L

LACY, DE
The first member of the de Lacy family to arrive in
Ireland was Hugh de Lacy, of the Hereford branch of
the family, who accompanied Henry II on his expedi-
tion of 1171–1172 and received a grant of the entire
kingdom of Mide (Meath), possibly as a check on the
territorial ambitions of Strongbow and probably also
to provide a buffer between the land of the unsubmis-
sive high king, Ruaidrí Ua Conchobair, and the capital
of the new colony at Dublin, custody of which was
entrusted to Hugh. Assassinated in 1186, Hugh left two
sons by his first marriage: Walter (d. 1241) and Hugh
II de Lacy (d. 1242). William Gorm de Lacy, son of
Hugh I’s second marriage to “Rose” Ua Conchobair,
was a close associate of his half brothers. As lord of
Meath and earl of Ulster, respectively, Walter and
Hugh were among the most powerful men in Ireland,
but their relationship with King John was not an easy
one, and they suffered forfeiture of their lands more
than once.
Walter may have been a minor at the time of his
father’s death, as he did not gain possession of his full
estate until 1194. In the late 1190s, Walter spent time
on campaign in France, and Hugh acted on his behalf
in Meath. In 1195, the brothers assisted John de
Courcy in a war against the English of Leinster, and
Walter’s lands were escheated as punishment. But in
1199, Walter, having been fined 2,100 marks, regained
the king’s favor, and when John turned against de
Courcy he used Hugh to bring about the downfall of
his former ally.
In 1203, Hugh drove de Courcy out of Down and
the following year was granted de Courcy’s Ulster
lands, in addition to lands in Connacht. The following
year he was titled Earl of Ulster, the first earldom
created in Ireland. The brothers combined to foil de
Courcy’s attempt to reenter Ireland this year, and Hugh
spent this period campaigning in Ulster. But their

relationship with the king deteriorated as they quar-

reled with his justiciar Meiler fitz Henry, and when

William de Braose, Walter’s father-in-law, fled to Ire-

land from John’s wrath, the king crossed the Irish sea

to humble the de Lacys.

The brothers fled to Scotland, and then to France.

Walter regained the king’s favor by 1215; his lands

were returned, and the following year he was

appointed sheriff of Hereford. Several years of loyal

service in France and England followed. But Hugh

was left in the cold for some years, and his lands

were entrusted to Walter during this time. After

spending time in France on the so-called Albigensian

crusade, Hugh returned to England in 1221. Refused

permission to go to Ireland, he crossed over illegally

and entered an alliance with Áed Ua Néill, king of

Cenél nEógain. The following year he conspired with

Llywelyn ab Iorwerth, prince of north Wales, in a

failed campaign against William Marshal, and in

1224 was again with Ua Néill in war against Áed Ua

Conchobair.

During this rising Hugh was supported by his half

brother, William Gorm. The rebellious pair was cap-

tured by William Marshal, and Hugh was deported to

England; he was not reinstated until 1227. In 1228,

Walter and Hugh were summoned to serve in France.

Walter commanded a division in the 1230 invasion of

Connacht. Both brothers supported the justiciar’s

struggle against Richard Marshal, were present at his

defeat in battle on the Curragh in 1234, and were on

campaign in Connacht again the following year.

William Gorm, who had fought for the king in

France in 1230, was killed in Bréifne in 1233. Walter’s

health declined in the late 1230s, but Hugh’s turbulent

spirit remained. After the death of his son-in-law Alan,

lord of Galloway in Scotland, Hugh supported Alan’s

illegitimate son Thomas in a failed rebellion against

the Scottish king. In 1238, he was temporarily driven