Beresford, David

Payne, John (c.1430–1507), bishop of Meath and master of the rolls, was an Anglo-Irish Dominican who studied theology at Oxford, where his doctorate in theology was incorporated in 1473. Elected as the prior of the English province of his order (27 March 1474), he was…

Poynings, Sir Edward (1459–1521), lord deputy, was born in 1459, probably in Southwark, the son of Robert Poynings and his wife Elizabeth, daughter of William Paston. From a young age he experienced the harsh side of English politics. His father took part in Cade's rebellion, and was…

Prene, John (c.1395–1443), archbishop of Armagh, was perhaps a nephew of John Prene, archdeacon of Meath. He studied at Oxford for seven years (he had a bachelorate of canon and civil law at the time he went to Rome in 1428), then returned to Ireland and entered the service…

Preston, Christopher (c.1355–1422), lord of Gormanston, was son of Sir Robert Preston (qv) and his wife Margaret, daughter of Walter de Bermingham (qv), and succeeded to his father's lands in 1396. One…

Ralph of Norwich (a.1200–p.1258), priest and royal official, began his connection with Ireland in May 1216, when he was sent as a messenger to the justiciar, Geoffrey de Marisco (qv), from the king. In the next…

Rawson, John (c.1470–a.1547), Viscount Clontarff , prior of Kilmainham, treasurer of Ireland, was eldest son of Richard Rawson, member of the Mercer's Company, sheriff and alderman of London, and Isabella Craford. He joined the Hospitallers sometime between 1492…

Richard II (1367–1400), king of England, was second son and heir of Edward, prince of Wales, and his wife Joan, daughter of Edmund, earl of Kent, and ascended the throne after the death of his grandfather Edward III (June 1377). His minority was marked by unrest culminating in the…

Richard of York (1411–60), duke of York , earl of March and Ulster , lieutenant of Ireland, was son of Richard, earl of Cambridge, grandson of Edward III, and his wife Anne, daughter of Roger Mortimer (qv), 4th earl of March, and was the…

Roche, Gerald de la (c.1200–1262), son of David fitz Robert, first appears in the record of the Irish lordship in 1229 in connection with a legal dispute over his lands. His father had been granted lands in Wicklow, which Gerald inherited after his father's death,…

Rochfort, Simon (a. 1165–1224), bishop of Meath, was the first Englishman to be elected to that see, and the first bishop to style himself ‘bishop of Meath’. Little or nothing is known of his career before he came to Ireland, but he probably served as a royal clerk for…

Rokeby, William (d. 1521), archbishop of Dublin and chancellor of Ireland, was a son of John Rokeby of Kirk Sandal, Yorkshire, England. At Cambridge he graduated BCnL in 1490 and was incorporated doctor in canon law five years later. He…

Scrope, Stephen (c.1355–1408), justice and deputy lieutenant of Ireland, was third son of Richard, Lord Scrope of Bolton, and his wife Blanche, daughter of Sir William de la Pole, and became connected to Ireland late in the reign of …

Scrope, William (c.1350–1399), earl of Wiltshire , justiciar, eldest son of Richard, Lord Scrope of Bolton, and his wife Blanche, daughter of Sir William de la Pole, became associated with Ireland in the latter years of the reign of …

Sherwood, William (c.1401–1482), bishop of Meath, chancellor, and deputy lieutenant of Ireland, was a native of the diocese of York who studied canon law at Bologna (D.Cn.L., Oct. 1457). He returned to England, where he held some minor benefices and served as papal chaplain…

Simnel, Lambert (d. p.1534), pretender, was probably the son of Thomas Simnel of Oxford, a carpenter. He was trained by an Oxford priest, Richard or William Simon (Symonds), to impersonate Edward, earl of Warwick, a nephew of Edward IV and son and heir of George, duke of…

Skeffington, Sir William (c.1467–1535), lord deputy, was eldest son of Thomas Skeffington of Skeffington, Leicestershire, England, and his wife Mary. He appears as early as 1488 in connection with land cases in Leicestershire. In 1501 he was one of the executors of the will…

St Amand, Almaric (Amaury) (1314–81), justiciar, was son of John de St Amand and his wife Margaret, daughter of Hugh Despenser. He succeeded to his father's lands as a minor in 1330, receiving seisin in his own right in March 1335. St Amand, knighted in 1337, was an active…

Stanley, Sir John (c.1350–1414), lieutenant of Ireland, was son of William Stanley, of a Cheshire gentry family. John Stanley made a good marriage to Isabel, daughter of Sir Thomas Latham, which brought him extensive lands in Lancashire and formed the basis of his family's…

Stanley, Thomas (c.1405–1459), Lord Stanley, lord of the Isle of Man, lieutenant of Ireland, was eldest son of Sir John Stanley and his wife Isabel, daughter of Sir John Havrington of Hornby, and was grandson of Sir John Stanley…

St John, John of (d. a.1253), bishop of Ferns and treasurer of Ireland, was originally sent to Ireland (October 1212) with Walter Mauclerk, as royal clerks to supervise the Irish exchequer. Although not initially termed treasurer, St John was referred to as such on 6 April…

St Paul, John of (c.1295–1362), archbishop of Dublin and chancellor of Ireland, was probably related to the St Paul family, lords of Byrom in west Yorkshire, England. In 1330 he received a dispensation for illegitimacy, but in December 1339 he secured a declaration of…

Talbot, John (1384–1453), earl of Shrewsbury and of Waterford , second son of Richard Talbot, Lord Talbot, and Ankaret, daughter of John, Lord le Strange, was one of the foremost soldiers of his generation. He served with Henry, prince of Wales (later Henry V), in Wales; was…

Talbot, Richard (c.1386–1449), archbishop of Dublin, chancellor, and justiciar of Ireland, was third son of Richard, Lord Talbot, and Ankaret, daughter of John, Lord le Strange, and became one of the central figures in the politics of the Anglo-Irish lordship in the first…

Thomas of Lancaster (1388–1421), duke of Clarence , lieutenant of Ireland, and seneschal of England, was second son of Henry IV, and was appointed lieutenant of Ireland in July 1401 to secure a Lancastrian presence in the lordship. He arrived in Ireland in November 1401; but because…

Tiptoft, John (1427–70), earl of Worcester , lieutenant and chancellor of Ireland, was eldest son of John, Lord Tiptoft, and Joyce, daughter and coheir of John, Lord Cherleton of Powis, and stands out as one of the most educated magnates of his generation. He had rooms in the…