“There’s More To This Story Than What You Wrote”

Kinnitty Castle, Ireland

At the end of December 2024 Bud and I embarked on an epic adventure through history! I posted daily on social media, but not in the detail that I will go in to in this blog. If you are a lover of history, interested in family histories or are just a fan of my book The Gathering Room - A Tale of Nelly Butler, this blog post will interest you. Especially if you are a fan of the book, because what we came to realize once we got home from our trip, gave us both reason to marvel at the real history that my fictional story is based from.

All my life I have loved history, particularly English history and that of the interactions of the English Kings and Queens with their counterparts in Europe. I’m not talking any kind of recent history, no the center of my fascination has always been end of the 1600’s back through time. Middle Ages, that’s my lane. No idea how I got fixated on this time period, but I’ve spent the past 40 years reading, studying and devouring as much as I could about this topic. I love the intrigue, the chess game that was life at court and of course I love the castles!

During those same 40 years I also began researching family histories. I started with my own but it was obvious from the start that I had a keen knack for it and I began to help others. So much so that I don’t think I’ve actually looked at my own family tree in 35 years! Over the years, and especially before the internet and Ancestry.com, I helped a lot of people. I was a researcher for the Bangor Family History Center, the Bangor Public Library and the Bangor Historical Society. Over the years I have researched the good old fashion way through books, archives and microfilm to the more modern searching databases online. One thing I came to understand is that for most people, you can trace your family history back only so far. Eventually you run out of documents that tell you who to look for next. This happens for various reasons. Most common is that the majority of us are descended from ordinary folk. Farmers or maybe even skilled tradespeople. As important as these people were in day to day life throughout history, it was not always required or even feasible for them to record who their parents were or when someone was born. Most family trees dwindle out in the 1600’s. You might get lucky and have some pretty good records from the 1500’s if your ancestors were prominent in their communities for a few years, but anything back beyond that is sketchy for most of us. This would include me!! I have several branches in my own family tree that don’t go beyond the 1700’s. As I like to say, I come from good peasant stock!

The very first time I met Bud at a book signing he said to me, “I need to talk to you about my family history. There is more to this story than what you wrote.” So you can imagine my complete surprise when he claimed to have a family history stretching back to the 1000’s!!! I was skeptical, I mean I had never met a single person with a family lineage going back that far that was actually proven and legit. So when Bud shared with me his family history dating to the 1000’s I smiled, respectfully of course, and said “Let me take a look at that.”

Genealogy of the Butler Dynasty in the museum of Kilkenny Castle, Ireland

Turns out Bud was right! He can trace his family history back to the 1000’s!!! Do you know what makes him different from the majority of everyone else? He’s of noble lineage! His direct line, from one child to parent, no tracing uncles or aunts or cousins, just absolutely straight line back from his mother Hazel Butler to her father Reginald Butler and back through 31 generations of lineage, you find one of the most powerful and influential families in England and Ireland. It’s called The Butler Dynasty. When your family is actually called a DYNASTY, family records were kept and you are very lucky!

For me, a lover of Middle Age English history, I was in heaven!! I’ve read so much about King Henry VIII, and now I find Bud’s 14th great grandfather agreeing to the King’s demand that he turn over his Earldom to his cousin Thomas Boleyn, you know father of Anne Boleyn!! Wait a minute, Bud’s 14th great grandfather was a cousin to the Boleyns? And he spoke to King Henry VIII? Why yes he did!! And he did more then just speak to the King! I found Bud’s 17th great grandfather being named after King Richard because the King was visiting in the family’s castle the night the child was born. So they named him after the King and the King became his godfather. Who has this kind of stuff in their family history??? The King of England was at your family’s castle visiting? Like just hanging out? Bud’s 11th great grandfather was so favored by King Charles II that he was granted the handsome sum of $30,000 in 1660 for his loyalty during the English Civil Wars. That’s $82 million to us by the way. Bud’s 9th great grandfather was raised by the Archbishop of Canterbury, became the Chancellor of Oxford University and is buried at Westminster Abbey for crying out loud! Unbelievable! Every generation of Bud’s direct Butler line is filled with men and women that tiptoed through the very history I have been fascinated with my whole life.

