Thomas FitzWilliam, 1st Viscount Fitzwilliam (1581–1650) was an Irish nobleman of theStuart period. He was born to wealth and privilege, and acquired apeerage, but due to his loyalty to the English Crown, he suffered considerable hardship during theEnglish Civil War, and died in poverty.
He was born inDublin, probably atMerrion Castle, eldest of the five sons of Sir Richard FitzWilliam, Constable ofWicklow, and Jane Preston, who was probably a close relative (but not the daughter) of Christopher Preston, 4thViscount Gormanston.[1] The FitzWilliam family are recorded in Dublin from about 1210, and by the time of Thomas's birth they were among the wealthiest and most influential families inthe Pale.
Thomas was only fourteen when his father died. As a young man he spent some time inLondon studying law atGray's Inn. He wasknighted in 1605, the year of his marriage.
In 1608 he narrowly avoided being caught up in the rebellion of SirCahir O'Doherty, having stoodsurety for the good behaviour of O'Doherty, who had married Thomas's cousin Mary Preston.[2] A messenger arrived at Merrion Castle ordering FitzWilliam to produce the person of O'Doherty; fortunately, FitzWilliam was not at home.
He wasknighted the same year, and served asSheriff of County Dublin in 1609. In 1610 he received a substantial grant of land inCounty Armagh from the English Crown. No doubts about his loyalty to the Crown seem to have been entertained, except perhaps during the latter part of the English Civil War. In 1629 KingCharles I created himViscount FitzWilliam in recognition of his family's long record of service to the Crown.[3] It appears that a good deal was expected in return for the title, and Thomas had to make substantial gifts of money to the King. This put a particular burden on his estates since he was involved in protracted litigation with his numerous brothers and sisters, due to his father's breaking of anentail on the estates, which benefitted Thomas at the expense of his siblings. Admittedly Thomas himself had been the beneficiary of a generous Crown grant of land in Armagh. Like nearly all of his family, he inclined to theRoman Catholic faith, while adhering in public to theChurch of Ireland. Later generations of Fitzwilliams, including his son William, were quite open in their support for the Catholic religion.
When theIrish Rebellion of 1641 broke out, FitzWilliam, unlike many of the nobility of the Pale, remained loyal to the Crown, despite strong pressure from his mother's family, the Prestons of Gormanston, and particularly the military commanderThomas Preston, 1st Viscount Tara, to join theIrish Confederacy.[4] He was one of only three nobles to offer their assistance in theRoyalist defence of Dublin, and a garrison was placed in Merrion Castle. It was betrayed in June 1642 and thereafter FitzWilliam only lived there for short periods. He offered his services to theLords Justices, but despite his long record of loyalty to the Crown he was rebuffed, apparently on account of his known leanings towards the Roman Catholic religion, and he took no further part in the fighting. He spent some time in England, where the King received him courteously. He was promised an EnglishEarldom, but the promise was not kept. He returned to Ireland, only to discover that he had beenoutlawed. In his last years he led an unsettled existence, sometimes living at Merrion Castle, sometimes with his eldest son atHowth, and sometimes inLouth. At times he seems to have been almost destitute, and he wrote toJames Butler, 1st Duke of Ormonde in 1647 asking for repayment of adebt. In 1648 he was promised apension of £100 a year, but it is unclear if he ever received it.[5]
Due perhaps to the confused conditions of theEnglish Civil War, little seems to be known about the date and place of his death. Even the year of his death has been disputed, but is generally stated to be 1650. He was certainly dead before 1655 when his eldest surviving son Oliver was allowed to inherit some of the estates, though most were not restored until 1663.[6]
In 1605 he married Margaret Plunkett, daughter of Oliver Plunkett, 4thBaron Louth and his wife Frances, who was the daughter ofNicholas Bagenal and Eleanor Griffith, and sister ofHenry Bagenal and ofMabel Bagenal, Countess of Tyrone.[7] They had four sons:
His friendJames Butler, 1st Duke of Ormonde described him as a man who was "in every way faithful to his allegiance". This is especially interesting since Ormonde in later years was no friend to Fitzwilliam's son Oliver, who played a careful double game during theCromwellian era and was accused of divided loyalties.[8]
| Peerage of Ireland | ||
|---|---|---|
| New creation | Viscount FitzWilliam 1629–1650 | Succeeded by |