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TRANSLATION

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TURNOUR, Earl WINTERTON.

LOFTUS, Earl of ELY.

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TAYLOR, Earl BECTIVE.

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ST. LAWRENCE, Earl of HOWTH.

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COOTE, Earl of BELLAMONT.

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PEERESSES.

BIRMINGHAM, Countess of BRANDON.

     THIS noble lady was eldest daughter of James Agar of Gowran, Esq; by Mary his wife, daughter of Sir Henry Wemyss, and was relict, first, of Theobald viscount Mayo; and secondly, of Francis, late lord Anthony, (fee Earl of Louth: but without issue by either.  On Aug. 4, 1758, her ladyship was created countess of Brandon, in the county of Kilkenny, with remainder to the heirs male of her body; but her ladyship has no issue.
     ARMS. ] In a lozenge, sapphire, a lion rampant, topaz.
     SUPPORTERS.] Dexter, an unicorn; sinister, a horse.

MASON, Countess GRANDISON.
 

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ROWLEY, Viscountess LANGFORD

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     ARMS] In a lozenge, quarterly, 1st and 4th diamond, a cross moline, pear; 2d and 3d quarterly, viz. 1st and 4th ruby, a bend between six croslets, sitchy topaz; 2d and 3d diamond, three chess rocks and a chief, pearl.
     SUPPORTERS.] The dexter a Pallas; the sinister, the representation of Temperance, both proper.
     MOTTO.] Bear and forbear.

POER, Baroness LE POER.

     THE  following is the pedigree of the Right Hon. Cath. Poer, contess dowager of Tyrone, and Baroness Le Poer, in her own right, copied from the descent laid before the House of Lords of Ireland, on her ladyship's claim to the said barony, and allowed of by that house, and afterwards by his majesty.
     Sir Roger Le Poer came over with Strongbow, and accompanied him in his expedition to regain the kingdom of Leinster for the reduction of Ulster.  Cambrensis writes thus of him:
" If it might be said, without offence there was not one man,
" who did more valiant acts than Roger Le Poer; who, al
" though he were but a young man, and beardless, yet he
" shewed himself a lusty, valiant, and courageous gentleman,
" and who grew into such credit, that he had the government
" of the country about Leighin, as also in Ossory, where he
" was traiterously killed, on whose slaughter a conspiracy
" was formed among the Irish to destroy the English, and
" many castles were destroyed."  He married the neice of Sir Armory De Tristram, otherwise St. Laurence, the ancestor of the earl of Howth; and being murdered in 1189, he left issue by her,
     John Le Poer.  John Le Poer, living in 1197, who left issue,
     Matthew Le Poer.  Matthew Le Poer, the father of
     Sir Eustace Le Poer.  Sir Eustace Le Poer, who sat in a parliament held in 1295, of which parliament Cox has given the list in pages 85 and 86; and in the year 1297, the 25th of Edward I. the king sent to John Wogan, lord justice, commanding him to give summons to the nobles of Ireland to prepare themselves with horse and armour, to serve in the war against the Scots, and withal, wrote to the said nobles, and among others, to this Sir Eustace. (Holl. 63.  See the letter in Sir George Carew's collection a M. S. S. in the Bodlean library, page 51, vol. 3, who quotes it thus, Clausae de Anno 25, E. I.  M. 14, in Scedula pendente.)  And there is also, in the same book and page, another letter from the same king to his nobles, and among others, to this Sir Eustace, (Clausae de Anno 30, E. I.  M. 16, in Scedula pendente.)  Sir Eustace died in 1311, Cambden and Marb. sub hoc anno, leaving issue,