As I researched each one of these generations in Bud’s family tree what shocked me was not just their accomplishments during their lifetimes, but how long the Butler family was able to maintain such distinguished positions of power and influence. For over 600 years they were at the center of power, both political and military, in both England and Ireland. How do you hold that together when the Middle Ages were a mine field of shifting allegiances and loyalties? How do you get 600 years of Kings and Queens to hold you in high esteem, while playing the world’s biggest political chess game? As you will see below sometimes it was wit, sometimes it was intellect and sometimes it was fate. How did the Butlers do that? If I can tell you one thing about the Middle Ages it would be that it was ruthless and brutal. How this one family managed to stay afloat for that long speaks volumes to something that must have made them different.

Kilkenny Castle, Ireland, seat of the Butler Dynasty

I won’t bore you with a lengthy discussion on the history of the Butler Dynasty, but I do want to list Bud’s direct ancestors so you can see for yourself the amazing historical figures that are there. And then we will discuss how all of this relates to Captain George Butler, the main character in my book The Gathering Room - A Tale of Nelly Butler.

This list starts with Bud’s 29th great grandfather and comes forward in history toward modern times from there. Each number represents the number of great grandfather that is for Bud. Each man is followed by his son.

29. Richard Fitz Gilbert - He was already a landowner and Lord in Normandy when he arrived in England in 1066 with William the Conquer, who was said to be his kinsman. He was given 176 manors in Suffolk England. He served as Joint Chief Justiciar for King William and this was the beginning of the Butler family’s Old English heritage.

28. Gilbert Fitz Richard - He inherited all of his father’s land possession in England, the baroney of de Clare as well as being Lord of Cardigan in Wales. His brother Roger inherited all of Richard’s lands in Normandy. Gilbert was in attendance at the death of King William Rufus in 1100 and spent Christmas at court in Westminster in 1101 with King Henry I.

27. Hervey Fitz Gilbert de Clare - he married the Baroness Gilberta Beckett and inherited all three of his father’s titles, becoming 3rd Baron of de Clare, Lord of Tonbridge and Lord of Cardigan.

26 Hervey Walter Fitz Gilbert - inherited all of his father’s titles and was married to the Matilda de Valoignes. This alliance strengthened the de Clare’s and the de Valoignes in Ireland. Hervey was granted office of botiller of England by King Henry II. Botiller was a Norman phrase indicating that they were wine merchants. The grant gave the family two tons of wine to sell for every 20 tons of wine that they sold on behalf of the King. This set the stage for Hervey & Matilda’s son to begin the Butler Dynasty. Building on 100 years or more of royal associations and a very lucrative wine business, Hervey’s son was well placed to be the founder of a dynasty.

25. Theobald Fitz Walter - became 1st Chief Butler of Ireland, 1st Chief Butler of England and High Sheriff of Lancaster England in 1194 and 1198 under King Henry II. The surname Butler is derived from the Norman “botiller”. Adding Chief Butler of Ireland to the already existing title of Chief Butler of England doubled the family’s wealth. Theobald is given large tracts of land in Ireland, almost the entire center of the country. He serves honorably in military action, founds the Abbeys of Woney, Cockersand, Nenagh and Arklow in Ireland.

24. Theobald le Botiller - 2nd Chief Butler of Ireland lived a short but interesting life. He was known for his work with horses and was in attendance with the King in Brittany France in 1229. He died at age 30 in France in 1230. He left behind an heir.

23. Theobald Butler - 3rd Chief Butler of Ireland - he was only 6 years old when his father died. His mother was Joan de Marisco, daughter of the Chief Justiciar of Ireland. Theobald became Chief Justiciar of Ireland himself by King Henry III in 1247. Justiciar was the senior official in government for the country of Ireland.

22. Theobald Butler - 4th Chief Butler of Ireland - he assisted King Edward I in his wars with Scotland.

21. Edmund Butler - 6th Chief Butler of Ireland - Although the second son he became the 6th Chief Butler of Ireland when his older brother Theobald, 5th Chief Butler died without any children. Edmund also served as Chief Justiciar of Ireland during the Socttish invasion of 1315 - 1318 and during the Great Famine of 1316 - 1317. He still held all of the titles inherited from his forefathers, Baron of de Clare and Lord of Tonbridge and Earl of Carrick. He held all of the lands in Ireland that had been granted to his family 100 years prior and upon the death of his mother, Joan FitzGeoffrey inherited all of his mother’s lands and titles in both England and Ireland.

