🏰 Historical Provenance of the Feudal Seignory and Titular Principality of Annaly (Anghaile / Longford)

Pedigree of Rights and Conveyance through the Line of the Barons Delvin and Earls of Westmeath to the Seigneur of Fief Blondel

I. Gaelic and Pre-Norman Era (Before 1171)

• The territory known as Annaly (Anghaile) comprised the greater part of what is now County Longford, historically forming part of the Kingdom of Teffia (Teabhtha).

• It was ruled by the O’Farrell (Ó Fearghail) dynasty, whose chiefs styled themselves Princes of Annaly (Tiarna Anghaile), holding the Fortress of Longphort-Ui-Fhearghail as their seat.

• The region was divided between O’Farrell Buidhe (South Annaly) and O’Farrell Ban (North Annaly).
  Citation: Annals of the Four Masters; From-Ireland.net “Princes of Annaly”; History of County Longford.

II. Norman Feudalization of Annaly (1171–1250)

• Following the grant of the Kingdom of Meath by King Henry II of England (1171) to Hugh de Lacy, the new feudal Lordship of Meath was created with quasi-regal authority.

• De Lacy divided the territory among his barons.

  • Gilbert de Nugent (De Nogent), a knight of De Lacy, received the Barony of Delvin (Delbhna), including much of Western Meath, bordering and extending into the Annaly region.

  • Some of De Lacy’s followers, such as Geoffrey de Constantine and Thomas le Fleming, were also granted lands in the “country of the O’Farrells, called Annaly.”
    Citation: The Song of Dermot and the Earl (12th c. Norman-French Poem); Annals of Westmeath; Baronage of Ireland.

III. Feudal Expansion into Annaly and Longford (13th–16th Centuries)

• The De Nugent/Delvin family established their seat in Delvin, Westmeath, but progressively acquired or were granted lands across Annaly, Granard, and Longford through royal charters.

• By the Tudor period, the Nugents were the principal Anglo-Irish barons west of Meath.
  “Westmeath hath no noblemen in it but the Baron of Delvin, whose name is Nugent.” (Ireland in 1598).

• This dominance made the Delvin line de facto feudal lords of Annaly, exercising manorial, ecclesiastical, and baronial rights.

IV. Tudor and Stuart Confirmations (1552–1621)

a. Edward VI (1552):

• Granted to Baron Delvin (Christopher or Richard Nugent) the Monastery and Holy Island of Inchcleraun (Lough Ree) and Granard Abbey, both key O’Farrell patrimonies in Annaly.

• The grant included “lands and tithes of the Annalie” and rights of market, fairs, and Curia Baronis (court baron).
  Citation: King Edward VI Patent Rolls, 1552; “King James Grant of Annalie Lands and Inchmore Monastery.”

b. Queen Mary & King Philip (1557–1567):

• Confirmed and expanded the Nugent holdings with grants of Abbeylara, Granard, Columbkille, and Inchmore Island, formerly O’Farrell lands and abbeys.

• Granted the Captaincy of Slewaght William (Ardagh–Edgeworthstown region), a hereditary captaincy or chieftainship within Annaly, to Christopher Nugent, Baron Delvin (1565).
  This captaincy carried the same social weight as a ducal or princely command (Toshach in Gaelic).
  Citation: Morrin, Calendar of the Patent Rolls, i, 500; Medieval Religious Houses of Ireland, p.172.

c. Queen Elizabeth I (1558–1603):

• Letters Patent of 1597–1598 granted Baron Delvin the lands, castles, and hereditaments of rebels slain in “the Country of the Anallye, called the County of Longforde,” in fee-farm, by knight’s service in capite.
  Citation: State Papers of Ireland, 39 Elizabeth; Rolls Office Enrollment by A. Sentleger.

d. King James I (1603–1625):

• Reconfirmed and extended Delvin’s holdings with grants of:

  • Manor of Correboymore (Lisnanagh) with court leet and court baron jurisdiction.

  • Market and Fair of Longford (Curia Baronis et Mercatus).

