31 May 1669
The duchess of Ormonde – writing from Kilkenny Castle – to her husband, the duke of Ormonde
kilkeny the Last of May
upon friday Last I came from dublin accompanede with all the companye Persons of qualitie in Towne whoe to Exprese ther respect to you did bringe mee part of the way with the greatest conserne for your Leavinge the Goverment that Ever couldbee exprest, sense my arrivall heare I have had tow Leters from you the one of the 22 the other of the 25 of this Month and have Seene that of yours unto My Brother Mathews with whom I shall discourse befor I say anye thinge to you consarninge the Contents therof and tell you at presant that I found this Plase in very good condistione, and your Jese house; Full out of which I had some this day, theris the greatest improvments of plantings at Dunmore that Ever I saw in Soe Short a time and has made it very bewtifull by the great Nomber of Trees and the order that thay are Sett in; I goe on wedensday Next to Caricke and from thense to Thurles, and Next for England Godwillinge soe Soune as Ever the yaught comes about as it will from Dublin to waterford with the first wind, I perseve the bargine for the buildinge of your Lodgings is allredie made soe as what is don in That cannot bee recaled, I send you hearinclosed a paper that a Frind of yours gott in Monster amongst the Lord of Ororys Creaturs, that willbee thay say presented by some Nobellmen and gentellmen heare unto the Parlement of England [it] was givene mee but this day; soe as I cannot as yett Fastene upon that the person that gave the Coppie of it, but hope I shall know whoe it is befor I goe, from hense; most it is all but one continowede Lie, how ever I pray Let it bee kept by you (at the Least untell I come); and not throwne a way for it is possible I may Find the oughters and gett proufs whoe thay are whoe are to confirme what is a[t] presant but suspected; upon consideratione of your Leter to My Brother Mathews consarninge My Son Ossorys allowan[se] I Find it very hard on both Sids, (on yours) to allow hime 3 thowsand which a yeare though as it is proposed is a beter bargine for you then as his payments was befor, when you have not soe much your selfe out of all your Estate; on the other Side, how hee cane with anye Sattisfactione Live upon the one halfe of this; which was all that you stoud oblidged to Pay hime; wouldbee as uneasie unto hime on the other Side, his Charge beinge increast and his depts somthing in England, when at the same time that you doe retrench his mantenanse you allow his Second Brother what you take from hime; whoe has besids the full advantage of his Ladys Portion and nothinge abayted hime for all the Charge that his preferment did Cost you which I doe feare my Son ossorye has som may have such a resentment of, as may if discontented upon the accompt of breakinge what has past betwixt [his] Brother and hee; bee more unfixte then Ever, as to the Settlinge of himselfe and Familie; and bee an ocatione perhapes of makinge an Envie and Breach in your Familie which should anye thinge of that kind happene would Ruene it more then all the other disadvantages it Cane Suffier, and therfor I think it is my part to Laye befor you all the ill consequensies that may bee fearede from what his wants; or apprehentione of your want of kindnes to hime; may ocatione; and bege of you to think seriouslie of it, and then conclude upon what you doe think to bee best; that hee may not have The Shadow of anye That for a pretense; to goe a Ramblinge for Lack of Menes to kiepe hime heare, which if afforded I hope will take him ofe from thous vane thoughts
During the crisis of her husband’s dismissal, the duchess travelled to Ireland to oversee the family’s removal from the viceroy’s residence at Dublin Castle to the family seat at Kilkenny Castle: this letter describes her activities during this important visit.
A series of letters from the duchess’s short trip to Ireland during the summer of 1669 are extant. In this, the first surviving letter, she says that she has recently arrived in Kilkenny from Dublin. She is delighted to tell her husband that she was accompanied on her journey from the capital by the Dublin elites who shared their shock and disappointment at the duke’s dismissal. The duchess’s procession marked the movement of Ormonde/Butler power from one city to the other, a performance that she herself enacted and led as her husband’s representative.
In preparing for her visit, the duchess had insisted that Kilkenny Castle would be made ready to receive her and her son’s family, and to entertain guests. She ensured that the best furniture and dressings from the viceregal residences should go to Kilkenny Castle and had already been overseeing repairs to the building when her husband lost the sword. Now that they no longer occupied Dublin Castle, the proper maintenance of the Kilkenny estate was a priority as they attempted to consolidate their position in Ireland through their local power base. The duchess was happy to report to her husband that she found Kilkenny Castle in a good condition. She also spoke warmly of her own house at Dunmore, specifically the planting of trees. She was happy to reassure her husband that the family was being well represented in their absence through their houses and estate.
Later letters from this trip show the duchess’s eagerness to consolidate the family’s position in Ireland by strengthening their network in and around Kilkenny. She visited her husband’s relations, including his youngest brother and his mother, the ageing dowager countess of Thurles, whose health, she assured him, was good. She also asks her husband to do what he can to prevent any animosity developing between their two eldest sons. For her, such an ‘Envie and Breach’ in the family would be the worst possible thing that could happen at this difficult time. Throughout her visit to Ireland the duchess gathered information for her husband that he might then leverage for his own and his family’s interests at court.