Baron Athenry
Encyclopedia
The title of Baron Athenry is one of the oldest titles in the Peerage of Ireland
, but the date of its creation is thoroughly uncertain; each of the first four Berminghams listed below is claimed by some writers to be Lord Athenry, but the evidence is disputed. The title appears to have been given to the de Birmingham family
of Birmingham, Warks, England
as a reward for their help in the Norman invasion of Ireland
in 1172. Both Sir William de Birmingham
, and his son Robert de Birmingham, are variously claimed to have been involved in the invasion, but it is probable that, after the invasion, William returned to his home in England and left Robert their new lands in Ireland.
Peter Bermingham was fined for not attending Parliament in 1284, and is enrolled as Lord Athenry in the Parliament of 1295. The title Earl of Louth was created in 1319 as a reward to John de Bermingham for his victory over Edward de Bruce in the Battle of Faughart
in 1318.
The last Baron
was created Earl of Louth in the Peerage of Ireland in 1749, but died in 1799. Since he had three daughters, the Earldom of Louth became extinct at his death; the Barony of Athenry became dormant
. Part of the problem has been whether the Barony properly can descend through the female line, in which case it is in abeyance
between the heirs of his daughters; or whether it passes through the male line. A descendant of the younger brother of the Richard, Lord Athenry, who died in 1645, claimed the Barony as heir male in 1827, and Thomas Denman
, the Attorney General for England and Wales
, agreed that he was heir male, but he was not recognized by the House of Lords.
Peerage of Ireland
The Peerage of Ireland is the term used for those titles of nobility created by the English and later British monarchs of Ireland in their capacity as Lord or King of Ireland. The creation of such titles came to an end in the 19th century. The ranks of the Irish peerage are Duke, Marquess, Earl,...
, but the date of its creation is thoroughly uncertain; each of the first four Berminghams listed below is claimed by some writers to be Lord Athenry, but the evidence is disputed. The title appears to have been given to the de Birmingham family
De Birmingham family
The de Birmingham family held the lordship of Birmingham in England for four hundred years and managed its growth from a small village into a thriving market town. They also helped invade Ireland and were rewarded with the Barony of Athenry...
of Birmingham, Warks, England
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
as a reward for their help in the Norman invasion of Ireland
Norman Invasion of Ireland
The Norman invasion of Ireland was a two-stage process, which began on 1 May 1169 when a force of loosely associated Norman knights landed near Bannow, County Wexford...
in 1172. Both Sir William de Birmingham
De Birmingham family
The de Birmingham family held the lordship of Birmingham in England for four hundred years and managed its growth from a small village into a thriving market town. They also helped invade Ireland and were rewarded with the Barony of Athenry...
, and his son Robert de Birmingham, are variously claimed to have been involved in the invasion, but it is probable that, after the invasion, William returned to his home in England and left Robert their new lands in Ireland.
Peter Bermingham was fined for not attending Parliament in 1284, and is enrolled as Lord Athenry in the Parliament of 1295. The title Earl of Louth was created in 1319 as a reward to John de Bermingham for his victory over Edward de Bruce in the Battle of Faughart
Battle of Faughart
The Battle of Faughart was fought on 14 October 1318 between a Hiberno-Norman force led by John de Bermingham and Edmund Butler, and a Scots-Irish army commanded by Edward Bruce, brother of Robert Bruce, king of Scotland. It was a battle of the First War of Scottish Independence and more precisely...
in 1318.
The last Baron
Baron
Baron is a title of nobility. The word baron comes from Old French baron, itself from Old High German and Latin baro meaning " man, warrior"; it merged with cognate Old English beorn meaning "nobleman"...
was created Earl of Louth in the Peerage of Ireland in 1749, but died in 1799. Since he had three daughters, the Earldom of Louth became extinct at his death; the Barony of Athenry became dormant
Dormant
Dormant means lacking activity. It can refer to:*Dormancy in an organism's life cycle*Dormant volcano, a volcano that is inactive but may become active in the future...
