Edmund FitzGibbon
Encyclopedia
Edmund Fitzgibbon was an Irish nobleman of the FitzGerald dynasty, who inherited the Anglo-Norman title of the White Knight
and struggled to maintain his loyalty to the crown during the reign of Queen Elizabeth of England.
. Following the first of the Desmond Rebellions
he accompanied the rebel James Fitzmaurice Fitzgerald
to France in March 1575 and returned to Ireland in July. In the following year he leased a large portion of the ancestral lands that had fallen to the crown; these he surrendered in 1579 in return for a fresh lease, which included those same lands as well as lands that had reverted to the crown on his mother's death.
, voiced his resentment at the denial of these lands to the Plantation of Munster
, which was established after the Second Desmond Rebellion
and the attainder of Gerald Fitzgerald, 15th Earl of Desmond
. Fitzgibbon was regularly traduced by government officials, and his hereditary enemy Lord Roche accused him of complicity in the late rebellion. He found himself under pressure to display unquestioning loyalty to a crown that was unpopular amongst his followers, and he struggled in these trying circumstances.
In 1584, he accompanied the lord deputy, Sir John Perrot
, on the government's campaign in Ulster against Sorley Boy MacDonnell
, and was commended for his valour after receiving a wound. In April 1587, after Perrot's departure for England, Fitzgibbon was arrested by the government; the advice of Sir Anthony St Leger, to make him, "shorter by the length of his head" was not taken, and in 1589 he was released on heavy recognizances. On balance, he showed some skill in maintaining his loyalty over a long period and, during a visit to England in 1590, he won a grant in tail male of the ancestral lands.
In 1596 Fitzgibbon was appointed sheriff of County Cork
, in which office he fulfilled his duties satisfactorily. There were suspicions of his complicity with the rebel Hugh O'Neill
, during the Nine Years war (1595-1603: see Essex in Ireland
), but he submitted unconditionally to Sir George Thornton in May 1600 and blamed his folly on his son John, who had joined the crown's enemies. The queen's secretary, Sir Robert Cecil
, advised the President of Munster, Sir George Carew
to take good pledges of Fitzgibbon, "for, it is said, you will be cozened by him at last". During this period he is said to have virtually obliterated the cathedral at Lismore
. Doubts about his loyalty were raised at the highest point of the war, when he failed to capture the Súgan Earl of Desmond
as the rebel pretender passed through Fitzgibbon's territory in May 1601, but Carew was happy enough with his conduct after that. He did at last manage to capture the Súgan in caves near Mitchelstown, and in reward the queen promised the full restoration by act of parliament of his lands and lineage.
made him Baron of Clangibbon, but he died at Castletown on the 23rd of April 1608, without statutory confirmation of his lands and titles. It was the day after the death of his son Maurice, and they were buried together after lying a week in the church of Kilbeny in Kilmallock.
, by whom he had two sons and four daughters; he next married Joan, daughter of Lord Muskerry, by whom he had two sons, who died young. He was succeeded in his estates by a grandson, Maurice. FitzGibbon's daughter Eleanor married Finghin MacCarthy Reagh
, eldest son of Owen MacCarthy Reagh, 12th Prince of Carbery
.
White Knight Fitzgibbon
The Pedigree of The White Knight was one of three hereditary knighthoods within Ireland dating from the Medieval period. It was held by the Fitzgibbon family, and has since become dormant...
and struggled to maintain his loyalty to the crown during the reign of Queen Elizabeth of England.
Loss of Ancestral Lands
Fitzgibbon was the son of John Óg Fitzgerald (alias Fitzgibbon) and Ellen Condon. His father was attainted by statute of the Irish parliament in 1571, and much of Fitzgibbon's subsequent conduct stemmed from his desire to recover the family properties in the province of MunsterMunster
Munster is one of the Provinces of Ireland situated in the south of Ireland. In Ancient Ireland, it was one of the fifths ruled by a "king of over-kings" . Following the Norman invasion of Ireland, the ancient kingdoms were shired into a number of counties for administrative and judicial purposes...
