During the reign of Henry II of England Theobald held the position of pincerna (Latin) or boteillier (Norman French), the ceremonial cup-bearer or butler to Prince John, Lord of Ireland.

[1] His younger brother Hubert Walter (c.1160–1205) became the Archbishop of Canterbury and Justiciar and Lord Chancellor of England.

Edmund Butler was created the first Earl of Carrick in 1315 in reward for his service during the Bruce campaign in Ireland.

Although the earldom did not pass to his son James, the latter was created the first Earl of Ormond in 1328 by Edward III.

In 1758 his brother Charles, the de jure third duke (Irish), died and the dukedom and marquessate became extinct.

The eighteenth earl, James Wandesford Butler, was created as Baron Ormonde of Llanthony, in the county of Monmouth in the Peerage of the United Kingdom in 1821 on the coronation of George IV.

[3] From Kilkenny, the Butlers claimed overlordship of the surrounding Gaelic kingdoms of Ormond, Éile, Ikerrin and part of Osraige.

These (administrative) baronies corresponded to the (Irish) túath ("country") or trícha cét ("thirty hundred [men]") of a Gaelic chief, for example Éile.

However, sometimes baronies combined small territories, or split a large one, or were created without regard for the earlier boundaries.

The Butlers owned the castles of Knocktopher, Gowran, Dunfert, Poolestown, Nehorn, Callan, Ballycallan, Damagh, Kilmanagh, and Urlingford.....

The family tree splits firstly with Edmund MacRichard Butler; his eldest son, Sir James, founded the most illustrious sub-branch with his progeny going on to supply the 8th Earl of Ormond; his second son, Walter, founded the lesser sub-branch with his progeny going on to become baronets of Polestown.

This sub-branch split thirdly to found a Roscrea branch in the barony of Ikerrin, County Tipperary, beginning with Walter's grandson.

The third son of James Butler, 9th Earl of Ormond, was John who occupied lands in Kilcash, near Clonmel, County Tipperary.

For example, Lady Margaret Butler of Kilkenny Castle was married to Sir William Boleyn of Blickling Hall and Hever Castle and was the grandmother of Queen Anne Boleyn, wife of Henry VIII of the House of Tudor, connecting the Butler family to the Tudor dynasty.