. Part of the problem has been whether the Barony properly can descend through the female line, in which case it is in abeyance
Abeyance
Abeyance is a state of expectancy in respect of property, titles or office, when the right to them is not vested in any one person, but awaits the appearance or determination of the true owner. In law, the term abeyance can only be applied to such future estates as have not yet vested or possibly...
between the heirs of his daughters; or whether it passes through the male line. A descendant of the younger brother of the Richard, Lord Athenry, who died in 1645, claimed the Barony as heir male in 1827, and Thomas Denman
Thomas Denman, 1st Baron Denman
Thomas Denman, 1st Baron Denman PC KC was a British lawyer, judge and politician. He served as Lord Chief Justice between 1832 and 1850.-Background and education:Denman was born in London, the son of Dr Thomas Denman...
, the Attorney General for England and Wales
Attorney General for England and Wales
Her Majesty's Attorney General for England and Wales, usually known simply as the Attorney General, is one of the Law Officers of the Crown. Along with the subordinate Solicitor General for England and Wales, the Attorney General serves as the chief legal adviser of the Crown and its government in...
, agreed that he was heir male, but he was not recognized by the House of Lords.
Barons Athenry
- Meyler de BerminghamMeyler de Bermingham-Ancestry:Meyler was a great-grandson of Robert de Bermingham who is said to have obtained a grant of Offaly from Strongbow or Henry II about 1172. Robert's son and grandson were both described as of Tethmoy, which is thought to have been the baronies of Warrenstown and part of Coolestown...
, fl. 1212–1262 - Piers de BerminghamPeter de BerminghamPeter de Bermingham, Anglo-Irish second lord of Athenry, died c. 1309.Peter was a son of Meyler, who founded the town of Athenry in Clann Taidg County Galway. His eldest son, Myler, died in 1302 so the lordship devolved on the younger son, Rickard de Bermingham.-External links:* * * -References:*...
, died 1307 - Richard I de BerminghamRickard de BerminghamRickard de Bermingham , aka Rickard Mac Fheorais, was Anglo-Irish lord of Athenry.-Family background:Rickard is reckoned third lord of Athenry and Dunmore, both in County Galway. He was a grandson of Meyler de Bermingham, the founder of Athenry...
, died 1322 - Thomas de BerminghamThomas de BerminghamThomas de Bermingham, Anglo-Irish lord, died 1375.De Bermingham was the great-grandson of the founder of Athenry, Meyler de Bermingham, and great-great grandson of the re-founder of Dunmore.Little is directly recorded of his term...
, died 1374 - Walter de BerminghamWalter de BerminghamWalter de Bermingham, Anglo-Irish lord, died 1428.Little seems to be recorded of his term. In 1426, the annals relate thatJohn, son of Mac Feorais Bermingham, was slain by Thomas, his own brother's son....
, died 1428 - Thomas II de BerminghamThomas II de BerminghamThomas II de Bermingham, Anglo-Irish lord, died 1473.The succession to the lordship is unclear for much of the 15th and early 16th centuries. According to the annals, in 1426:...
, died 1473 - Thomas III de BerminghamThomas III de BerminghamThomas III de Bermingham, Anglo-Irish lord, died 1500.The succession to the lordship is unclear for much of the 15th and early 16th centuries. Thomas III's exact relationship to previous lord is uncertain, though the Complete Peerage states he was his son....
, died 1500 - Meiler de BerminghamMeiler de BerminghamMeiler de Bermingham, Anglo-Irish lord, died 1529.Meiler was the last lord of Athenry before contact was resumed with the government in Dublin.-External...
, died 1529 - John de BerminghamJohn de BerminghamJohn de Bermingham, Anglo-Irish lord, died 1547.John succeeded upon the death of his father, Meiler. He was the ninth lord since the town's foundation in the late 1230s. During his lifetime, Athenry began to decline in response to warfare from Clanricarde to the south-east, the Ó Ceallaigh of Uí...
