James Fitzwilliam

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

James Fitzwilliam (died 1420) was an Irish landowner and judge who held the office of Chief Baron of the Irish Exchequer. He was the ancestor of the prominent Dublin landowning family which acquired the titles Viscount FitzWilliam and Earl of Tyrconnell.[1]

He was the son of Hugh Fitzwilliam. The Fitzwilliam family are recorded in Dublin from about 1210. By the time of James' birth they were already considerable landowners in Dublin, with their estates centred on Dundrum and Swords.[2]

Few details of his legal career survive, but it is known that he was Chief Baron by 1413 and was superseded in 1417.[3]

Family[]

He married, after 1390, a daughter of Sir John Cruise, one of several marriages between the two families. Cruise was a distinguished diplomat and soldier and a major landowner in Dublin, who held the manors of Mount Merrion, Stillorgan and Thorncastle, which comprises roughly modern Booterstown. Merrion Castle, Sir John's principal dwelling, subsequently became the main Fitzwilliam residence.[4]

James died in 1420, and his lands passed to his son, Phillip, who was still a minor; the family estates are said to have suffered serious depredation during his minority. He was a ward of his father's successor as Chief Baron, James Cornwalsh; ironically Cornwalsh was murdered 20 years later in a private war with the Fitzwilliams over the disputed possession of Baggotrath Castle, although Philip himself was not, as far as is known, personally involved in the feud.[5]

Philip lived mainly at Thorncastle, which he rebuilt in 1437 after it was burnt in a raid by one of the Gaelic clans of County Wicklow.[6] He received a grant from the English Crown to rebuild it, presumably because it was a part of the city's defences.[6] During the early stages of the Wars of the Roses, he was described as a counsellor to King Henry VI of England. Later he changed his allegiance and sided decisively with the House of York, giving good service against Henry and his allies. Thorncastle passed to his son and heir Stephen, who was living there in 1463.[6]

References[]

  1. ^ Ball, F. Elrington The Judges in Ireland 1221-1921 John Murray London 1926 Vol. 1 p. 173
  2. ^ Ball, F. Elrington History of the Parishes of Dublin Alexander Thom and Co. Dublin 1903 Vol. 2 pp. 1–7
  3. ^ Ball 1926 p. 173
  4. ^ Ball 1903 pp. 1–7
  5. ^ Ball 1926 p. 100
  6. ^ a b c Kimber, Edward "Peerage of Ireland" London 1768 Vol. 2 p.36


Stub icon 1 Stub icon 2

This Irish law-related biographical article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by .

  • v
  • t
Retrieved from ""