Baron Slane

Arms of Fleming, Baron Slane: Vair, a chief chequy or and gules, as shown on the Powell Roll of Arms (c. 1350), Bodleian Library, Oxford[1]
Other possible arms of Fleming: (Baron Fleming (or Baron Slane)): Or, a chevron within a double tressure flory counter-flory gules. The arms are however given in the Powell Roll of arms (c. 1350) for "Sir Baldwin Fleming, Baron Slans (Ireland)" as "Vair, a chief chequy or and gules", which blazon is also given by Lysons, Magna Britannia, 1822[2]
Heraldic achievement of Baron Fleming (or Baron Slane), arms: Or, a chevron within a double tressure flory counter-flory gules. 16th-century depiction in a Scottish Armorial, University of Manchester, Rylands Collection, English MS 4, folio 21r
Slane Castle, Co. Meath, Ireland

Baron Slane was a title in the Peerage of Ireland. It was created in 1370 for the Fleming family but forfeited in 1691.

Origins

The Flemings of Slane descend from Archembald le Fleming of Bratton Fleming, Devon, who was alive in 1087. Archembald derived his surname due to his birth in Flanders, and came to England during the reign of William I. He was succeeded by his son, Stephen (fl. 1145), whose son, Archembald, arrived in Ireland with Henry II in 1171 and participated in Hugh de Lacy's plantation of the Kingdom of Mide. On the west side of the hill of Slane there are the remains of a 12th-century motte and bailey which was the settlement, destroyed by the Irish in 1176.

Succeeding Flemings were Stephen, (died c. 1213–1214) and Baldwin (died 1260). Baldwin's son, Richard, is the first of whom some substantial information exists. He married Mary/Maria Martin, daughter of Sir Nicholas FitzMartin the Younger (died 1260). Richard died in 1301, but it is unknown when his wife died. Their son, Baldwin (died 1335), married Matilda/Maude de Genville, daughter of Sir Simon de Genville of Trim. They were the parents of Simon Fleming, 1st Baron Slane, who died on 13 September 1370.

An unusual feature of the title was the ability of the holder to petition the Crown to transfer it: after the death of the 12th Baron in 1625, the 13th Baron successfully petitioned the Crown to transfer the title to his younger brother, since as a Roman Catholic priest he did not expect to live on or manage the family estate. He became Roman Catholic Archbishop of Dublin.

Peerage Case, 1835

In the case "Slane Peerage case" brought before the House of Lords in 1835, the following evidence was submitted by the agent of the petitioner:[3]

