Christopher St Lawrence, 5th Baron Howth (c.1485-1542) was an Anglo-Irish nobleman.
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He was the eldest son of Nicholas St Lawrence, 4th Baron Howth and his first wife Jenet Plunkett, daughter of the 3rd Baron Killeen.[1] His date of birth is uncertain, but Elrington Ball states that he was already middle-aged when his father died in 1526[2] and since his eldest son was born in 1508 this suggests a birth date about 1485.
Prior to his father's death he lived at Baldongan where his wife had inherited an estate; he had been knighted and served as Sheriff of Dublin. Soon after inheriting the title he led an expedition agains the O'Connors of Offaly who had taken prisoner the acting Lord Deputy, Baron Delvin, but the expedition was called off when Delvin was released.[3]
As a member of the Irish House of Lords he was a reliable supporter of the Crown and served on the Privy Council. He supported the religious reforms of Henry VIII but unlike some of his peers received no reward from the Dissolution of the Monasteries.[4]
During the rebellion of Silken Thomas Howth's influence and support for the Crown made him a target of the rebels: he was imprisoned and his lands ransacked, although Howth Castle withstood assault.[5]
He was on bad terms with the Lord Deputy of Ireland, Leonard Grey, but evidently on good terms with Thomas Cromwell; Ball argues that a letter to Cromwell in 1537 concerning a lawsuit between Howth and the Archbishop of Dublin suggests that Cromwell thought highly of him. Howth also sent Cromwell a gift of hawks.[6]
He married before 1508 Anne Bermingham, daughter of his stepmother Anne Berford by her first husband.[7] Anne inherited substantial estates at Baldongan from her brother. Each of their three sons inherited the title, they were:
Leonard Grey, the Lord Deputy, in a famous gibe described Lord Howth as one who lacked both " wit and men". Ball however notes that Grey rarely had good to say of anyone; and that the evidence suggests that Howth played a considerable part in government and enjoyed the confidence of Cromwell.[9]