Bourke (No. 1.) family genealogy

According to Sesmondi’s Historie de France, this family can trace its descent from Pepin le Vieux, Duke of Anstrasia, Maire du Palais, and living A.D. 622. This Pepin had a daughter named Dode (or Begga), who was married to Amsegise (or Arnolphe), son of St. Arnould of Metz, also living in 622. From this marriage the issue were as follows:

1. Pepin le Vieux, ou de Lauden; A.D. 622.

2. Dode: his daughter; married to Amsegise; as above.

3. Pepin le Gros, or de Heristal: their son; duke of Anstrasia; and Maire du Palais: d. 714; married to three wives successively.

4. Charles Martel: his son by the first marriage; d. 741. This Charles had two wives—1. Rotrude, 2. Sonichilde: the sons by the first wife were—1. Carloman, 2. Pepin le Bref; the son by the second wife was Grifon.

5. Pepin le Bref: son of Charles Martel; d. 768. Was first Carlovingian king of France, A.D. 750.

6. Charlemagne: his son; Emperor of the West, A.D. 800; died 814. Charlemagne had five sons: from Louis the first, king of France, who was the eldest of those five sons, the Bourbon line of French kings down to Louis XVI. was descended; the fifth son was Charles, duke of Ingelheim.

7. Charles, duke of Engleheim: fifth son of Charlemagne; married to Juliana, dau. of Roland, sister’s son of Charles the Great.

8. Roland (or Rowland): son of Charles; had a brother named Gratian.

9. Godfrey (or Croise[1]), of Bouillon: his son; duke of Lorraine; had two brothers named—1. Eustace; 2. Baldwin. This Godfrey led the Crusades, A.D. 1097; refused to wear a “crown” in Jerusalem, or to bear the title of “king;” but he adopted the style of “baron of the Holy Sepulchre.” He was called “defender of the Christians in the Holy War.”

10. Baldwin the First: his son; king of Jerusalem.

11. Baldwin the Second: his son; count of Flanders, and king of Jerusalem.

12. John: his son; earl of Comyn, and baron of Toursbourg in Normandy; general of the king’s forces, and governor of his chief towns— hence called “De Bourg,” a quo Bourke,[2] and Burke.

13. Harlowen de Burgo: his son; married Arlotta, mother of William the Conqueror (or King William the First of England); founded the Abbey of Grestine, in Normandy. This Harlowen had one brother named Eustace, who was baron of Toursbourg, a quo the viscount de Visci, in France; and one sister named Mellicent, who was married to Tulk, earl of Anjou, second King of Jerusalem.

14. Robert de Burgo; son of Harlowen; m. Maude, dau. of Roger de Montgomery, earl of Shrewsbury, Arundel and Sussex; had a brother named Odo—both half brothers of William the Conqueror. This Robert came with the said William to the invasion of England, A.D. 1066, who granted him a manor in 1068, and created him “earl of Cornwall.” King William also granted to Odo the bishopric of Bayeux, in Normandy, and created him “earl of Kent.”

15. William de Burgo, earl of Cornwall: son of Robert.

16. Adelm de Burgo: his son; m. Agnes, dau. of Louis VII., King of France; was the ancestor of all the Bourkes of Ireland. This Adelm had a brother named John, who was father of Hubert de Burgo, who married Margaret, sister of Malcolm IV., King of Scotland. This Hubert was earl of Kent, constable of Dover Castle, chief justiciary of England, guardian of King Henry the Third, and one of the most distinguished subjects in Europe. He is a prominent character in Shakespear’s “King John.”

17. William[3] Fitzadelm de Burgo (or Uilliam Mór de Burc, sometimes called “Uilliam Conguist”): son of Adelm de Burgo; m. Isabel, natural dau. of Richard I., King of England, widow of Llewellyn, Prince of Wales; was settled at Castleconnell, co. Limerick, in 1199, and was viceroy of Ireland A.D. 1177. This William was twice married: first, to Isabella, daughter of King Richard the First (Coeur de Lion), and widow of Llewellyn, prince of Wales; second, to Una, daughter of Hugh O’Connor, the last king of Connaught. The issue of this Una was Ricard Oge (or Rickard the Younger), also called Uilliam Fionn, as well as “Uilliam Oge,” who d. 1248.

18. Rickard de Burgo (or Ricard Mór[4] de Burc): son of William Fitzadelm de Burgo, by the first marriage; Lord of Connaught; Governor of Ireland in 1227; m. Hodierna (d. 1219), dau. of Robert de Gernon, by Una, dau. of Odo O’Connor, son of Cathal Craovdearg, king of Connaught; had three brothers—1. Hubert, who was earl of Kent; 2. Thomas; 3. Geoffrey, who was abbot of Ely. This Rickard’s half brother, Ricard Oge (or Rickard the Younger), was the ancestor of Burke, of Clanrickard, who were called “Clanricarde Oge,” to distinguish them from the descendants of Ricard Mór, lords of Connaught, who spelled the name Bourke. This Richard Mór de Burc, who died in 1243, had a son Richard, from whom the Bourkes of the Suir, in the co. Tipperary, were descended; and this Richard’s son Edmund was the ancestor of the Barons of Castleconnell, the Barons of Brittas, and the Bourkes of the co. Limerick.

