Two brothers came from Wales during the Norman Conquest of
Ireland. One was Philip "the Welshman", who settled in South
Kilkenny, and the other was David, who settled in county Dublin. Both
were referred to as Walshe, and both received large estates as a
result of their achievements in battle and their relationship to the
Cambro-Norman invaders. Both were given titles from Henry II: David
was Baron of Carrickmines, and Philip was Baron of Shanchair
(Shancahir).
From their Gaelic roots in Wales they were known as Le Waleys and
were of the Barons of Cornwall. They are said to be descended from
David, King of South Wales. It is also said that Philip and David
were nephews of Robert FitzStephen, as well as related to Rhys of
Tewdwr. If this is the case, then there may be a connection to a
Welsh woman named "Nesta",
who was a common ancestor of the early leaders in the Norman
Conquest.
In an attempt to learn more about the possible associates, and
potential relation of the two Welshmen mentioned above, the following
page outlines some of the leaders and participants in the Norman
Conquest into Ireland.
Dermot MacMurrough, after being defeated in 1166 by Rory
O'Connor, King of Connacht and his ally, Tiernan O'Rourke, ruler of
Breifne, fled to England for help in regaining his territory in
Leinster. Dermot, meeting with Henry II, was eventually aided by
Strongbow (Richard de Clare) who provided manpower for a
failed invasion led by Dermot in 1167/68. At Strongbow's direction,
the next invasion was led by Robert FitzStephen in association with
Dermot. This attempt succeeded in May, 1169.
Robert FitzStephen led this invasion of Ireland, with his
step-brother Maurice FitzGerald. Robert and Maurice embarked
with a small body of soldiers in two ships a year prior to
Strongbow's arrival in Ireland. They first captured Wexford, with
which lordship Maurice was eventually invested.
Further Reference:
Medieval Sourcebook.
Strongbow next directed another invasion force led by Raymond "Le
Gros" de Carew, a nephew of Maurice FitzGerald. Raymond
successfully established himself on the Wexford coast after defeating
a group of Irish chieftains from Ossory and Idrone.
Surprised by these victories O'Connor and his allies granted Dermot
all of the lands of Southern Leinster, under the agreement that the
Normans would be sent home.
After the advance parties had established themselves in Wexford, and
after the unsatisfied Dermot MacMurrough asked him to expedite his
invasion, Strongbow was the next to follow with an invasion
force.
Richard FitzGilbert de
Clare aka Strongbow (b. c. 1130--d. April 20,
1176, Dublin, Ire.), was the son of Gilbert FitzGilbert, 1st Earl of
Pembroke, who succeeded to his father's estates in southern Wales in
1148/49. Pembroke had evidently lost these lands by 1168; it was
probably in that year that he agreed to aid Dermot MacMurrough. King
Henry II of England (reigned 1154-89) granted Strongbow permission to
invade Ireland, and on Aug. 23, 1170, the earl landed near Waterford.
Waterford and Dublin quickly fell to the Normans. As reimbursement
for Strongbow's assitance, Dermot gave his daughter Aoife (Eva)'s
hand in marriage, assuring Strongbow to the right to lands in
Leinster.
For further reference, see this A.D.
1200 Map of Ireland.
After the death of MacMurrough in May 1171, Strongbow was besieged in
Dublin by Roderic, but in September his forces broke out and routed
Roderic's army. In order to prevent Strongbow from setting himself up
as an independent ruler, Henry II had him acknowledge royal authority
over his conquests in Leinster. Strongbow helped the king suppress a
rebellion in Normandy in 1173-74, and in return Henry granted him
custody of Wexford, Waterford, and Dublin. By the time Strongbow
died, all Ireland had been committed to his care, but within Ireland
his supremacy was recognized only in Leinster.
FitzStephen
Robert FitzStephen was the son Stephen the Castellan, Constable of
Cardigan, and his wife Nest (or Nesta), Princess of
Deheubarth. Robert's step-brother on his father's side was named
William Walensis, whose parents were Stephen and another wife named
Hay. Robert had two sons, Ralph FitzStephen (d 1182) and Meredith
FitzStephen. A possible third son is named Geoffrey. Geoffrey
FitzRobert (de Mareis) was appointed to the barony of Kells in Ossory
(Kilkenny), an area of Walsh land holdings including Castle Hale in
the south east corner. Robert FitzStephen was said to be the uncle of
Philip and David "Walshe". Could Robert's brother, William Walensis,
be more than a possible uncle?
