A chronicle of corrupt officials, political cronyism, and shoddy builders, in an age when public and private interests were irretrievably confused, should find a ready audience in contemporary Ireland. This volume, however, is not an account of recent chicanery but rather a collection of 12 essays examining the lives and times of the dukes of Ormonde.
James Butler, the first duke, and his grandson, the second duke (also James), dominated Irish politics for the best part of a century. Their careers spanned the confederate wars in the 1640s, the Cromwellian invasion, the restoration of Charles II, the Williamite wars, and effectively ended with the attainder of the second duke in 1715, following his flight into exile. Derided by many contemporaries, but lauded in a succession of uncritical biographies, the Ormondes continue to excite passionate debate in the Irish and English historical communities.
The Irish aristocracy in the late 17th and early 18th centuries were a distinctly unimpressive lot. "They drink, they quarrel, swear and game," declared one exasperated observer, unable to discover one redeeming feature in their character. In this privileged world the senior branch of the Butler family reigned supreme. The Ormondes were the only dukes in Ireland, while their extensive estates in Kilkenny and Tipperary provided an income far in excess of any other in the kingdom. They served successive Stuart monarchs as viceroy on no less than five occasions, giving them access to further wealth and patronage. The Ormondes maintained lavish residences in Dublin and London, as well as Kilkenny castle, the ancestral home, entertaining on a grand scale. Jane Fenlon outlines in glorious detail the family's comprehensive possessions; she also delights in exposing the ducal shortcomings in the area of taste, where quantity rather than quality proved the guiding principle.
Not surprisingly, the issue of money (or lack of money) is the dominant theme throughout the book. The first duke inherited an estate heavily in debt, and never succeeded in restoring any sort of financial equilibrium to his affairs. War, exile and the demands of office further depleted resources, while his three profligate sons drove the family towards bankruptcy. By the time of his death in 1688, the first duke owed more than £100,000, an enormous sum at the time. The second duke proved even more extravagant in his tastes and was forced to sell lands to meet escalating interest costs. This growing financial crisis, along with the attendant decline in political influence (both locally and nationally), may eventually have precipitated his flight to the continent in 1715. Although his brother, the earl of Arran, recovered the Irish estates a few years later, the Butlers no longer dominated political life in the kingdom.
This collection provides a fascinating insight into the aristocratic world of the later Stuarts. Topics such as patronage of the arts and the role of the Butler women provide a welcome diversion from the usual fare of high politics and religion. Inevitably in a project of this nature, the approach is at times fragmentary, while the standard of the articles varies considerably. There is much to enjoy, however, particularly in Toby Barnard's masterful introduction, Dave Edwards's irreverent swipe at the pro-Ormonde lobby, Eamonn O Ciardha's examination of the literary sources and David Hayton's meticulous reconstruction of the second duke's political following. As the editors freely admit, many aspects of the Butler story await further investigation, but this volume will certainly intensify the debate surrounding one of the most influential and interesting families of the early modern period.
Micheal O Siochru lectures in Irish history in TCD. His book, Confederate Ireland, 1642-1649, was published by Four Courts Press last year