Nesta

Nesta, a beautiful Welsh princess, daughter of Rhys ap Tudor Mawr, Prince of South Wales, was the ancestor of some of the leading Anglo-Norman invaders of Ireland, and consequently of several of the most important Irish families: she died in 1136. The following list of her children and grandchildren may be found useful for reference. Great care has been taken in its compilation from different authorities, no two of which, however, agree as to the names of her descendants, or the order of their birth.

NESTA, by KING HENRY I. of England, had two sons —
Robert FitzRoy, Earl of Gloucester, mar. Mabel, daughter and heiress of Sir Robert FitzAymon, the conqueror of Glamorgan;
Henry FitzRoy (killed in an attack on Anglesea about 1156) left two sons —
Miler FitzHenry, mar. niece of Hugh de Lacy;
Robert FitzHenry.

NESTA married (about 1095) GERALD FITZWALTER (died about 1135), Castellan of Windsor, and Constable of Pembroke, and by him had issue —
William FitzGerald (died 1174), ancestor of the FitzMaurices and Graces, was father of —
Raymond FitzGerald (commonly styled Raymond le Gros), mar. Basilia, sister of Strongbow;
Griffith FitzGerald;
A daughter.
Maurice FitzGerald (died 1176), mar. Alice, daughter of Arnulph, a connexion of William the Conqueror, and was father of —
William FitzGerald, Baron of Naas;
Gerald FitzGerald, Baron of Offaly, ancestor of the Earls of Kildare;
Thomas FitzGerald (died 1213), ancestor of the Desmond FitzGeralds, mar., Ellinor, sister of Hervey de Marisco; Alexander FitzGerald, of Compton in England; Nesta, mar. in 1175, Hervey de Marisco.
David FitzGerald, Bishop of St. David's, 1147 to 1176, had a son —
Miles of St. David's.
Angharat, mar. William de Barry, and had four sons —
Robert de Barry;
Philip de Barry;
Walter de Barry;
Gerald de Barry (Giraldus Cambrensis).
A daughter (? Gledewis),mar. Cogan, by whom she had —
Milo de Cogan, mar. a daughter of Robert FitzStephen;
Richard de Cogan.

NESTA lastly espoused STEPHEN, Constable of Cardigan, and to him she bore
Robert FitzStephen, the conqueror of Waterford, whose sons were —
Ralph FitzStephen (died 1182), mar. daughter of Milo de Cogan;
Meredith FitzStephen (died 1171).

Sources

52. Burke, Sir Bernard: Dormant, Abeyant, Forfeited, and Extinct Peerages. London, 1866.

54. Burke, Sir Bernard: Peerage and Baronetage.

147. Geraldine Documents: Edited by Rev. James Graves: in Journal of the Archaeological Association of Ireland, October, 1869.

148. Giraldus Cambrensis: Topography, and History of the Conquest in Ireland: Forester and Wright. London, 1863.

148a. Giraldi Cambrensis Opera. (Master of the Roll's Series.) vol. v. London, 1867.

202. Kildare, The Earls of, and their Ancestors: from 1057 to 1773, with Supplement: Marquis of Kildare. 2 vols. Dublin, 1858-'62.

216. Lodge's Peerage of Ireland, Revised and Enlarged by Mervyn Archdall. 7 vols. Dublin, 1789.

233. Manuscript and Special Information, and Current Periodicals.