Catalogue description EARLS of ORMOND and KILDARE.

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Title: EARLS of ORMOND and KILDARE.
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I. [The Earl of Kildare to Henry VIII.]

 

By your letters dated the 20th of May last, you commanded me to make payment to the Earl of Ormond within 20 days of the "halfyndele" of your subsidy and other parcels of your revenues to the sum of 800l. due to the said Earl, which your Commissioners, at their being here, willed me to levy. I did not receive those letters till last Saint Lawrence's Even, but before their receipt the Earl was clearly paid, though the amount was not so great, as shall appear by the account of your Under-Treasurer here. I beseech your Grace not to regard the untrue surmises of my adversaries, till the truth be tried. I never did or thought anything whereby I should deserve your displeasure. In my youth I was brought up in your service. When I came to discretion it pleased you to make me your Treasurer, and subsequently your Deputy; and you gave me lands to the yearly value of 100 marks. "My first wife was your poor kinswoman, and my wife now in like manner." In all my troubles before this, by untrue surmises against me, you were good and gracious to me; and though there were no such cause, yet could I find in my heart to serve you before all princes in the world. Besides I know that, if I did the contrary, it would be the destruction of me and my sequel for ever. "From my manor of Maynoth," 17 Aug.

 

At the top, but struck out: "The copy of the King's letter sent by my Lord Leonard" [Grey]. (See no. v.)

 

II. "The Deposition of Fergennaynine, eldest son to O'Keroll, in the presence of my Lord Deputy, my Lord Chancellor, my Lord of Gormanson, and the Chief Justice, sworn on the Holy Sacrament and the Evangelists, the 23rd day of May, a° 17° H. VIII.

 

(1.) That Piers Clynton, Donyll Wony, Nicholas Anel's son, and another black fellow, gunners and servants to the Earl of Ormond, came from the said Earl to O'Keroll after Easter last, to ward his castle of Lemebanan, and to defend the same castle and O'Keroll against the Lord Deputy and all others. (2.) That my Lord of Ormond promised O'Keroll at sundry times to defend him from all men for all the hurts which he had done to the King's subjects while Ormond was Deputy. (3.) That, as far as Ferganaynine and O'Keroll could understand, Ormond promised to come with all his people and power to defend O'Keroll against the Deputy or any other that would invade him in his country. (4.) That O'Keroll showed him that the said Earl promised to go with him upon any man that would invade him.

 

III. "Copy of the letter of the Earl of Ormond, sent to his son [James Butler], which Thomas Houth hath.

 

I have lately heard that certain of the Council, by the Deputy's means, have written "over thither" to have the King's letters addressed to me, prohibiting me to take any Irishman's part. You must ever have good, secret, and diligent espial, lest the King's letters be so obtained, which would not only be great prejudice to me and to you in time coming, but also great discourage to all my adherents. "Now ye may perceive the partiality of them that so certified, being ordered and conducted therein as the Deputy would have them; and during my being in the authority, they never certified any of the Earl of Kildare's apparent misorder or transgression in any manner. Show the King's Grace and my Lord Cardinal of the sudden wilful invasion done by the Deputy upon O'Keroll long after the date of the King's letters now directed, whereof I have rather certified you by a friar of Mowskery; whereupon ye must devise in my name to the King and my Lord Cardinal, as my trusty servant Robert Couly shall pen and indite.

 

As for the indentures, they be infringed by the Deputy and in manner no point observed; and as for my part, I will justify I have truly observed them to my own great losses, in suffering my adherents' and servants' destructions. The Deputy now afore Easter did set such coyne and livery in the three obedient shires, that marvel it were to hear two little towns of mine, called Castle Warning and Oghterarde, with any other town, did bear 220 galloglas. For four miles the poor tenants be so impoverished that they cannot pay my rents, and the lands like to be clear waste. Now lately he hath sent out of the Exchequer a writ to Waterford, that all mayors and bailiffs that were there since the first year of our Sovereign Lord that now is, should appear in 15 pã (the quindene of Easter), to give account before the Barons for all manner the King's duties, revenues, and poundage there, which is done for a cautell to put me to losses and my heirs; for Waterford hath a sufficient discharge, but only for my half of the prises, and the 10l. of annuity with the 20 marks to the church; and as for the prise and 10l. of annuity, I must see them discharged. Wherefore ye must labour to get an especial patent of the King of all the prises in this land, according to my grant made to mine ancestors by his most noble progenitors, and specially in Waterford, and the 10l. of annuity, without any account making; with this clause, absque aliquo compoto, &c. If it be not had, it will be much prejudice to you in time coming, for this is done to drive you ever from the principal wines and the said annuity, and not to have your prises. Till ye have a discharge out of the Exchequer from time [to time ?] in any wise sleep not this matter; and if ye do, the most losses and trouble will be yours in time coming. Immediate upon the receipt hereof, send for Robert Couly, and cause him to seek remedies for the same; and, if James White be not coming, let him endeavour himself to obtain it. Furthermore, I desire you to make diligent haste hither with the King's licence, for surely, unless I see your time better employed in attendance of my great business than ye have done hither, I will be well advised or I do send you any more to your costs." From Kilkenny, 22 April.

