Ulick na gCeann Burke, 12th

Clanricarde Clanricarde (; ), also known as Mac William Uachtar (Upper Mac William) or the Galway Burkes, were a fully Gaelicised branch of the Hiberno-Norman House of Burgh who were important landowners in Ireland from the 13th to the 20th centuries. T ...

Mac William Uachtar Clanricarde (; ), also known as Mac William Uachtar (Upper Mac William) or the Galway Burkes, were a fully Gaelicised branch of the Hiberno-Norman House of Burgh who were important landowners in Ireland from the 13th to the 20th centuries. Te ...

, 1st Earl of Clanricarde (; ; ; ; died 1544; styled MacWilliam, and na-gCeann, meaning "of the Heads", "having made a mount of the heads of men slain in battle which he covered up with earth") was an

Irish Irish may refer to: Common meanings * Someone or something of, from, or related to: ** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe ***Éire, Irish language name for the isle ** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...

noble A noble is a member of the nobility. Noble may also refer to: Places Antarctica * Noble Glacier, King George Island * Noble Nunatak, Marie Byrd Land * Noble Peak, Wiencke Island * Noble Rocks, Graham Land Australia * Noble Island, Gr ...

and son of

Richard Mór Burke Ricarde Mór Burke, 9th Clanricarde or Mac William Uachtar (; ; died 1530) was an Irish chieftain and noble. Background Burke was the second son of Ulick Fionn Burke, 6th Clanricarde (d.1509) and Slaine Ni Con Mara (Slany MacNamara), succeed ...

, 9th Clanricarde (d.1530) by a daughter of Madden of Portumna.

Biography

Ulick succeeded his father to the headship of his clan, and held estates in County Galway. In March 1541 he wrote to Henry VIII, lamenting the degeneracy of his family, which had rebelled against

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

in the mid-14th century, and "which have been brought to Irish and disobedient rule by reason of marriage and with those Irish, sometime rebels, near adjoining to me", and placing himself and his estates in the king's hands. The same year he was present at

Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of the Wicklow Mountains range. At the 2016 c ...

, when an act was passed making Henry VIII King of Ireland. In 1543, in company with other Irish chiefs, he visited the King at

Greenwich Greenwich ( , ,) is a town in south-east London, England, within the ceremonial county of Greater London. It is situated east-southeast of Charing Cross. Greenwich is notable for its maritime history and for giving its name to the Greenwich ...

and made full submission in accordance with the King's policy of "

surrender and regrant During the Tudor conquest of Ireland (c.1540–1603), "surrender and regrant" was the legal mechanism by which Irish clans were to be converted from a power structure rooted in clan and kin loyalties, to a late-feudal system under the English l ...

". He was confirmed in the captainship and rule of

, and on 1 July 1543, he was created

Earl of Clanricarde Earl of Clanricarde (; ) is a title that has been created twice in the Peerage of Ireland, first in 1543 and again in 1800. The former creation became extinct in 1916 while the 1800 creation is extant and held by the Marquess of Sligo since 191 ...

and Baron of Dunkellin in the

peerage of Ireland The Peerage of Ireland consists of those titles of nobility created by the English monarchs in their capacity as Lord or King of Ireland, or later by monarchs of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. It is one of the five divisi ...

. He was regranted the greater part of his former estates, with the addition of other lands. The grant of the English titles was conditional upon the abandonment of native titles, the adoption of English customs and laws, the pledging of allegiance to the English crown,

apostasy Apostasy (; grc-gre, ἀποστασία , 'a defection or revolt') is the formal disaffiliation from, abandonment of, or renunciation of a religion by a person. It can also be defined within the broader context of embracing an opinion that ...

from the Roman Catholic Church, and conversion to the

Anglican Church Anglicanism is a Western Christian tradition that has developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the context of the Protestant Reformation in Europe. It is one of the ...

. In his review of the state of Ireland in 1553, Lord Chancellor Cusake stated " e making of McWilliam earl of Clanricarde made all the country during his time quiet and obedient." He did not live long to enjoy his new English dignities, but died shortly after returning to Ireland in about March 1544. He is called by the annalist of Loch Cé "a haughty and proud lord," who reduced many under his yoke, and by the Four Masters "the most illustrious of the English in Connaught".

Marriages and family

Burke married three times. Firstly, he was married to Grany or Grace, daughter of Mulrone O'Carroll. This marriage was the only one declared valid and he eventually divorced her. They had a son: *

Richard Richard is a male given name. It originates, via Old French, from Old Frankish and is a compound of the words descending from Proto-Germanic ''*rīk-'' 'ruler, leader, king' and ''*hardu-'' 'strong, brave, hardy', and it therefore means 'stro ...

, who eventually succeeded him as Second

. Secondly, he married Honora de Burgh, sister of Ulick de Burgh. He later divorced her as well. Thirdly, he married

Maire Lynch Maire Lynch, Countess of Clanricarde, fl. 1547. Lynch was a member of the Tribes of Galway who married, prior to his death in 1544, Ulick na gCeann Burke, 1st Earl of Clanricarde. The reason for the marriage was to aid Burke's assimilation into ...

