John Butler, 1st Earl of Gowran

John Butler, Earl of Gowran (1643–1677) was an MP in the Irish Parliament 1661–1666 before being created Earl of Gowran in 1676. He married but died childless.

John Butler
Earl of Gowran
Tenure1676–1677
Born1643
Dublin
DiedAugust 1677
Paris
Spouse(s)Anne Chichester
FatherJames Butler, 1st Duke of Ormond
MotherElizabeth Preston

Birth and origins

John was born in 1643 in Dublin, the sixth child of James Butler and his wife Elizabeth Preston. At the time his father was the 1st Marquess of Ormond,[1] but he would later become the 1st Duke. His father's family, the Butler dynasty, were Old English.[2][3]

Family tree
John Butler with wife, parents, and other selected relatives.[lower-alpha 1]
Richard
Preston
1st Earl
Desmond
d. 1628		Elizabeth
Butler
c. 1585 – 1628		Thomas
Viscount
Thurles
d. 1619		Elizabeth
Pointz
1587–1673
Elizabeth
Preston
1615–1684		James
1st Duke
1610–1688		Richard
of
Kilcash
1615–1701
Thomas
6th Earl
Ossory
1633–1680		John
1st Earl
Gowran
1643–1677		Anne
Chichester		Walter
of
Garryricken
d. 1700
James
2nd Duke
Ormond
1665–1745		Charles
1st Earl
Arran
1671–1758		Thomas
of
Garryricken
d. 1738
John
de jure
15th Earl
d. 1766
Legend
XXXSubject of
the article		XXXEarls & dukes
of Ormond

John's mother was his father's second cousin once removed. She was a rich heiress, the only child of Richard Preston, 1st Earl of Desmond. His parents had married on Christmas Day 1629.[5] John was one of 10 siblings, but five died in childhood.[6] See Thomas, Richard, and Elizabeth.[lower-alpha 2]

Early years

John was born in Dublin where his mother had rejoined his father in 1642 after the Confederates allowed her to leave Kilkenny Castle. In 1647 he was then taken by his parents to England when his father handed Dublin over to the Parliamentarians. In 1648 his mother took him and his siblings to Caen in Normandy, France,[7] while his father stayed somewhat longer in England. His father then also fled to France and was employed by the king in Paris and on international missions. In 1652 the family in Caen ran out of money and his mother went with the children to London and obtained some help from Cromwell. In 1655 she moved to Ireland and lived with her children at Dunmore near Kilkenny. At the restoration, their father rejoined them in Ireland.

In parliament

On 20 August 1662, during the Irish Parliament (1661–1666), the only one held in the reign of Charles II (1660–1685), John replaced his brother Thomas as the member (MP) for Trinity College as Thomas had been summoned to the House of Lords by a writ of acceleration as Earl of Ossory and could therefore not sit any more in the House of Commons.[8]

Dublin Castle on fire

In 1671 John, together with his cousin Anthony Hamilton, saved Dublin Castle from destruction by fire.[9][10]

Marriage

In January 1674 John married Lady Anne Chichester, only daughter of Arthur Chichester, 1st Earl of Donegall.[11] His marriage stayed childless.[12]

Later life

On 13 April 1676, John was created Baron Aghrim, Viscount Clonmore, and Earl of Gowran, all in the peerage of Ireland.[13]

Death

Gowran, as he now was, travelled to Paris for the recovery of his health but died there in August 1677, aged about 34. [14] He left no issue and his titles disappeared with him.[15]

Notes and references

Notes
  1. This family tree is partly derived from the condensed Butler family tree pictured in Dunboyne.[4] His marriage was childless.
  2. John's father's article gives a list of the five surviving siblings.

Citations
  1. Cokayne 1895, p. 149, line 27. "He [James Butler] was cr. [created] 30 Aug. 1642 Marquess of Ormonde [I. [Ireland]];"
  2. Cokayne 1889, p. 94. "1. Theobald Walter [ancestor of the Butlers] ... accompanied in 1185 John, Count of Mortaigue, Lord of Ireland ... into Ireland."
  3. Debrett 1828, p. 640. "Theobald le Boteler on whom that office [Chief Butler of Ireland] was conferred by King Henry II., 1177 ..."
  4. Dunboyne 1968, pp. 16–17. "Butler Family Tree condensed"
  5. Airy 1886, p. 53, line 2. "... the marriage took place on Christmas of the same year [1629] ..."
  6. Perceval-Maxwell 2004, p. 130, right column, line 3. "... between 1632 and 1646 Elizabeth ... gave birth to eight sons including Richard Butler, five of whom died as children, and two daughters."
  7. 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."
  8. House of Commons 1878, p. 615. "1662 / 20 Aug. / Lord John Butler vice Earl of Ossory, summoned by writ to the House of Peers. / ditto [Dublin University]"
  9. Goodwin 1908, p. x, line 23. "He [Anthony] was again in Ireland in 1671, apparently to assist his brother, who had obtained permission from the King to levy secretly a regiment of 1500 men in that country for the French service. A news-letter of the day (printed in the State Papers) records a gallant deed performed by him on the night of May 19, when a destructive fire broke out in the storehouse of Dublin Castle."
  10. Ó Ciardha 2009, 2nd paragraph, 2nd sentence. "... he [Anthony] saved Dublin castle from total destruction during a fire by carrying out a barrel of gunpowder."
  11. Cokayne 1892, p. 64, line 14. "He m. [married], Jan. 1674, Anne, da. [daughter] and coheir of Arthur (Chichester) 1st Earl of Donegall ..."
  12. Burke & Burke 1915, p. 1550, right column, line . "4. John, cr. [created] Earl of Gowran 1676, m. [married] Lady Anne Chichester, dau. [daughter] of 1st Earl of Donegal, but d.s.p. [died without issue] 1677, when the dignity expired."
  13. Cokayne 1892, p. 64, line 12. "... was, 13 April 1676, cr. Baron Aghim, co. Galway, Viscount Clonmore, co. Kilkenny, and Earl of Gowran [I. [Ireland]]"
  14. Lodge 1789, p. 57, line 10. "... but his Lordship [John] travelling to Paris for the recovery of his health, died there in August 1677, leaving no issue, whereby the titles ceased."
  15. Cokayne 1892, p. 64, line 16. "He d. [died] s.p. [without issue] at Paris, Aug. 1677, when all his honours became extinct."

Sources
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.