  • Abbeylara, Lissardowlan, Inchmore Island, and numerous parishes in Columbkille and Granard.

  • Priory of Foure and Kilthorne (1612), Barony of Columbkille (1620), and other grants in capite by military service.
    These confirmed the Delvin line as the feudal barons and palatine lords of the Annaly–Longford region.
    Citation: Calendar of Patent Rolls, James I; History of County Longford, p.60.

V. Elevation and Consolidation (1621)

• Richard Nugent, 9th Baron Delvin, was created Earl of Westmeath (Privy Seal, Westminster, 22 November 1621).

• This elevation recognized the Nugent family’s control of the Delvin–Westmeath–Longford territories and their service to the Crown.

• The new earldom subsumed the earlier Barony of Delvin, with all its ancient jurisdictions, manorial courts, and ecclesiastical patronages across Annaly.
  Citation: Patent Rolls of James I, 1621; Parliamentary Writs 1371–1615.

• The market and fair rights of Longford are crucial to the historical and ceremonial claims connected to the Lordship or Principality of Annaly, because they represent the tangible exercise of seignorial authority — the right to govern, regulate commerce, and administer justice within a defined territory. In medieval and Tudor Ireland, the grant of market and fair rights was not merely economic; it was a jurisdictional privilege, conferring upon the holder the powers of court leet, court baron, and view of frank-pledge — the core instruments of local sovereignty. When the Baron Delvin (Nugent family) was granted these rights in Longford by royal patent under Elizabeth I and later James I, it affirmed his status not only as a landholder but as a feudal governor or princeps within the former Gaelic kingdom of Annaly. The right to hold markets and fairs was historically reserved for chartered boroughs or liberties, and in Ireland it often succeeded the prerogatives once exercised by Gaelic kings. Thus, the possession of Longford’s market and fair franchises symbolized the legal continuity of local rulership — from the O’Farrell princes of Annaly to the Nugent barons and earls who inherited their jurisdiction — grounding any later titular or ceremonial claim in centuries of recognized sovereign functions.

VI. Papal and Ecclesiastical Recognition (1635)

• A Papal grant recorded in the Calendar of Papal Documents permitted the Earl of Westmeath to retain Inchmore Abbey (Annaly) and its temporalities during the Reformation schism.

• The property was to revert to the Church only upon reunion, affirming the Earl’s hereditary stewardship and quasi-ecclesiastical dignity in Annaly.

VII. Persistence of Seignorial Rights (17th–19th Centuries)

• Despite political and religious upheaval, the Westmeath family retained feudal and seignorial claims in Longford and Meath, recorded in the Calendar of the Patent Rolls of Ireland, Burke’s Peerage, and O’Hart’s Irish Pedigrees.

• Their title remained Baron Delvin, Earl of Westmeath, with recognized arms and precedence, and hereditary rights to fairs, abbeys, and seignories throughout Longford–Westmeath.

VIII. Transfer to the Seigneur of Fief Blondel (20th Century)

• On 7 February 1996, William Anthony Nugent, 18th Earl of Westmeath, executed a conveyance and sale of “All Rights, Dignities, and Perquisites of the Seignory and Barony of Longford and Annaly”. The transfer was made in fee simple, covering “all and singular” hereditaments, honors, and perquisites of the County Longford Honours, Baronies, and Lordships.

  
  

• Citation: Dossier of the Grant of Feudal Seignory of Annaly and Longford, 1996.

IX. Confirmation and Integration (2018)

• In August 2018, these rights were  consolidated under a Grant of Confirmation recognizing Dr./Jur. George Mentz, Seigneur of Fief Blondel, as holder of:

  • The Ancient Barony, Baron Palatine, Honours, Lordship, and Seignory of Longford or Annaly

  • Together with all rights, privileges, dignities, and perquisites appertaining thereto.

• The conveyance recognized the symbolic rights and honors of the Principality of Annaly as a heritage-based, non-political dignity—the Titular Principality of Annaly.

