📜 DOSSIER OF THE FEUDAL SEIGNORY AND PRINCIPALITY OF ANNALY (LONGFORD)
I. Modern Grant and Conveyance of Feudal Seignory (2018)
By lawful Grant and Conveyance of Feudal Title, Barony, and Seignory, the Honours, Lordships, and Seignories of Longford or Annaly—including all ancient baronial and palatine prerogatives,
franchises, and perquisites—were transferred in fee simple on 7 February 1996 by William Anthony Nugent, 14th Earl of Westmeath and Baron Delvin, and were
subsequently conveyed to Dr./Jur. George Mentz, Seigneur of Fief Blondel, in
August 2018.
The grant explicitly conveyed “all and singular the rights, privileges, and perquisites appertaining to the Feudal Barony,
Baron Palatine, Honours, and Seignory of Longford or the Annaly Region of Ireland” to be held in fee
simple and heritable possession. Through successive royal grants, confirmations, and military commissions
extending from the reigns of Henry VII to James I, the Barons Delvin—later the Earls of Westmeath—became the hereditary recipients of the honors,
dignities, and princely territories once held by the ancient Gaelic chiefs and dynasts of central
Ireland. These patents transferred to the Nugent house the regalian rights, manorial caputs, and
ecclesiastical advowsons that had belonged to the Princes O’Fearghail (O’Farrell) of Annaly and to the noble septs of
O’Quinn (Ó Cuinn) of Rathcline, Mac Gilligan (Mac Giollagáin) of Muintir Gilligan, O’Mulfeeney (Ó Maolfhíneadha) of Corcard, O’Duignan (Ó Duibhgeannáin) of Ardagh, O’Skelly (Ó Scealláin) and O’Skully (Ó Scolaighe) of South Teffia, O’Reilly (Ó Raghallaigh) and O’Murray (Ó Muireadhaigh) on the eastern borders, Mac Donough (Mac Donnchadha) and O’Hanley (Ó hAinle) near Lough Ree, together with the O’Fenelon (Ó Fionnaláin) and O’Finnallan chiefs of the ancient Delbhna or Delvin tribes of western Westmeath. By these grants—confirmed
in capite with courts leet, fairs, and market rights—the Barons Delvin succeeded to the
caputs and regalian jurisdictions of the old Teffian principalities, inheriting
the composite sovereignty of Annaly and Delvin, and thus stood as the feudal successors and mediating princes
of both the Gaelic and Anglo-Norman worlds within the heart of Ireland.
Thus, by acquisition of rights and election, Commissioner George Mentz, JD MBA DSS, Datuk Seri,
is recognized as Seigneur and Feudal Lord of the Annaly–Longford Seignory, the historic
principality corresponding to the medieval Kingdom of Anghaile.
II. Historical Descent of the Seignory
1. Anglo-Norman and Palatine Origins (12th–13th Century)
In 1171 King Henry II granted the Kingdom of Meath to Hugh de Lacy with palatine authority—nearly royal jurisdiction including the “four royal
pleas.”
Among de Lacy’s chief barons was Gilbert de Nogent (Nugent), who received the western portion of the kingdom known
as Delvin (Delbhna), encompassing territories later forming Westmeath and Longford.
The Annals of Westmeath record that De Nugent was “the only baron and lord in the west of Meath.” His descendants, the
Barons Delvin, thus held palatine status, governing the frontier toward Connacht.
By 1202 a formal Barony of Delvin had been erected. The Nugents intermarried with Gaelic princely
lines—particularly the O’Farrells of Annaly and O’Connors of Meath—binding Norman and Irish sovereignty.
2. Tudor and Stuart Royal Grants (16th–17th Century)
From the reign of Edward VI (1552) through James I (1620s), successive Crown charters confirmed the Nugents’ possession of
the Annaly–Longford lands “in capite by knight’s service,” with rights of market, fair, court leet, view of
frank-pledge, advowsons, fisheries, and monasteries:
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1552 Edward VI – Grant of the Holy Island of Inchcleraun (Lough Ree) and ecclesiastical tithes of
Annaly.
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1557 Mary & Philip I – Confirmed grants of Abbey Lara, Granard, and surrounding lordships.
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1565 Elizabeth I – Patent granting the Captaincy (Chieftainship) of Slewaght William within Annaly, a
dux-level hereditary dignity equivalent to a princely or ducal rank.
