Bermingham, Walter (d. 1350), lord of Carbury and justiciar of Ireland, was eldest son of William de Bermingham (qv), lord of Carbury, by his first wife. He took part in the campaign against Brian Ó Briain (qv) in Munster in the summer of 1330 and was knighted by William de Burgh (qv), earl of Ulster, on 21 July at Moyaliff, Co. Tipperary. He remained closely associated with his father's affairs over the next two years and probably took part in many of the raids led by William against both Irish and English.
After the indictment of his father at Clonmel in February 1332 Walter was also arrested, though no mention was made of him in the charges. He was imprisoned with his father in Dublin castle and was involved in the abortive escape attempt that led to William's execution. He escaped capital punishment by pleading benefit of clergy; he was found to be literate and therefore returned to prison till claimed by a bishop. In November 1333 the justiciar was ordered to allow Walter bail in order that he might travel to England to answer for his conduct before the king. He was released in February 1334 and petitioned Edward III for the return of his father's lands. Edward decided on clemency: Walter was to be rehabilitated and restored to royal favour.
His marriage (c.1334) to Elizabeth Multon, widow of Roger Haverington, began that process. The union brought him lands in Limerick and extensive estates in England. By 4 April 1335 his inheritance was conditionally restored, and between 23 August and 15 October the same year, he served with the king in Scotland. Finally, on 26 March 1337, after a petition in the English parliament and sureties for his good behaviour from the justiciar, John Darcy (qv), and others in the Irish administration, he was fully reinstated. Over the next few years he regularly travelled to and from his estates on both sides of the Irish Sea.
He became closely associated with the justiciar Ralph Ufford (qv) and was appointed to the king's Irish council in 1344, receiving substantial remuneration. The following year he supplied troops for Ufford's campaigns and was undoubtedly present during the expeditions in Munster against his father's old ally, the earl of Desmond (qv), and in Leinster against the MacMurroughs. When Ralph died in the spring of 1346, Walter was brought to England, appointed justiciar (10 May), and returned to Dublin with an armed retinue at the end of June. From August he was in eyre in Munster trying to bring some semblance of order to the province and at the same time, at Tralee, procuring more evidence for the charges against Desmond. He spent much of the winter in Kildare, linked up with the young earl, Maurice fitz Thomas FitzGerald (qv), and successfully defended the county against raids by the O'Mores, O'Connors, and O'Dempseys. He was also instructed to negotiate with John of the Isles to bring the Scottish war to a conclusion.
In 1347 Walter was the first justiciar in almost a generation to visit Connacht; he also appears to have been active in Carlow. In the same year he controversially confiscated the lordship of Trim for alleged misgovernment. On 13 November he was summoned to the Hilary parliament at Westminster, which carried out a review of the Irish administration. Returning to Ireland in late April 1348, he was active again in Munster, this time campaigning against the MacCarthys. In the same year, according to the Annals of Ireland, he was created baron of Kells as a reward for the assistance he gave to Ufford. However, this was neither a grant in perpetuity nor did it involve a hereditary title: it was merely the temporary custody of the manor of Kells. He was officially replaced as justiciar on 27 October 1349, though his successor had been acting in that capacity earlier in the month (3 October). He died in England in 1350, though two dates are given for his death: 19 July according to the Annals of Ireland and 10 August in administrative records. His marriage produced two children: Walter (b. c.29 June 1339) and Margaret, who married Robert Preston (qv).
After an unpromising start to his career he was carefully handled by Edward III and served the king loyally. His English wife gave him respectability and an entry into English society. In 1346, given circumstances on the Continent, the king had no choice but to appoint a native-born governor, and Walter was the only viable choice as justiciar among the Anglo-Irish nobility. An active administrator, he continued the thrust of Ufford's agenda. However, his period in office lacked the abrasiveness so characteristic of his predecessor and he was not allowed the same latitude in decision-making; he also lacked his resources.