Giles Hovenden facts for kids

Captain Giles Hovenden was an important soldier and leader in Ireland during the 1500s. He was a skilled horseman from England who moved to Ireland around 1532. Giles became the head of the Hovenden family there. Because of his military service, he was given land in an area then called Queen's County (now County Laois). He also made friends and business connections with powerful Irish leaders, like Conn O'Neill.

Giles Hovenden played a special role in the life of Hugh O'Neill. Hugh was a young boy whose father had been killed. Giles became Hugh's guardian, looking after him as he grew up. Hugh later became the Earl of Tyrone, who was the most powerful Gaelic (native Irish) lord in Ireland. Hugh O'Neill is famous for leading a big rebellion against the English, known as Tyrone's Rebellion, and later for leaving Ireland in an event called the Flight of the Earls. Even after Hugh became powerful, he stayed close to the Hovenden family. He even hired three of Giles' sons to be officers in his army.

Giles Hovenden's Life and Family

Giles Hovenden was originally from Ulcomb in Kent, England. He was considered a "New English" person. This meant he was an English settler who came to Ireland, different from the native Irish or the "Old English" families who had lived in Ireland for centuries.

Religious Beliefs

Unlike most of the new English settlers, Giles Hovenden was a Roman Catholic, not a Protestant. This Catholic faith was passed down through his family. Later, some of his descendants fought for Catholic groups like the Irish Confederates and for King James II's Irish Army in the 1600s.

Land and Property

In June 1551, King Edward VI gave Giles Hovenden the right to use the land and buildings of an old Cistercian monastery. This was a big deal, but for a long time, people in Midleton didn't know about it because the official papers were misplaced!

Family Life

Giles Hovenden married Elizabeth Cheevers. Her father was Sir Walter Cheevers. Giles and Elizabeth had five sons: John, Piers (or Peter), Richard, Walter, and Henry. Walter was named after his grandfather, Sir Walter. They also had a daughter named Johanna, who married Captain John Barrington.

Richard and Henry, two of Giles' sons, became captains in Hugh O'Neill's army by 1583. Henry Hovenden was especially important. He became Hugh O'Neill's main secretary and advisor. When Hugh O'Neill left Ireland in the Flight of the Earls in 1607, Henry went with him.

In 1549, Giles Hovenden also gained control of the area called Kilieban (now Killaban) in Queen's County.

The Hovenden Family History

The Hovenden name has a long history, even before Giles.

Early Hovendens in England

As far back as the 1100s, there was a person named Roger de Hovenden. He was from a place called Hovenden in England. Roger worked for King Henry II and was a professor at Oxford University. He was also a famous writer and historian. He wrote important books about the lives of kings, like "Gesta Henrici Secundi" (about King Henry II) and "Gesta Ricardi" (about King Richard). His "Chronica" (Chronicle) was a history book that went up to the year 1201.

In 1291, King Edward I ordered people to search all the libraries in England for Roger de Hovenden's Chronicle. He needed it to help settle a disagreement about whether the Scottish king owed loyalty to the English crown.

Hovenden in York

Another important person was John de Hoveden, who lived in Yorkshire. He was very respected and represented the city of York in the English Parliament five times. Some people believe the family name "Hoveden" came from a town in Yorkshire, which was once called Hoveden and is now known as Howden. This town was around even before the time of King Edward the Confessor (who ruled before 1066). The famous historian Roger de Hoveden was born there, and an early church leader there was Reverend John de Hoveden.