Katherine FitzGerald, Viscountess Grandison
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Katherine FitzGerald, suo jure
Viscountess Grandison (August 1660- 26 December 1725), was a wealthy Irish heiress, being the only child of Sir John FitzGerald of Dromana, County Waterford
. She inherited the Dromana estate in 1664 upon the death of her father. She was married three times; firstly to John Le Poer, 2nd Earl of Tyrone
; secondly to Brigadier-General, Hon. Edward FitzGerald-Villiers
; and thirdly and lastly to General William Steuart.
She was granted the rank of a Viscountess by Royal Warrant on 6 January 1700, and she died insane 25 years later.
, County Waterford, Ireland, the only child and heiress of Sir John FitzGerald, Lord of Dromana and Decies, and Katherine Le Poer (died 22 August 1660), daughter of John Le Poer, 5th Baron Le Poer and Ruth Pypho.
The lords of Dromana had managed to keep their lands intact through the Cromwellian
settlements. This was due to their Protestant religion, and the marriage of Katherine's aunt, Lettice to Parliamentarian
Major Richard Franklyn, who protected the family's interests.
Katherine inherited the entire Dromana estate on 1 March 1664, at the age of three, upon the death of her father, who was the son of Sir Gerald FitzGerald, Lord of Dromana and Decies, and Mabel Digby
. Katherine's mother had died shortly after her birth; and her stepmother Helen McCarthy had not produced offspring. Being only a minor, Katherine's guardians were King Charles II of England
, and her maternal uncle, Richard Le Poer, 6th Baron Le Poer
of Curraghmore (later the 1st Earl of Tyrone
) (1630- 14 October 1690).
, Archbishop of Canterbury
in his chapel at Lambeth Palace
. She was three months short of her 13th birthday, and John was a boy of eight. That same year, her uncle was created 1st Earl of Tyrone and Viscount Decies by King Charles. Two years later, Katherine, who had not wanted to marry her eight-year old cousin John Le Poer, appealed to the Archbishop to grant her an annulment on the grounds that she had not freely consented to the marriage.
In March 1677, Katherine eloped and married an officer, Brigadier-General, Hon. Edward Villiers
, the son of George Villiers, 4th Viscount Grandison and Mary Leigh, and a cousin of Barbara Villiers, the notorious and powerful mistress of King Charles. Following her clandestine marriage to Edward, there ensued a lengthy legal battle, which Katherine eventually won, due to the help from Edward's influential cousin, Barbara. Her marriage to Edward Villiers was thus declared legal and valid, while her uncle was forced to give back her lands and renounce the title of Viscount Decies.
John Le Poer, her erstwhile husband later succeeded to the title of 2nd Earl of Tyrone in October 1690.
An artist, who was a follower of court painter Sir Peter Lely, painted her portrait between 1685 and 1690. The portrait, which is in a private art collection, shows Katherine to have been slender, with auburn hair and fair skin.
Together Katherine and Edward had three children:
Edward died in 1693, and she married her third husband, General William Steuart, Commander-in-Chief of Queen Anne's forces in Ireland, and a Member of the Irish Parliament
for County Waterford. This marriage was childless.
Shortly after the death of her former father-in-law, Viscount Grandison, Katherine was granted the rank of Viscountess by Royal Warrant
issued by King William III of England
on 6 January 1700.
. General William Steaurt married Eliza Alston several months after Katherine's death.
Suo jure
Suo jure is a Latin phrase meaning "in her [or his] own right".It is commonly encountered in the context of titles of nobility, especially in cases where a wife may hold a title in her own right rather than through her marriage....
Viscountess Grandison (August 1660- 26 December 1725), was a wealthy Irish heiress, being the only child of Sir John FitzGerald of Dromana, County Waterford
County Waterford
*Abbeyside, Affane, Aglish, Annestown, An Rinn, Ardmore*Ballinacourty, Ballinameela, Ballinamult, Ballinroad, Ballybeg, Ballybricken, Ballyduff Lower, Ballyduff Upper, Ballydurn, Ballygunner, Ballylaneen, Ballymacarbry, Ballymacart, Ballynaneashagh, Ballysaggart, Ballytruckle, Bilberry, Bunmahon,...
