ABSTRACT
Theobald Walter, elder brother of Hubert, Archbishop of Canterbury from 1193-1205, was the ancestor of the Butler family in Ireland. His father, Hervey Walter, was a knight from Amounderness in Lancashire. The name Butler, soon to replace the family name, was derived from the honorific title of Butler of the household of John, Lord of Ireland and youngest son of Henry II. Theobald later assumed the hereditary title of Butler of Ireland, by virtue of which the family enjoyed the prise of wines entering Irish ports for several centuries. The reason for Theobald’s rise to power in Ireland must be linked to the influence of a maternal aunt, wife of Ranulph de Glanville, justiciar of England from 1180 to 1189. It was this vital connection with the court of Henry II that opened up opportunities of advancement to the sons of a relatively obscure knight. Both Hubert and Theobald appear to have grown up in Ranulph’s household. When Theobald set out for Ireland in 1185 as a member of John’s household, he was accompanied by his uncle. Ranulph wasted no time in exploiting this position, with the result that shortly after the expedition landed at Waterford, he and Theobald jointly received a grant from John of extensive territory in the kingdom of Limerick (Thomond or North Munster). Theobald subsequently fell from favor when John became king in 1199. Two years later the kingdom of Limerick was granted to William de Braose, but Theobald’s title to his lordship was secured by the timely intervention of Hubert, who headed the list of witnesses in a charter confirming his possessions, the de Braose grant notwithstanding.
