James FitzGerald, 1st Earl of Desmond
Encyclopedia
James FitzGerald an Irish nobleman, was the successor of Gerald FitzGerald, 15th Earl of Desmond
. He assumed the title of Earl of Desmond
, which had been suppressed in 1582 after the Desmond Rebellions
. He spent much of his life in captivity, and was temporarily, but unsuccessfully, restored to the earldom in 1600-01 by the English in an attempt to pacify Munster during the Nine Years War (Ireland). He thus became the 1st Earl of Desmond, but soon returned to England, where he died in obscurity.
; Queen Elizabeth of England was his godmother. He was resident in Ireland in 1579, when his father joined the later rebellion against the crown, and at that time his mother chose to deliver him to Sir William Drury, lord deputy of Ireland, who placed him in custody in Dublin Castle. In August 1582, his mother complained bitterly to Lord Burghley
that her son's education was being neglected and sought better care for him. After the death of his fugitive father, FitzGerald's gaolers made petition to the English government for his removal to the Tower of London
. The petition was granted in 1584, and before the end of the year he was removed to the Tower, where he remained for the next 16 years.
), but such was the loyalty attached to the FitzGerald name there that the government had good cause to fear a future rebellion. These events occurred during the Anglo-Spanish War
(1585-1604), and English fear was increased with the prospect of an intervention by the Spanish, who had an historical affinity with the west coast of Ireland.
It was in this context that the young heir found himself nurtured in London, where he was to lead a miserable existence. He appears to have been sickly, as shown by the accounts kept between 1588 and 1598 of payments for medicines, ointments, pills and syrups administered to him. In 1593, he wrote in pathetic terms to the queen's secretary, Sir Robert Cecil
, but the government really only had one use for him.
, 3rd Earl of Tyrone, it was suggested by Sir George Carew
that FitzGerald be paraded through the province as the true Earl of Desmond
, in order to counter the popularity of the pretender to the earldom, James FitzThomas FitzGerald
, (known as the Súgán - i.e. Hayrope -Earl). The queen hesitated at this suggestion, but was convinced by Cecil that the risk was worth taking.
A patent for the title of Earl of Desmond
(the second creation) passed the great seal, without restoration of the confiscated lands and restricting any inheritance of the title; an allowance of £500 pa. was granted. FitzGerald was to remain in the custody of Captain Price and Miler Magrath
, archbishop of Cashel
; Price was charged with keeping him faithful to the queen and the Protestant religion, and was to maintain a frugal household. Carew was instructed by Cecil to keep FitzGerald under close observation, ready to arrest him if he showed sympathy with the rebels, while allowing the appearance of liberty.
FitzGerald's party set out from Bristol in October 1600, bound for Cork
, but the prisoner suffered such a severe bout of sea-sickness that he had to be landed at Youghal
in south Munster
. He was received enthusiastically by the Geraldine supporters - though the mayor of Cork was not courteous - and was quickly transferred to Mallow, and then to Kilmallock in the heart of Desmond country, where he was given lodgings by the English commander Sir George Thornton. On his arrival he praised the queen's clemency and was well liked; the next day - a Sunday - he ostentatiously made his way to the Protestant church, while his followers awaited him in the catholic chapel, a disappointment for which he was instantly derided by the people. In November 1600 the fortress of Castlemaine was surrendered to FitzGerald by a servant of the Súgán Earl, but owing to his failure to command the allegiance of the people the government soon discarded the Desmond heir.
Gerald FitzGerald, 15th Earl of Desmond
Gerald FitzGerald, 15th Earl of Desmond was an Irish nobleman and leader of the Desmond Rebellions of 1579.-Life:...
. He assumed the title of Earl of Desmond
Earl of Desmond
The title of Earl of Desmond has been held historically by lords in Ireland, first as a title outside of the peerage system and later as part of the Peerage of Ireland....
, which had been suppressed in 1582 after the Desmond Rebellions
Desmond Rebellions
The Desmond Rebellions occurred in 1569-1573 and 1579-1583 in the Irish province of Munster.They were rebellions by the Earl of Desmond – head of the FitzGerald dynasty in Munster – and his followers, the Geraldines and their allies against the threat of the extension of Elizabethan English...
. He spent much of his life in captivity, and was temporarily, but unsuccessfully, restored to the earldom in 1600-01 by the English in an attempt to pacify Munster during the Nine Years War (Ireland). He thus became the 1st Earl of Desmond, but soon returned to England, where he died in obscurity.
