Vice-Admiral Thomas Butler, 6th Earl of Ossory, KG, PC, PC (Ire) (8 July 1634 – 30 July 1680) was an Irish soldier and politician. He was the eldest son of James Butler, 1st Duke of Ormond but predeceased his father and therefore never succeeded as duke.
As the eldest living son, he was the heir apparent and was styled with the corresponding courtesy title, which initially was Viscount Thurles but changed to Earl of Ossory when his father became marquess in 1642.[6] Ossory, as he was after 1642, continued to live with his family in Ireland until 1647 when his father abandoned Dublin to the parliamentarians and Ossory accompanied his father to England. In 1648 his father renewed his support for the royalist cause and Ossory fled with his father to France, arriving in Caen, Normandy, in February 1648.[7] Ossory's mother also moved to Caen, where she arrived on 23 June 1648 with his siblings.[8] Ossory was educated at a school in Caen and was an accomplished athlete and a good scholar.
However, the family soon ran into financial problems. In 1652 when Cromwell had completed the conquest of Ireland, his mother brought Ossory and his sibling to London where she obtained a pension of £2000 per year from the income from her Irish estates under the condition that none of that money would be passed on to her husband.[9] In 1655 Ossory was rightly suspected of sympathising with the exiled royalists, and was jailed by Oliver Cromwell. After his release about a year later he went into exile to the Netherlands[10] where Charles II had his exile court at the time.[11]
In 1660 at the Restoration, Ossory accompanied Charles II back to England. That same year he was appointed Lord of the Bedchamber to Charles II, a post he held until his death. Emilia was naturalised as English by act of Parliament.[22]
In 1662 Ossory was called to the Irish House of Lords under a writ of acceleration as Earl of Ossory.[25] His father had held the title "5th Earl of Ossory" as one of his subsidiary titles. The acceleration made Thomas Butler the 6th Earl of Ossory.
In 1665 Ossory was appointed lieutenant-general in the Irish army. In 1665 during the Second Anglo-Dutch War (1665–1667), a fortunate accident allowed Ossory to take part in the Battle of Lowestoft against the Dutch.
He was created an English peer as Baron Butler of Moore Park by being summoned to the English House of Lords by a writ on 17 September 1666.[26] Almost as soon as he appeared in the House of Lords, he was imprisoned for two days for challenging the Duke of Buckingham.[10]
He acted as deputy for his father,[27] who was lord-lieutenant of Ireland, and in parliament he defended Ormond's Irish administration with great vigour.
On 12 March 1672 he attacked the Dutch Smyrna fleet with HMS Resolution,[28] starting the Third Anglo-Dutch War (1672–1674) in an action that he is said to have greatly regretted later in life.[29]
In May 1672 he fought against the same enemies in the Battle of Solebay, serving with great distinction on both occasions.
While visiting France in 1672, he rejected the liberal offers made by Louis XIV to induce him to enter the service of France.
In August 1673 he added to his high reputation by his conduct during the Battle of Texel in August 1673.[10] From 1677 until 1679, he served alongside his father as a Lord of the Admiralty.
Ossory was intimate with William, Prince of Orange,[30] and in 1677 he joined the allied army in the Netherlands, commanding the British contingent and excelling at the siege of Mons in 1678.
In 1680 he was appointed governor of English Tangier, but his death prevented him from taking up his new duties.[10]
Death, succession, and timeline
Ossory died on 30 July 1680 at Arlington House in London.[31][32] He was buried provisionally in Westminster Abbey on 31 July 1680.[33] The ceremony of burial was performed belatedly on 13 November 1680.[34] Some say Ossory's body was later taken to Ireland and reburied in the family vault in St Canice's Cathedral, Kilkenny. James, his eldest son, succeeded him as the 7th Earl of Ossory and would in 1688 become the 2nd Duke of Ormond.
^This family tree is partly derived from the condensed Butler family tree pictured in Dunboyne.[5] Also see the lists of siblings and children in the text.
^Debrett 1828, p. 640. "Theobald le Boteler on whom that office [Chief Butler of Ireland] was conferred by King Henry II., 1177 ..."
^Airy 1886a, p. 53, line 2. "... the marriage took place on Christmas of the same year [1629] ..."
