Nicholas St Lawrence, 4th Baron Howth

Nicholas St Lawrence, 4th Baron Howth (c. 1460-1526) was a leading Irish soldier and statesman of the early Tudor period.

Early life

He was born about 1460, eldest son of Robert St Lawrence, 3rd Baron Howth and his first wife Alice White. His stepmother Joan Beaufort was a cousin of Henry VII to whom Nicholas remained loyal. The date of his father's death and his succession to the title is in dispute but it was no later than 1487.

Lambert Simnel

The pretender Lambert Simnel appeared in Ireland claiming to be the Earl of Warwick, nephew of Edward IV. Simnel gained the support of most of the Anglo-Irish nobility, notably the 8th Earl of Kildare, and was crowned as "King Edward VI" at Christ Church Cathedral in Dublin 1487. Nicholas, however, no doubt mindful of his own close connection to the Tudor dynasty, warned Henry VII of the impending invasion. Following Henry's triumph at the Battle of Stoke, Nicholas was rewarded with a substantial grant of money and confirmation of his right to Howth.

Battle of Knockdoe

Despite their differences over the Simnel rebellion, Howth became a close ally of Kildare (who received a pardon from Henry VII) and later challenged the Earl of Ormond to a duel on Kildare's account. Kildare and Howth fought together at the bloody Battle of Knockdoe in 1504 between the forces of the Crown and the Burkes of Connaught.^[1] Howth is credited with urging the immediate attack which resulted in a victory for the Crown's forces.

Lord Chancellor of Ireland

Lord Howth was Lord Chancellor of Ireland from 1509 to 1513. As O'Flanagan remarks all his training was as a soldier and the appointment was presumably a tribute to his loyalty to the Crown; on the other hand his uncle and brother were both distinguished lawyers.^[2] O'Flanagan notes that his career as Chancellor leaves no trace on the records but that in the absence of any known complaints he presumably performed adequately enough.^[3] The death of the Earl of KIldare mean the end of Howth's political career; he was dismissed from the Chancellorship and the Council and lived in retirement until his death in 1526.

Family

Lord Howth married three times and had children by each marriage. His first wife was Genet , daughter of Christopher Plunket, 3rd Baron Killeen; his second wife was Anne Berford; and his third wife was Alison Fitzsimons.^[4] He had eleven children:

• Christopher, who succeeded as 5th Baron Howth;
• Amory;
• Robert;
• Thomas;
• Katherine, who married Sir John Plunkett;
• Marian, who married Sir Chrristopher Nugent and was the mother of the 5th Baron Delvin ;she married secondly Gerald Fitzgerald and thirdly John Parker, the Master of the Rolls in Ireland;
• Eleanor who married Sir Walter Cheevers;
• Margaret who married Sir William Darcy;
• Anne;
• Alison;
• Elizabeth.

References

1. ^ O'Flanagan J. Roderick Lives of the Lord Chancellors and Keepers of the Great Seal of Ireland 2 Volumes London 1870
2. ^ Ball F. Elrington, The Judges in Ireland 1221-1921 (1926). John Murray, London.
3. ^ Lives of the Lord Chancellors
4. ^ Cockayne Complete Peerage