Sir Walter Liath de Burgh (; ; died February 1332) was an

Anglo-Irish Anglo-Irish people () denotes an ethnic, social and religious grouping who are mostly the descendants and successors of the English Protestant Ascendancy in Ireland. They mostly belong to the Anglican Church of Ireland, which was the establis ...

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, Great B ...

whose imprisonment by the

Earl of Ulster The title of Earl of Ulster has been created six times in the Peerage of Ireland and twice in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. Since 1928, the title has been held by the Duke of Gloucester and is used as a courtesy title by the Duke's eld ...

and death from starvation led to the Earl's murder the following year. De Burgh was the eldest son of Sir

William Liath de Burgh William Liath de Burgh (; ; died 1324) was an Irish noble and deputy Justiciar of Ireland (1308–09). Background De Burgh was a son of William Og de Burgh, who was killed at the Battle of Áth-an-Chip or Athankip in 1270, and a nephew of ...

and Finola Ni Briain. He is first attested in 1326 when he and the late

's son, Sir

Edmond de Burgh Sir Edmund de Burgh (; ; 1298–1338) was an Irish knight and ancestor of the Burke family of Clanwilliam. Background De Burgh was the fifth and last surviving son of Richard, Lord of Connaught and Earl of Ulster. His elder brother, John de ...

, were appointed guardians of the peace in

Connacht Connacht ( ; ga, Connachta or ), is one of the provinces of Ireland, in the west of Ireland. Until the ninth century it consisted of several independent major Gaelic kingdoms (Uí Fiachrach, Uí Briúin, Uí Maine, Conmhaícne, and Delbhn ...

Tipperary Tipperary is the name of: Places *County Tipperary, a county in Ireland **North Tipperary, a former administrative county based in Nenagh **South Tipperary, a former administrative county based in Clonmel *Tipperary (town), County Tipperary's na ...

and

Limerick Limerick ( ; ga, Luimneach ) is a western city in Ireland situated within County Limerick. It is in the province of Munster and is located in the Mid-West which comprises part of the Southern Region. With a population of 94,192 at the 2016 ...

, and custodians of the late earl's lands in those counties. De Burgh aggrandized the lordship of Connacht to himself such that in 1330, its lord, the

, was forced into open conflict with de Burgh, who was his cousin. Warfare continued till November 1331 when the Earl captured Walter and his two brothers, imprisoning them in

Northburgh Castle Northburgh Castle, also known as Green Castle or Greencastle Castle, is a ruined late 13th / early 14th-century castle in Greencastle, a village and fishing port in the north of Inishowen, County Donegal County Donegal ( ; ga, Contae Dhú ...

County Donegal County Donegal ( ; ga, Contae Dhún na nGall) is a county of Ireland in the province of Ulster and in the Northern and Western Region. It is named after the town of Donegal in the south of the county. It has also been known as County Tyrconne ...

. Walter died there of starvation in February 1332. Walter's sister,

Gylle de Burgh Gylle de Burgh (; ; fl. 1332) was an Anglo-Irish noblewoman and wife of Richard de Manderville. De Burgh was the only daughter of Sir William Liath de Burgh (died 1323) and a sister of Sir Walter Liath de Burgh. Walter was captured and starv ...

, planned revenge on the earl. She persuaded her husband, Richard de Mandeville, and John de Logan, both liegemen of the earl, to murder the latter at

Carrickfergus Carrickfergus ( , meaning " Fergus' rock") is a large town in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. It sits on the north shore of Belfast Lough, from Belfast. The town had a population of 27,998 at the 2011 Census. It is County Antrim's oldest t ...

on 6 June 1333. This death was a catastrophe for the Anglo-Irish colony, as within six months all Ulster west of the Bann was lost, while Connacht descended into factionalism. For over two hundred years it would remain largely outside the realm of the Dublin government. Walter was married to a woman called Margaret, and had one known child, Matilda. Margaret later married Aedh O Conchobair, a king of Connacht. She died in 1361. Matilda married William, son of Sir John Darcy.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:De Burgh, Walter Liath People from County Galway People from County Mayo 14th-century Irish people Walter Liath

See also

References