FITZ HENRY FAMILY ORIGINS, MEILER
By Ed Fitzhenry
MEILER FITZ HENRY (born 1118, died 1220) JUSTICIAR of IRELAND, was the son of Henry *Fitzroy Prince of England, the illegitimate son of Henry I King of England, by Nesta, the wife of *Gerald of Windsor, and the daughter of Rhysab Tewdr, King of South Wales. Nesta Princess of Wales, previous to her first marriage to *Stephen, had been the concubine to Henry I, by whom she had two sons- Robert, Earl of Gloucester, and Henry *Fitzroy, father of Robert and Meiler *Fitz Henry from whom descend the Fitz Henry’s of Ireland. Meiler was the grandson of Henry I, first cousin of Henry II, and related the noblest Norman and native families of South Wales. Robert *Fitzstephen, Maurice *Fitzgerald, and David II, Bishop of St. David’s, were his half brothers. Raymond LeGros and Giraldus Cambrensis were among his cousins.
In 1157 his father Henry *Fitzroy was slain during Henry II’s campaign in Wales, when Robert *Fitzstephen so narrowly escaped. Meiler, then quite young, now succeeded to his father’s possessions of Narbeth and Pebidiog, the central and northeastern parts of modern Pembrokeshire.
In 1169 he accompanied his uncle Robert *Fitzstephen on his first expedition to Ireland. He first distinguished himself in the invasion of Ossery along with his cousin Robert de Barry, brother of Giraldus. The French poet Regan full corroborates as regards to Meiler. If the partial testimony of their kinsman is to be credited, Robert and Meiler were always first in every daring exploit.
In 1173 the return of Richard DeClare, "Strongbow", to England threw all Ireland into revolt. Meiler was then in garrison at Waterford, and made a rash sortie against the Irish. He pursued them into their impenetrable woods and was surrounded. But he cut a way through them with his sword, and arrived safely at Waterford with three Irish axes in his horse and two on his shield.
In 1174 he returned with Raymond to Wales, but when Richard DeClare "Strongbow", brought Raymond back, Meiler came with him and received as a reward the more distant cantred of "Offaly". In October 1175, he accompanied Raymond in his expedition against Limerick, was the second to swim over to Shannon, and with his cousin David, stood the attack of the whole Irish host until the rest of the army had crossed over. He was one of the brilliant band of Geraldines who under Raymond met the new governor, William Fitzaldhelm at Waterford, and at once incurred his jealous hatred.
Hugh de Lacy, the next Judiciar, took away Meiler’s Kildare estate, but gave him Leix in exchange. This was in a still wilder, and therefore as Giraldus thought, a more appropriate district than even the march of Offlay for so thorough a border cheiftain. In 1182 Lacy again became justice and built a castle on Meiler’s Leix estate at Tahmeho, and gave him his neice as a wife. I seems probable that Meiler had already been married, but his hitherto had no legitimate children. This childlessness was in Giraldis’ opinion God’s punishment to him for the want of respect to the Church.
Giraldus gives us a vivid picture of his cousin in his youth. He was a dark man, with black stern eyes and keen face. In stature he was somewhat short, but was very strong, with a square chest, thin flanks, bony arms and legs, and a sinewy rather than fleshy body. He was high spirited, proud, and brave to rashness. He was anxious to excel, but more anxious to seem brave than to be so. His only serious defect was hes want of reverence to the Church.
In June 1200 Meiler was in attendance on King John in Normandy, and on October 28th of that year received a grant of two cantreds in Kerry, and one in Cork. About the same time he was appointed to the care and custody of all Ireland as chief Justiciar, the king reserving to himself pleas touching the crown, the mint, and the exchange. During his six years’ government Meiler had to contend against very great difficulties, including the factiousness of the Norman nobles. John de Courci, the conqueror of Ulster, was a constant source of trouble to him. The establishment of Hugh de Lacy as Earl of Ulster in 1205 was a great triumph for Fitz Henry. Before long however, war broke out between Lacy and Fitz Henry.
Another lawless Norman noble was William de Burgh, who was now engaged in the conquest of Connaught. But while de Burgh was devastating the region, Fitz Henry and his assessor Walter de Lacy, led a host into de Burgh’s Munster estates. De Burgh lost his estates, though on appeal to King John he ultimately recovered them all, except those in Connaught. Fitz Henry had a similar problem with Richard Tirel and other Nobles.
Walter de Lacy, at one time his chief colleague, quarreled with him in 1206 about the baronies of Limerick. In 1204 he was directed by the King to build a castle in Dublin to serve as a court of justice as well as a means of defense. He was also to compel the citizens of Dublin to fortify the city itself.
Fitz Henry continued to hold the justiciarship until 1208. The last writ addressed to him in htat capacity is dated June 19, 1208. Mr. Gilbert says he was superseded between 1203 and 1205 by Hugh de Lacy, but may writs are addressed to him as justiciary during these years. On several occasions assessors or counselors were associated with him in this work, and he was directed to do nothing of exceptional importance without their advice.
Fitz Henry remained one of the most powerful of Irish Barons, even after he ceased to be justiciar. About 1212 his name appears immediately after that of William Marshall in the spirited protest of the Irish Barons against the threatened deposition of John by the Pope, and the declaration of their willingness to live and die for the King.
Several gifts from the King marked John’s appreciation of his administration of Ireland. But it was not till August 1219 that all the expenses incurred during his vice royalty were defrayed from the exchequer. He must by that date been a very old man. Already in 1216 it was thought likely he would die, or at least retire from the world into a monastery. There is no reference to his acts after 1219, and he died in 1220.
He had long atoned for his early want of piety by the foundation in 1202 of the Abbey in Connall in county Kildare, which he handed over to the Austin Canons of Llanthony, near Gloucester. This he endowed with large estates with all the churches and benefices in his Irish lands, with a tenth of his household expenses, rents and produce. He was buried in the chapter house in Connall. He had by the neice of Hugh de Lacy a son named Meiler, who in 1206 was old enough to disposses William de Braose of Limerick, and whose forays into Tyrconnell had already spread devastation amonth the Irish. The brother of the elder Meiler, Robert Fitz Henry, died about 1180.
*explanation of the origin of names