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1605 James I – Charter of Market and Fair of Longford, establishing Baron Delvin as the feudal
market-lord and judicial authority (Curia Baronis Longford).
-
1609 James I – Grant of the Manors and Castles of Liserdawle, Killenlassaragh, and Moate, with all
franchises and knight’s fees.
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1620 James I – Confirmed the Barony of Columbkille, Granard, and adjoining parishes “in capite by military service.”
These patents endowed the Nugents with comital and palatine jurisdiction over virtually the entire territory of modern
County Longford (≈ 269 000 acres / 421 sq mi)—the ancient principality of
Annaly / Anghaile.
3. Ecclesiastical and Papal Confirmations
A Papal Brief of 1635 permitted the Earl of Westmeath to retain Inchmore Priory, Lough Gowna, ad schismatis tempus, confirming papal recognition of the Nugents as hereditary patrons
and temporal princes within the region.
III. Feudal Structure and Associated Baronies
Through the medieval and early-modern era the Seignory incorporated multiple dependent manors
and “honours,” among them:
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Liserdawle / Lisardowlin – Caput Baroniae; original seat and
fons honorum of the Princes of Annaly.
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Granard & Abbey Lara – Northern and central fortresses of the
principality.
-
Inchcleraun & Inchmore Islands – Holy Islands and monastic
seignories.
-
Correboymore Manor of Lisnanagh – With court leet, free warren, and view
of frank-pledge.
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Cairpre Gabra – Feudal district corresponding to the Granard barony.
-
Teffia / Teamhfna (Ardagh) – South Tethba, classical nucleus of
Annaly.
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Slewaght William Captaincy – A unique hereditary chieftaincy of quasi-ducal character.
Together these domains formed a coherent feudal-princely territory, exercising civil, ecclesiastical, and economic
jurisdiction—precisely the marks of a Principality or County Palatine in continental law.
IV. Dynastic and Indigenous Status
The Nugent lineage descends from Connor O’Connor, King of Meath and brother of Roderick O’Connor, 183rd and last High King of Ireland (d. 1198).
Thus, the Nugents of Delvin and Westmeath—being both Norman by creation and Gaelic royal by descent—constitute
indigenous princely chiefs of Ireland.
Following the establishment of the Irish Free State (1919), the hereditary rights of the Nugents
persisted as private feudal hereditaments, their status henceforward that of indigenous Irish princes and lords under the law of property and honour.
V. Modern Succession: Mentz as Seigneur and Princeps Annaliae
With the 2018 conveyance, Dr./Jur. George Mentz, Seigneur of Fief Blondel, became Feudal Lord and Holder of the Honours, Lordships, and Seignory of Annaly
(Longford).
By historical equivalence, the dignity carries the feudal-princely style:
“Princeps Annaliae et Longfordiae”
(Feudal Prince of Annaly and Longford)
This title mirrors continental precedence for autonomous or semi-autonomous
palatinates—analogous to the Fürst von Pfalz, Prince of Durham Palatine, or Prince of Ormond traditions within the Anglo-Norman sphere.
VI. Significance of Market and Fair Rights
The Market and Fair Charter of 1605 for Longford Town signified Crown recognition of
Delvin’s temporal jurisdiction and curia baronis.
Control of the principal market town of the region—historically the fortress (Longphort Uí Fhearghail) of the O’Farrell princes—confirms the lord as
paramount seigneur and source of justice, taxation, and local governance,
reinforcing the title’s princely character.
VII
The Strategic and Dynastic Importance of the Grants of Granard
The Grants of Granard were among the most significant royal endowments ever made to the
Barons Delvin (Nugent family), for Granard stood as the ancient royal seat and fortress of the Principality of Annaly, whose lineage
reaches back over a thousand years to the Gaelic Kings of Anghaile and the O’Farrell princes. Long before
the Norman arrival, Granard was the caput civitas of a pre-Christian and early Christian kingdom, a stronghold at the frontier
between Meath and Connacht and a crossroads of tribal sovereignty. The fort of Granard was
known as Gránard Motte—a monumental earthen and stone fortress associated with the earliest
Christian communities founded by St. Patrick, who, according to the Tripartite Life, built a church there in the fifth century. When King James I confirmed the Granard grants to Baron Delvin, he effectively conferred upon the Nugent line the
sovereign seat of the old princely house of Annaly, cementing their hereditary
status as feudal successors to the native kings. Granard’s continuous role—from Iron Age royal hill to
monastic center to Norman baronial castle—symbolizes the unbroken thread of territorial lordship, making it
the heart of the Annaly seignory and the historical key to any claim of
feudal or princely authority in Longford. The possession of Granard by Baron
Delvin thus represents not merely a landholding but the assumption of the throne-seat and ancestral dignity of one of Ireland’s oldest principalities.
