William de Burgh (c. 1160 - 1204) was born in the village of Burgh Castle, Norfolk, East Anglia, Kingdom of England and died at Athassell Abbey , Golden, County Tipperary, Munster, Ireland.

Early life

William took his surname from the village of Burgh Castle, Norfolk, England. Very little can be ascertained about his background other than his family were minor gentry, and that his probable younger brother was Hubert de Burgh, later Earl of Kent.

Early career

William apparently arrived in Ireland in 1184 among the retinue of Prince John of England, son of Henry II of England and Eleanor of Aquitaine.

John apparently appointed him Governor of Limerick. Within a few years he was granted the manors of Kilsheeland and Ardpatrick, and in time, the castle of Tibraghty in County Kilkenny.

Sometime in the 1190s, William married a daughter of Donal Mor mac Turlough O'Brian , King of Thomond (died 1194). This alliance probably took place during the reign of his son, Murtough , as up to the time of his death Donal had being at war with the Normans. At any rate no more wars are recorded between the two sides for the rest of the decade.

Alliance with Connacht

In 1200, "Cathal Crobderg Ua Conchobair went into Munster, to the son of Mac Carthy and William Burke to solicit their aid." This marked the start of de Burgh's interest in the province. Though King of Connacht Cathal Crobderg Ua Conchobair (reigned 1190 - 1224) faced much opposition, mainly from within his own family and wished to engage Burke's aid to help secure his postion. The following year William and Ua Conchobair led an army from Limerick to Tuam and finally to Boyle. Ua Conchobair's rival, Cathal Carragh Ua Conchobair marched at the head of his army to give them battle but was killed in a combined Burke/Ua Conchobair onslaught after a week of skirmishing between the two sides.

William and Ua Conchobair then travelled to Iar Connacht and stayed at Cong for Easter. Here, William and the sons of Rory O'Flaherty conspired to kill Ua Conchobair but the plot was foiled, apparently by holy oaths they were made to swear by the local Coarb family. However, when de Burgh demanded payment for himself and his retinue, battle finally broke out with over seven hundred of de Burgh's followers said to have being killed. William, however, managed to return to Limerick.

Death

The Annals of the Four Masters recorded his passing in 1204:

"William Burke plundered Connaught, as well churches as territories; but God and the saints took vengeance on him for that; for he died of a singular disease, too shameful to be described."

Descedants

He was survived by his sons Richard Mor de Burgh (d.1242), Bishop Hubert de Burgh of Limerick (d. 1251), Sheriff William de Burgh (d. 1247) and an apparently illegitimate son, Richard de Burgh .

The senior male line of the family came to an end with the murder of William Donn de Burgh, 3rd Earl of Ulster, in 1333. A junior branch later gave rise to the Earls of Clanricarde.

His descendants include:

• Elizabeth de Burgh
• Hubert George de Burgh-Canning, 15th Earl of Clanricarde
• Mary Robinson, nee Bourke, 7th President of Ireland.
• Ray Bourke , former Irish government minister.
• Richard Southwell Bourke, Cheif Secretary of Ireland & Governor General of India
• Sir Richard Bourke
• Tibbot na Long Bourke , Lord Viscount Bourke
• Count William Gall Von Bourckh
• Aedanus Burke
• Edmund Burke
• Honora Burke
• Robert O'Hara Burke
• Samuel Martin Burke
• Thomas Henry Burke, Under Secretary for Ireland .
• Sir Ulick Burke
• Major General Count Walter Burke , founder of Burke's Regiment

See Also

• Burke Civil War 1333-38
• Clanricarde
• Earl of Ulster

De Burgh Lords of Connacht and Earls of Ulster

  Walter de Burgh (actual forename still unconfirmed).
 =Alice (surname unknown).
  |
  |_________________________
  |                       |
  |                       |
  William, c.1160-1202.   Hubert, c.1165-1243.
 =inion Donnell O'Brien  +unknown mistress
  |                       | 
  |                       |________
  |                       |       |  
  |                       |       |
  |                       John    Hubert
  |
  |__________________________________________________________ _ _ _ _ _ _ 
  |                                        |        |         |
  |                                        |        |         |
  Richard Mor, Lord of Connacht, d.1242.   Hubert   William   Richard
 =Egidia de Lacy.                          d.1251.   d.1247. issue
  |
  |________________________________________________________
  |        |                |           |            |
  |        |                |           |            |
  Richard  Walter, d.1271.  William Og  Margery      dau.
  d.1248. =Avelina          k.1270.    =Theo Butler =Gerald de Prendergast 
           |               issue
  _________|_______________________________________________
  |                                        |           |
  |                                        |           |
  Richard, The Red Earl of Ulster, d.1326. Theobald  Egida=James Stewart
 =Margaret de Burgh (a gt.grandaughter of Bishop Hubert)
  |
  |_________________________________________________________________
  |       |     |       |      |         |    |       |        |
  |       |     |       |      |         |    |       |        | 
  Walter  John  Thomas  Edmund Catherine Joan Avelina Matilda  Elizabeth de Burgh 
  d.1304 =Eliza d.1316  k.1338   all married with issue       =King Robert I of Scotland
          |             issue                                  |
          |                                                    |
          William Donn de Burgh, The Brown Earl, k.1333.       David II of Scotland
         =dau. of Henry Plantagenet, 3rd Earl of Leicester.                      
          |
          |
          Elizabeth, Duchess of Ulster.
         =Lionel of Antwerp, Duke of Clarence.
          |
          |
          Edward IV of England. 

Sources

• http://www.ucc.ie/celt/published/T100005C/index.html
• "Burke: People and Places", Eamonn Bourke, Dublin, 1995.