Joan Apsley facts for kids

Joan Apsley (born 1578 – died 14 December 1599) was an important Irish heiress. She was the first wife of Richard Boyle, 1st Earl of Cork, who became a very powerful and wealthy man in Ireland.

A Short but Important Life

Joan Apsley was born in 1578. She was one of two daughters of William Apsley from Limerick. Her father was an important official in the province of Munster.

Her Wealth and Marriage

Joan was an heiress, meaning she inherited a lot of land and money. She owned lands in Galbally. Her fortune was even bigger than Richard Boyle's at the time. People said Joan was "charmed" by Mr. Boyle's conversations. Her father agreed to their marriage.

They married in Limerick on 6 November 1595. Joan was 17 years old, and Richard Boyle was 28. This marriage was very important for Richard Boyle. It brought him an estate worth £500 a year. He later called it "the beginning and foundation of my fortune."

Her Death and Legacy

Joan died during childbirth when she was only 21 years old. This happened in Mallow, Ireland. She was buried with her baby son in Buttevant church in County Cork, Ireland.

Some people later said that Richard Boyle did not do enough to remember Joan. This was unlike how he honored many other family members. However, Richard Boyle did remember Joan in St. Mary's Collegiate Church in Youghal. He bought this church in 1606 to make it a special burial place for his family.

The Tomb in Youghal

The tomb for his family was finished in 1619. It shows Joan kneeling at her husband's feet. She is wearing a fancy purple dress. Some people believed that Richard Boyle's efforts to remember his family were sometimes for his own benefit. They thought he might have remembered Joan because of what she brought him, not just out of love. This was because her family connections were no longer useful to him after she died.

Richard Boyle may have also honored Joan by naming his fourth daughter after her. However, this daughter might also have been named after his own mother.