John Butler, 15th Earl of Ormonde

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

John Butler
Earl of Ormonde
Tenure	1758–1766 de jure
Predecessor	Charles Butler, 1st Earl of Arran,
Successor	Walter Butler, 16th Earl of Ormonde,
Born	c. 1720 probably Kilcash Castle
Died	25 July 1766
Spouse(s)	Bridget Stacey
Issue Detail	The marriage was childless
Father	Thomas Butler of Garryricken
Mother	Margaret Magennis

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.

Birth and origins

Family tree

John Butler with wife, parents, and other selected relatives.[a] 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 XXX Subject of the article XXX Earls and dukes of Ormond *d.v.p. = predeceased his father (decessit vita patris).

John was born about 1720,[b] 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][c] 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 Great Britain in passing the Crown Lands (Forfeited Estates) Act 1720 (7 Geo. 1. St. 1. c. 22), 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[d] 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.
Age	Date	Event
0	1720, about[b]	Born at Kilcash Castle.
6–7	1727, 11 Jun	Accession of King George II, succeeding King George I[22]
17–18	1738	Father died.[8]
23–24	1744	Mother died.[23]
37–38	1758, 17 Dec	Unknowingly became the 15th Earl of Ormond (de jure) at Arran's death.[11]
39–40	1760	Inherited the Ormond estates from Amelia, Arran's unmarried sister.[15]
39–40	1760, 25 Oct	Accession of King George III, succeeding King George II[24]
42–43	1763, 19 Apr	Married Bridget Stacey.[17]
45–46	1766, 24 Jun	Died 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

• Burke, Bernard; Burke, Ashworth Peter (1915). A Genealogical and Heraldic History of the Peerage and Baronetage, the Privy Council, Knightage and Companionage (77th ed.). London: Harrison. OCLC 1155471554.
• Carrigan, Rev William (1905). The History and Antiquities of the Diocese of Ossory. Vol. IV. Dublin: Sealy Bryers & Walker. OCLC 29384778.
• Cokayne, George Edward (1893). Complete peerage of England, Scotland, Ireland, Great Britain and the United Kingdom, extant, extinct, or dormant. Vol. V (1st ed.). London: George Bell and Sons. OCLC 1180836840. – L to M (for Magennis)
• Cokayne, George Edward (1895). Complete Peerage of England, Scotland, Ireland, Great Britain and the United Kingdom, Extant, Extinct, or Dormant. Vol. VI (1st ed.). London: George Bell and Sons. OCLC 1180818801. – N to R (for Ormond)
• Cokayne, George Edward (1926). Gibbs, Vicary (ed.). The complete peerage of England, Scotland, Ireland, Great Britain and the United Kingdom, extant, extinct, or dormant. Vol. V (2nd ed.). London: St Catherine Press. OCLC 228661424. – Eardley of Spalding to Goojerat (for Fingall)
• Debrett, John (1828). Peerage of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. Vol. II (17th ed.). London: F. C. and J. Rivington. OCLC 54499602. – Scotland and Ireland
• Dunboyne, Patrick Theobald Tower Butler, Baron (1968). Butler Family History (2nd ed.). Kilkenny: Rothe House.
• Fryde, Edmund Boleslaw; Greenway, D. E.; Porter, S.; Roy, I., eds. (1986). Handbook of British Chronology. Royal Historical Society Guides and Handbooks, No. 2 (3rd ed.). London: Offices of the Royal Historical Society. ISBN 0-86193-106-8. – (for timeline)
• Handley, Stuart (2004). "Butler, James, second duke of Ormond (1665–1745)". In Matthew, Henry Colin Gray.; Harrison, Brian (eds.). Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. Vol. 9. New York: Oxford University Press. pp. 163–168. ISBN 0-19-861359-8.
• Lodge, John (1789). Archdall, Mervyn (ed.). The Peerage of Ireland or, A Genealogical History of the Present Nobility of that Kingdom. Vol. IV. Dublin: James Moore. OCLC 264906028. – Viscounts (for John Butler under Butler, Viscount Mountgarrett)
• Mountmorres, Hervey Redmond Morres, Viscount (1792). The History of the Principal Transactions of the Irish Parliament from the Year 1634 to 1666. Vol. I. London: T. Cadell. OCLC 843863159. – House of Lords
• Smollett, Tobias (1800). The History of England from the revolution to the death of George the Second (Designed as a continuation of Mr. Hume's History). Vol. II (A new ed.). London: T. Cadell. OCLC 6017016. – From the revolution to the death of George II

Peerage of Ireland
Preceded by Charles Butler	Earl of Ormond Earl of Ossory 1758–1766	Succeeded by Walter Butler