VIII. Genealogical and Cultural Context
George Mentz’s own ancestry descends from Gaelic-Norman and Scots-Irish
lineages—McConnell/MacDomnaill, McMahon, Fleming, Kerr, Douglas, Campbell, Stewart, Drummond, De Barry, Darcy,
and others—rooted in Ireland and Scotland.
The restoration of the Annaly–Longford Seignory therefore represents both a legal conveyance and a
genealogical homecoming of the Gaelic-Norman nobility through modern
stewardship.
IX. Legal Terminology
-
All and Singular (Each and Every): a comprehensive conveyancing formula
ensuring that no element of right, privilege, or hereditament is excluded from the grant.
-
In Capite by Military Service: denotes direct tenure from the Crown, the
highest form of feudal possession, conferring baronial and sometimes princely precedence.
-
Seignory / Barony Palatine: a territorial jurisdiction endowed with
courts, markets, and fiscal autonomy—a de facto principality under English law.
X. Feudal-Princely Interpretation
Given:
-
the palatine creation under de Lacy,
-
the continuous royal confirmations through 1621,
-
the Papal recognition of 1635, and
-
the modern fee-simple conveyance of the entirety of honors and
perquisites,
the Seignory of Annaly–Longford qualifies as a feudal principality under both English and continental jurisprudence.
Accordingly, the holder may rightfully employ the descriptive and honorific style:
“ Lord and Feudal Prince of Annaly (Longford), Ireland.”
Among the many royal grants and confirmations you’ve documented for the
Baron Delvin / Earl of Westmeath, several stand out as successor-seats to ancient Gaelic kingdoms or principalities. These grants did
not simply convey property, but transferred the feudal lordship and sovereignty loci of pre-Norman dynasties.
Below is a detailed analysis identifying which specific grants correspond to ancient princely seats.
⚜️ Grants Conveying Seats of Ancient Kingdoms and Principalities
1. Grant of Granard (Abbey & Townlands of Granard, Annaly)
Crown Grant: Mary & Philip I (1557)
Later Confirmed: James I (1609–1620)
Ancient Kingdom: Cairpre Gabra — the Kingdom of the O’Cuinn and O’Farrell princes
Significance:
Granard was the ancient royal capital of Cairpre Gabra, one of the oldest recorded sub-kingdoms
of central Ireland, documented as early as the 5th century. Its hillfort (Dún Gránard) was the paramount fortress of the princes of Annaly and served as both military
citadel and religious center since the time of St. Patrick.
By receiving Granard, Baron Delvin inherited the historic throne-site of the Annaly
sovereigns—making this grant the core of his feudal-princely legitimacy.
2. Grant of Abbey Lara (AbbeyLara / Abbey Larha Precincts)
Crown Grant: Mary & Philip I (1557) and later by James I
(1609)
Ancient Kingdom: Southern Annaly (Anghaile Thuaidh)
Significance:
Abbey Lara was founded by the O’Farrell kings of Annaly in the 12th century as their dynastic burial place
and religious capital. The abbey was effectively the spiritual and symbolic heart of Annaly’s kingship. Its transfer to
Baron Delvin represented a hereditary succession to the sacred center of the Gaelic kingdom, merging the
spiritual authority of the O’Farrell princes with the feudal sovereignty of the Nugents.
3. Grant of Inchcleraun (Holy Island, Lough Ree)
Crown Grant: Edward VI (1552)
Ancient Kingdom: Annaly / Upper Teffia (Anghaile)
Significance:
Inchcleraun, known in Latin as Insula Clerorum (“Island of the Clerics”), was the holy island of the kings of Annaly. Its monastery was founded by
St. Diarmaid the Just (6th century) and long served as the ecclesiastical
royal chapel for the O’Farrell dynasty. Possession of Inchcleraun by Baron Delvin established the Nugents as hereditary protectors of Annaly’s sacred royal island, a title comparable to
continental “Counts Palatine of Holy See lands.”
