Sir James Ormond was the illegitimate son of John Butler, 6th Earl of Ormond, and Princess Margret of Thomond. His brothers were John Ormond, esq., Sir William Butler of Gloucestershire

Gloucestershire

Gloucestershire is a county in South West England. The county comprises part of the Cotswold Hills, part of the flat fertile valley of the River Severn, and the entire Forest of Dean....

, England and Edward Ormond. James and his brother John were born in Alfreton

Alfreton

Alfreton is a town and civil parish in Amber Valley, Derbyshire, England, adjoining the Bolsover and North East Derbyshire districts. It was formerly a Norman Manor and later an Urban District. The population of the Alfreton Ward was 7,928 at the 2001 Census...

, Derbyshire, England. They were the grandsons of the Irish King Turlogh The Brown O'Brien, King of Thomond

Thomond

Thomond The region of Ireland associated with the name Thomond is County Clare, County Limerick and north County Tipperary; effectively most of north Munster. The name is used by a variety of establishments and organisations located in , or associated with the region...

 (d. 1460). He was raised in England, but fought for what he regarded as Irish rights. He was knight

Knight

A knight was a member of a class of lower nobility in the High Middle Ages.By the Late Middle Ages, the rank had become associated with the ideals of chivalry, a code of conduct for the perfect courtly Christian warrior....

ed in 1493 by King Henry VII of England

Henry VII of England

Henry VII was King of England and Lord of Ireland from his seizing the crown on 22 August 1485 until his death on 21 April 1509, as the first monarch of the House of Tudor....

, for services in battle for the Tudor

Tudor dynasty

The Tudor dynasty or House of Tudor was a European royal house of Welsh origin that ruled the Kingdom of England and its realms, including the Lordship of Ireland, later the Kingdom of Ireland, from 1485 until 1603. Its first monarch was Henry Tudor, a descendant through his mother of a legitimised...

 cause. He held lands in Wiltshire

Wiltshire

Wiltshire is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is landlocked and borders the counties of Dorset, Somerset, Hampshire, Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire. It contains the unitary authority of Swindon and covers...

, England. The year before his murder, he was made an Irish Lord by King Henry VII of England

Henry VII of England

Henry VII was King of England and Lord of Ireland from his seizing the crown on 22 August 1485 until his death on 21 April 1509, as the first monarch of the House of Tudor....

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James was made Lord Treasurer of Ireland in 1492 by Henry VII; he served until 1494. James was hailed as Earl of Ormond by the Irish, but never attained that title as he was murdered in 1497 by his cousin, Piers Butler

Piers Butler, 8th Earl of Ormonde

Piers Butler, 8th Earl of Ormond and 1st Earl of Ossory , also known as Red Piers, was from the Polestown branch of the Butler family of Ireland.-Claims to the title:...

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