General Notes

Note: Eighth Earl of Kildare; 'Geroit More'; Lord Deputy of Ireland; soldier and statesman; slain; DNB. Attainted and imprisoned in the Tower of London as a partisan of Perkin Warbeck 1494; reappointed deputy of Ireland 1496; died of a wound received in battle with a Leinster sept. 1

Gerald FitzGerald, 8th Earl of Kildare, KG (1505), called "Geroit More"("Gerald the Great"); born seemingly after Jan 1455/6; Deputy King's Lt.of Ireland; supported imposture of Lambert Simnel 1487, but after itsfailure submitted to Henry VII; under suspicion also of conspiring withPerkin Warbeck 1493, hence attainted 1494, forfeiting his estates andtitles and being imprisoned in the Tower of London, attainder reversed1495; Lord Deputy of Ireland 1496 (as which in 1504 he defeated a risingby Clanricarde and a confederacy of Irish chiefs at the Battle of KnockTuagh or Knockdoe ("Hill of Slaughter"), Co Galway), Treasurer of Ireland1505, Lord Justice of Ireland 1509, Lord Deputy of Ireland 1510 (aswhich, during an expedition against Lemyvannon, or O'Carrol's Castle, nowcalled Leap Castle, in Co Offaly, he was shot by one of the O'Mores ofLeix (modern Co Laois), at Kilkea and died a few days later 3 Sep 1513);married 1st c1478 Alison (died 22 Nov 1495), daughter of the 1st BaronPortlester.  [Burke's Peerage]

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EARLDOM OF KILDARE [IRL] (VIII)

GERALD FITZMAURICF (FITZGERALD), EARL OF KILDARE [IRL], son and heir,called Geroit More, or Gerald the Great. He was born apparently afterJanuary 1455/6. He succeeded his father as Deputy of the Duke ofClarence, who, however, was executed 18 February 1477/8. Henry, Lord Grey(of Codnor), was then appointed Deputy, but disputes arose, as Grey'sappointment was considered as invalid in Ireland, and Kildare continuedto act. Both Deputies summoned parliaments and issued orders, so thatgreat confusion was caused. The matter was referred to the King, who on12 August 1480 confirmed the Earl as Deputy for his infant son Richard,who was made Lieutenant. The Earl was continued in the office by RichardIII and Henry VII. In 1487 he countenanced the claim to the crown made byLambert Simnel, and was present at his coronation in Dublin, but on itsfailure asked for pardon and was restored. Sir Richard Edgecombe, asspecial commissioner, received the homage of the Earl of Kildare on 21July 1488, and gave him a collar sent by the King. He and others of theIrish nobility were summoned to attend Henry VII at Greenwich in 1489,where they saw Simnel acting as one of the King's scullions. In November1493, being suspected of correspondence with Perkin Warbeck, he went tothe. King "with great splendour," but was sent back, being replaced asDeputy by Sir Edward Poynings. His opponents appear to have beenencouraged by this rebuff, and in December 1494 he was tried, convictedand attainted of high treason in the Parliament [IRL] held at Drogheda,whereby he forfeited his lands and honours. The Earl's war-cry,"Crom-a-boo," and similar ones were prohibited at this time. Afterwardshe was sent to London and imprisoned in the Tower. By Act, of the EnglishParliament in October 1495 bis attainder was reversed and he was, fullyrestored, the Irish Act being annulled. On 6 August 1496 he wasreappointed Lord Deputy, and justified the King's trust in him next yearby remaining faithful to the Crown during Warbeck's incursion. He tookpart in the Irish wars of the time, usually with success, his greatestvictory being that of Knockdoe (i.e.. Hill of Slaughter), near Galway, in1504. In April 1503 he went to England and was received with honour bythe King. He was nom. K.G., being installed by proxy 4 May 1505. InNovember 1505 he was Treasurer of Ireland. On the accession of Henry VIIIhe was appointed Lord Justice in 1509, and Lord Deputy on 8 November1510.

He married, 1stly, about 1470, Alison, apparently daughter and coheir ofRowland (FITZEUSTACE), 1st BARON OF PORTLESTER [IRL], by Joan, widow ofChristopher (PLUNKET), 1st LORD KILLEEN. She, who inherited the manor ofPortlester, co. Meath, died in England, 22 November 1495, and was buriedin the Grey Abbey of Kilcullen. He married, 2ndly, in 1496, in England,Elizabeth, daughter of Oliver ST. JOHN, of Lydiard Tregoz, Wilts, byElizabeth, daughter of Henry (SCROPE), 4th LORD SCROPE (of Bolton). He,having been mortally wounded at Lemyvanna (Leap Castle), King's County,died shortly afterwards at Kildare, 3 September or 3 Non. September, andwas buried 16 October 1513, at Christ Church, Dublin. His widow married,as 1st wife, Sir John WALLOP, K.G., who died s,p., 7 July 1551. She died28 June 1516. [Complete Peerage VII:229-32, XIV:411, (transcribed by DaveUtzinger)]