On this day… 21 February

On this day, 21 February, 1317, Richard de Burgo; the ‘Red Earl’, was imprisoned in Dublin Castle, after he was arrested by order of the Mayor of Dublin; as it was believed he was conspiring with the invading Scottish forces of Robert and Edward Bruce.

By Ian Brophy

Richard de Burgo (c.1259-1326) was the son of Walter de Burgo and Avelina de Burgo.
His grandfather Richard (Mor) de Burgo was responsible for building the first stone castle in the town of Galway.
On the death of his mother, Avelina; he was brought to the King in England, where he spent his formative years before reaching adulthood in 1281. On receiving his inheritance, he became the 2nd Earl of Ulster. It was only on reaching the age of majority that he travelled to Ireland. In 1286, he made his first raid into Connacht, where he was successful in extracting tribute and a large number of hostages. Owing to his actions and frequent raiding on neighbouring territories; he was often in conflict with the administration. However, this was overlooked possibly because of his power and the relative independence of his Earldom. In 1296, he took part in the Scottish expedition on behalf of King Edward. His army joined the King and accompanied the King to Stirling in June of that year. Over time he consolidated his estates in the north and the west of the country; where his authority was now unrivalled. In 1299, he inherited a share of the considerable estates in Ireland and England of his uncle, Richard FitzJohn FitzGeoffrey.

His attention, once again, shifted back to Scotland. In 1302,his daughter, Elizabeth, married Robert Bruce, who would later become King of Scotland. However, King Edward again called on the Earl to assist him in the war in Scotland. In 1303, Richard de Burgo was appointed the leader of the Irish force. This army amounted to 3,000 men. He was richly rewarded for his services. In 1314, he was again summoned to Scotland by the King. However, he stayed in Ireland this time; and so was not witness to the defeat at Bannockburn.

In May 1315 Edward Bruce, Earl of Carrick, landed at Larne, Co. Antrim. Edward Bruce wanted to remove Ireland from English rule, giving himself control. Richard de Burgo had given a promise to King Edward that he would defeat Edward Bruce. However, he was unable to achieve that promise. In 1317, Robert Bruce landed in Ulster with a large army; and along with Edward Bruce, they marched south.
As a result of his broken promise and the marriage of his daughter to Robert Bruce, suspicion grew over the loyalty of Richard de Burgo to King Edward.

As the Scottish army moved south, Richard de Burgo fled to the sanctuary of Dublin. Here, he was arrested at St. Mary’s Abbey by the order of the Mayor of Dublin; and imprisoned in Dublin Castle. At the parliament session in May it was debated whether or not de Burgo should be kept in prison or sent for judgement to King Edward. He was eventually released after he had found hostages for his good conduct, and sworn allegiance to the King.

On this day, 21 February, 1317, Richard de Burgo; the ‘Red Earl’, was imprisoned in Dublin Castle, after he was arrested by order of the Mayor of Dublin; as it was believed he was conspiring with the invading Scottish forces of Robert and Edward Bruce.