Edmund Butler, Earl of Carrick


Edmund Butler, Earl of Carrick and 6th Chief Butler of Ireland was a noble in the Peerage of Ireland. He was the second son of Theobald Butler, 4th Chief Butler of Ireland. Edmund went on pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela in 1321 but died in London on 13 September 1321. He was buried in St. Mary's Collegiate Church Gowran, County Kilkenny on 10 November 1321.

Career

Edmund succeeded to his father's lands upon the death of his elder brother Theobald, the 5th Chief Butler of Ireland, in 1299. He was created Justiciar of Ireland in 1303 with a fee of £500 per annum. In 1309 was knighted by Edward II in London. Three years later he defeated the O'Byrne and O'Toole clans in Glenmalure.
At a great feast in Dublin on Sunday 29 September 1313, he created 30 Knights, by patent, dated at Langley 4 January 1314.
Having distinguished himself during the Bruce campaign in Ireland alongside John de Bermingham, 1st Earl of Louth and Roger Mortimer, Edmund was granted a charter of the castle and manor of Karryk Macgryffin and Roscrea to hold to him and his heirs sub nomine et honore comitis de Karryk. The patent was dated at Lincoln 1 September that year, 1315; on that date, he was given the return of all the King's writs in the cantreds of Oreman, Elyogerth, and Elyocarroll in County Tipperary. To these was added, on 12 November 1320, all the lands of William de Carran in Finagh and Favmolin in County Waterford.
However, the charter, while creating an earldom, failed to make Edmund's heir James Earl of Carrick. James was later created Earl of Ormond, brother of King Edward III.
In 1317, after suffering a military defeat in a rebellion led by Edward Bruce, brother of Robert Bruce, he was replaced as Justiciar by Roger Mortimer, 1st Earl of March.

Marriage and children

He married Joan FitzGerald in 1302, daughter of the John FitzGerald, 1st Earl of Kildare and together they had several children, the eldest of whom succeeded him as Chief Butler of Ireland but not as Earl of Carrick.