. Following the first of the Desmond Rebellions
Desmond Rebellions
The Desmond Rebellions occurred in 1569-1573 and 1579-1583 in the Irish province of Munster.They were rebellions by the Earl of Desmond – head of the FitzGerald dynasty in Munster – and his followers, the Geraldines and their allies against the threat of the extension of Elizabethan English...
he accompanied the rebel James Fitzmaurice Fitzgerald
James FitzMaurice FitzGerald
James Fitzmaurice Fitzgerald was a member of the 16th century ruling Geraldine dynasty in the province of Munster in Ireland. He rebelled against the crown authority of Queen Elizabeth I of England in response to the onset of the Tudor conquest of Ireland and was deemed an archtraitor...
to France in March 1575 and returned to Ireland in July. In the following year he leased a large portion of the ancestral lands that had fallen to the crown; these he surrendered in 1579 in return for a fresh lease, which included those same lands as well as lands that had reverted to the crown on his mother's death.
Tudor Loyalty
In later years, the government councillor, Sir Henry WallopHenry Wallop
Sir Henry Wallop was an English statesman.He was the eldest son of Sir Oliver Wallop of Farleigh Wallop in Hampshire. Having inherited the estates of his father and of his uncle, Sir John Wallop, he was knighted in 1569 and was chosen member of parliament for Southampton in 1572...
, voiced his resentment at the denial of these lands to the Plantation of Munster
Plantations of Ireland
Plantations in 16th and 17th century Ireland were the confiscation of land by the English crown and the colonisation of this land with settlers from England and the Scottish Lowlands....
, which was established after the Second Desmond Rebellion
Second Desmond Rebellion
The Second Desmond rebellion was the more widespread and bloody of the two Desmond Rebellions launched by the FitzGerald dynasty of Desmond in Munster, Ireland, against English rule in Ireland...
and the attainder of Gerald Fitzgerald, 15th Earl of Desmond
Gerald FitzGerald, 15th Earl of Desmond
Gerald FitzGerald, 15th Earl of Desmond was an Irish nobleman and leader of the Desmond Rebellions of 1579.-Life:...
. Fitzgibbon was regularly traduced by government officials, and his hereditary enemy Lord Roche accused him of complicity in the late rebellion. He found himself under pressure to display unquestioning loyalty to a crown that was unpopular amongst his followers, and he struggled in these trying circumstances.
In 1584, he accompanied the lord deputy, Sir John Perrot
John Perrot
Sir John Perrot served as Lord Deputy of Ireland under Queen Elizabeth I of England during the Tudor conquest of Ireland...
, on the government's campaign in Ulster against Sorley Boy MacDonnell
Sorley Boy MacDonnell
Somhairle Buidhe Mac Domhnaill , Scoto-Irish prince or flaith and chief, was the son of Alexander MacDonnell, lord of Islay and Kintyre , and Catherine, daughter of the Lord of Ardnamurchan...
, and was commended for his valour after receiving a wound. In April 1587, after Perrot's departure for England, Fitzgibbon was arrested by the government; the advice of Sir Anthony St Leger, to make him, "shorter by the length of his head" was not taken, and in 1589 he was released on heavy recognizances. On balance, he showed some skill in maintaining his loyalty over a long period and, during a visit to England in 1590, he won a grant in tail male of the ancestral lands.
In 1596 Fitzgibbon was appointed sheriff of County Cork
County Cork
County Cork is a county in Ireland. It is located in the South-West Region and is also part of the province of Munster. It is named after the city of Cork . Cork County Council is the local authority for the county...
, in which office he fulfilled his duties satisfactorily. There were suspicions of his complicity with the rebel Hugh O'Neill
Hugh O'Neill, 3rd Earl of Tyrone
Aodh Mór Ó Néill, anglicised as Hugh The Great O'Neill , was the 2nd or 3rd Earl of Tyrone and was later created The Ó Néill...
