The marriage of the wealthy heiress Elizabeth Netterville of Dowth to Richard Rede, Chief Baron of the Irish Exchequer, had given grave offence to other landowning families in Meath, who had hoped to marry her to one or other of their heirs.
In 1394, some years before her marriage, Elizabeth had been abducted by the Cusack and Darcy families in an apparent attempt to gain control of her lands, and there were rumours of a similar plot in 1400.
[1] At first, the Crown appeared to take a grave view of the matter, and a powerful commission was appointed to arrest Slane and his wife.
[1] His son Christopher also received a full pardon, which covered all acts of sedition committed in the previous reign as well as the present.
[5] Katherine was awarded as her dower one-third of the manor house of Slane: her precise entitlements are set out in some detail in the Calendar of State Papers.