Rose MacDonnell, Marchioness of Antrim (1631–95) was an Irish

aristocrat The aristocracy is historically associated with "hereditary" or "ruling" social class. In many states, the aristocracy included the upper class of people (aristocrats) with hereditary rank and titles. In some, such as ancient Greece, ancient Ro ...

of the seventeenth century. Born Rose O'Neill, her father was Sir Henry O'Neill of

Clandeboye Clandeboye or Clannaboy (from Irish ''Clann Aodha Buí'', "family of Hugh the Blond") was a kingdom of Gaelic Ireland, comprising what is now south County Antrim, north County Down, and the barony of Loughinsholin, Northern Ireland. The entity ...

, her grandfather was Shane mac Brian O'Neill and her great-grandfather was Brian mac Felim Ó Néill (died 1574), while her mother Martha Stafford was the daughter of an English-born official in Ireland Sir Francis Stafford. Unlike the majority of the

Gaelic Gaelic is an adjective that means "pertaining to the Gaels". As a noun it refers to the group of languages spoken by the Gaels, or to any one of the languages individually. Gaelic languages are spoken in Ireland, Scotland, the Isle of Man, and Ca ...

O'Neill dynasty, Rose was raised as 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 ...

. She had four siblings but they were all declared insane so in 1638 when her father died she inherited Rose had three brothers and one sister but since her siblings were declared insane she inherited Shane's Castle and his Edenduffcarrick estate in County Antrim. She married Randal MacDonnell, Marquess of Antrim in either 1652 or 1653. In 1649 his first wife, the English Catholic

Katherine Villiers, Duchess of Buckingham Katherine Villiers, Duchess of Buckingham, Marchioness of Antrim, 18th Baroness de Ros of Helmsley (''née'' Lady Katherine Manners; died 1649) was an English aristocrat. The daughter and heir of Francis Manners, 6th Earl of Rutland, she was kn ...

had died. A committed Catholic Antrim had been one of the largest and wealthiest landowners in Ireland, but his free-spending had run him heavily into debt and his problems had been compounded by the

Irish Rebellion of 1641 The Irish Rebellion of 1641 ( ga, Éirí Amach 1641) was an uprising by Irish Catholics in the Kingdom of Ireland, who wanted an end to anti-Catholic discrimination, greater Irish self-governance, and to partially or fully reverse the plantatio ...

. Antrim had tried to steer a neutral course, gradually developing a role as a mediator between the Irish Royalists and the Catholic Irish Confederates as they negotiated a potential alliance. Following the

Cromwellian conquest of Ireland The Cromwellian conquest of Ireland or Cromwellian war in Ireland (1649–1653) was the re-conquest of Ireland by the forces of the English Parliament, led by Oliver Cromwell, during the Wars of the Three Kingdoms. Cromwell invaded Ireland wi ...

, Antrim was left suddenly exposed and tried to gain favour with the new regime. Because she was a Protestant and brought some assets such as land in

Toome Toome or Toomebridge () is a small village and townland on the northwest corner of Lough Neagh in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. It lies in the civil parish of Duneane in the former barony of Toome Upper, and is in the Antrim and Newtownabbe ...

to the marriage, she boosted Antrim's credit with the Cromwellian authorities. Although her husband was initially imprisoned in the

Tower of London The Tower of London, officially His Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress of the Tower of London, is a historic castle on the north bank of the River Thames in central London. It lies within the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, which is separa ...

following the

Restoration Restoration is the act of restoring something to its original state and may refer to: * Conservation and restoration of cultural heritage ** Audio restoration ** Film restoration ** Image restoration ** Textile restoration * Restoration ecology ...

, he was eventually cleared of any wrongdoing and restored to his pre-war lands despite evidence of his collaboration with the Cromwell regime. Rose worked very hard to clear her husband's name, mortgaging her estates to raise money for his legal fees and wrote numerous letters to Charles II and other influential figures lobbying them on his behalf.Ohlmeyer p.267-68 Her husband died in 1683. As they had no children, he was succeeded by his younger brother

Alexander Alexander is a male given name. The most prominent bearer of the name is Alexander the Great, the king of the Ancient Greek kingdom of Macedonia who created one of the largest empires in ancient history. Variants listed here are Aleksandar, Al ...

. Rose died on 27 April 1695 and her estate was left to her first cousin. She was buried with her parents at St Nicholas, Carrickfergus.

References

Bibliography

* Ohlmeyer, Jane. ''Civil War and Restoration in the Three Kingdoms. The Career of Randall MacDonnell, Marquis of Antrim, 1609-1683''. Cambridge University Press, 1993. {{DEFAULTSORT:MacDonnell, Rose, Marchioness of Antrim 17th-century Irish people 1631 births 1695 deaths O'Neill dynasty People from County Antrim Antrim