Baron Kingsale
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Baron Kingsale is a title of the premier baron in the
Peerage of Ireland The peerage of Ireland consists of those Peerage, titles of nobility created by the English monarchs in their capacity as Lordship of Ireland, Lord or Monarchy of Ireland, King of Ireland, or later by monarchs of the United Kingdom of Great B ...
. The feudal barony dates to at least the thirteenth century. The first peerage creation was by
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.


Name and precedence

In the early times the name was "Kinsale" or "Kinsale and Ringrone", but the spelling Kingsale has imposed itself with time and Ringrone was dropped. Regarding its precedence among the Irish baronies, the title
Baron Athenry Baron Athenry is one of the oldest titles in the Peerage of Ireland, but the date of its creation is thoroughly uncertain; each of the first four Berminghams listed below is claimed by some writers to have been Lord Athenry, but the evidence is di ...
was considered the eldest and Kingsale held the second rank. However, in 1799 Athenry became dormant (and probably extinct) and Kingsale was elevated to premier Baron in Ireland.


Numbering

The literature usually numbers the successive barons to avoid confusion arising from the repetitions of the same names, such as Miles or John de Courcy in the long line of the barons of Kingsale. Two such schemes are in common use, often both are cited together, e.g. Almeric de Courcy 18th (or 23rd) Baron. The older scheme numbers all the barons starting with Miles de Courcy, who was granted the baronies of Kingsale and Ringrone by Henry III in 1223. This scheme dates from Lodge in 1754. An alternative numbering was introduced by Cokayne in 1929 with the second version of
The Complete Peerage ''The Complete Peerage'' (full title: ''The Complete Peerage of England, Scotland, Ireland, Great Britain, and the United Kingdom Extant, Extinct, or Dormant''); first edition by George Edward Cokayne, Clarenceux King of Arms; 2nd edition re ...
. It excludes the early barons, that it considers
feudal Feudalism, also known as the feudal system, was a combination of legal, economic, military, cultural, and political customs that flourished in Middle Ages, medieval Europe from the 9th to 15th centuries. Broadly defined, it was a way of struc ...
, and starts with Miles, who died in 1344, accepted as the first peer. This article follows the older numbering, considered more common.


Hat trick

The barons traditionally claimed the privilege of remaining covered (that is, wearing a hat) in the presence of the monarch. It was supposed to have been obtained from King John by
John de Courcy Sir John de Courcy (c. 1150–1219) was an Anglo-Norman knight who lived in Ireland from 1176 until his expulsion in 1204. He conquered a considerable territory, endowed religious establishments, built abbeys for both the Benedictines and the ...
and handed down to his heirs. As far as is known, the right has been exercised for the first time by Almeric de Courcy, 23rd Baron Kingsale before William III in 1692. His successor Gerald de Courcy, 24th Baron Kingsale repeated the hat trick before George I in 1720 and George II on 22 June 1727. The Eleventh Edition of the ''Encyclopædia Britannica'', however, states that the privilege "is a legend without historic foundation".


Castles

* Kilbrittain Castle once belonged to the De Courcys but was lost to Donal Gott MacCarthy, King of Desmond, whose son Donal Maol MacCarthy Reagh was the first King of Carbery and founder of the
MacCarthy Reagh The MacCarthy Reagh (Irish: ''Mac Cárthaigh Riabhach'') dynasty are a branch of the MacCarthy dynasty, Kings of Desmond, deriving from the Eóganacht Chaisil sept. History The Mac Cárthaigh Riabhach seated themselves as kings of Carbery in ...
dynasty. * Coolmain Castle * Old Head Castle


Decline

Despite the antiquity of the title, the family no longer retains its property or wealth, having supported the losing side in past conflicts. The 30th (or 35th) Baron, despite education at Stowe and the Universities of
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and
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, supported by his father's marriage to the daughter of a Yorkshire lanolin oil business owner, was, due to the later failure of that business amongst other things, an odd-job man and plumber, and died a resident of sheltered housing. The person currently entitled to hold the title is Nevinson Mark de Courcy, who was born in 1958 and lives in Remuera, Auckland, New Zealand. He is or would be the 31st (or 36th) Baron, however, his name does not appear in the current Roll of the Peerage. Under the terms of the Royal Warrant of 2004, any person who succeeds to a Peerage must prove his or her succession and be placed on the Roll, otherwise, that person may not be recognised as a peer legally or in official documents in the United Kingdom.


Lists


Feudal Barons (before 1222) - incomplete

*Miles de courcy (summoned 1223) *Patrick de Courcy (died before 1261) *Miles de Courcy (died c. 1290) *John de Courcy (died 1291)


Barons Kingsale (c. 1340)

*Miles de Courcy, 6th Baron Kingsale (died 1344) *Miles de Courcy, 7th Baron Kingsale (died c. 1372) *John de Courcy, 8th Baron Kingsale (died c. 1390) *William de Courcy, 9th Baron Kingsale (died c. 1400) *Nicholas de Courcy, 10th Baron Kingsale (died c. 1410) *Patrick de Courcy, 11th Baron Kingsale (died c. 1449) *Nicholas de Courcy, 12th Baron Kingsale (died 1475) *James de Courcy, 13th Baron Kingsale (died 1499) *Edmund de Courcy, 14th Baron Kingsale (died c. 1505) *David de Courcy, 15th Baron Kingsale (died c. 1520) *John de Courcy, 16th Baron Kingsale (died 1535) *Gerald de Courcy, 17th Baron Kingsale (died 1599) *John de Courcy, 18th Baron Kingsale (died 1628) *Gerald de Courcy, 19th Baron Kingsale (died c. 1642) *Patrick de Courcy, 20th Baron Kingsale (died 1663?) * John de Courcy, 21st Baron Kingsale (died 1667) *Patrick de Courcy, 22nd Baron Kingsale (1659/60–1669) * Almeric de Courcy, 23rd Baron Kingsale (1665–1720) *Gerald de Courcy, 24th Baron Kingsale (1700–1759) *John de Courcy, 25th Baron Kingsale (c. 1717–1776) *John de Courcy, 26th Baron Kingsale (died 1822) *Thomas de Courcy, 27th Baron Kingsale (1774–1832) *John Stapleton de Courcy, 28th Baron Kingsale (1805–1847) *John Constantine de Courcy, 29th Baron Kingsale (1827–1865) *Michael Conrad de Courcy, 30th Baron Kingsale (1828–1874) *John Fitzroy de Courcy, 31st Baron Kingsale (1821–1890) *Michael William de Courcy, 32nd Baron Kingsale (1822–1895) *Michael Constantine de Courcy, 33rd Baron Kingsale (1855–1931) *Michael William Robert de Courcy, 34th Baron Kingsale (1882–1969) * John de Courcy, 35th Baron Kingsale (1941–2005) *Nevinson Mark de Courcy, 36th Baron Kingsale (born 1958, living in
New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...
) The
heir presumptive An heir presumptive is the person entitled to inherit a throne, peerage, or other hereditary honour, but whose position can be displaced by the birth of a person with a better claim to the position in question. This is in contrast to an heir app ...
is Joseph Kenneth Charles de Courcy (1955), eldest son of Kenneth de Courcy


Notes and references


Notes


Citations


Sources


Books

* * * * – G to K (for Kingsale) * – Hussey to Lincolnshire (Snippet view, for Kingsale) * – Barons (Preview) * – Viscounts, barons * – (for Kilbrittain Castle) * – Normans, English, Huguenots etc. * *


News

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Kingsale Baronies in the Peerage of Ireland Noble titles created in 1223 County Cork 1223 establishments in Ireland