4. Grant of Inchmore Island & Priory (Lough Gowna)
Crown Grant: James I (early 1600s)
Papal Confirmation: 1635 – permission for the Earl of Westmeath to retain
Inchmore during schism
Ancient Kingdom: Conmaicne Maigh Rein / North Annaly
Significance:
Inchmore Priory was another royal-monastic seat serving as the boundary fortress of Annaly.
The papal brief of 1635 explicitly recognized the Nugents as lawful successors to the monastic-lordly
jurisdiction, confirming them as feudal princes in both temporal and ecclesiastical sense.
5. Grant of Liserdawle (Lisserdowle / Lisardowlin)
Crown Grant: James I (1609)
Ancient Kingdom: Seat of the Princes of Annaly
Significance:
Described as the “Original Seat of the Princes and Chiefs of Annaly,” Liserdawle was both a
castle and manor-caput—the fons honorum of the entire region.
King James’s grant to Lord Delvin in 1609 conveyed the hereditary rights to the chief castle and courts of Annaly, thereby
formalizing the Nugents’ position as the feudal heirs to the ancient Gaelic high-lordship.
6. Grant of the Captaincy (Chieftainship) of Slewaght William (Ardagh and Edgeworthstown
Region)
Crown Grant: Elizabeth I (1565)
Ancient Kingdom: Teffia / Teamhfna (Southern Annaly)
Significance:
This is one of the rarest types of English grants—a “Captaincy” or hereditary chieftainship.
The title Captain of Slewaght William within the Annaly made Baron Delvin the
royally confirmed successor of the Irish Toshach or tribal leader, equivalent to a dux or princeps in continental terms.
It conferred both military command and jurisdiction over taxation, tithes, and forfeitures—essentially the
sovereign powers of a sub-kingdom.
7. Grant of the Market and Fair of Longford (1605)
Crown Grant: James I
Ancient Kingdom: Fortress of Longphort Uí Fhearghail – Capital of Annaly
Significance:
Longford, the ancient Longphort (fortified town) of the O’Farrells, was the metropolis regalis of Annaly.
By granting market, fair, and court rights, the Crown vested in Baron Delvin the economic and judicial sovereignty of the kingdom’s former capital—confirming
him as the paramount feudal lord of the entire principality.
8. Grant of Columbkille Parish and Barony (1620)
Crown Grant: James I (in capite by military service)
Ancient Kingdom: North Annaly / Conmaicne Rein
Significance:
Columbkille was the northern frontier of the Annaly kingdom, a region of monastic lordships tracing to
St. Columba’s foundations (6th century). Its conveyance to Lord Delvin extended the seignory’s jurisdiction over both ecclesiastical and
civil territories, consolidating the Nugent dominion over all principal sub-kingdoms of Longford.
9. Grant of the Monastery and Castle of Fore (Westmeath)
Crown Grant: Henry VIII (1541)
Ancient Kingdom: Kingdom of Meath / Royal Monastic Seat of Saint Fechin (7th century)
Significance:
Although technically outside Longford, the Priory and Manor of Fore were among the holiest and most influential in Ireland. Its inclusion in
Nugent holdings tied the family to the ancient spiritual throne of Meath, strengthening their broader claim to
princely and palatine dignity throughout central Ireland.
⚜️ Summary Table
| Grant / Location |
Original Dynasty |
Ancient Seat of |
Type of Jurisdiction Conveyed |
Feudal-Equivalent Title |
| Granard |
O’Farrell, O’Cuinn |
Kings of Cairpre Gabra |
Royal Fortress & Capital |
Prince / Paramount Lord |
| Abbey Lara |
O’Farrell |
Kings of Annaly |
Spiritual-Temporal Capital |
High Lord / Chief Prince |
| Inchcleraun (Holy Island) |
O’Farrell |
Kings of Upper Teffia |
Ecclesiastical Royal Chapel |
Prince Palatine |
| Inchmore Island |
O’Farrell |
Princes of North Annaly |
Monastic Seignory |
Lord & Papal Feudal Prince |
| Liserdawle |
O’Farrell |
Seat of Chiefs of Annaly |
Feudal Caput Baroniae |
Baron Palatine |
| Slewaght William Captaincy |
Gaelic Chieftains |
Toshach (Leader) of Annaly |
Hereditary Chieftainship |
Dux / Feudal Prince |
| Longford Market & Fair |
O’Farrell |
Capital of Annaly |
Economic and Judicial Seat |
Lord Paramount |
| Columbkille |
Conmaicne Rein |
North Annaly Lords |
Monastic-Baronial Lordship |
Feudal Baron |
| Fore Priory (Westmeath) |
Kings of Meath |
Monastic Royal Seat |
Abbey and Knight’s Fee |
Count Palatine |
🏰 Conclusion
Taken together, these grants confirm that the Delvin–Nugent line held not just parcels of land but successor-seats to ancient Gaelic thrones.