^Perceval-Maxwell 2004, p. 130, right column, line 33. "... between 1632 and 1646 Elizabeth ... gave birth to eight sons including Richard Butler, five of whom died as children, and two daughters."
^ abCokayne 1895, p. 149, line 27. "He [James Butler] was cr. [created] 30 Aug. 1642 Marquess of Ormonde [I. [Ireland]];"
^ abcAiry 1886b, p. 81, right column, line 23. "Here [in Kilkenny] he remained, and was carefully educated throughout the Irish rebellion, until Ormonde surrendered Dublin to the parliamentary commissioners in 1647, when he accompanied his father to England, and shortly afterward, in February 1647-8, to France."
^Carte 1851, p. 384. "The marchioness of Ormond had landed in that country on June 23d [1648], with her two sons and three daughters, and had taken up her residence at Caen."
^Perceval-Maxwell 2004, p. 131, line 5. "... receive £2000 per annum from her estate on condition that she sent no funds to, nor had any contact with, her husband."
^Airy 1886b, p. 82, left column, line 44. "Thence he went to Holland, and avoided the refugee court of Charles, lest he should give Cromwell a pretence for taking away his mother's estate."
^ abLodge 1789, p. 59, line 27. "He married 17 November 1659, N.S. the Lady Amelia Nassau, eldest daughter of Louis, Lord of Beverwaert ..."
^Debrett 1828, p. 641, line 39. "2 sons: James 2nd Duke; and Charles, created earl of Arran, but d. [died] without issue 1758."
^Ward 1886, p. 60. "... was born in Dublin Castle, 29 April 1665, the second but eldest living son of Thomas, Earl of Ossory, and of his wife Emilia, daughter of de Beverweerd ..."
^Debrett 1816, p. 130, line 22. "William-Richard-George, 9th earl, lord-lieutenant of Lancashire, May 11, 1676, m. Elizabeth Butler, daughter of Thomas, Earl of Ossory, and sister of James, duke of Ormond ... "
^Dunboyne 1968, p. 18. "While the 2nd Duke was in exile, his estates were bought in 1721 by his brother, the Earl of Arran, and settled first on their sister, Lady Amelia Butler, who inherited them when, in the words of Walpole 'a young heiress of 99'—she died two months short of her centenary—and secondly on John Butler of Kilcash, the representative of Richard, younger brother of the 1st Duke."
^ abFryde et al. 1986, p. 170, line 2. "1668, 7 Feb. / 25 Apr. / Thomas Butler, e. [earl] of Ossory, L.D. [Lord Deputy]"
^Airy 1886b, p. 83. "in command of the third-rate king's ship the Resolution ..."
^ abEvelyn 1901, p. 76. "12th March 1672. Now was the first blow given by us to the Dutch convoy of the Smyrna fleet, by Sir Robert Holmes and Lord Ossory, in which we received little save blows and a worthy reproach for attacking our neighbors ere any war was proclaimed ..."
^Armstrong 2009, 4th paragraph. "In October 1670 he travelled to the United Provinces to escort Prince William of Orange to England, and became one of William's closest friends thereafter;"
^Evelyn 1901, p. 146. "... he was persuaded to remove to Arlington House ... He died the Friday following, the 30th of July ..."
^ abCokayne 1895, p. 150, line 28. "He [Ossory} d. v.p. [predeceased his father] of a violent fever, after four days illness, 30 July 1680 ..."
^Chester 1876, p. 199. "1680 July 31 Lord Ossery was layd in ye Duke of Monmouth's vault, at midnight till ye Duke of Ormond's pleasure be known."
^Chester 1876, p. 200. "1680 Nov. 13 Lord Ossery had ye ceremony of burial performed over him by Mr. Crispion."
^Fryde et al. 1986, p. 169, line 4. "1643, 13 Nov. /21 Jan. 1644 /James Butler, 1st m. of Ormond, L.L. [Lord Lieutenant] (appd by K. Charles I)"
Fryde, E. B.; Greenway, D. E.; Porter, S.; Roy, I., eds. (1986). Handbook of British Chronology. Royal Historical Society Guides and Handbooks, No. 2 (3rd ed.). London: Offices of the Royal Historical Society. ISBN0-86193-106-8. – (for timeline)
