Elizabeth Butler, Duchess of Ormond
Elizabeth Butler | |
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Duchess of Ormond | |
Born | Elizabeth Preston 25 July 1615 Midlothian, Scotland |
Died | 21 July 1684, aged 68 London |
Family | Butler dynasty |
Spouse(s) | James Butler, 1st Duke of Ormond |
Issue Detail | |
Father | Richard Preston, 1st Earl of Desmond |
Mother | Elizabeth Butler |
Elizabeth Butler, Duchess of Ormond (née Lady Elizabeth Preston; 1615–1684) was an Irish noblewoman who brought her husband, James Butler, 1st Duke of Ormond, the Ormond lands that she inherited through her mother from her grandfather, Black Tom, the 10th Earl of Ormond.
Birth and origins
Elizabeth was born on 25 July 1615.[1] She was the only child of Richard Preston and Elizabeth Butler. Her father's title was Lord Dingwall at the time she was born.[2] He had been born a younger son of the Prestons of Whitehill, Scottish gentry of the Edinburgh area, who was a page at the court and became a favourite of King James VI of Scotland who made him a groom of his bedchamber, Lord Dingwall in Scotland[3] and Earl of Desmond in Ireland. Elizabeth's mother, the Countess of Desmond, was the only surviving child of Thomas Butler, 10th Earl of Ormond, called Black Tom, and the widow of Theobald Butler, 1st Viscount Butler of Tulleophelim.[4] Her parents married in 1614 not long before her father's death on 22 November 1614.
Ormond Inheritance
Elizabeth's maternal grandfather, Black Tom, had settled most of his estate on his male heir, his nephew Walter, who succeeded him as Earl of Ormond in 1614 according to the normal rules of succession of his title. However, Black Tom was a Protestant, whereas his nephew Walter, called "of the rosary beads", was a devout Catholic. King James I considered this a setback for his Irish politics. He intervened to keep the Ormond lands in Protestant hands. He decided that most of the estate should go to Black Tom's only child, Elizabeth Butler, Elizabeth Preston's mother. The king furthermore ordained that Black Tom's daughter should marry his favourite Richard Preston, her father and a Protestant.[citation needed]
In 1628 Elizabeth Preston, aged 13, only child, became a rich heiress when both her parents died in quick succession. First, on 10 October, her mother died[5] and was buried in Westminster Abbey,[6] then on 28 October her father drowned during a passage between Dublin and Holyhead.[7][8] His title as Earl of Desmond became extinct, but Elizabeth inherited his Scottish title as Lord Dingwall to become Baroness Dingwall suo jure as the title had been created for her father with remainder to heirs and assigns whatsoever.[9] As the only child Elizabeth inherited all her parent's part of the Ormond estate. As she was a minor, she became a ward of the crown. Henry Rich, 1st Earl of Holland (1590–1649) was appointed her guardian.[citation needed]
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Marriage and children
At Christmas 1629, aged 14, she married her cousin, James Butler.[11] This made her so Viscountess Thurles as he was at the time styled Viscount Thurles, which was the courtesy title of the heir apparent of the earls of Ormond.
They had eight sons, five of whom died in childhood, and two daughters. Five children survived into adulthood:[12]
- Thomas (1634–1680), predeceased his father, but had a son who would become the 2nd Duke;[13]
- Richard (1639–1686), became the first and last Earl of Arran of the 1662 creation and predeceased his father;[14]
- Elizabeth (1640–1665), married Philip Stanhope, 2nd Earl of Chesterfield[15] and had affairs with James Hamilton[16] and the Duke of York;[17]
- John (1643–1677), became the Earl of Gowran;[18] and
- Mary (1646–1710), married William Cavendish, 1st Duke of Devonshire.[19]
As a consequence of the marriage the Ormond estate, as her grandfather, the 10th Earl, had held it, was reunited. She and James went to live in the Ormonde Castle at Carrick-on-Suir, County Tipperary, while her father-in-law, the Earl resided at Kilkenny Castle, the seat of the family. In 1633 Elizabeth became Countess of Ormond as her husband succeeded to the earldom.[20] Lady Ormond, as she was now, moved into Kilkenny Castle.