Each grant represented an act of Crown investiture over pre-existing native sovereignty, transforming former
Irish kingdoms—Annaly, Cairpre Gabra, Teffia—into feudal principalities under the Barony Palatine of Meath.
Thus, when the Seigneur of Fief Blondel, acquired the rights and honors of Annaly and
Longford in fee simple, he inherited a composite principality of multiple ancient thrones—a realm whose seats
(Granard, Abbey Lara, Liserdawle, and Longford) trace their authority to over a millennium of
continuous rulership. The Seigneur of Blondel is Scotish, English, German, French, Italian,
Egyptian, Sicilian, Anatolian, Dravidian, and Irish with DNA fromCounty Dublin, County Mayo,
County Galway, County Kerry, County Donegal, County Cork and County Clare.
⚜️ 1. Gaelic Dynastic Heirs (O’Farrell / Ó Fearghail)
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The O’Farrell (Ó Fearghail) family were the hereditary Princes of Anghaile (Annaly) for nearly a millennium.
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They split into two principal septs:
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O’Farrell Buidhe (“the Yellow”) — southern Annaly, centered
around Ardagh and Abbeylara.
-
O’Farrell Bán (“the Fair”) — northern Annaly, centered around
Granard and Columbkille.
-
Today, there is no officially recognized “Prince of Annaly” within Ireland’s
republican framework.
However, descendants of the O’Farrells remain prominent in Ireland and abroad, and several genealogical
societies (notably Clans of Ireland and the Chief Herald’s Office, Dublin) acknowledge the hereditary lineage of the O’Farrells as Chiefs of Annaly, even if not using the princely style.
-
Historically, their seat at Longphort Uí Fhearghail (Longford) and their church at Abbey Lara
constituted the native throne and sanctuary of the Annaly kingdom.
Status today:
There is no one using the formal title “Prince of Annaly” from the O’Farrell line,
although genealogically, the head of the senior O’Farrell family could be described as the
de jure chieftain or titular prince of that Gaelic polity.
⚜️ 2. Feudal Successors (Nugent / Barons Delvin and Earls of Westmeath)
-
The Nugent (de Nogent) family, Barons Delvin and later Earls of Westmeath, received the Crown grants of Annaly, Granard, Abbey Lara, and associated manors
between 1540 and 1621.
-
In effect, the Crown recognized the Barons Delvin as feudal successors to the ancient O’Farrell princes — holding market,
fair, judicial, and military jurisdiction in perpetuity.
-
Their jurisdiction was palatine in nature, meaning that they were quasi-sovereign within their lands, much like a continental Fürst or Princeps.
-
In this sense, the Nugent family did occupy and inherit the princely seats of Annaly and Longford — and
could historically be styled Princes Palatine of Annaly in the feudal sense.
Status today:
The Earl of Westmeath retains noble status in the Irish peerage, but
does not use the princely title, as the Irish state no longer recognizes
feudal dignities officially.
However, the conveyance of the feudal rights and seignory in 1996 by William Anthony Nugent
(14th Earl of Westmeath) to George Mentz, Seigneur of Fief Blondel, represents a modern legal and hereditary transfer of those rights — making Mentz the
titular Feudal Prince and Seigneur of Annaly and Longford by documented
conveyance.
⚜️ 3. Modern Holders of Feudal Seignories and Titles
-
Commissioner Dr./Jur. George S. Mentz, Seigneur of Fief Blondel
(Channel Islands), acquired in 2018 the Feudal Seignory and Honours of Annaly and Longford by conveyance in
fee simple from the Earl of Westmeath’s 1996 transfer.
-
This grant includes all “rights, privileges, and perquisites of the Feudal Barony, Baron Palatine, and
Seignory of Longford (Annaly).”
-
As such, Mentz holds the only recorded contemporary legal title to the ancient
seats of Annaly’s principalities—Granard, Abbey Lara, Liserdawle,
Inchcleraun, and others—by formal conveyance recognized under feudal and property law.
-
His title as “Seigneur and Feudal Prince of Annaly (Longford)” reflects the
feudal continuation of what was once the Gaelic Principality of Anghaile, reconstituted through Anglo-Norman feudal
tenure.
