Ulick na gCeann Burke, 12th

Clanricarde Clanricarde ( ), also known as Mac William Uachtar (Upper Mac William) or the Galway Burkes, were a fully Gaelicised branch of the Hiberno-Norman House of Burgh who were important landowners in Ireland from the 13th to the 20th centuries. Terr ...

or Mac William Uachtar, 1st Earl of Clanricarde ( ; died 1544; styled MacWilliam, and na-gCeann, meaning "of the Heads", "having made a mount of the heads of men slain in battle which he covered up with earth") was an Irish

noble A noble is a member of the nobility. Noble may also refer to: Places Antarctica * Noble Glacier, King George Island * Noble Nunatak, Marie Byrd Land * Noble Peak, Wiencke Island * Noble Rocks, Graham Land Australia * Noble Island, Gr ...

and son of Richard Mór Burke, 9th Clanricarde (d. 1530) by a daughter of Madden of Portumna.

Biography

Ulick succeeded his father to the headship of his clan, and held estates in

County Galway County Galway ( ; ) is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is in the Northern and Western Region, taking up the south of the Provinces of Ireland, province of Connacht. The county population was 276,451 at the 20 ...

. In March 1541 he 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. ...

, lamenting the degeneracy of his family, which had rebelled against

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

in the mid-14th century, and "which have been brought to Irish and disobedient rule by reason of marriage and with those Irish, sometime rebels, near adjoining to me", and placing himself and his estates in the king's hands. The same year he was present at

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 ...

, when an act was passed making

King of Ireland Monarchical systems of government have existed in Ireland from ancient times. This continued in all of Ireland until 1949, when the Republic of Ireland Act removed most of Ireland's residual ties to the British monarch. Northern Ireland, as p ...

. In 1543, in company with other Irish chiefs, he visited the King at

Greenwich Greenwich ( , , ) is an List of areas of London, area in south-east London, England, within the Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county of Greater London, east-south-east of Charing Cross. Greenwich is notable for its maritime hi ...

and made full submission in accordance with the King's policy of "

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 ...

". He was confirmed in the captainship and rule of

, and on 1 July 1543, he was created

Earl of Clanricarde Earl of Clanricarde ( ; ) is a title that has been created twice in the Peerage of Ireland, first in 1543 and again in 1800. The former creation became extinct in 1916 while the 1800 creation is extant and held by the Marquess of Sligo since 19 ...

and Baron of Dunkellin in the

peerage of Ireland The peerage of Ireland consists of those Peerage, titles of nobility created by the English monarchs in their capacity as Lordship of Ireland, Lord or Monarchy of Ireland, King of Ireland, or later by monarchs of the United Kingdom of Great B ...

. He was regranted the greater part of his former estates, with the addition of other lands. The grant of the English titles was conditional upon the abandonment of native titles, the adoption of English customs and laws, the pledging of allegiance to the English crown,

apostasy Apostasy (; ) is the formal religious disaffiliation, disaffiliation from, abandonment of, or renunciation of a religion by a person. It can also be defined within the broader context of embracing an opinion that is contrary to one's previous re ...

from the Roman Catholic Church, and conversion to the

Anglican Church Anglicanism, also known as Episcopalianism in some countries, is a Western Christianity, Western Christian tradition which developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the ...

. In his review of the state of Ireland in 1553, Lord Chancellor Cusake stated " e making of McWilliam earl of Clanricarde made all the country during his time quiet and obedient." He did not live long to enjoy his new English dignities, but died shortly after returning to Ireland in about March 1544. He is called by the annalist of Loch Cé "a haughty and proud lord," who reduced many under his yoke, and by the Four Masters "the most illustrious of the English in Connaught".

Marriages and family

Burke married three times. Firstly, he was married to Grany or Grace, daughter of Mulrone O'Carroll. This marriage was the only one declared valid and he eventually divorced her. They had a son: *

Richard Richard is a male given name. It originates, via Old French, from compound of the words descending from Proto-Germanic language">Proto-Germanic ''*rīk-'' 'ruler, leader, king' and ''*hardu-'' 'strong, brave, hardy', and it therefore means 'st ...

, who eventually succeeded him as Second

. Secondly, he married Honora de Burgh, sister of Ulick de Burgh. He later divorced her as well. Thirdly, he married Maire Lynch. They had a son: * John Burke, who claimed the earldom in 1568. According to

Burke's Peerage Burke's Peerage Limited is a British genealogical publisher, considered an authority on the order of precedence of noble families and information on the lesser nobility of the United Kingdom. It was founded in 1826, when the Anglo-Irish genea ...

, he had several other sons, Thomas "the Athlete" Burke (shot in 1545), Redmond "of the Broom" Burke (died 1595), and Edmund Burke (died 1597).

Legacy

As a result of his marriages and relationships, there were a number of candidates contending for the titles of Clanricarde and Earl. The eventual successor was Ulick's eldest legitimate son, Richard Sassanach Burke, 2nd Earl of Clanricarde.

Genealogy

* Richard an Fhorbhair de Burgh (d.1343) ** Sir William (Ulick) de Burgh (d. 1343/53), 1st Mac William Uachtar (Upper Mac William) or Clanricarde (Galway) *** Richard Óg Burke (d. 1387), 2nd Clanricarde **** Ulick an Fhiona Burke (d. 1424), 3rd Clanricarde ***** Ulick Ruadh Burke (d. 1485), 5th Clanricarde ****** Edmund Burke (d. 1466) ******* Ricard of Roscam (d. 1517) ******** John mac Richard Mór Burke (d. 1536), 10th Clanricarde ****** Ulick Fionn Burke (d.1509), 6th Clanricarde ******* Ulick Óge Burke (d. 1520), 8th Clanricarde ******* Richard Mór Burke (d. 1530), 9th Clanricarde ******** Ulick na gCeann Burke (d. 1544), 12th Clanricarde, 1st

(1543) *******

Richard Bacach Burke Richard Bacach Burke, 11th Clanricarde or Mac William Uachtar ( ; died 1538) was an Irish people, Irish Chief of the Name, chieftain and nobility, noble who was the ancestor of the Burkes of County Galway. Background Burke was a son of Ulick ...

(d. 1538), 11th Clanricarde ****** Richard Óge Burke (d. 1519), 7th Clanricarde ******* Sir Uilleag Burke (d. 1551), 13th Clanricarde **** William mac Ulick Burke (d. 1430), 4th Clanricarde *** Edmund de Burgh (d. 1410)

Arms

Ancestry

References

Citations

Bibliography

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Clanricarde, Ulick na gCeann Burke, 1st Earl of 1544 deaths 15th-century births Burke, 1st Earl of Clanricarde, Ulick na gCeann 16th-century Irish nobility Ulick na gCeann Members of the Irish House of Lords Earls of Clanricarde Peers of Ireland created by Henry VIII