DESMOND 241 II. 1356. 2. MoRiCE (fitz Morice), Earl of Desmond, s. and h.jC) b. 31 July 1336, at Newcastle in Connello, CO. Limerick, and bap. there the next day.C") On 14 Feb. 1355/6 he was given the custody of his father's lands till he came of age,^) and had liverv of those lands, 16 Oct. 1357, his homage being respited. C') He »;., in 1350, Beatrice, da. of Ralph (de Stafford), Earl of Stafford,('^) by Margaret, da. and h. of Hugh (d'Audley), Earl of Gloucester. On 14 Feb. 1355/6 he and his wife had livery of the lands of which they had been jointly en- feoffed. ('). He d. s.p. between 20 Apr. and 5 June 1358, aged 21, being drowned in crossing the Irish sea.O The custody of his castles and of below. Yet in a later Inq., consequent on the writ of 2 Dec. 48 Edw. Ill, dated Thursday before Pahn Sunday 49 Edw. Ill, it is stated that the manor of Rathkeale was then held " de Comite Dessemon' ut de manerio sue de Inskyfty," and had been held " de nuper Comitissa Dessemon' ut de dicto manerio de Inskyfty." (Ch. Misc., ID, file 23, nos. I, 10). But the Countess Beatrice lived till 141 5. {") Though the genealogists differ as to which of the ist Earl's wives was the mother of his younger sons, Nicholas, Gerald, and John, they agree in stating that his 1st wife, Margaret — meaning Katherine — de Burgh, was mother of his eldest son, Morice. It is, however, obvious that this was not the case. C") " Mauritius filius et heres Mauricii nuper Comitis Dessemon' defuncti . . . qui apud Novum Castrum de Oconyll' in comitatu predicto [Lymer'] natus et in ecclesia ejusdem ville baptizatus fuit ut dicitur." Writ de etate probanda, 26 May 31 Edw. in England and 18 in France. "Probacio etatis Mauricii filii et heredis Mauricii fitz Thomas nuper Comitis Dessemon'," Kilmallock, co. Limerick, Friday after St. Peter ad vinculo [4 Aug.] 1357, ". . . per venerabiles patres . . . Epis- copos Lymer' Imciac' Kerig* ct Laoniens' qui presentes fuerunt tempore nativitatis ipsius Mauricii . . . et dicunt quod predictus Mauritius ... est de etate viginti uin'us annorum die Lune in vigilia sancti Petri advincula anno supradicto . . . et Nicholaum le White capellanum qui dicit quod dictus Mauritius ... est de etate viginti unius annorum die Lune supradicto Requisitus quomodo hoc scit dicit quod ipse dictum Mauricium baptizavit in ecclesia novi castri secundo die post ipsius nativitatem." (Ch. Inq. p. m., Edw. Ill, file 138, no. 7). (<>) Cloie Rolls, 30 Edw. Ill, m. 23; 31 Edw. Ill, m. 7. The writ of livery [I.] is dated 10 Mar. [1357/8]. [Close Roll [I.], 32 Edw. Ill, p. 2, no. 17). C^) On I Aug. 1358 Ralph, Earl of Stafford, had livery of the purparty of co. Kilkenny which he had demised for a term of 10 years, of which 8 had elapsed, to Morice, late Earl of Desmond, who had married Beatrice, da. of Ralph. [Close Roll [I.], 32 Edw. Ill, p. 2, no. 56). (^) Close Roll, 30 Edw. Ill, w. 21. These lands had recently been taken into the King's hand by reason of the late Earl's debts to the King. (') Annals of Loch C^, vol. ii, p. 16, and note by O'Flaherty to the Annals of the Four Masters [vol. iii, p. 613], citing the Annals of O' Mulconry, both ad annum 1357. Actording to the genealogies, he d. "suddenly," at Castlemaine, co. Kerry, and was bur. in the Dominican Friary at Tralee. A charter of " Moricz Counte de Dessemound' " was "Don' a Loundres Mardy le iour seint Piere aduincula" 31 Edw. Ill [i Aug. 1357]. [Inspeximus on Patent Roll, 32 Edw. Ill, p. 2, m. 29). There is a writ of livery, dated at Cork, 20 Apr., in which he is mentioned as 31
