John Butler, 1st Earl of Gowran

John Butler, Earl of Gowran (1643–1677) was an MP in the Irish Parliament before being created Earl of Gowran in 1676.

John Butler
Earl of Gowran
Born	1643 probably at Kilkenny Castle
Died	August 1677 Paris
Family	Butler dynasty
Spouse(s)	Anne Chichester
Father	James Butler, 1st Duke of Ormond
Mother	Elizabeth Preston

Birth and origins

John was born in 1643, probably at Kilkenny Castle, as the sixth child of James Butler and his wife Elizabeth Preston. His father was the 1st Duke of Ormond. His father's family, the Butler dynasty, was Old English and descended from Theobald Walter, who had been appointed Chief Butler of Ireland by King Henry II in 1177.[1] Thomas's mother was a second cousin once removed of his father. She was the heiress of Richard Preston, 1st Earl of Desmond. His parents had married on Christmas Day 1629.[2]

Family tree

John Butler with wife, parents, and other selected relatives. His marriage was childless. James 9th Earl 1496–1546 Joan FitzGerald d. 1565 Thomas 10th Earl c. 1531 – 1614 Black Tom Elizabeth Sheffield John of Kilcash d. 1570 Elizabeth Butler c. 1585 – 1628 Richard Preston 1st Earl Desmond d. 1628) Walter 11th Earl 1559 – 1633 'Beads' Thomas Viscount Thurles bef. 1596 – 1619 Elizabeth Pointz 1587–1673 Elizabeth Preston 1615–1684 James 1st Duke 1610–1688 Richard of Kilcash 1615–1701 Thomas 6th Earl Ossory 1633–1680 John 1st Earl Gowran 1643–1677 Anne Chichester Walter of Garryricken d. 1700 James 2nd Duke Ormond 1665–1745 Charles 1st Earl Arran 1671–1758 Thomas of Garryricken d. 1738 John de jure 15th Earl d. 1766 Legend XXX John Butler XXX Earls & dukes of Ormond This family tree is partly derived from the condensed Butler family tree pictured in Dunboyne.[3] Also see the lists of siblings in the text.

John was one of 10 siblings, but five died in childhood.[4]

John listed among his siblings

He appears among his siblings as the fourth child: Thomas (1634–1680), who predeceased his father, but left a son who would become the 2nd Duke;[5] Richard (1639–1686), who was the first and last Earl of Arran of the 1662 creation and predeceased his father;[6] Elizabeth (1640–1665), who married Philip Stanhope, 2nd Earl of Chesterfield[7] and had affairs with James Hamilton[8] and the Duke of York;[9] John (1643–1677); and Mary (1646–1710), who married William Cavendish, 1st Duke of Devonshire.[10]

In Parliament

On 20 August 1662, during the Irish Parliament (1661–1666), the only one held in the reign of Charles II (1660–1685), he replaced his brother Thomas as the member (MP) for Trinity College as Thomas had been summoned to the House of Lords by a writ of acceleration as Earl of Ossory and could therefore not sit any more in the House of Commons.[11]

Marriage and children

He married Lady Anne Chichester, only daughter of Arthur Chichester, 1st Earl of Donegall.[12]

Later life

On 13 April 1676 John Butler was created Baron Aghrim, Viscount Clonmore and Earl of Gowran, all in the Peerage of Ireland.

Death

He travelled to Paris for the recovery of his health but died there in August 1677, aged about 34.[13]

He left no issue and his titles died with him.