Irish wars
On the outbreak of the Irish Rebellion of 1641, while her husband took command of the king's army in Dublin, she was still living in the castle and stayed there even when Kilkenny became the capital of the Catholic Confederation. There she helped Protestant refugees, sheltering them in the castle until 1642 when she was allowed to rejoin her husband in Dublin. In the city she continued to help refugees, and helped to reinforce Dublin's defences during a siege in 1646.
She became Marchioness of Ormond on her husband's promotion on 30 August 1642 .[21] She followed him to England in 1647 after the surrender of Dublin to the parliamentary forces. As in 1648 he renewed his support for the royalist cause, Lady Ormond moved to Caen, France, where she arrived on 23 June 1648 with her children.[22] From September 1648[23] to December 1650 her husband was again in Ireland where he tried to reunite the Irish in the fight against the Parliamentarians.[24] The family was short of money. In 1652, Lady Ormond and her children returned to England to plead with Cromwell for income from the land she owned. She managed to obtain a pension of £2000 per year under the condition that she would not correspond with her husband.[25] In 1655 she returned to Ireland accompanied by her younger children[26] and lived at her home in Dunmore, County Kilkenny.
Restoration, later life, death, and timeline
Following the restoration of Charles II, Lady Ormond sent her husband political information from Ireland, and the couple were later reunited in England. In March 1661 she became Duchess of Ormond as her husband was made a duke.[27] In 1662 she became Vicereine of Ireland as her husband was appointed lord lieutenant of Ireland, serving until 1669 and again from 1677 to 1685. Lady Ormond hosted entertainment and spent lavishly on restoring and improving the family estates, but her personal correspondence reveals that she was concerned about the debts of her husband and sons. Her eldest son Thomas Butler, 6th Earl of Ossory, suddenly died in 1680.[28]
Her health began to decline in 1681, and she died in London on 21 July 1684.[29] She was buried at Westminster Abbey on 24 July.[30]
Timeline | ||
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Age | Date | Event |
0 | 1615, 25 Jul | Born.[1] |
9–10 | 1625, 27 Mar | Accession of King Charles I, replacing King James I.[31] |
13 | 1628, 10 Oct | Her mother died.[5] |
13 | 1628, 28 Oct | Her father drowned during a passage between Dublin and Holyhead.[7][8] |
14 | 1629, 25 Dec | Married James Butler.[11] |
22 | 1633, 24 Feb | Became Countess of Ormond as her husband succeeded as the 12th Earl.[20] |
27 | 1642, 30 Aug | Became Marchioness of Ormond as her husband was created Marquess.[21] |
32 | 1648, 23 Jun | Arrived at Caen, France, with her children.[22] |
33 | 1648, 29 Sep | Her husband left for Ireland arriving at Cork on 29 September.[23] |
33–34 | 1649, 30 Jan | King Charles I beheaded.[32] |
35 | 1650, 11 Dec | Her husband left Ireland and rejoined her in France.[24] |
39–40 | 1655 | Returned to Ireland with the younger children.[26] |
44–45 | 1660, 29 May | Restoration of King Charles II.[33] |
45 | 1661, 30 Mar | Became Duchesse of Ormond as her husband is created Duke.[27] |
46–47 | 1662 | Became Vicereine of Ireland as her husband became Lord Lieutenant of Ireland. |
65 | 1680, 30 Jul | Her son Thomas, Earl of Ossory, died.[28] |
68 | 1684, 21 Jul | Died in London.[29] |
Notes and references
- ^ a b Cokayne 1895, p. 150, line 5: "She [Elizabeth Preston] who was b. 25 July 1615 ..."
- ^ Paul 1906, p. 121, line 27: "...[Richard] was on 8 June 1609 created LORD DINGWALL, with remainder to his heirs and assigns whatsoever."
- ^ Cokayne 1890, p. 127, line 4: "... having purchased the lands of that barony, [Richard Preston] was cr. LORD DINGWALL of co. Ross [S.] to him and his heirs and assigns whatsoever."
- ^ Perceval-Maxwell 2004, p. 130, right column, line 12: "... was born on 25 July 1615, the only child and heir of Richard Preston, Lord Dingwall (d. 1628), one of James I's gentlemen of the bedchamber, and Elizabeth Butler (1582x1600–1628) the only surviving child of Thomas Butler, 10th Earl of Ormond."
