Earl of Ormond (Ireland)

• 1. Origins And First Creation

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  In 1328, James Butler received the title Earl of Ormond from King Edward II. This new peerage covered all of what is now County Kilkenny and large parts of County Tipperary. It also included sections of County Waterford and County Carlow. The first Earl's father had previously held the Earldom of Carrick, but that title did not pass to him. Instead, James married Eleanor de Bohun, a granddaughter of King Edward I. Seven years after his father died, he was rewarded with this earldom in his own right. For many subsequent years, these earls took significant roles in governing Ireland. They maintained a tradition of loyalty to the English crown and followed English customs closely.

• 2. The Boleyn Interlude

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  Thomas Boleyn became the second creation Earl of Ormond in 1529. He was the father of Anne Boleyn, who was then the mistress of King Henry VIII. Thomas Boleyn had a slim claim to the title as a maternal grandson of the seventh Earl. At that time, Anne was the king's favorite, which facilitated the awarding of titles to her father. Through his daughter, Anne, Thomas Boleyn became the grandfather of Elizabeth I of England. When Thomas Boleyn died, these peerages of the second creation became extinct. His son George had been executed for treason, leaving no male heirs to inherit the title. This brief interlude ended the line of succession through the Boleyn family.

• 3. Restoration And Butler Dominance

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  Piers Butler received the third creation of the Earldom of Ormond in 1538. He had previously resigned his rights to other titles five days before receiving this new honor. An act of parliament confirmed him in possession of his earldom in 1544. The law declared this to be the original creation from 1328 rather than a new one from 1538. Piers Butler also held the title Earl of Ossory since 1528. James Butler, the ninth Earl of this creation, married his cousin Elizabeth Preston. She was the granddaughter of the third Earl and helped reunite the titles with the Ormonde estates. After 1682, the spelling "Ormonde" appeared almost universally in official documents. Several of the earls developed reputations as scholars during their long tenure.

• 4. Elevation To Dukedom

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  James Butler became Marquess of Ormonde in 1642 and Duke of Ormonde in 1660. He later received another dukedom in England in 1682. This elevation occurred during the English Civil War era when political tensions were high. His marriage to Elizabeth Preston reunited the titles with the Ormonde estates after years of separation. The second duke lost his English peerages in 1715 due to attainder. Charles Butler, the third duke, died in 1758 while holding the Irish title de jure unbeknownst to him. Walter Butler received an English peerage as Lord Butler of Llanthony in 1801. He was then created Marquess of Ormonde in Ireland in 1816.

• 5. Attainder And Extinction

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  The second duke's English peerages were declared forfeit in 1715 following treasonous acts. In 1758, the de jure third duke died, causing both the dukedom and marquessate to become extinct. Walter Butler, the eleventh earl, had been given an English peerage as Lord Butler of Llanthony in 1801. He became Marquess of Ormonde in Ireland in 1816, but that title became extinct upon his death. The earldoms passed to his brother for whom a new Marquessate was created in 1825. That final title became extinct in 1997 when Charles Butler, the seventh Marquess, died. The earldom itself became dormant at that same time in 1997.

• 6. Succession Disputes

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  James Wandesford Butler wrote to Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli in October 1868 about restoring the Dukedom of Ormonde. His grandfather James Butler, first Marquess, had been advised by Lord Liverpool to apply for restoration. Lord Liverpool suggested he needed elevation from Earl to Marquess first. An application was made, and James received the title Marquess of Ormonde. Disraeli responded on the 27th of October 1868 with sympathy for the desire to restore "the title of an illustrious ancestor." However, he noted the political climate did not make such creation appropriate. The presumed successors of the seventh marquess have been the seventeenth and eighteenth Viscounts Mountgarret. They descend in the male line from a younger son of the eighth Earl. No claim from these viscounts was ever submitted to the Monarch.