Rory Caoch O'More
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Rory Caoch O'More (; 1547) was an Irish noble. He ruled as
Lord of Laois Lord of Laois is a title that belonged to the historical rulers of the Kingdom of Laois in Ireland. It was held by the O'More family and later the More O'Ferralls who ruled the kingdom. The title is first recorded as existing in 1016, in the Ann ...
until his death in 1547 at the hand of his brother Giolla Pádraig O'More.


Early life

Born about 1515, O'More was the son of Connell O'More (d. 1537) and Gormflaith O'Carroll. His brothers were Lysaght, Kedagh, Giolla Pádraig and Conall. According to historian William Arthur Jobson Archbold, O'More "early acquired the character of a violent and successful chieftain." O'More's first wife was the daughter of Tadhg O'Dunne. In October 1537, O'More was subpoenaed to the king's court in
Kilkenny Kilkenny ( , meaning 'church of Cainnech of Aghaboe, Cainnech'). is a city in County Kilkenny, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is located in the South-East Region, Ireland, South-East Region and in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinst ...
to give evidence. He irreverently tossed the writ into mud and stepped on it, much to the dismay of the official who delivered it.


Power struggle

Upon Connell's death in 1537, a dispute broke out between Rory, Lysaght, Kedagh, and their uncle Peter, who was the
Tanist Tanistry is a Gaelic system for passing on titles and lands. In this system the Tanist (; ; ) is the office of heir-apparent, or second-in-command, among the (royal) Gaelic patrilineal dynasties of Ireland, Scotland and Mann, to succeed to ...
in line to head the family. Peter seized the title with the support of Piers Butler, 1st Earl of Ossory. The three brothers refused to accept Peter's lordship, and led by Lysaght (the eldest brother and Lord of Slemargy), they declared war in late 1537.'''' Peter O'More was for the time a friend of the Butlers - consequently,
Lord Deputy 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 supported Connell's sons. Lysaght was killed by the
gallowglass The Gallowglass (also spelled galloglass, gallowglas or galloglas; from meaning "foreign warriors") were a class of elite mercenary warriors who were principally members of the Norse-Gaelic clans of Ireland and Scotland between the mid 13th ...
in 1537. Kedagh and Rory continued fighting against Peter.'''' On 14 January 1538, Grey negotiated a peace between Rory, Kedagh and Peter. This was short-lived, and Grey later encouraged the brothers to attack Peter. In June 1538, in the presence of the local army commander, Rory attempted to kill Peter at
Athy Athy ( ; ) is a market town at the meeting of the River Barrow and the Grand Canal in south-west County Kildare, Ireland, 72 kilometres southwest of Dublin. A population of 11,035 (as of the 2022 census) made it the sixth largest town in Kil ...
,
County Kildare County Kildare () is a Counties of Ireland, county in Ireland. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster and is part of the Eastern and Midland Region. It is named after the town of Kildare. Kildare County Council is the Local gove ...
. The commander arrested Peter for his own safety.'''' Once again, Grey assembled a meeting in
Dublin Dublin is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Situated on Dublin Bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, and is bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, pa ...
between the brothers and their uncle.'''' This was all a ruse - Grey imprisoned Peter and led him about in chains for some time.'''' He allowed Kedagh and Rory to return to Laois and resume their attacks. Peter was eventually released in August 1538, still the Lord of Laois.'''' Kedagh secured the chieftainship that year, and the two brothers exiled Peter from Laois.''''


O'More vs O'Connor

In the early 1540s, Rory O'More's brother Giolla Pádraig set about his plan to seize the lordship of Laois. He entered an alliance with Rory's rival,
Brian O'Connor Faly Brian O'Connor Faly (; – 1560), also called Bernard, was an Irish noble and Lord of Offaly. O'Connor Faly raided the Pale many times from the early 1520s to the mid-1540s, assuring his political position via alliances with the Earl of Kildare ...
, by marrying O'Connor Faly's daughter. Giolla Pádraig and O'Connor Faly were favoured by the new Lord Deputy, Anthony St Leger. In September 1540, St Leger forced the submission of the O'More brothers. Kedagh and Rory attempted to garner goodwill from St Leger and they were pardoned on 27 June 1541. In 1542, Kedagh was killed in Carlow by Gaelic warlord Domhnall MacMurrough Kavanagh. Rory succeeded him via election.


