The
Landed Gentry & Aristocracy of County Kildare
By Turtle Bunbury
Ireland was one of the first countries in the world
to adopt a system of hereditary surnames. Indeed it is often stated
that Brian Boru introduced the concept into Ireland at least a century
before the Norman invasion of 1169. As such, when one thinks of
indigenous Irish families, one is inclined to think in terms of
"O" and "Mac". The "O" of O'Connor
essentially means someone ‘of' the tribe of Connor.
Likewise, the "Mac" or "Mc" of "MacDermot"
or "McGuire" basically means the ‘son' (or
descendent) of Dermot or Guire.
But there is another aspect to Irish ancestry that
is often overlooked - namely the 500 or more families who
settled in Ireland between the Norman invasion and the end of British
domination in 1921. Most of these families achieved positions of
immense influence at one time or another in Irish history and their
story is every bit as relevant to our understanding of the past.
Kildare is a particularly remarkable county. When one drives the
roads of Kildare, it is all too easy to miss the grand gateways
and lodges that mark the entrances to the once great estates of
the county. The "big houses" that lie beyond can seem
somehow irrelevant to the modern age. Why should brave, new Ireland
look back at its past? Perhaps because the past is something we
can look to and learn from. It is a surprisingly safe zone because
it has already happened. It can't be changed. It simply is.
King William's victory over the Jacobite forces
at the Boyne in 1689 ushered in an era of more than 200 years during
which the Protestant gentry and aristocracy of Ireland - the Anglo-Irish
Ascendancy - held absolute power. A network of perhaps 500
families henceforth governed Ireland. Some, like Aylmer, FitzGerald
and de Burgh, were descendents of the Norman soldiers who invaded
from Wales 800 years ago. Others like Fennell and Clements descended
from rural English families who settled here in the 1650s. Some,
like More and O'Ferrall, claimed kinship with the old Celtic
chieftains of Ireland. Others, like John Digues La Touche and the
Baron de Robeck, were simply on the run from the ever-present dangers
of life on the European mainland. Their political beliefs may have
varied but their backgrounds remained fundamentally the same. They
were the privileged elite - raised amongst trusty servants,
fashionable aunts, exquisite furniture, leather-bound books and
dusty bottles of port.
Kildare's proximity to Dublin ensured the
county was at the forefront during the dominance of the Anglo-Irish.
It was one of the first parts of Ireland to fall under Norman control
after the invasion of 1169. It subsequently became one of the principal
headquarters of the FitzGerald's remarkable empire, its fortunes
essentially dependent on the success or failure of the incumbent
Earl of Kildare or Duke of Leinster. By the early 18th century,
the county was home to perhaps fifty of the big families. Over the
subsequent centuries, many of these inevitably died out or left
the county. After the creation of the Irish Free State, many more
abandoned Ireland entirely. And there are still a mighty few who
remain to this day.
Kildare has had more than its fair share of extraordinary
characters. Take, for instance, the great FitzGerald clan who have
dominated historical headlines since 1169. During the 13th century,
a pet ape rescued the baby Earl of Kildare from certain death during
a fire at Woodstock Castle near Athy. 250 years later, Silken Thomas
FitzGerald led his ill-fated rebellion against the English army
of Henry VIII. The Dukes of Leinster were never far from trouble.
The 1st Duke's son, Lord Edward FitzGerald, was one of the
principal ring-leaders of the 1798 Rebellion. The 7th Duke was an
irrepressible gambler who had to sell the Carton estate outside
Maynooth to pay his debts; Wallis Simpson was one of his many lovers.
William Conolly, the builder of Castletown House,
became a legend in his own lifetime. The son of a lowly innkeeper
from Donegal, he skilfully worked his way up through the Anglo-Irish
hierarchy to become the richest man in Ireland by his death. Another
Castletown heir was Tom Conolly, a charismatic rogue who tried to
run the Charleston blockade during the American Civil War only to
have his boat blown to smithereens by US Government forces. Tom
somehow managed to clamber onto a vessel bound for Europe, jumped
ship in Lough Swilly and was back in Donegal Town in the nick of
time to be re-elected MP.
