James Grace of Kilkenny

Edited by Richard Butler

Annales Hiberniae

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1. the Annals of Ireland. By James Grace, of Kilkenny

It is said in fabulous histories, that Caesarea, a Niece of Noah, aware of the coming of the Flood, sailed for Ireland and was the first person who landed there; she was accompanied by three men only, and she hoped that this land alone, seeing it was uninhabited and waste, would be saved from the divine judgment which the sins of men were bringing on the rest of the world.

Secondly. Three hundred years after the flood, a certain Partholendus, one of the posterity of Japhet, landed in Ireland with thirty ships. With him came his three sons, whose descendants lasted for three hundred years, and had grown to the number of ten thousand men fit for bearing arms. Here there was war with the Giants, whom they destroyed; but from the infection of the air (corrupted by the unburied bodies of the Giants), they also died, one alone surviving of the name of Ruan, who, they say, lived to the time of St. Patrick, a thousand years after, and narrated to him the history of his times.

Thirdly. Munethus, son of Sithia, came hither from Greece with his four sons  p.5 sons and a large fleet. His posterity, after they had dwelt in the country for two hundred years, being attacked by a great plague, left Ireland empty, and returned to their own country.

Fourthly. Five brother chiefs, of the family of Munethus (as is reported), and sons of Diola, occupied the country. Their names were Gandias, Gennadius, Sangandius, Ruthargus, and Slamabus, and they divided the whole country into five parts, of which each contains certain centenary habitations, which they call cantreds. Momomia, to wit Munster, has 70: Ultonia, to wit Ulster, 35: Laginia, to wit Leinster, 31: Connacia, to wit Connaught, 30: Meath 18. Each of these cantreds contains thirty towns, and every town has pasture for three hundred oxen, which, if divided into four herds, each of them will have space enough for pasture; every town has also ground for eight ploughs.

There are reckoned, therefore, cantreds, 184; towns, 5520; ploughlands, 44,160; cattle, 1,656,000.

In those times Ireland had the name of Scotia, and the inhabitants were called Scots; their language was called Gelic, from a certain Geledus.

Fifthly. The four sons of a certain King Milesius, with sixty ships, came to Ireland; of whom the two eldest, Hiber and Heremon, divided the whole country into two parts; Hiber occupied the north and Heremon the south. From this Hiber, the country, which was before called Scotia Major, received the name of Hibernia. There was afterwards discord between Hiber and Heremon, and Hiber was killed in battle, and the victory fell to Heremon, the younger brother, who was called the first monarch of Ireland.

Sixthly. An African came to Ireland sixty years after the death of St. Patrick,  p.7 in the time of Careticus, the fourth ? king of England after Arthur, and the army of Gergesius conquered Ireland with the help of the Norwegians, and kept it for a long time.

Seventhly. “Three brytherne of Isterige, of the parts Almayne, the empire of Tetonius and Lumbardy, that is to say,” Anlaf, Sihtric, and Ifars, when they could not succeed by force, gaining the good will of the kings of Ireland with gifts, under the appearance of merchants, assailed the country, and having obtained permission from the kings, built cities therein. Anlaf built Dublin, which is called Ostmanton, from the Ostmans, a certain Norwegian people, which came with Anlaf; Sihtric founded Waterford; Ifars Limerick, and many other castles and cities, and having thus expelled the Irish, they occupied the country.

Eighthly, Henry II., King of England, by a grant from Pope Adrian IV., which was confirmed by Alexander III., subdued Ireland, and to this day it is held by his descendants.

The Monastery of the Blessed Mary, near Dublin, is founded.

1074. Dunan, Bishop of Dublin, dies, he was buried in the Church of the Trinity, at the right hand of the altar. Lanfranc, Archbishop of Canterbury, at the request of King Goderic, with the consent of the clergy of Dublin, consecrated Patrick, Bishop, having first, like his predecessors, received the oath of obedience to be paid to him and his successors; and sent- him to his country with letters to Prince Goderic and to Turlogh, the chief king of Ireland.

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1084. Patrick, Bishop of Dublin, and his companions were drowned in the British ocean, Oct. 10.

1085. Lanfranc, at the request of Turlogh, consecrated Donat, a monk of his monastery, Bishop of Dublin, in the same manner as is before mentioned.

1095. Donat dies. The Norwegians or Ostmen, who are also called Normans, occupied the cities and sea coasts of Ireland.

1122. Samuel, the fourth Bishop, dies.

1131. Walter the Norman, son of Richard, who came with William the Conqueror into England, founded the Abbey of Tintern in Wales.

1138. The aforesaid Walter died without issue; but Gilbert Strangbowe, his sister's son, succeeded as his heir at Strangul, that is, Chepstowe in Wales, and was made the first Earl of Pembroke.

1148. Gilbert Strangbowe died in the 14th year of the reign of Stephen. He was buried at Tintern, his son Richard succeeded him, and was made Earl of Pembroke, Lord of Strangul, and of all North Wales, ? which he held honourably for twenty-two years. Cardinal John Papiron, sent by Pope Eugene, with Christian Bishop of Lismore, Legate of all Ireland, came into Ireland.

1152. The same Christian held a council in Mell, at which were present bishops, abbots, kings, chiefs, and the older rectors of Ireland: with their consent four archbishoprics were established, Armagh, Dublin, Cashel, and Tuam, which were at that time governed by Gelasius, Gregory, Donat, and Aedan. Cardinal John giving his benediction to the clergy returned to Rome.

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1162. Gregory, first Archbishop of Dublin, dies; after him came Laurence, John Comin, Henry, Luke.

1163. Roderick O'Conor, Prince of Connaught, is created Monarch of Ireland.

1165. Earl Ri. Strongbow died of wounds, which he received treacherously from his own men, five years after he had acquired Leinster, and in the 21st 12th? year of the reign of Henry the II.; he was buried at Kilkenny. By his wife Eva he had an only daughter, Isabella, who was given in marriage by the King to a certain William Marshall, Marshal of England, who from that time was styled Earl of Strangul and Leinster and Pembroke.

1162. Gregory, first Archbishop of Dublin, a pious man, dies. He was succeeded by Laurence O'Toole, who was Abbot of St. Kevin of Glendalagh. At this time St. Thomas was Archbishop of Canterbury.

1163. Roderick O'Conor, Prince of Connaught, is made Monarch of Ireland.

1167. The Empress Maud died. Almaric, King of Jerusalem, took Babylon. Dermot M'Morough, Prince of Leinster, when O'Rourke, King of Meath, was far from his country, ravished his wife with her own consent, and at her own solicitation.

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1168. Donat, King of Uriel, who had founded the Abbey of Mellifont, died. Robert Fitzstephen with thirty knights came into Ireland.

1169. Richard Earl of Strangul, about the first of May sent Reymond, one of his followers into Ireland with ten knights; he followed him in person the eve of St. Bartholomew Aug. 23, with twelve hundred soldiers. This Richard was son of Gilbert Earl of Strangul, that is, Chepstowe formerly Strogul, and Isabella, aunt of Malcolm and William, kings of Scotland, and of Earl David of good hope; the day after the feast of St. Bartholomew Aug. 25 he took the city,  p.15 and there married Dermot's daughter. Dermot M'Morough, Prince of Leinster, sought aid from Henry, and yielded him the oath of fidelity and the bond of servitude.

1170. Maurice the Geraldine, uterine brother of Fitz Stephen, with ten knights, thirty archers, and about one hundred foot soldiers, came with two ships to Ireland and landed at Wexford.

1171. Earl Richard sent Reymond before him into Ireland about the first of May with ten knights and seventy archers; he himself followed on the eve of St. Bartholomew Aug. 23, as is before mentioned; he takes Wexford by storm, marries Eva, Dermot's daughter, goes straight to Dublin, and takes the city. Dermod M'Morough dies an old man at Ferns. The Abbey Castri Dei is founded. Thomas of Canterbury is put to death. “The year a thousand, seven hundred, and seventy-one, was the year in which Primate Thomas fell by the sword.”

1172. King Henry with five hundred knights landed at Waterford, he gave all Meath to Hugh de Laci; some say that Morough died at this time.

1174. Gelasius, first Archbishop of Armagh, Primate of Ireland, dies in old age. He first used the Pall, for those before him were called by name of Bishop only, and Primate, in honour of St. Patrick, as it were his apostles, and they were obeyed not only by churchmen, but also by princes themselves. He was succeeded by Cornelius.

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1176. Bertram de Verdon founded the Abbey of Crokisden.

1177. Death of Richard Earl of Strigul, he was buried in the Church of the Trinity. Vivian, Cardinal S. Stephani {⬌} came into Ireland, being sent as Apostolic Legate by Alexander.

1178. The Monastery of Samaria is founded, and that of Rosea Vallis, that is Rosglas.

1179. Milo Cogan and Ralph son of Fitz-Stephen are slain between Waterford and Lismore; Hervey de Monte Marisco founded the Abbey of St. Mary de Portu, that is Dunbrothy.

1180. The Abbey de Choro Benedicti is founded, and that of Jerpoint.

1182? Laurence, Bishop of Dublin, dies in Normandy, he was succeeded by John Comin, an Englishman, elected by the clergy of Dublin at Evesham, and confirmed by the Pope. He built the Church of St. Patrick, Dublin.

1183. The Order of the Templars is confirmed. The Abbey Legis Dei, that is of Leix, is founded.

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1185. John, son of Henry, having received the gift of Ireland from his father, and being raised to the honour of knighthood at Gloucester, sailed with a great army into Ireland, in the 12th ? year of his age, the 13th after the coming of his father, the 14th after the coming of Earl Richard, the 15th after the coming of his brother, Henry; having staid eight months in Ireland he returns to England.

1186. Hugh Lacy is slain treacherously by a certain Irishman at Durrow, while in building the castle he was showing him how he should work, he took the instrument for striking the ground, and, as he stooped, the Irishman cut off his head with an axe. He left two sons, Walter and Hugh, and the subjugation of Ireland went no further.

Christian, Bishop of Lismore, formerly Legate of Ireland, dies.

1187. Foundation of the Abbey of Ines in Ulster.

1189. King Henry dies.

Foundation of the Abbey de Colle Victorias, that is, Knockmoy.

1192 ? Dublin burned.

1193? Foundation of the Abbey de Jugo Dei, White Abbey, in Irish Monesterlech.

1195. The Archbishop of Cashel, Legate of Ireland, and John, Archbishop of Dublin, brought from the Irish country the body of Hugh Lacy (who had conquered  p.21 Meath), and buried it in the Abbey Beatitudinis, that is of Bective; his head they buried in the church of St. Thomas, Dublin.

1199. Death of King Richard.

Cathal, King of Connaught, who had founded the Abbey de Colle Victoriae, is expelled from Connaught.

The Monastery de Voto, that is Tintern, is founded by William Marshall, Earl of Pembroke, Lord of Leinster, to wit, of the four counties, Wexford, Ossory, Carlow, and Kildare, which fell to him in right of his wife, the daughter of Richard Earl of Strongul, whom he had married, being the daughter of Eva, daughter of M'Morough; he made a vow of this monastery when he was in danger at sea.

1202. Cathal O'Conor, of the red hand, King of Connaught, is restored to his kingdom.

Foundation of the Abbey of Conall by the Lord Meiler Fitz-Henry.

