English: Effigy of a king with a fleur-de-lys crown in Holy Cross Abbey, Thurles.
From: holycrossabbeytours@gmail.com
To: [ REDACTED NAME ]
Date: 9:31AM GMT 7 Apr 2022
Hi [ REDACTED NAME ],
Thanks for your email. We hope you had a very enjoyable visit to Holycross Abbey.
In relation to your query, some say this is the effigy of Donal Mór Ó Briain but that's questionable. Irish kings would not be known to wear such head gear.
There is a thought that the effigy is of an English king. The abbey was renovated in the early 15th century under the patronage of the 4th Earl of Ormond, James Butler who was earl from 1405 to 1452. He was known as the White Earl because of his culture and learning. [He was a distant ancestor - Gt. Gt. grandfather of Anne Boleyn, mother of Elizabeth I. Anne Boleyn's mother was Lady Mgt. Butler, daughter of the 7th Earl.] We think this carving dates from the time of the 15th century restoration.
The fleur-de-lys was adopted by the royal house of England about 1399 so because it is on the crown of this carving, it might be an English royal. William Hayes in his book 'The Awakening of the Abbey' only refers to it as a 'stylised coiffed head'. There is no mention of it in Geraldine Carville's book 'The Heritage of Holycross'.
Please see attached an information sheet re the royal crests of England and a closeup of the royal crest on the sedilia which has three fleur-de-lis in each of two quarters. This crest matches the crest used by Henry IV and Henry V.
We hope this is helpful. If you need any further assistance, please do not hesitate to contact us.
Regards
[ REDACTED NAME ]
Holycross Abbey Tour Guides
Holycross,
Thurles, Co. Tipperary.
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