David Roche (abt. 1573 - 1635)

Born about 1573 in Fermoy, County Cork, Ireland

Ancestors

Descendants

Died 22 Mar 1635 at about age 62 in Ireland

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Lord David Roche was a member of the aristocracy in British Isles.

Biography

Children of David Roche, 7th Viscount Roche of Fermoy and Joan Barry:

1. Maurice Roche, 8th Viscount Roche of Fermoy d. 1670
2. Ellen Roche, who married 3 times, including Charles (Cormac Oge) MacCarthy, 1st Viscount Muskerry

From the Dictionary of Irish Biography:^[1]

• David Roche (c.1573–1635), Viscount Fermoy, politician, was the eldest surviving son and heir of Maurice Roche and his first wife, Eleanor, sister of the famous adventurer James Fitzmaurice Fitzgerald. (The uncle of Eleanor and James was James FitzJohn, 14th Earl of Desmond.)

• David's two elder brothers were killed during the Desmond rebellion in the 1580s; his father had initially joined with the rebellion of Hugh O'Neill, Earl of Tyrone, before receiving a royal pardon in 1599. David also flirted with the rebel cause, but eventually served with the President of Munster against O'Neill.

• Roche succeeded as Viscount Fermoy in September 1600 and was seen by the administration in Dublin as a valuable ally in the southern province, particularly after the arrival of Spanish troops in Kinsale. In April 1603 Roche proclaimed James I as King in Cork, after the mayor had refused to do so. Shortly afterwards he travelled to England, where a grateful king supported his efforts at obtaining financial compensation for losses suffered during the war.

• In June 1608, after a number of years at court, the King ordered Roche back to Ireland, at the head of 150 foot soldiers, to serve against the rebels led by Sir Cahir O'Doherty. Apart from his military duties, Roche became actively involved in the political and religious affairs of Munster. He provided protection and support for Catholic clergy in the province, actions that increasingly brought him into conflict with the Dublin administration.

• In 1613 he entered Parliament (the first held since 1585) and, along with Jenico Preston, 5th Viscount Gormanston, he coordinated opposition to the electoral abuses perpetrated by the government. The Catholic members staged a dramatic walk-out in May and subsequently sent a delegation, including Roche, to plead their case in England. Over the next 12 months Roche helped negotiate a compromise deal with the King, receiving a royal grant of lands as reward for his services.

• During the 2nd session of Parliament, Roche became embroiled in a bitter dispute over precedence with Richard Butler, 3rd Viscount Mountgarret, which dramatically resurfaced between his son Maurice and Mountgarret during the Confederate period over 30 years later. In 1621 Roche clashed with the royal favourite, George Villiers, Duke of Buckingham, organising opposition among local landholders in Tipperary to the Duke's efforts at obtaining an estate in the county.

• During his final years Roche adopted a lower public profile, although he attended the early sessions of the Parliament summoned by the Lord Deputy, Thomas Wentworth, in 1634. He died in March 1635 at the family home in Castletown Roche. Fermoy had married Joan Barry, daughter of James FitzRichard, 4th Viscount Buttevant, and was succeeded to the title by Maurice Roche, his eldest son and heir.

Sources

1. ↑ https://dib.cambridge.org/viewReadPage.do?articleId=a7742

• http://www.thepeerage.com/p15772.htm#i157714
• Wikipedia: David Roche, 7th Viscount Fermoy