. She inherited the Dromana estate in 1664 upon the death of her father. She was married three times; firstly to John Le Poer, 2nd Earl of Tyrone
Earl of Tyrone
The Earl of Tyrone is a title created three times in the Peerage of Ireland.It was first created as part of the Tudor attempt to establish a uniform social structure in Ireland by converting the Gaelic kings and chiefs into hereditary nobles of the Kingdom of Ireland...
; secondly to Brigadier-General, Hon. Edward FitzGerald-Villiers
Edward FitzGerald-Villiers
Edward FitzGerald-Villiers , was an English soldier in Ireland.He was the eldest son of George Villiers, 4th Viscount Grandison and his wife Mary, daughter of Francis Leigh, 1st Earl of Chichester. In 1677 he married the heiress Katherine FitzGerald, through whom he gained substantial property in...
; and thirdly and lastly to General William Steuart.
She was granted the rank of a Viscountess by Royal Warrant on 6 January 1700, and she died insane 25 years later.
Family and inheritance
Katherine FitzGerald was born in August 1660 at Dromana House, VillierstownVillierstown
Villierstown is a village in west County Waterford, Ireland. It is situated on the banks of the River Blackwater. The latest census of 2006 recorded the population of the village at 260....
, County Waterford, Ireland, the only child and heiress of Sir John FitzGerald, Lord of Dromana and Decies, and Katherine Le Poer (died 22 August 1660), daughter of John Le Poer, 5th Baron Le Poer and Ruth Pypho.
The lords of Dromana had managed to keep their lands intact through the Cromwellian
Oliver Cromwell
Oliver Cromwell was an English military and political leader who overthrew the English monarchy and temporarily turned England into a republican Commonwealth, and served as Lord Protector of England, Scotland, and Ireland....
settlements. This was due to their Protestant religion, and the marriage of Katherine's aunt, Lettice to Parliamentarian
Roundhead
"Roundhead" was the nickname given to the supporters of the Parliament during the English Civil War. Also known as Parliamentarians, they fought against King Charles I and his supporters, the Cavaliers , who claimed absolute power and the divine right of kings...
Major Richard Franklyn, who protected the family's interests.
Katherine inherited the entire Dromana estate on 1 March 1664, at the age of three, upon the death of her father, who was the son of Sir Gerald FitzGerald, Lord of Dromana and Decies, and Mabel Digby
Mabel Digby
Mabel Digby, Lady of Dromana and Decies was an Anglo-Irish noblewoman being the eldest daughter of Sir Robert Digby and Lettice FitzGerald, 1st Baroness Offaly. She was the wife of Sir Gerald FitzGerald, Lord of Dromana and Decies. In 1642, during an Irish rebellion, she was openly sympathetic to...
. Katherine's mother had died shortly after her birth; and her stepmother Helen McCarthy had not produced offspring. Being only a minor, Katherine's guardians were King Charles II of England
Charles II of England
Charles II was monarch of the three kingdoms of England, Scotland, and Ireland.Charles II's father, King Charles I, was executed at Whitehall on 30 January 1649, at the climax of the English Civil War...
, and her maternal uncle, Richard Le Poer, 6th Baron Le Poer
Baron La Poer
Baron La Poer, de la Poer, or Le Pour, is a title in the Peerage of Ireland held by the Marquess of Waterford. Its creation is the sole instance of the law of the Kingdom of Ireland recognizing a peerage by writ.-The origin of the title:...
of Curraghmore (later the 1st Earl of Tyrone
Earl of Tyrone
The Earl of Tyrone is a title created three times in the Peerage of Ireland.It was first created as part of the Tudor attempt to establish a uniform social structure in Ireland by converting the Gaelic kings and chiefs into hereditary nobles of the Kingdom of Ireland...
) (1630- 14 October 1690).
Marriages and issue
Her ambitious uncle, Baron Le Poer wanting to unite the Curraghmore and Dromana estates, arranged a marriage between Katherine and his own son and heir, John. On 20 May 1673, Katherine and John were married by Gilbert SheldonGilbert Sheldon
Gilbert Sheldon was an English Archbishop of Canterbury.-Early life:He was born in Stanton, Staffordshire in the parish of Ellastone, on 19 July 1598, the youngest son of Roger Sheldon; his father worked for Gilbert Talbot, 7th Earl of Shrewsbury. He was educated at Trinity College, Oxford; he...