20. James Butler - 1st Earl of Ormonde - James becomes the 7th Chief Butler of Ireland but is rewarded for his service to the royal household with an earldom of his own when King Edward III created him the first Earl of Ormonde in 1328. This increased the wealth coming in to an already very wealthy family. In 1336 James created the friary at Carrick-Begg for the Franciscan Friars. He gave them his castle and estate of Carrick. James’ wife was Eleanor de Bohun, daughter of Princess Elizabeth daughter of King Edward I.

19. James Butler - 2nd Earl of Ormonde - James was actually the 2nd son but the first to survive childhood thus becoming heir. He was known as the Noble Earl because he was the great grandson of King Edward I through his mother. In 1362 he killed over 600 Mac Murrough’s followers at the battle of Teigstaffen. He was made Lord Deputy of Ireland. In 1376 he was made Chief Justiciar of Ireland by King Richard II. He was also Constable of Dublin Castle.

18. James Butler - 3rd Earl of Ormonde - James purchased Kilkenny Castle and built Gowran Castle and Dunfert Castle. He founded friaries at Aylesbury and Buckinghamshire. In 1392 he was appointed Lord Justice of Ireland.

17. Sir Richard Butler of Polestown - his god father was King Richard II because the King had been in the castle at Kilkenny the night he was born and he was named after the King. Richard was the 2nd son and therefore not to inherit the earldom of Ormonde, but stay with me, there’s a plot twist!!! Richard married Catherine O’Reilly who’s father was an Irish nobleman. He was appointed as Lord Deputy of Ireland serving his brother James Butler the 4th Earl of Ormonde.

16. Sir Edmund MacRichard Butler - Edmund inherited his father’s lands in Polestown and adopted the Gaelic title of The MacRichard of Ossory. He served as Lord Deputy of Ireland under his cousin James Butler 5th Earl of Ormonde. He was most known for murdering Finan and Dermot MacGillapadraig the sons of the King of the ruling Irish Clan in Ossory. In 1447 he built the first bridge over the river Suir at Carrick. In 1462 he joined his 2nd cousin James Butler the 6th Earl of Ormonde, in attacking Waterford during the Wars of the Roses. Edmund lost 400 men and was taken prisoner at the Battle of Pilltown. His ransom to be released from prison was paid for with manuscripts from his own personal library some of which were ancient texts relating to Irish history and genealogies. Edmund married Catherine O’Carroll the daughter of Mulroney O’Carroll, King of Ely, the most ruthless and barbaric clan in Ireland who’s lands border Ossory.

Waterford Castle, Waterford Ireland

15. Sir James Butler - in 1464 he succeeded his father as Lord Deputy of Ireland, governing most of Ireland in the absence of his cousin Thomas Butler, 7th Earl of Ormonde. As had become the tradition in the MacRichard branch of the Butler family James had a long career as a Gaelic warlord. He sided with the house of Lancaster against King Edward IV of England during the Wars of the Roses for which his lands and titles were taken from him. However by an Act of Parliament in Ireland all judgements were overturned and in 1468 all his assets were returned to him as well as being granted the parish of Callan for life. In 1477 he was knighted and built the castle at Neigham. In 1450 he began a love affair with Sabh Kavanah, daughter of the King of Leinster. They had 3 children before they were married. James later arranged the Irish Parliament to declare those first three children legimate.

