General Notes

John Fitz Maurice "Cam" ("Crouchback") FitzGerald, ofCastletown-Kildrought, Co Kildare, de jure 6th Earl of Kildare, as whichaccording to modern doctrine almost certainly succeeded his elder brother[Gerald, 5th Earl] since he was undoubtedly living Aug 1425, though neverreferred to in contemporary records, the 4th Earl of Ormond having seizedhis lands on the pretext that he had a right to them through his wife[Gerald, 5th Earl's daughters Joan & Elizabeth both married the 4th Earlof Ormonde]; allegedly married 1st Margaret Delaherne; probably married(2nd?) Rose Basset, on whom his trustees settled lands (after his death?)10 July 1435, and had [Thomas], presumably by her.  [Burke's Peerage]

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Note:CP, below, has two Johns where BP has one.

The difficulties of proving the succession at this point are muchenhanced by the great gaps in the rolls of the Irish Chancery for thisperiod.  No official record has been found of John as Earl, who is placedhere as 6th Earl on the authority of two statements: (a) A translationkindly furnished by H. Egan Kennedy, Librarian of the Dail, fromO'Clery's 'Book of Genealogies': "The son of Thomas was the 8th Earl ofKildare. The son of John Cam was the 7th Earl, the daughter of LordBurbaes was his wife.  The son of Maurice was the 6th Earl, whose son wasGarret the Earl, that is the 5th Earl.  The son of Thomas was the 4thEarl."  (b) The 'Four Masters (an. 1454): "The Earldom of Kildare wastaken by the son of John Cam son of the Earl, and he was made Justiceafter Sir Edward Eustace."  Hitherto John, "Cam" and John 6th Earl ofKildare have been regarded as one and the same person, but chronologysuggests, and the above statements seem to imply, that John 6th Earl wasbrother of Gerald 5th Earl and son of Maurice 4th Earl, and father ofJohn "Cam", father of Thomas 7th Earl.  There is a gap in the history ofthe Earldom from the Death of Gerald 5th Earl in 1432 to the successionof Thomas 7th Earl circa 1456.  It seems possible that John, 6th Earl,survived until the succession of Thomas, 7th Earl.  A John FitzMorris, ofCastletown and Kildrought, was certainly carrying out land transactionsin 1436.  [Complete Peerage VII:227-8 as corrected by XIV:411]

EARLDOM OF KILDARE [IRL] (VI)

JOHN (FITZGERALD), EARL OF KILDARE [IRL], brother and heir. On 9 June1409 he was appointed a Justice of the peace in Kildare; and on 26 April1421 the King, "on account of his gentle blood and no small poverty,"excused John, son of Maurice late Earl of Kildare, from the payment offines for intrusion on the manors of Kildrought andKilmacredock---Kildare family manors. According to Lodge, this Johnmarried Margaret de la Herne; but according to the pedigrees abovereferred to, he married a "daughter of Basset." The date of his death isunknown.  [Complete Peerage VII:228, XIV:411, (transcribed by DaveUtzinger)]