. They had a son: * John Bourke, who claimed the earldom in 1568. According to

Burke's Peerage Burke's Peerage Limited is a British genealogical publisher founded in 1826, when the Irish genealogist John Burke began releasing books devoted to the ancestry and heraldry of the peerage, baronetage, knightage and landed gentry of Great ...

, he had several other sons, Thomas "the Athlete" Bourke (shot in 1545), Redmond "of the Broom" Bourke (died 1595), and Edmund Bourke (died 1597).

Legacy

As a result of his marriages and relationships, there were a number of candidates contending for the titles of Clanricarde and Earl. The eventual successor was Ulick's eldest legitimate son, Richard Sassanach Burke, 2nd Earl of Clanricarde.

Genealogy

* Richard an Fhorbhair de Burgh (d.1343) ** Sir William (Ulick) de Burgh (d. 1343/53), 1st Mac William Uachtar (Upper Mac William) or Clanricarde (Galway) ***

Richard Óg Burke Richard Óg Burke, 2nd Clanricarde or Mac William Uachtar (; ; died 1387) was an Irish chieftain and nobleman who was the son of Sir Ulick Burke or Uilleag de Burgh, 1st Clanricarde (d.1343/1353). Richard died in 1387, and was succeeded by h ...

(d. 1387), 2nd Clanricarde ****

Ulick an Fhiona Burke Ulick an Fhiona Burke, 3rd Clanricarde or Mac William Uachtar (; ; ; ; died 1424) was an Irish chieftain and noble who was nicknamed ''an Fhiona'' (meaning ''of the wine''). Ulick became chieftain on the death of this father, Richard Óg Bu ...

(d. 1424), 3rd Clanricarde *****

Ulick Ruadh Burke Ulick Ruadh Burke, 5th Clanricarde or Mac William Uachtar (; ; ; ; died 1485) was an Irish chieftain and noble who was the son of Ulick an Fhiona Burke, 3rd Clanricarde (d.1424). Ulick succeeded his uncle, William mac Ulick Burke, 4th Clanr ...

(d. 1485), 5th Clanricarde ****** Edmund Burke (d. 1466) ******* Ricard of Roscam (d. 1517) ********

John mac Richard Mór Burke John mac Richard Mór Burke, 10th Clanricarde or Mac William Uachtar (; ; died 1536), was an Irish chieftain and noble. Background Burke was a son of Ricard mac Edmund Burke of Roscam, County Galway (died c.1517), a grandson of Edmund Burke ...

(d. 1536), 10th Clanricarde ******

Ulick Fionn Burke Ulick Fionn Burke, 6th Clanricarde or Mac William Uachtar (; ; ; ; died 1509) was an Irish chieftain and noble. Family background Ulick succeeded his father, Ulick Ruadh Burke, 5th Clanricarde (d.1485), as chieftain. The Annals of the Four ...

(d.1509), 6th Clanricarde *******

Ulick Óge Burke Ulick Óge Burke, 8th Clanricarde or Mac William Uachtar (; ; ; ; died 1520) was an Irish chieftain and noble who was Clanricarde for barely a year. He was a son of Ulick Fionn Burke, 6th Clanricarde (d.1509) who had been defeated at the B ...

(d. 1520), 8th Clanricarde *******

(d. 1530), 9th Clanricarde ******** Ulick na gCeann Burke (d. 1544), 12th Clanricarde, 1st

(1543) *******

Richard Bacach Burke Richard Bacach Burke, 11th Clanricarde or Mac William Uachtar (; ; died 1538) was an Irish chieftain and noble who was the ancestor of the Burkes of County Galway. Background Burke was a son of Ulick Fionn Burke, 6th Clanricarde (d.1509). ...

(d. 1538), 11th Clanricarde ******

Richard Óge Burke Richard Óge Burke, 7th Clanricarde or Mac William Uachtar (; ; died 1519) was an Irish chieftain and noble who was the ancestor of the Burkes of Derrymaclachtna. Life Richard Óge was a son of a previous chieftain, Ulick Ruadh Burke, 5th Cl ...

(d. 1519), 7th Clanricarde ******* Sir Uilleag Burke (d. 1551), 13th Clanricarde ****

William mac Ulick Burke William mac Ulick Burke, 4th Clanricarde or Mac William Uachtar (Upper Mac William) (; ; died 1430) was an Irish chieftain and noble. William succeeded his elder brother, Ulick an Fhiona Burke, as chieftain. He was later succeeded by his nep ...

(d. 1430), 4th Clanricarde *** Edmund de Burgh (d. 1410)

Arms

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Clanricarde, Ulick na gCeann Burke, 1st Earl of 1544 deaths 15th-century births Burke, 1st Earl of Clanricarde, Ulick na gCeann 16th-century Irish people Ulick na gCeann Members of the Irish House of Lords Earls of Clanricarde Peers of Ireland created by Henry VIII