Lettice Digby, 1st Baroness Offaly facts for kids

Lettice FitzGerald, 1st Baroness Offaly (born around 1580 – died 1 December 1658) was an important Irish noblewoman. She belonged to the famous FitzGerald dynasty. When her father passed away, she was supposed to inherit the title of the Earls of Kildare. However, the title went to the next male heir in her family.

In 1620, King James I of England gave her a special title. She became the suo jure Baroness Offaly. This means she held the title in her own right, not through her husband. She was married to Sir Robert Digby. They had ten children together.

Lettice FitzGerald is well-known for her bravery. In 1642, her castle at Geashill was attacked. She managed to defend it for many months. Her strong defense is seen as a very important part of the Irish Rebellion of 1641.

Family Background

Lettice was born around 1580. She was the only child of Gerald FitzGerald, Lord Offaly. Her mother was Catherine Knollys. Catherine was the daughter of Catherine Carey and Sir Francis Knollys.

Lettice's maternal great-grandmother was Mary Boleyn. Mary was the older sister of Anne Boleyn. Anne was the second queen of King Henry VIII of England. One of Lettice's aunts was Lettice Knollys. She was a famous person and a cousin of Queen Elizabeth I of England.

Lettice's father died in June 1580, around the time she was born. He was only nineteen years old. After his death, Lettice became the main heir to the Earls of Kildare. But the earldom went to her uncle, Henry. Her mother later married Sir Philip Butler.

Marriage and Children

On 19 April 1598, when she was about eighteen, Lettice married Sir Robert Digby. He was born in 1574 and died on 24 May 1618. Sir Robert was a wealthy landowner from Coleshill, Warwickshire, England. His brother was John Digby, 1st Earl of Bristol.

The couple lived in Ireland. Sir Robert was a MP for Athy in County Kildare in 1613.

Lettice and Sir Robert had ten children:

• Mabel Digby: She married Sir Gerald FitzGerald. Later, she married Donagh O'Brien.
• Robert Digby, 1st Baron Digby (died 6 June 1642): He married Lady Sarah Boyle. Later, he married Elizabeth Altham.
• Essex Digby, Bishop of Dromore (died 12 May 1683): He married Thomasine Gilbert. Later, he married Lettice Brereton.
• George Digby
• Gerald Digby
• John Digby
• Simon Digby: He was a MP for Philipstown.
• Philip Digby: He married Margaret Forth.
• Lettice Digby: She married Sir Roger Langford.
• Abigail Digby: She passed away as a child.

Fighting for Her Inheritance

Lettice and her husband, Sir Robert, were very determined to protect their rights. They believed Lettice should have inherited more from her family. They thought that a document from her grandfather might have been changed. This document had given the family property only to male heirs.

In 1602, they started a lawsuit. They claimed that Lettice had been unfairly denied her inheritance. This legal case went on for over ten years. It was heard in courts in both London and Dublin. The case was very famous at the time.

Eventually, everyone involved agreed to settle their differences. They used a process called arbitration to find a fair solution.

Becoming Baroness Offaly

Lettice was the daughter and only heir of the eldest son of the 11th Earl of Kildare. Because of this, the title of Baron Offaly was claimed for her when she was a child. In 1599, she began using the title Baroness Offaly.

Lettice was a skilled negotiator. This helped her greatly. On 29 July 1620, King James I officially granted her the title of 1st Baroness Offaly. This title was for her lifetime and was given to her in her own right.

The King also gave her the lands of Killeagh and the territory of Geashill in King's County, Ireland. Geashill had been part of her dowry when she married. Her husband, Sir Robert, had passed away in May 1618. On the same day Lettice became Baroness Offaly, her eldest son, Robert, was made Baron Digby.

The Rebellion of 1641

In 1641, a major uprising called the Irish rebellion of 1641 began in Ireland. Lettice, who was a widow in her early sixties, found herself caught in the middle of it.

In late 1641, she received a letter from her cousin, Henry O'Dempsey. The letter claimed to have orders from King Charles I. It demanded that she surrender Geashill Castle to the O'Dempseys. The letter also threatened to harm the castle and its people if she refused.

In early 1642, the O'Dempseys attacked the castle. Lettice and her people bravely defended it. She refused to leave, even when a relief party from Dublin offered to escort her to safety. She preferred to defend her home.

At one point, the rebels captured one of her sons. They brought him to the castle walls in chains. They threatened to harm him if she did not surrender Geashill immediately. Lettice responded by bringing one of her own prisoners, a Catholic priest, onto the castle walls. She threatened to harm him unless her son was released unharmed. The rebels agreed, and her son was returned to her.

Lettice had weapons and ammunition from Dublin. She managed to keep the attackers away until October 1642. Finally, she was persuaded to leave Geashill with Sir Richard Grenville. She left Ireland and moved to her late husband's family estate in Coleshill, England. She passed away there in December 1658. She was buried next to Sir Robert in Coleshill Parish Church.

Her eldest grandson, Kildare Digby, did not inherit her title. The rules for the barony of Offaly stated that after her death, the title would go to the head of the House of Kildare. In 1658, this was George FitzGerald, 16th Earl of Kildare.