John Butler, 15th Earl of Ormonde

John Butler (died 1766), known as John Butler of Kilcash, a member of the Irish landed gentry, was de jure 15th Earl of Ormond and 8th Earl of Ossory. He did not assume these titles as he thought them forfeit by the attainder of the 2nd Duke of Ormond. He did, however, inherit the Ormond estate from the 1st Earl of Arran through Arran's sister Amelia. In 1791, the title of Earl of Ormond would be successfully claimed by his cousin, the 17th Earl.

For other people named John Butler, see John Butler (disambiguation).

John Butler
Earl of Ormonde
Tenure1758–1766 de jure
PredecessorCharles Butler, 1st Earl of Arran,
SuccessorWalter Butler, 16th Earl of Ormonde,
Bornc. 1720
probably Kilcash Castle
Died25 July 1766
Spouse(s)Bridget Stacey
Issue
Detail		The marriage was childless
FatherThomas Butler of Garryricken
MotherMargaret Magennis

Birth and origins
Family tree
John Butler with wife, parents, and other selected relatives.[lower-alpha 1]
Thomas
Viscount
Thurles
d. 1619
d.v.p.*		Elizabeth
Pointz
1587–1673
James
1st Duke
Ormond
1610–1688		Elizabeth
Preston
1630–1684		Richard
of
Kilcash
1615–1701		Frances
Tuchet
Thomas
6th Earl
Ossory
1633–1680
d.v.p.*		Emilia
von
Nassau
1635–1688		Walter
of
Garryricken
d. 1700
d.v.p.*		Mary
Plunkett
James
2nd Duke
Ormond
1665–1745		Charles
1st Earl
Arran
1671–1758		Amelia
Butler
d. 1760		Thomas
of
Garryricken
d. 1738
Colonel		Margaret
Magennis
1673–1744		John
Butler
Thomas
Butler
1686–1689		John
de jure
15th Earl
Ormond
d. 1766		Bridget
Stacey		Walter
de jure
16th Earl
Ormond
1703–1783
John
17th Earl
Ormond
1740–1795		Anne
Wandesford
1754–1830
Legend
XXXSubject of
the article		XXXEarls and dukes
of Ormond
*d.v.p. = predeceased his father (decessit vita patris).

John was born about 1720,[lower-alpha 2] probably at Kilcash Castle, his parents' habitual residence. He was the third but only surviving son of Thomas Butler of Garryricken and his wife Margaret Magennis. His father belonged to a cadet branch of the Butler Dynasty, being the grandson and heir of Richard Butler of Kilcash, who was the younger brother of James Butler, 1st Duke of Ormond. The Butlers were Old English and descended from Theobald Walter, who had been appointed Chief Butler of Ireland by King Henry II in 1177.[9]

John's mother was the eldest daughter of William Burke, 7th Earl of Clanricarde and widow of Bryan Magennis, 5th Viscount of Iveagh. His parents were both Catholic. They had married in 1696.[7] John had two brothers and five sisters, which are listed in his father's article.

Inheritances and successions

In 1738 his father died.[8] John inherited Kilcash and other parts of the lands of Garryricken Manor, which had been created for his grandfather Richard Butler of Kilcash shortly after 1639[10] and had been divided between his father and his uncle John, who held Garryricken House itself. He did not inherit any title as his father held none.

In 1758, on the death of the 1st Earl of Arran, his father's second cousin, he unknowingly became de jure the 15th Earl of Ormond.[11][12][lower-alpha 3] It had been believed that all the titles of James Butler, 2nd Duke of Ormond became forfeit in 1715.[13] However, in 1791, it would be found that the title of "Earl of Ormond" (and its subsidiary titles) in the peerage of Ireland had merely lain dormant and so could be successfully revived by John Butler's cousin, John Butler, 17th Earl of Ormonde.

Following the second Duke's attainder, the Ormond estate was administrated by the Forfeited Estates Commissioners. With the permission of the Parliament of Ireland, the estate was purchased in 1721 by the second Duke's brother, Charles, the Earl of Arran.[14] Arran died childless in 1758. The estate passed to his unmarried sister Lady Amelia Butler, who held it for about two years. On her death in 1760, the estate was inherited by John Butler, the subject of this article.[15][16]

Marriage

John Butler married Bridget Stacey on 19 April 1763,[17] but the marriage was childless.[18]

Death and succession

He died on 24 June 1766[lower-alpha 4] and was buried at Kilcash.[21] He was succeeded by his cousin Walter, the son of his uncle John,[21] who unknowingly became de jure the 16th Earl of Ormond.