1203. Foundation of the Abbey St. Salvatoris, that is Douske.

1204. A battle is fought at Down between John Courcy, first Earl of Ulster, and Hugh Lacy; many fell on either side, Courcy conquered: but on the following day of Good Friday, when, through devotion, he was visiting the sacred places of the church unarmed, with bare feet and covered only with a shirt, he was treacherously seized by some of his own men, and delivered to Lacy for a sum of money. He brought him to the king, and received as his reward the things  p.23 which had been his, to wit, the earldoms of Ulster and Connaught. Courcy remained condemned to perpetual imprisonment; the traitors, instead of the promised gold, were hanged by Hugh, and their goods plundered. This John Courcy had rebelled against the king, and had refused to obey his orders, and had also upbraided him with the murder of Arthur, the lawful heir. When he had endured for a long time the most squalid life of a prison, he was at length set at liberty by King John, being chosen as champion against a certain man of gigantic stature whom the King of France had appointed the defender of his right to a certain castle; when the Frenchman, afraid of his great strength, had refused the combat, in the presence of both kings he gave noble proof of his vigour, having cut through a helmet at one stroke. Wherefore by both he was gifted with large presents, and was restored by John to the earldom of Ulster, but having endeavoured fifteen times, always with great danger and contrary winds, to return to Ireland, and having sojourned some time with the monks at Chester, he returned to France, and there ended his life.

1205. The Abbey of Wotheney in the County of Limerick, is founded by Theobald Fitz Walter Butler, Lord of Carrick.

1208. William de Braosa, expelled from England, comes into Ireland.

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England is put under an interdict because of the tyranny of John.

A great multitude of the soldiers of the Justiciary are slain at Thurles, in Munster, by Geoffrey Mareis.

1210. King John came with a fleet and a great army into Ireland, and drove from the country the sons of Hugh Lacy, Walter, Lord of Meath, and Hugh, for they had tyrannized over the common people, and had killed John de Courcy, Lord of Kilbarrock and Rathenny, Co. Dublin, because he had complained of them to the King; but they fled into France, and remained for a long time unknown in the Abbey of St. Taurin, serving in menial employments, to wit, in the garden digging and preparing mud and bricks; but at last they were discovered by the Abbot, and at his entreaties reconciled to the King, and having paid a great sum of money were restored to their former authority in Ireland. Walter brought with him into Ireland John, son of Alured, that is, Fitzavery, son of the Abbot's brother, and gave him the lordship of Dengin, and many other things. Both brought over and enriched some monks; King John having taken hostages everywhere, both from English and Irish, and having punished malefactors and established his power, returned into England the same year in which he came.

1211. Richard Tuit was killed by the fall of a tower at Athlone; he had built the Abbey of Granard.

1212. Death of John Comin, Archbishop of Dublin, who had built St. Patrick's Church. He was succeeded by Henry Loundres, otherwise called  p.27 Scorchvillain, because he burned the charters of the farmers, the witnesses of their servitude; he was Justiciary of Ireland, and built the Castle of Dublin.

1213. Death of William Petit; also Peter Meset, Baron of Lune, died without male heirs, and his estate was divided between his three daughters who married, the eldest the Lord de Vernail, the 2nd Talbot, the 3rd Loundres.

1219. Death of William Marshall the elder; by the daughter of Earl Richard he had five sons and five daughters; William the eldest, then Walter, Gilbert, Anselm, and Richard, who was killed at the battle of Kildare. These five succeeded to their father in order, and all died without issue. The daughters were as follows; Matilda de Mareshall, Isabella de Clare, Eva de Braos, Joan de Mountchensy, Sibilla, Countess of Ferrers. Matilda married Hugh Bigot, Earl of Norfolk, who in right of his wife was Marshall of England, by her he had Ralph Bigot, father of John Bigot, who was son of the Lady Bertha de Furnivall, and Isabella de Lacy, wife of John Fitz Geffrey; after the death of Hugh Bigot, Earl of Norfolk, Matilda married John Fitz Warrenne, Earl of Surrey, by whom she had a son of the name of Richard and his sister Isabella de Albeney, Countess of Arundell. Gilbert de Clare, Earl of Gloucester, married Isabella, the second sister, by whom he had Richard Clare, Earl of Gloucester, who was father of the Lady Avise, Countess of Gloucester, and Christian, who was mother of Lord de Brus, Earl of Carrick, father of the King of Scotland. Eva de Braos, the third sister, had Matilda, who was mother of Edmund Mortimer, and the Lady Eva Cantelupe mother of the Lady Milsent de Mohun, and the Lady Eleanor, mother of the Earl of Hereford. Lord Warin de Mountchensy married Joan, the fourth sister, of whom was Joan de Valence; Of Sibilla, Countess of Ferrers, the fifth sister, came seven daughters, 1st. Agnes  p.29 de Vesci, mother of Lord John and William de Vesci; 2nd, Isabella Basset; 3rd, Joan Mohun, wife of Lord John de Mohun; 4th, Sibilla, wife of Lord Francis de Bohun, Lord of Midhurst; 5th, Eleanor de Vaux, wife of the Earl of Winton; 6th, Agas, wife of Lord Hugh de Mortimer; 7th, Matilda de Kyme, Lady of Carbery. All the aforesaid are from the genealogy of Lord William Marshall.

1220. Death of Lord Meiler Fitz Henry, who founded the Abbey of Great Conall, Co. Kildare, he is buried there.

1224. The Castle of Trim is besieged.

1225. Death of Roger Pippard.

1228. Death of William Pippard, formerly Lord of Leixlip.

Also Henry Loundres, Archbishop of Dublin.

1230. King Henry gave Hubert de Burgh the Justiciaryship of Ireland and  p.31 the Third Penny of Kent, and made him Earl of Kent, but afterwards he was thrown into prison.

1231. Death of William Marshall, Junior, Earl Marshall and Earl of Pembroke.

1234. Richard Earl Marshall, of Pembroke and Strangul, was wounded on the 12th of April in a battle on the Curragh of Kildare, and died after a few days. He is buried at Kilkenny with his brother.

1241. Walter de Lacy, Lord of Meath, died in England, leaving two daughters co-heiresses, the elder married Lord Theobald de Verdon; the second, Geoffry de Geneville; the one was called Margaret, the other Mabel.

1242. The Castle of Sligo is built by Maurice Fitzgerald, Justiciary of Ireland.

King Edward the First Henry the Third, with a great army invaded Wales, and summoned Maurice to his assistance, who went to him with Felim O'Conor, King of Connaught, and a very great multitude of men, and having  p.33 finished the business he returned into Ireland, and drove preys from Tirconnel and gave half of the country to Cormac M'Dermod, son of Roderick, and took away with him pledges for the remainder, whom he left in the Castle of Sligo; having collected his army he again entered Tirconnel; O'Donell meets him with all his men from Kinel Conell at the Ford of Athshan; when they had not courage to pass them he stopped there seven days, and Cormac having been sent with a part of the horse privately to the ford at Bellacooloon on the River Erne, attacks the enemy in the rear, and immediately puts them to flight. There was killed there Moylslaghlin O'Donel, who was styled King of Kinel Conell, with O'Bugill O'Boyle of the wry neck, and Mac Soerli, King of Errigal Argyle, and the chief men of Kinel Conell. Many of the English are drowned in passing the River Fin, and at Tarmon-Daboge William Bret, sheriff of Connaught, is slain, with his young brother. The whole country is plundered--the lordship of Kinel Conell is divided with Roderick O'Conor. The Justiciary again leads an army thither, and almost destroys the whole country. He also invaded Tyrone, the county of O'Neil, and took hostages from him; he also expelled the rebels from Leinster.

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1243 Death of Hugh de Lacy, Earl of Ulster, he left only one daughter, who was married to Walter de Burgh, and brought him the Earldom of Ulster; Hugh is buried at Carrickfergus in the Friary.

Death of Gerald Fitz Maurice and of Richard de Burgh.

1248. Lord John Fitz Geffry, Justiciary of Ireland.

1250. Mac Canewei, a son of Belial, is slain in Leix, William LongEspèe with many others is taken prisoner.

1251. Birth of Henry Lacy.

1255. Alan de la Zouche is Justiciary.

1257. Death of Maurice Fitz Gerald.

A battle at Down between the English and the Irish of Connaught and Ulster, where fell O'Neil, called Bernard Cahedon.

The Geraldines in Desmond attack M'Carty, and are routed by him, where fell John Fitz Thomas, his son Maurice, fifteen knights, and eight barons. John Cogan, the Justiciary of Ireland, and Theobald Butler taken prisoners by the son of Lord Maurice Fitz Gerald.

1259. Stephen de LongEspèe, Justiciary.

O'Neil is slain at Down.

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1260. Death of Stephen LongEspèe.

Green Castle, in Ulster, is thrown down. William Dene is made Justiciary.

1261. John Fitz Thomas and Maurice his son are slain in Desmond by Mac Carty. Death of William Dene, Justiciary, he was succeeded by De Capella.

1262. Death of Richard Clare, Earl of Gloucester.

1264. Maurice Fitz Gerald and Maurice Fitz Maurice took prisoners at Castle Dermot, Richard de Capella, Justiciary, and Theobald Butler, and John Cogan.

1267. David de Barry, Justiciary.

1268. Maurice Fitz Maurice is subdued.

Also Lord Robert Ufford is made Justiciary.

1269. The Castle of Roscommon is built.

John de Troinis, de Exoniis, Justiciary.

1270. James de Audley, Justiciary.

1271. Pestilence, famine, and the sword in Ireland, and chiefly in Meath; Nicholas de Verdon is slain and his brother John.

Death of Walter de Burgh, Earl of Ulster.

1272. James Audley, Justiciary, is killed by a fall from his horse in Thomond, Maurice Fitz Maurice succeeded him.

1273. Geoffry de Geneville returns from the Holy Land, and is made Justiciary.

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1274. Edward the First is established King, he was crowned on the festival of St. Magnus, August 19th.

Death of John de Verdon.

Thomas Clare comes into Ireland.

William Fitz Roger, Prior of the Hospitallers, is taken with many others at Glindelory, and some are slain there.

1275. Murtagh is taken at Norragh by Walter l'Enfant.

1276. Robert d'Ufford is made Justiciary.

1277. O'Brene is killed.

1278. Death of David Barry and of John Cogan.

1279. Robert d'Ufford goes into England; he appointed in his place Friar Robert Fulburn.

The money is changed.

A Round Table held at Kenilworth by Roger de Mortimer.

1280. Robert d'Ufford, Justiciary, returned.

1281. Adam Cusacke, Junior, slew William Baret and many others in Connaught.

Friar Stephen Fulburn is made Justiciary, Robert d' Ufford returned into England.

1282. Murtagh and Arthur M'Morough his brother are slain at Arklow.

Death of Roger de Mortimer.

1283. Part of Dublin burned, and the Belfry of Trinity Church.

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1284. The Castle of Ley is taken by the Chiefs of Offaly, and is burned.

Death of Alfonso, son of Edward, twelve years of age.

1285. Death of Theobald Butler in the Castle of Arklow.

Gerald Fitz Maurice is taken by his own Irishmen in Offaly, and Ralph Petit and G. Doget, with some others, are killed.

There is a great slaughter at Rathod.

1286. Norragh burned, and Ardscoll, and other neighbouring towns, by Philip Stanton, on the 16th of November.

Calwagh is taken at Kildare.

Death of Thomas Clare.

1287. Death of Friar Stephen Fulburn, Archbishop of Tuam, John Saunford, Archbishop of Dublin, succeeded him as Justiciary.

1290. William Vesci, Justiciary.

O'Melaghlin, King of Meath, is killed.

Gilbert Clare marries the Lady Joan of Acre, daughter of King Edward.

1291.

Gilbert Clare, son of Gilbert and Joan, born on the morning of the 10th of May.