, during the Nine Years war (1595-1603: see Essex in Ireland
Essex in Ireland
Essex in Ireland refers to the military campaign pursued in Ireland in 1599 by Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex, during the Nine Years War and the Anglo-Spanish War....
), but he submitted unconditionally to Sir George Thornton in May 1600 and blamed his folly on his son John, who had joined the crown's enemies. The queen's secretary, Sir Robert Cecil
Robert Cecil
Robert Cecil may refer to:*Robert Cecil, 1st Earl of Salisbury , statesman, spymaster and minister to Elizabeth I of England and James I of England...
, advised the President of Munster, Sir George Carew
George Carew, 1st Earl of Totnes
George Carew, 1st Earl of Totnes , known as Sir George Carew between 1586 and 1605 and as The Lord Carew between 1605 and 1626, served under Queen Elizabeth I during the Tudor conquest of Ireland and was appointed President of Munster. -Early career:Carew was the son of Dr...
to take good pledges of Fitzgibbon, "for, it is said, you will be cozened by him at last". During this period he is said to have virtually obliterated the cathedral at Lismore
Lismore, County Waterford
Lismore is a town in County Waterford, Ireland. It is located where the N72 road crosses the River Blackwater.-History:It was founded by Saint Mochuda, also known as Saint Carthage. In the 7th century, Lismore was the site of the well-known Lismore Abbey. It is also home to Lismore Castle, the...
. Doubts about his loyalty were raised at the highest point of the war, when he failed to capture the Súgan Earl of Desmond
Earl of Desmond
The title of Earl of Desmond has been held historically by lords in Ireland, first as a title outside of the peerage system and later as part of the Peerage of Ireland....
as the rebel pretender passed through Fitzgibbon's territory in May 1601, but Carew was happy enough with his conduct after that. He did at last manage to capture the Súgan in caves near Mitchelstown, and in reward the queen promised the full restoration by act of parliament of his lands and lineage.
Stuart Loyalty
Matters did not become easy for Fitzgibbon. In 1606, he was committed to gaol on suspicion of disloyalty, but was released upon his promise to do service against the rebels. King James IJames I of England
James VI and I was King of Scots as James VI from 24 July 1567 and King of England and Ireland as James I from the union of the English and Scottish crowns on 24 March 1603...
made him Baron of Clangibbon, but he died at Castletown on the 23rd of April 1608, without statutory confirmation of his lands and titles. It was the day after the death of his son Maurice, and they were buried together after lying a week in the church of Kilbeny in Kilmallock.
Legacy
Fitzgibbon first married Joan Tobyn, daughter of the Lord of Cumshionagh in County TipperaryCounty Tipperary
County Tipperary is a county of Ireland. It is located in the province of Munster and is named after the town of Tipperary. The area of the county does not have a single local authority; local government is split between two authorities. In North Tipperary, part of the Mid-West Region, local...
, by whom he had two sons and four daughters; he next married Joan, daughter of Lord Muskerry, by whom he had two sons, who died young. He was succeeded in his estates by a grandson, Maurice. FitzGibbon's daughter Eleanor married Finghin MacCarthy Reagh
MacCarthy Reagh
The MacCarthy Reagh dynasty are a branch of the great MacCarthy dynasty, Kings of Desmond, deriving from the ancient Eóganachta, of the central Eóganacht Chaisil sept. The MacCarthys Reagh seated themselves as Princes of Carbery in what is now southwestern County Cork in the 13th century...
, eldest son of Owen MacCarthy Reagh, 12th Prince of Carbery
Owen MacCarthy Reagh, 12th Prince of Carbery
Owen MacCarthy Reagh was the 12th Prince of Carbery from 1576 to 1592. He belonged to the MacCarthy Reagh dynasty. Owen is commonly called "Sir" Owen MacCarthy in the English records but this may have been only for convenience, for the MacCarthys Reagh were foreign princes at this time, if...
.