Burke, Richard, 4th Earl of Clanricarde (1572 -1635)

There have been four Richards who were Earl of Clanricarde, the 2nd Earl (d. 1582), the 4th Earl (d. 1635), the 6th Earl (d. 1666) and the 8th Earl (succeeded 1687). The imprint date of the Thomas Aquinas discounts the 2nd Earl, and since Peter Gunning’s dates are 1614-1684, the 8th Earl can also be discounted, thus leaving the 4th and 6th Earls.

The best case can be made for Richard Burke, the 4th Earl, the son of Ulick Burke, 3rd Earl of Clanricarde and Honora Burke, daughter of John Burke. He was studying at Christ Church College in Oxford about the time the book was published.
He loyally served Queen Elizabeth in her struggles with the Irish, and was appointed governor of Connaught, member of the Privy Council in Ireland, and, in 1624, was created Viscount Tunbridge and Baron of Somerhill, a manor which he owned in Kent. The titles of Viscount Galway and Earl of St. Albans were conferred on him in 1628. He went played a leading role in the defeat of the Irish rebellion under the Earl of Tyrone, and was knighted on the battlefield at Kinsale. Subsequently, although living most of his life near Tonbridge in Kent, he remained actively involved in Irish politics, as a major landholder and provincial governor.
In 1603, he married Frances Walsingham, the widow of Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex. They had one son, Ulick, who succeeded him as the 5th Earl, and two daughters.

Seat / Residence(s): Somerhill
Stamp(s) Stamp Information
Burke, Richard, Earl of Clanricarde (Stamp 1) Title: Burke, Richard, 4th Earl of Clanricarde (1572 - 1635) (Stamp 1)
Crest: A cat a mountain sejant gardant collared and chained
Dimensions (height x width): 98mm x 61mm
Coronet: Earl
Heraldic Charges: cat-a-mountain