, Archbishop of Canterbury
Archbishop of Canterbury
The Archbishop of Canterbury is the senior bishop and principal leader of the Church of England, the symbolic head of the worldwide Anglican Communion, and the diocesan bishop of the Diocese of Canterbury. In his role as head of the Anglican Communion, the archbishop leads the third largest group...
in his chapel at Lambeth Palace
Lambeth Palace
Lambeth Palace is the official London residence of the Archbishop of Canterbury in England. It is located in Lambeth, on the south bank of the River Thames a short distance upstream of the Palace of Westminster on the opposite shore. It was acquired by the archbishopric around 1200...
. She was three months short of her 13th birthday, and John was a boy of eight. That same year, her uncle was created 1st Earl of Tyrone and Viscount Decies by King Charles. Two years later, Katherine, who had not wanted to marry her eight-year old cousin John Le Poer, appealed to the Archbishop to grant her an annulment on the grounds that she had not freely consented to the marriage.
In March 1677, Katherine eloped and married an officer, Brigadier-General, Hon. Edward Villiers
Edward FitzGerald-Villiers
Edward FitzGerald-Villiers , was an English soldier in Ireland.He was the eldest son of George Villiers, 4th Viscount Grandison and his wife Mary, daughter of Francis Leigh, 1st Earl of Chichester. In 1677 he married the heiress Katherine FitzGerald, through whom he gained substantial property in...
, the son of George Villiers, 4th Viscount Grandison and Mary Leigh, and a cousin of Barbara Villiers, the notorious and powerful mistress of King Charles. Following her clandestine marriage to Edward, there ensued a lengthy legal battle, which Katherine eventually won, due to the help from Edward's influential cousin, Barbara. Her marriage to Edward Villiers was thus declared legal and valid, while her uncle was forced to give back her lands and renounce the title of Viscount Decies.
John Le Poer, her erstwhile husband later succeeded to the title of 2nd Earl of Tyrone in October 1690.
An artist, who was a follower of court painter Sir Peter Lely, painted her portrait between 1685 and 1690. The portrait, which is in a private art collection, shows Katherine to have been slender, with auburn hair and fair skin.
Together Katherine and Edward had three children:
- Mary Villiers (died 24 December 1725), married Hon. William Steuart, a relative of her stepfather.
- Harriet Villiers (died 21 October 1736), married Robert Pitt, by whom she had a son, William Pitt, 1st Earl of ChathamWilliam Pitt, 1st Earl of ChathamWilliam Pitt, 1st Earl of Chatham PC was a British Whig statesman who led Britain during the Seven Years' War...
- John FitzGerald Villiers, 5th Viscount Grandison, and 1st Earl Grandison (1684- 14 May 1766), married Frances Cary, by whom he had issue.
Edward died in 1693, and she married her third husband, General William Steuart, Commander-in-Chief of Queen Anne's forces in Ireland, and a Member of the Irish Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
for County Waterford. This marriage was childless.
Shortly after the death of her former father-in-law, Viscount Grandison, Katherine was granted the rank of Viscountess by Royal Warrant
Royal Warrant
Royal warrants of appointment have been issued for centuries to those who supply goods or services to a royal court or certain royal personages. The warrant enables the supplier to advertise the fact that they supply to the royal family, so lending prestige to the supplier...
issued by King William III of England
William III of England
William III & II was a sovereign Prince of Orange of the House of Orange-Nassau by birth. From 1672 he governed as Stadtholder William III of Orange over Holland, Zeeland, Utrecht, Guelders, and Overijssel of the Dutch Republic. From 1689 he reigned as William III over England and Ireland...
on 6 January 1700.
Death
She died insane almost 26 years later in London on 26 December 1725, aged 65. She was buried in Westminster AbbeyWestminster Abbey
The Collegiate Church of St Peter at Westminster, popularly known as Westminster Abbey, is a large, mainly Gothic church, in the City of Westminster, London, United Kingdom, located just to the west of the Palace of Westminster. It is the traditional place of coronation and burial site for English,...
. General William Steaurt married Eliza Alston several months after Katherine's death.