Vice-Admiral
Vice admiral is a senior naval flag officer rank, usually equivalent to lieutenant general and air marshal. A vice admiral is typically senior to a rear admiral and junior to an admiral.
Australia
In the Royal Australian Navy, the rank of vic ...
Thomas Butler, 6th Earl of Ossory (8 July 1634 – 30 July 1680) was an Irish soldier and politician. He was the eldest son of
James Butler, 1st Duke of Ormond
Lieutenant-General James FitzThomas Butler, 1st Duke of Ormond, KG, PC (19 October 1610 – 21 July 1688), was an Anglo-Irish statesman and soldier, known as Earl of Ormond from 1634 to 1642 and Marquess of Ormond from 1642 to 1661. Followin ...
but predeceased his father and therefore never succeeded as duke.
Birth and origins
Thomas Butler was born on 8 July 1634, at
Kilkenny Castle
Kilkenny Castle ( ) is a castle in Kilkenny, Republic of Ireland, Ireland, built in 1260 in Ireland, 1260 to control a fording-point of the River Nore and the junction of several routeways. It was a symbol of Anglo-Norman invasion of Ireland, N ...
. He was the eldest son of
James Butler and his wife
Elizabeth Preston. His father was then the
12th Earl of Ormond but would be raised to marquess and duke. His family, the
Butler dynasty
Butler () is the name of a noble family whose members were, for several centuries, prominent in the administration of the Lordship of Ireland and the Kingdom of Ireland. They rose to their highest prominence as Dukes of Ormonde. The family ha ...
, is
Old English
Old English ( or , or ), or Anglo-Saxon, is the earliest recorded form of the English language, spoken in England and southern and eastern Scotland in the Early Middle Ages. It developed from the languages brought to Great Britain by Anglo-S ...
and descends from
Theobald Walter, who had been appointed Chief Butler of Ireland by
King Henry II in 1177.
Thomas's mother was a second cousin once removed of his father as she was a granddaughter of
Black Tom, the 10th Earl of Ormond. Her father, however, was Scottish,
Richard Preston, 1st Earl of Desmond, a favourite of
James I. Both parents were Protestants. They had married on Christmas Day 1629.
He had three surviving brothers and two sisters,
who are listed in his father's article.

Early life
As the eldest living son, he was the
heir apparent
An heir apparent is a person who is first in the order of succession and cannot be displaced from inheriting by the birth of another person. A person who is first in the current order of succession but could be displaced by the birth of a more e ...
and was styled with the corresponding
courtesy title
A courtesy title is a title that does not have legal significance but is rather used by custom or courtesy, particularly, in the context of nobility, the titles used by children of members of the nobility (cf. substantive title).
In some context ...
, which initially was Viscount Thurles but changed to Earl of Ossory when his father became marquess in 1642. Ossory, as he was after 1642, continued to live with his family in Ireland until 1647 when his father abandoned Dublin to the parliamentarians and Ossory accompanied his father to England. In 1648 his father renewed his support for the royalist cause and Ossory fled with his father to France, arriving in
Caen
Caen (; ; ) is a Communes of France, commune inland from the northwestern coast of France. It is the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Departments of France, department of Calvados (department), Calvados. The city proper has 105,512 inha ...
, Normandy, in February 1648. Ossory's mother also moved to Caen, where she arrived on 23 June 1648 with his siblings. Ossory was educated at a school in Caen and was an accomplished athlete and a good scholar.
However, the family soon ran into financial problems. In 1652 when Cromwell had completed the
conquest of Ireland, his mother brought Ossory and his sibling to London where she obtained a pension of £2000 per year from the income from her Irish estates under the condition that none of that money would be passed on to her husband. In 1655 Ossory was rightly suspected of sympathising with the exiled royalists, and was jailed by
Oliver Cromwell
Oliver Cromwell (25 April 15993 September 1658) was an English statesman, politician and soldier, widely regarded as one of the most important figures in British history. He came to prominence during the Wars of the Three Kingdoms, initially ...
. After his release about a year later he went into exile to the
Netherlands
, Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...
where
Charles II had his exile court at the time.
