Richard de Clare, Steward of Forest of Essex

Who was Richard de Clare, Steward of Forest of Essex?

Richard de Clare 1st Lord Clare was the son of Thomas de Clare, Lord of Thomond and Juliana FitzGerald.

A descendant of Strongbow, he succeeded his older brother, Gilbert, in 1308 as Lord of Thomond. In 1309, and then again between 1312 and 1316, he was sheriff of Cork. Forced to put down a number of rebellions, he was eventually killed while commanding his forces at the Battle of Dysert O'Dea near what is now Ennis, County Clare.

Richard was succeeded by his son Thomas, who was born in 1318 and died three years later. A series of inquisitions post mortem that were held following a writ issued on 10 April 1321 established that Thomas' heirs were his father's sisters; Margaret, the wife of Bartholomew de Badlesmere and Maud, the wife of Sir Robert de Welle. As well as stewardship of the Forest of Essex, Thomas' estate included numerous properties in Ireland.