Thomas FitzGerald, 7th Earl of Desmond
| Thomas FitzGerald | |
|---|---|
| Died | 1467/8 Drogheda |
| Cause of death | beheading |
| Resting place | Christ Church, Dublin |
| Title | Earl of Desmond |
| Tenure | 1462/3–1467/8 |
| Nationality | Hiberno-Norman |
| Wars and battles | Battle of Piltown |
| Predecessor | James FitzGerald |
| Successor | James FitzThomas FitzGerald |
| Spouse(s) | Ellice de Barry |
| Issue |
James FitzThomas FitzGerald Maurice FitzThomas FitzGerald Thomas FitzThomas FitzGerald John FitzGerald Gerald FitzThomas FitzGerald Lady Katherine FitzGerald Lady Ellen FitzGerald |
| Parents |
James FitzGerald Mary de Burgh |
Thomas FitzJames FitzGerald, 7th Earl of Desmond (died 1467/68), called 'Thomas of Drogheda', known as the Great Earl, was the son of James FitzGerald, 6th Earl of Desmond and Mary de Burgh. He was Lord Deputy of Ireland for the Duke of Clarence from 1463 to his death, and in 1464 founded the College of Youghal. His plan to found a University at Drogheda failed due to his judicial assassination.
Upon the death of his father, James FitzGerald, 6th Earl of Desmond, in 1462, Thomas FitzJames FitzGerald, became the 7th Earl of Desmond. That same year Desmond, having sided, as had his father, with the House of York, put down a Lancastrian invasion of Ireland by John and Thomas Butler, brothers of the Earl of Ormond. Local memory claims that the Battle of Piltown was so violent that the local river ran red with blood, hence the names Pill River and Piltown (Baile an Phuill – Town of the blood). Piltown was the only battle of the Wars of the Roses fought in Ireland.
In appreciation, the following year King Edward IV appointed Desmond Lord-Deputy under the Duke of Clarence. Desmond built castles around the Pale, and continued the hereditary feud with the Butlers. In 1464 he founded the collegiate church at Youghal.
In 1466 he was badly defeated in an expedition to Offaly, which permanently weakened the defence of the Pale. He was beloved in Ireland for his defence of the Irish people against the difficulties of English law – the parliament in the Dublin Pale passed an act in 1465 that every Irishman dwelling in the Pale was to dress and shave like the English, and take an English surname such as the name of a town, or of a colour such as Black, Brown, Green or White, or of a trade such as Smith, Carpenter, Thatcher, or forfeit his goods. Another measure forbade ships from fishing in the seas off Ireland, because the dues went to make the Irish people prosperous. Another provided that it was lawful to decapitate 'thieves' found robbing "or going or coming anywhere" unless they had an Englishman in their company. On bringing the head to the mayor of the nearest town,'head money' was paid.
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