Thurles campaign hoping to attract royal visit to historic grave

A local historian wants the new British king to visit the grave of Lady Elizabeth Poyntz in St Mary’s graveyard in Thurles while on his official trip to Ireland later this year. 

Britain's King Charles on a walkabout outside Buckingham Palace, London, on Friday. Picture: James Manning/PA Wire

A campaign is under way to invite the royal family to Co Tipperary to visit a graveyard where one of their distant relatives is buried.

Lady Elizabeth Poyntz — who died in 1673 and is buried in St Mary’s graveyard in Thurles — is an ancestor of Britain's King Charles.

She was married to Viscount Thomas Butler of the House of Ormond and lived in Black Castle where she died at 86 years in 1673.

Local historian and founder of the Durlas Eile Eliogarty memorial committee, John Wort, said he wants the new king to visit Lady Elizabeth's grave while on his official trip to Ireland later this year. 

“A proper invite has to be sent to the royal family from Government, it is only right the king learns about his family, and now it's coronation weekend, the politicians should use the opportunity to tell him about this place," he said.

We have a memorial garden here that is so steeped in history, you wouldn’t believe it.

“Lady Elizabeth is related to the royal family as well as Lady Diana’s family, the Spencers, and she is here in St Mary’s graveyard in Thurles.

“The history over the years has proven, she lived in the Black Castle with her husband Thomas Butler. Their son was the Duke of Ormond, who is related to King Charles.

"When Thomas died, she married a second time into the Matthews family.

“There is also a link to Princess Diana. Lady Elizabeth, through her ancestors the Hamiltons, is related to the Spencer family.

“Beside the main church, that is where we believe she is buried. We came across a stone there, it was a very unusual stone for the Matthews and that was her family.

“The graveyard was so run down for years, and we are working on this grave for about a year. We have set up a memorial committee.

“The royals owned from Kilkenny Castle to Cahir in Co Tipperary, and she was married into that family.

It is only right that we get the politicians now to back this campaign”.

The newly crowned king and his wife Camilla will make an official state visit to Ireland in early June.

Local Independent councillor Jim Ryan echoed Mr Wort's call.

“This has been a missed opportunity for years," he said. 

"The late queen visited Cashel when she was here, and it’s only a few miles out the road, and she could have been invited here for Lady Elizabeth.

“We are one part of the country where we really look after our old graves. The council provides a €700 grant every year for voluntary groups to keep the old graveyards clean and tidy, they work hard to preserve the abandoned graves too, but St Mary’s is a very special place.

I just feel someone is not doing their job by not passing this information on to the royal family.

"It has been a missed opportunity for years and really, the government should be behind this”.

The Department of Foreign Affairs has been contacted for a response.