Notes and references

1. Debrett 1828, p. 640: "THEOBALD LE BOTELER on whom that office [Chief Butler of Ireland] was conferred by King Henry II., 1177 ..."
2. Airy 1886, p. 53, line 2: "... the marriage took place on Christmas of the same year [1629] ..."
3. Dunboyne 1968, pp. 16–17: "Butler Family Tree condensed"
4. Perceval-Maxwell 2004, p. 130, right column, line 3: "... between 1632 and 1646 Elizabeth ... gave birth to eight sons including Richard Butler, five of whom died as children, and two daughters."
5. Cokayne 1895, p. 150: "THOMAS BUTLER, styled Earl of Ossory ('the gallant Ossory') 2d but 1st surv. s. and h. app., b. at Kilkenny 5 July 1634 ..."
6. Burke 1949, p. 1540, right column, line 31: "RICHARD, cr. 13 May 1662 Baron Butler, Viscount of Tullogh and EARL OF ARRAN ..."
7. Debrett 1828, p. 114, bottom: "PHILIP, 2nd earl m. 1st Anne, da. of Algernon Percy, earl of Northumberland; 2ndly Elizabeth, da. of James Butler, duke of Ormond; and 3rd ..."
8. Hamilton 1888, p. 181: "Hamilton, therefore was no further embarrassed than to preserve Lady Chesterfield's reputation, who, in his opinion, declared herself rather too openly in his favour ..."
9. Pepys 1893, p. 360: "He tells me also how the Duke of York is smitten in love with my Lady Chesterfield (a virtuous Lady, daughter of my Lord Ormond); and so much, that the duchess of York hath complained to the king and her father about it, and my Lady Chesterfield is gone into the country for it."
10. Burke 1949, p. 1540, right column, line 43: "Mary m. 1st Duke of Devonshire, K.G., and d. 31 July 1710, leaving issue."
11. House of Commons 1878, p. 615: "1662 / 20 Aug. / Lord John Butler vice Earl of Ossory, summoned by writ to the House of Peers. / ditto [Dublin University]"
12. Cokayne 1892, p. 64: "He m., Jan. 1674, Anne, da. and coheir of Arthur (CHICHESTER) 1st EARL of DONEGALL ..."
13. Lodge 1789, p. 57, line 10: "... but his Lordship [John] travelling to Paris for the recovery of his health, died there in August 1677, leaving no issue, whereby the titles ceased."

• Airy, Osmund (1886), "Butler, James, twelfth Earl and first Duke of Ormonde (1610–1688)", in Lee, Sidney (ed.), Dictionary of National Biography, 8, New York: MacMillan and Co., pp. 52–60
• Burke, Bernard (1949), A Genealogical and Heraldic Dictionary of the Peerage and Baronetage of the British Empire (99th ed.), London: Burke's Peerage Ltd.
• Cokayne, George Edward (1892), The complete peerage of England, Scotland, Ireland, Great Britain and the United Kingdom, extant, extinct, or dormant, 4 (1st ed.), London: George Bell and Sons – G to K (for Gowran)
• Cokayne, George Edward (1895), The complete peerage of England, Scotland, Ireland, Great Britain and the United Kingdom, extant, extinct, or dormant, 6 (1st ed.), London: George Bell and Sons – N to R (for Ormond)
• Debrett, John (1828), Peerage of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, 1 (17th ed.), London: F. C. and J. Rivington - England
• Dunboyne, Patrick Theobald Tower Butler, Baron (1968), Butler Family History (2nd ed.), Kilkenny: Rothe House
• Hamilton, Anthony (1888), Memoirs of Count Grammont, translated by Walpole, Horace, Philadelphia: Gebbie & Co
• House of Commons (1878), "Members of Parliament", Parliamentary Papers, London: H. M. Stationery Office, 62
• Lodge, John (1789), The Peerage of Ireland, 4, Dublin: James Moore – Viscounts (for Mountgarrett)
• Pepys, Samuel (1893), Wheatley, Henry Benjamin (ed.), The Diary of Samuel Pepys, 2, London: George Bell & Sons – 1 April 1661 to 31 December 1661
• Perceval-Maxwell, Michael (2004), "Butler [née Preston] Elizabeth, duchess of Ormond and suo jure Lady Dingwall (1615–1684)", in Matthew, Henry Colin Gray.; Harrison, Brian (eds.), Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, 9, New York: Oxford University Press, pp. 130–131, ISBN 0-19-861359-8 (for his mother)