Sir Thomas Butler, 1st Baronet of Cloughgrenan ( – 1642), was an Irish nobleman.

Early life

He was the illegitimate son of Sir Edmund Butler of Cloughgrenan (1534–) and grandson of James Butler, 9th Earl of Ormond and 2nd Earl of Ossory (–1546). His father had three other legitimate sons with his wife, Eleanor Eustace, the second daughter of Rowland Eustace, 2nd Viscount Baltinglass: Pierce, James and Theobald. The two elder sons (Sir Thomas's half-brothers) were executed by their own uncle,

Thomas Butler, 10th Earl of Ormond Thomas Butler, 10th Earl of Ormond and 3rd Earl of Ossory PC (Ire) (; – 1614), was an influential courtier in London at the court of Elizabeth I. He was Lord Treasurer of Ireland from 1559 to his death. He fought for the crown in th ...

(c.1531-1614), at

Thurles Thurles (; ''Durlas Éile'') is a town in County Tipperary, Ireland. It is located in the civil parish of the same name in the barony of Eliogarty and in the ecclesiastical parish of Thurles. The cathedral church of the Roman Catholic Arch ...

Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...

, during their rebellion in 1596. The third son, Theobald, was created Viscount Butler of Tulleophelim.

Circumstances of birth

In 1569, his father led the Butler Revolt in direct response to 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 ...

Sir Henry Sidney Sir Henry Sidney (20 July 1529 – 5 May 1586) was an English soldier, politician and Lord Deputy of Ireland. Background He was the eldest son of Sir William Sidney of Penshurst (1482 – 11 February 1553) and Anne Pakenham (1511 – 22 Oc ...

, who unjustly granted Sir Edmund's lands in Idrone,

Carlow Carlow ( ; ) is the county town of County Carlow, in the south-east of Republic of Ireland, Ireland, from Dublin. At the 2022 census of Ireland, 2022 census, it had a population of 27,351, the List of urban areas in the Republic of Ireland, ...

, to the English adventurer Sir Peter Carew. Sir Edmund's behaviour landed him in the gaol at the

Dublin Castle Dublin Castle () is a major Government of Ireland, Irish government complex, conference centre, and tourist attraction. It is located off Dame Street in central Dublin. It is a former motte-and-bailey castle and was chosen for its position at ...

, from which he then escaped. The escape was completed with the help of

Fiach McHugh O'Byrne Fiach mac Aodha Ó Broin (anglicised as Feagh or Fiach MacHugh O'Byrne) (1534 – 8 May 1597) was Chief of the Name of Clann Uí Bhroin (Clan O'Byrne) and Lord of Ranelagh during the Elizabethan wars against the Irish clans. Background Dur ...

(1534-1597), Lord of Ranelagh and leader of the Clann Uí Bhroin, after which Sir Edmund made his way to

Glenmalure Glenmalure () is a 20-kilometre long U-shaped glacial valley in the Wicklow Mountains in Ireland. Glenmalure is an important base for climbing in the Wicklow mountains, and particularly accessing the massif of Lugnaquilla, and contains one of ...

. According to Emmett O’Byrne's entry on Fiach MacHugh O'Byrne in ''The Dictionary of Irish Biography'', Sir Edmund remained at Glenmalure for some time, during which he had an affair with Fiach's first wife Sadhbh, resulting in her divorce from Fiach, "her later marriage to Butler, and considerable enmity between the two men". Sadhbh was a daughter of Donall McCahir, chief of the sept of the Kavanaghs (

Caomhánach Caomhánach ( Irish: ; in Gaelic type) is an Irish-language surname first assumed by Domhnall Caomhánach, eldest son of the 12th-century Diarmait Mac Murchada, king of Leinster (now Leinster, Ireland). A considerable number of anglicised v ...

) of Garryhill, and a great-great-granddaughter of Murrough Ballach Kavanagh, late 15th-century King of Leinster. Emmett O'Byrne believes Sadhbh bore Sir Edmund a son, Thomas, who became the 1st Baronet of Cloughgrenan.