19. William Mór, of Atha an Chip (or William of the ford of the stock or head): the second son of Ricard Mór De Burc. This William had an elder brother named Walter, who, in right of his wife, the daughter and heir of Hugo de Lacy, earl of Ulster, was the first earl of Ulster of the Bourke family. This Walter or Bhaltair, who was the ancestor of MacBhaltair, anglicised Walters, Wats, Watson, Walkins, Walkinson, and Watkins, was also baron of Connaught and Trim. William Mór De Burc, of Atha an Chip, married Frances Delamond, daughter of the duke of Norfolk; and was the ancestor of “MacWilliam Iachtar” (the Lower, or Mayo MacWilliam).

20. Sir William: his son; married daughter of King of Scotland; was Lord Warden of Ireland, A.D. 1296. In 1308 this Sir William founded the Abbey or Convent of St. Francis, in Galway; and was there interred, A.D. 1324.

21. Sir Edmond Albanach: his son; was twenty-two years in Scotland with his mother’s relations, hence he was surnamed Albanach for “Scotch” Edmond); married Sadhbh, daughter of Dermod O’Malley, of the Owles. This Sir Edmond had two elder brothers—1. Ulick; 2. Walter, who in 1332 died without issue. And he had seven younger brothers—1. Sir Richard; 2. Sir John; 3. Sir Theobald; 4. Mayler, a quo MacMeyler and Meyler; 5. Hibbun, a quo modernized MacGibbon, Gibson, and Gibbins; 6. Philipin,[5] a quo Philipin, anglicised Philbin, and Philips; 7. Sir Redmond, a quo MacRedmond.

22. Sir Thomas De Burc: son of Sir Edmond Albanach; married a daughter of O’Connor (Connaught).

23. Edmond na Feasoige (“feasóg:” Irish, a beard): his son. This Edmond (who d. in 1458) had an elder brother named Walter,[6] who was the ancestor of the Bourkes of Ballinrobe, Lough Mask, and Kinlough, Newtown; and Thomastown, in the county Tipperary; and of the Barons Downes. He also had three younger brothers—1. Thomas; 2. John; 3. Rickard. This Thomas was the ancestor of the Bourkes of Moyne; this John was the ancestor of the Bourkes of Muintir Creaghan; and this Rickard, who was called “Sean” (or old) Rickard, was the ancestor of the Bourkes of Turlough, near Castlebar. Edmond na Feasoige married Honora, daughter of Ulick Ruadh (or Red Ulick), lord MacWilliam of Clanrickarde;[7] and possessed estates at Newport-Mayo and at Burrishoole.

Notes

[1] Croise: After this Godfrey, the Bourkes have the Cross on their Armorial Bearings.

[2] Bourke: The senior (or Mayo) branch of this family retains the o of the French De Bourg, while the junior (or Clanricarde) branch write the name “Burke” (without the o), from the Irish spelling of the name—DeBurc; as no “ou” diphthong exists in the Irish language.

[3] William: According to some Annalists, William Fitzadelm de Burgo was “sewer” to Henry the Second, King of England, who, A.D. 1177, after the death of the wife of the said William, made him “lord justice of Ireland,” where, by his second wife, Una, he had one son called by some Ricard Og [oge], or Rickard the younger (to distinguish him from his elder brother Rickard Mór, or Rickard the Elder). These two Rickards were also each called “Uilliam,” namely, Uilliam Mór, or William the Great (and the Elder); and Uilliam Og, or the Younger William. Some genealogists state that the second wife of William Fitzadelm de Burgo was a daughter of Donal Mór O’Brien the last King of Thomond, who submitted to King Henry II. of England, A.D. 1172.

It may be here observed that “William” is Uilliam, in Gaelic; and “William the Younger” is Uilliam Og. As time rolled on, Uilliam Og was contracted to Uilleog, anglicised Ulick, which literally means “Young William.” It is also right to mention that the name “Ulick” was special to the Bourke family.

[4] Ricard Mór: To this Ricard De Burgo, King Henry III., of England, made a grant of the province of Connaught, A.D. 1225; in 1227 he was appointed “lord justice of Ireland” and “lord of Connaught.” This last title he acquired, some say, in right of his mother, Una (or Agnes), daughter of Hugh O’Connor, the last king of Connaught (by Ranalt, his wife, daughter of Awley O’Farrell, king of Conmaone). This Ricard Mór had two sons—1. Walter, who became earl of Ulster; 2. William, the progenitor of the Bourkes of Mayo, and after whom, some say, these Bourkes took the name of “Mac William iachtar;” “iachtar” meaning lower or northern, compared to “MacWilliam uachtar,” which meant the upper (or Galway) MacWilliam (see Hardiman’s Iar Connacht, page 39).

[5] Philipin: This clan is descended from Philipin (or “little Philip”) who was, as some say, the fourth son of Sir Edmond Albanach De Burc (see Hardiman’s Iar Connacht, p. 242). It was some of the descendants of this Philipin who were called English: and not descendants of Rickard Sacsanach, No. 28 on the “Burkes of Clanricarde” pedigree.—See Note under that Rickard Sacsanach.

[6] Walter: This Walter Bourke (or Walter de Bourg), of Cinloch (or Kinlough) was the father of three sons—1. John; 2. Theobald, of Kinlough and Shrule; 3. Rickard, of Ballinrobe. This Rickard had three sons—1. John an Tearmuinn (the Termon of Balla); 2. Walter; 3. Theobald. This John an Tearmuinn had two sons— 1. Rickard Oge; 2. David. And this David had two sons—1. Edmond; 2. Meyler.

[7] Clanrickarde: According to Ware and others, “Clanrickarde” comprised the baronies of Clare, Dunkellin, Loughrea, Kiltartan, Athenry, and Leitrim, in the county Galway.