Earle Family Irish Lands and Irish Branches

In Ireland, the modern parish of Earlstown, County Kilkenny, formed the nucleus of the ancient manor named after the de Erleghs and comprised the townlands of Newtown, Castle Eve, Ovenstown, Kilbrickan, and Cronoge.

It is in the parish barony of Shillogher and is bounded on the north by the parishes of Burnchurch and Tullamain, on the east by the parish and barony of Kells, on the south by the parish of Mallardstown, and on the west by the barony of Callan.

Mallardstown derives from William Maillard to whom it was granted by 1/4 knight’s fee by John de Erlegh [7].

Earlstown lies 2.75 miles east of modern Callan on the road from Desart to Thomastown. It is situated on the Kings river here crossed by a stone bridge and comprises 2916 acres. At Castle-Eve are remains of an old castle with a moat and fortification.

In the Newtown demesne is a square tower castle in a good state of preservation and some remains of the old church with a burial ground.

John de Erlegh(II) or d’Erley was the first to hold lands in Ireland. He became a close advisor and companion to William the Marshal, regent of England. William the Marshal had been created Lord of Leinster, Ireland in 1189 but he never visited this domain until 1207. In that year King John issued letters patent for the protection of William’s lands in England, as well as those of Henry Hose and John d’Erley who were to accompany William the Marshal to Ireland. William the Marshal held lands in the vicinity of Kilkenny (his demesne manor and castle), Carlow, Kells, and Wexford. He also founded New Ross.

John d’Erley and Jordan de Sackville (an Irish baron) were entrusted with the custody of two halves of Leinster when William was recalled to England by King John. John d’Erley and Jordan de Sackville rose in arms against the king’s justicar in Ireland, Meiler fitz Henry, and defeated him. However William the Marshal made a temporary peace with the king and returned to Kilkenny in April 1208, at which time he probably rewarded John d’Erley with a generous fief of his own. When the trouble between William the Marshal and King John flared up again in the winter of 1208-09 when William de Briouse, fleeing from King John, was harbored for a time by William the Marshal at his castle in Kilkenny. King John came to Ireland in force to put down other rebel barons who played a larger role in the de Briouse affair. He also punished William Marshal and as a part of that punishment John d’Erley (among others) were taken as a hostage and placed in Nottingham castle.

Nevertheless as a part of William’s sub-infeudation of Leinster John d’Erley and others received fiefs in the previously undeveloped county of Kilkenny.

Henry de Erlegh the grandson of John de Erlegh(II) continued to hold the ancestral lands in Kilkenny, Ireland. In 1247, he is listed as owing 1/2 and 1/4 knight’s fees for Nova Villa in Cullak in County Kilkenny. Cullak or Coyllagh is Coillach, so called from its woods, and is a large district which includes the parishes of Earlstown, Mallardstown and Coolaghmore in the last of which the name survives. Coolaghmore is apparently identical with the ancient borough of Coillach which was a part of the demense lands of William Marshall.

About 1240 Henry made grants to Ralph Blund, Walter Blund, Henry de Hepene, and William, son of Henry de Waiwainestone (Owenstown) of land in Villa Wawany (Owenstown), Kilkenny as his free men of Nova Villa (Newtown). Ralph, Henry, and William were to pay 17s. 11d. and Ralph 1/2d. at Michaelmas, Ralph, Henry and William 8s. 11 1/2d. and Ralph a farthing (1/4d.). The consideratum was 100s.

The surname Erley, Erle, Erl, or Erla already appeared in Ireland prior to 1400. It is not completely known whether all or some of those with the surname in Ireland are descendants of the historical Earls in England. We do know that the family held Irish lands. It is possible that younger sons in the Erleigh family came to Ireland to occupy and manage the lands in Ireland and that Irish Earles would be descended from the de Erleighs. Or it is possible that local Irish families took the surname of Earle or Early because of where they lived and were already settled.

John de Erlegh(IV), born in 1271 also was a sub-tenant at Earlstown in Kilkenny, Ireland. Throughout the period 1299-1317 he was regularly granted letters of attorney for persons of property in Ireland remaining in England. He is listed as owing 1/2 and 1/4 knight’s fees for Nova Villa de Erlay and Nova Coyllagh in County Kilkenny in 1317. In 1321 one of his attorneys in Ireland was his son, John(V).

John de Erlegh(V) was born about 1308 and inherited the Irish lands from his father. In the period 1324-1337, due to his residence in England, power of attorney in Ireland was granted to various individuals including Henry de Erlegh in 1336 [7,p.159]. In 1327 an order was issued from Nottingham to Arnold Power, the King’s Steward of the county of Kilkenny, Ireland not to distrain John de Erlegh, knight, for homage or fealty of the lands he holds of the king in Ireland for he has done his homage. He represented his father in Ireland in the 1320s, probably residing there. On July 12, 1332, he was among those ordered to be with the king at Michaelmas at the place where the king intended to embark for Ireland. However, this project was abandoned.

John de Erlegh(VI) is listed as the heir of “John Derley” in owing 3/4 knight’s fees for Erleyston and Nova Coyllagh in County Kilkenny in 1355. He was summoned on March 15 1361/62 to attend a Great Council at Westminster in order to deliberate upon the disturbed state of Ireland. John(VI) died in 1372, possibly a victim of the Black Death then sweeping the country, leaving John(VII) his son and heir. The manor of Earlstown in Kilkenny, Ireland was conveyed to John Sweetman sometime before 1381 probably by his son.

The Lincolnshire Branch

The Lincolnshire branch of the Earle family is thought to have originated with Richard de Erlegh, the younger son of John de Erlegh(V), and is associated with descendants in Ireland. However, the first identifiable member of that family is Sir Richard Earle(I) of Stragglethorpe, Lincolnshire, who was made a baronet in 1629.

A descendant in the line, William, is of particular interest for he is claimed as the ancestor of a family of Earles in County Wexford, Ireland.

According to Burke “The Rev. William Earle, Curate of St. Clement’s Danes, Strand, London, son of the late George Earle of Ballynahow in Gorey, County Wexford, claims to be the great-great-great-grandson of Robert Earle of Coolroe, County Wexford, who was said to be descended from a younger son (William) of 1st Baronet”. It might also be added that the Maryland Earles in the U.S.A. identify their founder as one James Earle whose will states that he was “.. late of Ireland” and therefore associate him with the Stragglethorpe branch.