"The family of Fleming was descended from Richard le Fleming, who accompanied Sir Hugh de Lacy to Ireland, in the reign of King Henry the Second, and obtained a grant from him of the lands of Slane, in his palatine honour of Meath, in which the said Hugh possessed the regalities; and the said Richard, and his successors, for five generations, were Barons of that palatinate, and were styled in the ancient records Barons of Slane. Baldwyn le Fleming (son of Richard, son of Baldwyn, son of Stephen, son of Richard, son of the first-mentioned Richard le Fleming) having married a daughter of Simon de Geneville (second son of GeofFery de Geneville, Lord of the honour of Meath in right of his wife Matilda, daughter and heir of Gilbert de Lacy, grandson and heir of Sir Hugh de Lacy, first Lord of the aforesaid honour of Meath), thereby became allied to the powerful family of Mortimer, Earls of March and Ulster; the chief of which family, Roger de Mortimer, Earl of March, had married the heir of the Genevilles" and Lacys, Lords of Meath, and was the King's Lieutenant in Ireland. In consequence of this connection, it is presumed, the said Baldwyn, Palatine Baron of Slane, acquired influence and importance, and was summoned to the parliament, held at Kilkenny on the octaves of the Purification of the Virgin Mary, the third year of King Edward the Second, not by the title of Baron of Slane, but by writ directed to him by the name of Baldwyno le Fleming. He was succeeded by his son, Sir Simon Fleming, Lord le Fleming, who sat in parliament in the reign of King Edward the Third, and he by his son Sir Thomas Fleming, third Lord le Fleming, who sat in parliament in the reign of King Henry the Fourth, and was succeeded by his son Sir Christopher Fleming, fourth Lord le Fleming, who sat in parliament in the reign of King Henry the Sixth, and was succeeded by his grandson Christopher, fifth Lord le Fleming, son of John, who died in his father's lifetime, who sat in parliament in the reign of King Henry the Sixth, and who dying unmarried, his two sisters, Anne and Amy, became his co-heiresses, between whom the peerage of Le Fleming went into, and is still in abeyance (in 1835) among their heirs, there being many descendants of both now in existence. The manor or barony of Slane being settled on the heirs male, and held of the Lords of Meath in fee tail, went to David Fleming, uncle of the half blood to the fifth and last Christopher Lord le Fleming; which David was summoned to, and sat in the parliament of King Edward the Fourth, by the title of Lord David Fleming, Baron of Slane, and thus became a peer by a new writ of creation. It appears he was allowed the precedency of the old peerage, but was placed after Sir Christopher Preston, Lord of Kells in Ossory, and of Gormanstown, which first title was inherited by the Prestons from a female, heiress of the Birmingham family. This Lord David Fleming was succeeded by his only son Thomas Lord Fleming, who dying childless, the peerage created in his father became also in abeyance, between his three sisters, Anne, Margaret, and Elizabeth; among whose heirs it is believed to be still in abeyance. The manor of Slane being held as aforesaid, went to the heir male, James, son of William Fleming, second son of Sir Thomas Fleming, the third Lord le Fleming. This Sir James Fleming was also summoned to the parliament held in the twelfth year of King Edward the Fourth, and sat therein, and also in the parliament of King Richard the Third, by the title of Lord Baron of Slane. He was succeeded by his son Christopher, second Lord Baron of Slane, who sat in the parliament held in the ninth year of King Henry the Seventh; and he was succeeded by his son, James Fleming, Lord Baron of Slane, who sat in the parliament of the forty-first of King Henry the Eighth; and he dying unmarried, the peerage created by his grandfather, summons and sitting, went also into abeyance, between his two sisters Catherine and Elinor. The foregoing statement was considered necessary, as the peerage now alleged, (in 1835) in the petition to be in abeyance by the claimant George Bryan, in himself and Lord Dunsany, originated after the death of James, Lord of Slane, in 1577, without issue, and the abeyance of his peerage in his two sisters; the several new creations by writs to the person who inherited the estates of the family having induced an erroneous conclusion, that a different law from that of England governed the descent of Irish peerages. Having made the foregoing statement, the claimant's agent proceeded to lay before me evidence in support of the allegations of his petition; with this difference, that he now claims to be the sole heir of the said Christopher Lord Baron of Slane, of his father Randall Lord Slane, and grandfather William Lord Slane, instead of being co-heir with Lord Dunsany, of the aforesaid peers, as stated and claimed in his petition; and he accounts for this change of claim as follows : That Edward, the present Lord Dunsany, and Randall, late Lord Dunsany, having both alleged publicly that they considered themselves as heirs of Bridget Fleming, daughter and sole heir of Richard Fleming of Staholmock, Esq. eldest son of Sir John Fleming