John Butler, 1st Earl of Gowran

John Butler, Earl of Gowran (1643–1677) was an MP in the Irish Parliament 1661–1666 before being created Earl of Gowran in 1676. He married but died childless.

John Butler
Earl of Gowran
Tenure	1676–1677
Born	1643 Dublin
Died	August 1677 Paris
Spouse(s)	Anne Chichester
Father	James Butler, 1st Duke of Ormond
Mother	Elizabeth Preston

Birth and origins

John was born in 1643 in Dublin, the sixth child of James Butler and his wife Elizabeth Preston. At the time his father was the 1st Marquess of Ormond, but he would later become the 1st Duke. His father's family, the Butler dynasty, were Old English.

Family tree

John Butler with wife, parents, and other selected relatives. Richard Preston 1st Earl Desmond d. 1628 Elizabeth Butler c. 1585 – 1628 Thomas Viscount Thurles d. 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 Subject of the article XXX Earls & dukes of Ormond

John's mother was his father's second cousin once removed. She was a rich heiress, the only child of Richard Preston, 1st Earl of Desmond. His parents had married on Christmas Day 1629. John was one of 10 siblings, but five died in childhood. See Thomas, Richard, and Elizabeth.

Early years

John was born in Dublin where his mother had rejoined his father in 1642 after the Confederates allowed her to leave Kilkenny Castle. In 1647 he was then taken by his parents to England when his father handed Dublin over to the Parliamentarians. In 1648 his mother took him and his siblings to Caen in Normandy, France, while his father stayed somewhat longer in England. His father then also fled to France and was employed by the king in Paris and on international missions. In 1652 the family in Caen ran out of money and his mother went with the children to London and obtained some help from Cromwell. In 1655 she moved to Ireland and lived with her children at Dunmore near Kilkenny. At the restoration, their father rejoined them in Ireland.

In parliament

On 20 August 1662, during the Irish Parliament (1661–1666), the only one held in the reign of Charles II (1660–1685), John 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.

Dublin Castle on fire

In 1671 John, together with his cousin Anthony Hamilton, saved Dublin Castle from destruction by fire.

Marriage

In January 1674 John married Lady Anne Chichester, only daughter of Arthur Chichester, 1st Earl of Donegall. His marriage stayed childless.

Later life

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

Death

Gowran, as he now was, travelled to Paris for the recovery of his health but died there in August 1677, aged about 34. He left no issue and his titles disappeared with him.

Notes and references

Sources

• Airy, Osmund (1886). "Butler, James, twelfth Earl and first Duke of Ormonde (1610–1688)". In Lee, Sidney (ed.). Dictionary of National Biography. Vol. VIII. New York: MacMillan and Co. pp. 52–60. OCLC 8544105.
• Burke, Bernard; Burke, Ashworth Peter (1915). A Genealogical and Heraldic History of the Peerage and Baronetage, the Privy Council, Knightage and Companionage (77th ed.). London: Harrison. OCLC 1155471554.
• Carte, Thomas (1851) [1st pub. 1736]. The Life of James Duke of Ormond. Vol. III (New ed.). Oxford: Oxford University Press. OCLC 1086656347. – 1643 to 1660
• Cokayne, George Edward (1889). Complete Peerage of England, Scotland, Ireland, Great Britain and the United Kingdom, Extant, Extinct, or Dormant. Vol. II (1st ed.). London: George Bell and Sons. – Bra to C (for Butler)
• Cokayne, George Edward (1892). Complete Peerage of England, Scotland, Ireland, Great Britain and the United Kingdom, Extant, Extinct, or Dormant. Vol. IV (1st ed.). London: George Bell and Sons. OCLC 1180828941. – G to K (for Gowran)
• Cokayne, George Edward (1895). Complete Peerage of England, Scotland, Ireland, Great Britain and the United Kingdom, Extant, Extinct, or Dormant. Vol. VI (1st ed.). London: George Bell and Sons. OCLC 1180818801. – N to R (for Ormond)
• Debrett, John (1828). Peerage of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. Vol. I (17th ed.). London: F. C. and J. Rivington. OCLC 54499602. – England
• Dunboyne, Patrick Theobald Tower Butler, Baron (1968). Butler Family History (2nd ed.). Kilkenny: Rothe House.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
• Goodwin, Gordon (1908). "Introduction". In Goodwin, Gordon (ed.). Memoirs of Count Grammont. Vol. I. Edinburgh: John Grant. pp. vii–xxxii. OCLC 1048813157.
• House of Commons (1878). Return. Members of Parliament – Part II. Parliaments of Great Britain, 1705–1796. Parliaments of the United Kingdom, 1801–1874. Parliaments and Conventions of the Estates of Scotland, 1357–1707. Parliaments of Ireland, 1599–1800. London: His/Her Majesty's Stationery Office. OCLC 13112546.
• Lodge, John (1789). Archdall, Mervyn (ed.). The Peerage of Ireland or, A Genealogical History of the Present Nobility of that Kingdom. Vol. IV. Dublin: James Moore. OCLC 264906028. – Viscounts (for Mountgarrett)
• Ó Ciardha, Éamonn (October 2009). McGuire, James; Quinn, James (eds.). "Hamilton, Anthony (Antoine)". Dictionary of Irish Biography. Retrieved 23 April 2023.
• 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. Vol. 9. New York: Oxford University Press. pp. 130–131. ISBN 0-19-861359-8. (for his mother)