Thomas Talbot (died 1487)

Thomas Talbot (1438 – 1487) was a wealthy landowner and judge in fifteenth-century Ireland. He was the head of the prominent Talbot family of

Baron Talbot de Malahide, and he himself was recognised by the Crown as Lord of Malahide, although this was not a hereditary title. He was also Admiral of the Port of Malahide.^[1] By the time of his death he held lands in four counties and was one of the principal landowners in the Pale. After his death, there was a lawsuit between his widow Elizabeth and a Talbot relative, James, over possession of some of his properties.^[2]

Early life

He was the son of Richard Talbot of Malahide Castle and Matilda (or Maud) Plunkett, daughter of Christopher Plunkett, first

English Crown granting her possession of her late husband's estates.^[1]

In about 1460 his mother made a fourth marriage to Sir John Cornwalsh, Chief Baron of the Irish Exchequer. The marriage was reputed to be a stormy one: Cornwalsh was notoriously quarrelsome, and Matilda is said to have been fully a match for him in temper. He built Dardistown Castle in County Meath, with the aid of a grant from the Crown for the construction of defensible houses. Cornwalsh died in 1472, and Matilda died in 1482. Since Cornwalsh had no children, Thomas inherited the Cornwalsh estates, which were principally situated in County Meath; he also acquired lands in County Louth from the heirs of Baron Darcy de Knayth.^[1]

Career

In 1460 King

Yorkist in sympathy even after the downfall of the Yorkist dynasty in 1485, and most of them made the mistake of supporting the Yorkist pretender Lambert Simnel, who unsuccessfully claimed the Crown of England

in 1487. It is unclear whether or not Talbot belonged to the Simnel faction, since he died in July of that year, at the height of the crisis.

Death and descendants

Thomas died on 23 July 1487. His first wife was a Miss Somerton, but little is known of her except the name. By his second wife Elizabeth Bulkeley, he had five sons:

Peter (his heir), ancestor of the Barons Talbot [1]
John, ancestor of the Talbots of Dardistown Castle
Thomas
Richard
William, of Templeogue, ancestor of the Talbots of Mount Talbot; he was the father of Richard Talbot, who like his grandfather was a High Court judge^[3]

Elizabeth outlived Thomas: as his widow, she brought a lawsuit in about 1494 against Sir James Talbot, whose precise relationship to Thomas is unclear, concerning their rival claims to certain Talbot manors.^[6]

References

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f Burke's Peerage 4th Edition London 1833 Vol. 2 p. 522
^ Bulkeley v Talbot National Archives C1/1494/22
^ ^a ^b ^c Ball, F. Elrington The Judges in Ireland 1221-1921 London 1926 Vol. 1 p. 183
^ Burke's Peerage pp. 521–522; or, according to legend, at the wedding itself.
^ Patent Roll 37 Henry VI
^ Bulkeley v Talbot National Archives C/1/1494/22

[Burke-1] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f Burke's Peerage 4th Edition London 1833 Vol. 2 p. 522

[2] Bulkeley v Talbot National Archives C1/1494/22

[Ball-3] Ball, F. Elrington The Judges in Ireland 1221-1921 London 1926 Vol. 1 p. 183

[4] Burke's Peerage pp. 521–522; or, according to legend, at the wedding itself.

[5] Patent Roll 37 Henry VI

[6] Bulkeley v Talbot National Archives C/1/1494/22

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