Clan Rising

Plunkett

also Plunket

Of the Pale and the saint, Saint Oliver Plunkett, the last Catholic martyr in England.

Origin
Leinster, Ireland
Motto
Festina lente
Famous bearer
Saint Oliver Plunkett (1625–1681), Archbishop of Armagh, last Catholic martyr in England
Register
Irish family
Territory of Plunkett

CoreHistoric reach

The seat of Plunkett

Seat vacant

Chief

No one leads the Plunkett community yet. When the movement opens, you can stand for its leadership, or help elect whoever does.

Current mission

No shared goal set yet. Once Plunkett has leadership, it sets the public focus: a restoration, a gathering, a real-world project that helps its own.

The Plunkett clan is being rebuilt. Join the waiting list for the movement today, and you help decide who leads it and what it does.

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Motto

Festina lente

“Make haste slowly”

What does the Plunkett name mean?

Anglo-Norman, from le Plonquet, diminutive of plonque, 'a small piece of wood' or 'a stake', though the etymology is contested. A French Norman family, settled in England by the early 12th century, who came to Ireland with the late-Plantagenet Anglo-Norman migrations of the 13th century. The Plunketts settled principally in north Leinster, Meath, Louth and the northern Pale, where they remained one of the most consistent of the 'Old English' Catholic Anglo-Norman families through the early modern period.

The history of Plunkett

The Plunketts established themselves in north Leinster from the mid-13th century and rose to baronial status, the baronies of Killeen, Dunsany and Louth all in Plunkett hands by the 15th century. Three brothers of the family, all consecrated bishops in the 17th century, are the central figures of Plunkett history.

Saint Oliver Plunkett (1625–1681), Archbishop of Armagh and Primate of All Ireland from 1669, was the last Catholic martyred in England. Caught in the hysteria of the Popish Plot of 1678, he was tried at Westminster on entirely fabricated charges of conspiring with the French, refused to plead guilty in exchange for exile, and was hanged, drawn and quartered at Tyburn on 1 July 1681. He was canonised in 1975, the first new Irish saint in seven centuries. His preserved head, taken from the quartered body by the priest who attended him at his execution, is held in a glass reliquary at St Peter's Church in Drogheda.

Joseph Mary Plunkett (1887–1916), the poet and one of the seven signatories of the Proclamation of the Irish Republic, was executed by firing squad in Kilmainham Gaol on 4 May 1916, hours after marrying Grace Gifford in the prison chapel. The wedding-and-execution remains among the most affecting episodes of the 1916 Rising and is the basis of the Wolfe Tones song Grace.

Champions of the Plunkett name

The bearers whose lives are inseparable from this surname. Each has its own page — biography, achievements, geography, connection to the family.

Step Into History

Walk the streets and seats the Plunkett name knew — a photoreal walk through time, on foot.

Step Into History · New

Walk Dublin in 1756Enter →

Georgian Dublin in the year of Rocque's great map — College Green, the Liberties' weavers, the Liffey quays and Christ Church.

Notable bearers of the Plunkett name

  • Saint Oliver Plunkett (1625–1681), Archbishop of Armagh, last Catholic martyr in England
  • Joseph Mary Plunkett (1887–1916), poet, signatory of the 1916 Proclamation
  • Sir Horace Plunkett (1854–1932), agricultural reformer, founder of the IAOS co-operative movement

Stories of Plunkett

Frequently asked

What does the surname Plunkett mean?

Anglo-Norman, from le Plonquet, diminutive of plonque, 'a small piece of wood' or 'a stake', though the etymology is contested. A French Norman family, settled in England by the early 12th century, who came to Ireland with the late-Plantagenet Anglo-Norman migrations of the 13th century. The Plunketts settled principally in north Leinster, Meath, Louth and the northern Pale, where they remained one of the most consistent of the 'Old English' Catholic Anglo-Norman families through the early modern period. The Plunketts established themselves in north Leinster from the mid-13th century and rose to baronial status, the baronies of Killeen, Dunsany and Louth all in Plunkett hands by the 15th century.

Where does the Plunkett family come from?