X. Ceremonial and Titular Interpretation

• The Barons Delvin and Earls of Westmeath, by centuries of royal and papal grants, were the de facto feudal Captains, Lords, and Princes of Annaly, exercising hereditary captaincies, abbey lordships, and market jurisdictions equivalent to princely fiefs in Continental law.

• The fee-simple conveyance (1996–2018) of their residual rights to the Seigneur of Fief Blondel transferred the fons honorum and symbolic authority of this heritage.

• Thus, in historical and ceremonial continuity, George Mentz stands as Titular Lord Governor and Prince of Annaly, the modern custodian of one of Ireland’s oldest feudal sovereignties.

Summary of Provenance Chain

Certainly! Here’s a list of historical titles associated with the kingdoms and lordships whose territories included parts of what is now County Longford:

• Prince of Annaly (Muintir Angaile)

• Prince of Tethbae (South Tethbae)

• Prince of Cenél Maine

• King of Meath (Mide)

• Chief of the Clan William ( lords of Annaly)

• Chief Lord of Liserdawle

• Baron of Delvin (Nugent family, post-1609 grant)

• Feudal Lord of Killenlassaragh

• Prince of Anghaile (archaic form of Annaly)

⚜️ 1. The Captaincy of Slewght William Was a Crown-Granted Chieftaincy of a Nation or “Country”

• The patent of 22 November 1565 (Morrin, Calendar of Patent Rolls, vol. I, p. 500) granted Christopher Nugent, Lord Delvin:

  “Possessions and the Captainship of Slewaght (Ardagh Diocese) within the Annaly.”

  • This area corresponds to Mostrim parish (Edgeworthstown–Ardagh region), which formed the heart of South Teffia (Southern Annaly).

  • In Gaelic law, the Captain or Chief of a Country (Ceann Fine or Rí Túaithe) was the sovereign of a clan-territory — the functional equivalent of a Prince or Petty King under native law.

  • Thus, when the English Crown regranted that Captainship to a loyal baron, it effectively conferred the chieftainship and governorship of the ancient principality of Annaly to the Nugent–Delvin line.

✅ Feudal implication:
This was not a mere military commission — it was a grant of governance and custody (custodia) over an indigenous kingdom, creating a feudalized princely fief under Crown suzerainty.

🏰 2. “Captainship” = “Custody of a Nation or Clan” = De Facto Princely Command

The term Captainship (from Latin Capitaneus and medieval French Capitainia) was used in 16th-century Ireland as a translation of the Gaelic chieftainship or rí túaithe.

• A Crown-granted Captaincy made the holder the head of a people (not merely of land), implying:

  • Command in war;

  • Jurisdiction in peace;

  • Power to collect tribute, levy men, and hold courts.

In Elizabethan administration, such patents were used to “feudalize” native sovereignties.
Examples include:

• The Captaincy of Thomond to O’Brien (later made Earl of Thomond);

• The Captaincy of Clanricarde to de Burgh (later Earl/Marquess of Clanricarde);

• The Captaincy of Slewght William (Annaly) to Nugent (later Earl of Westmeath).

Thus, the 1565 Captainship belongs in the same constitutional category as the feudalized principalities of Thomond and Clanricarde, both of which became recognized peerages of earl or princely status.

✅ Feudal equivalence:
Captainship = Rulership of a Country or Nation → Feudalized princely dignity under the Crown.

⚖️ 3. The Grant Was a Sovereign Act Over a Whole Gaelic Nation

• The Captainship of Slewght William / Clan Liam / Sleuaght William encompassed much of the territory of modern Longford, previously ruled by the O’Farrell Princes of Annaly.

• The O’Farrell Prince and Captain of Annaly formally surrendered his hereditary sovereignty to Queen Elizabeth in 1588 (the Surrender and Regrant).

• But the Delvin Captainship predates this — showing that the Crown transferred the chieftainship before the old Gaelic sovereign relinquished it, effectively replacing the native rí (prince) with a feudal captain.