- ^ a b Cokayne 1890, p. 89, line 31: "His [Richard Preston's] wife, who d. in Wales 18 days before him was bur. (possibly re-interred) at Westm. Abbey (as "Countess of Desmond") 17 March 1628/9."
- ^ Chester 1876, p. https://archive.org/details/marriagebaptism01chesgoog/page/n145/ 128]: "1628/9 March 17 The Countess of Desmond: in St. Paul's Chapel."
- ^ a b Cokayne 1890, p. 89, line 29: "... he [Richard Preston] died s.p.m. 28 Oct. 1628 ..."
- ^ a b Paul 1906, p. 122, line 16: "... and he was drowned on he passage between Dublin and Holyhead eighteen days later, 28 October same year [1628]."
- ^ Cokayne 1890, p. 128, line 5: "... was cr. LORD DINGWALL of co. Ross [S.] to him and his heirs and assigns whatsoever."
- ^ Dunboyne 1968, pp. 16–17: "Butler Family Tree condensed"
- ^ a b Perceval-Maxwell 2004, p. 130, line 31: "... the marriage took place at Christmas of that year [1629]."
- ^ Perceval-Maxwell 2004, p. 130, right column, line 33: "... between 1632 and 1646 Elizabeth ... gave birth to eight sons including Richard Butler, five of whom died as children, and two daughters."
- ^ Cokayne 1895, p. 150: "THOMAS BUTLER, styled Earl of Ossory ('the gallant Ossory') 2d but 1st surv. s. and h. app., b. at Kilkenny 5 July 1634 ..."
- ^ Burke 1949, p. 1540, right column, line 31: "RICHARD, cr. 13 May 1662 Baron Butler, Viscount of Tullogh and EARL OF ARRAN ..."
- ^ Debrett 1828, p. 114, bottom: "PHILIP, 2nd earl m. 1st Anne, da. of Algernon Percy, earl of Northumberland; 2ndly Elizabeth, da. of James Butler, duke of Ormond; and 3rd ..."
- ^ Hamilton 1888, p. 181: "Hamilton, therefore was no further embarrassed than to preserve Lady Chesterfield's reputation, who, in his opinion, declared herself rather too openly in his favour ..."
- ^ Pepys 1893, p. 360: "He tells me also how the Duke of York is smitten in love with my Lady Chesterfield (a virtuous Lady, daughter of my Lord Ormond); and so much, that the duchess of York hath complained to the king and her father about it, and my Lady Chesterfield is gone into the country for it."
- ^ Burke 1949, p. 1540, right column, line 39: "JOHN, cr. EARL OF GOWRAN 1676, m. Lady Anne Chichester, dau. of 1st Earl of Donegal, but d.s.p. 1677, when the dignity expired."
- ^ Burke 1949, p. 1540, right column, line 43: "Mary m. 1st Duke of Devonshire, K.G., and d. 31 July 1710, leaving issue."
- ^ a b Burke 1949, p. 1540, right column, line 5: "The Earl [Walter, 11th] d. 24 Feb 1632 and was s. by his grandson, JAMES, 1st Duke of Ormonde ..."
- ^ a b Cokayne 1895, p. 149, line 27: "He was cr. 30 Aug 1642 MARQUESS OF ORMONDE [I.];"
- ^ a b Carte 1851, p. 384: "The marchioness of Ormond had landed in that country on June 23d [1648], with her two sons and three daughters, and had taken up her residence at Caen."
- ^ a b Airy 1886, p. 56, left column, line 50: "... and in August, he himself began his journey thither. On leaving Havre, he was shipwrecked and had to wait in that port for some weeks; but at the end of September he again embarked, arriving at Cork on the 29th."
- ^ a b O'Sullivan 1983, p. 284, line 15: "... boarding a small frigate, the Elizabeth of Jersey, at Galway on the 7th December, 1650 ..."
- ^ Perceval-Maxwell 2004, p. 131, line 5: "... receive £2000 per annum from her estate on condition that she sent no funds to, nor had any contact with, her husband."
- ^ a b Sergeant 1913, p. 146: "Lady Ormonde took no share in any plot, to our knowledge; but whether or not her residence in London was at least considered inconvenient, before the end of 1655 she retired to Ireland, accompanied by her younger children."
- ^ a b Cokayne 1895, p. 149, line 39: "... and was cr. 30 March 1661 DUKE OF ORMONDE [I.]"