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     Lord Arnold Le Poer.  Lord Arnold Le Poer.  In 1309, this lord Arnold slew Sir John Boneville in single combate, and was acquitted of the fact in a parliament, held at Kildare in 1310, it being proved to be done in his own defence, Holl. 65. Camb. sub hoc anno.  Cox 91.
     This lord Arnold was one of king EdwardJ.' commanders in the army which opposed Edward Le Brus in 1315, Camb. and Marlb. sub hoc anno. Holl. 66. Camp. Cox 94.
     In 1825, Edward II,  made this lord Arnold seneschal of the county and city of Kilkenny.
     In 1327, this lord Arnold was the cause of a great war among the nobles of Ireland, by calling the earl of Desmond, Rhymer. Camp. 87. Davis 134. Camb. sub hoc anno. Cox 107.
     In 1328, lord Arnold was arrested, and accused of heresy by Richard Lederede, bishop of Ossory, and confined in the castle of Dublin, where he died before he could be tried; and tho' the lord justice Rayer OutLaw, prior of Kilmninham, made it appear, that lord Arnold was falsely accused, yet he remained a long time unburied, because he died unassoiled.  Camb. et Marlb. sub hoc anno. Camp. 87. -- He left issue.
     Matthew Le Poer.  This Matthew was living the wed of Edward II. anno 1349; and by Avicia his wife, had issue.  (From an ancient MSS, in the library of Trinity college, Dublin.)
     John Le Poer.  Living also in the time of Edward II. who by Joan, his wife, has issue.  Same MSS.
     Richard Le Poer, This Richard died in 1371, leaving issue.  Same MSS.
     Nicholas Le Poer.  Nicholas, silius et haeres.  Same MSS.  This Nicholas has summoned by writ to parliament, as a baron, in the 48th of Edward III.  Rot. Claus. de anno 48. Edward III.  And again in 1377, the 1st of Richard II.  Rot. Claus, de anno I Rich. II.  And again in 1381, the 4th of Richard II.  Rot. Claus. 4 Rich. II.  And again in 1382, the 5th of Richard II.  Rot. Claus.  5 Rich. II.  These being the oldest writs of summons to parliament that remain of record in the Rolls-office of Ireland, the present Catharine Le Poer, baroness Le Poer, and countess dowager of Tyrone, derives her barony from the first of them.  This Nicholas lived to be a very old man, and died (the year uncertain) leaving issue.
     Richard lord Le Poer.  Richard, his son and heir, lord Le Poer, and mentioned in a grant of lands from Henry VIII. to Edward Poer the bastard, brother of Peter Poer, lord Le Poer, the son of this Rich, lord Poer.  Rot. Pat. de anno 37 Hen. VIII.  This Richard married Catharine Butler, the daughter of Richard Butler, the second son of the earl of Ormond, and by her had issue.

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     Peter lord La Poer, mentioned in the above grant, Rot. Pat. de ann. 37 Henry VIII.   He married the daughter of the lord Decies, and by her had issue.
     Richard lord Le Poer.  This Richard was killed in 1541, in service against the rebels in Ireland, as appears from a queen's letter, dated at Greenwich the 31st of May 1588, ordering a grant to be passed in fee-farm to Richard the grandson of this Richard, by the name of Richard Poer, son and heir of the lord Poer, of so much of the crown lands as would amount to 50l. a year, "In respect, as well of his own, as of his ancestors good services done unto us and our progenitors, his grandfather, the lord Poer, having been slain in that realm, (Ireland) in service against the rebels, his uncle having been slain at Bulloigne, in the service of our late father of happy memory, and his own father, and also himself, having in that our realm, in this our time, been fore wounded in our service.”  Queen's letter, 31st of May 1588, now remaining of record in the Rolls-office, Ireland.  This Richard married Catharine,
the daughter of Peirce earl of Ormond, by whom he had issue, among other children, his successor,
     John lord Poer. This John was surnamed (More) or (Great John.)  He sat in a parliament held at Dublin by the lord deputy Thomas earl of Sussex, on the Friday next before the feast of St. Hillary, viz. on the 12th day of January, in the year 1559, and the 2d of the reign of queen Elizabeth, (Parliament-roll of the 12th of January, 2d of Elizabeth.)  He also sat in that parliament held by Sir John Perrott, Knt. lord deputy of Ireland, on the 26th day of April, the 27th of queen Elizabeth, viz. 1585.  Parl. Roll, 26th of April, 27 Elizabeth.
     In 1566, he marched at the head of a considerable army, to the assistance of the chief governor Sidney, against the great rebel, Shan O Neile, earl of Tyrone.
     That he was a man of great worth and merit, appears from the account given of him by Sir Henry Sidney (chief governor) to the lords of the council in England, on his progress through Munster, in order to view the state of it.  The letter bears date the 27th of February 1575, and makes this honourable mention of him.
“ The day I departed from Waterford, I lodged that night
“ at Curraghmore, the house that the lord Poer is baron of,
“ where I was so used, and with such plenty and good order
“ entertained, (as adding to it the quiet of all the country
“ adjoining, by the people called Poer's country, for that
“ that sirname has been since the beginning of Englishmen’s
“ planting inhabitants there) it may be well compared with
“ the best ordered country in the English pale; and the lord
“ of the country, though he be in scope of ground a far less
“ territory than his neighbour is, yet he lives in shew far

