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- Hugh de Lacy, Lord of Meath (died 25 July 1186, Durrow, Leinster) was an Anglo-Norman magnate granted the lands of the Kingdom of Meath by Henry II in 1172, during the Norman Invasion of Ireland.
Early life
Hugh de Lacy was born before 1135. He was the son of Gilbert de Lacy (-c.1163), of Ewias, Weobley and Ludlow castles in the Marches of Wales, 4th Baron Lacy.
Hugh de Lacy is said to have had a dispute with Joscelin de Dinan as to certain lands in Herefordshire in 1154. He was in possession of his father's lands before 1163, and in 1165-6 held fifty-eight and three-quarters knights' fees, and had nine tenants without knight service.
Career in Ireland
In October 1171 he went over to Ireland with Henry II, and early in 1172 was sent to receive the submission of Ruaidrà Ua Conchobair (Roderic), High King of Ireland. Before Henry's departure about the end of March Lacy was granted Meath by the service of fifty knights and with almost royal authority; he was also put in charge of Dublin Castle.
The grant of Meath was not accepted by Tighearnán Ó Ruairc, King of Bréifne, who ruled it at that time. Ó Ruairc refused to concede, but parleyed with De Lacy on the Hill of Ward,in Meath. After negotiations stalled, a dispute ensued in which an interpreter was killed by a blow aimed at De Lacy, who fled; Ó Ruairc was killed by a spear-thrust as he mounted his horse, and he was decapitated. His head was impaled over the gate of Dublin Castle and later was sent to Henry II. The Annals of the Four Masters say that Ó Ruairc was treacherously slain. From the account given by Giraldus Cambrensis, it would appear that there was a plot to destroy Ó Ruairc.
De Lacy only escaped with difficulty; he seems to have left Dublin in charge of Earl Richard de Clare by the king's orders, and to have commenced securing Meath by the erection of castles. Among these was Trim Castle, which was put in charge of Hugh Tyrrell. The Song of Dermot and the Earl states And Skryne he then gave by charter to Adam de Feypo he gave it and he built his castle there.
After this Lacy went back to England. On 29 December 1172 he was at Canterbury, where, according to a story preserved by Giraldus, he reproved Archbishop Richard of Dover for his boastful language. Next year he was fighting for Henry in France, and held Verneuil against Louis VII for a month; but at the end of that time the town was forced to capitulate.
He was sent over to Ireland as procurator-general in 1177, Richard de Clare having died shortly before. The grant of Meath was now confirmed, with the addition of Offelana, Offaly, Kildare, and Wicklow. As governor of Ireland Lacy secured Leinster and Meath, building numerous castles, while preserving the Irish in possession of their lands. He was subject to an accusation that he intended to seize the sovereignty of the island for himself. The author of the Gesta Henrici, however, says that Lacy lost his favour with Henry in consequence of complaints of his injustice by the Irish.
In 1181, he was recalled from his government for having married the daughter of Ruadri O Conchobair, King of Connaught and deposed High King of Ireland, without leave of Henry. But in the following winter Hugh was sent back, though with a co-adjutor in the person of one of the royal clerks, Robert of Shrewsbury. When, early in 1185, Henry sent his son John over to Ireland, the young lord complained to his father that Hugh would not permit the Irish to pay tribute. This led to fresh disgrace, but Hugh remained in Ireland, and occupied himself as before with castle-building.
Death, aftermath and legacy
De Lacy himself was killed while supervising the construction of a Motte castle at Durrow, Tullamore in 1186 at the instigation of An tSionnach (the Fox) and O'Breen (see Annals of the Four Masters, 1186.5). Prince John was promptly sent over to Ireland to take possession of his lands.
De Lacy was initially buried at Durrow Abbey. In 1195 the archbishops of Cashel and Dublin disinterred him and buried his body in Bective Abbey in Meath and his head in St. Thomas’s Abbey, Dublin. A long controversy was then carried on between the two abbeys for his body, settled only in 1205 when his body was disinterred again and reburied in St. Thomas's Abbey, in the tomb of De Lacy's first wife.
Hugh was a benefactor of Lanthony Abbey, and also of many churches in Ireland, including the abbey of Trim.
Feudal arrangements
Henry II applied to Ireland the feudal system of land tenure, displacing Murchadh Ó Maoilseachlainn, king of Meath or Tara. Henry granted Hugh de Lacy “the land of Meath in as full a measure as Murchadh...or anyone before or after him held it.†By this grant, known as a Liberty, within the territory de Lacy was granted power equal to that of the king himself, the only reservation being that the king could dispose of Church lands anywhere. A person with this jurisdiction was known as a Count and the territory over which he ruled was called a county. One of the privileges of a Count Palatine such as de Lacy was that he could create barons or inferior lords.
In turn de Lacy divided the land among his barons (cf. The Song of Dermot and the Earl, a 12th century Norman French poem), the beneficiaries being:
Hugh Tyrrell, who obtained the Barony of Castleknock;
Gilbert de Angulo (or Gilbert de Nangle), who became Baron of Navan and obtained Morgallion;
Jocelin, son of above Gilbert, who obtained Navan;
William de Misset;
Adam de Feypo (or Adam de Phepoe), who obtained Skryne by charter;
Gilbert FitzThomas;
Hugh de Hose (or Sir Hugh Hussey Kt.), who became Baron of Galtrim
Hussey;
Thomas Fleming;
Adam Dullard (or Adam Dollard);
Gilbert de Nugent;
Risteárd de Tiúit, who received land in Westmeath and Longford; later Barony of Moyashell, in Westmeath;
Robert de Lacy, who obtained Rathwire;
Geoffrey de Constantine Kilbixi, who obtained 'good and fine land' near Rathconarty;
William le Petit; who obtained Castle Brack, Magherdernon and Rathkenny;
Meiler Fitz Henry, who obtained Ardnorcher;
Richard de Lachapelle.
Hugh de Lacy and his son Walter (1180 - 1240) built Trim Castle and Kilkea Castle. Some time after 1196, the son of Hugh de Lacy, named Walter, granted “the whole land of Rathtowth†to his younger brother, Hugh. The sub-division of the county Meath was named the Barony of Ratoath, perhaps the first instance of the term barony used in Ireland for a division of a county.
Marriage and Issue
Hugh de Lacy was married twice.
Before 1155 Hugh married Rohese (Roysya) de Monemue (Monmouth), daughter of Baderon of Monmouth and Rohese de Clare (the daughter of Gilbert Fitz Richard).
They had 9 children, 4 sons and 5 daughters:
Walter de Lacy (1166-1241)
Hugh de Lacy, 1st Earl of Ulster (bef.1179-1242)
Gilbert de Lacy
Son de Lacy (Robert?) (died young)
Aegida de Lacy, who married Richard de Burgh
Elayne (Elena) de Lacy, who married Richard de Beaufo (Belfou)
Daughter de Lacy, who married Sir William FitzAlan, son of Sir William FitzAlan, Lord of Oswestry, and Isabel de Say.
Daughter de Lacy, who married Geoffrey de Marisco, Justiciar of Ireland, son of Jordan de Marisco, Justiciar of Ireland.
Daughter de Lacy
Rohese died before 1180.
Hugh married 2nd Princess Rose Nà Conchobair, daughter of King of Ireland, Ruaidrà Ua Conchobair.
They had 2 children, a son and a daughter:
William Gorm de Lacy (declared illegitimate by Henry II of England)
Ysota de Lacy
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Bef 1135 - 1186 (51 years)
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