FitzGerald
Maurice FitzGerald, Lord of Lanstephen and Maynooth, was the son of
Nesta and Gerald FitzWalter de Windsor. Maurice married Alice
de Montgomery, granddaughter of Roger de Montgomery, the greatest of
Norman leaders, next to William the Conqueror himself. Maurice also
had two brothers: David Fitzgerald, Bishop of St. David's, and
William FitzGerald, ancestor of the family of Carew. Maurice was an
ancestor of the Dukes of Leinster, Earls of Kildare and other noble
families. He had six sons and one daughter.
Maurice's grandson John FitzThomas FitzGerald married the daughter of
Thomas FitzAnthony, Lord of Decies and Desmond (and referred to as
Walsh in Egan's History of Waterford). Thomas settled at what is now
Thomastown, County Kilkenny, again near Walsh land holdings.
de
Carew
Raymond "Le Gros" de Carew [FitzGerald] (d. circa 1188) was
the son of William FitzGerald, of Norman ancestry, who in turn was
the son of Gerald FitzWalter de Windsor, Constable of Pembroke Ctl,
and his wife Nest (or Nesta). Raymond's brothers were Griffin
FitzWilliam [FitzGerald] and Odo de Carew, ancestor of the
Carews of Carlow. Griffin FitzWilliam was given the barony of
Knocktopher in Kilkenny just north of Miles FitzDavid's (son of
Nesta's son David) barony of Iverk. Walsh properties, as identified
by records of later years, lay on both sides of the boundary between
Knocktopher and Iverk baronies. Further reference -
Barony
Map of County Kilkenny.
Raymond's son was Richard de Carew, Carew Lord of Cork 1, who was the
ancestor of successive Carew Lords of Cork - Robert, Richard,
Maurice, and Thomas.
Nesta - mother
and grandmother of Norman-Welsh
Invaders
In her time Nesta was known as the most beautiful woman in Wales. She
had many lovers, and children from three fathers: Stephen the
Castellan, Gerald FitzWalter and Henry I. In Christmas 1108
Owain
ap Cadwgan of Cardigan came to visit Gerald
and Nesta. He so lusted after her that he, that night, attacked the
castle
and carried her off and had his way with her. This upset Henry I so
much that the incident started a war.
Nesta was of Welsh background. Her father was Rhys ap Tewdwr
Mawr, Prince of South Wales (1081-1093). Her brother, Gruffydd ap
Rhys, Lord of South Wales was the father and grandfather of two
Gruffydd Ap Rhys, who were titled
Lord Rhys of South Wales.
Nesta's ancestral line in south Wales is quite long. Her father was
Rhys ap Tewdwr Mawr, son of was Tewdwr Mawr (the Great) ap Cadell.
Tewdr Mawr was the son of Cadell ap Einion, son of Einion ap Owain,
who in turn was the son of Owain ap Hywel Dha, King of South Wales.
Owain was the son of Hywel Dha (the Good) ap Cadell, Prince of
Deheubarth, who in turn was the son of Cadell ap Rhodri Mawr, King of
South Wales. Cadell was the son of Rhodri Mawr (the Great), Prince of
South Wales, who was the son of Merfyn the Freckled, King of Gwynedd,
who was in turn the son of Gwriad of Man, King of Gwynedd, and so
on.
Nesta was also associated with Henry I, King of England, and together
had a son named Henry FitzHenry (1103-1157). One of Henry's sons was
Meiler FitzHenry who was also involved in the Norman invasion. Henry
also had sons, Robert, Master Morgan and Amabel FitzHenry. Meiler
married a de Lacy, claimed to be a daughter of Robert de Lacy (d.
1220), and had another son known as Meiler FitzHenry. The elder
Meiler (or Meyler) FitzHenry assisted David (Walsh) in becoming
rector of Dungarvan and Bishop of Waterford in 1204.
