ENGLISH RULE IN IRELAND, C.1272-C.1315: ASPECTS OF ROYAL AND ARISTOCRATIC LORDSHIP Beth Hartland The copyright of this thesis rests with the author. No quotation from it should be published in any form, including Electronic and the Internet, without the author's prior written consent. All information derived from this thesis must be acknowledged appropriately. Submitted to the University of Durham for the degree of Ph.D. May, 2001 22 MAR 2002 English Rule in Ireland, c.1272-c.1315: Aspects of Royal and Aristocratic Lordship Beth Hartland Submitted to the University of Durham for the degree of Ph.D., May 2001. Abstract This thesis explores the theme of English lordship in Ireland between 1272 and 1315 from various, new angles. English lordship is examined from a wide perspective, taking the overall careers and landholdings of lords, royal and aristocratic, into consideration. This is in contrast to the dominant strand in the historiography of medieval Ireland which focuses almost exclusively on the lordship of Ireland itself. Where previous work has concentrated on formal structures of administration, the thesis examines other mechanisms of English lordship in Ireland employed in this period by the king, English earls and lesser nobility. This thesis maintains that the lordship of both the king of England and other English landholders in Ireland was a balanced affair. Most English lords valued their Irish lands primarily for the revenue which they generated, but their lordship had positive characteristics too. For example, the king in effect focused most of the patronage resources of Ireland upon his Anglo-Irish subjects. In addition, he sent important English household knights to hold key offices (and subsequently land) in the lordship, thereby creating personal bonds between the Dublin administration and the English court. Lesser English landholders primarily contributed to English rule in Ireland through the defence of their lands. Defence of the substantial liberties of Carlow, Kilkenny and Wexford did not usually necessitate the presence of their English lords due to their sophisticated, multi-layered and militarily active administrations. Prominent English lords with Irish lands maintained links with the lordship of Ireland through the employment of various classes of administrators. (This demonstrates that links between England and Ireland were not only multi-faceted at the royal level). Whilst English rule in Thomond depended on the military presence of its de Clare lord, English lordship in Leinster was still practicable and profitable at a distance between 1272 and 1315. No part of this work, which falls within the statutory word limit, has previously been submitted for a degree in this or any other university. The copyright of this thesis rests with the author. No quotation from it should be published without her prior written consent and information derived from it should be acknowledged. At the discretion of the librarian of the University of Durham, this thesis may (i) be made available to bonafide scholars (ii) be photocopied wholly or in part for consultation outside Durham. Acknowledgements I would like to thank the British Academy for fimding this project. I also wish to thank my supervisor, Professor Robin Frame, for guidance, patience in reading the thesis in various earlier and less digestible forms, and for generosity in the lending of primary and secondary material necessary for the completion of this research. Debts of thanks are also due to Pat Musset of Durham Cathedral Muniments whom I consulted on a few sticky points of Latin translation and to Dr. Philomena Connolly of the National Archives of Ireland, Dublin for her help during my research trip to Ireland. Last, but by no means least, I wish to thank my family, and those friends, both within and without the History Department, who have provided me with encouragement and support during the last four years. Contents Abbreviations p.iv Introduction p.1 Part One Chapter 1 Petitions and patronage: connections in word and kind p.18 (A) Petitions p.21 (i) Parliamentary petitions p.24 (ii) Non-parliamentary petitions p.30 (iii) Intermediary petitions p.32 (B) Patronage (i) The service equation p.38 (ii) Land (a) Permanent grants p.44 (b) Custodies p.48 (iii) Ecclesiastical benefices p.52 Chapter 2 Household knights: the king's agents in Ireland p.61 (A) Knights of the main household (i) Office-holding p.62 (ii) Military operations p.74 (B) Knights of 'the king's household' in Ireland p.79 (i) Nature of retention p.80 (ii) Military operations p.86 (iii) Office-holding p.89 Part Two Chapter 3 English lords as landholders in Ireland: absent or p.92 'absentee'? (A) English magnate rule in