James Butler, 5th Marquess of Ormonde

James George Anson Butler, 5th Marquess of Ormonde (18 April 1890 – 21 June 1949) was the son of James Arthur Wellington Foley Butler, 4th Marquess of Ormonde and American heiress Ellen Stager, daughter of Union General Anson Stager.

Biography

Upon the death of his Uncle, James Butler, 3rd Marquess of Ormonde, Lord Ossory (as he was known after his uncle's death) inherited the family seat of Kilkenny Castle and several other estates traditionally owned by the Marquess of Ormonde. This was made in an attempt to avoid burdening the Estate with death duties for both the 3rd and 4th Marquesses. His father, the 4th Marquess, was supported by the independent wealth of his American wife, Ellen Stager.

The last member of the family to live there, Lord Ossory (as he was known as the time) and his family left Kilkenny Castle in 1935 and resided in London. The contents of the castle were sold in 1935 and the castle left neglected.^[1]

Marriage and Children

He married Hon. Sybil Inna Mildred Fellowes, daughter of William Henry Fellowes, 2nd Baron de Ramsey and Lady Rosamond Fellowes, Baroness de Ramsey, on 23 February 1915. They had two children:^[2]

• James Anthony Butler, Viscount Thurles (1916–1940)
• Lady Moyra Rosamond Butler (1920–1959)

Lady Ormonde's mother, Lady Rosamond Spencer-Churchill was the daughter of John Spencer-Churchill, 7th Duke of Marlborough, the aunt of Charles Spencer-Churchill, 9th Duke of Marlborough (who was married to the most famous of the American 'Dollar Princesses', Consuelo Vanderbilt) and the sister of Lord Randolph Churchill, father of British Prime Minister Winston Churchill. Lady Ormonde was therefore the first cousin of Winston Churchill.^[3] Butler fought and was wounded in the Great war. His only son predeceased him so he was succeeded by his brother James Butler, 6th Marquess of Ormonde

Lady Moyra married, firstly, Charles Weld-Forester (who was the son on Major Hon. Edric Weld-Forester (who in turn was the son of the 5th Baron Forester of Willey Park) and Lady Victoria Wynn-Carington (who was the daughter of the 1st Marquess of Lincolnshire) on 20 April 1940. They had one son, Piers Edric Weld-Forester. The couple were divorced in 1948, and on 3 August of the same year she married Count Guy Jacques van den Steen de Debay, a Belgian nobleman.

Titles and Styles

• 18 April 1890 - 26 October 1919: Mr James George Anson Butler
• 26 October 1919 - 4 July 1943: The Earl of Ossory
• 4 July 1943 - 21 June 1949: The Most Honourable Marquess of Ormonde

References

1. "Lords of the Castle". Retrieved 11 February 2016.
2. "The peerage". Retrieved 12 February 2016.
3. "The peerage for Lady Sybil". Retrieved 12 February 2016.