Earldom of Gowran

The **earldom of Gowran** is said to be an old honour linked to the town of Gowran in County Kilkenny, Ireland. In the 21st century, it was conveyed as a manorial title, but there is no clear record showing it was. The term "Earl of Gowran" was used informally in medieval times and later in official peerage titles, but these were not feudal.

### Early settlement and Gaelic rule

The area around Gowran has been important for a long time. Before the Normans came to Ireland in the late 1100s, Gowran was linked to the Mac Giolla Phádraig family, who were Kings of Ossory and sometimes called Princes of Gowran. In the 900s, their royal home was in this area, and Gowran was a key place in early Irish political and cultural life.

After the Anglo-Norman invasion in 1169, the Butler family became the main landowners in the region. They took control of large areas in what is now County Kilkenny, including Gowran. The Butlers held these lands for over 500 years, and their role helped connect Gowran to various noble titles later on.

### Construction of Gowran Castle and the sobriquet

In 1385, James Butler, 3rd Earl of Ormond, built a castle in Gowran and sometimes stayed there. During this time, people called him the “Earl of Gowran”, but this was not an official or inherited title. It's a “sobriquet”, a descriptive nickname, which was only used while he lived at the castle. In the early 1390s, the Butler family moved their main home to Kilkenny Castle, and the sobriquet was no longer used. James Butler died in 1405 and was buried in Gowran.

In the early 1700s, the Butler family lost ownership of Gowran Castle. The Agar family, later known as Viscounts Clifden of Gowran, took over the estate and rebuilt the castle between 1816 and 1819. Today, the property is used as an equine veterinary center and stud farm.

### 1676 peerage creation

On April 13, 1676, a peerage title called “Earl of Gowran” was created in Ireland for Lord John Butler, a younger son of James Butler, 1st Duke of Ormonde. Before this, John Butler was a member of the Irish House of Commons, representing Trinity College, Dublin. His titles included Earl of Gowran, Viscount Clonmore, and Baron Aghrim. In 1676, he married Lady Anne Chichester, the daughter of the 1st Earl of Donegall. John Butler died in Paris in 1677 at age 34, with no children. His titles ended with his death. This title was a standard peerage creation and was not based on feudal land ownership or old traditions.

### Other peerages

Several peerage titles used the name “Gowran”. In 1690, John Cutts was made Baron Cutts of Gowran for his role in the Glorious Revolution. He died in 1707 with no children, and his title ended. In 1715, Richard FitzPatrick was named Baron Gowran. His son John inherited the title and later became Earl of Upper Ossory in 1751. These titles ended in 1818 when the 2nd Earl died. In 1776, James Agar was made Baron Clifden of Gowran, linked to his family’s ownership of Gowran Castle. This title ended in 1974. These titles were given by the Crown and were not based on feudal land ownership either.

### Claims and conveyances

In 2002, Richard Butler, 17th Viscount Mountgarret, claimed he had a right to the _“Earldom Lordship or Honour or Seignory of Gowran”_. That same year, he conveyed this claimed title to a South African citizen through a London company called Manorial Auctioneers. In 2005, the same title was transferred again to a British businessman, also through Manorial Auctioneers.

People have questioned these conveyances. In 1994, eight years before the 2002 transfer, the barony or manorial interest in Gowran was reportedly disponed to an Irishman. This earlier transfer could make later transfers of the title difficult, especially if the original holder no longer owned the land or rights.

In 1994, James Hubert Theobald Charles Butler, 7th Marquess of Ormonde and 25th Earl of Ormonde, was still alive. He died in 1997 without sons, so his marquess title ended, and the earldom of Ormonde became dormant. Neither Lord Mountgarret nor his heirs officially proved a claim to the dormant earldom.

### Current status and statutory framework

In 2009, Ireland passed the Land and Conveyancing Law Reform Act, which ended feudal tenure. Section 9(2) of the Act stopped legal recognition of such land ownership. However, Section 9(3)(b) allowed some old customary rights to continue. It is unclear if this could support a claim to a title like the earldom of Gowran, especially since there is no proof of these rights being used over time.

In 2019, after the holder of the Gowran barony died, Manorial Auctioneers tried to dispone the title again. Concerns about the title’s validity led to the disposition being canceled. Manorial Auctioneers closed and was officially dissolved in 2020.

Today, neither Irish nor British law recognises a feudal earldom of Gowran. The person who acquired the title in 2005 is not listed in official records as holding a hereditary title. Without owning the barony, no customary title applies. The barony owner could ask a court for clarification, but no one has done so.