14. Piers Butler - 8th Earl of Ormonde & 1st Earl of Ossory - Here’s the plot twist! Piers was the 3rd son of his father, but he managed to out live his older brothers just in time to be the last man standing when his cousin Thomas Butler 7th Earl of Ormonde died without any heirs. (There’s speculation that Piers murdered a rival heir claimant but he was later pardoned of that murder). In 1489 Piers was appointed by King Henry VII as High Sheriff Of the County of Kilkenny and knighted. In 1498 Piers siezed and captured Kilkenny Castle which had continued to be the seat of the Butler Dynasty while his cousins were in power. Piers and his wife Margaret FitzGerald improved the living conditions at the castle. Piers was the great grandson of James Butler the 3rd Earl and therefore in 1515 when Thomas Butler 7th Earl died with no heirs, Piers was appointed to the earldom by King Henry VIII. This returned the Earldom of Ormonde to this branch of the Butler family (Polestown branch) after having been out of the line of succession for 3 generations. In 1522 King Henry VIII appointed Piers the Chief Governor of Ireland and Lord Deputy. In 1524 he was appointed Lord Treasurer of Ireland. In 1528 King Henry VIII induced Piers to resign his claim to the Earldom of Ormonde so that it could be given to Thomas Boleyn. Thomas’ mother had been Margaret Butler, 2nd daugther of Thomas Butler the 7th Earl. King Henry VIII wished the title of Earl to be given to Thomas Boleyn because his daughter Anne Boleyn was the King’s mistress and he was planning on marrying her once his divorce from Queen Catherine was approved by the Pope. (We all know how that turned out!) In exchange for giving up Ormonde, King Henry VIII had his Chancellor Cardinal Wolsey create the Earl of Ossory and appointed Piers as the 1st Earl. Ten years later, when King Henry VIII tired of Anne Boleyn and her father Thomas Boelyn fell out of favor, the Earldom of Ormonde was returned to Piers in 1538,

13. James Butler - 9th Earl of Ormonde & 2nd Earl of Ossory - As a young man James went with King Henry VIII to France and was wounded in the leg during the seige of Therouanne in 1513. This earned him the nickname “James the Lame”. In 1520 James joined the household of Cardinal Wosley who praised him as a young gentleman “both wise and discreet”. Early in 1522 it was proposed by King Henry VIII that James marry his cousin Anne Boleyn, a suggestion that was supported by Cardinal Wosley. The marriage negotiations came to a halt for an unknown reason and the King took interest in Anne for himself. In 1535 James was created Viscount of Thurles. Upon the death of his father in 1539 James became the 9th Earl of Ormond and the 2nd Earl of Ossory. By an act of Parliament in 1541 the Earldom of Ormond was restored with pre-eiminence to the original earls. Basically removing the Boleyn family and leaving the history of the Earldom strictly in control of the Butlers. During the 1540’s James worked hard to rebuild the Butler Dynasty and return the family to it’s former position of power and influence. As you can imagine in the giant chess game that was the Middle Ages, this attempted power grab didn’t sit well with others. In October 1546 James was in London dining at Ely Palace when he was poisoned along with 17 members of his household. He died eleven days later. It is suprising, given his social status, that there was no investigation into his murder and whoever was responsible still remains unknown.

12. Sir John Butler of Kilcash - as a younger son of his father the 9th Earl of Ormond he did not inherit the earldom (hang in there though, there’s another plot twist!) HIs brother Thomas was the 10th Earl. John received Kilcash Castle as his inheritance and was known as a solider. He was badly wounded in 1563 at the Battle of Affane. He is considered to be the starting point of the Kilcash branch of the Butler family. He married Katherine Reagh daughter of Cormac MacCarthy Reagh, 10th Prince of Carbery. Much of John’s life was taken up with fierce fighting with his neighbors the Desmonds who lived in the lands west of Ormond. These constant battles were part of the Tudor conquest of Ireland. The fighting bled into the Butler family and John found himself fighting against his own brothers, as they took up on different sides. As the sands of alleigance shifted, John’s brothers were arrested by the Irish Parliament and they lost their status as heir presumptive, which was given to to John. However John died the following month in May 1570, thus leaving the heir presumptive status to his son Walter. Plot twist!

11. Walter Butler - 11th Earl of Ormond & 4th Earl of Ossory - He succeeded his uncle Thomas Butler 10th Earl in 1614. Walter was known as “Walter of the Beads” as he was a devout Catholic. His uncle Thomas had been a Protestant. Upon Thomas’ death King James I intervened and awarded all of the inheritances to Thomas’ daughter Elizabeth who was a protestant. Walter protested the King’s decision and for that was imprisoned in Fleet Prison from 1619 -1625. He was finally released when he submitted to the King’s ruling. He then managed to reunite the Earldom with the estate of Ormond by marrying his grandson James to Elizabeth’s only daughter. Smart man!