- ^ a b Cokayne 1895, p. 150, line 28: "He [Ossory} d. v.p. of a violent fever, after four days illness, 30 July 1680 ..."
- ^ a b Cokayne 1895, p. 150, line 6: "... d. 21 July 1684 in her 69th year ..."
- ^ Chester 1876, p. 210: "1684 July 24 The Duchess of Ormond: [in the Abbey]."
- ^ Smyth 1839, p. xiii, line 18: "Charles I. . [Accession] 27 March, 1625"
- ^ Burke 1949, p. cclxvii, line 9: "... after the decapitation of CHARLES I at Whitehall, 30 Jan. 1649 ..."
- ^ Seaward 2004, p. 127, right column: "... he sailed to England and on 29 May [1660] he entered London in triumph."
- Airy, Osmund (1886), "Butler, James, twelfth Earl and first Duke of Ormonde(1610–1688)", in Lee, Sidney (ed.), Dictionary of National Biography, vol. 8, New York: MacMillan and Co., pp. 52–60
- Burke, Bernard (1949), A Genealogical and Heraldic Dictionary of the Peerage and Baronetage of the British Empire (99th ed.), London: Burke's Peerage Ltd.
- Carte, Thomas (1851), The Life of James Duke of Ormond, vol. 3 (new ed.), Oxford: Oxford University Press
- Chester, Joseph Lemuel (1876), Registers of Westminster Abbey, London: Private Edition
- Cokayne, George Edward (1890), The complete peerage of England, Scotland, Ireland, Great Britain and the United Kingdom, extant, extinct, or dormant, vol. 3 (1st ed.), London: George Bell and Sons – D to F (for Desmond & Dingwall)
- Cokayne, George Edward (1895), The complete peerage of England, Scotland, Ireland, Great Britain and the United Kingdom, extant, extinct, or dormant, vol. 6 (1st ed.), London: George Bell and Sons – N to R (for Ormond)
- Debrett, John (1828), Peerage of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, vol. 1 (17th ed.), London: F. C. and J. Rivington – England
- Dunboyne, Patrick Theobald Tower Butler, Baron (1968), Butler Family History (2nd ed.), Kilkenny: Rothe House
{{citation}}
: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - Hamilton, Anthony (1888), Memoirs of Count Grammont, translated by Walpole, Horace, Philadelphia: Gebbie & Co
- O'Sullivan, Mary D. (1983) [1942], Old Galway: the history of a Norman colony in Ireland, Galway: Kennys Bookshops and Art Galleries
- Pepys, Samuel (1893), Wheatley, Henry Benjamin (ed.), The Diary of Samuel Pepys, vol. 2, London: George Bell & Sons – 1 April 1661 to 31 December 1661
- Paul, Sir James Balfour (1906), The Scots Peerage, Founded on Wood's Edition of Sir Robert Douglas's Peerage of Scotland, vol. 3, Edinburgh: David Douglas – Crawford to Falkland (for Dingwall)
- Perceval-Maxwell, Michael (2004), "Butler [née Preston] Elizabeth, duchess of Ormond and suo jure Lady Dingwall (1615–1684)", in Matthew, Henry Colin Gray.; Harrison, Brian (eds.), Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, vol. 9, New York: Oxford University Press, pp. 130–131, ISBN 0-19-861359-8
- Seaward, Paul (2004), "Charles II", in Matthew, Henry Colin Gray.; Harrison, Brian (eds.), Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, vol. 11, New York: Oxford University Press, pp. 122–145, ISBN 0-19-861361-X (for Restoration)
- Sergeant, Phillip (1913), Little Jennings and Fighting Dick Talbot: A Life of the Duke and Duchess of Tyrconnel, vol. 1, London: Hutchinson
- Smyth, Constantine (1839), Chronicle of the Law Officers of Ireland, London: Henry Butterworth (for Table of reigns)
Further reading
- Bourke, Angela (2002), "Elizabeth Butler, Duchess of Ormond", The Field Day Anthology of Irish Writing, vol. 5, New York: NYU Press, p. 66, ISBN 9780814799079
- McAreavey, Naomi (2019), Eckerle, Julie A.; McAreavey, Naomi (eds.), "The Place of Ireland in the Letters of the First Duchess of Ormonde", Women's life writing and early modern Ireland, Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, pp. 158–182, ISBN 9781496214287