General Notes

Name Suffix:<NSFX> 2nd Earl Of Pembroke
Richard de Clare
"This nobleman was one of the witnesses to the solemn agree
ment, made in 1153, between King Stephen and Henry, Duke o
f Normandy, whereby the latter was to succeed to the Englis
h throne upon the decease of the former. But the leading pa
rt he subsequently had in the subjugation of Ireland procur
ing him a conspicuous place in history, we shall relate th
e particulars of that event in the words of the Monk of Jor
evaulx - 'the realm of Ireland,' saith he, 'being miserabl
y opprest with warr by the many kings there who banded agai
nst each other, one of them sent his son into England to pr
ocure souldiers thence for his aid. Which souldiers for th
e hope of gain, giving him assistance, were so well recompe
nced, as that they rather chose to stay there than return t
o England. But after a short time the stoutest people of Ir
eland, being much offended with that king for getting aid f
rom England, the English already fixed in Ireland sent fo
r more from hence to strengthen their party, and because th
ey had no chief they made choice of this Earl Richard (a st
out and valiant man) to be their captain, who, yielding t
o their request, rigging a good fleet, prepared for the jou
rney. Whereupon there were some who, in the king's behalf
, endeavoured to restrain him. Howbeit, getting on shipboar
d, and landing safe, he assaulted Dublin, and took it; th
e tidings whereof so terrified those that lived afar off, t
hat they were content to be at peace with him; and, to conf
irm what he had got, gave him in marriage, Eva, daughter o
f Dermot McMurrough, one of their kings, with whom he had i
n dower a great part of the realm. Whereat the king of Engl
and growing much displeased , as well for that he had not o
nly, without his consent, but forbidden, made so great an a
ttempt, seized upon all his patrimony here, prohibiting tha
t he should have further aid; and threatening him otherwis
e very sore, compelled him so to such a compliance as tha
t he got Dublin from him, and all the principal places he h
ad won, requiring him to be content with the rest, and hi
s patrimony in England; soon after raising a great army, th
e king sayled thither, himself.' In the end the earl was co
nstituted Justice of Ireland by King Henry II., and havin
g founded the priory of Killmainham, in the province of Lei
nster, for knights hospitallers, 'this eminent person,' Dug
dale concludes 'died untimely upon the nones of April, ann
o 1176, and was buried in the Chapter house at Gloucester
, as may be seen by this inscription on the wall there, 'Hi
c jacet Ricardus Strongbow, filius Gilberti, Comitis de Pem
broke,' " leaving issue, as some say, one son, scarce thre
e years old, to be his heir, but by others it is reported t
hat, being by  treacherously abused and wounded, he departe
d this life the 5th year after his acquisition of the provi
nce of Leinster, and that he was buried at Dublin, leavin
g issue one only dau. and heiress, Isabel, who became in wa
rd to King Henry II. and remained under the royal guardians
hip for the space of fourteen years, when she was given i
n marriage to William Marshal, who thereupon became Earl o
f Pembroke."
Burke's Dormant & Extinct, p 120-121
<a href="http://www.compapp.dcu.ie/~humphrys/FamTree/deClar
e/1st.earl.pembrok e.html" target="_blank"
>Richard de Clare</a>, "Strongbow", 2nd Earl of Pembroke, b
orn 1130, led Anglo-Norman invasion of Ireland 1169, in rei
gn of Henry II;
mar 1171 to Aoife Mac Murrough, Princess of Leinster [desce
ndant of Brian Boru]; in 1172 he and his wife's uncle Archb
ishop Laurence O'Toole started the re-building in stone o
f Christ Church Cathedral, Dublin [also here, originally fo
unded by Sitric, Viking King of Dublin 1038], the crypt cou
nts as Dublin's oldest surviving building; built the firs
t castle at Kilkenny 1172; Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland 1173-
6,
died 1176, ag