ireland. The oldest part of the existing castle is a mid-15th century walled bawn, cornered on the northeast and northwest by towers.
Histor ...
on the banks of the
River Suir
The River Suir ( ; ga, an tSiúr or ''Abhainn na Siúire'' ) is a river in Ireland that flows into the Atlantic Ocean through Waterford after a distance of .
The catchment area of the Suir is 3,610 km2. in
Carrick-on-Suir
Carrick-on-Suir () is a town in County Tipperary, Ireland. It lies on both banks of the River Suir. The part on the north bank of the Suir lies in the civil parish of "Carrick", in the historical barony of Iffa and Offa East. The part on the s ...
, County Tipperary. All of this was to provide Elizabeth with a suitable palace at which to stay when she travelled to Ireland. Elizabeth planned twice to visit him there: once in 1602 (which visit was cancelled by her illness); and again in 1603. She died, however, before the planned visit could take place. It is known that Elizabeth appreciated Thomas's effort, and was—as she was with all of her maternal cousins—very fond of him. Thomas survived Elizabeth by 11 years.
Irish wars
Affane
Much of Ormond's life was taken up with a fierce feud with his hereditary foes, the
Earls of Desmond
Earl of Desmond is a title in the peerage of Ireland () created four times. When the powerful Earl of Desmond took arms against Queen Elizabeth Tudor, around 1578, along with the King of Spain and the Pope, he was confiscated from his estates, s ...
. The Desmonds were the Ormonds' neighbours on the western and southern sides. Despite their enmity, these two families were both more or less Gaelicized Old English and had intermarried many times; the last such marriage having been that of Ormond's parents. The Desmond rebellions should also be seen in the wider picture of the
Tudor conquest of Ireland
The Tudor conquest (or reconquest) of Ireland took place under the Tudor dynasty, which held the Kingdom of England during the 16th century. Following a failed rebellion against the crown by Silken Thomas, the Earl of Kildare, in the 1530s, ...
.
In 1560 his mother's intervention secured a peaceful outcome to a stand-off at Bohermore (known as "the battle that never was"). However, only a bit more than a month after her death on 2 January 1565, on 8 February 1565, the two sides fought the private
Battle of Affane, in which her husband
Gerald FitzGerald, 14th Earl of Desmond
Gerald FitzGerald, 14th Earl of Desmond ( – 1583), also counted as 15th or 16th, owned large part of the Irish province of Munster. In 1565 he fought the private Battle of Affane against his neighbours, the Butlers. After this, he was for so ...
was taken prisoner by the Ormond faction after her son Edmund had shot him into the hip with his pistol. Lords Ormond and Desmond were called to London and promised to keep the peace.
Ormond was that summer high in favour with the Queen.
First Desmond rebellion
The first Desmond Rebellion (1569–1573) was started by
James fitz Maurice FitzGerald, captain of the Desmond forces in the earl's absence. He was supported by many Irish in southern Ireland but also by some of Ormond's six brothers, notably Edmund. The rebellion was directed against
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 recei ...
the Lord Deputy of Ireland. Ormond returned to Ireland landing at Waterford in July 1569. His brothers submitted quickly.
However, Edmund, Edward and Piers were
attainted
In English criminal law, attainder or attinctura was the metaphorical "stain" or "corruption of blood" which arose from being condemned for a serious capital crime (felony or treason). It entailed losing not only one's life, property and heredit ...
in April 1570 by an act of the Irish Parliament. That meant that Edmund ceased to be Ormond's heir presumptive and the next brother,
John Butler of Kilcash, took his place. However, not for long as John died on 10 May 1570. John's eldest son,
Walter, therefore became heir presumptive. James fitz Maurice FitzGerald surrendered on 23 February 1573 and Gerald followed in September ending the first Desmond rebellion.
Lord Desmond was released about 1573 and allowed to return from England to Ireland. James FitzMaurice FitzGerald left for the continent.
Second Desmond rebellion
The second Desmond Rebellion (1579–1583) was triggered by the landing of James fitz Maurice FitzGerald at
Dingle On 17 June 1579. Lord Desmond rose in rebellion. Ormond was appointed governor of Munster and sent to Ireland.
Both rebellions desolated
Munster
Munster ( gle, an Mhumhain or ) is one of the provinces of Ireland, in the south of Ireland. In early Ireland, the Kingdom of Munster was one of the kingdoms of Gaelic Ireland ruled by a "king of over-kings" ( ga, rí ruirech). Following t ...
for many years. Ormond was a
Protestant
Protestantism is a Christian denomination, branch of Christianity that follows the theological tenets of the Reformation, Protestant Reformation, a movement that began seeking to reform the Catholic Church from within in the 16th century agai ...
belonging to the
Church of Ireland
The Church of Ireland ( ga, Eaglais na hÉireann, ; sco, label= Ulster-Scots, Kirk o Airlann, ) is a Christian church in Ireland and an autonomous province of the Anglican Communion. It is organised on an all-Ireland basis and is the sec ...
and threw his great influence on the side 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 her ministers in their efforts to crush the rebels, although he was motivated as much by factional rivalry with the Desmond dynasty as by religion. He had command of the
Royal Irish Army tasked with the suppression of the rebellions, which he eventually accomplished.
Second marriage and children
At the age of 51, having been freed by the death of his estranged first wife on 1 September 1582, Ormond remarried Elizabeth Sheffield on 9 November in London. She was the daughter of
John Sheffield, 2nd Baron Sheffield
John Sheffield, 2nd Baron Sheffield, of Butterwick (c. 1538 – 10 December 1568) was the first son of Edmund Sheffield, 1st Baron Sheffield, and Lady Anne de Vere.
