Begin with 'Sir' Anthony

Context: 

Between 1540 and 1640 the English crown were beginning to address the question of land in Ireland (Goff 1987), which has ramifications up to the present day, not least in looking at our Colclough place in this. It was part of the process of taking the entire land of Ireland and rendering it to English authority between 1534 and 1691.

The 'civilised' English saw the barbaric degeneracy of the Irish as an anathema, even the 'old English' the early Anglo-Normans were seen as deviating from civility- going native. But more likley was that old Anglo-Norman families such as the FitzGerald's alongside ancient Gaelic families like the Kavanagh's were establish control over tracts of land and the people who lived there forming feudal systems where the family in charge held full including judicial control. This was seen as a direct challenge to the 'Crown' (Canny 1989).

Ceatharnaigh, professional foot soldiers in Gaelic Ireland, usually represented by the 'civilised' English as barbarians, blood thirsty savages, covered in Irish mantles, with glibs of hair hanging down over their eyes, brandishing 'Irish swords and daggers the Scian (Canny 1989).

 

As Edmund Spenser (1552-1599) describes Irish '...licentious parts as these, tending for the most part to the hurt of the English, or the maintenance of their own lewd liberty... brought up idly without awe of parents, without precepts of masters, without fear of offence...' (Renwick 1970)

Henry VIII and Elizabeth I used a strategy of 'surrender and re-grant'. In simple terms savages could not be trusted with land.

Enter Sir Anthony below: or rather this was his exit!

 

1542

Anthony Colclough of Bluerton County Stafford, the eldest son, lord of the manors of Hanley, Staffordshire, and of Hackney Middlesex, was Captain of a band of Gentleman Pensioners to Queen Elizabeth, and filled other offices of great charge. He came first to Ireland 34 Henry VIII (1542) and was Knighted by the Lords Justices of that Kingdom, September 7,1582. He had a lease 1569, and subsequently a grant from the crown 1576, of the dissolved Monastery and lands of Tintern in the County of Wexford. 

Sir Anthony married Clare daughter of the Rt. Hon. Sir Thomas Agard of Foston in Derbyshire, (brother of Francis Agard of Staffordshire Esq. Governor of Wexford, and a Privy Councillor in Ireland, who had amassed a great fortune as one of the Receivers of the Irish Customs revenues).

She espoused secondly Sir Thomas Williams, Knight, (who died a prisoner in the

Tower of London). She died in 1590, having had issue by Sir Anthony Colclough,

seven sons and five daughters viz.

1. Francis .before 1576.
2. 2. Rathcliffe / Died v.p.s.p. living 1576.

3. Anthony before 1576.

4. Sir Thomas, heir to his father

5. John, born 1565

6. Matthew born 1566 / died v.p.s.p.-before 1576

7. Leonard, of Ballyknockane in the Queens County, High Sheriff of the County

Wexford in 1596 who married Honora.daughter of Walter Walsh of Slievouranagh, Lord of the Walsh Mountains, and was slain in service by the Irish of Wicklow, 29th May 1599. She espoused secondly, the Hon Walter third son of Sir Theobald Butler, third Lord Cahir Ancestor to the Earls of Glengal, having had issue by her first husband a son, viz. 

Anthony Colclough, of Old Ross, Co. Wexford who married Ismay, daughter of

... Browne of Mulrankin Co. Wexford, and died 1st June 1650 having had issue by her two sons. viz.

Leonard, living 1638, died v.p.s.p.

Oliver, died 20th May 1657. s.p.

8. Jaqnonet, born 15th September 1555 married the Rt. Hon. Sir Nicholas Walsh,

Justice of Queens Bench,s.p.

9. Frances born 25 July 1556, married William Smithwick of Smithwick, Co. Chester Esrq.

10. Maria, born 16 Jany 1562, married Thomas Coates of Woodcoate, Shropshire, Esqr.

11. Clare, born 1st December 1569, married 1st on 29th August 1585, William Sneyd of Keele, and Broadwall, Staffordshire, and 2nd as second wife to Sir Hugh Wrotlesley, W, Staffordshire, Knight.

12. Eleanor, died young.

Sir Anthony Colclough died on the 9th of December 1584. Will dated September 1584 and was buried under a handsome Tomb, in the church, built by himself – or Sir Thomas – in the Demesne of Tintern, he was succeeded by his 4th son. (see above transcribed from his tomb) JC.

From Colclough Papers. Pedigree and History of the Colclough Family

of Staffordshire and Wexford

Compiled and arranged

by

Beauchamp H.D. Colclough

1879

Collated and updated by

Bernard Colclough 2002

Edited for electronic publication

by

Gay Conroy, M.A. 2009

Adapted By John Colclough (BA, BSc) 2013 the italics above are mine

More to follow on Sir Anthony...

References:

Canny, N. (1989). Early Modern Ireland c. 1500-1700. In: Foster, R.F. The Oxford illustrated history of Ireland. Oxford: Oxford University Press. 104-160.

Goff, H. (1987). English conquest of an Irish barony. The changing patterns of land ownership in the barony of Scarawalsh 1540-1640. In: Whelan, K Wexford, History and Society. Dublin: Geography publications. 122-149.

Renwick, W.L.. (1990). Spenser, a View of the Present State of Ireland (1590s). In: Englander, D. Norman, D. O'Day, R. and owens, W.R. Culture and Belief in Europe 1450-1600, an Anthology of Sources. Oxford: Blackwell. 292-297.