Baron Esmonde was a title in the Peerage of Ireland. It was created on 20 May 1632 for Sir Laurence Esmonde. He had earlier renounced the Roman Catholic faith. However, he married a Roman Catholic wife of the O'Flaherty family, by whom he had a son, Thomas. Fearing that her son would be raised a Protestant, Esmonde's wife ran away with their son and brought him up a strict Roman Catholic. In 1629, three years before his father's elevation to the peerage, Thomas was created a baronet, of Ballynastragh in the County of Wexford. However, as he was the child of a mixed marriage, he was not allowed to succeed in the barony, which became extinct on Lord Esmonde's death in 1646. The Esmonde Baronetcy is still extant, however (see Esmonde baronets).
Barons Esmond (1632)
- Laurence, 1st Baron Esmonde (died 1646)
See also
References
- Kidd, Charles, Williamson, David (editors). Debrett's Peerage and Baronetage (1990 edition). New York: St Martin's Press, 1990.
- Leigh Rayment's Peerage Pages