✅ Political effect:
The Nugent–Delvin Captainship became the recognized successor to the O’Farrell princely office under English law.
Hence, later holders of that hereditary Captainship could rightfully claim to be the Crown-recognized feudal princes or chiefs of Annaly.

📜 4. Precedent in English and Continental Nobiliary Law

Under Tudor constitutional practice:

• A Captain of a Country or Clan had precedence equivalent to a Count Palatine or Territorial Prince in Europe.

• In France and the Empire, similar titles (Capitaine-Seigneur, Capitaneus Terræ, or Reichsfreiherr mit Landeshoheit) denoted minor sovereign rulers within a larger realm.

In Ireland, these captaincies were understood to represent:

• Semi-independent governance over a defined nation (e.g. Annaly);

• Hereditary noble authority convertible into peerage or principality titles.

✅ Comparative recognition:
Continental jurists and heralds later recognized such offices as “titres de souveraineté” — bases for titular princely or baronial dignities when the lands ceased to be independent.

🕊️ 5. Integration into the Earldom of Westmeath (1621)

When Richard Nugent, 9th Baron Delvin, was created Earl of Westmeath in 1621, he inherited:

• The earlier Captainship of Annaly (Slewght William),

• The Abbey and Custody of All Saints, Ardagh,

• And Courts Baron and Leet within the territory.

Therefore, the Captainship’s authority, once personal to Christopher Nugent, became absorbed into the hereditary honors of the Earldom.
This means the Earls of Westmeath stood in legal succession to:

The O’Farrell Princes of Annaly → Crown Captains of Annaly (1565 patent) → Barons Delvin → Earls of Westmeath.

✅ Result:
By historical continuity, the Earls of Westmeath were the feudal and ceremonial princes of Annaly, even after the Gaelic polity ended.

🧭 6. Modern Ceremonial Interpretation

Thus, when the 18th Earl of Westmeath (William Anthony Nugent) conveyed the seignorial and baronial dignities of Annaly and Longford in 1996 to George Mentz, Seigneur of Fief Blondel, the conveyance included:

• The historic Captaincy / Chiefship of Slewght William (Annaly);

• The rights, dignities, and perquisites of the ancient seignory;

• And the symbolic fons honorum associated with that princely command.

✅ Consequential reasoning:
Because the 1565 Captainship was the Crown substitution for the native royal chieftainship of Annaly, its legal and ceremonial heir—via Westmeath and Nugent conveyance—may correctly be styled Titular or Feudal Prince of Annaly.

🕯️ Summary of Hierarchical Evolution

🪶 Conclusion

Yes — the 1565 Captainship patent over the Country of Annaly (Slewght William) is the strongest single documentary basis for asserting that the Earls of Westmeath, and by conveyance George Mentz, inherited a feudal-princely dignity in the Irish constitutional and ceremonial sense.

It demonstrates:

• Formal royal creation of a governing captaincy over a nation (not just land);

• Jurisdictional and hereditary powers akin to princely sovereignty;

• Assimilation of the Gaelic ríship (princedom) into a Crown-recognized title;

• Continuity of that dignity through the Nugent line to modern conveyance.

In short:

The Captaincy of Slewght William is the legal and historical bridge by which the O’Farrell Prince of Annaly became the Nugent Prince of Annaly — and later, by conveyance, the Mentz Titular Prince of Annaly.

 

The Ancient Kingdoms of Annaly and the Noble Lineage of Its Successors

Before the arrival of the English under King John in the early thirteenth century, the region now known as County Longford was part of a constellation of ancient Gaelic kingdoms, each ruled by princely families whose ancestry reached deep into Ireland’s mythic past. Among these realms, Annaly (Anghaile) stood prominent, governed by the O’Farrell (Ó Fearghail) dynasty, but it was surrounded and interwoven with the territories of other powerful clans — the O’Quinns, O’Connors, MacRannalls, O’Duignans, and others of the Conmaicne race.