Marriage and children
On 17 November 1659, while in exile in the Netherlands, Ossory married
Emilia van Nassau, the second daughter of
Louis of Nassau, Lord of De Lek and Beverweerd
Louis of Nassau, Lord of De Lek and Beverweerd (1602 – The Hague, 28 February 1665) was a Dutch soldier. He was the illegitimate son of Margaretha van Mechelen and Maurice, Prince of Orange, and so a collateral member of the House of Orange- ...
.
Thomas and Emilia had eleven children, including two sons:
#
James (1665–1745), became the 2nd Duke of Ormonde in 1688
#
Charles
Charles is a masculine given name predominantly found in English language, English and French language, French speaking countries. It is from the French form ''Charles'' of the Proto-Germanic, Proto-Germanic name (in runic alphabet) or ''* ...
(1671–1758), became the ''de jure'' 3rd Duke of Ormonde, following his elder brother's attainder in 1715
—and three daughters:
#
Elizabeth (died 1717), married
William Stanley, 9th Earl of Derby in 1673
# Amelia (died 1760), inherited the estates of her brother Charles and never married
#
Henrietta (died 1724), married
Henry de Nassau d'Auverquerque, 1st Earl of Grantham
Later life
In 1660 at the
Restoration, Ossory accompanied Charles II back to England. That same year he was appointed
Lord of the Bedchamber
Gentleman of the Bedchamber was a title in the Royal Household of the Kingdom of England from the 11th century, later used also in the Kingdom of Great Britain. A Lord of the Bedchamber was a courtier in the Royal Household, the term being fir ...
to Charles II, a post he held until his death. Emilia was naturalised as English by act of Parliament.
In 1661 Ossory became an MP for
Bristol
Bristol () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, the most populous city in the region. Built around the River Avon, Bristol, River Avon, it is bordered by t ...
in the
English and for
Dublin University
The University of Dublin (), corporately named as The Chancellor, Doctors and Masters of the University of Dublin, is a research university located in Dublin, Republic of Ireland. It is the degree-awarding body for Trinity College Dublin, whi ...
in the
Irish house of commons.
In 1662 Ossory was called to 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 ...
under a
writ of acceleration
A writ in acceleration, commonly called a writ of acceleration, is a type of writ of summons that enabled the eldest son and heir apparent of a peer with more than one peerage to attend the British or Irish House of Lords, using one of his fathe ...
as Earl of Ossory. His father had held the title "5th Earl of Ossory" as one of his
subsidiary titles. The acceleration made Thomas Butler the 6th Earl of Ossory.
In 1665 Ossory was appointed lieutenant-general in the Irish army. In 1665 during the
Second Anglo-Dutch War
The Second Anglo-Dutch War, began on 4 March 1665, and concluded with the signing of the Treaty of Breda (1667), Treaty of Breda on 31 July 1667. It was one in a series of Anglo-Dutch Wars, naval wars between Kingdom of England, England and the D ...
(1665–1667), a fortunate accident allowed Ossory to take part in the
Battle of Lowestoft
The Battle of Lowestoft took place on during the Second Anglo-Dutch War. A fleet of more than a hundred ships of the Dutch Republic, United Provinces commanded by Lieutenant-Admiral Jacob van Wassenaer Obdam, Jacob van Wassenaer, Lord Obdam, at ...
against the Dutch.
He was created an English peer as
Baron Butler of Moore Park by being summoned to the English House of Lords by a writ on 17 September 1666. Almost as soon as he appeared in the
House of Lords
The House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the lower house, the House of Commons of the United Kingdom, House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster in London, England. One of the oldest ext ...
, he was imprisoned for two days for challenging the
Duke of Buckingham
Duke of Buckingham, referring to the market town of Buckingham, England, is an extinct title that has been created several times in the peerages of England, Great Britain, and the United Kingdom. There were creations of double dukedoms of Bucki ...
.
He acted as deputy for his father, who was
lord-lieutenant of Ireland
Lord Lieutenant of Ireland (), or more formally Lieutenant General and General Governor of Ireland, was the title of the chief governor of Ireland from the Williamite Wars of 1690 until the Partition of Ireland in 1922. This spanned the Ki ...
, and in parliament he defended Ormond's Irish administration with great vigour.