Richard, Earl of Ulster, and William Vesci, Justiciary, go to Ulster with an army, against O'Hanlan and the other chiefs who hindered the peace.

A tenth part of all ecclesiastical revenues in Ireland granted to King Edward for seven years by Pope Martin, for the aid of the Holy Land.

1293. Gilbert Clare with his wife landed in Ireland.

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1294. William Vesci accused John Fitz Thomas of felony; they sailed to England, William de La-Hay being left in the place of Justiciary. John challenged William to single combat, but he, to avoid fighting, fled to France; the King gave to John all that was his; that is, Kildare and Rathangan, and many other things.

Richard, Earl of Ulster, is taken by John Fitz Thomas in the castle of Lega, that is Ley, and detained for some time, but he was set at liberty by the King's parliament at Kilkenny: as a penalty John lost his possessions, Sligo and whatever else he had in Connaught, also the castle of Kildare.

Kildare and the surrounding country is wasted by the English and by the Irish. Calwagh burned the rolls and tallies of the county.

A great scarcity in Ireland for three years continually, and pestilence. William D'Odingzell Justiciary.

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William D'Odingzell died, he was succeeded by Thomas Fitz Maurice.

The Irish of Leinster wasted Leinster, they burned Newcastle and other places.

John Wogan Justiciary on the resignation of Thomas; he made a truce for two years between the Earl of Ulster and John Fitz Thomas and the Geraldines.

Gilbert Clare, Earl of Gloucester, dies.

1296. The Magnates of Ireland sailed to the king, who was going into Scotland, namely, John Wogan, Justiciary, Richard de Burgh, Earl of Ulster, Theobald Butler, and John Fitz Thomas, with many others.

1297. Leighlin burned by the Irish of Slewmargy.

Galweith O'Hanlon and Angus M'Mahon are killed in Uriel.

1298. Peace between the Earl of Ulster and John Fitz Thomas.

1299. Theobald Butler, Junior, died at the Manor of Turvey.

1300. The money of the Pollards is cried down.

1301. King Edward goes into Scotland; there go to him John Wogan, Justiciary, and John Fitz Thomas and Peter Birmingham.

Great part of the city of Dublin is burned. The Lord Geneville married the daughter of John de Montfort.

John de Mortimer married the daughter of the heir of the Lord  p.47 Geneville, and Theobald de Verdon the daughter of Roger de Mortimer.

The Leinster men rebelled and plundered the country, but were punished by the loss of their goods; nearly three hundred of the robbers are slain.

Walter Power devastates great part of Munster.

1302. Matilda de Lacy, wife of Geoffry de Geneville, died.

The tenths of all benefices exacted by the Pope in aid of the Church against the King of Arragon.

Hugh de Lacy plundered Hugh Vernail, on the day of the circumcision January 1st.

Robert le Brus, Earl of Carrick, married Elizabeth, daughter of Richard de Burgh, Earl of Ulster, and the Lord Butler the daughter of John Fitz Thomas.

1303. Richard de Burgh and Eustace le Power with a great army invaded Scotland in aid of the king.

Gerald, son and heir of John Fitz Thomas, died.

The Countess of Ulster died.

Robert Perceval and Waleran Wellesley are slain.

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1304. Bridge-street, Dublin, burned, with great part of the quay, and the church of the Friars Preachers, and the church of the Monks, with great part of the monastery, on the feast of Medard June 8.

The first stone of the church of the Friars Preachers is laid by Eustace Power.

Matilda Lacy, wife of Geoffry Geneville, died.

1305. Jordan Comin, with his comrades, slew Murtagh O'Conor, King of Offaly, and his brother Calwagh, at the court of Peter Birmingham at Carrick in Carbery.

Gilbert Button, Seneschal of Wexford, is slain by the Irish near the town of Hamond Grace. Hamond escaped by boldly fighting.

1306. O'Dempsy, chief of the Regans, is killed by O'Conor in the castle of Geashill, King's County, with many of his men. O'Brien, King of Thomond, died.

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Donald Oge M'Carty killed Donald the Red, King of Desmond.

Peter Birmingham lost many men in the borders of Meath.

In May, Ballimore, a town of Leinster, is burned by the Irish, and Henry Calf is slain there. The English collect an army against the Leinster men; Sir Thomas Mandeville behaved nobly in battle.

Thomas Cantok is made Chancellor.

Richard Feringes, Archbishop of Dublin, died, he was succeeded by Richard Havering, who, after sitting for five years, being admonished in a dream, resigned the burden of office to John Leche.

On St. Patrick's day Richard M'Ciochi is taken with his two sons at Newcastle by Thomas Sneterby, and Lorcan O'Bone, a very famous robber, is there beheaded.

1307. On the first of April Murcard Ballagh is beheaded by that brave knight David Canteton. Adam Dan is also killed.

The English in Connaught, on the day of St. Philip and James May 1st, are slaughtered by the O'Scheles.

The robbers also, of Offaly, destroyed the castle of Geashill and burned the town of Leix, and laid siege to the castle, but they were shortly driven back by John Fitz Thomas and Edmund Butler.

King Edward dies.

The Templars in Ireland are taken prisoners the day of the Purification of the Virgin February 3rd.

1308. On the 13th of April died Peter Birmingham, the noble tamer of the  p.53 Irish.

On the 15th of May Castle Kevyn is burned and the garrison put to death by William Mac Walter O'Kinaghan, the O'Tooles, and their comrades. The same party burned the town of Courconly.

On the 8th of June John Wogan, Justiciary, was defeated at Glindelory, where John St. Hogelin, John Norton, and John Breton, with many others, were killed. On the 16th of June Dunlavan, Tobir, and many other towns, are burned by the same party.

Piers Gavaston, proscribed by the nobles of England, comes into Ireland with his wife, sister to the Earl of Gloucester; he enters Dublin with great pomp, and seated himself there.

William Mac Walter, that famous robber, on the 12th of September is condemned before the Justiciary, John Wogan, in the court of Dublin, and was dragged to the gallows at the tails of horses and hanged.

John Wogan went into England to attend parliament, having left in his place William de Burgh as custos.

On the day of SS. Simon and Jude October 28, Roger Mortimer came into Ireland with his wife, the heiress of Meath, that is to say, the daughter of Lord Peter, son of Geoffry Geneville; they took possession  p.55 of Meath on the resignation of Geoffry Geneville, who professed himself in the monastery of Trim.

Dermod O'Dempsy is slain at Tullow by the followers of Piers Gavaston.

Richard Earl of Ulster kept a solemn feast at Pentecost at Trim, where he knighted Walter and Hugh Lacy.

Matilda, daughter of the Earl of Ulster, went to England, and married the Earl of Gloucester.

Maurice Canteton killed Richard Talon, but the Roches killed Maurice.

David Canteton is hanged at Dublin.

Odo Mac Cathal O'Conor killed Odo O'Conor, King of Connaught.

Athy is burned by the Irish.

1309. Piers Gavaston subdued the Irish O'Brines, he rebuilt Newcastle M'Kynegan and Castle Kevyn, and cut and cleared a pass between Castle Kevyn and Glendalogh, having also beaten the Irish, then he sailed for England on St. John the Baptist's Eve June 23.

The wife of the son of the Earl of Ulster, daughter to the Earl of Gloucester, came into Ireland, October 15.

The Earl of Ulster landed at Drogheda on Christmas Eve. On the day of the Purification  p.57 of Mary February 2 John Boneville is slain at Arscoll near Athy, by Arnold Power and his accomplices.

A parliament held at Kilkenny by the Earl of Ulster and John Wogan, Justiciary, &c.

Edmund Butler returned from England.

The Earl of Ulster returned to England with Roger Mortimer and John Fitz Thomas.

Death of Theobald Verdon.

1310. Scarcity in Ireland, a bushel of wheat for 20s., the bakers for their  p.59 false weights are dragged on hurdles through the streets.

A parliament at Kildare, in which Arnold Power is set at liberty, he had killed John Boneville in self-defence.

Alexander Bicknor elected Bishop of Dublin. Roger Mortimer returned to Ireland.

1311. At Bunratty in Thomond Richard Clare took prisoners William de Burgh and John Fitz Walter Lacy, and others, on the 20th of May, in the fight there fell many, both Irish and English.

Saggard and Rathcoole are attacked in autumn by the robbers, the O'Tooles with an army lurking both in Glindelory Glenmalur and other woodland places.

On November 12th Richard Clare slew six hundred Galloglasses.

On All Saints' Day November 1 Piers Gavaston was again proscribed, and returned privily.

John Cogan, Walter l'Enfant, John Fitz Rery die.

John Mac Geoghegan is killed by O'Mulloy. William Roche dies of the wound of an Irish arrow.

Eustace Power dies.

On St. Peter's Eve,  p.61 June 28, a riot is commenced in Uriel by Robert Verdon.

Donat O'Brene is treacherously killed by his own people in Thomond.

1312. Piers Gavaston is taken at Dodington, and beheaded by the Earl of Warwick by the advice of the Earls and Barons, on the 19th of June.

An army led by John Wogan, Justiciary, against Robert Verdon, is miserably defeated on the 10th of July. Nicholas Avenel, Patrick Roche, with many others were killed. Robert Verdon, with many of his men, gave himself up to the king's mercy at Dublin.

Edmund Butler, locum tenens of John Wogan, besieges the O'Brins O'Byrnes in Glindelory Glenmalur, and compelled them to surrender.

Maurice Fitz Thomas married Catherine, daughter of the Earl of Ulster, at Greencastle, and Thomas Fitz John married another of his daughters.

John Fitz Thomas knighted Nicholas Fitz Maurice, and Robert Clahull, at Adare, in Munster.

Some piratical ships of Robert Bruce invaded Ulster, and were repulsed bythe inhabitants.

Death of John Leeke, Archbishop of Dublin, Alexander Bicknor succeeded him.

Milo Verdon married the daughter of Richard de Exoniis Dexter.

Robert Bruce destroyed the castle of Man, and capitally punished Duncan O'Dowell.

John de Burgh, heir of the Earl of Ulster, died at Galway. Edmund Butler conferred knighthood on thirty persons in Dublin at Michaelmas.

1314. The Hospitalers received the lands of the Templars in Ireland.

John  p.63 Paris is killed at Drogheda, Theobald Verdon is Justiciary, Edmund Butler made Justiciary.

1315. The fleet of the King of Scotland arrived at Glondonne on St. Augustine's day May 26th, it was commanded by Edward Bruce, brother of King Robert, and with him were the Earl of Moray, John Mentieth, John Steward, John Campbell, Thomas Randolph, Fergus of Ardrossan, John de Bosco, John Bisset; they fight on this side of the Bann, and put the Earl of Ulster and his army to flight, William de Burgh is slain there, and John Stanton, and many others; Ulster is plundered.

Secondly, a battle is fought at Kells in Meath, where Roger Mortimer and his men are put to flight.

Thirdly, at Skerries, near Arscoll, where the English are again defeated.

Soon after the day of  p.65 Philip and James May 1 Edward Bruce was crowned by his men King of Ireland. He took Green Castle, and left a garrison there, which was soon after driven out by the men of Dublin, and their captain, Robert of Culrath, Colerane? was taken, he afterwards died in prison.

On Peter and Paul's day June 29 the Scots took Dundalk, and plundered and burned it, they wasted great part of Uriel.

The church of Ardee, full of men and women, is burned by the Scotch and the Irish.