, died 1547 - Richard II de BerminghamRichard II de BerminghamRichard II de Bermingham, Anglo-Irish lord, died 1580.Richard had one of the longest terms as lord, but it was during these years that Athenry came to decline...
, died 1580 - Edmond I de BerminghamEdmond I de BerminghamEdmond I de Bermingham, Anglo-Irish lord, died 1612.Edmond was the first Lord Athenry to permently reside at Dumore, County Galway. His father had been forced to vacate Athenry, which had been the family's seat since about 1537, due to incessent warfare and famine during the middle years of the...
, 1580–1612 - Richard III de BerminghamRichard III de BerminghamEdmond I de Bermingham, Anglo-Irish lord, born 1570, died 1645.Edmond prospered during the encomic recovery of Ireland in the early decades of the 17th century. However, he was one of dozens of Connacht landowners threatened with confiscation by Thomas Wentworth, 1st Earl of Strafford during the...
, 1612–1645 - Edmond II de BerminghamEdmond II de BerminghamEdmond de Bermingham, Anglo-Irish lord, alive 1645.Edmond succeeded upon his father's death in 1645 but had, or was about to, join the Franciscan order, so he resigned the lordship to his younger brother, Francis....
, resigned 1645 in favour of his brother - Francis de BerminghamFrancis de BerminghamFrancis de Bermingham, Anglo-Irish lord of Athenry and Dunmmore, County Galway, died 1677.-References:* History of Galway, James Hardiman, Galway, 1820...
, died 1677 - Edward de BerminghamEdward de BerminghamFrancis de Bermingham, Anglo-Irish lord of Athenry and Dunmore, County Galway, died 1709.-References:* History of Galway, James Hardiman, Galway, 1820...
, died 1709 - Francis II de BerminghamFrancis II de BerminghamFrancis II de Bermingham, 14th Baron Athenry , was an Irish peerFrancis de Bermingham was born the year after the Battle of Aughrim, and in the year the Treaty of Limerick was signed, bringing an end to the Williamite War in Ireland...
, died 1692–1749 - Thomas IV de BerminghamThomas IV de BerminghamThomas IV de Bermingham, 1st Earl of Louth, 19th Baron Athenry, 1717–1799Thomas was the last legally attested Baron Athenry. Among those who unsuccessfully claimed the lordship after him was the family of John Birmingham . His property was divided between his three female heirs and their families...
, 1717–1799
Earl of Louth, 1st creation (1319)
- John de Bermingham, 1st Earl of LouthJohn de Bermingham, 1st Earl of LouthJohn de Bermingham, 1st Earl of Louth was an Irish peer. He was the commander of the Anglo-Irish army in the Battle of Faughart, the decisive battle in the Irish Bruce Wars 1315–1318...
(d. 1329)- Richard de Bermingham, Lord Atherdee (d. 1322)
Earl of Louth, 2nd creation (1749)
- Thomas Bermingham, 1st Earl of Louth (1717–1799), peerage extinct on his death.
See also
- de Birmingham familyDe Birmingham familyThe de Birmingham family held the lordship of Birmingham in England for four hundred years and managed its growth from a small village into a thriving market town. They also helped invade Ireland and were rewarded with the Barony of Athenry...
- Birmingham surnameBirmingham (disambiguation)Birmingham is a city in England. It is England's second city, the most populous place with city status in the United Kingdom, and the largest city commonly known as Birmingham.Birmingham can also refer to:- United States :...
- Bermingham (surname)Bermingham (surname)Bermingham is the gaelicised version of 'de Birmingham' and is descended from the family of Warwickshire, England. The Irish version of the name MacFeorais/MacPheorais is derived from Pierce de Bermingham . The first recorded Bermingham in Ireland, Robert de Bermingham accompanied Richard de Clare...
- Birmingham, Warks, EnglandBirminghamBirmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...