 

To my son James Butler, with the King's Grace in England.

 

IV. "Articles to be showed on the behalf of the Earl of Kildare to the King's Grace by my Lord Leonard Grey, touching the misdemeanor of the Earl of Ormond, sethens the departure of the King's Commissioners out of Ireland.

 

(1.) Whereas the said Commissioners, by the advice of the King's Council here, ordered that the Earl of Ormond should take no coyne or livery of any of the King's subjects, except his own tenants, "without the consents of the givers thereof, the same consents to be approved" by the Council; notwithstanding the said Earl has since continually taken coyne and livery of all the King's subjects within the counties of Kilkenny and Tipperary, "not only for his horsemen, kerne, and galloglas, but also for his masons, carpenters, [and] taillours, being in his own works, and also for his sundry hunts, that is to say, 24 persons with a 60 greyhounds and hounds for deer hunting, another number of men and dogs for to hunt the hare, and a third number to hunt the martin, all at the charges of the King's subjects, meat, drink, and money; the whole charges whereof surmounteth 2,000 marks by year.

 

(2.) Whereas the said Commissioners indented with the Deputy that he should not suffer any to occupy the King's manors and lands without his Grace's letters patent, the Earl of Ormond has ever since occupied the manors of Callan in co. Kilkenny, and Kilmore and other lands in co. Tipperary, of the yearly value of 60l., without any patent or other authority; "and besides this, usurpeth on all the King's royal jurisdiction within the said two counties, taking all the King's escheats, fines, forfeitures, and all other casualties there as his own.

 

(3.) When the Deputy invaded O'Kerull's country (who has ever been one of the King's greatest enemies in this land, and done most hurt to the King's subjects), Ormond sent four of his gunners with guns and powder to defend O'Kerull's castle, and made fast promise with him to take his part against the Deputy.

 

(4.) Whereas certain controversies depended between Ormond and the Brenys, which are of the greatest power of any of the Irishry, the same Earl communicated with them for a concord, offering them "their own desire touching their said controversy," if they would take his part against the Deputy, which they refused.

 

(5.) The late Bishop of Leghlyn was heinously murdered by the Abbot of Duske's son, who was the said Earl of Ormond's nigh kinsman, that the Abbot might enjoy that bishopric. Three of the Earl's servants were at the murder, but he has not yet punished them. Moreover, he succoured the said Abbot in his country when the Deputy "did persecute him" as the procurer of the same murder.

 

(6.) The servants of Ormond burned, robbed, and spoiled a town of the Deputy's called Lyvetiston, within the county of Kildare, "where they cruelly murdered and burned 17 men and women, divers of them being with child; and one of them that fled out of the fire to the church was slain on the high altar; and burned and took with them goods of the value of 200l." This notwithstanding, the Earl kept them still in his service, knowing burning and wilful murder to be treason by statute here. The Council decreed that the Earl should pay 200 marks as amends to the Deputy at the last Michaelmas and Easter terms, which are not yet paid. Besides this, his servants have been at sundry times in company with Irishmen, taking divers preys of the King's subjects.

 

(7.) The Earl of Ormond keeps a ward of evil-disposed persons in a "pyle" adjoining the sea, called Arclow, who rob and spoil the King's subjects passing thereby, and ravish women, maidens, and widows. When divers of the King's subjects before the peace were chased by Bretons at sea, and took land there for their safeguard, the said ward set upon them, and spoiled them of all they had, and put them in such danger of their lives that they were glad to yield themselves to the Bretons.

 

(8.) On the Deputy sending his nigh kinsman Thomas Fitzmaurice into a certain waste ground of his, called the Fasagh O'Bentre, for the inhabiting of the same, ("whose father was slain in the King's service at my Lord of Norfolk's being here,") certain of the Irishry, accompanied with part of Ormond's servants, lay in wait for the said Thomas and took him prisoner.

 

(9.) All the churches for the more part within cos. Kilkenny and Tipperary are in such extreme decay by provision, that no divine service is kept there; "and [it] shall be well proved that few or none laboureth to the Apostle for any benefice there without the consent of the said Earl or my Lady his wife, by whom he is only ruled, which are the very maintainers of all such provision, in so much as they lately maintaine[d] certain provisors against the said Earl's son being Archbishop of Cashel, contrary to the King's letters directed in the favours of the said Archbishop." If the King do not provide a remedy, there will be no more "Cristentie" there than in the middle of Turkey.