Edmund Butler, Justiciary, collects an army from Munster and Leinster, and the Earl of Ulster from Connaught; they meet, and unite their forces at Dundalk, when the Earl took upon himself to deliver Bruce alive or dead to the Justiciary in Dublin; having therefore followed the Scots to the River Bann, he retreated to Connor; when this was perceived by Bruce he secretly crossed the river with his troops, and having suddenly attacked him, put him to flight on the 10th of September, having taken William de Burgh and wounded  p.67 George Roche, and slain John Staunton, Roger Holywood, and many others: some of the Scots also fell.

The Irish of Connaught and Meath were encouraged by this event, and rose against the English, and burned the castles of Athlone, and Randon, and some others. In this battle at Connor the Baron of Dunoyl bore himself bravely, but lost nearly all his baggage, the defeated English fled to Carrickfergus, and some of them entered the castle, and held it. Some days afterwards some English sailors from Carrickfergus suddenly attacked the Scots by night, and drove them from their camp, and brought away their tents and many other things.

The day after the Exaltation of the Cross September 15th the Earl of Moray sailed from Scotland with William de Burgh his prisoner, and with four ships laden with the spoils of Ireland, for the purpose of bringing back more troops.

Meanwhile, during the siege of Carrickfergus, Cathal Roe O'Conor destroyed three castles of the Earl of Ulster in Connaught, and plundered and burned many towns. The sailors again slew some Scots.

Richard de Lande of O'Farel's land ? is slain by an Irishman of Meath.

On St. Nicholas day May 9 Bruce left Carrickfergus and was met at Dundalk by the Earl of Moray, with a reinforcement of five hundred soldiers, some deserted to him. Hence he went to Nobber where he left several of his men. From thence having burned Kells in Meath, and Granard, and Finnagh, and Newcastle, he kept his Christmas at Loghseudy. Then he went to Totemoy, and Rathangan, and Kildare, and the neighbourhood of Castle Dermot, and Athy, and Rheban, yet not without loss; afterwards he came to Skerries at Arscoll in Leinster, where Edmund Butler, Justiciary, John Fitz Thomas, Arnold Power, and the other nobles of Ireland opposed him, any of them alone could easily have driven him back, but they quarrelled among themselves, and all of them retreated. Hamond Grace was killed in action and William Prendergast. Of the  p.69 Scots fell Fergus Ardrossan, Walter de Moray, with many others whose bodies are buried in the Convent of the Friars at Athy.

Bruce on his return sets fire to the Castle of Ley, he then comes to Kells, where Roger Mortimer met him with 15,000 men, but they were not trustworthy or well disposed towards him, for they left their commander with a few troops, and ran away, especially the Lacies.

Roger takes flight towards Dublin, and Walter Cusake towards Trim.

At the same time the southern Irish, both the O'Tooles and the O'Byrnes, burned the whole south country, that is to say, Arklow, Newcastle, Bray, &c.

But the O'Mores laid waste part of Leix in Leinster, but they were punished by Edmund Butler, the Justiciary, for having defeated them and killed a great number of them, he brought back 800 heads to Dublin.

At the Feast of the Purification February 2 John Fitz Thomas, Richard Clare, John and Arnold Power came to the Lord John Hotham, who was appointed by the king, and there made oath that they would be faithful to the king, and that they would repel the Scots and all other enemies of the king with all their power, and for this they gave hostages, and the other lords who refused to do so, were publicly proclaimed the king's enemies.

John Bissett died.

The church of the new town of Leix is burned by the Scots. The castle of Northburgh, in Ulster, is taken by them.

Felim O'Conor slew Roderick, son of Cathol O'Conor.

William Mandeville died, and the Bishop of Conor fled to the castle of Carrickfergus. His bishoprick is put under an interdict.

Hugh de Antonia is slain in Connaught.

On St. Valentine's day February 14 the army of the Scots was at Geashill in Offaly, suffering greatly from hunger, so that many perished; they betook themselves to  p.71 Fowre in Meath, daily fainting with hunger in their journey.

Walter Lacy came to Dublin to clear himself of the charge brought against him, and to give hostages to the king as the others had done. In the meantime Bruce remained quiet in Ulster.

The O'Tooles, O'Byrnes, Archbolds and Harolds, combined together, they plundered Wicklow with all the adjacent country.

The Earl of Moray sailed into Scotland in the first week of Lent.

Edward Bruce held a parliament in Ulster, in which he hanged many persons, also in another parliament about mid-lent he put the Logans to death, and takes Alan Fitz Warm and brought him with him into Scotland.

Felim O'Conor slew Calroth and Galloglasses, and others with him to the number of 300.

Wheat is sold for 18s.

1316. Thomas Mandeville with more men from Drogheda attacked the Scots at Carrickfergus and put them to flight, having killed about thirty on Maundy Thursday April 8, attacking them on Easter Eve April 10 he slew sixty of them, but fell himself in the conflict, fighting in his own country and for his own rights. Richard Clare and Richard Birmingham slaughtered many Irish  p.73 in Connaught. William Comin with his men, slew the Lord O'Birne (with his twelve comrades) famous robbers, on the Saturday after Ascension day May 22, and brought their heads to Dublin.

The men of Dundalk in seeking O'Hanlon slay two hundred Irish, Robert Verdon Esq. fell in the conflict.

At Pentecost May 30 Richard Birmingham slew more than three hundred Irish in Connaught.

On St. John's day June 24 Bruce came to Carrickfergus, he demands their surrender, as had been agreed upon between them, they asked for life and limb, and that he should send in only thirty, whom they would receive, but when these had entered they put them in chains.

The Irish of Imayle attacked Tullow, and lost four hundred men, whose heads were brought to Dublin; marvellous things occurred, the dead rose again, and fought with one another, shouting their cry after their fashion, “Fennok abo.”

On the Feast of the Translation of St. Thomas July 7 eight ships laden at Drogheda with necessaries to be sent to those who were besieged in Carrickfergus, were stopped by the Earl of Ulster, for the deliverance of William de Burgh, who was a prisoner with the Scots.

On the Saturday following there met in Dublin the Earl of Ulster, John Fitz Thomas, and many other lords, who gave their hands to one another, and promised that they would die in defence of king and country.

In Connaught O'Conor slew Stephen Dexter, Milo Logan, some of the Barries and Lawlesses, with more English, about eighty.

On the Feast of St. Laurence August 10 four Irish kings rose against the English, who were punished by William de Burgh and Richard Birmingham, Lord of Athenry, with his men, who slew 12,000 of them at the town of Athenry, which was afterwards surrounded with walls from the spoils of the Irish, for whoever took double arms of knights laid out half the price on this work. Here fell Felim O'Conor, King of Connaught, and O'Kelly, with many  p.75 many other captains. John Hussee, butcher of Athenry, by the orders of his lord went from Athenry by night to look for O'Kelly among the dead, and to bring him back his head; but O'Kelly, who was safe, and with his esquire, advised him not to run the chance of a combat, but to go off with him and to receive a great estate as a reward; his servant approved of this; first then he slew his own servant, then O'Kelly and his servant; he brought back their three heads to his lord; for this deed he was knighted, and gifted with great estates by his lord.

On the Feast of St. Laurence August 10 O'Hanlon invaded the lands of Dundalk, but was driven away by the men of Dundalk, with the loss of many of his men. On the Nativity of Mary September 8 David O'Toole with eighty of his men hid himself by night in Cullenswood, but was discovered by the men of Dublin, and put to flight by John Comin; he lost sixteen of his men, and others were mortally wounded.

Robert Bruce landed in Ireland to aid his brother, he besieges Carrickfergus. The  p.77 monasteries of St. Patrick of Down and of Saul, with many others, are plundered.

William de Burgh having left his son in Scotland as a hostage, is set at liberty.

The church of Bright in Ulster, full of persons of both sexes, is burned.

The soldiers in Carrickfergus, being pressed with hunger, eat hides. Eight of the Scots who were detained there died.

Thomas, son of the Earl of Ulster, dies.

John Fitz Thomas also dies at Laraghbrine near Maynooth; it is said that a little before his death he was made Earl of Kildare; his son Thomas Fitz John, a prudent man, succeeded him.

Carrickfergus is surrendered to the Scots, life and limb being granted to those who were in it. On the day of the Exaltation of the Cross September 14 O'Conor is killed and Mac Kelly with five hundred Irish, by William de Burgh and Richard Birmingham, in Connaught.

At All Saints November1 in Ulster John Logan and Hugh Bissett defeat the Scots, they kill three hundred, one hundred of double armour, and two hundred of single.

On St. Edmund's Eve November 15 there was a great storm, the belfry of Trinity Church, Dublin, was blown down.

On the Eve of St. Nicholas December 5 Alan Stuard, taken prisoner in Ulster by John Logan and John Sandale, is delivered to custody in the Castle of Dublin. On the Purification of Mary February 2 the Lacies came to Dublin, and obtained an inquisition  p.79 whether the Scots had come by their means, they were found not guilty, and received the king's charter, and gave their oath that they would be faithful to the king.

After Shrovetide February 16 the Scots came secretly to Slane with two thousand armed men, and laid waste the whole country.

On the Monday before St. Matthew's day February 24 the Earl of Ulster is taken prisoner by Robert Notingham, Mayor of Dublin, in the monastery of St. Mary, he is delivered into custody in the Castle of Dublin, and detained there for a long time, the chamber where he was is burned, and seven of his servants killed.

Bruce marches towards Dublin, but when he heard that the earl was taken, he turned to Castleknock, and having taken it, he ransomed its lord, the Baron Hugh Tirell, and his wife, whom he had taken.

That night, with the consent of the citizens, Thomas Street is burned through fear of the Scots, and by the same fire the Church of St. John is burned, with the chapel of Magdalen burned by accident, and all the suburbs of Dublin, and the monastery of St. Mary, and the Church of St. Patrick is plundered by the aforesaid townsmen.

The Mayor also and the citizens threw down the Church of St. Saviour, that is, of the Preachers, and carried off the stones to build the town wall, which they then made longer to the north on the quay; for before this the walls crossed within the Church of St. Audeon's, where a tower is to be seen over the gate, and in Wine Tavern-street  p.81 there is another gate to be seen, but afterwards the King of England compelled the said Mayor and citizens to restore the same convent as it was before.

After the Feast of St. Matthias February 24, when Bruce understood that the city was thoroughly fortified, he turned towards the Salmon Leap, and encamped there. Robert Bruce, King of Scotland, his brother Edward, the Earl of Moray, John of Menteith, John Steward, Philip Moubray, stayed there four days, they fired the town and plundered the church.

At last they went towards Naas, where, contrary to their oath, the Lacies were their leaders and advisers, but Hugh Canon, appointed Wadin White, his wife's brother, to guide them through the country. They burned Naas, and plundered the churches, and opened the tombs, staying there two whole days.

Thence they reached Tristle Dermot in the second week of Lent, they plundered the Friars Minor, and destroyed the books and the vestments.

From thence they retired to Gowran, and from thence, without going to Kilkenny, to Callan, where they were, about the Feast of St. Gregory March 12.

In the meantime letters came by Edmund Butler, Justiciary, Thomas Fitz John, Earl of Kildare, Richard Clare, Arnold Power, Maurice Fitz Thomas, that the Earl of Ulster should be liberated by the king's desire.

The men of Ulster came with an army of two thousand seeking aid against the Scots, the king's banner was given to them, and more evil was done by them than by all the Scots, for they eat flesh during the whole of Lent, and  p.83 laid waste almost the whole country.

There was a great defeat of the Irish at Desart Dermot, that is, Tristle Dermot, by Edmund Butler, also another of the soldiers of O'More by the same at Baclethan.

