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John Butler
Ruin of Kilcash Castle
Died	10 May 1570
Family	Butler dynasty
Spouse(s)	Katherine MacCarthy Reagh
Issue Detail	Walter & others
Father	James Butler, 9th Earl of Ormond
Mother	Joan FitzGerald, Countess of Ormond

John Butler of Kilcash (died 1570) was an Irish landowner and soldier. A younger son of James Butler, 9th Earl of Ormond and brother of Thomas Butler, 10th Earl of Ormond, he received Kilcash Castle as appanage. He fought in the Desmond–Ormond conflict and was badly wounded in 1563, just before the Battle of Affane. He was the start-point of the Kilcash branch of the Ormonds and the father of Walter Butler, 11th Earl of Ormond.

Birth and origins

John was born about 1537 in southern Ireland. He was the third son of James Butler and his wife Joan Fitzgerald. His father was the 9th Earl of Ormond. His father's family, the Butler dynasty, was Old English and descended from Theobald Walter, who had been appointed Chief Butler of Ireland by King Henry II in 1177.

His mother was a daughter of James FitzGerald, 10th Earl of Desmond. Her family were the FitzGeralds of Desmond, a cadet branch of the Old English Geraldines, whose senior branch were the FitzGeralds of Kildare. John had six brothers, which are listed in his father's article.

Appanage and father's death

On 26 May 1544 when he was still a little boy, his father, the 9th Earl of Ormond, granted him Kilcash as an appanage as is attested by his territorial designation of Kilcash. The existing tower house at Kilcash was probably built at that time.

Well he did so. Because only a bit more than a year later, on 28 October 1546, when John was about six, his father suddenly died in London having been poisoned during a banquet at Ely House, probably at the instigation of Anthony St Leger, who was Lord Deputy of Ireland and a political opponent. John's eldest brother Thomas succeeded as the 10th Earl.

Marriage and children

John Butler of Kilcash married Katherine MacCarthy Reagh, the daughter of Cormac na Haoine MacCarthy Reagh, 10th Prince of Carbery and sister of Donal, later known as Donal of the Pipes, 17th Prince of Carbery.

John and Katherine had four children, two sons:

1. James Butler, died childless before September 1576;
2. Walter Butler, 11th Earl of Ormond (1559–1633), known as "Walter of the Beads".

—and two daughters;

1. Joan, married Sir Oliver Shortall, knight.
2. Eleanor, married Thomas Prendergast; their son James Prendergast was killed in 1627 by Edmond Butler, 3rd/13th Baron Dunboyne;

Desmond – Ormond conflict

Much of Kilcash's life was taken up with a fierce feud his family had with the Earls of Desmond. The Desmonds were the Ormonds' neighbours on the western and southern sides. Despite their enmity, these two families were both more or less Gaelicized Old English and had intermarried many times; the last such marriage having been that of Kilcash's parents as his mother was a Desmond FitzGerald. The Desmond wars should also be seen in the wider picture of the Tudor conquest of Ireland. In 1560 his mother's intervention secured a peaceful outcome to a stand-off at Bohermore (known as "the battle that never was").

In 1563 Kilcash was badly wounded in a fight with the Desmonds and his recovery was deemed uncertain. He was unable to participate in the private Battle of Affane, which was fought on 8 February 1565, only a bit more than a month after his mother's death. His stepfather, Gerald FitzGerald, 14th Earl of Desmond was taken prisoner in the battle after Kilcash's brother Edmund had shot him into the hip with his pistol. Lord Ormond (his eldest brother) and Lord Desmond were called to London and promised to keep the peace.

Desmond Rebellions

Kilcash could of course also not fight to suppress the Desmond Rebellions that were started in 1569 by James fitz Maurice FitzGerald, captain of the Desmond forces in the earl's absence. The captain was supported by many Irish in southern Ireland but also by some of Butler's brothers, notably Edmund. The rebellion was directed against Henry Sidney the Lord Deputy of Ireland. Kilcash's brother Thomas, Lord Ormond returned to Ireland landing at Waterford in July 1569 whereupon his brothers submitted quickly.

However, Edmund, Edward and Piers were attainted in April 1570 by an act of the Irish Parliament. That meant that Edmund ceased to be Ormond's heir presumptive and John, the next brother, took his place but only for about a month as he died on 10 May 1570. John's eldest son, Walter, thereafter became heir presumptive. James fitz Maurice FitzGerald surrendered on 23 February 1573 and Gerald followed in September ending the first Desmond rebellion.