In 1641, the Barton family, former owners of Straffan
House (now The K-Club), came about as close to extinction as you
get. A small boy standing beside his naked, bruised mother on a
snow-covered island watching the men who had just murdered his father
walk back to their boats. The boy, William Barton, grew up and married;
his grandson's started the great Barton & Guestier wine
trade in France.
Religion was inevitably the cause of many strange
occurrences. Quaker families like the Fennells made their mark in
Ballitore but astonished their Protestant contemporaries by their
steadfast opposition to violence and bloodshed. Religious wars in
France forced David La Touche to relocate to Ireland where he helped
establish the Bank of Ireland. His descendent, John La Touche of
Harristown, became a passionate Baptist in the 19th century, a fervour
that would have tragic consequences for the romance between his
daughter Rose and the Victorian artist and writer John Ruskin. The
More O'Ferralls managed to hold on to their Catholic roots
throughout the Georgian Age, fighting in some of the greatest battles
in Europe; a descendent was murdered by the IRA in 1935. Assassination
was never far away from the landed gentry - Lord Kilwarden
and his nephew were stabbed to death by Robert Emmet's followers
in 1803, Richard Guinness's grandmother was shot dead in 1887
and the Earl of Leitrim the following spring.
Military service was just about unavoidable for
the sons of the Anglo-Irish. At stake, was the defence and expansion
of the British Empire. Almost every family lost a son - the Maunsells
and Aylmers in the Crimean War, the Wolfes of Forenaghts in the
Sudanese campaign, the Conollys in the Boer War, the de Burghs,
FitzGeralds and Medlicotts in the Great War. Those who survived
often rose to positions of enormous influence. The 6th Earl of Drogheda
commanded the Light Horse for an astonishing 62 years, rising to
the rank of Field Marshal and Master-General of the Ordinance. Admiral
John de Robeck had the ill-luck to command the disastrous Dardanelle's
campaign in 1915. General Eric de Burgh commanded the British Army
in India on the eve of the Second World War. Major Richard Mansfield
was an expert British parachutist during the same war.
There must be something in the blood that keeps
these families ticking, albeit by more creative means than their
forbears. Chris de Burgh has made an enormous impact on the international
music scene; his daughter Rosanna Davison was Miss World 2003. Derry
Moore, the present Earl of Drogheda, and James Fennell, are both
highly accomplished photographers. The de Burghs, de Robecks and
More O'Ferralls continue to have a significant influence on
Kildare's prosperous horse industry. The present Lord Carew
and his daughter Virginia have both represented Ireland in eventing
at the Olympics; Lady Carew is President of the Irish Pony Club.
Anthony Barton runs two outstanding vineyards in Bordeaux. Richard
More O'Ferrall is one of the principal players in the De Beers
diamond consortium. Rosalind Mansfield married the Fine Gael politician,
Gerard Sweetman. Robert Guinness has a successful banking career
and runs the Straffan Steam Museum. Timothy Henry worked with the
United Nations during the Kosovo campaign; his father commanded
Britain's first Polaris submarine. Every decade brings new
generations to the fore. The Kildare gentry may be more discreet
than their Victorian ancestors but they still afford us a fascinating
and valuable presence.
Turtle is currently producing a series of books investigating the
families that comprise the so-called "Landed Gentry and Aristocracy"
of Ireland. He has lately released a volume on County Kildare, to
compliment those already written on Counties Tipperary, Kilkenny
and Wexford.
Book: The Landed Gentry & Aristocracy of County Kildare
Author: Turtle Bunbury
Publisher: Irish Family Names
Price: €35
E-mail:
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until this time next month...
Best Wishes,
Conor B & Turtle.
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