Bruce with his forces went as far as Limerick; but when the English had united their forces at Ledin they secretly retreated by night from Castle Connell.

On Palm Sunday March 27 they came to Kells in Ossory, but the army of the English was assembled at Kilkenny. The men of Ulster were ordered to march against the enemy on Monday, under the command of the Earl of Kildare.

Bruce thence went to Cashel, and thence to Nenagh, and laid waste the whole country with fire.

1317. On Thursday in Passion Week March 30, Edmund Butler, Justiciary, Thomas Fitz John, Earl of Kildare, Richard Clare, Arnold Power, the Baron of Donoyl, Maurice Rochfort, Thomas Fitz Maurice, the Cantetons with their followers, assembled with the army of the Ulster men, about thirty thousand well armed, about the Scots, and staid there the whole week, and did not attempt any thing.

On Thursday in Easter week April 7, Mortimer landed at Yoghill, having been made Justiciary by the King, and hastened towards the army on the Monday following, and sent letters before him to Edmund Butler that he  p.85 should make no attack before his coming.

But in the mean time Bruce was warned of his coming and to depart thence, and the following night he moved towards Kildare, but the English went back to their own country, and the army  p.87 of Ulster came to Naas.

Messengers are sent to the King about the state of Ireland. Roger Mortimer and the lords deliberate at Kilkenny how they should act towards Bruce, but nothing was determined.

In the month after Easter, Bruce came to within four miles of Trim, and there encamped in a certain wood, and staid seven days to refresh his men, who had nearly perished of hunger and fatigue, and many were left there dead.

On the day of St. Philip and St. James May 1 he went towards Ulster. A short time after Mortimer with John Wogan came to Dublin with Fitz Warin and thirty knights, and held a parliament at Kilmainham with all the nobles, in which they treated of the liberation of the Earl of Ulster; nothing was concluded.

At a second meeting in Dublin he is liberated under bail, having given hostages and an oath that he would not injure the citizens of Dublin, a day is fixed for the trial, but at that day he did not return.

A great scarcity of wheat; the crannock was worth 24s., oats 16s., wine 8d., for the whole country was wasted by the Ulster men and the Scots; many of the rich men became beggars, and many died of hunger, there also raged a horrible plague which carried off numbers.

At Whitsuntide, Mortimer, the Justiciary, betook himself to Drogheda, and from that place to Trim, he calls before him the Lacies by letters, they refused to come, and then the Lord Hugh de Custes, Knight, is sent to them to treat with them of peace, and is put to death by them.

Therefore Mortimer assembled an army and spoiled them of goods and cattle, and slew many of their followers, and drove them into Connaught; but Walter Lacy is said to have gone to Ulster to seek aid from Bruce.

At a  p.89 parliament, on the Nativity of St. John June 24, the Earl of Ulster is liberated, having given bail, hostages, and his oath, that he would be faithful in all things to the King, and that he would persecute the Scots.

On the day of St. Processus and Martinian July 2, Sir John de Athy met at sea Thomas Don, a famous pirate, whom he took prisoner; there were slain of those who were with him, about forty, but he brought his head and the heads of the rest to Dublin.

On the day of the Translation of St. Thomas July 7 Nicholas Balscott came from England, who reported that two Cardinals had come to England from the Court of Rome to reconcile the Scots and the English, and they brought a bull of excommunication against all who should disturb the peace.

On the Feast of St. Margaret July 20 Hugh and Walter de Lacy were proclaimed traitors.

On the following Sunday, Roger Mortimer with a party of soldiers went towards Drogheda. The Ulster men plundered the country about Drogheda, but the townsmen took their prey from them; in the conflict Milo Logan and his brother are slain, and six other Ulster nobles are taken and brought to the Castle of Dublin.

The Justiciary, Mortimer, assembles troops against O'Feral, he cuts  p.91 a dangerous pass and burns all his houses, by which O'Feral was compelled to give hostages for peace.

Thence the Justiciary went to Trim, where John White of Rathregan was accused and fined two hundred marks.

After the Nativity of Mary September 8 he went with an army towards Imayle, and came to Hy- Kinselagh where many fell, both English and Irish, but the English were victorious.

Murrogh O'Birne surrendered himself to the king at the Castle of Dublin; then the Archbolds bound themselves to the peace, the Earl of Kildare giving security for them.

The Archbishop of Dublin and the Earl of Ulster remain in England for the parliament at Lincoln.

Sir Hugh Canon, Justice of the King's Bench, is murdered by Andrew Birmingham between Naas and Castle Martin.

Alexander Bykenor is confirmed Bishop of Dublin by Papal bulls.

The day after St. Valentine's Day February 14, Roger Mortimer knighted John Mortimer and his four companions, and held a great feast in the Castle of Dublin.

Two kings of Connaught fight with one another, one thousand Irish are slain.

A great scarcity and famine in Ulster; of one thousand there remained  p.93 only three hundred, some are said to have taken the bodies of the dead from the graves, to have cooked the bodies in skulls, and to have eaten them; women also devoured their infants.

1318. Berwick taken by the Scots.

Walter Islep, the King's Treasurer, comes into Ireland with letters to Mortimer, in which he was sent for to the king, he left as Custos of Ireland William Archbishop of Cashel, who was both Chancellor and Archbishop.

On the day of Gordian and Epimachus May 10 O'Brien and M'Carty slay Richard of Clare with Thomas of Naas, Sir James de Canteton, John Canteton, and Adam Apilgard, and eight soldiers. Richard's body is cut into small pieces through hatred, the rest are buried at Limerick.

After Easter John Lacy is brought from Dublin to Trim to receive sentence, he is condemned to prison, where he dies. On Ascension day Roger Mortimer left what he owed for provisions to the amount of £1000 unpaid.

On the Feast of St. James July 25 there was bread of new corn, which is seldom to be seen. Alexander Bykenor, Justiciary, landed at Youghall; he is received at Dublin with a procession.

A battle is fought at Dundalk with the Scots, who were Edward Bruce, Philip Mowbray, Walter Soulis, Alan Steward, with his  p.95 three brothers, Walter and Hugh Lacy, John Kermerdyn ?, Walter White, with three thousand soldiers; the captain of the English was John Birmingham, then Richard Tuite, Milo Verdon, Hugh Turpilton, Herbert Sutton, John Cusack, William and Walter Birmingham, the Primate of Armagh, who gave them all absolution, Walter de la Pole ?, John Maupas, with about twenty men of Drogheda well armed.

The battle was fought between Dundalk and Faghird; the Scots were defeated, and Edward Bruce is killed by John Maupas, and all his nobles were killed, except Philip Mowbray, who however received a mortal wound, Hugh de Lacy, Walter de Lacy, and a few others, the rest of the Scots to the number of two thousand were slain; the body of John Maupas was found over the dead body of Bruce.

Sir John Birmingham brought Bruce's head to the king, and received as a reward the earldom of Louth and the barony of Ardee.

The hands and heart of Bruce are carried to Dublin, his other limbs are sent to different places.

 p.97

1319. Roger Mortimer returns and is made Justiciary.

Bulls came to excommunicate Robert Bruce.

The town of Athassel with the adjoining country is plundered by John Fitz Thomas, brother of Maurice Fitz Thomas.

John Birmingham is made Earl of Louth.

The bridge of Kilcullen built by Master Maurice Jack, Canon of Kildare.

1320. A University begins at Dublin. The first master was William Hardy,  p.99 who commenced Doctor of Divinity; the second, Friar Henry Cogry; the third, William Rodiard, Dean of St. Patrick's, Dublin, who was the first Chancellor of the University; the fourth, Edmund de Kermerdin.

Mortimer, the Justiciary, returned to England, leaving in his place the Earl of Kildare.

Edmund Butler goes to England, and from thence to St. James of Compostella.

The bridge of Leighlin is built by Master Maurice Jack, Canon of Kildare.

1321. The O'Conors sustain a great defeat at Balybogan on the 9th of May, from the men of Leinster and Meath.

Death of Edmund Butler at London.

John Birmingham, Earl of Louth, is made Justiciary.

John Wogan died.

1322. Andrew Birmingham and Nicholas de la Launde, with many others, are killed by O'Nolan on the day of St. Michael September 29.

1323. Truce for fourteen years between the Scots and the English. John D'Arcy, Justiciary. John, the eldest son of the Earl of Kildare, died, aged 9 years.

 p.101

1324. Died Nicholas Geneville, heir of Simon Geneville. A murrain amongst oxen and the cows.

1325. Richard Ledred, Bishop of Ossory, cited Alice Ketil to clear herself of heresy; she was convicted of magic, for it was surely proved that a certain demon incubus (named Robin Artisson) had lain with her, to whom she had offered nine red cocks, at a certain stone bridge at the cross roads; and also at prayer time between compline and curfew, she swept the streets of Kilkenny with brooms, and, as she swept, brought the dirt to the house of William Outlaw, her son, where she said, in conjurations, “may all the luck of Kilkenny come to this house.”

Many other women are found to have been partakers of this impiety, as Petronilla of Meath, with her daughter Basilia. The bishop imposed a fine upon her, and compelled her to forswear witchcraft; but afterwards, being again convicted of the same crime, she fled with Basilia, nor did she ever appear again after that time.

Petronilla of Meath is burned at Kilkenny, and as she was dying she declared that the before-named William deserved death as much as she did, for that for a year and a day he had carried round his naked body the devil's girdle. Upon this, he was immediately taken by the order of the bishop, and shut up in prison, where he was detained about two months; there were assigned to him two servants, who had orders to speak to him only once a day, and not to eat or drink with him; at last he was set at liberty by the interest of Arnold Power, Seneschall of Kilkenny. But to the same Arnold he gave a large sum of money to throw the bishop into prison, which was done, and the bishop was kept there three months. Amongst the goods of Alice was found a Host, on which the name of the Devil was inscribed, besides a pix and an ointment therein  p.103 with which she used to besmear a beam, that is, a coulter, and when it was so besmeared, Alice, with her comrades, mounting upon it, as on a horse, was carried whithersoever she wished through the world, without hurt or hindrance. And because the thing was so stupendous, Alice, on the evidence of Petronilla, was again cited to Dublin; and when she had petitioned that a day should be appointed for clearing herself, and the next day was fixed on, meanwhile she is concealed by her friends, and the wind being fair, she sails to England. William Outlaw is again shut up in prison; at length he was set at liberty, at the entreaties of the lords, but on condition that he should cover a church at Kilkenny with lead, and give something to the poor.

1326. At Whitsuntide, a parliament was held at Kilkenny; Richard Earl of Ulster went to it, although he was ill, and entertained the lords there at a great feast; he died shortly after at Athassell, and was succeeded by William de Burgh.

1327. A quarrel arises between Maurice Fitz Thomas and Arnold Power,  p.105 Lord Butler and William Birmingham take the part of Maurice, but the Burks take Arnold's, Maurice killed many of them, and drove the rest into Connaught.

After Michaelmas, Arnold came to the assistance of the Burkes, and he had at an assembly called Maurice a Rhymer. Maurice with Butler and Birmingham (having assembled an army), plunders the country of Arnold in Offa; Birmingham also burned his possessions in Munster, Ossory, and Kells, so that Arnold, with the Baron of Donoil, was forced to fly to Waterford; he staid there until the Justiciary and others fixed a day for settling these affairs, which day Arnold did not keep, but went to Dublin and sailed to England; in his absence, his enemies plundered and laid waste every thing belonging to him, and it came to this, that the towns, through dread of them, strengthened themselves with garrisons; when this was perceived they Maurice's party signified to the royal officers that they would come to Kilkenny, for the purpose of clearing themselves of having attempted anything against the king or his possessions. There came to this parliament the Earl of Kildare, Justiciary, Roger Outlawe, Chancellor  p.107 of Ireland, the Prior of Kilmainham, Nicholas Fastolf, Justice in the King's Bench, and others: Maurice's party requested the king's charter of peace, the councillors appointed a day after Easter when they should treat about this matter with the rest of the council.