of Staholmock, Knt. co-heirs of the said Randall, Lord Slane, with the heir of Alice Fleming, only daughter of the said Randall, Lord Slane, by his second wife: And it also appearing in the pedigree of the said Randall, Lord Dunsany, which he produced to the House of Peers of Ireland, when he proved his right to his seat on 4 March 1785, that his grandfather Randall, Lord Dunsany, was married to said Bridget, daughter of Richard Fleming, and that the said Bridget, was grandmother to the said Lord Dunsany; and it appearing by other evidence, that said Richard Fleming was married to Mary Fleming, only daughter of said Randall, Lord Slane, by his first wife, Elinor Barnwall, the claimant believed that the said Mary was the mother of the said Bridget. But when it became necessary to prove the descent of the said Lord Dunsany from the said Mary, and searches were made for evidence to establish the same, there was found a bill filed in the Chancery of Ireland, by Michael Fleming, Esq. brother of the said Richard Fleming on 27 January 1724, against the said Lord Dunsany, and Bridget his wife, wherein the said Michael did aver; and in their answer, the said Lord Dunsany, and Bridget his wife, sworn by them on 4 March 1724, admitted it to be true that said Bridget was only daughter and child of the said Richard Fleming, and they further state that the said Bridget was entitled to the sum of 1000/., as a portion, pursuant to a certain deed of settlement, made on the intermarriage of the said Richard with the Defendant, Bridget's late mother, deceased. By this discovery it was found that the said Bridget was not the daughter of the said Honourable Mary Fleming, who was then in life, and lived many years afterward, viz. to the year 1741, when she made her will; but that the said Bridget was daughter of the said Richard Fleming, by a former wife, and, consequently, that the pretensions of Lord Dunsany to be heir to the said Honourable Mary Fleming, and coheir of Christopher, Lord Slane, were groundless; and, therefore, that the said claimant, George Bryan, was sole heir of the said Christopher, Lord Slane; and his, the said claimant's, agent thereupon proceeded to substantiate these allegations by proof, and produced to me, first – An examined copy of the bill filed by the said Michael Fleming 27 January 1724, and of the answer thereto of the said Randall, Lord Dunsany, and Dame Bridget his wife, sworn on 4 March 1724, from the Rolls Office of the Chancery of Ireland; by which the said Michael charges, and the said Bridget admits that she was the only daughter and child of the said Richard Fleming; and the said Bridget further states, upon oath, that she was entitled to 1000/., by the settlement made on the intermarriage of the said Richard Fleming with her late mother deceased. Secondly. — To prove that the Honourable Mary Fleming, widow of the said Richard Fleming, was living in the year 1724, and for a long time afterwards, there was produced to me an examined copy of a bill filed in the Chancery of Ireland by William Fleming, in the year 1730, and an examined copy of the answer of said Mary thereto; in which, she states herself to have been the daughter of Randall, Lord Slane, and widow of Richard Fleming of Staholmock, and also widow of Oliver O'Gara, Esq. thus clearly establishing her identity, and her existence in the year 1731 – seven years after the period when Bridget, Lady Dunsany, states, upon oath, that her mother was deceased. Having established these facts, the claimant's agents proceeded to produce the evidences in support of the allegations of his petition. To prove that there was no patent creating Thomas Fleming, or any other person of the name of Fleming, or of any other name, Baron of Slane, or Lord of Slane, there was laid before me an affidavit of Sir William Betham, Ulster King of Arms of all Ireland, to the effect that he had made strict search in the office of Record in the Tower of London, and in the Rolls Chapel, and in the offices of Record in Birmingham Tower, and the Rolls Office of the Chancery of Ireland, and the Records of the late Parliament of Ireland, in Dublin, where patents of peerage are recorded, and that he could find no such patent in any one of the said offices of Record, and that he verily believes that no such patent does now, or ever did exist".

New creation

The 17th Baron, Christopher, was attainted in 1691 for fighting against William III. The title became dormant after the death of the 19th Baron in 1771, but claimants from junior lines continued to advance their claims into the 19th century. One such was James Ellis Fleming of Tuam, County Galway, who, in 1824, claimed descent from John, third son of Christoper, who succeeded in 1612. The title remains dormant.

Barons Slane (created c. 1370)

External links

Sources

Further reading

References

  1. ↑ Also per Lysons, Magna Britannia, 1822, vol.6, Devon, Families removed since 1620
  2. ↑ Lysons, Magna Britannia, Vol.6, Devon, Families Removed Since 1620
  3. ↑ https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=yVUDAAAAQAAJ&pg=PA10&lpg=PA50&ots=aMkns_2wQK&dq=dillon+fleming+bratton&output=text
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