Early life
James FitzGerald, the son of the 15th Earl and Eleanor Butler, was born during the earlier of the Desmond RebellionsDesmond Rebellions
The Desmond Rebellions occurred in 1569-1573 and 1579-1583 in the Irish province of Munster.They were rebellions by the Earl of Desmond – head of the FitzGerald dynasty in Munster – and his followers, the Geraldines and their allies against the threat of the extension of Elizabethan English...
; Queen Elizabeth of England was his godmother. He was resident in Ireland in 1579, when his father joined the later rebellion against the crown, and at that time his mother chose to deliver him to Sir William Drury, lord deputy of Ireland, who placed him in custody in Dublin Castle. In August 1582, his mother complained bitterly to Lord Burghley
William Cecil, 1st Baron Burghley
William Cecil, 1st Baron Burghley , KG was an English statesman, the chief advisor of Queen Elizabeth I for most of her reign, twice Secretary of State and Lord High Treasurer from 1572...
that her son's education was being neglected and sought better care for him. After the death of his fugitive father, FitzGerald's gaolers made petition to the English government for his removal to the Tower of London
Tower of London
Her Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress, more commonly known as the Tower of London, is a historic castle on the north bank of the River Thames in central London, England. It lies within the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, separated from the eastern edge of the City of London by the open space...
. The petition was granted in 1584, and before the end of the year he was removed to the Tower, where he remained for the next 16 years.
Captivity
FitzGerald was the heir to the earldom of Desmond, but in 1585 his late father's estate was attainted by the Irish parliament and all its property confiscated by the crown. Most of the hereditary lands in the province of Munster then underwent a radical plantation by English settlers (see Plantation of MunsterPlantations of Ireland
Plantations in 16th and 17th century Ireland were the confiscation of land by the English crown and the colonisation of this land with settlers from England and the Scottish Lowlands....
), but such was the loyalty attached to the FitzGerald name there that the government had good cause to fear a future rebellion. These events occurred during the Anglo-Spanish War
Anglo-Spanish War (1585)
The Anglo–Spanish War was an intermittent conflict between the kingdoms of Spain and England that was never formally declared. The war was punctuated by widely separated battles, and began with England's military expedition in 1585 to the Netherlands under the command of the Earl of Leicester in...
(1585-1604), and English fear was increased with the prospect of an intervention by the Spanish, who had an historical affinity with the west coast of Ireland.
It was in this context that the young heir found himself nurtured in London, where he was to lead a miserable existence. He appears to have been sickly, as shown by the accounts kept between 1588 and 1598 of payments for medicines, ointments, pills and syrups administered to him. In 1593, he wrote in pathetic terms to the queen's secretary, Sir Robert Cecil
Robert Cecil, 1st Earl of Salisbury
Robert Cecil, 1st Earl of Salisbury, KG, PC was an English administrator and politician.-Life:He was the son of William Cecil, 1st Baron Burghley and Mildred Cooke...
, but the government really only had one use for him.
Irish campaign
In 1600, during the Nine Years War (Ireland) and following hostile intrusions into Munster at the direction of Hugh O'NeillHugh O'Neill, 3rd Earl of Tyrone
Aodh Mór Ó Néill, anglicised as Hugh The Great O'Neill , was the 2nd or 3rd Earl of Tyrone and was later created The Ó Néill...
, 3rd Earl of Tyrone, it was suggested by Sir George Carew
George Carew, 1st Earl of Totnes
George Carew, 1st Earl of Totnes , known as Sir George Carew between 1586 and 1605 and as The Lord Carew between 1605 and 1626, served under Queen Elizabeth I during the Tudor conquest of Ireland and was appointed President of Munster. -Early career:Carew was the son of Dr...
that FitzGerald be paraded through the province as the true Earl of Desmond
Earl of Desmond
The title of Earl of Desmond has been held historically by lords in Ireland, first as a title outside of the peerage system and later as part of the Peerage of Ireland....
, in order to counter the popularity of the pretender to the earldom, James FitzThomas FitzGerald
James FitzThomas FitzGerald
James FitzThomas FitzGerald, the Súgán Earl of Desmond , was the eldest son of Sir Thomas Fitzgerald, commonly called "Thomas Roe," "Tomás Ruadh," or "Red Thomas."-Life:...
, (known as the Súgán - i.e. Hayrope -Earl). The queen hesitated at this suggestion, but was convinced by Cecil that the risk was worth taking.
