Draft:House of Roche


House of Roche
Noble House


House of Roche


Parent houseHouse of Normandy
de Clare
CountryIreland

House of Lords

  • Baron Fermoy County of Cork
  • Baron Fermoy Carass in Limerick

Lordship of Ireland

  • Viscount's Fermoy
  • Roche Barons (various)
FounderDavid de la Roche - 1st Viscount Fermoy
Historic seatFermoy
TitlesVarious
Style(s)Viscounts, Barons, and Knights
Motto"Mon Dieu est ma roche" (My God is my rock)

The House of Roche traces its origins back to the Viking ancestors who established the Royal House of Normandy in 911. The family is descends from the Vikings who settled in northern France (Normandy) that ultimately became the Norman aristocracy. The Normans, under William the Conqueror, successfully invaded England in 1066, establishing the Norman rule that transformed European history.

The House of de Clare, from which the Roches are descended[1][2][3][4][5], was founded by Richard FitzGilbert de Clare, also known as Strongbow. He played a pivotal role in the Norman invasion of Ireland in the late 12th century. Strongbow’s conquest and his grant of the lordship of Leinster allowed him and his followers to acquire vast lands in Ireland.

Among these were lands in County Cork, where the Roche family would rise to prominence. The House of Roche, founded by David de la Roche 1st Viscount Fermoy[6][7], establishing a significant presence in the region and becoming one of the dominant Norman-Irish families[8][9].

Due to their Norman heritage and noble connections, the Roches secured vast estates in Munster, particularly in Castletownroche[10][11] and the surrounding areas[12]. Their power and influence grew throughout the medieval period, and they played a key role in local politics and military affairs[13], especially during the turbulent periods of English expansion and Gaelic resistance[14][15].

  1. ^ "A Genealogical and Heraldic History of the Landed Gentry of Great Britain and Ireland". Notes and Queries. s4-VI (148): 377–378. 29 October 1870. doi:10.1093/nq/s4-vi.148.377-g. ISSN 1471-6941.
  2. ^ "<italic>Ireland under the Stuarts and during the Interregnum</italic>. By <sc>Richard Bagwell</sc>, M.A. Volume III., 1660–1690. (London and New York: Longmans, Green, and Company. 1916. Pp. xi, 351.)". The American Historical Review. 1917. doi:10.1086/ahr/22.3.645. ISSN 1937-5239.
  3. ^ "Journal of the Cork Historical and Archaeological Society, Vol. xliii, no. 158 (Jul-Dec., 1938)". Irish Historical Studies. 1 (4): 446. 1939. doi:10.1017/s0021121400032089. ISSN 0021-1214.
  4. ^ "Debrett's Illustrated Peerage of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, Debret's Illustrated Baronetage and Knightage of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, &c". Notes and Queries. s3-VII (165): 172. 25 February 1965. doi:10.1093/nq/s3-vii.165.172b. ISSN 1471-6941.
  5. ^ Curtis, Edmund (7 May 2013). A History of Medieval Ireland (Routledge Revivals). doi:10.4324/9780203116371. ISBN 978-1-136-29870-7.
  6. ^ "Debrett's Illustrated Peerage of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, Debret's Illustrated Baronetage and Knightage of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, &c". Notes and Queries. s3-VII (165): 172. 25 February 1965. doi:10.1093/nq/s3-vii.165.172b. ISSN 1471-6941.
  7. ^ Curtis, Edmund (7 May 2013). A History of Medieval Ireland (Routledge Revivals). doi:10.4324/9780203116371. ISBN 978-1-136-29870-7.
  8. ^ "Journal of the Cork Historical and Archaeological Society, Vol. xliii, no. 158 (Jul-Dec., 1938)". Irish Historical Studies. 1 (4): 446. 1939. doi:10.1017/s0021121400032089. ISSN 0021-1214.
  9. ^ Riché, Pierre (December 1976). "Kenneth Nicholls, Gaelic and gaelicised Ireland in the Middle Ages, Dublin, Gill and Macmillan, 1972, 197 p." Annales. Histoire, Sciences Sociales. 31 (6): 1145. doi:10.1017/s0395264900159529. ISSN 0395-2649.
  10. ^ "Journal of the Cork Historical and Archaeological Society, Vol. xliii, no. 158 (Jul-Dec., 1938)". Irish Historical Studies. 1 (4): 446. September 1939. doi:10.1017/s0021121400032089. ISSN 0021-1214.
  11. ^ "A Genealogical and Heraldic History of the Landed Gentry of Great Britain and Ireland". Notes and Queries. s4-VI (148): 377–378. 29 October 1870. doi:10.1093/nq/s4-vi.148.377-g. ISSN 1471-6941.
  12. ^ "Dundon, John, (died 24 Feb. 1952), Professor of Surgery, University College, Cork; Surgeon, Mercy Hospital, Cork; Surgeon, North City and County Cork Infirmary; Member of Free State Medical Council", Who Was Who, Oxford University Press, 1 December 2007, doi:10.1093/ww/9780199540884.013.u236784, retrieved 25 October 2024
  13. ^ "<italic>Ireland under the Stuarts and during the Interregnum</italic>. By <sc>Richard Bagwell</sc>, M.A. Volume III., 1660–1690. (London and New York: Longmans, Green, and Company. 1916. Pp. xi, 351.)". The American Historical Review. April 1917. doi:10.1086/ahr/22.3.645. ISSN 1937-5239.
  14. ^ Curtis, Edmund (7 May 2013). A History of Medieval Ireland (Routledge Revivals). doi:10.4324/9780203116371. ISBN 978-1-136-29870-7.
  15. ^ Riché, Pierre (December 1976). "Kenneth Nicholls, Gaelic and gaelicised Ireland in the Middle Ages, Dublin, Gill and Macmillan, 1972, 197 p." Annales. Histoire, Sciences Sociales. 31 (6): 1145. doi:10.1017/s0395264900159529. ISSN 0395-2649.