On 12 March 1672 he attacked the Dutch
Smyrna
Smyrna ( ; , or ) was an Ancient Greece, Ancient Greek city located at a strategic point on the Aegean Sea, Aegean coast of Anatolia, Turkey. Due to its advantageous port conditions, its ease of defence, and its good inland connections, Smyrna ...
fleet with
HMS Resolution
Several ships of the Royal Navy have borne the name HMS ''Resolution'':
* a first rate launched as ''Prince Royal'' in 1610 was renamed ''Resolution'' in 1650 following the inauguration of the Commonwealth, and continued to bear that name until ...
, starting the
Third Anglo-Dutch War
The Third Anglo-Dutch War, began on 27 March 1672, and concluded on 19 February 1674. A naval conflict between the Dutch Republic and England, in alliance with France, it is considered a related conflict of the wider 1672 to 1678 Franco-Dutch W ...
(1672–1674) in an action that he is said to have greatly regretted later in life.
In May 1672 he fought against the same enemies in the
Battle of Solebay
The Battle of Solebay took place on 6 June 1672 New Style, during the Third Anglo-Dutch War, near Southwold, Suffolk, in eastern England. A Dutch States Navy, Dutch fleet under Michiel de Ruyter attacked a combined Kingdom of England, Anglo-King ...
, serving with great distinction on both occasions.
While visiting France in 1672, he rejected the liberal offers made by
Louis XIV to induce him to enter the service of France.
In August 1673 he added to his high reputation by his conduct during the
Battle of Texel
The naval Battle of Texel or Battle of Kijkduin took place off the western coast of the island of Texel on 21 August 1673 (11 August O.S.) between the Dutch and the combined English and French fleets. It was the last major battle of the T ...
in August 1673. From 1677 until 1679, he served alongside his father as a
Lord of the Admiralty.
Ossory was intimate with
William, Prince of Orange
William, Prince of Orange (Willem Nicolaas Alexander Frederik Karel Hendrik; 4 September 1840 – 11 June 1879), was heir apparent to the Dutch throne as the eldest son of William III of the Netherlands, King William III from 17 March 1849 until ...
, and in 1677 he joined the allied army in the
Netherlands
, Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...
, commanding the British contingent and excelling at the siege of Mons in 1678.
In 1680 he was appointed governor of
English Tangier
English Tangier was the period in History of Morocco, Moroccan history in which the city of Tangier was occupied by Kingdom of England, England as part of its English overseas possessions, colonial empire from 1661 to 1684. Tangier had been unde ...
, but his death prevented him from taking up his new duties.
Death, succession, and timeline
Ossory died on 30 July 1680 at Arlington House in London.} He was buried provisionally in
Westminster Abbey
Westminster Abbey, formally titled the Collegiate Church of Saint Peter at Westminster, is an Anglican church in the City of Westminster, London, England. Since 1066, it has been the location of the coronations of 40 English and British m ...
on 31 July 1680. The ceremony of burial was performed belatedly on 13 November 1680. Some say Ossory's body was later taken to Ireland and reburied in the family vault in
St Canice's Cathedral,
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 ...
. James, his eldest son, succeeded him as the 7th Earl of Ossory and would in 1688 become the 2nd Duke of Ormond.
Notes and references
Notes
Citations
Sources
*
*
*
*
* – 1643 to 1660
* – Marriages, baptisms and burials from about 1660 to 1875
*
* – N to R (for Ossory under Ormond)
* – Ab-Adam to Basing (for Arran)
* – Bass to Canning (for Butler of Moore Park)
*
* – England (for his daughter Elizabeth, cited here because the corresponding page is missing in the 1828 edition.)
* – Scotland and Ireland
*
* – 1665 to 1706
* – (for timeline)
* (for the subject as MP)
* – Viscounts
*
*
}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ossory, Thomas Butler, 6th Earl of
1634 births
1680 deaths
Burials at Westminster Abbey
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 ...
Earls in the Peerage of Ireland
English MPs 1661–1679
Governors of Tangier
Heirs apparent who never acceded
Irish soldiers
Irish colonial officials
Knights of the Garter
Lords Lieutenant of Ireland
Lords of the Admiralty
Members of the Privy Council of England
Members of the Privy Council of Ireland
Royal Navy personnel of the Third Anglo-Dutch War
People of the Second Anglo-Dutch War