Christopher Plunket, 2nd Earl of Fingall and 11th Baron Killeen (died 1649) was an Irish politician and soldier. In 1641 he negotiated with the rebels on behalf of the
Old English of the Pale and pushed them to join the
rebellion. He fought for the rebels at the
siege of Drogheda. He joined the
Confederates and fought in their Leinster army, notably at
Dungan's Hill. When the Confederates fused into the
Royalist Alliance, he fought under
James Butler, 1st Duke of Ormond in the
Battle of Rathmines where he was wounded and taken prisoner. He died of his wounds two weeks later in captivity at
Dublin Castle.
Birth and origins
Christopher was probably born in the late 1610s in
County Meath, Ireland.[a] He was the eldest son of
Lucas Plunket and his second wife Susanna Brabazon. His father was then the 10th
Baron Killeen (since 1613) and would on 26 September 1628 be created Earl of Fingall.[2] His father's family is believed to be of Norman origin and is attested in Ireland from the 11th century onwards.[3]
His mother was the fifth daughter of
Edward Brabazon, 1st Baron Ardee and his wife Mary Smythe. Her grandfather had come from England to Ireland as vice-treasurer of Ireland and had been
Lord Justice of Ireland.[4] His parents had married in 1611.[5]
Family tree
Christopher Plunkett with his wife, parents, and other selected relatives.[b]
Christopher was the eldest of at least four brothers (but only Christopher and George are known):
Christopher (died 1649)
George, the fourth son, married Cicely, daughter of Sir William Hill, of Allenston, County Meath, was captain at the
siege of Drogheda, and colonel of a regiment of foot in the Confederate army[12]
Early life
Christopher's mother died in 1623. She had been a Protestant.[13] After her death, his father made sure that Christopher would be raised in the Catholic faith.
Marriage and children
in January 1636 Killeen married[14] Mabel, daughter of
Nicholas Barnewall, 1st viscount Kingsland and Lady Bridget FitzGerald. She would survive him by 50 years[15] and would, in 1653, remarry to Colonel James Barnewall, youngest son of Sir Patrick Barnewall.
Christopher and Mabel had five sons (of which the younger three are poorly known):
Luke (1639–1684), his heir, who recovered the estate and title in 1662.[16]
In 1637 Killeen succeeded his father as the 2nd Earl of Fingall. On 20 March that year Lord Fingall received special livery of his estates.[1] he inherited great estates in
County Meath and
County Cavan, and played a part in developing the town of
Virginia, County Cavan.[citation needed]
Lord Fingall took his seat in the
House of Lords of the
Irish Parliament on 16 March 1639, and was a member of several committees for privileges and grievances.
Irish wars, death, and timeline
When the
Rebellion broke out on 23 October 1641,[19] Fingall tried to stay neutral between the government and the rebel as most of the nobility and gentry of
the Pale did. On 16 November he was appointed a commissioner to negotiate with the rebels, "with a view to suspend for some time the sad effects of licentiousness and rapine, until the kingdom was put in a better posture of defence".[20]
His behaviour caused him to be mistrusted by the Government, and on 17 November he was proclaimed an
outlaw.[21] He thereupon played a prominent role in bringing about an alliance between the Ulster party and the nobility and gentry of
the Pale. He was present at the meeting at the
Hill of Crofty, and subsequently at that at the
Hill of Tara, where he was appointed general of the horse for the county of Meath. He, therefore, led the rebel horse at the
siege of Drogheda.[22] His name is attached to the principal documents drawn up by the Irish Confederates in justification of their taking up arms. He was a member of the general assembly of the
Confederation of Kilkenny, and, by taking the oath of association against the
papal nuncioGiovanni Battista Rinuccini in June 1648, proved his fidelity to the original demands of the confederates; but otherwise, he played an inconspicuous part in the history of the confederation.
^
abHis birth date is constrained by his parents' marriage in 1611 and his mother's death in 1623. However, the special livery of his estates at his father's death in 1637[1] indicates that he was not far from coming off age at that time.
^This family tree is derived from two published trees,[6][7] and classical genealogical sources.[8][9][10][11] Also see the list of children in the text.
^Burke & Burke 1915, p.
804, right column, line 17. "This noble family is of Danish origin, but its settlement in Ireland is so remote that nothing certain can be ascertained as to the precise period. So early as the 11th century we find John Plunkett was seated at Beaulieu, or Bewley, Meath ..."
^Cokayne 1890, p.
353. "He m. [married] secondly (articles dat. 9 June 1611) Susanna, sister of William, 1st Earl of Meath, da. [daughter] of Edward Brabazon, 1st Baron Brabazon of Ardee [I. [Ireland]] ..."
^Burke & Burke 1915, p.
805, left column, line 37. "George, the 4th son, a capt. of foot at the siege of Drogheda in 1641, and afterwards col. in the rebel army. He m. [married] Cicely, dau. of Sir William Hill of Allenston, co. Meath ..."
^Reily v Ward (1717) Brown's Law Reports Vol.1 p.575
^Dunlop 1896, p.
440, right column, line 53. "His eldest son and heir, Luke, third Earl of Fingall, was restored to his estates and honours by order of the Court of Claims in 1662"
^Lodge 1789, p.
186, line . "(2) Nicholas who married Anne, daughter of Theobald Earl of Carlingford, and widow of Sir Joseph Throckmorten ..."
^Warner 1768, p.
6. "... the twenty-third October [1641] ... seized all the towns, castles, and houses belonging to the Protestants which they had force enough to possess;"
^Dunlop 1896, p.
440, right column, line 12. "On the outbreak of the
Rebellion in October 1641, he endeavoured, like the nobility and gentry of
the Pale generally, to maintain an attitude of neutrality between the government and the northern party, and on 16 November was appointed a commissioner to confer with all persons in arms, "with a view to suspend for some time the sad effects of licentiousness and rapine, until the kingdom was put in a better posture of defence"."
^Bellings 1885, p.
360. "Persons indicted of treason in the King's Bench in Hilary terme, anno decimao septimo Caroli Regis, 1641, and outlawed thereupon: Meath:—Fingall, Christopher [Plunkett], Earl of."
^Lodge 1789, p.
185, bottom. "... was commander in chief of the horse at the siege of Drogheda ..."
^Clarke 2009, [Last paragraph]. "... was buried on 18 August in St Catherine's church."
^Dunlop 1896, p. [440]. "He was seven times indicted for high treason, and his estates were confiscated by the act for the speedy settlement of Ireland on 12 Aug. 1652."
^Armstrong 2004, p.
755, left column, line. "... grant of lands at Beaulieu, co. Louth, of which he had been awarded possession, as tenant to the State, by Cromwell."
^Duffy 2002, p.
114. "When the latter [O'Neill] scored a surprise victory at Benburn, on 5 June 1646, over the Ulster Scots led by General Robert Munro, it seemed that the confederates were in sight of victory ..."