Jenet Sarsfield was probably born in the late 1520s or early 1530s, the daughter of John Sarsfield of Sarfieldstown, Co. Meath. One of her brothers, William, later became an alderman of Dublin. Her first marriage was to Alderman Robert Schillingford, mayor of Dublin in 1534–5, with whom she had one daughter, Katherine, her only child … Read more
Arranged marriage alliances were a very important feature of life in the Pale in early modern Ireland. Rather than springing from emotional attachment, marriage among the gentry and nobility was normally viewed as a contract fostering mutually beneficial alliances between the families involved. A marriage had to be advantageous to both families and was normally … Read more
The earldom of Desmond, 1463–1583: the decline and crisis of a feudal lordship Anthony M. McCormack (Four Courts Press, ?45) ISBN 1851828826 The Gaelic lordship of the O’Sullivan Beare Colin Breen (Four Courts Press, ?45) ISBN 1851829555 Labourers in various fields of endeavour periodically feel called upon to sketch out agendas of desiderata. Historians are … Read more
Sir, —In his article on King Billy (HI 12.1, Spring 2004) Padraig Lenihan points out that William ‘rode a dark horse’ at the battle of the Boyne. However, in 1696/97 he did acquire a horse, White Sorrel (sometimes Sorel), that became his favourite mount. The horse was bred at Wallington Hall, here in Northumberland, … Read more
GREATRAKES, Valentine (1628–83), healer, was born on 14 February 1628 in Affane, Co. Waterford, the son of William Greatrakes, farmer, and his wife Mary, third daughter of Sir Edward Harris, chief justice of Munster. The Greatrakes were among the smaller English Protestant landed families who settled in south Munster in the 1580s. Valentine attended the … Read more