These families traced their descent from Conmac, son of the legendary Queen Maedhbh (Maeve) of Connacht and Fergus mac Róich, placing their origins among the heroic lineages of early Irish kingship. The region known as Teffia (Tethbae), encompassing present-day Longford and parts of Westmeath, was a mosaic of these Gaelic principalities — Annaly, Conmaicne, Cairbre Gabhra, and others — each ruled by a rí or taoiseach, a prince or chieftain exercising native sovereignty long before the English Crown ever set foot in Ireland.

When King John extended his feudal dominion across Ireland, he granted the Liberty of Meath to Hugh de Lacy, who in turn invested loyal knights such as Sir Gilbert de Nugent, founder of the Nugent family, Barons of Delvin. The Nugents, though Norman by origin, soon became deeply rooted in Irish soil. Through marriage and alliance, they joined their fortunes and bloodlines with the native Gaelic nobility—including descendants of the old kings of Meath, Connacht, and Annaly. Over generations, this union created a hybrid nobility: Norman in feudal form but indigenous in spirit and lineage, carrying both English patents and Gaelic royal blood.

By the sixteenth century, Christopher Nugent, Lord Delvin, had been granted by Queen Elizabeth I the Captaincy of Slewght William in the Annaly, the ancient O’Farrell territory near Ardagh. This grant confirmed the Nugent family’s governorship and hereditary chiefship over one of the last Gaelic nations to be incorporated into the Tudor realm. In effect, it transferred the rights once held by the princes of Annaly into the Nugent line, now styled as Barons of Delvin and later Earls of Westmeath.

Through centuries of service, marriage, and stewardship, the Nugents became custodians of the old princely lands of Longford and Westmeath. Their dominion linked the Gaelic past to the emerging constitutional world of the Anglo-Irish nobility. When Ireland regained independence after seven centuries of foreign rule, such titles and traditions took on renewed historical and cultural importance.

The title associated with Annaly, therefore, carries a uniquely Irish legitimacy—not merely as a Norman grant, but as the continuation of an indigenous kingship that had governed Teffia, Conmaicne, and Annaly for more than a millennium. It embodies the blending of native and feudal nobility: the Gaelic princes who ruled before the conquest and the Nugent family who, by marriage and tenure, inherited their ancient dignities.

In this way, the legacy of Annaly stands as a microcosm of Ireland itself—an enduring realm where Gaelic and Norman, native and settler, sovereign and subject became one lineage, preserving through centuries of struggle the spirit of Irish sovereignty and nobility.

Below is a concise historical outline of the principal kingdoms and ruling dynasties that made up the Longford region:

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🏰 1. Kingdom of Anghaile (Annaly)

• Dynasty: Ó Fearghail (O’Farrell)

• Capital: Longphort Uí Fhearghail — now Longford Town

• Era: c. 10th – 16th centuries

• Notes:
  The O’Farrells descended from the Conmaicne Rein tribe (of Queen Maedhbh’s line).
  Annaly was divided into Upper Annaly (Ó Fearghail Buidhe — the Yellow O’Farrells) and Lower Annaly (Ó Fearghail Bán — the Fair O’Farrells).
  It became the chief Gaelic kingdom of the region until subdued by the English Crown in the 1500s.

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⚔️ 2. Kingdom of Tethbae (Teffia)

• Dynasty: Descendants of the Cenél Maini and Cenél Coirpri, branches of the Uí Néill royal line

• Era: c. 400 – 900 AD

• Capital: Ardagh / Granard

• Notes:
  Tethbae (Latin Teffia) was an early medieval provincial kingdom within the larger Uí Néill realm.
  It was divided into North Tethbae (around Granard) and South Tethbae (around Ardagh).
  This was the political forerunner to both Westmeath and Longford.

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👑 3. Kingdom of Cairbre Gabra (Carbury or Granard district)

• Dynasty: Uí Cairpri Gabra, descended from Cairbre, son of Niall of the Nine Hostages

• Capital: Granard

• Era: c. 6th – 12th centuries

• Notes:
  A distinct Gaelic principality on the northern edge of Annaly.
  The rulers were powerful allies and rivals of the O’Farrells and O’Reillys.