 

(10.) The Earl, before his late sudden departure out of this land without making the Deputy or Council privy to the same, levied "by coertion and extort power," 4d. from all the King's subjects passing the age of 12 years in co. Kilkenny, "for a subsidy towards his charges at this time into England," and appointed collectors, as if it had been granted by Parliament. The masters of shepherds and others, who had nothing to pay, were compelled to pay for them. "A miserable clamour is throughout all the country, for like extortion hath not been hitherto seen in this land." The Earl also levies subsidies on the country to his own use "against their wills," and would suffer no penny of the King's subsidy granted by Parliament to be levied there.

 

(11.) "He hath used to send over sea unto one Robert Cowley, by whom divers untruths hath been proved, to indite complaints at his own pleasure or discretion against the said Earl of Kildare, having with him a signet of the said Earl of Ormond's to seal the same.

 

(12.) "In case the Earl of Ormond make any new matter of the letter that the Earl of Kildare sent to the Earl of Desmond, the truth thereof was this. After that the same Earl of Kildare repaired last out of England, he had with [Sic.] O'Keroll, O'Mullowy, O'Connour, O'Dympsye, O'Doyn, O'Mallaghlyn, McMaurice, and others of the Irishry, whom the said Earl of Ormond, then being the King's Deputy, maintained and bare in the same, contrary to the tenor of the King's letters directed unto him, for to have aided the said Earl of Kildare against the King's said rebels; in so much as, notwithstanding the great controversies and wars that before this time were between him and the Earl of Desmond, whose country for the more part the said Earl of Kildare invaded, burned, and destroyed, yet was he then fain to write to the said Earl of Desmond to have metten with him at a certain place, where he thought to have desired his aid against the King's said rebels, and by his said letter advertised him to have been at unity and concord with his kinsmen, so as thereby the rather he might have had the same, and the same Earl of Desmond the more able to resist his enemies of the Irishry there, as both the McCarties, Cormok Oge, and other the King's Irish rebels; which letter his sister, the Lady of Ormond, caused to be taken from one of his servants that bare the same, he being then lodged at her own house; at the writing of which letter, the said Earl of Kildare knew nothing of the said Earl of Desmond's misdemeanour towards the King's Grace, ne no knowledge had thereof till it was at the Commissioners being here, by whom he sent instructions of his mind unto the King's Grace for his punishment." He also wrote sundry letters to the King and the Lord Cardinal, to know their pleasures how he should use the said Earl, but never had answer. The letter sent to Desmond was showed to the Commissioners against him by the Earl of Ormond; and they took it to proceed of no evil intent. "When it shall please the King's Grace to command him to do anything for his [Desmond's] reformation or punishment, then it shall well appear whether he shall do his devour to accomplish the same or not.

 

(13.) Ormond took 40 marks of the seneschal of the county of Wexford for a penalty, because he took part with Kildare against the King's Irish rebels, notwithstanding that the King wrote to Ormond to assist Kildare against them.

 

V. "The copy of the King's letter sent to the Earl of Kildare.

 

Complaint has been made to us, on behalf of "our right trusty and right well-beloved cousin" the Earl of Ormond, that whereas our Commissioners awarded to the said Earl half of our subsidy and other parcels of our revenues there due to him, which the Commissioners authorized you to levy and receive to his use, and to make full payment of the same to him at Michaelmas last, as appears by indentures between you, you still retain and keep in your hands the said subsidy and revenues to the sum of 800l. or thereabouts. We command you, within 20 days next after the sight hereof, to make full delivery of the same. Under Signet, Greenwich, 20 May. [These five documents are placed under the date given in No. II.; but the King was at Windsor on 20 May in that year. He was at Greenwich on that day in 1524, 1526, and 1528.]

 

This letter was not delivered till Saint Lawrence's Even, in the presence of my Lord Chancellor.

 

Contemp. copies. Endorsed: "The copy of my Lord Leonard's letter sent unto the King's Highness.

Date: 23 May 1525
Related material:

State Papers II., 125.

 

State Papers II., 121.

 

State Papers II., 118.

 

State Papers II., 120.

Held by: Lambeth Palace Library, not available at The National Archives
Former reference in its original department: MS 602, p. 30
Language: English
Physical description: 10 Pages.
Unpublished finding aids:

Calendar of the Carew Manuscripts preserved in the Archiepiscopal Library at Lambeth, ed. J. S. Brewer & W. Bullen (6 vols., 1867-73), vol. I, document 25.

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