Netterville, Nicholas (1581–1654), 1st Viscount Netterville , politician, was the only son and heir of John Netterville of Dowth, Co. Meath, and Eleanor, daughter of Sir James Gernon (frequently called Garland) of Kilmacoole, Co. Louth. Nicholas inherited the family estates in September 1601 after the death of his father, who had sat as member of parliament for Meath in 1585–6. Described as one of the ‘most eminent and fittest’ of the Pale nobility (CSPI, 1647–60, 100), Netterville married first Eleanor (d. 1634), daughter of Sir John Bathe of Athcarne, Co. Meath; they had eight sons and five daughters. Shortly after Eleanor's death, Netterville married Mary, daughter of Alderman Brice of Drogheda, the widow of both Sir Thomas Hibbot, chancellor of the exchequer, and John Hoey, serjeant-at-arms. He was created Viscount Netterville of Dowth on 28 March 1622, an elevation complemented by the marriage of his son and heir, John (qv), to the daughter of Sir Richard Weston (later earl of Portland), chancellor of the exchequer in England. In 1627 he helped finance the planned local militia force, and in 1628 raised money to send agents to London, which culminated in the king granting concessions – the ‘graces’ – to Irish catholics. In 1632, together with Richard Nugent (qv), earl of Westmeath, and other leading catholics, Netterville sought to form an alliance with the new lord deputy, Thomas Wentworth (qv). After intensive negotiations, they believed a deal had been struck, but Wentworth rejected any form of compromise at the subsequent parliament in 1634–5.
At the outbreak of the Ulster rebellion in October 1641, Netterville and the other Pale lords applied to the lords justices for arms to protect their estates. The rejection of their appeals forced the lords to consider an alliance with the northern rebels, in a move that led eventually to the formation of the confederate association. In July 1642 Netterville burned the family castle at Ballimote, Co. Sligo, which he had extensively fortified during the 1620s, rather than let it fall into the hands of government troops advancing from Dublin. Netterville was a stalwart of the confederate executive supreme council between May 1643 and February 1646, and of the committee of instructions, advising confederate agents on their negotiations with James Butler (qv), marquess of Ormond, the royalist lord lieutenant. On the military front, Netterville served as treasurer general responsible for maintaining the confederate army of Leinster, and also sat on the provincial council. In February 1646 he helped broker a compromise with the papal nuncio, GianBattista Rinuccini (qv), over a possible peace deal with the royalists. He supported the subsequent treaty with Ormond, who proposed that the viscount continue as commissioner for the Leinster forces. The nuncio, however, successfully opposed the treaty, much to the dismay of Netterville, who attended the general assembly at the beginning of 1647 in an attempt to revive the peace deal. Age and ill-health prevented him from taking a more active role in subsequent events, although he did support the peace faction against the nuncio when civil war erupted in confederate ranks in mid 1648. Exempted from pardon by the Cromwellians in 1652, Netterville nonetheless made his peace with the new regime, living out his final years on part of the family estates. He died in 1654, and was succeeded by his son Sir John, another ardent confederate, who died in England five years later. Family fortunes revived somewhat after the restoration of Charles II, and Netterville's children recovered over 6,000 acres from the court of claims during the 1660s.