James Fitzwilliam
James Fitzwilliam (died 1420) was an Irish landowner and judge who held the office of Chief Baron of the Irish Exchequer. He was the ancestor of the prominent Dublin landowning family which acquired the titles Viscount FitzWilliam and Earl of Tyrconnell.[1]
He was the son of Hugh Fitzwilliam. The Fitzwilliam family are recorded in Dublin from about 1210. By the time of James' birth they were already considerable landowners in Dublin, with their estates centred on Dundrum and Swords.[2]
Few details of his legal career survive, but it is known that he was Chief Baron by 1413 and was superseded in 1417.[1]
Family and descendants
He married, after 1390, a daughter of Sir John Cruys or Cruise (died 1407), one of several marriages between the two families, and had at least one son, Phillip. Cruys was a distinguished diplomat and soldier and a major landowner in Dublin, who held the manors of Mount Merrion, Stillorgan and Thorncastle, which comprises roughly modern Booterstown. Merrion Castle, Sir John's principal dwelling, subsequently became the main Fitzwilliam residence, although he had a son, Thomas, who inherited much of his estate.[2] Whereas Sir John was forgiven payment of the Crown rent, due to the devastation of his lands by Irish clans from County Wicklow, the Fitzwilliams were assessed at £5 8 shillings a year.
James died in 1420, and his lands passed to his son, Phillip, who was still a minor;[3] the family estates are said to have suffered serious depredations during his minority. He was a ward of his father's successor as Chief Baron, James Cornwalsh;[3] ironically Cornwalsh was murdered 20 years later in a private war with the Fitzwilliam family over the disputed possession of Baggotrath Castle,[3] although Philip himself was not, as far as is known, personally involved in the feud, which was carried on mainly by William Fitzwilliam and his wife Ismay Perrers.[4]
Philip lived mainly at Thorncastle, which he rebuilt in 1437 after it was burnt in a raid by one of the Gaelic clans of County Wicklow.[5] He received a grant from the English Crown for the necessary works, presumably because it was an important part of the city's defences.[5] During the early stages of the Wars of the Roses, he was described as a "counsellor" to King Henry VI of England. Later he changed his allegiance and sided decisively with the House of York, giving good service against King Henry and his allies. Thorncastle passed to his son and heir Stephen, who was living there in 1463.[5]
References
- ^ a b Ball, F. Elrington The Judges in Ireland 1221-1921 John Murray London 1926 Vol. 1 p. 173
- ^ a b Ball, F. Elrington History of the Parishes of Dublin Alexander Thom and Co. Dublin 1903 Vol. 2 pp. 1–7
- ^ a b c Blacker, Rev. Beaver Henry Brief Sketches of the Parishes of Booterstown and Donnybrook George Herbert Dublin 1860 p.339
- ^ Ball 1926 p.100
- ^ a b c Kimber, Edward "Peerage of Ireland" London 1768 Vol. 2 p.36
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