10. Thomas Butler - Viscount Thurles - He was the heir apparent of his father Walter but died before his father did. He lived at Westgate Castle in Thurles. In 1619, just after his father went to prison, Thomas was summond to England to answer charges of Treason of his own. He too was a devout Catholic and refused to submit to the Anglican Church and this may have been the reason King James I issued the treason charge. However on 15 December 1619 the ship carrying him across the Irish Sea to England was shipwrecked off the Isle of Anglesey and he was drowned. He left behind a son, James, who would become the heir presumptive of his grandfather.

9. James Butler - 1st Duke of Ormond, Earl of Ormond and Marquess of Ormond - James was born in London and returned to Ireland as a young child. In 1619 when his father died in a shipwreck, he was returned to England at the age of nine and placed in Catholic school. In 1623 King James I made him a ward of the Crown and James was placed in the care of George Abbot, Archbishop of Canterbury to be brought up as a Prostestant. At the age of 15 he was sent to live with his grandfather, Walter the 11th Earl of Ormond, on Drury Lane in London. He continued his Protestant studies despite the Butler Dynasty being Catholics. As the other Butler family members lost their lands in Ireland to confiscastions and legal discriminations due to their religion, James’ star was on the rise. In 1629 King Charles I gave his consent and James married his cousin, a protestant, Elizabeth Preston and reunited the Butler titles and lands under the Prostestant banner. In 1633 he was appointed head of the government in Ireland. It was also the year that his grandfather died and James became the 12th Earl of Ormond. In 1635 he became a member of the Irish Privy Council. As his political motives were driven by his religious beliefs he planned large scale confiscations of Catholic lands in Ireland to break the political power of the Catholics and raise money for the English crown. As you can imagine his family wasn’t impressed. He was appointed Commander In Chief of the Irish Royal Forces during the Irish Rebellion of 1641. He was based in Dublin while most of the rest of the country was held by the Catholics, most of which were his own family. His wife and children were escorted safely from Kilkenny Castle to Dublin by the order of his cousin, head of the rebel forces, Richard Butler. In 1642 the Catholics formed their own government known as the Catholic Confederation and declared Kilkenny and the Butler’s castle their capital. In 1649, on the execution of King Charles I, James declared his loyalty to King Charles II who made him a Knight of the Garter. James returned to Ireland to fight against Oliver Cromwell in Ireland but was outsted from his command in 1650. He returned to exile in France with King Charles II and in 1652 Cromwell confiscated all of hia lands in Ireland. James was one of two signers who agreed to the Treaty of Brussells in 1656 securing support for King Charles II from the Spanish Court. He returned to England with the King in 1660. Over the next few months he was given a slew of titles. He was appointed Commissioner for the Treasury, the Navy and made Lord Steward of the Household, a Privy Councillor, Lord Lieutenant of Somerset, High Steward of Westminister, Kingston and Bristol. As well as Chancellor of Trinity College in Dublin. Baron of Butler of Llanthony, Earl of Brecknock and was created at Duke Of Ormond. He served as Lord High Steward of England for Charles II’s coronation as well. He also recovered his enormous estates in Ireland. In 1662, under the orders of King Charles II, the Irish Parliament granted him $30,000 (the equalivent of $82 million today). In 1669 he was elected to Chancellor of the University of Oxford. In 1670 he survived an assasiantion attempt. In 1677 he was named Lord Lieutenant of Ireland and returned to Dublin where he attempted to quell continued Catholic uprisings. In 1682 King Charles II summoned him to return to court in London where he was conferred with an English dukedom. He served as Chancellor of the University of Dublin 1645 - 1688 although he was in exile for the first 15 years of his tenure. He died in Dorset England and was buried in Westminster Abbey.