Pembroke -
Strongbow
As mentioned above, Richard "Strongbow" de Clare directed the
conquest into Ireland. His ancestry leads back to the Norman Conquest
of England and into Normandy, France. Strongbow's Father was de
Clare, Gilbert Strongbow FitzGilbert, Earl of Pembroke - 1110 to
1147. The lineage continues as shown below:
Strongbow's G-Father - de Clare, Gilbert FitzRichard, Lord of Clare -
1066 to 1117
GG-Father - de Clare, Richard FitzGilbert - 1035 to 1090
GGG-Father - Gilbert of Brionne, Count of Brionne - died 1040
GGGG-Father - Godfrey of Brionne & Eu - died circa 1015
GGGGG-Father - Richard I the Fearless, Duke of Normandy - 933 to
996
GGGGGG-Father - William I Longsword, Duke of Normany - acc. 932 to
942
GGGGGGG-Father - Ragnvaldsson, Robert (Rollo), Duke of Normandy - 870
to 932
GGGGGGGG-Father - Ragnvaldsson, Rolf the Ganger, Duke of Normandy -
846 to 932
GGGGGGGGG-Father - Eysteinsson, Ragnvald I the wise of More - died
894
GGGGGGGGGG-Father - Glumra, Eystein the Noisy, Jarl of the Uplanders
- b. 788
GGGGGGGGGGG-Father - Ivar of the Uplands, Earl of the Uplands
Strongbow's son Gilbert de Striguil (or Strigoil) died unmarried,
before 1189, and as a minor was never styled earl. The earldom passed
with Strongbow's daughter Isabel (1174-1220) to her husband William
Marshal, the 4th Earl of Pembroke.
Pembroke -
Marshal
Following the death of Strongbow his acquired territory in Ireland
and the Earldom at Pembroke was passed to his son-in-law William
Marshal. William Marshall, Earl of Pembroke, marshal and then regent
of England served four English monarchs as a royal adviser and agent
and as a warrior of outstanding prowess.
Marshal's father, John (FitzGilbert) the Marshal (d. 1165), fought
for the empress Matilda (widow of the German emperor Henry V and
daughter of Henry I of England) in her unsuccessful struggle to gain
the throne of her cousin King Stephen (reigned 1135-54). After
proving his bravery in warfare and in tournaments, Marshal became a
guardian (1170) to Prince Henry, eldest son of King Henry II (reigned
1154-89). In 1187, four years after the prince's death, Marshal
reentered Henry II's service and fought beside him in France until
the king died in 1189.
Upon the accession of Henry's third son, Richard I the Lion-Heart
(reigned 1189-99), Marshal married Isabel, the heiress of Richard
FitzGilbert (de Clare), Earl of Pembroke, thereby acquiring vast
estates in England, Normandy, Wales, and Ireland. Richard I set forth
on a crusade in 1190, leaving William Longchamp in charge of the
kingdom. In the following year Pembroke joined the opposition that
drove Longchamp into exile. While Richard was held captive in Germany
(1192-94), Pembroke struggled to prevent the king's brother, John,
from seizing power in England.
Upon the death of Richard I in 1199, William Marshal helped John
succeed peacefully to the throne; he was formally recognized as Earl
of Pembroke. By 1213 he had become the king's closest adviser, and he
remained loyal to John during the disputes with the barons that led
to the signing of the charter of liberties known as Magna Carta (June
1215). John died during the ensuing civil war with the barons, who
had invited Louis of France (later King Louis VIII) to be their king.
Designated rector regis et regni ("governor of the king and of the
kingdom") for John's son, King Henry III, Pembroke defeated the
English barons and French invaders and in September 1217 concluded a
treaty with Louis that wisely granted amnesty to the rebellious
barons.
In Owen's list of the ancient arms there are two entries
which have a bearing on the origin of the Walshs of Ireland. For
instance, the arms he attributes to "Cadogan of Bachan" are precisely
those borne for centuries by the Walshs of Castle Howell (Hale) in
Kilkenny, namely, "Argent, a chevron gules between three pheons
erect." Cadogan may refer to
Cadwgan
ap Bleddyn born in Cardigan Wales about 1080,
Prince of Powys.
The cantred of Bachan, or Bychan, is in the northeast corner of
Carmarthen, and quite close to Denbigh, which included the cantreds
of Rhos and Ryfoniog. Also nearby in Cardigan is Ystrad Flur (Strata
Florida). Owen gives as the arms of "Cadogan of Ustrad Flur," "Azure,
a lion rampant argent," the arms of the Walsh of Carrickmines, except
the latter, as a mark of "difference," are "debruised by a fess per
pale of the second and gules."
The arms of Walsh of Ballycilcavan, "Argent, a fesse azure between
six martlets sable," seem to be of an origin quite different than the
previous two, pointing either to Philip of Wigorn (Worcester) himself
or to Walshs who, for centuries in that district on the eastern
border of Wales, bore these arms, and some of whose descendants came
to Ireland in official positions in later centuries. However, it
looks as though they were in Ireland as early as 1200 A.D.
Further Reading:
Gerald of Wales: The Norman Conquest of Ireland
(12th Century).