James Butler, 3rd Earl of Ormond (b. about 1359 - died 7 September 1405), was a noble in the Peerage of Ireland

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,...

. He acceded to the title in 1382 and built Gowran

Gowran

Gowran is a village and former town in County Kilkenny, Ireland. Gowran Park race course is located nearby. Gowran is located on the N9 national primary road where it is crossed by the R702 regional road.-History:...

 Castle three years later making it his usual residence, whence his common epithet, The Earl of Gowran.

Career

In 1391 he purchased Kilkenny Castle

Kilkenny Castle

Kilkenny Castle is a castle in Kilkenny, Ireland built in 1195 by William Marshal, 1st Earl of Pembroke to control a fording-point of the River Nore and the junction of several routeways...

 by deed

Deed

A deed is any legal instrument in writing which passes, or affirms or confirms something which passes, an interest, right, or property and that is signed, attested, delivered, and in some jurisdictions sealed...

 from Sir Hugh le Despencer, Earl of Gloucester

Earl of Gloucester

The title of Earl of Gloucester was created several times in the Peerage of England. A fictional earl is also a character in William Shakespeare's play King Lear. See also Duke of Gloucester.-Earls of Gloucester, 1st Creation :...

 and Isabel his wife, daughter of Gilbert de Clare

Gilbert de Clare

Gilbert de Clare may refer to:* Gilbert Fitz Richard known also as Gilbert de Clare , lord of Clare, Tonbridge and Ceredigion* Gilbert de Clare, 1st Earl of Pembroke...

. He also built the castle of Dunfert (also called Danefort) and in 1386 founded a Friary of
minorities at Ailesbury in Buckinghamshire

Buckinghamshire

Buckinghamshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan home county in South East England. The county town is Aylesbury, the largest town in the ceremonial county is Milton Keynes and largest town in the non-metropolitan county is High Wycombe....

.

In 1384 he was deputy to Philip deCourtenay, the King's cousin. In 25 July 1392, he was appointed Lord Justice of Ireland as he was again in 1401. On the departure of Sir Stephen Scrope to England on 26 October 1404, by commission, dated at Carlow, 12 February 1388-9, he was appointed
keeper of the peace and governor of counties Kilkenny and Tipperary. He was vested with full power to treat with, to execute, to protect, and to give safe conduct to any rebels, etc. In 1397 he assisted Edmond Earl of March

Earl of March

The title The Earl of March has been created several times in the Peerage of Scotland and the Peerage of England. The title derived from the "marches" or boundaries between England and either Wales or Scotland , and was held by several great feudal families which owned lands in those border...

, L.L. against O Brien, and in 1390 took prisoner Teige O Carrol, Prince of Elye.

Marriage and issue

Some time before 17 June 1386, he married Anne Welles

Anne Butler, Countess of Ormond

Anne Butler , Countess of Ormond , was the first wife of James Butler, 3rd Earl of Ormond, and the mother of James Butler, 4th Earl of Ormond. She was the first Countess of Ormond to live at Kilkenny Castle, County Kilkenny...

, the daughter of John de Welles, 4th Lord Welles by his spouse Maud (née de Roos). Anne Welles died on 13 November 1397, around the age of 37. They had five children:

• James Butler, 4th Earl of Ormond (1392–1452), married firstly Joan de Beauchamp
  Joan Butler, Countess of Ormond
  Joan Butler , 4th Countess of Ormond was a Cambro-Norman noblewoman, the first wife of Irish peer, James Butler, 4th Earl of Ormond, and the mother of his five children...
  
  , daughter of William Beauchamp, 1st Baron Bergavenny
  William Beauchamp, 1st Baron Bergavenny
  William de Beauchamp, 1st Baron Bergavenny, KG was an English peer.A younger son of Thomas de Beauchamp, 11th Earl of Warwick and Katherine Mortimer, he was summoned to Parliament on 23 July 1392 as "Willilmo Beauchamp de Bergavenny", by which he is held to have become Baron Bergavenny.- Marriage...
  
   and Lady Joan FitzAlan, and had issue. He married secondly, Lady Joan, widow of Jenico Grey, and daughter and heiress of Gerald FitzGerald, 5th Earl of Kildare
  Gerald FitzGerald, 5th Earl of Kildare
  -Background:Kildare was the son of Maurice FitzGerald, 4th Earl of Kildare and Elizabeth Burghersh.-Family:Kildare married, firstly, Margaret Rocheford, daughter of Sir John Rocheford. Their children included: *Thomas FitzGerald....
  
  , without issue.
• Sir Richard Butler of Polestown
  Sir Richard Butler of Polestown
  Sir Richard Butler of Polestown, County Kilkenny was the second son of James Butler, 3rd Earl of Ormond and Anne Welles. His older brother James inherited the earldom...
  
  , county Kilkenny
  County Kilkenny
  County Kilkenny is a county in Ireland. It is part of the South-East Region and is also located in the province of Leinster. It is named after the city of Kilkenny. The territory of the county was the core part of the ancient Irish Kingdom of Osraige which in turn was the core of the Diocese of...
  
  , (b. b 1396). His godfather was King Richard II of England
  Richard II of England
  Richard II was King of England, a member of the House of Plantagenet and the last of its main-line kings. He ruled from 1377 until he was deposed in 1399. Richard was a son of Edward, the Black Prince, and was born during the reign of his grandfather, Edward III...
  
  . He married Catherine, daughter of Gildas O'Reilly of Cavar, Lord of East Breffny
  East Breifne
  East Breifne was an historic kingdom of Ireland roughly corresponding to County Cavan....
  
  , and had issue.
• Anne Butler, married John Wogan, and had issue.
• Sir Philip Butler, married Elizabeth, daughter of Sir John Cockayne, Chief Baron of the Exchequer, by his wife Ida de Grey, and had issue.
• Sir Ralph Butler, married Margaret de Berwick, and had issue.

In 1399 the Earl married Katherine FitzGerald of Desmond. They had four children:

• James “Gallda” Butler
  James “Gallda” Butler
  James “Gallda” Butler was the son of James Butler, 3rd Earl of Ormond andCatherine FitzGerald of Desmond. From him springs the Cahir branch of the Butler family who were enobled as Barons Cahir. They had issue: Piers and Richard.-References:...
  
  ,
• Edmund Butler
• Gerald Butler
• Theobald Butler

By an unknown mistress he had at least one illegitimate son, Thomas Le Boteller

Thomas Le Boteller

Thomas Le Boteller, or Butler, nicknamed Thomas Bacach or Thomas the Lame , was the illegitimate son of the Earl of Ormond, and a leading figure in early fifteenth century Ireland.He held the offices of Lord Chancellor of Ireland , Lord Deputy of Ireland and Prior of Kilmainham, but is chiefly...

 ( died 1420 ) nicked Thomas Bacach ( the lame ). Thomas was Lord Deputy of Ireland

Lord Deputy of Ireland

The Lord Deputy was the King's representative and head of the Irish executive under English rule, during the Lordship of Ireland and later the Kingdom of Ireland...

  and Prior of Kilmainham

Kilmainham

Kilmainham is a suburb of Dublin south of the River Liffey and west of the city centre, in the Dublin 8 postal district.-History:In the Viking era, the monastery was home to the first Norse base in Ireland....

, a distinguished soldier who led an Irish force of 700 men at the Siege of Rouen in 1419.