A patent for the title of Earl of Desmond
Earl of Desmond
The title of Earl of Desmond has been held historically by lords in Ireland, first as a title outside of the peerage system and later as part of the Peerage of Ireland....
(the second creation) passed the great seal, without restoration of the confiscated lands and restricting any inheritance of the title; an allowance of £500 pa. was granted. FitzGerald was to remain in the custody of Captain Price and Miler Magrath
Miler Magrath
Miler Magrath or Miler McGrath , was born in County Fermanagh, Ireland. He came from a family of hereditary historians to the O'Brien clan. He entered the Franciscan Order and was ordained to the Roman Catholic priesthood...
, archbishop of Cashel
Archbishop of Cashel
The Archbishop of Cashel is an archiepiscopal title which takes its name after the town of Cashel, County Tipperary in Ireland. The title is still in use in the Roman Catholic Church, but in the Church of Ireland it was downgraded to a bishopric in 1838....
; Price was charged with keeping him faithful to the queen and the Protestant religion, and was to maintain a frugal household. Carew was instructed by Cecil to keep FitzGerald under close observation, ready to arrest him if he showed sympathy with the rebels, while allowing the appearance of liberty.
FitzGerald's party set out from Bristol in October 1600, bound for Cork
Cork (city)
Cork is the second largest city in the Republic of Ireland and the island of Ireland's third most populous city. It is the principal city and administrative centre of County Cork and the largest city in the province of Munster. Cork has a population of 119,418, while the addition of the suburban...
, but the prisoner suffered such a severe bout of sea-sickness that he had to be landed at Youghal
Youghal
Youghal is a town in County Cork, Ireland. Sitting on the estuary of the River Blackwater, in the past it was militarily and economically important. Being built on the edge of a steep riverbank, the town has a distinctive long and narrow layout...
in south Munster
Munster
Munster is one of the Provinces of Ireland situated in the south of Ireland. In Ancient Ireland, it was one of the fifths ruled by a "king of over-kings" . Following the Norman invasion of Ireland, the ancient kingdoms were shired into a number of counties for administrative and judicial purposes...
. He was received enthusiastically by the Geraldine supporters - though the mayor of Cork was not courteous - and was quickly transferred to Mallow, and then to Kilmallock in the heart of Desmond country, where he was given lodgings by the English commander Sir George Thornton. On his arrival he praised the queen's clemency and was well liked; the next day - a Sunday - he ostentatiously made his way to the Protestant church, while his followers awaited him in the catholic chapel, a disappointment for which he was instantly derided by the people. In November 1600 the fortress of Castlemaine was surrendered to FitzGerald by a servant of the Súgán Earl, but owing to his failure to command the allegiance of the people the government soon discarded the Desmond heir.
Sorry End
FitzGerald resented the meanness of his allowance and was forbidden by Cecil to marry the widow Norreys, since a better match in England was hoped for. In March 1601 he came to London with a letter from Carew recommending him for a grant of land and a settled income. In August he complained of being penniless and despised, and appealed to Cecil for some of the lands that had been held by the Súgán Earl. He died in London in early November 1601, but it was only in January 1602 that the death was announced. His guardians were then released from their charge, one of whom, William Power, wrote for pecuniary assistance for FitzGerald's four sisters.Sources
- Richard Bagwell, Ireland under the Tudors 3 vols. (London, 1885-1890)
- John O'Donovan (ed.) Annals of Ireland by the Four Masters (1851)
- Calendar of State Papers: Carew MSS. 6 vols (London, 1867-1873)
- Calendar of State Papers: Ireland (London)
- Colm Lennon Sixteenth Century Ireland — The Incomplete Conquest (Dublin, 1995) ISBN 0-312-12462-7.
- Nicholas P. Canny Making Ireland British, 1580–1650 (Oxford University Press, 2001) ISBN 0-19-820091-9.
- Steven G. Ellis Tudor Ireland (London, 1985) ISBN 0-582-49341-2.
- Hiram Morgan Tyrone's War (1995)
- Anne Chambers As Wicked a Woman (Dublin, 1986) ISBN 0-86327-190-1.
- Standish O'Grady (ed.) "Pacata Hibernia" 2 vols. (London, 1896)
- Cyril Falls Elizabeth's Irish Wars (1950; reprint London, 1996) ISBN 0-09-477220-7.
- Gerard Anthony Hayes McCoy Irish Battles (Belfast, 1989) ISBN 0-86281-212-7.
- Dictionary of National Biography 22 vols. (London, 1921–1922).