Timeline
As his birth date is uncertain, so are all his ages.
AgeDateEvent
01720, about[lower-alpha 2]Born at Kilcash Castle.
6–71727, 11 JunAccession of King George II, succeeding King George I[22]
17–181738Father died.[8]
23–241744Mother died.[23]
37–381758, 17 DecUnknowingly became the 15th Earl of Ormond (de jure) at Arran's death.[11]
39–401760Inherited the Ormond estates from Amelia, Arran's unmarried sister.[15]
39–401760, 25 OctAccession of King George III, succeeding King George II[24]
42–431763, 19 AprMarried Bridget Stacey.[17]
45–461766, 24 JunDied childless.[18]

Notes and references

Notes
  1. This family tree is derived from two published trees,[1][2] and classical genealogical sources.[3][4][5][6] Also see the list of siblings in the text.
  2. His birth date is constrained by the marriage of his parents (1696)[7] plus the gestations of his two elder brothers on one hand, and his father's death (1738) plus his gestation on the other hand.[8]
  3. Burke[11] numbers him as the 15th Earl, but Cokayne[12] numbers him as the 16th.
  4. The year 1766[19][18] is correct as the year of his death, whereas 1786[20] seems to be an error.

Citations
  1. Dunboyne 1968, pp. 16–17. "Butler Family Tree condensed"
  2. Mountmorres 1792, p. 216. Pedigree from Walter, 10th Earl, to John, 15th Earl, in note
  3. Burke & Burke 1915, p. 1549–1452. Genealogy of the earls and dukes of Ormond
  4. Debrett 1828, p. 641–642. Genealogy of the earls and dukes of Ormonde
  5. Cokayne 1895, p. 149–153. Genealogy of the earls and dukes of Ormonde
  6. Cokayne 1926, p. 385–390. "Genealogy of the earls of Fingall"
  7. Cokayne 1893, p. 200, line 16. "[His mother] who was b. 1673, m. in 1696 Thomas Butler of Kilcash, co. Tipperary ..."
  8. Debrett 1828, p. 642. "Thomas of Kilcash ... d. 1738 ...."
  9. Debrett 1828, p. 640. "Theobald le Boteler on whom that office [Chief Butler of Ireland] was conferred by King Henry II., 1177 ..."
  10. Carrigan 1905, p. 318, line 21. "... these townlands to be created the Manor of Garryrickin."
  11. Burke & Burke 1915, p. 1551, left column, line 20. "John, 15th Earl of Ormonde (de jure) ..."
  12. Cokayne 1895, p. 153, line 6. "Earldom [I.] XVI 1758"
  13. Smollett 1800, p. 314. "On the twenty-first day of June, Mr. Secretary Stanhope impeached James Duke of Ormond, of high-treason ..."
  14. Handley 2004, p. 166, right column. "His English and Irish estates were now administrated by the forfeited estates commissioners until a private act of 1721 allowed Ormond's brother Arran to buy them back."
  15. Burke & Burke 1915, p. 1551, left column, line 21. "He s. [succeeded] to the estates of the family upon the death of the Earl of Arran's only surv. [surviving] sister Elizabeth, 1760"
  16. Dunboyne 1968, p. 18. "While the 2nd Duke was in exile, his estates were bought in 1721 by his brother, the Earl of Arran, and settled first on their sister, Lady Amelia Butler, who inherited them when, in the words of Walpole 'a young heiress of 99'— she died two months short of her centenary — and secondly on John Butler of Kilcash, the representative of Richard, younger brother of the 1st Duke."
  17. Burke & Burke 1915, p. 1451, left column, line 23. "He m. [married] April, 1763 Bridget Stacey (who m. secondly 24 Oct. 1771 Rev. Alleyne Waller, LL.D, of The Hermitage, Surrey) of Oakingham Berks. ..."
  18. Lodge 1789, p. 42, line 34. "... he [John Butler] died 24 Jun 1766 without issue ..."
  19. Burke & Burke 1915, p. 1551, left column, line 25. "[John Butler] d. [died] 24 June 1766, when he was s. [succeeded] in his estates, and his right to the honours of the family by his first cousin."
  20. Cokayne 1895, p. 153, line 15. "He [John Butler] d.s.p. [died without issue] 24 June 1786."
  21. Dunboyne 1968, p. 19. "Having died childless in 1766, he [John Butler] was buried at Kilcash and was succeeded by his first cousin, Walter, then aged 63.
  22. Fryde et al. 1986, p. 46, line 11. "George II … acc. 11 Jun. 1727;"
  23. Cokayne 1893, p. 200, line 17. "[His mother] d. there (a widow) 19 July 1744."
  24. Fryde et al. 1986, p. 46, line 35. "George III … acc. 25 Oct. 1760;"

Sources
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