8, Vice Admiral Thomas Butler - 6th Earl of Ossory and Viscount Thurles - He predeceased his father, so even though he was heir presumptive he did not hold the Ormond titles himself. He was the last of the Butler’s in this line to be born at Kilkenny Castle. As a young man Thomas followed his father from Ireland, to London to France. Like his father he too became embroiled in the civil wars and in 1655 he was suspected of sympathising with exiled royalists and was jailed by Oliver Cromwell. After being released a year later he went into exile in the Netherlands with the court of King Charles II. While there he married Emilia van Nassau daughter of Lord of De Lek and Beverweed, they would have 11 children together. In 1660 he returned to London with the court of King Charles II and was appointed Lord of the Bedchamber to the King. In 1666 he was created Baron Butler of Moore Park and summond to the House of Lords. Upon appearing he was immediately imprisoned for two days for challenging the Duke of Buckingham. In March 1672 he attacked the Dutch fleet serving aboard the HMS Resolution and thus started the Third Anglo-Dutch War. It is recorded that he said he regretted this action for the rest of his life. While visiting France in 1672 he rejected multliple offers from King Louis XIV to enter service to France. From 1677 to 1679 he served alongside his father as the Lord of the Admiralty. Thomas was a close friend of William, Prince of Orange and in 1677 he joined the army of the Netherlands and excelled at the siege of Mons in 1678. In 1680 he was appointed Governor of English Tangier (Morocco) but died before he could fill his position. Thomas died in July of 1680 at the age of 46. He was originally buried at Westminster Abbey but removed to Kilkenny Ireland at a later date.

7. Thomas Butler - He was possibly the 3rd son of his father’s 11 children. Thomas immigrated to the Colonies in 1690 at the age of 25 and settled in York Maine. Here he was prominent in legal affairs for over 20 years in York. It has been noted that Thomas was almost like a man without a past as few knew much about him other than that he was a member of the prominent Ormond family of Ireland. He was an educated man, considered a mathmatical scholar and could speak Latin. He never disclosed much about his family or himself and on his own gravestone it is simply stated “Thomas Butler born 1674, Emigrant”. Thomas’ older brother James, who had inherited the titles, was involved in the Jacobite Rising back in England and ultimately stripped of his titles and charged with crimes against the crown. Rather than stand trial James escaped to exile in Europe. It’s possible that Thomas’ silence on his background and family connections was because of the political trouble his brother was in.

6. Moses Butler - Like his father before him and the 23 generations before that, Moses was involved in legal and government affairs in York and Berwick Maine. For more than 20 years he was annually selected to be the surveyor of land for Berwick. In 1744 he was commissioned Captain in the 1st Massachusetts Regiment and commanded a company under Sir William Pepperell during the capture of Louisburg. In 1748 he was elected as a representative to the General Court of Boston.

5. Moses Butler - Known for his distinguished Revolutionary War service, he was the first settler and founder of the town of Franklin Maine where he was known as a dignified and active member of the town.

4. Captain George Butler - After spending the first few years of his adulthood as a mariner he settled in Franklin quietly after the death of his second wife. He had 11 children with his third wife Mary Googins and died in 1826 at the age of 54. He is most known for being the husband of Nelly Butler, a woman who’s spirit is said to be the first documented ghost sighting in America.

Clontarf Castle, Dublin Ireland

The above is obviously a brief and summarized history. If you are truly interested in the Butler Dynasty you can find all kinds of information on the internet and even watch the history of the family on YouTube on “Butler Family & The Earls of Ormond”. Although Bud’s branch of the Butler line lands in Maine, the Butlers were a massively large family that continued to influence history into the new world. Many of them served as Governors, Senators and held other high positions in government. There was a member of the family among the ill fated Roanoke Colony that disappeared in 1587 in Virginia. There is even a Butler as a signer of the Declaration of Independence!

When looking over Bud’s direct line of ancestry you can’t deny that there was one prominent person after another, until you get to Captain George Butler, the main character in my historical fiction book The Gathering Room - A Tale of Nelly Butler. George is the first person in that family line that didn’t accomplish anything noteworthy. Even if you take into account the fact that the Butlers in America were in a different political and societal structure then the Butlers in Ireland and England. The American Butlers were still involved in local politics and military campaigns, but not George. Why?

We all know now that George suffered a tremendous amount emotionally losing his wife Nelly in childbirth, the struggle with Lydia Blaisdell and the continued tensions between George and Abner Blaisdell that resulted in formal charges being filed against him. The local church was disbanded over the incident. The whole situation was fodder for gossip for many years. Did that whole experience halt all potential George had to continue the Butler life of impressive achievements?

It would appear that the drama involved in Nelly’s death, the appearance of her ghost and Lydia’s role, changed history for this line of the Butler Dynasty?

Which means Bud was correct when he said to me “There’s more to this story than what you wrote about.”

Indeed there is!!!!