Leinster: the extent of personal involvement (i) The lords of Carlow p.94 (ii) The lords of Kilkenny p.98 (iii) The lords of Wexford p.101 (B) The de Clare lords of Thomond: king's agents by p.104 another name (C) Lesser English lords and rule in Ireland: contrasting p.109 patterns Chapter 4 The personnel of administration: English lords' estate p.123 officials in Ireland (A) The resident officers: seneschals, treasurers and members of the council (i) The seneschals p.125 (ii) The treasurers or receivers p.144 (iii) The council p.148 (B) The travelling officials: messengers, attorneys and auditors (i) Messengers p.154 (ii) Attorneys p.158 (iii) Auditors and accountability p.163 (a) Frequency of audit p.164 (b) Identity of auditors of (i) manorial accounts p.166 (ii) liberty accounts p.167 Chapter 5 The military exercise of English rule in Ireland p.175 (A) Dealings with the Irish p.177 (i) Leinster p.178 (ii) Thomond p.182 (B) Military defence p.184 (i) Leinster p.185 (ii) Thomond p.195 Conclusion p.206 Appendix 1 Petitions and patronage related to the lordship of Ireland, c.1272-c.May 1315 (i) Parliamentary petitions p.214 (ii) Non-parliamentary petitions p.221 (iii) Intermediary petitions p.231 (iv) Grants of patronage p.233 Appendix 2 The reliability of inquisitions post mortem p.248 Appendix 3 (A) Seneschals and sheriffs of Leinster, showing the probable locations of their land-holding (i) Liberty and county of Carlow, c.1272-c.1316 p.257 (ii) Liberty and county of Kildare, c. 1272-c. 1316 p.258 (iii) Liberty of Kilkenny, c.1272-c.1316 p.259 (iv) Liberty of Wexford, c. 1272-c. 1326 p.260 (B) Other administrative posts held by the seneschals of the liberties of Leinster (i) Carlow (ii) Kildare p.262 (iii) Kilkenny (iv) Wexford p.263 (C) Treasurers and receivers of the liberties and counties of Leinster (i) Carlow (ii) Kildare (iii) Kilkenny (iv) Wexford p.264 (D) Employment of messengers in relation to the liberty p.265 of Carlow, c.1280-1294 (E) Evidence of possible auditing among the accounts p.268 of the liberty of Carlow, 1279-1294 Bibliography p.272 11 List of tables Table 1 Numbers of petitions relating to Ireland, c.1272-c.May p.23 1315 Table 2 Distribution of requests brought to parliament in England p.24 Table 3 Types of request p.26 Table 4 Make-up of parliamentary petitions p.27 Table 5 Make-up of non-parliamentary petitions p.31 Table 6 Locations of patronage rewarded service p.40 Table 7 Value of lay escheats retained by the king in Ireland p.50 Table 8 Other offices held by household knights p.66 Table 9 Sums paid to knights of 'the king's household' in Ireland p.84 Table 10 Offices held by Thomas de Clare in Ireland p.105 Table 11 Lesser English lords and their participation in Ireland, p.111 c. 1272-c. 13 18 Table 12 Payments towards the knight service of Ireland, c.1272- p.189 1315 Table 13 Contributions to local subsidies, c. 1272-1315 p.191 List of maps and diagrams Map 1 Key places mentioned in text p.17 Map 2 Irish districts of Leinster c.1297 p.96 Map 3 Liberty of Carlow p.130 Map 4 Royal service in Leinster 1272-1314 p.19O Map 5 Thomond c.1297 p.197 Diagram 1 Distribution of non-parliamentary petitions, c. 1272-c. 1315 p.30 Diagram 2 The allegiances of the O'Briens p.182 111 Abbreviations Admin. Ire. The Administration of Ireland 1172-1377 AH34 (1987) Philomena Connolly, 'Irish material in the class of ancient petitions' AH 36 (1995) C81 Philomena Connolly, 'Irish material in the class of chancery warrants' AH36 (1995), mem Philomena Connolly, 'List of entries on the memoranda rolls of the English exchequer' Annals of Ross The Annals of Ireland by Friar John Clyn and Thady Dowling, together with the annals of Ross ed. Richard Butler (Dublin, 1840) BIHR Bulletin of the Institute of Historical Research BBCS Bulletin of the Board of Celtic Studies CCR Calendar of close rolls CDI 1252-1307 Calendar of documents relating to Ireland, 1252-1307 CFR Calendar offIne rolls Clyn, Annals The Annals of Ireland by Friar John Clyn and Thady Dowling, together with the annals of Ross ed. Richard Butler (Dublin, 1840) CJR, i-ui Calendar ofjusticiary rolls Ireland, 1295-1314 CMCS Cambridge Medieval Celtic Studies Complete Peerage Cokayne, Complete Peerage of Great Britain and the United Kingdom Cosgrove ed. NHIii A. Cosgrove ed. A New History of Ireland ii Medieval Ireland 1169- 1534 (Oxford, 1987) CPR Calendar ofpatent rolls CVCR Calendar of various chancery rolls 20, 35-9, 42DKR 20th, 35th-39th, 42nd reports of the deputy keeper ofpublic records in Ire land DNB Dictionary of National Biography Doc. Aff Ire. Documents on the affairs of Ireland lv Dowling, Annals The Annals of Ireland by Friar John Clyn and Thady Dowling, together with the annals of Ross ed.