Theobald Dillon, 1st Viscount Dillon facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Theobald Dillon
Viscount Dillon
Tenure	1622–1624
Successor	Lucas Dillon, 2nd Viscount Dillon
Died	15 March 1624 Kilfaughny, County Westmeath
Spouse(s)	Eleanor Tuite
Issue Detail	James, Eleanor, Cecily, & others
Father	Thomas Dillon of Ballynakill
Mother	Margery Dillon of Kilmore

Theobald Dillon, 1st Viscount Dillon (died 1624), was an important Irish leader. He was a military commander and an adventurer. He owned a lot of land in parts of Ireland like Connacht and Leinster. Some of this land he got in clever, but not always fair, ways. Theobald was a strong supporter of Queen Elizabeth I during her wars in Ireland.

Theobald's Early Life and Family

Theobald was likely born at Ballynakill. This was where his father and grandfather usually lived. He was the third son of Thomas Dillon and his wife, Margery Dillon. His father's family came from Lord Dillon of Drumraney in County Westmeath.

Theobald's grandfather, James Dillon, was known as "the Prior". This was because he looked after several church properties when monasteries were closed down. Theobald's mother was from the Dillon family of Kilmore. Both his father's and mother's families were part of a large Old English family. This family came to Ireland with Prince John in 1185.

In 1559, Theobald was in charge of his own group of soldiers.

Theobald's Marriage and Many Children

Theobald Dillon married Eleanor Tuite. Sources agree on this. However, it is not clear if she was the widow or the daughter of William Tuite.

Theobald and Eleanor had a very large family with 19 children! They had eight sons:

• Christopher (died 1624), the oldest son. He married the oldest daughter of James Dillon, 1st Earl of Roscommon. Christopher became the father of the 2nd and 4th Viscounts.
• Lucas (1579–1656), whose family line led to the 7th and later viscounts.
• William, known as William of Tolchan.
• Thomas, known as Thomas of Brackloon.
• Edward, who became a Franciscan friar (a type of monk).
• George, who also became a Franciscan friar.
• John, who was an army officer and never married.
• James (born around 1600), the youngest son, who also became an army officer.

They also had 11 daughters:

• Rose, who died when she was young.
• Margaret, who married Robert Dillon.
• Anne, who married John, Viscount Taaffe. She was the mother of Theobald Taaffe, 1st Earl of Carlingford.
• Katherine, who married Sir Ulick Burke.
• Mary, who married Gerald Pettyt.
• Elizabeth, who married Thomas Fitzgerald.
• Jane, who married Hugh O'Conor.
• Eleanor (died 1629), who became a nun with the Poor Clares.
• Cecily (born around 1603 – died 1653), who became the first leader (Abbess) of the Poor Clares in Ireland.
• Bridget, who never married.
• Barbara, who never married.

Theobald's Later Life and Land Deals

In 1582, during a time when the English government was trying to take control of land in Ireland, Theobald Dillon was given an important job. He was made the person in charge of collecting money from land deals in Connacht and Thomond.

During this time, Theobald used some clever, but unfair, tricks to get land. For example, he convinced some local landowners, the Costello family, to let him handle their land paperwork. He told them it would save them money and make the process smoother. However, instead of putting the land in their names, he had it put in his own name! He never gave the land back to the original owners. This led to problems later, with people like Dudley Costello fighting against the Dillons in the 1660s.

Theobald also fought in the Nine Years' War (1593–1603) under the Earl of Essex. He was made a knight by Essex on July 24, 1599. It's worth noting that Theobald was already in his sixties then. Some people joked that Essex knighted so many people that he "never drew sword but to make knights."

On July 19, 1608, King James I gave Theobald a special document. This document officially confirmed that he owned the manor and town of Kilfaughny in County Westmeath. This is where Theobald lived and later died.

On March 16, 1622, King James I made him a Viscount. His full title became Viscount Dillon of Costello-Gallen. This made his ownership of the land even stronger. He was the first of many Viscounts Dillon. The name "Costello-Gallen" refers to two areas in County Mayo: Gallen and Costello.

Lord Dillon, as he was now called, also held the title of Lord President of Connaught from about 1621. He shared this important role with Charles Wilmot.

Theobald's Death and Who Came Next

Lord Dillon died on March 15, 1624, at Kilfaughny in County Westmeath. People say he lived to be very old. It is even said that he saw over a hundred of his own descendants (children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, etc.) in his house at one time!

Sadly, his oldest son, Christopher, died on February 28, 1624. This was about two weeks before Theobald himself passed away. Because Christopher died first, he could not become the next Viscount. So, when the first Viscount Dillon died, the title went to his grandson, Lucas. Lucas was Christopher's oldest son.