The men of Leinster made a King for themselves, to wit, Donald M'Morough, who had resolved to go through all Ireland and subdue it; he by the vengeance of God was taken prisoner by Henry Traharn, who first brought him to Leixlip, where he received a hundred pounds for his ransom, and then brought him to the Castle of Dublin, where he was placed until his case should be decided.

In the meanwhile John Wellesley took David O'Toole and slew many of his men.

Adam Duff, son of Walter Duff a Leinster man, of the sept of the O'Tooles, was convicted of heresy, for he had denied the incarnation of Christ, and the Trinity, and the chastity of the Blessed Virgin, and the Resurrection of the dead; and asserted, that the Holy Scriptures were fables, and that the holy apostolical See was false; wherefore by a decree of a  p.109 civil court he was burned on the Monday after the Octaves of Easter at the Hogges in Dublin.

1328. On the Tuesday of Easter week, Thomas Fitz John, Earl of Kildare and Justiciary, died; Friar Roger Outlawe, Prior of Kilmainham, succeeded as Justiciary.

David O'Toole being condemned by Nicholas Fastolf and Elias Ashbourn, Justices of the Bench, is hanged. Maurice Fitz Thomas collects an army against the Burkes and the Powers.

William de Burgh, Earl of Ulster, is knighted at Whitsuntide, and has livery of his lordship.

James Butler married the daughter of the Earl of Hereford, and is created Earl of Ormonde; he was previously called Earl of Tipperary.

The Earl of Ulster goes to Berwick to the espousals; after which, Robert Bruce, the aforesaid Earl, the Earl of Menteith, and other lords of Scotland, landed at Carrickfergus, and sent word to the Justiciary and the Council that they came to make peace between Ireland and Scotland, and that they would meet him at Green Castle; but when the Justiciary  p.111 and Council failed to come, they returned into Scotland.

Arnold Power is accused by the Bishop of Ossory of heretical pravity; when he was sent for by the Council he said that he could not come by reason of the lying in wait of his enemies; he is therefore arrested and placed in custody in the Castle of Dublin until the parliament, which was held at Midlent.

At that time, the Bishop also accused Roger Outlawe, Prior of Kilrnainham, as Arnold's counsellor, and as a partaker of the same pravity. Roger asked from the Council an opportunity to clear himself, which was granted; and for three successive days proclamation was made, that if any one wished to prosecute the accusation he should appear; but no one appeared.

All the magnates of Ireland being assembled in Dublin, six examiners are appointed, Master William Rodiard, Dean of St. Patrick's, the Abbot of St. Thomas's, the Abbot of St. Mary's, the Prior of the Church of the Holy Trinity, Master Elias Lawles, Master Peter Willeby, in whose presence Roger Outlawe was cleared.

In Lent, Arnold Power dies in the Castle, and was long unburied.

1329. After the Annunciation B. M. V. March 25 there was a parliament  p.113 at Dublin, where peace was confirmed between the Earl of Ulster and Maurice Fitz Thomas. A great feast was held, the first in the castle by the Earl of Ulster, the next day by Maurice in the Church of St. Patrick, and then Roger Outlawe held a feast at Kilmainham.

On the Eve of St. Bartholomew Aug. 23, read, the feast of St. Barnaby, June 11, John Birmingham, Earl of Louth, is slain at Balebragan by the men of Uriel, and with him Peter Birmingham, his brother; and Robert, his brother; and John Birmingham, son of his brother Richard, Lord of Athenry; William Finne Birmingham, son of William, uncle of the aforesaid Lord of Athenry; Simon Birmingham, son of the same William; Thomas Birmingham, son of Robert of Connaught; Peter Birmingham, son of James of Connaught; Henry Birmingham of Connaught, and Richard Talbot of Malaghide, a brave man, and two hundred soldiers with them.

Upon this slaughter Simon de Geneville, with his followers, invaded the country of Carberry, in revenge of the injuries often done by the Birminghams to Meath, and for ancient enmity, but the men of Carberry opposing them slew up to seventy-six of them.

On Trinity Sunday June 18, the brothers, John and William Gernon, came to Dublin, requesting for the men of Uriel, that what had happened should be tried by common law; but when they understood that William Birmingham was coming, they went away.

On the day of St. Lawrence August 10, Thomas Butler,  p.115 invading Ardnorcher with an army, is there slain by William Macgeoghegan, with John Ledwich. John Nangle, Meiler Petit, Simon Petit, Nicholas White, William Freigne, Peter Kent, John White, and about one hundred and forty soldiers.

John Darcy is appointed Justiciary, he married Joande Burgh, Countess of Kildare, at Maynooth, on the 3rd of July.

Philip Staunton is slain.

Henry Traharn is taken by stratagem in his own house at Kilbeg, by Richard, son of Philip O'Nolan.

Sir James Butler, Earl of Ormonde, burned Forth, the country of O'Nolan, for the same cause. After the Assumption of the Virgin August 15, Darcy, the Justiciary, advances to Newcastle M'Kenegan, and Wicklow, against the O'Byrnes; some of the Lawlesses were killed there, and other Irishmen wounded, some were slain, the rest put to flight; but Murchard O'Byrne surrendered himself as a hostage, with his uncle and his uncle's son; they are carried to Dublin, but were afterwards released for other hostages.

At the Circumcision  p.117 of the Lord January 1, the Justiciary, with the counsellors, called in the aid of Maurice, Earl of Desmond, with an army against the king's enemies, promising to him the expenses of his march; he came soon afterwards, bringing with him Bryan O'Bryan and one thousand soldiers; he first attacked and subdued the O'Nolans, he took a great prey and laid waste every thing; but the O'Nolans first fled away, and then gave hostages.

The Castle of Ley, which had been occupied by O'Dempsy, is given up to the earl. After the Epiphany January 6, Donald Art M'Morough escaped from the Castle of Dublin, Adam Nangle had given him a rope, for which cause he was afterwards hanged.

1330. Most violent storms, by which a house was blown down which killed the wife of Milo Verdon and his daughter.

There was also a great flood, especially of the Boyne, by which all the bridges on that river, except Babe's, were carried away, and other mischief done at Trim and Drogheda.

A crannock of wheat  p.119 is sold for 20s., of oats for 8s., this scarcity was occasioned by the rainy season, on which account the greatest part of the wheat could not be reaped before Michaelmas.

The English of Meath slew some of the Irish. The Mac Geoghegans destroyed fifteen of their towns, they assembled a band and slew one hundred and ten of his men, amongst whom were three sons of princes.

William de Burgh, Earl of Ulster, leads an army from Ulster into Munster against Bryan O'Bryan. William Darcy is born of the Countess at Maynooth. Raymond Lawles is killed at Wicklow by treachery. A parliament is held at Kilkenny for the king by Roger Outlawe, Justiciary, where were Alexander, Archbishop of Dublin, the Earl of Ulster, James of Ormonde, William Birmingham, Walter de Burgh of Connaught, each of them went with a great army to expel Brian O'Bryan from Urlis in Cashel.

Walter de Burgh with his Connaught men plundered the country of Maurice Fitz Thomas, and drove the prey to Urkiss.

 p.121

1331. Hugh Lacy entered Ireland with the king's pardon.

The Earl of Ulster went to England. The Irish are slain in Hykinselagh by the English on the 14th of April.

The castle of Arklow is taken by stratagem by the Irish on the 21st of April; on the same day the O'Tooles carried off three hundred sheep belonging to the Archbishop of Dublin from Tallaght, and killed some men; this news being brought by word of mouth to Dublin; there are also killed by stratagem by the O'Tooles, at Cullagh, Philip Bret, the brother of Maurice Fitz Gerald the Hospitaller, Raymond Archdeacon, John Chambers, Robert Tirell, two sons of Reginald Barnewall, and many others, especially of the family of the Archbishop; William Birmingham led an army against the robbers, and killed some of them, but is brought back by their false promises.

Sir Anthony Lucy, Justiciary. Many of the party of Brian O'Bryan are killed at Thurles by the English in May; also at Finnagh, in Meath, some are killed by the English inhabitants on the 19th of June. On the 27th of June, a great multitude of sea whales, which are commonly called Thurlpolles, entered into the bay of Dublin between the Conneg and the River Dodder, in the evening; more than two hundred of them  p.123 were taken, which not a little relieved the then increasing famine.

A parliament at Dublin, to which many lords did not come, the same adjourned to Kilkenny, where came Maurice Fitz Thomas and many others, who cleared themselves and submitted to the clemency of the king, who nearly pardoned all that was past.

The Castle of Ferns is taken by stratagem and is burned in August.

Maurice Fitz Thomas, Earl of Desmond, is taken by the Justiciary at Limerick, on the Assumption of the Virgin August 15, and is brought to the Castle of Dublin; Henry Mandeville is also taken, and in Connaught Walter de Burgh with his two brothers is taken by the Earl of Ulster, and brought to the Castle of Northburgh.

Likewise William Birmingham is taken with his son Walter, at Clomnel, notwithstanding the king's charter before granted to them, and they are carried to the Castle of Dublin.

The Leinster Irish rise against the English, they set fire to every thing, even the churches, and burn the Church of Freynstown with eighty persons in it; and, even when the priest in his sacred vestments, and carrying the host in his hands, tried to get out, they drove him back with their spears, and burned him; for this cause they were excommunicated by a Papal Bull sent to the Archbishop of Dublin, and the country put under an interdict.

They despised these things, and again wasted the county of Wexford; but at Ballycarney ? four hundred of them were killed by Richard Whitty, Richard Fitz Henry, and the  p.125 townsmen of Wexford, and many others of them were drowned in the river Slaney.

1332. On the 10th of July Sir William Birmingham is hanged at Dublin, a bold and noble gentleman, of rare excellence in war; his death was openly bewailed by many. His son Walter is set at liberty.

The Castle of Bunratty is destroyed by the Irish of Thomond, in July. The Castle of Arklow is retaken by the Justiciary, who drove out the Irish, and is repaired.

Anthony de Lucy is deprived of his office, and returned to England.

John Darcy is made Justiciary.

Brian O'Bryan and M'Carthy are defeated in Munster by the English. The disease called the “mauses” ¹ goes through all Ireland, attacking persons of every age.

The hostages of the Castle of Limerick kill the governor and take possession of the castle, but the citizens shortly take the castle by storm, and put them all to death.

The hostages in Nenagh take possession of the castle, the gates were burned, and the castle recovered, the hostages being saved.

The Castle of Lyons is burned by O'Toole.

A peck of wheat at Christmas is worth 22s.

1333. John Darcy, Justiciary.

The Birminghams of Carbery carried off  p.127 from the O'Conors two thousand cows and more.

John Darcy, Justiciary, cut a pass at Etergouel in Ofaly.

The Earl of Desmond is liberated; there were several bailsmen who pawned life and property for him. William de Burgh, Earl of Ulster, is killed by his own men, between the Castle of the Ardes? and Carrickfergus, in the twenty-sixth year of his age, in June. He had put to death Richard de Burgh, his uncle, both for having insulted his wife, (nam interiora radere docuerat pro more Hibernise), and for other causes. The sister of this Richard had married Sir John Mandeville of Donnahir, and she ceased not to incite him to the revenge of her brother; therefore, on the Lord's day, when he was riding to a meeting from the Castle of Ardes ? towards Carrickfergus to church, perceiving that more servants of the Logans ? were with him than were with the earl, when he was saying the morning prayers with him, he cleft his head from behind with a sword; upon hearing which the earl's wife with his daughter fled straightway from Ulster into England.