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“ more honourably and plentifully than he, or any other,
“ whatsoever he be, of his calling, that lives in that province.
“And albeit the soil, for the most part, of itself, is very bar
“ren, yet is there not any gentleman or freeholder of that
“ country, but may make more of an acre of land there,
“ than they have of three in the county of Kilkenny, the next
“ county confining on the one side, (where the ſoil is very
“good) or in the Decies, the lordship next adjoining on the
“ other side; and this was openly spoken besore me, and af
“ firmed by credible persons having land in both; and this
“ was yielded for the reason, for that they suffer no idle man
“ in the one, and are oppressed with them in the other.”
Sidney’s State Papers. vol. I. p. 90. -
     This John married Ellen, the daughter of James the fifteenth earl of Desmond, by whom he had issue, -
     Richard lord Le Poer.  This is the Richard before-mentioned, to whom the grant of 50l. a year was made by queen's letter, in consideration of his own and his family's good services to the crown of England.  He died at Curraghmore the 8th of August 1607, having married Catharine, daughter and heir of John viscount Buttevant, by whom he had issue, among other children,
     John Poer, his heir apparent, This John was sirnamed (Oge) or (little.)  He was killed, in the life-time of his father, by Edmond Fitzgerald, the White Knight, so that he never enjoyed the title.  He married Hellen, the daughter of David viscount Buttevant, and by her had issue Illen, who married Maurice viscount Fermoy; and
     John lord Poer.  This John, who was not born until after his father's death, succeeded his grandfather at the age of eight years and a half.  He married Ruth Phypho, the sole daughter and heir of Robert Phypho, Esq; of St. Mary's Abbey, in Dublin, by whom he had issue two sons, Richard, his elder, and Peirce of Killowen, his younger: which Peirce married Honora Burke, the daughter of the lord Brittas, by whom he had issue only one daughter, Ruth, married to Richard Duckett of Whitestown, in the county of Waterford, Eſq;
     This John was succeeded by his elder son,
     Richard ord Le Poer, created viscount Decies, and earl of Tyrone.  Richard, who was, on the 9th day of October 1673, created by king Charles II. viscount Decies, and earl of Tyrone.
     It is very remarkable, that in so long a succession in this family, and in a country continually disturbed and torn by
rebellion and civil wars, that not one of this family was ever engaged in any rebellion against the crown of England, nor was there ever a forfeiture in the family during the space of 600 years that they have been planted in Ireland; and they at this day enjoy the old family lands, and reside at the same

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place they were originally settled in, in the county of Waterford.  In a grant of letters patent from king Charles II, to this Richard lord Le Poer, bearing date the 9th day of May, the 23d of his reign, there is this recital, "That the ancestors "of the said Richard lord Le Poer, from their first planting " in Ireland, for above four hundred years, had entirely " preserved their faith or loyalty to the crown of England; in " consideration, therefore, of the merit of this Richard and his " ancestors, and to encourage the loyalty of other, &c."  This carries the antiquity of the family to
of the family to the 56th year of the reign of Henry III, viz, the year 1270.  This Richard died in London the 14th day of October 1690, and was buried at Farnborough, in Hantshire, the burial-place of Arthur earl of Anglesey, whose eldest daughter, Dorothy, he had married in 1654; by her he left issue Arthur who died young.
     John, earl of Tyrone, viscount Decies, and baron Le Poer.  John, who succeeded to his title and honours, and dying a batchelor in Dublin, was buried in the church of Carrick on Sure, under a black marble monument, with this inscription:

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