Death and timeline

John Butler died on 10 May 1570 at Kilcash and was buried in Kilkenny.

Notes and references

Notes

1. ^ John's year of birth is bracketed between 1534, the birth of his older brother, and the death of his father in 1544, minus two gestations of his younger brothers James, Edward and Piers. 1537 seems a good estimate.
2. This family tree is partly based on the condensed Butler family tree pictured in Dunboyne and on genealogies of the Earls of Desmond and Ormond. Also see the lists of siblings and children in the text.

Citations

1. Butler 1929, p. 39. "John of Kilcash, the third brother, left one lawful son, Walter, an infant six months old when John died in 1570."
2. Debrett 1828, p. 640. "Theobald le Boteler on whom that office was conferred by King Henry II., 1177 ..."
3. Dunboyne 1968, pp. 16–17. "Butler Family Tree condensed"
4. Burke 1883, pp. 204–206Genealogy of the earls of Desmond
5. Burke & Burke 1915, pp. 1548–1552Genealogy of the earls of Ormond
6. Burke & Burke 1915, p. 1549, right column, line 57. "3. John, of Kilcash, to whom his father granted lands by deed, 26 May, 1544; ..."
7. Somerset Fry 1997, p. 220, 3rd column. "This consists of a six-storey tower-house with bartizan and high chimney stacks ..."
8. ^ Breffny 1977, p. 146, line 1. "James, ninth Earl of Ormond, granted the lands of Kilcash to his third son John Butler by deed dated 26 May 1544 and it was probably at that time that the tower-house with bartizans and tall chimneys was built ..."
9. ^ Cokayne 1895, p. 148, line 6. "He d. in London, 28 Oct. 1546, from the effects of poison taken on the 17th at supper at Ely House, Holborn ..."
10. Lainé 1836, p. 91, bottom. "2. Catherine Mac Carthy, mariée 1e avec Jean Butler de Kilcash, fils puyné de Jacques Butler, 9e comte d'Ormon ..."
11. Edwards 2004, p. 231, left column, line 1. "He emerged as heir to the Kilcash estate in co. Tipperary some time before September 1576 after the death without issue of his brother ..."
12. Burke & Burke 1915, p. 1549, right column, line 61. "1. Joan, m. 1st Nicholas Shortall, of Upper Claragh, co. Kilkenny, and 2ndly Sir Oliver Shortall, Knt. of Ballylorcan, same co."
13. Burke & Burke 1915, p. 1549, right column, line 63. "2. Eleanor, m. Thomas Prendergast, of Newcastle co. Tipperary."
14. Lodge 1789a, p. 28, line 17. "Eleanor, the second daughter, married Thomas Prendergast of Newcastle in Tipperary, Esq."
15. Lodge 1789b, p. 229. "In 1628, his lordship having the misfortune to kill Mr. Prendergast, he was confined a prisoner in the Castle of Dublin ..."
16. ^ Butler 1929, p. 34, Note 6. "He had been badly wounded, so that his recovery was at first doubtful, in a conflict with the Geraldines in 1563."
17. ^ McGurk 2004, p. 809, line 44. "The death of Desmond's wife on 2 February 1565 ..."
18. ^ Joyce 1903, p. 146, line 15. "Desmond, taken unawares, was defeated in a battle fought in 1565 at Affane in the County Waterford, and he himself was wounded and taken prisoner."
19. ^ McGurk 2004, p. 809, left column. "On 8 February 1565 the two rival armies met at the ford of Affane on the Blackwater in co. Waterford. Desmond was wounded in the thigh and taken prisoner by Ormond, but soon released."
20. Lee 1886, p. 80, left column. "In June 1569 Sir Edmund, who had a personal hatred of Sidney, in temporary concert with some members of the Desmond family, broke into open revolt against the lord deputy."
21. Lee 1886, p. 80, left column, bottom. "He landed in Waterford in July 1569, and found Munster in the throes of a civil war, in which his brother Sir Edmund was matched against Sidney's lieutenant, sir Peter Carew."
22. ^ Lee 1886, p. 80, right column, line 7. "In April Ormonde's three brothers Edmund, Edward and Piers, were attainted, and Ormonde passionately protested against the indignity."
23. Burke & Burke 1915, p. 1549, line 59. "... d. 10 May, 1570, leaving issue ..."
24. ^ Lodge 1789a, p. 28, line 8. "John Butler of Kilcash, Esq.; who married Catharine, daughter of Cormac Mac Carthy Reagh, and dying at his seat 10 May 1570, was buried in Kilkenny ..."
25. Fryde et al. 1986, p. 43, line 15. "Edward VI ... acc. 28 Jan. 1547;"
26. Fryde et al. 1986, p. 43, line 27. "Mary I … acc. 6 Jul. 1553;"
27. Fryde et al. 1986, p. 43, line 41. "Elizabeth … acc. 17 Nov. 1558;"