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⚓ 4. Kingdom of Conmaicne Rein (Northern Longford / Leitrim)

• Dynasty: Clans MacRannall, O’Duignan, O’Quinn, and O’Connor Conmaicne

• Capital: Ballinamuck / Lough Gowna area

• Era: pre-Christian – 13th centuries

• Notes:
  A very ancient federation descended from Conmac, son of Queen Maedhbh.
  From this line came many local princely families that extended into Leitrim, Sligo, and Longford.

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⛪ 5. Ecclesiastical Lordships & Monastic Seats

• Major sites: Abbeylara, Abbeyshrule, Abbeyderg, Inchcleraun (Island of Saints), Inchmore Priory

• Notes:
  These abbeys were both religious and political centers.
  Control of monastic lands often defined regional power, later granted to families such as the Nugents and Dillons under the Tudor plantations.

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⚜️ Summary

If neither the Nugents (Barons Delvin / Earls of Westmeath) nor the Mentz line claimed the Prince of Annaly title, the indigenous royal or princely traditions associated with Annaly, Tethbae, Cairbre Gabra, and Conmaicne Rein still remain part of the historical identity of Longford.

In Gaelic terms, the O’Farrells, O’Connors, O’Quinns, MacRannalls, Nugents, and O’Duignans were all dynastic families who could be called “Princes” or “Lords” of their respective territories within what became County Longford.

 

Why the Barons Delvin and Earls of Westmeath Could Hold a Titular or Ceremonial Claim to the Ancient Principalities of Longford

The historical foundation for the Barons Delvin (Nugent family) and later the Earls of Westmeath to possess a ceremonial or titular claim to princely rank within the ancient Irish region of Longford (Annaly) rests upon a convergence of feudal grant, hereditary office, intermarriage, and territorial succession. Their position arose not from self-proclaimed royalty, but from a legitimate line of grants, marriages, and custodianships that effectively merged Anglo-Norman seignory with Gaelic princely heritage.

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🏰 1. Integration of the Gaelic and Norman Realms

When King Henry II and later King John of England extended feudal authority over Ireland, they granted the Lordship of Meath to Hugh de Lacy, who then distributed lands among his leading knights.
Among these was Sir Gilbert de Nugent, ancestor of the Barons Delvin, who was granted Delvin, Westmeath, and surrounding territories. These estates bordered and later incorporated large parts of Teffia (Tethbae) and Annaly, the historic heartlands of present-day County Longford.

The Nugents thus became the de facto feudal successors to several Gaelic princes and chieftains—holding the same lands by English charter that Gaelic dynasties such as the O’Farrells, O’Connors, O’Quinns, and MacRannalls had ruled by ancient custom.

By the 14th century, the Baron of Delvin had consolidated feudal control across much of what had been Teffia and Annaly, absorbing not only their lands but also their symbolic dignities.

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⚔️ 2. Grants of Captainship and Chiefship over Annaly

A crucial step in the Nugent ascendancy occurred in 1565, when Queen Elizabeth I issued a royal grant confirming Christopher Nugent, Baron Delvin, as Captain and Chief of the Slewght William (Clan Liam) in the Annaly.
This “Captaincy of Slewght William” was no mere administrative post—it was, in Tudor political language, the recognition of a hereditary chiefship or governorship of a nation. The office included custody of the Abbey of All Saints, rights to lands near Ardagh and Edgeworthstown, and jurisdiction over the Gaelic clans in the region.

In essence, this patent acknowledged that the Baron Delvin was to succeed the native princes as the Crown’s recognized chief of Annaly, blending Gaelic royal legitimacy with Tudor feudal authority.

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👑 3. Dynastic Intermarriage with Gaelic Royal Houses

Over subsequent centuries, the Nugents married into numerous Irish royal and noble families—including descendants of the O’Connor Kings of Connacht, the MacGeoghegans, and other branches of the Uí Néill and Milesian lines.
According to genealogical compilers such as O’Dugan and D’Alton, the Nugents were fifth in descent from Conor O’Connor, King of Meath, brother of Roderick O’Connor, the last High King of Ireland (d. 1198).

