Irish feudal barony

History

In Ireland, most of the originally-feudal titular baronies disappeared through obsolescence or disuse. The exception being those feudal baronies with a solid root of title, and those held by Irish or British peers. The Lordship of Fingal was granted to Walter de Lacy, Lord of Meath for seven knight's fees, "although the lords thereof hold elsewhere in capite", according to the unusual grant in 1208 by King John as Lord of Ireland, who allowed de Lacy to retain custody of his fees. Fingal at the time spread from the River Liffey to the River Delvin, north of Dublin, similar to the administrative boundary of today's County Fingal (minus Dublin City) created from part of County Dublin in 1994. A small number of titular feudal baronies continue to exist either as subordinate titles held by members of the Peerage of Ireland, Peerage of Great Britain or the Peerage of the United Kingdom, or as titles held by grand serjeanty, such as, originally, Fingal. Those few feudal baronies that survive all are considered as "incorporeal hereditaments", and may continue to exist as interests or estates in land, registrable as such upon conveyance or inheritance under the Registry of Deeds of the Government of Ireland, or as titles held in gross as personal rights, and not as real interests in land.

Following a 2005 report by the Law Reform Commission, the system of feudal tenure as such, in so far as it had survived, was abolished by the Oireachtas in the Land and Conveyancing Law Reform Act (no. 27 of 2009); fee tail was also abolished.{{multiref| |

An example of a hereditary baronial knighthood that remains in Ireland is the Knight of Kerry.

Current status

Some Irish feudal baronial titles have been offered for sale online.

List

References

Sources

• A View of the Legal Institutions, Honorary Hereditary Offices, and Feudal Baronies established in Ireland, by William Lynch, Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries, published by Longman, Rees, Orme, Brown, and Green, Paternoster Row, London, 1830.

References

1. ''Calendar of Carew Manuscripts'', Lambeth Palace Library Vol. V doc. 162
2. See ''Rotuli Chartarum in Turri Londinensi Asservati'', edited by Thomas Duffus Hardy, published in 1837; it contains original text of the Grant of Fingal by King John in 1208.
3. "Kevin Boone: The titles game: Can you buy nobility?".
4. National Library of Ireland ''List of those Baronies whose status is exceptional'' MS 50 pp.61 and 119
5. ''Rot. Cl. 2 Hen. III. m. 24 dores, Tur. Lond.''
6. Charter of 28 April 1208, ref. 9 John, m.1, Rotulum Chartarum in the Tower of London
7. Healy, W. (1893). History and Antiquities of Kilkenny (County and City): With Illustrations and Appendix, Compiled from Inquisitions, Deeds, Wills, Funeral Entries, Family Records, and Other Historical and Authentic Sources (Vol. 1). Kilkenny, Ire.: PM Egan.
8. "Bourke (No. 5.) family genealogy - Irish Pedigrees".
9. Ireland. Chancery, John Caillard Erck. "A repertory of the inrolments on the patent rolls of Chancery in Ireland ...". J. M'Glashan, 1846.
10. "History of Doolough, Co. Mayo in the West of Ireland {{!}} mayo-ireland.ie".
11. D'Alton, John. (1861). "Illustrations, historical and genealogical, of King James's Irish army list, 1689". London, J. R. Smith.
12. Westropp, Thomas Johnson. (1912). "The Promontory Forts and Early Remains of the Coasts of County Mayo. Part 2. The Mullet". The Journal of the Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland.
13. Burke, Bernard. (1868). "A Genealogical and Heraldic Dictionary of the Landed Gentry of Great Britain and Ireland". Harrison.
14. O'Hart, John ''Irish Pedigrees'' 5th Edition 1892
15. Burke, Bernard. (1847). "Burke's Genealogical and Heraldic History of the Landed Gentry". H. Colburn.
16. Calendar of the Gormanston register folio 1
17. Otway-Ruthven ''History of Medieval Ireland''