Lordship

On 13 May 1542, he took part in the
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-Feudalism, feudal system under t ...
process, under the
anglicised Anglicisation or anglicization is a form of cultural assimilation whereby something non-English becomes assimilated into or influenced by the culture of England. It can be sociocultural, in which a non-English place adopts the English language ...
name "Rory O'More of Lex". O'More responded to Giolla Pádraig's hostility by allying with
James Butler, 9th Earl of Ormond James Butler, 9th Earl of Ormond and 2nd Earl of Ossory ( – 1546), known as the Lame ( Irish: ''Bacach''), was in 1541 confirmed as Earl of Ormond thereby ending the dispute over the Ormond earldom between his father, Piers Butler, 8th Earl ...
; he married Margaret Butler, the Earl's niece, between 1543 and 1544. St Leger forced O'More and his brother to submit to the authorities, bringing them to
Dublin Dublin is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Situated on Dublin Bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, and is bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, pa ...
in hopes of stopping their bloodshed. In O'More's absence, O'Connor Faly devastated Laois, and St Leger detained O'More in his attempts to leave Dublin. O'More wrote to
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. ...
, accusing St Leger of favouritism.


Death

In 1547, O'More faced another revolt from his brother Giolla Pádraig. O'More was initially successful and forced Giolla Pádraig to retreat. However, Giolla Pádraig returned with O'Connor Faly's troops, and O'More was killed during the attack.


Legacy

O'More had three recorded sons, including
Calvagh O'More Calvagh O'More (; 1540 – 27 March 1618), also known as Callagh, The Calough or Charles, was an Irish-born landowner of noble ancestry. He was raised in England. Upon returning to Ireland in his early thirties, he was granted an estate in Balyna ...
and
Rory Oge O'More Rory Oge O'More (; – 30 June 1578) was an Irish noble and chief of the O'More clan. As the Lord of Laois, he rebelled against the Tudors' sixteenth-century conquest of Gaelic Ireland. Irish nationalists Patrick Pearse and Philip O'Sul ...
. Upon his death, his widow Margaret apparently left Ireland with his young sons. Giolla Pádraig seized the lordship of Laois. He died around 1548 in the
Marshalsea The Marshalsea (1373–1842) was a notorious prison in Southwark, just south of the River Thames. Although it housed a variety of prisoners—including men accused of crimes at sea and political figures charged with sedition—it became known, ...
, and the lordship passed to his brother Conall Óg O'More, then finally Rory Oge O'More. Rory Caoch O'More's brother Kedagh left a son, who, in 1565, petitioned the privy council in Dublin to be restored to his father's inheritance. In a grant afterwards made to his eldest son, his services to King
Edward VI Edward VI (12 October 1537 – 6 July 1553) was King of England and King of Ireland, Ireland from 28 January 1547 until his death in 1553. He was crowned on 20 February 1547 at the age of nine. The only surviving son of Henry VIII by his thi ...
are spoken of; but an order of 15 March 1550-1 forbade any of the name of O'More to hold land in
Laois County Laois ( ; ) is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Eastern and Midland Region and in the province of Leinster. It was known as Queen's County from 1556 to 1922. The modern county takes its name from Loígis, a medieval kingdom. Hist ...
. Through his son Calvagh, O'More is a direct ancestor of
Diana, Princess of Wales Diana, Princess of Wales (born Diana Frances Spencer; 1 July 1961 – 31 August 1997), was a member of the British royal family. She was the first wife of Charles III (then Prince of Wales) and mother of Princes William, ...
and, by extension, her son
William William is a masculine given name of Germanic languages, Germanic origin. It became popular in England after the Norman Conquest, Norman conquest in 1066,All Things William"Meaning & Origin of the Name"/ref> and remained so throughout the Middle ...
. The prominent
Moore family Moore family may refer to: *Collections of sets that characterize a closure operator In mathematics, a closure operator on a Set (mathematics), set ''S'' is a Function (mathematics), function \operatorname: \mathcal(S)\rightarrow \mathcal(S) from ...
of Carolina in the
United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
supposedly claimed patrilineal descent from Rory Caoch O'More through his grandson of the same name, though in actuality they were descended from an English family in
Devonshire 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 wes ...
.


Family tree


References


Attribution

* {{DEFAULTSORT:OMore, Rory People from County Laois 1510s births 1547 deaths Year of birth uncertain Irish lords Irish chiefs of the name O'Moore family