Butler, Edmund

Butler, Edmund (c.1431–1499), 8th lord of Dunboyne and seneschal of Tipperary, was second of five sons of James, 6th lord, and his wife Morina, an Ó Briain of Thomond, and succeeded to his father's lands in 1459, on the death of his brother William. Previously, he had inherited his father's estates in Tipperary and had been knighted in September 1451. During the 1450s Butler increased his holding somewhat and occasionally acted in an official capacity on behalf of his brother and James Butler (qv), 5th earl of Ormond, being appointed seneschal of the liberty sometime before October 1456. His relations with the Dublin administration were less cordial, and he was twice attainted in the Irish parliament (October 1455, July 1459). These attainders were reversed, but he received another in January 1463 for his support of the rebellion of John Butler (qv), 6th earl of Ormond. Butler was pardoned in November 1465 for good service to the crown against the Gaelic Irish, and seems to have prospered in the next decade, marrying Catherine Butler of Buolick. He had been confirmed in his position as seneschal of Tipperary by Ormond (June 1463). He probably exercised the authority of seneschal till his death, whether the liberty of Tipperary existed or not, and possibly without the official recognition of Earl Thomas (qv) after 1477. He regularly attended parliament and seems to have been on good terms with the earls of Kildare, but did not support the pretender Lambert Simnel (qv). In the 1490s Butler supported Earl Thomas's nephew and deputy, Sir James Ormond (qv), against Sir Piers Butler (qv) and the 8th earl of Kildare (qv). He served with Sir Edward Poynings (qv) against the pretender Perkin Warbeck (qv). When Butler died in the winter of 1498–9 he was succeeded as seneschal by his son James, but by this time the balance of power within the Ormond lordship had passed to Sir Piers Butler, who became seneschal of the liberty in 1505.