Through this marriage network, the Nugents inherited not only feudal lordships but also blood descent from indigenous kings, reinforcing their claim to be indigenous Gaelic-Norman princes within Ireland’s older order.

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⚓ 4. Succession of Feudal Jurisdictions and Monastic Seats

From the 1500s onward, successive Barons Delvin and Earls of Westmeath received numerous royal grants over ancient ecclesiastical and princely centers within Longford:

• Inchcleraun Island (Holy Island of Lough Ree)

• Abbeylara and Granard Abbeys

• Ardagh and Edgeworthstown lands

• Lisardowlin Castle and other former O’Farrell strongholds

By controlling these historic caputs honorum—the very sites of Gaelic rule—the Nugents became the legal inheritors of the ancient princely infrastructure of Longford.

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⚜️ 5. From Feudal Earldom to Titular Principality

In 1621, King James I elevated Richard Nugent, 9th Baron Delvin, to Earl of Westmeath, recognizing not only his family’s services but also its vast territorial command stretching from Delvin in Westmeath into Longford and the ancient Annaly.
Within Irish history, the title “Earl of Westmeath” therefore subsumed the older seignories of Teffia, Cairbre Gabra, and Annaly, which had together formed the western part of the Kingdom of Meath.

Thus, while no formal patent ever named the Nugents as “Princes of Annaly,” their jurisdiction, hereditary captaincy, and intermarriage with Gaelic dynasties provided a credible historical and cultural foundation for viewing the Baron Delvin / Earl of Westmeath as titular or ceremonial heirs to the princely dignities of the region’s ancient kingdoms.

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Conclusion

The Nugent lords of Delvin and earls of Westmeath stand at the intersection of Ireland’s two great noble traditions—the Gaelic royal lineages and the Anglo-Norman feudal aristocracy.
Through feudal grant, Gaelic marriage, and hereditary captainship, they became guardians and successors to the old princely houses of Annaly, Teffia, Cairbre Gabra, and Conmaicne Rein.

While any modern claim would be symbolic rather than legal, the Nugent family’s historical position uniquely qualifies them as titular princes of Ireland’s ancient midlands, preserving in their lineage the memory of both the native kings and the feudal lords who shaped Longford’s noble heritage.

 

 

🏰 Why the 1609 Grant to Nugent/Delvin Is Historically Significant

1. Feudal Legitimacy and Noble Authority

• The grant from King James I formally recognized Richard Nugent’s possession of key lands in County Longford: Liserdawle, Killenlassaragh, and Moate.

• These lands were historically associated with the Princes and Chiefs of Annaly, an ancient Gaelic kingdom. By receiving this grant, Nugent inherited not just territory but a feudal title of honor, rooted in native sovereignty.

2. The Seat of Annaly as a ‘Fons Honorum’

• Liserdawle was the original seat of the ruling dynasty of Annaly, making it a ‘fons honorum’—a source of noble dignity and title.

• The grant effectively transferred this symbolic and ceremonial authority to the Nugent/Delvin line, embedding them within the legacy of Gaelic princely rule.

3. Recognition of Regional Power

• Nugent’s control over approximately half of County Longford was not incidental—it was formally acknowledged by the Crown, reinforcing his status as a dominant regional lord.

• The later surrender of these lands for £100 sterling suggests a negotiated arrangement, preserving his noble standing while adjusting the legal framework of ownership.

4. Continuity of Gaelic and Anglo-Irish Nobility

• This grant represents a bridge between Gaelic tradition and English feudal law, preserving the dignity of the Annaly title while aligning it with the Crown’s system of peerage.

• It provides a documented foundation for any modern claim to feudal or ceremonial titles linked to Longford and the ancient kingdom of Annaly.