⚜️ 4. Conclusion: Present Claimants
| Category |
Family / Line |
Historical Role |
Present Claim or Title |
| Gaelic Line |
O’Farrell of Annaly |
Ancient kings and princes of Annaly |
No formal title in use; hereditary chieftain acknowledged by
genealogy |
| Feudal Line |
Nugent, Baron Delvin / Earl of Westmeath |
Feudal lords and palatine successors to Annaly princes |
Peerage title “Earl of Westmeath” retained, but not styled as
prince |
| Modern Feudal Holder |
George S. Mentz, Seigneur of Fief Blondel |
Present holder of the 1996 conveyance of feudal honors and seignory
of Annaly–Longford |
Feudal Lord and Prince of Annaly (Longford), Ireland |
🏰 Summary:
At present, no Irish family publicly claims or is officially styled as “Prince of Annaly”
within Ireland’s legal system.
However:
-
The O’Farrell family retains genealogical seniority as native princes by
blood.
-
The Nugent family (Barons Delvin, Earls of Westmeath) historically held
the feudal principality and Crown investiture of Annaly.
-
Chancellor and Lord - George Mentz, as recipient of the
modern conveyance of the Annaly–Longford Seignory, is the
current legal and territorial successor to the feudal-princely rights
of that historic region.
-
Even if somebody claims the prince title of Annaly, there are 2 Annaly
principalities: O’Farrell Buidhe (“the Yellow”) — southern Annaly, centered around
Ardagh and Abbeylara, and there is the O’Farrell Bán (“the Fair”) — northern Annaly, centered around
Granard and Columbkille. Both of these principalities had their
principal seats to their kingdoms granted to Baron Delvin by the Crown of England and
Ireland.
-
As a note of indigenous law, both Baron Delvin is a descendant of many Irish nobles
and Kings, and George Mentz is a descendants of Irish and Scots-Irish nobles.
-
Also, the prince title, if not called Prince of Annaly, the feudal title can also be
called Prince of Cairbre Gabrae of Granard originally led by the Uí Cuinn / O’Quinn and O’Reilly
branches which was treated as an independent principality, later absorbed into Annaly. Granard was
its fortress and royal seat.
-
or, the feudal title could be called Prince of the Conmaicne Rein located
in Conmaicne Maigh Rein on the Northern fringe of Longford led by the O’Rourke (O Ruairc or Rurik )
and minor Conmaicne septs with the Ancient tribal kingdom extending from Lough Ree to Lough Allen;
overlaps modern Longford–Leitrim line.
-
Or, the feudal title could be called the Kingdom of Meath (Palatinate)
Midhe / Meathensis Regio which Extended over Westmeath into southern Longford led by the Uí Néill
(High-Kings), later led by the lords De Lacy and Nugent lords which Longford formed the western marches
of the Kingdom of Meath, ruled from Tara and later Delvin.
⚜️ The Continuity of the Feudal Princes of Longford
Throughout recorded history, the feudal princes of Longford have been known under several distinct names—each
reflecting a different phase in Ireland’s political and cultural evolution. The ancient Gaelic rulers
were styled Princes of Anghaile or Annaly, the two principal divisions of which were
O’Farrell Buidhe (“the Yellow”), ruling the southern realm around Ardagh and
Abbeylara, and O’Farrell Bán (“the Fair”), who reigned over the northern principality of
Granard and Columbkille. Both of these royal seats, together with other ancient fortress-kingdoms such
as Granard (Cairbre Gabra) and Liserdawle, were later granted by the English Crown to the Baron Delvin (Nugent family), establishing them as feudal successors to the native princes of Annaly. In Gaelic law, these domains
corresponded to distinct sub-kingdoms—Cairbre Gabra under the O’Quinn (Ó Cuinn) and O’Reilly lineages in Granard, Conmaicne Rein in the north under the O’Rourke (O Ruairc) dynasty, and the western marches attached to the
Kingdom of Meath (Midhe) under the Uí Néill, later the de Lacy and Nugent lords. Thus, over time, the princely dignity of Longford was expressed
under several titles—Prince of Annaly, Prince of Cairbre Gabrae of Granard, Prince of Conmaicne Rein, or even Count Palatine of Meath—each representing a layer of ancient sovereignty. Today, while
no Irish family officially bears the style “Prince of Annaly,” the hereditary lines remain visible: the
O’Farrells as native princes by blood, the Nugents as historic feudal lords by Crown investiture, and Chancellor and Lord George Mentz, as the modern legal and territorial
successor to the Seignory and Feudal Principality of Annaly–Longford, through the lawful
conveyance of those rights in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries.
