Robert St.Lawrence, 3rd Baron Howth (born c.1435-died before 1488 ) was a leading statesman in 15th-century Ireland who held the office of Lord Chancellor of Ireland, and had through marriage a close connection of the Tudor dynasty.
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He was born about 1435, eldest son of Christopher St Lawrence, 2nd Baron Howth. There is some dispute about the identity of his mother: some sources name her as Anne Plunkett, others as Elizabeth Bermingham. He succeeded to the title in 1464 or 1465.
O'Flanagan calls him "a nobleman of considerable abilities who filled several offices connected with the Government of Ireland." [1]He was Sheriff of Dublin in 1456, Chancellor of the Exchequer of Ireland 1478 and Clerk of the Common Pleas. In 1474 he was chosen one of the thirteen Knights of the Brotherhood of St. George, charged with defending the Pale against Irish invasion and keeping the peace. In 1483 Richard III chose him to be Lord Chancellor of Ireland, despite opposition from the powerful Earl of Kildare.His continued employment by the Yorkist kings after 1478 is perhaps surprising given that his second wife was a close relative of Henry Tudor who was to overthrow the House of York in 1485.In any event his tenure as Lord Chancellor wa short, ending either with his removal or his death later in 1483, although some sources place his death as late as 1487.[2]
Robert married firstly Alice White, daughter of Nicholas White of Killester, and through marriage acquired the manor of Killester. In 1478 he made a second and politically significant marriage to Joan Beaufort, daughter of Edmund Beaufort, Duke of Somerset. Beaufort's seemingly feeble claim to the English Crown as heir of John of Gaunt was vindicated by his cousin Margaret's son Henry VII. The St. Lawrence family, unlike most of the Anglo-Irish nobility, were reliable supporters of Henry's dynasty.By his first wife he had six children;