Nicholas St Lawrence, 9th Baron Howth

Nicholas St. Lawrence, 9th Baron Howth (c.1550–1607) was a leading member of the Anglo-Irish nobility in the late sixteenth and early seventeenth centuries.

Despite openly professing his Roman Catholic faith, he enjoyed the trust of Elizabeth I and of successive Lord Deputies of Ireland, and was even forgiven by the English Crown for signing a petition protesting against the enforcement of the Penal Laws.

In 1577 Nicholas's teenage sister Jane died after, and probably as a result of, being severely beaten by their father, and his mother was so ill-treated that she fled from home in fear of her life.

[2] According to a well-known legend, Granuaile, in about 1575 the celebrated Pirate Queen of Galway, arrived unannounced at Howth Castle for dinner, only to find the gates barred; in retaliation for the discourtesy, she took the youthful heir to the barony hostage until the family apologised.

The Nugent family pursued Dillon relentlessly with charges of corruption for several years until he was eventually cleared of any wrongdoing in 1593, and Lord Howth was closely associated with the attack.

This would explain Howth's loss of favour with the Crown since White's loyalty was deeply suspect, and he eventually died a prisoner in the Tower of London.

The following year he accompanied Russell on his campaign against the O'Byrnes of County Wicklow and the Lord Deputy wrote that Howth deserved some words of thanks from the Queen.

Howth's first wife Margaret was a daughter of Sir Christopher Barnewall of Turvey,[5] who while outwardly conforming to the Church of Ireland, had privately adhered to the Roman Catholic faith.