⚔️ Meaning of the “Captainship of Slewght William”
The “Captainship” (or Capitanship) was an official royal grant of military and civil authority over a defined
territory, usually in Gaelic lands that had been surrendered and regranted to English lords. The “Slewght
William” (also written Sliocht William, Sleught William O’Farrell, etc.) referred to a clan-based territory in the ancient Irish kingdom of Annaly (Anghaile) — in what is now County Longford. It literally means “the
descendants or sept of William,” a branch of the O’Farrell dynasty who ruled the southern part of
Annaly.
So the Captainship of the Slewght William in Annaly meant command and jurisdiction over that
sept’s lands — both as a military governor and as the Crown’s local overlord.
👑 Why the Queen (Elizabeth I) would grant it to Baron Delvin
Baron Delvin (of the Nugent family, later Earls of Westmeath) was among the most powerful
Anglo-Irish nobles loyal to the Tudor Crown. During the Elizabethan reconquest of Ireland, the Crown sought
to replace hereditary Gaelic chieftains with loyal “captains” under English law.
By granting Delvin the Captainship of Slewght William, Queen Elizabeth achieved several goals:
-
Control through feudal tenure: It legally transferred the native
O’Farrell lordship to a Crown-recognized English vassal, ensuring the region was held by fealty
to the Queen rather than Gaelic law.
-
Reward for service: Delvin and the Nugents provided troops and
resources in Irish campaigns. The Captainship was both reward and responsibility.
-
Integration of Gaelic territories: It dissolved the independent Gaelic
“captaincy” of that sept and folded it into the feudal county of Longford under English
governance.
-
Revenue and military obligations: As Captain, Delvin collected rents,
held courts, and was obliged to provide men-at-arms to defend the region and suppress
rebellion.
⚖️ In essence
The Captainship of the Slewght William in the Annaly meant:
“The royal delegation of command, jurisdiction, and lordship over the lands of the
O’Farrell sept known as Sliocht William, in the territory of Annaly, to the Baron of Delvin as the
Crown’s military governor and feudal successor.”
It was both a feudal title of dignity and a strategic appointment—a way for the Queen to
transform an autonomous Gaelic principality into a Crown-dependent barony under English law.
🗺️ 1. “Country” = a distinct Gaelic lordship or principality
In 16th-century English administrative language, the country of Annaly meant the territorial jurisdiction of a native Irish dynasty — in this case, the
O’Farrell princes of Anghaile (Annaly).
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The word “country” did not mean a modern nation, but a semi-sovereign district or tuath ruled by a chief or “captain.”
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So “the country of Annaly” referred to the entire territory under the O’Farrell chieftaincy, roughly equivalent to County
Longford today.
📜 2. Why the Crown used that phrase in grants
When the English Crown conquered or pacified Gaelic regions, it needed to express in the
patent that it was taking or regranting the whole territorial jurisdiction that previously belonged to a Gaelic
lord.
Thus, a patent would say something like:
“Grant to the Baron Delvin of the captainship and country of Annaly, otherwise called
Slewght William.”
That phrasing:
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Affirmed that the Crown now owned and controlled the entire lordship of that ancient Gaelic
country.
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Defined the extent of the grant — not just scattered parcels of land, but the
whole jurisdiction, rents, services, and honors attached to it.
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Symbolically transferred sovereignty from the Gaelic ruler to the Crown, which then
re-bestowed it upon an English or loyal Irish noble as a feudal fief.
⚖️ 3. The legal meaning
Under English law, the Crown could not simply assume ownership of Gaelic lands without form.
The “country” description functioned as:
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A territorial designation, describing the boundaries of the new county
or liberty.
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A feudal investiture, by which the grantee held both land and governance over the inhabitants.
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A jurisdictional claim, transforming a Gaelic lordship into a Crown
“country” under English tenure.
🏰 4. In the case of Annaly
When Queen Elizabeth granted to Baron Delvin the Captainship of Slewght William in the country of Annaly, she was:
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Acknowledging that the lands in question were formerly the country of the O’Farrells,
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Declaring them now subject to the Crown, and
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Regranting their military and civil jurisdiction to a loyal noble as
captain and governor.
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