35 Hen. VIII., recites that "the creation was by letters patent, 29 Hen. VIII. [i.e., between 21 April 1537 and 21 April 1538],"(a)[1] so that the date of "22 Feb. 1537" [i.e., 1537/8], on which the King is said(b)[2] to have "restored him to the title of Ormond," is doubtless the true date of this creation.(c)[3] He must accordingly be thenceforth considered to be EARL OF ORMOND [I.] It should be noted that the Earl of Ormond and Wiltshire was alive at the time of this grant, in which (having no estates or interest in Ireland) he apparently acquiesced.(d)[4] He m. in 1485 Margaret, 2nd da, of Gerald (Fitzgerald), 8th Earl of Kildare (I.), by his first wife, Alison, da, of Rowland (Eustace), Baron Portlester (I.) He d. 26 Aug.1539, and was bur, in the church of St. Canice, Kilkenny. His widow, who rebuilt the castle of Gowran, and who was known as the great Countess," survived him but three years.(e)[5]
X. 1589. 2. James (Butler), Earl of Ossory, Earl of Ormond and Viscount Thurles [I.], called "The Lame," s. and h.,(f)[6] b. about 1490; distinguished himself in several actions against the Irish rebels in 1536, 1539, and 1543; was, v.p., made High Treasurer [I.] for life; Admiral of Ireland, 1535, and was cr. 2 Jan. 1535/6, VISCOUNT THURLES [I.], succeeding, some three years later (26 Aug. 1539), to the Earldoms of Ossory and Ormond [I.] His precedence, as enjoying an Earldom of ancient creation, having (very justly) been challenged(g)[7] inthe Parl. [I.] of 1541, he obtained an act of Parl.(h)[8] in 1513-44 (35 Hen. VIII. cap. 1)
- ↑ (a) Vide p. 246, note "c."
- ↑ (b) "Lodge," 1st edit., 1754, vol. ii, p. 10, as quoted in Round's "Earldoms of Ormond."
- ↑ (c) It is to be observed that this Earl is always spoken of as the "Earl of Ossory and Ormond," thus giving the creation of 1528 its proper precedence over one in 1538.
- ↑ (d) "Pearce Butler, afterwards Earl of Ossory and Ormond, upon the death of Thomas Butler, late Earl of Ormond, was by office" (i.e., luq. p.m.)"found to be heir male to the said Earl, and theroupon sued out his livery and was styled Earl of Ormond as well by the King's most gracious patent as by his Grace's letters missive. And now Sir Thomas Bullen, Earl of Ormond and Wiltshire, is contented he be named Earl of Ormond in Ireland, semblably as the two Lords Dacre be named, the one of the South and the other of the North." (Carew papers, vol. 608, p. 69.) See Round's "Earldoms of Ormond" where is pointed out not only the parallel of the Dacre case, under Edward IV., but that of the Baronies of Roos, under James I.; of Oliphant [S.], under Charles I.; of Lumley, as decided in 1723; and Sinclair [S], "in which the present Barony cr. by patent in 1677, is believed to be co-existent with the original Barony, of which it has usurped the precedence."
- ↑ (e) There is a good account of her in Kildare's “ Earls of Kildare," where is given a curious account of "s bastarde Butler," who "had by abatement intruded into the Earldom of Ormond (see p. 142, note "c") and of "the miseries," which this lady and her husband " sustenyned" when "so cagerly pursued by the usurper.' Their marriage, Round remarks, is explained by this passage in the Book of Howth (Carew MSS., v, 176), "Gerat, Earl of Kildare, about the year of our Lord 1485, being in variance with James Butler, Earl of Wormone [i.e., James of Ormond, the bastard, for whom see p. 142, note "c"] and the rest of the Butlers, married his sister called Lady Margaret to one Persse Butler for policy. This Persse was in variance with the said James and was maintained by the Earl of Kildare, by mean whereof the said James could not well attend to war with the Earl of Kildare," &c. The struggle between "the Red" Butler (Piers) and "the Black" (Sir James) lingered on for years, but at length Piers, rendered desperate by his rival, "forestalled him in the way" and gored himn through with a spear.
- ↑ (f) His next br., Sir Richard Butler, was cr. in 1550, Viscount Mountgarret [I.]
- ↑ (g) This was done "by the Earl of Desmond, the only Earl, curiously enough who ranked after the original Earls of Ormond, but before the Earls of Ossory." [Round's "Earldoms of Ormond."]
- ↑ (h) "The moment had been well chosen. The old Earl of Wiltshire and Ormond was dead. His Earldom of Ormond was in abeyance, from which it seemed unlikely to emerge; his only surviving child had made a love match and was utterly powerless to raise a protest, specially before the Irish Parliament. It was under these circumstances that this Act was past, as Lodge delicately expresses it, 'at the suit of' the triumphant chieftain." [Round's "Earldoms of Ormond,"]
