Sir Christopher “of Turvey” Barnewall

• Birth: 1522 - Turvey, Ireland
• Death: Aug 5 1575 - Turvey, Dublin, Ireland
• Parents: Sir Patrick Barnewall, Anne Luttrell
• Sister: Margaret Barnewall
• Wife: Marion “of Shallon” Sherle [Sharl]
• Children: Robert Barnewall, John (Of Flemingston) 3rd Lord Trimlestown Barnewell, Alison Fitzgerald (Of Turvey) Trimlestown) Patrick (Sir) Barnewell, Catherine (Of Turvey) Knight Barnewell, Anne (Of Turvey) Alison Barnewell, Eleanor (Of Turvey) (Helen) Dillon (born Barnewell), Margaret Barnewell, Mary Barnewell, Genet (Of Turvey) Barnewell, Sir Patrick Of Turvey (Of Grace Dieu Ismay Turvey) Barnewell, Maud (Of Turvey) Barnewell, Mable (Of Turvey) Anne Barnewell, Elizabeth (Of Turvey) Barnewell

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Biography

Sir Christopher Barnewall (1522–1575) was a leading Anglo-Irish statesman of the Pale in the 1560s and 1570s. He was the effective Leader of the Opposition in the Irish House of Commons in the Parliament of 1568–71. He is remembered for building Turvey House, where he sheltered the future Catholic martyr Edmund Campion, for his impressive tomb in Lusk Church, and for the eulogy to him in Holinshed's Chronicles, which was written by his son-in-law Richard Stanyhurst.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christopher_Barnewall

Death and memorial

View of Lusk Church in 1791

Barnewall died in 1575 at Turvey[4] and was buried in Lusk Church. His widow Marion, who remarried Sir Lucas Dillon, commissioned an impressive tomb for her "first and loving husband", dated 1589, which still exists. Her second husband apparently paid for it, suggesting that he shared the generally high opinion of Barnewall's character. Marion died in June 1607 and was buried in the same tomb as Christopher.[5]

Character

Holinshed's Chronicles[6] contain a remarkable tribute to Barnewall; the warmly personal tone is explained by the fact that it was written by Richard Stanyhurst, who knew Barnewall all his life and married his daughter Janet:

the lantern and light as well of his house as of that part of Ireland where he dwelt, who being sufficiently well furnished with the knowledge of the Latin tongue as of the common law of England, was zealously bent on the reformation of his country; a deep and a wise gentleman, spare of speech and therewithal pithy, wholly addicted to gravity....very upright in dealing, measuring all his affairs with the safety of conscience, as true as steel....fast to his friend, stout in a good quarrel, a great householder....of nature mild, rather choosing to pleasure where he might harm than harm where he might pleasure.

Family

Barnewall married Marion Sherle, daughter of Patrick Sherle of Shallon, County Meath; she inherited the estate of Shallon from her brother John. They had nineteen children, of whom thirteen reached adulthood:

1. Patrick (died 1622), who inherited his father's estates, and was the father of the 1st Viscount Barnewall
2. John (died 1599) of Flemington, who married Cecily Cusack, widow of Christopher St Lawrence, 8th Baron Howth, by whom he had a son and heir, Patrick
3. Catherine, who married Thomas Finglas of Westphailstown
4. Margaret (died 1576), who married Nicholas St Lawrence, 9th Baron Howth and had three children, including Christopher St Lawrence, 10th Baron Howth
5. Janet (1560-1579), who married the celebrated historian Richard Stanyhurst
6. Alison, who married firstly John Plunkett and secondly Sir Edward FitzGerald of Tecroghan, County Meath
7. Elizabeth (died 1607), who married Richard (or John) Finglas of Westphailstown
8. Anne (died 1639), who married Sir John Draycott of Mornington, County Meath, son of Henry Draycott, Master of the Rolls in Ireland and had six children
9. Mabel (died 1620), who married Sir Richard Masterson of Ferns, County Wexford
10. Ismay, who married Richard Delahide of Moyclare
11. Eleanor, (or Helen) (died 1628), who married James Dillon, 1st Earl of Roscommon (theirs was reputedly a love match)
12. Maud, who married Richard Nugent
13. Mary, who married Patrick Plunkett, 7th Baron Dunsany. [7]

Lady Barnewall remarried in 1578 the prominent judge Sir Lucas Dillon, who was father (by his first wife) of Eleanor's husband, James Dillon, 1st Earl of Roscommon, as well as eleven other children. She died in June 1607, and was buried beside her first husband at Lusk.

References

• “A Genealogical History of the Dormant: Abeyant, Forfeited, and Extinct ...“ By Bernard Burke. Page 23. GoogleBooks
• ” Calendar of the Patent Rolls of the Chancery of Ireland” By Ireland. Chancery. Page 159. GoogleBooks
• The tomb of Sir Christopher Barnewall and his wife Marion, Lusk, #Dublin #Ireland. Dates to 1589. #irishhistory https://twitter.com/abartaguides/status/663816726149259265
• https://www.archaeology.ie/monument-of-the-month/archive/barnewall-...