Baron Upper Ossory was a title 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 ...
. It was created on 11 June 1541 for
Barnaby Fitzpatrick. This was in pursuance of the
Surrender and regrant
During the Tudor conquest of Ireland (c.1540–1603), "surrender and regrant" was the legal mechanism by which Irish clans were to be converted from a power structure rooted in clan and kin loyalties, to a late-Feudalism, feudal system under t ...
policy of King
Henry VIII
Henry VIII (28 June 149128 January 1547) was King of England from 22 April 1509 until his death in 1547. Henry is known for his Wives of Henry VIII, six marriages and his efforts to have his first marriage (to Catherine of Aragon) annulled. ...
. Under the policy, Gaelic chiefs were actively encouraged to surrender their lands to the king and then have them regranted (returned) under a royal charter if they swore loyalty to him. Those who surrendered were also expected to speak English, wear English-style dress, remain loyal to the Crown, pay a rent and follow English laws and customs, abjure the
Roman Catholic
The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...
Church, and convert to Henry's new
Anglican Church
Anglicanism, also known as Episcopalianism in some countries, is a Western Christianity, Western Christian tradition which developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the ...
.
The second Baron, also named Barnaby, was raised at Henry's court, as a companion for the future King
Edward VI
Edward VI (12 October 1537 – 6 July 1553) was King of England and King of Ireland, Ireland from 28 January 1547 until his death in 1553. He was crowned on 20 February 1547 at the age of nine. The only surviving son of Henry VIII by his thi ...
. Edward, who had few friends, became deeply attached to young Barnaby, and their later letters testify to their warm and lasting friendship.
was the northern third of the formerly larger
Kingdom of Osraige
Osraige (Old Irish) or Osraighe (Classical Irish), Osraí (Modern Irish), anglicized as Ossory, was a medieval Irish kingdom comprising what is now County Kilkenny and western County Laois, corresponding to the Roman Catholic Diocese of Ossory, ...
.
Barons Upper Ossory; First creation (1541)
*
Barnaby Fitzpatrick, 1st Baron Upper Ossory (born ) (–1575)
*
Barnaby Fitzpatrick, 2nd Baron Upper Ossory (–1581)
*
Florence Fitzpatrick, 3rd Baron Upper Ossory (died 1613)
* Thady or
Teige Fitzpatrick, 4th Baron Upper Ossory (died 1627), who married Joan Butler, the daughter of
Sir Edmund Butler of Cloughgrenan
*
Barnaby Fitzpatrick, 5th Baron Upper Ossory (died )
*
Barnaby Fitzpatrick, 6th Baron Upper Ossory (died )
*
Barnaby Fitzpatrick, 7th Baron Upper Ossory (died 1696). On 11 May 1691, the seventh baron was
attainted and the barony forfeited.
Barons Upper Ossory; Second creation (1794)
The title was re-created on 9 August 1794 for the second
Earl of Upper Ossory. On his death in 1818, both titles became extinct.
*
John FitzPatrick, 2nd Earl of Upper Ossory (1745–1818) (extinct)
See also
*
Baron Castletown
*
Baron Gowran
*
Earl of Upper Ossory
*
Kingdom of Ossory
References
*Morris, Christopher ''The Tudors'' Fontana edition 1966
External links
Fitzpatrick - Mac Giolla Phádraig Clan Society ''Fitzpatrick Arms, Crests, Mottos and Supporters'' by Ronan Fitzpatrick
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Extinct baronies in the Peerage of Great Britain
FitzPatrick dynasty
1541 establishments in Ireland
Noble titles created in 1541
Noble titles created in 1794
Forfeited baronies in the Peerage of Ireland
Gaelic nobility of Ireland