Christopher St Lawrence, 5th Baron Howth
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Christopher St Lawrence, 5th Baron Howth (c.1485–1542) 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 State rel ...
nobleman Nobility is a social class found in many societies that have an aristocracy. It is normally appointed by and ranked immediately below royalty. Nobility has often been an estate of the realm with many exclusive functions and characteristics. T ...
and statesman of the
Tudor era In England and Wales, the Tudor period occurred between 1485 and 1603, including the Elizabethan era during the reign of Elizabeth I (1558–1603). The Tudor period coincides with the dynasty of the House of Tudor in England, which began with ...
.


Background

He was the eldest son of
Nicholas St Lawrence, 4th Baron Howth Nicholas St Lawrence, 4th Baron Howth (c. 1460 – 1526) was a leading History of Ireland, Irish nobleman, soldier and statesman of the early Tudor period, who held the office of Lord Chancellor of Ireland. Early life He was born about 1460, el ...
and his first wife Jenet (or Genet) Plunkett, daughter of Christopher Plunkett, 2nd
Baron Killeen Baron is a rank of nobility or title of honour, often hereditary, in various European countries, either current or historical. The female equivalent is baroness. Typically, the title denotes an aristocrat who ranks higher than a lord or knight, ...
and Elizabeth Welles.Pine. L.G. ''The New Extinct Peerage'' ''1884-1971'' London 1972 p.151 His date of birth is uncertain, but Elrington Ball states that he was already middle-aged when his father died in 1526:Ball, F. Elrington ''History of Dublin'' 6 Volumes Alexander Thom and Co 1902-1920 Vol.5 (1917) pp.60-62 and since his eldest son was born in 1508, this suggests that he was born about 1485.


Career

Prior to his father's death, he lived at Baldongan Castle, near Skerries, County Dublin, where his wife Anne Bermingham had inherited the Bermingham family estates; he was
knight A knight is a person granted an honorary title of a knighthood by a head of state (including the pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the church, or the country, especially in a military capacity. The concept of a knighthood ...
ed and served as Sheriff of County Dublin. Soon after inheriting the
title A title is one or more words used before or after a person's name, in certain contexts. It may signify their generation, official position, military rank, professional or academic qualification, or nobility. In some languages, titles may be ins ...
, he led an expedition against the O'Connors of
Offaly County Offaly (; ) is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Eastern and Midland Region and the province of Leinster. It is named after the ancient Kingdom of Uí Failghe. It was formerly known as King's County, in honour of Philip II of Spain ...
, who had taken prisoner the acting Lord Deputy, Richard, 4th Baron Delvin, but the expedition was called off when Delvin was released. In the
Irish House of Lords The Irish House of Lords was the upper house of the Parliament of Ireland that existed from medieval times until the end of 1800. It was also the final court of appeal of the Kingdom of Ireland. It was modelled on the House of Lords of Englan ...
he was a reliable supporter of the Crown, and he also served on the
Privy Council of Ireland His or Her Majesty's Privy Council in Ireland, commonly called the Privy Council of Ireland, Irish Privy Council, or in earlier centuries the Irish Council, was the institution within the Dublin Castle administration which exercised formal executi ...
. He supported the religious reforms 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 known for his Wives of Henry VIII, six marriages and his efforts to have his first marriage (to Catherine of Aragon) annulled. ...
but, unlike some of his peers, he apparently received no reward from the Dissolution of the Monasteries. During the
rebellion Rebellion is an uprising that resists and is organized against one's government. A rebel is a person who engages in a rebellion. A rebel group is a consciously coordinated group that seeks to gain political control over an entire state or a ...
of
Silken Thomas {{Infobox noble, type , name = Thomas FitzGerald , title = The Earl of Kildare , image = Thomas FitzGerald, 10th Earl of Kildare.jpg , caption = , alt = , CoA = , ...
, Howth's influence and support for the Crown made him a principal target of the rebels: he was imprisoned and his lands were ransacked, although
Howth Castle Howth Castle ( ) is a historic dwelling, originally of Norman origin, that lies by the village of Howth, County Dublin, Ireland; it is sited within a substantial estate. The castle was the ancestral home of the St Lawrence family that had held ...
itself withstood an assault. He was on bad terms with the
Lord Deputy of Ireland The Lord Deputy was the representative of the monarch and head of the Irish executive (government), 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 ...
, Leonard Grey, 1st Viscount Grane, and was presumably one of those who worked to bring about Grey's disgrace, which led to his execution for
treason Treason is the crime of attacking a state (polity), state authority to which one owes allegiance. This typically includes acts such as participating in a war against one's native country, attempting to Coup d'état, overthrow its government, spy ...
in 1541. On the other hand, he was evidently on good terms with
Thomas Cromwell Thomas Cromwell (; – 28 July 1540) was an English statesman and lawyer who served as List of English chief ministers, chief minister to King Henry VIII from 1534 to 1540, when he was beheaded on orders of the king, who later blamed false cha ...
; Ball argues that a letter to Cromwell in 1537 concerning a lawsuit between Howth and the
Archbishop of Dublin The Archbishop of Dublin () is an Episcopal polity, archiepiscopal title which takes its name from Dublin, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Since the Reformation in Ireland, Reformation, there have been parallel apostolic successions to the title: ...
suggests that Cromwell thought highly of him. Howth also sent Cromwell a gift of
hawks Hawks are bird of prey, birds of prey of the family Accipitridae. They are very widely distributed and are found on all continents, except Antarctica. The subfamily Accipitrinae includes goshawks, sparrowhawks, sharp-shinned hawks, and othe ...
. It is not known if his own career was affected by Cromwell's downfall and death in 1540; Howth himself died two years later.


Family

He married, before 1508, Anne Bermingham: she was the daughter of his stepmother Anne Berford by her first husband. Anne inherited substantial estates at Baldongan from her brother. Three of their sons in turn inherited the barony. These were: *Edward St Lawrence, 6th Baron Howth (1508–1549) *
Richard St Lawrence, 7th Baron Howth Richard St Lawrence, 7th Baron Howth (c. 1510–1558) was an Anglo-Irish nobleman and military commander of the Tudor era. Family He was the second son of Christopher St Lawrence, 5th Baron Howth and his wife Anne Bermingham. He succeeded to t ...
(died 1558) * Christopher St Lawrence, 8th Baron Howth (d. 1589). Christopher was the ancestor of all the later Barons and Earls of Howth. There was also a fourth son, John, and three daughters, Joan, Alison and Margaret, who all married into neighbouring gentry families.


Reputation

Leonard Grey, the Lord Deputy of Ireland, in a famous gibe, described Lord Howth as someone who lacked both "wit and men". Ball however notes that Grey never spoke well of anyone, and the weight of evidence suggests that Howth played a considerable part in the government of Ireland in his time. Certainly, there is no doubt that he enjoyed the full confidence of Thomas Cromwell.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Howth, Christopher St Lawrence, 5th Baron 1542 deaths Nobility from Dublin (city) Year of birth uncertain 16th-century Irish politicians Barons Howth