He married Douglas Howard, daughter of William Howard, 1st Baron Howard of E ...
and Douglas, daughter of
William Howard, 1st Baron Howard of Effingham.
Thomas and Elizabeth had three children:
#John (1584–1589), died young;
#
Elizabeth (before 1593 – 1628), married 1st her first cousin
Theobald Theobald is a Germanic dithematic name, composed from the elements '' theod-'' "people" and ''bald'' "bold". The name arrived in England with the Normans.
The name occurs in many spelling variations, including Theudebald, Diepold, Theobalt, Tyb ...
, son of Thomas's brother
Edmund
Edmund is a masculine given name or surname in the English language. The name is derived from the Old English elements ''ēad'', meaning "prosperity" or "riches", and ''mund'', meaning "protector".
Persons named Edmund include:
People Kings an ...
, but Theobald died childless in 1613; she married 2ndly
Richard Preston, 1st Earl of Desmond
Sir Richard Preston, 1st Earl of Desmond (died 1628) was a favourite of King James VI and I of Scotland and England. In 1609 the king made him Lord Dingwall. In 1614 he married him to Elizabeth Butler, the only child of Black Tom, the 10th E ...
, and had one daughter,
Elizabeth Preston;
#Thomas (before 1601 – 1606), died young.
Later life and third marriage
In 1580 Ormond improved
Kilkenny Castle
Kilkenny Castle ( ga, Caisleán Chill Chainnigh, IPA: �kaʃlʲaːnˠˈçiːl̪ʲˈxan̪ʲiː is a castle in Kilkenny, Ireland built in 1195 to control a fording-point of the River Nore and the junction of several routeways. It was a symbol of ...
by building the great gallery.
In spring 1588, the Queen made Ormond a
Knight of the Garter
The Most Noble Order of the Garter is an order of chivalry founded by Edward III of England in 1348. It is the most senior order of knighthood in the British honours system, outranked in precedence only by the Victoria Cross and the George ...
. When in the summer of that year the
Spanish Armada
The Spanish Armada (a.k.a. the Enterprise of England, es, Grande y Felicísima Armada, links=no, lit=Great and Most Fortunate Navy) was a Spanish fleet that sailed from Lisbon in late May 1588, commanded by the Duke of Medina Sidonia, an ar ...
menaced England, he was with her at the review of the troops at Tilbury where she gave the patriotic
speech to the troop at Tilbury. He had at that occasion the honour to carry the sword of state before her.
In 1600 he helped to suppress Tyrone's Rebellion. Between April 1600 and June 1600 he was held captive by Owny MacRory O'More who had invaded Munster with Irish forces from Leinster.
Ormond's second wife died in November 1600. In June 1601 Ormond, aged 70, married his third wife, Helena Barry, daughter of
David de Barry, 5th Viscount Buttevant
David Fitz-James de Barry, 18th Baron Barry, 5th Viscount Buttevant (1550–1617), sided initially with fitz Maurice, the rebel, in the 1st Desmond rebellion but changed sides and fought against the rebels. He also fought for the crown in the ...
. It was her second marriage, her first husband having been John Power. The marriage remained childless.
He was further honoured by being appointed vice-admiral of Leinster in 1602.
An anonymous manuscript originating from the library of the Irish College at Louvain tells us the following anecdote.
The 10th Earl of Ormond, as an old blind man, celebrated Christmas with his family at Carrick Castle. The adults sat at the table, while the children played on the floor around them. The Earl heard a noise behind him and asked who it was. He was told it was little Jemmy of Kilcash, Walter's grandson whipping his top. The Earl asked for the boy to be brought to him, held him on his lap, and caressed his hair. He sighed and said "My family shall be much oppressed and brought very low, but by this boy it shall be restored again and in his time be in greater splendour than ever it has been".
In 1613 his son-in-law Lord Tulleophelim died childless in his forties. A son of
Lord Thomond asked for his widow Elizabeth's hand, but the King decided that she should marry
Lord Dingwall, a favourite from his days in Scotland.
Death and timeline
The tenth Lord Ormond died on 22 November 1614 at Carrick. As the Earl died without legally recognised male issue, and his younger brother Edmund was attainted, the Earldom reverted in the male line, to the Kilcash cadet branch, which had started with the third brother
John Butler of Kilcash and whose living representative was John's son
Walter.
Offices held
Included:
*Treasurer of Ireland (1559–1614)
[33, line 17](_blank)
/>
*Lieutenant of County Tipperary (1575)
*Lieutenant of County Kilkenny (1575)
*Lord General of the Forces in Munster (1582–1583)
*General of the Forces in Leinster (1594–1596)
*Lieutenant-General of the all Forces in Ireland (1597)
*Vice-Admiral of Leinster (1602)
Notes and references
Notes
Citations
Sources
* – 1603 to 1642
*
*
*
* – 1613 to 1641
* – N to R (for Ormond)
* – Scotland and Ireland
*
* – (PDF downloadable from given URL)
*
*
* – (for timeline)
*
*
*
* – Viscounts
*
*
*
* – Ormond Castle
*
Further reading
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ormond, Thomas Butler, 10th Earl Of
1614 deaths
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 A ...
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 pantries, pantry ...
1530s births
17th-century Anglo-Irish people
Earls of Ormond (Ireland)
Irish Anglicans
People from County Tipperary
People of the Nine Years' War (Ireland)
People of the Second Desmond Rebellion