Christopher Fleming, 8th Baron Slane
Christopher Fleming (bef. 1474–1517) was an Irish nobleman, who was Lord High Treasurer of Ireland from 1514 until his death. He succeeded as 8th Baron Slane in 1492.
Family
Christopher was the eldest son of James Fleming, 7th Baron Slane. His mother was Elizabeth Welles (died 1506), daughter of William Welles, Lord Chancellor of Ireland, and his wife Anne Barnewall, widow of the 3rd Baron Killeen. He married firstly Lady Eilis FitzGerald, daughter of Gerald FitzGerald, 8th Earl of Kildare by his first wife Alison FiitzEustace, daughter of Rowland FitzEustace, 1st Baron Portlester. After Eilis's death her husband married secondly Elizabeth Stucley, daughter of Nicholas Stucley of Affleton Castle, Devon, head of an ancient family and ancestor of the Stucley baronets.
By his first wife Christopher had three children:
- James Fleming, 9th Baron Slane
- Eleanor
- Catherine, who married Sir Christopher Barnewall and was the main heiress of her brother James, who died childless.[1]
Slane Friary
Today Christopher Fleming is best remembered for his religious foundations. In 1512, on the site of an earlier abbey at Slane, he built a friary and college for the Franciscan order. The friary was later abandoned, but its ruins are still one of the best known sights of Slane.[2]
References
Sources
- G. E. C., ed. Geoffrey F. White. The Complete Peerage. (London: St. Chaterine Press, 1953) Vol. XII, Part 1, p. 3-4.