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Nicholas St. Lawrence, 9th Baron Howth (c.1550–1607) was a leading member of the Anglo-Irish nobility in the late sixteenth and early seventeenth centuries. Despite openly professing his Roman Catholic faith, he enjoyed the trust of Elizabeth 1 and successive Lord Deputies of Ireland, and was even forgiven for signing a petition against the Penal Laws. == Early life == He was the eldest surviving son of Christopher, 8th Baron Howth and his first wife Elizabeth Plunket. His date of birth is often given as 1555, but was probably some years earlier: Elrington Ball states that he was well into middle age when his father died,〔Ball, F. Elrington ''History of Dublin'' 6 Volumes Alexander Thoms and Co. Dublin 1902–1920〕 and in 1605 he was described as being "too old to live long". His early life cannot have been happy: his father was notorious for his cruelty to his wife and children. In 1577 Nicholas's teenage sister Jane died after being severely beaten by her father, and his mother was so ill-treated that the Court of Castle Chamber eventually granted her a judicial separation from her husband, who was fined and briefly imprisoned.〔Crawford, Jon G. ''A Star Chamber Court in Ireland- the Court of Castle Chamber'' 1571–1641 Four Courts Press Dublin 2006〕 According to a well-known legend Granuaile, the celebrated Pirate Queen of Galway in about 1575 arrived unannounced at Howth Castle for dinner, only to find the gates barred; in retaliation for the discourtesy she took the youthful heir hostage until the family apologised. Elrington Ball argues that the story may be based on fact〔''History of Dublin''〕- but if the heir was a child this must refer to Nicholas' eldest son, not Nicholas himself. In the 1580s he lived mostly at Platten in Meath where his wife had inherited property from her first husband. He was knighted in 1588 and succeeded his father as baron the following year. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Nicholas St Lawrence, 9th Baron Howth」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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