Sources

• Breffny, Brian de (1977). Castles of Ireland. London: Thames and Hudson. ISBN 978-0-5002-7398-2.
• Burke, Bernard (1883). A Genealogical History of the Dormant, Abeyant, Forfeited and Extinct Peerages of the British Empire (New ed.). London: Harrison. OCLC 499232768. (for Desmond)
• Burke, Bernard; Burke, Ashworth Peter (1915). A Genealogical and Heraldic History of the Peerage and Baronetage, the Privy Council, Knightage and Companionage (77th ed.). London: Harrison. OCLC 1155471554.
• Butler, William F. T. (1929). "The Descendants of James, Ninth Earl of Ormond". The Journal of the Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland. 6th. 19 (1): 29–44.
• Cokayne, George Edward (1895). Complete Peerage of England, Scotland, Ireland, Great Britain and the United Kingdom, Extant, Extinct, or Dormant. Vol. VI (1st ed.). London: George Bell and Sons. OCLC 1180818801. – N to R (for Ormond)
• Debrett, John (1828). Peerage of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. Vol. II (17th ed.). London: F. C. and J. Rivington. OCLC 54499602. – Scotland and Ireland
• Dunboyne, Patrick Theobald Tower Butler, Baron (1968). Butler Family History (2nd ed.). Kilkenny: Rothe House.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
• Edwards, David (2004). "Butler, Walter, eleventh earl of Ormond and fourth Earl of Ossory (1559–1633)". In Matthew, Henry Colin Gray; Harrison, Brian (eds.). Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. Vol. 9. New York: Oxford University Press. pp. 230–231. ISBN 0-19-861359-8.
• Fryde, Edmund Boleslaw; Greenway, D. E.; Porter, S.; Roy, I., eds. (1986). Handbook of British Chronology. Royal Historical Society Guides and Handbooks, No. 2 (3rd ed.). London: Offices of the Royal Historical Society. ISBN 0-86193-106-8. – (for timeline)
• Joyce, Patrick Weston (1903). A Concise History of Ireland from the Earliest Times to 1837 (12th ed.). Dublin: M. H. Gill & Son. OCLC 815623752.
• Lainé, P. Louis (1836). "Mac-Carthy". Archives généalogiques et historiques de la noblesse de France [Genealogical and Historical Archives of the Nobility of France] (in French). Vol. Tome cinquième. Paris: Imprimerie de Bethune et Plon. pp. 1–102. OCLC 865941166.
• Lee, Sidney (1886). "Butler, Thomas, tenth Earl of Ormonde (1532–1614)". In Lee, Sidney (ed.). Dictionary of National Biography. Vol. VIII. New York: MacMillan and Co. pp. 79–81. OCLC 8544105.
• Lodge, John (1789a). Archdall, Mervyn (ed.). The Peerage of Ireland or, A Genealogical History of the Present Nobility of that Kingdom. Vol. V. Dublin: James Moore. OCLC 264906028. – Viscounts (for Viscount Mountgarret)
• Lodge, John (1789b). Archdall, Mervyn (ed.). The Peerage of Ireland or, A Genealogical History of the Present Nobility of that Kingdom. Vol. VI. Dublin: James Moore. OCLC 264906028. – Viscounts, barons (for "Butler, Lord Cahier" — Dunboyne)
• McGurk, J. J. N. (2004). "FitzGerald, Gerald fitz James, fourteenth earl of Desmond (c. 1533–1583)". In Matthew, Colin; Harrison, Brian (eds.). Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. Vol. 19. New York: Oxford University Press. pp. 809–811. ISBN 0-19-861369-5. – 14th Earl of Desmond
• Somerset Fry, Plantagenet (1997). Castles of Britain and Ireland : the ultimate reference book : a region-by-region guide to over 1,350 castles. New York: Abbeville Press Publishers. ISBN 0-7892-0278-6. OCLC 36308898.

• 1570 deaths
• Butler dynasty
• 16th-century Irish landowners
• People of Elizabethan Ireland
• Younger sons of earls
• 16th-century Irish military personnel
• 16th-century soldiers