John Darcy, Justiciary, going there, and defeating the murderers in battle, takes some of them, and slew others. The Justiciary thence passed over with an army into Scotland to the king,  p.129 having left Master Thomas Burgh as his deputy.

In the meeting of the nobles at the Carmelites in Dublin, Murchard Fitz Nicholas O'Toole is murdered, the author of which act was not known.

The Justiciary returned.

The Earl of Desmond fell from his horse and broke his leg.

A most seasonable summer, a peck of wheat is sold for 6d.

Raymond Archdeacon, with some of his family, is killed in Leinster.

Many things are omitted.

 p.131

1337. On the Eve of St. Calixtus October 14 seven partridges, flying from the fields, lighted on the roof of the hall of the Canons of the Holy Trinity, the boys caught two of them alive and killed three, the others flew away; the thing caused much wonder to all persons.

Sir John Charleton came Justiciary of Ireland, his brother also, Thomas, Bishop of Hereford, came as Chancellor; they brought with them Welshmen to the number of 200.

David O'Hiraghty, Archbishop of Armagh, is summoned to parliament, he is prevented from carrying his Cross before him by the Archbishop and clergy of Dublin.

The same Archbishop David dies, and is succeeded by Richard Fitz Ralph, Dean of Lichfield, who was born at Dundalk.

James Butler, first Earl of Ormonde, dies on the 17th of January, he is buried at Gowran.

1338. John Charleton is deprived of office, his brother, the Bishop of Hereford, is made Justiciary.

On the 3rd of February, Sir Eustace Power and his uncle, Sir John Power, are brought from Munster by the Justiciary to the Castle of Dublin.

Intense frost with very deep snow from the 2nd of December to the 10th of February.

 p.133

1339. Universal war through the whole of Ireland.

In Kerry, two hundred Irish are killed by the Earl of Desmond and the other Geraldines, and Maurice Fitz Nicholas, Lord of Kerry, is taken by the earl, and dies in prison, for he had made insurrection with the Irish against the king and the earl.

About three hundred Irish are also slain in the River Barrow by the men of Kildare, they had invaded the county of Kildare with the O'Dempsys. A great prey is driven about Idrone by the Bishop Justiciary.

1340. The Justiciary returned to England, having left as his deputy Roger Outlaw, Prior of Kilmainham, who died February 13. John Darcy is made Justiciary for life.

1340-1341? Sir John Moris came, deputy of Darcy.

In the county of Leicester a certain man putting on his hands a pair of gloves which he had found, began to bark like a dog, which disease crept from him through the whole county.

The king revoked all grants made by his father or by himself to any person whomsoever in whatsoever way, whether liberties or possessions, or other goods, by which measure almost the whole of Ireland was moved to immediate insurrection against the king.

In October a parliament at Dublin, to which the Earl of Desmond came not at all, at which time a division was first manifested between the English born in England and the Anglo-Irish, wherefore the Irish  p.135 lords and magistrates constituted a parliament at Kilkenny, for the good of the king and the country; to it the Justiciary, with the other ministers of the king, had no inclination to go, nor had he courage to do so, for they did not use his advice nor that of the other ministers in the business; it is there concluded, that the unjust government of Ireland by his ministers should be signified to the king by messengers with a complaint and petition for their correction and for better government.

1342. On the 11th of October two moons were seen in Dublin.

1343. St. Thomas Street, Dublin, burned. Sir Ralph Ufford came as Justiciary, with his wife, the Countess of Ulster; at his coming there began showery weather  p.137 which did not stop as long as he lived.

A man unjust and greedy of gain, doing every thing by force, giving justice to none, robbing rich and poor of their goods, and oppressing them, and all this much more by the prompting of his wife.

Going into Ulster he suffered great loss from Mac Cartan in the pass of Emerdullam, having lost his clothes, his money, his vessels of silver, and some of his horses, he also lost some of his men, yet by the help of the men of Uriel he at last made his escape into Ulster.

1345. A Parliament at Dublin, to which Maurice Earl of Desmond did not come.

After St. John Baptist's day June 24, Ralph Ufford, with the king's standard, without the consent of the lords, goes into Munster against the earl, where he seized his lands and leased them for a yearly rent to different persons; from thence he wrote two letters to Sir William Burton, one to be given to Maurice Fitz Thomas, Earl of Kildare, in which he ordered and besought him to come without delay with an army to his help; the other to the aforesaid William, in which he ordered him to arrest the earl, and deliver him into custody.

William, while the earl is preparing his army, persuades him first to go to the council in Dublin, that supported by their authority he might go with greater safety, and his possessions in the meanwhile remain in safety; but when he came there, he is apprehended by William, in the very senate, and is shut up in prison.

 p.139

Meanwhile the Justiciary goes through Kerry to O'Conyl, and takes two of the earl's castles by treachery, to wit, Iniskisty and Castle Island, in which last Eustace Poer, William Graunt, and Sir John Cotrell, were taken and hanged. The earl with his men leaves the country.

The Justiciary returned to Kilmainham to his wife, who was pregnant. Many injuries did he both to churchmen and laymen; but he deprived of their possessions all the bailsmen of the Earl of Desmond, whose names are William de Burgh Earl of Ulster, James Butler Earl of Ormonde, Sir Richard Tuit, Sir Nicholas Verdon, Sir Maurice Rochfort, Sir Eustace Poer, Sir Gerald Rochfort, Sir John Fitz Robert Poer, Sir Robert Barry, Sir Maurice Fitz Gerald, Sir John Wellesley, Sir Walter l'Enfant, Sir Roger le Poer, Sir Matthew Fitz Henry, Sir Richard Wallis, Sir Edmund de Burgh, son of the Earl of Ulster, David de Barry, William Fitz Gerald, Fulk de Freigne, Robert Fitz Maurice, Henry Barkley, John Fitz George de Roche, Thomas Leis de Burgh; although in this war some of them had assisted him at their own expense; and he submitted their bodies to the king's will, with the exception of four only, that is of William de Burgh, Earl of Ulster, and James de Butler, Earl of Ormonde,{⬌}.

 p.141

1346. On Palm Sunday, April 9th, Robert Ufford, Justiciary, dies, to the greatest public joy and applause of all men. The weather instantly changes and becomes fine; his body, enclosed in lead, is carried by his wife to be buried in England.

On the 2nd day of May (on which day in the year before she entered the city in triumph with her husband) she and her attendants fled out of it with his corpse, with sorrow, and amidst the clamour of the people; which thing was noted as a prodigy.

Sir Roger Darcy is appointed Justiciary for a time by the council.

The castles of Ley and of Kilmehede are burned in April by the Irish. On the 15th of May Sir John Moris comes Justiciary.

On the 23rd of May the Earl of Kildare is released from prison, having found twenty-four bailsmen.

In June, three hundred at least of the English of Uriel are slaughtered by the Ulster men.

John Moris is deprived of his office in June, and Sir Walter Birmingham is made Justiciary.

A truce is granted to the Earl of Desmond; he therefore sails from Youghal with his wife to England, where he prosecutes his complaint against Ralph Ufford; he was allowed by the king (from the time when he entered England) twenty shillings every day for his expenses.

Darcy, Justiciary, and the Earl of Kildare, invade O'More, who had burned the castles of Ley and Kilmehede, and compelled him to submit, although he resisted obstinately.

 p.143

1347. The Earl of Kildare, with barons and knights, goes to the king to the siege of Calais, which was surrendered to him on the 4th of June.

Donald M'Morough, son of Donald Art M'Morough, King of Leinster, is treacherously killed by his own people on the 5th of July. Maurice Fitz Thomas, Earl of Kildare, is knighted by the king, and marries the daughter of Sir Bartholomew Burghersh.

Nanagh, that is the town of Nenagh with the adjacent country, is plundered by the Irish on St. Stephen's day.

1348?. Very great pestilence in Ireland, which had before gone through other countries.

Sir Walter Birmingham, Justiciary, went to England, having left as his deputy, Friar John L'Archer, Prior of Kilmainham; he returns the same year; the king had given him the barony of Kells in Ossory, because he had assisted, at great expense, Ralph Ufford against the Earl of Desmond. This barony had belonged to Eustace Power, who was hanged at Castle Island.

1349. Walter Birmingham, a most excellent Justiciary, gave up his office, he was succeeded by Lord de Carew, Knight and Baron.

1350. Sir Thomas Rokeby is made Justiciary. Walter Birmingham, some time most excellent Justiciary, died in England.

 p.145

1352. Sir Robert Savage had began to build various castles in Ulster, and said to his son that in this way he should save it for himself and his children from the attacks of the Irish; his son Henry answered him, “wherever there are brave men there is a castle, according to the saying, and there the children of Israel pitched their camp, I shall ever be amongst the brave, and therefore in a castle. I had rather,” quoth he, “have a castle of bones than of stones.” Being thus deterred, his father, stopping the work he had began, spent his substance in housekeeping, saying that his children would be sorry for it; which came to pass, for shortly after the Irish wasted the whole country, because it was bare of castles.

Rokeby gave up his office.

1355. Maurice Fitz Thomas, Earl of Desmond, is made Justiciary, who dies shortly  p.147 afterwards; he was a good man and just, who hanged even his own relations for theft, and well chastised the Irish.

1356. Thomas Rokeby is made Justiciary the second time, a just and prudent man,  p.149 who used to say that he had rather eat and drink out of wooden vessels, and spend gold and silver on food and clothing and hired soldiers. He died the same year in the Castle of Kilka.

1357. Almaric de St. Amand, Justiciary.

A great controversy between Richard Fitz Ralph, Archbishop of Armagh, and the mendicant friars, who at last prevailed through the Pope.

1358. Almaric, the Justiciary, goes to England.

1359. James Butler, Earl of Ormonde, is made Justiciary.

 p.151

1360. Master Richard Fitz Ralph, Archbishop of Armagh, died in Avignion, likewise died Sir Robert Savage, who with a few English had killed in one day three thousand Irish near Antrim; but he had before given every soldier a good drink of wine, and had prepared a splendid feast against their return; he always kept a most splendid table; he was buried in the convent of the Friars Preachers of Coleraine, on the River Bann.

The Earl of Ormonde, the Justiciary, goes to England; Maurice Fitz Thomas, Earl of Kildare, is left as his deputy.

1361. Lionel, Earl of Ulster by the hereditary right of his wife, and son of the king, came as Justiciary on the Octaves of the Nativity of Mary, with his wife Elizabeth.

Sir Walter Birmingham, the younger, died on St. Laurence's day. He divided his patrimony amongst his sisters, one of whom took Preston.

Lionel first had a war with O'Byrne, in which by a public proclamation he forbade any of Irish birth to come near his army; and upon this there are slain immediately one hundred of his hired soldiers, by which he was moved to oppose  p.153 perpetually the Irish born and the English to the Irish.

He made knights Robert Preston, Robert Holywood, Thomas Talbot, Walter Cusack, James De la Hide, John De la Freigne, Patrick and Robert De la Freigne, and many others; he transferred the Exchequer from Dublin to Carlow, and gave 500 to build walls for that town.

A great storm on the feast of St. Maur. January 15th.

