FITZGERALD
,
MAURICE
(d.
1176
),
one of the conquerors of Ireland
;
son of
Gerald de
Windsor
, chief follower of
Arnulf
Montgomery
and
castellan
of
Pembroke Castle
(
1093-
post
1116
), by his wife
Nest
(q.v.)
, daughter of
Rhys ap Tewdwr
.
Maurice
and
WILLIAM
, two of the sons of
Gerald
and
Nest
, and
lords
respectively of
Llanstephan
and
Emlyn
, came into prominence as leaders of the
Anglo-Norman
settlers in
West Wales
against the great revolt of the
native princes
in
1136
. In
1146
they were at the head of the unsuccessful attempt to recover
Llanstephan Castle
from the
Welsh
. Later in his career
Maurice
Fitzgerald
took part, with his half-brother
Robert
Fitzstephen
(q.v.)
, in the conquest of
Ireland
. In
1169
he landed in
Wexford
with his followers and led the
English
contingent against
Dublin
. He finally settled in the cantref of
Kildare
which
earl Richard
granted to him for his services. It is said that his wife (living in
1171
) was
Alice
, granddaughter of
Roger de
Montgomery
.
Maurice
, who was a brave and modest man of few words, d. at
Wexford
c. 1 Sept. 1176
. [
William
d.
1174
.]
Bibliography:
-
Oxford Dictionary of National
Biography
;
-
A History of Wales
, 423, 473, 502;
-
A History of Carmarthenshire
, 2 vols.,
1935–9
, i (ed.
J. E. Lloyd
), 142.
Author:
Dr Bertie George Charles, Ph.D., (1908-2000), Aberystwyth