The Plunkett family is rooted in Leinster, in Ireland. Within that, the name was particularly concentrated in Meath and Louth. The atlas page for the name records the historical territory it has held over the centuries.

Where did the Plunkett family historically hold territory?

At its greatest historical extent, the Plunkett name has been concentrated in Dublin. The atlas page distinguishes the core territory of the name from this wider historical reach with hatched silhouettes on the map.

Is Plunkett a Ireland surname?

Yes, Plunkett is a Ireland surname. Its editorial home in this atlas is Ireland, where the historical territory and family record of the name are concentrated.

How old is the Plunkett surname?

The Plunketts established themselves in north Leinster from the mid-13th century and rose to baronial status, the baronies of Killeen, Dunsany and Louth all in Plunkett hands by the 15th century. European hereditary surnames crystallised broadly between the 12th and 14th centuries, and the Plunkett name took its modern form within that long settlement.

What is the Plunkett family known for?

Of the Pale and the saint, Saint Oliver Plunkett, the last Catholic martyr in England. The Plunketts established themselves in north Leinster from the mid-13th century and rose to baronial status, the baronies of Killeen, Dunsany and Louth all in Plunkett hands by the 15th century.

What is the Plunkett motto?

The motto of the Plunkett family is "Festina lente", which translates as "Make haste slowly". Family mottoes were registered with the chief of the name and carried on the heraldic arms and battle-banners.

What does "Festina lente" mean in English?

"Festina lente" is the motto of the Plunkett family. In English it means "Make haste slowly". The phrase is typically rendered in Latin, though some Highland families carry their motto in Gaelic and some Norman lines in Old French.

Who is the most famous Plunkett?

The best-known bearer of the Plunkett name is Saint Oliver Plunkett (1625–1681), Archbishop of Armagh, last Catholic martyr in England. Other prominent figures of the family include Joseph Mary Plunkett (1887–1916), poet, signatory of the 1916 Proclamation and Sir Horace Plunkett (1854–1932), agricultural reformer, founder of the IAOS co-operative movement.

Who are some famous Plunketts?

Notable bearers of the Plunkett name include Saint Oliver Plunkett (1625–1681), Archbishop of Armagh, last Catholic martyr in England, Joseph Mary Plunkett (1887–1916), poet, signatory of the 1916 Proclamation and Sir Horace Plunkett (1854–1932), agricultural reformer, founder of the IAOS co-operative movement. Each is profiled on the family page, with cross-links to the geography, stories, and historical events tied to their life.

What stories are told about the Plunkett family?

The Plunkett family is associated with Joseph Mary Plunkett's wedding at Kilmainham. Each story has its own page on this site with the full account, the date, the location, and the other families involved.

What is the story of Joseph Mary Plunkett's wedding at Kilmainham?

Joseph Mary Plunkett, the youngest of the seven signatories of the Proclamation of the Irish Republic, poet, son of a papal count, was twenty-eight years old and dying of glandular tuberculosis when he came out of the General Post Office at the surrender on the twenty-ninth of April 1916. He had a tracheotomy scar at his throat. The event is dated to 1916.

Is Plunket the same family as Plunkett?

Yes. Plunket is a historical spelling variant of the Plunkett name. The two share the same lineage and family affiliation; different parishes, clerks and migration registrars recorded the same name in slightly different forms, and the variant spellings sit on the same family tree.

Where is the Plunkett surname found today?

Ireland is the primary historical home of the Plunkett surname. In the modern era, the name is also borne across the wider diaspora, particularly in the United States, Canada, Australia and New Zealand, where families carry the line of descent from the same Ireland origin recorded on this page.

What does the Clan Rising page for the Plunkett family cover?

The Clan Rising page for the Plunkett family covers the meaning of the surname, the historical geography of the name, the family motto, famous bearers of the name, traditional stories and the seat of the head of the family. Each section is linked to the underlying atlas of Ireland so the name can be read in the geography that shaped it.

Who is the head of the Plunkett family today?

The seat for the head of the Plunkett family is currently vacant on this register. Clan Rising is rebuilding the chief and family structure for the modern era, and the family page allows readers to claim the seat or pledge to the name.

Neighbouring clans