Christopher Fleming (bef. 1474–1517) was an Irish nobleman, who was Lord High
Treasurer of Ireland from 1514 until his death. He succeeded as 8th Baron Slane in 1492.
Family
Christopher was the eldest son of
James Fleming, 7th Baron Slane. His mother was Elizabeth Welles (died 1506), daughter of
William Welles,
Lord Chancellor of Ireland
The Lord High Chancellor of Ireland, commonly known as the Lord Chancellor of Ireland, was the highest ranking judicial office in Ireland until the establishment of the Irish Free State in 1922. From 1721 until the end of 1800, it was also the hi ...
, and his wife Anne Barnewall, and widow of the 3rd
Baron Killeen. He married firstly Lady
Eilis FitzGerald, daughter of
Gerald FitzGerald, 8th Earl of Kildare
Gerald FitzGerald, 8th Earl of Kildare (born – ), known variously as "Garret the Great" (Gearóid Mór) or "The Great Earl" (An tIarla Mór), was Ireland's premier peer. He served as Lord Deputy of Ireland from 1477 to 1494, and from 1496 u ...
by his first wife Alison FitzEustace, daughter of
Rowland FitzEustace, 1st Baron Portlester and his third wife Margaret d'Artois. After Eilis's death he married secondly Elizabeth Stucley, daughter of Nicholas Stucley of
Affeton Castle,
Devon
Devon ( ; historically also known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by the Bristol Channel to the north, Somerset and Dorset to the east, the English Channel to the south, and Cornwall to the west ...
, head of an ancient Devonshire family and ancestor of the
Stucley baronets, and his wife Thomasine Cockworthy.
By his first wife Christopher had three children:
* James Fleming, 9th Baron Slane, who married Alison, daughter of
Sir Robert Dillon,
Chief Justice of the Irish Common Pleas
The chief justice of the Common Pleas for Ireland was the presiding judge of the Court of Common Pleas in Ireland, which was known in its early years as the Court of Common Bench, or simply as "the Bench", or "the Dublin bench". It was one of the ...
* Eleanor
* Catherine, who married Sir Christopher Barnewall and was the main heiress of her brother James, who died childless.
On the 9th Baron's death, the barony passed to his cousin
Thomas Fleming, 10th Baron Slane.
Slane Friary
Today Christopher Fleming is best remembered for his religious foundations. In 1512, on the site of an earlier abbey at
Slane, he built a
friary
A monastery is a building or complex of buildings comprising the domestic quarters and workplaces of monastics, monks or nuns, whether living in communities or alone (hermits). A monastery generally includes a place reserved for prayer which may ...
and college for the
Franciscan
The Franciscans are a group of related organizations in the Catholic Church, founded or inspired by the Italian saint Francis of Assisi. They include three independent Religious institute, religious orders for men (the Order of Friars Minor bei ...
order. The friary was later abandoned, but its ruins are still one of the best-known sights of Slane.
[Fleming, F. Lawrence ''A Genealogical History of the Barons Slane'' Paragon Publishing 2008]
References
Sources
*G. E. C., ed. Geoffrey F. White. ''The Complete Peerage''. (London: St. Catherine Press, 1953) Vol. XII, Part 1, p. 3-4.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Slane, Christopher Fleming, 8th Baron Slane
Lord high treasurers
Year of birth missing
15th-century births
1517 deaths
16th-century Irish politicians
People of the Tudor period
Barons in the Peerage of Ireland