Career

Sir Thomas served as

High Sheriff of Carlow The High Sheriff of Carlow was the British Crown's judicial representative in County Carlow, Ireland from the 14th century until 1922, when the office was abolished in the new Free State and replaced by the office of Carlow County Sheriff. The sh ...

for 1612 and 1622. On 16 August 1628, he was created a

Baronet A baronet ( or ; abbreviated Bart or Bt) or the female equivalent, a baronetess (, , or ; abbreviation Btss), is the holder of a baronetcy, a hereditary title awarded by the British Crown. The title of baronet is mentioned as early as the 14th ...

of Cloughgrenan (a

townland A townland (; Ulster-Scots: ''toonlann'') is a traditional small land division used in Ireland and in the Western Isles of Scotland, typically covering . The townland system is of medieval Gaelic origin, predating the Norman invasion, and mo ...

near

) by King Charles I (1600–1649). He was a Member of Parliament for

County Carlow County Carlow ( ; ) is a Counties of Ireland, county located in the Southern Region, Ireland, Southern Region of Ireland, within the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster. Carlow is the List of Irish counties by area, second smallest and t ...

in the

Irish House of Commons The Irish House of Commons was the lower house of the Parliament of Ireland that existed from 1297 until the end of 1800. The upper house was the Irish House of Lords, House of Lords. The membership of the House of Commons was directly elected, ...

between 1634 and 1635, and again from 1639 until his death in 1642.Hughes, James (1870)
"Sir Edmund Butler of the Dullogh, Knight"
''The Journal of the Royal Historical and Archaeological Association of Ireland''. 1 (1): 153–231. JSTOR 25506579.

Personal life

Sir Thomas married Anne Bagenal (née Colclough), daughter of Sir Thomas Colclough, with issue:''The Complete Peerage of England, Scotland, Ireland, Great Britain, and the United Kingdom Extant, Extinct, or Dormant'', G. E. Cokayne et al. * Sir Edmund Butler, 2nd Baronet of Cloughgrenan (died before 1653). Sir Thomas died in 1642 and was succeeded in the baronetcy by his son,

Edmund Edmund is a masculine given name in the English language. The name is derived from the Old English elements ''ēad'', meaning "prosperity" or "riches", and ''mund'', meaning "protector". Persons named Edmund include: People Kings and nobles *Ed ...

Descendants

The Cloughgrenan lineage survives to the present day through the line of the Butler Baronets, Sir Richard Pierce Butler, 13th Baronet (b. 1940), and his heir apparent Thomas Pierce Butler (b. 1966), as well as through his younger cousin, James Richard Henry Ormonde Brooke (b. 1972) (great-great-grandson of Captain William C. Butler (1844-1914)), who were all educated at

Eton Eton most commonly refers to Eton College, a public school in Eton, Berkshire, England. Eton may also refer to: Places *Eton, Berkshire, a town in Berkshire, England *Eton, Georgia, a town in the United States *Éton, a commune in the Meuse depa ...

. Pierce Butler (1744-1822), one of the

Founding Fathers of the United States The Founding Fathers of the United States, often simply referred to as the Founding Fathers or the Founders, were a group of late-18th-century American Revolution, American revolutionary leaders who United Colonies, united the Thirteen Colon ...

, was the third son of

Sir Richard Butler, 5th Baronet Sir Richard Butler, 5th Baronet (1699 – 25 November 1771) was an Irish politician and baronet. Early life He was the eldest son of James Butler and Frances ( Abney) Parker Butler. His mother was the widow of Sir John Parker, who lived at ...

of Cloughgrenan (1699–1771), thus being a direct descendant of Sir Thomas Butler, 1st Baronet.Carte, Thomas A., M.A. ''An History of the Life of James Duke of Ormonde from His Birth 1610 to His Death 1688'', 6 vols. Oxford, 1851. The current family seat is the Ballintemple estate in

.''

Debrett's Debrett's () is a British professional coaching company and publisher and authority on etiquette and behaviour, founded in 1769 with the publication of the first edition of ''The New Peerage''. The company takes its name from its founder, John ...

Peerage & Baronetage'', Comprises Information Concerning the Royal Family, the Peerage and Baronetage, p. B 163.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Butler, Sir Thomas, 1st Baronet 1642 deaths 17th-century Irish politicians

Thomas Thomas may refer to: People * List of people with given name Thomas * Thomas (name) * Thomas (surname) * Saint Thomas (disambiguation) * Thomas Aquinas (1225–1274) Italian Dominican friar, philosopher, and Doctor of the Church * Thomas the A ...

Irish MPs 1634–1635 Irish MPs 1639–1649 Politicians from County Carlow High sheriffs of Carlow Butler baronets, of Cloughgrenan Baronets in the Baronetage of Ireland Year of birth uncertain Members of the Parliament of Ireland (pre-1801) for County Carlow constituencies