BURGH (BOURKE, BURKE), the name of an historic Irish house, associated with Connaught for more than seven centuries. It was founded by William de Burgh, brother of Hubert de Burgh (q.v.). Before the death of Henry II. (1189) he received a grant of lands from John as lord of Ireland. At John's accession (1199) he was installed in Thomond and was governor of Lim erick. In 1199-1201 he was supporting in turn Cathal Carrach and Cathal Crovderg for the native throne, but he was expelled from Limerick in 1203, and, losing his Connaught, though not his Munster, estates, died in 1205. His son Richard, in 1227, received the land of "Connok" (Connaught), as forfeited by its king, whom he helped to fight. From 1228 to 1232 he held the high office of justiciar of Ireland. In 1234 he sided with the crown against Richard, earl marshal, who fell in battle against him. Dying in 1243, he was succeeded as lord of Connaught by his son Richard, and then by his younger son Walter, who carried on the family warfare against the native chieftains, and added greatly to his vast domains by obtaining (c. 1255) from Prince Edward a grant of "the county of Ulster," in consequence of which he was styled later earl of Ulster. At his death in 1271, he was succeeded by his son Richard as 2nd earl. In 1286 Richard ravaged and subdued Connaught, and deposed Bryan O'Neill as chief native king, substituting a nominee of his own. He also attacked the native king of Connaught in favour of that branch of the O'Conors whom his own family supported. He led his forces from Ireland to support Edward I. in his Scottish cam paigns, and on Edward Bruce's invasion of Ulster in 1315 Richard marched against him, but he had given his daughter Elizabeth in marriage to Robert Bruce, afterwards king of Scotland, about 1304. Occasionally summoned to English parliaments, he spent most of his 4o years of activity in Ireland, where he was the greatest noble of his day, usually fighting the natives or his Anglo Norman rivals, the Geraldines. The patent roll of 1290 shows that in addition to his lands in Ulster, Connaught and Munster, he had held the Isle of Man, but had surrendered it to the king.
His grandson and successor William, the 3rd earl was the son of John de Burgh by Elizabeth, lady of Clare, sister and co-heir of the last Clare, earl of Hertford (d. 1314). He married a daughter of Henry, earl of Lancaster, and was appointed lieutenant of Ireland in 1331, but was murdered in his 21st year, leaving a daughter, the sole heiress, not only of the de Burgh possessions but of vast Clare estates. She was married in child hood to Lionel, son of Edward III., who was recognized in her right as earl of Ulster, and their direct representative, the duke of York, ascended the throne in 1461 as Edward IV., since when the earldom of Ulster has been held by members of the royal family only.
On the murder of the third earl in 1333, however, his male kinsmen succeeded in holding the bulk of the Burgh territories, and adopting Irish names became virtually native chieftains. Their two main branches were those of "MacWilliam Eighter" in southern Connaught, later given the title of earls of Clan ricarde ; and "MacWilliam Oughter" who from 1603 held their territory as the viscountcy of Mayo. (See CLANRICARDE, EARLS OF; MAYO, EARLS OF.) The lords Burgh (or Borough) of Gainsborough (1487-1599) were a Lincolnshire family believed to be descended from a younger son of Hubert de Burgh. The 5th baron was lord deputy of Ireland in 1597, and his younger brother, Sir John (d. a distinguished soldier and sailor.