Margaret Butler, Countess of Ormond
Margaret Butler (née FitzGerald), Countess of Ormond, Countess of Ossory (c. 1473 – 9 August 1542)[1] was an Irish noblewoman and a member of the powerful and celebrated FitzGerald dynasty also known as "The Geraldines". She married Piers Butler, 8th Earl of Ormond, by whom she had three sons and six daughters.
For other people named Margaret Fitzgerald, see Margaret Fitzgerald (disambiguation).
Margaret Butler
In 1501,[2] she rebuilt Gowran Castle. In 1502, she also decorated St. Mary's Collegiate Church Gowran where her husband Sir Piers Butler's ancestors are buried including, Edmund Butler, Earl of Carrick and Lord Deputy of Ireland, his son James Butler, First Earl of Ormonde, his grandson also James Butler second Earl of Ormonde his great grandson James Butler, third Earl of Ormonde. James Butler, third Earl of Ormonde built the first castle in Gowran in 1385 and made it his main residence. He bought Kilkenny Castle in 1391. She was a patron of schools and craftsmen and also played an active role in legal affairs pertaining to the Ormond estates.[3] She is sometimes styled the Great Countess of Ormond[4] or called by her Irish name of Mairgread Gerroid. James Graves in his History of the Cathedral Church of St. Canice, Kilkenny says she was "unquestionably one of the most remarkable women of her age and country".[5]
Birth and origins[edit]
Lady Margaret was born in Ireland, the daughter of Gerald FitzGerald, 8th Earl of Kildare and his first wife Alison FitzEustace, daughter of Rowland FitzEustace, 1st Baron Portlester.[a] She had a brother Gerald FitzGerald, 9th Earl of Kildare, three sisters, Lady Eleanor Fitzgerald (ca. 1482-after 1541), Lady Alice, and Lady Eustacia; and five half-brothers from her father's later marriage to Elizabeth St. John following the death of her mother on 22 November 1495.
Her father was the premier nobleman in Ireland and he also served as Lord Deputy of Ireland during the reigns of English kings Edward IV, Edward V, Richard III, Henry VII, and Henry VIII. One of her nephews was Thomas FitzGerald, 10th Earl of Kildare, known in Irish history as "Silken Thomas"; and one of her nieces was the Countess of Lincoln, the celebrated "Fair Geraldine", by her brother Gerald's second wife, Lady Elizabeth Grey.
Margaret was also known by her Irish name of Mairgread Gerroid, or else playfully as Magheen or Little Margaret, due to her tall stature.[6]
Countess of Ormond[edit]
The earldom of Ormond was restored to Piers on 22 February 1538 after Thomas Boleyn, whose daughter Queen Anne Boleyn had been executed for High Treason in 1536, died. Prior to that date, Piers and Margaret had continued to style themselves as Earl and Countess of Ormond.
Margaret was sometimes called the "Great Countess of Ormond". She signed herself "Margaret Fitzgerald of the Geraldines", and occupied herself in legal matters regarding her family and the Ormond estates,[3] having worked with Piers in developing the estate, expanding and rebuilding manor houses. She also established Kilkenny Grammar School.[20] She urged Piers to bring over skilled weavers and artificers from Flanders and she helped establish industries for the production of carpets, tapestries and diapers (a type of cloth).[7] Margaret and her husband were responsible for having commissioned significant additions to the castles of Granagh and Ormond. They also rebuilt Gowran Castle, which had been originally constructed in 1385 by James Butler, 3rd Earl of Ormond.
Richard Stanihurst described Margaret as having been "manlike and tall of stature, liberal and bountiful, a sure friend and a bitter enemy".[21] He also credits her with having improved the standard of living in Kilkenny. Reverend James Graves said of her: "The fairest daughter of the Earl of Kildare was unquestionably one of the most remarkable women of her age and country".[21] He also claims that she was the "traditional builder of nearly every castle in the district".[21] Another chronicler considered her "a lady so politic, that nothing was thought substantially debated without her advice",[22] while another described her as "able for wisdom to rule a realm had not her stomach overruled itself".[7]
Margaret also developed a personal estate on her jointure lands, which eventually descended to her younger son, Richard, 1st Viscount Mountgarret.[22]
Her husband Piers died in 1539; Margaret was the sole executor of his will. She herself died on 9 August 1542 and was buried in St Canice's Cathedral, Kilkenny alongside Piers. Their effigies are on their tomb.