Richard Butler, 1st Earl of Arran


The Earl of Arran
Richard Butler (1639–1685), 1st Earl of Arran, National Trust, Hardwick Hall.png
Detail from the portrait below
Tenure1662–1686
Born15 July 1639
Died25 January 1686(1686-01-25) (aged 46)
London
Spouse(s)
  • 1. Mary Stuart
  • 2. Dorothy Ferrers
Issue
Detail
Charlotte & others
FatherJames, 1st Duke of Ormond
MotherElizabeth Preston

Richard Butler, 1st Earl of Arran (1639–1686) was Lord Deputy of Ireland from 1682 to 1684 while James Butler, 1st Duke of Ormonde, his father, the Lord Lieutenant, was absent in England. He sat in the Irish House of Lords as Earl of Arran and in the English one as Baron Butler of Weston. When William Howard, 1st Viscount Stafford was accused of treason during the Popish Plot, Arran braved the anti-Catholic hysteria and voted not guilty.