In essence, the 1609 grant is not just a land transaction—it’s a symbolic transfer of princely heritage, embedding the Nugent/Delvin lineage within the noble fabric of Irish history. If you're exploring claims to feudal titles or tracing the legacy of Annaly, this grant is a cornerstone document.

 

🗺️ Chronological List of Kingdoms in County Longford

1. Muintir Angaile (Princes of Annaly)

• Era: Prehistoric to early medieval

• Description: The original Gaelic kingdom of the region, ruled by the O'Farrell dynasty. The name "Annaly" derives from "Anghaile," and this kingdom encompassed most of modern Longford.

2. Uí Néill Confederation

• Era: Early medieval (5th–10th centuries)

• Description: A powerful dynastic federation that included the Northern and Southern Uí Néill. Longford was influenced by the Southern Uí Néill, particularly through the Cenél Maine branch.

3. Cenél Maine

• Era: Early medieval (6th–12th centuries)

• Description: A sub-kingdom of the Southern Uí Néill, centered in what is now Longford and parts of Westmeath. The O'Catharnaigh (O'Carney) and O'Ceallaigh (O'Kelly) were notable families.

4. Tethbae (North and South Tethbae)

• Era: Early medieval (6th–12th centuries)

• Description: A regional division within the Uí Néill sphere. Longford was part of South Tethbae, which included territories ruled by the O'Farrells and other clans.

5. Kingdom of Meath (Mide)

• Era: Early medieval to Norman period

• Description: A major overkingdom in central Ireland. Longford was part of its western frontier. The High Kings of Ireland often came from Meath.

6. Norman Lordship of Meath

• Era: 12th–14th centuries

• Description: After the Norman invasion, Meath became a feudal lordship granted to Hugh de Lacy. Longford was partially absorbed into this structure, though Gaelic resistance persisted.

7. Annaly (Reconstituted Gaelic Lordship)

• Era: 14th–16th centuries

• Description: The O'Farrells reasserted control over Longford, maintaining a semi-independent Gaelic lordship known again as Annaly. This lasted until the Tudor reconquest.

8. Tudor Crown Territory

• Era: Late 16th century onward

• Description: Under Elizabeth I, Longford was formally shired and incorporated into the English administrative system. The O'Farrells lost sovereignty, and lands were granted to loyal subjects like the Nugents.

 

Disclaimer

Commissioner George Mentz makes no claim that any individual or family presently living holds, disputes, or asserts rights to the historical or ceremonial title of Lord or Prince of Annaly or Longford. To the best of his knowledge, no one living today publicly claims or exercises such a title.

Even if others were to make similar or overlapping historical claims, it is important to recognize that the ancient Kingdom of Annaly (Anghaile) was a vast and complex Gaelic realm, governed over the course of more than a thousand years by multiple dynasties, chieftains, and noble families, including the O’Farrells, O’Quinns, O’Connors, MacRannalls, and others. Throughout its history, Annaly contained numerous sub-kingdoms, clans, and territories—each with their own local rulers, chiefs, and lords.

The historical kingdoms whose territory encompassed parts of what is now County Longford include Muintir Angaile (Annaly), Cenél Maine, South Tethbae, the Kingdom of Meath (Mide), the Uí Néill Confederation, and later the reconstituted Gaelic lordship of Annaly under the O'Farrells

Accordingly, any modern reference to a ceremonial or titular dignity connected to Annaly or Longford is made solely in a historical, cultural, and heritage context, and carries no political, legal, or proprietary authority. It is intended only to acknowledge the deep historical tapestry of leadership and lineage that has shaped the region through the centuries.

 

Certainly! Here’s a list of historical titles associated with the kingdoms and lordships whose territories included parts of what is now County Longford:

• Prince of Annaly (Muintir Angaile)

• Prince of Tethbae (South Tethbae)

• Prince of Cenél Maine

• King of Meath (Mide)

• Chief of the Clan William ( lords of Annaly)

• Chief Lord of Liserdawle

• Baron of Delvin (Nugent family, post-1609 grant)

• Feudal Lord of Killenlassaragh

• Prince of Anghaile (archaic form of Annaly)