John Butler, 6th Earl of Ormond

John Butler, 6th Earl of Ormond (died 14 December 1476) was considered one of the first gentlemen of the age in which he lived. He was an ambassador to the most important courts of Europe.

Family

John Butler, 6th Earl of Ormond was the second son of James Butler, 4th Earl of Ormond, by his first wife, Joan de Beauchamp (d. 3 or 5 August 1430). He had an elder brother, James Butler, 5th Earl of Ormond, and a younger brother, Thomas Butler, 7th Earl of Ormond, as well as two sisters, Elizabeth Butler, who married John Talbot, 2nd Earl of Shrewsbury, and Anne Butler (d. 4 January 1435), who was contracted to marry Thomas FitzGerald, 7th Earl of Desmond, although the marriage appears not to have taken place. ^[1]

Career

He was restored to the earldom by Edward IV after having been attainted for his part in the Battle of Towton.

Edward IV is reported to have said that "if good breeding and liberal qualities were lost in the world, they might be all found in the Earl of Ormond". He was a complete master of the languages of Europe, and was sent as ambassador to its principal courts.

Marriage and children

Ellis says that 'according to family tradition, Ormond died unmarried in the Holy Land, on pilgrimage, before 15 June 1477, possibly on 14 December 1476'.^[2] By his mistress Reynalda O'Brien, daughter of Turlogh "The Brown" O'Brien, King of Thomond, he had three illegitimate sons:^[3]

• Sir James Ormond (1462-1497).^[4][2][3]
• John Ormond (1462-October 5, 1503),^[3] who married the heiress Joan Chaworth (d.1507), by whom he had three daughters.^[5]
• Edward Ormond, (b.1450)^[3]

He was succeeded by his younger brother, Thomas Butler, 7th Earl of Ormond.^[2]

See also

• Butler dynasty

Notes

References

• Ellis, Steven G. (2004). "Ormond, Sir James (d. 1497)". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/20841.  (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
• Ellis, Steven G. (2004). "Butler, John, sixth earl of Ormond (d. 1476/7)". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/4195.  (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
• Richardson, Douglas (2011). Everingham, Kimball G., ed. Magna Carta Ancestry: A Study in Colonial and Medieval Families. I (2nd ed.). Salt Lake City. p. 382. ISBN 1449966373.