1362. The Church of St. Patrick of Dublin was burned by the fire of John Sexton, on the 8th Ides of April April 6th.

1364. Lionel goes into England on the 22nd of April, leaving the Earl of Ormonde as his deputy, and returned the 18th of December.

1365. Lionel returned into England leaving Sir Thomas Dale as his deputy.

1367. A war began between the Birminghams of Carberry and the men of Meath,  p.155 because of the robberies of the Birminghams, wherefore Robert Preston put a garrison in the Castle of Carberry. Gerald Fitz Maurice, Earl of Desmond, is made Justiciary.

1368. In Carberry, after a parley between the English and the Irish, there are taken by the Birminghams and others, Friar Thomas Burley, Prior of Kilmainham, Chancellor; John Fitz Richard, Sheriff of Meath; Sir Robert Tirrel, Baron of Castleknock; with several more. Wherefore James Birmingham, who was held in Trim Castle in handcuffs and fetters, is immediately set at liberty in exchange for the Chancellor, the others are set free in ransom. The Church of S. Mary's of Trim was burned.

1369. William de Windsor, a brave and active man, came Lieutenant of our Lord the King on the 12th Calends of July July 21st, and the Earl of Desmond resigned office to him.

1370. The third pestilence began, which carried off many nobles and others without number.

Gerald Fitz Maurice, Earl of Desmond, John Fitz Nicholas and Sir Thomas Fitz John, and many other nobles, are taken by O'Brien and M'Namara? of Thomond, on the 6th Ides of July July 10th, in the Abbey  p.157 of Magio, in the county of Limerick, and more were killed, on which account, the Lieutenant, leaving the war against the O'Tooles and in Leinster, betook himself thither.

There died Sir Robert Tirrell, Baron of Castleknock, his wife and his heir, for which reason Joan, and her sister Matilda, divided the inheritance between them.

Likewise died Sir Simon Fleming, Baron of Slane, Sir John Cusack, Baron of Culmullen, and John Tailor, sometime Mayor of Dublin.

1394. Richard the Second entered Ireland in the eighteenth year of his reign, October 1.

1399. The same Richard entered Ireland a second time on the last day of May, in the twenty-third of his reign.

1407. On the Feast of the Exaltation of the Cross September 14th, there were slain at Callam, in the county of Kildare, 3000 Irish and English rebels, and O'Carol, their captain, by Sir Stephen Scrope, Deputy of Thomas Duke of Lancaster, Lieutenant of Ireland.

1427. 17th of October, died, Gerald Fitz Maurice Fitz Gerald, Earl of Kildare. He was buried in the Monastery of All Saints.

1429. Town of Naas first burned by Donagh Kavanagh, September 26th.

1448. Death of Robert Flatisbury, Esquire, Sheriff of Kildare, at the battle of Donerisk on the second of September.

1467. 15th of February, Thomas Earl of Desmond is beheaded at Drogheda by John Earl of Worcester.

1478. Died, Thomas Earl of Kildare, Justiciary of Ireland.

1418-1513?. Gerald, son of the aforesaid Earl of Kildare, died September 3, who had been Deputy thirty-three years; he greatly chastised the Irish, and destroyed their strongholds; he levelled their castles to the ground, and settled colonies in divers places, and repaired ruined towns, and built forts in convenient places. A man liberal, bold, pious, and merciful.

1504. The battle of Knocdoe is fought by the aforesaid Gerald against M'William de Burgh and the O'Briens, on the Monday after the Assumption.

 p.159

Lord Leonard Gray, son of the Marquis Gray, came Justiciary of Ireland.

First, he goes into Offaly against O'Conor, where he destroyed the castle, called the Dengan, with all the others of his country.

Secondly, he made an expedition against M'Geoghegan and O'Mulloy, and wasted the country of O'Dunn, and took hostages from them all, and from O'Melaghlin.

Thirdly, he went against O'Carol through Offaly, from whom, after he had destroyed their castles, he received hostages; from thence he went through O'Brien's Arra's country towards Limerick, and took hostages from the Earl of Desmond and his followers; then he goes against O'Brien, where he broke the great bridge called O'Brien's Bridge, with two castles adjoining.

Thence he took his journey towards Galway, in which he took hostages from the Rickards and other townsmen, and the rest of the confederates.

He frequently severely chastised the Byrnes and Tooles, the Ronans ? and Moores.

Afterwards when the lords of Ulster, to wit O'Neal, O'Donnel, Claneboy, with the Scots of the Glyns, were going with their united forces against the English colonies and were doing much mischief, he pursued them to the ford called Beallyhoe, near the borders of Ferny in Monaghan, where he slaughtered many of them, and put the rest to flight on the 2nd of December.

The de Lacys and the de Burghs

1242. Died, Hugh de Lacy, Earl of Ulster, leaving an only daughter who married Walter Burgh, Lord of Connaught.

Hugh de Lacy the elder had two sons, Walter and Hugh. Walter begat Gilbert, who begat Margaret and Matilda; Margaret married Theobald de Verdon, who begat Theobald, who begat Joan, Margaret, and Isabella; Joan married Thomas Furnival; Elizabeth married Bartholomew Burghersh; Margaret married  p.161 William de Blamid Blound; Isabella married Henry de Ferrers, from whose five daughters, Bedlowe, Fleming, Cruce, Holywood, and Giffard, acquired all their lands in Ireland.

Matilda Lacy married Geoffry Geneville, who begat Geoffry, Peter and Simon. Geoffry died without a son. Peter begat Joan, who married Roger Mortimer. Simon married Joan Fitz Leons, Lady of Culmullin, who begat Nicholas; but he begat Joan who married John Cusack, of Beaurepayr. The aforesaid Simon and Joan had five daughters; the eldest married John Hussey, Baron of Galtrim; the second married William de Loundres, of Athboy; the third, the Baron of Slane; the fourth, Walter De la Hide; the fifth, John Cruce of the Nail. Hugh, the second son of the earl, had one daughter, who married Walter de Burgh, Lord of Connaught.

1244. Walter de Burgh is made Earl of Ulster.

1326. On Tuesday before the feast of St. Peter ad vincula Aug. 1, died Richard de Burgh, Earl of Ulster and Lord of Connaught, at Athassel; a man prudent, witty, rich, wise, exceedingly old. He married his daughters honourably, one to Robert Bruce, King of Scots; the second, to the Earl of Gloucester; the third, to the Earl of Kildare; the fourth, to the Earl of Louth; the fifth, to Maurice Fitz Thomas, Earl of Desmond; the sixth, to Sir Thomas Multon. 1333. William Earl of Ulster is killed; and at the same time Roger Mortimer, Earl of March, was arrested at Nottingham; he is hanged at London.

The Butlers.

1285. The sixth Kalends of October September 26, died Theobald Butler in the Castle of Arklow, he was there buried in the Friary.

1299. On the second Ides the 14th of May, died Theobald, son of this Theobald; he was buried in his manor of Turvey, at Owney Abingdon.

1321. Edmund Fitz Theobald dies at London, his body is buried at Gowran, in Ossory.

 p.163

1327. On the 7th Ides the 7th of January, died James Butler Fitz Edmund, first Earl of Ormonde, he was buried in the Church at Gowran.

1383. On the feast of St. Luke the Evangelist October 18, died James Butler Fitz James, second Earl of Ormonde, in the Castle of Knocktopher, he was buried in the Cathedral Church of Kilkenny.

1405. On the 20th ofAugust died James Fitz James, third Earl, at Gowran, and was there buried.

1450. Died, James, the fourth Earl, and Deputy of Richard Duke of York, at Ardee, he is buried in the Monastery at Dublin.

1467. 1452?. Died, James Earl of Ormonde, on the 22nd day of August, in the thirty-first year of the reign of Henry VI.

1450. 1461?. Died James Fitz James, fifth Earl, and Earl of Wiltshire, and Treasurer of England, he is buried in England.

1455. 1478? John Butler, sixth Earl, made a pilgrimage to the Holy Land, where he died.

1515. The 3rd of August, died Thomas Butler, seventh Earl, he is buried in St. Thomas D'Acres in London; but these three last were brothers, and the sons of James the fourth Earl; they had also a fourth brother, by name Richard Butler, who was succeeded by Edmund, and Edmund by James, and James by Peter Butler, who now is eighth Earl of Ormonde.

James Butler was made Earl of Ormonde by Edward the Third, and on the same year and by the same King, Maurice Fitz Thomas was made Earl of Desmond.

The Geraldines

Died, Gerald, son of Maurice, Justiciary of Ireland, in the year of our Lord M. cc. v.

Died, Maurice, son of the same Gerald, a Friar Minor, and first founder of the Convent of the Minors at Youghall, in the year of our Lord M. cc. l vii.

 p.165

Died, Sir Thomas, son of the same Maurice, in the year of our Lord M. cc. lx.

Died, the Lord of Offaly, Sir John son of Thomas, first founder of the Convent of the Order of the Preachers of Tralee, and Sir Maurice son of the same, who were slain in a place which is called Callan, in Desmond, in the year of our Lord M. cc. Ixx., and are buried in the Monastery of Tralee on the north side.

Died, Sir Thomas, son of Maurice, in the year of our Lord M. cc. xc. vi., and is buried in the middle of the Choir.

Died, Maurice, son of Thomas, first Earl of Desmond, in the year of our Lord M. ccc. lx., 1356? in Dublin, and he was Justiciary of Ireland.

Died, Sir Maurice, son of Maurice, second Earl of Desmond, in the year of our Lord M. ccc. l. vii.

Died, Sir John, son of the same Earl, in the year of our Lord M. ccc. lxix.

Died, Sir Gerald, son of Maurice, in the year of our Lord M. cccc. i.

Died, Sir Thomas, son of John Earl of Desmond, in the realm of France, in the city of Rouen, in the Province of Normandy, in the year of our Lord M. cccc. xx.

Died, Sir James, son of Gerald Earl of Desmond, in the year of our Lord M. ccc. Ix. ii.

Died, Sir Thomas, son of the same James Earl of Desmond, and Justiciary of Ireland, who was slain by the swords of the wicked at Drogheda, or shall I rather say, was made a martyr of Christ, in the year of our Lord M. cccc. lxviii.

Died, Sir James, eldest son of the aforesaid Thomas Earl of Desmond; he was slain by the swords of the wicked, in the house of Rathkeale, in the year of our Lord M. cccc. lxxx. vi.

Died, Sir Maurice, son of Thomas Earl of Desmond, in the town of Dageth, in the year of our Lord M. cccc. xx. ix.

Died, the noble woman, the Lady Mary Mac Carroll, Countess, for whose soul this convent received many gifts and various alms, M. ccccc. xlviii.

Died, the noble woman, the Lady Katharine Butler, Countess, for whose soul this convent received many gifts and various alms, xvii of March, M. ccccc. liii.

 p.167

Died, Sir Thomas, son of Thomas Earl of Desmond, in the town of Rathkeale, in the year of our Lord M. ccccc. xxxiiii.

Died, Sir John, son of Thomas Earl of Desmond, in the town of Tralee, in the year of our Lord M. ccccc. xxxvi.

Died, James, son of John Earl of Desmond, and High Treasurer of Ireland, in the year of our Lord M. 500. 58. and is buried at Tralee, on whose soul the Lord have mercy.

@book{T100001,
  title 	 = {Annales Hiberniae},
  author 	 = {James Grace of Kilkenny },
  editor 	 = {Richard Butler },
  edition 	 = {1},
  note 	 = {vii pp.+ 167 pp. + 14 pp. (appendices and index)},
  publisher 	 = {Irish Archaeological Society},
  address 	 = {Dublin},
  date 	 = {1842}
}
 T100001.bib