Risteárd de Tiúit

Risteárd de Tiúit (anglicised as Richard Tuite) (ob. 1210) was an Anglo-Norman nobleman and a member of Richard de Clare, 2nd Earl of Pembroke's Irish invasion force, and Lord Chief Justice of Ireland. His part in the original invasion is acknowledged in The Song of Dermot and the Earl, which recorded his grant of land in the western part of Meath (present-day Westmeath and Longford) under the authority of Hugh de Lacy in Trim.^[1]

Introduction

He built one of the largest Motte and Bailey settlements in Ireland at Granard Motte in 1199. His death, while Lord Chief Justice of Ireland, is recorded in Athlone by the Annals of the Four Masters under the year 1210 and his remains lie today in Abbeylara's Cistercian abbey. He was granted the feudal barony of Moyashel.

Descendants

Risteárd de Tiúit had two sons who survived him, Risteárd 'Dubh' de Tiúit, the eldest son and heir to the title and lands, and Muiris. Lodge's Peerage says that it was this Risteárd, Risteárd Dubh, who established the monastery at Granard about 1210 and at this time Risteárd Dubh already held the manors of Kilalton and Demar, and was enfeoffed in that of Kilstir in Meath. Muiris became Lord of Jordanstown and had four sons who survived him, Tomás (Thomas), Piaras, Matthew and Ruairí (Roger).^[2] Sir Risteárd de Tiúit held lands at Ballyloughloe in 1342, when he was arrested on suspicion of treason.^[3]

De Tiúit is also the ancestor of those who bear the de Tiúit/ Tuite surname. He is variously recorded as Tiúit, Diúit and Tuit. Numerous placenames in Meath (Tuiterath), Cavan (Droim Thiúit/ Drumyouth), Westmeath (Tuitestown in Fore; Tuitestown in Moyashel and Magheradernon, and Ballysallagh Tuite), Kilkenny (Baile an Tiúigh Thoir/ Tuitestown and Baile an Tiúigh Beag/ Tuitestown Little) and elsewhere are named after him and his descendants. The surname may be from the Eure region of Normandy where the root, Tuit (generally spelt Thuit as a single or first element), indicates a clearing in a wooded area and represents the local development of the Old Norse word thveit (also written þveit), but sometimes from Old Danish thwēt, brought by the Scandinavians when they settled in Normandy^[4] and is similar to English Thwaite also from Old Norse or Old Danish.

See also

• Hiberno-Norman
• Norman Ireland
• Lord Chief Justice of Ireland

References

1. La Chanson Dermot e le Conte: 'De huge de laci vus conterai, Cum il feffa ses baruns, Cheualers, serianz e garsunz. Chastelknoc tut premer donat, A huge tŷrel, kil tant amat; E chastel brec, solum lescrit, A barun willame le petit, Macherueran alter si, E la tere de rathkeuni; Le cantref pus de hadhnorkur, A meiler, qui ert de grant valur, Donad huge de laci, Al bon meiler le fiz herui; A gilbert de nangle en fin, Donat tut makerigalin; A iocelin donat le nouan, E la tere de ardbrechan: Li vn ert fiz, li alter pere, Solum le dit de la mere; A richard tuit ensement, Donad riche feffement'. This extract from Maurice Regan's La Chanson Dermot e le Conte or 'The Song of Diarmaid and the Earl', written circa 1225AD and the most famous literary introduction to the Norman invasion translates thus: 'Of Hugh de Lacy I shall tell you, How he enfeoffed his barons, Knights, sergeants and retainers Castleknock in the first place he gave To Hugh Tyrrell, whom he loved so much; And the Castle Brack, according to the writing, To baron William le Petit, Magheradernon likewise And the land of Rathkenny; The cantred of Ardnorcher then To Meiler, who was of great worth, Gave Hugh de Lacy- To the good Meiler Fitz Henry; To Gilbert de Nangle, moreover, He gave the whole of Morgallion; To jocelin he gave the Navan, And the land of Ardbraccan, (The one was son, the other father, according to the statement of the mother); To Richard Tuite likewise He gave a rich fief', The Song of Dermot and the Earl: An old French Poem about the coming of the Normans to Ireland (From the Carew Manuscript No 596 in the Archiepiscopal Library at Lambeth Palace), ed. & trans. Goddard Henry Orpen (Clarendon Press, 1892, reprinted 1994)]
2. John Lodge, Peerage of Ireland, Volume 3, 1789, pages 25-28
3. Otway-Ruthven, A.J History of Medieval Ireland Barnes and Noble reissue 1993 p. 258
4. Åse Kari H. Wagner, Les noms de lieux issus de l'implantation scandinave en Normandie : le cas des noms en -tuit, in Les fondations scandinaves en occident et les débuts du duché de Normandie, actes publiés sous la direction de Pierre Bauduin.

Further reading

• Frame, Robin (2012). Colonial Ireland, 1169-1369 (Second ed.). Dublin: Four Courts. ISBN 978-1-84682-322-0.
• Mullaly, Evelyn, ed. (2002). The deeds of the Normans in Ireland : La geste des engleis en Yrlande; a new edition of the chronicle formerly known as The song of Dermot and the Earl. Dublin: Four Courts. ISBN 1-85182-643-2.

External links

• Annals of the Four Masters
• Cambro-Norman Surnames of Ireland
• Tuite Surname Distribution Today, from the Irish Times