One of the most famous of Meath’s Anglo Norman families, the Nangle history began with the Norman invasion of Wales in the 1090s, when Norman barons settled in Pembrokeshire. It was from that colony that the Norman invaders of Ireland came in 1169/1170.

(left) The Nangle Family Crest with its distinctive 3 lozenges surmounted by a Palatinate cap signifying that the Nangles stem from one of the 10 Palatinate Barons to whom De Lacy gave territorial grants in the 12th century.

Gilbert de Angulo was one of the Norman rulers recruited by Richard Fitzgilbert Clare [better know in this country as Strongbow] when he was organizing help for Dermot MacMurrough. He and his sons Jocelyn and Honestia arrived as mercenaries.

Within two years of their arrival the Normans were in possession of some of the richest territory in Ireland, the ancient kingdoms of Leinster and Meath. And while Strongbow consolidated his hold over Leinster one of his brother knights, Hugh de Lacy, was given the old Kingdom of Meath by Henry ll as a way of balancing the power between him and Strongbow.  De Lacy then parcelled out some of his lands to his faithful knights and that is how the de Angulo family came to Meath in 1170s and 1180s.

Land around Nobber was allocated to Gilbert and areas around the river Boyne and Blackwater were given to Jocelyn. (link The Song of Dermot and the Earl).  The names Nangle, Costello and Nagle also derive from the name de Angulo.

The Nangle family followed the same pattern of settlement right throughout Ireland, first building a motte and bailey by which they could defend the territory against Irish attack. Initially the de Angelo settlements within the ‘Liberty of Meath’ prospered.  In Navan the motte and bailey were followed by the construction of an abbey, run by the Augustinian order. Members of the Nangle family served as priors of the abbey at various times, political and church power going hand in hand.

The early generations of Nangles then, settled into the job of defending their territory, providing military service to Hugh de Lacy and building what ultimately became the town of Navan. Navan is really the creation of the Nangle family and they had a title to go with it – Barons of Navan – a title that would remain in the family until the 18^th century.

The surviving fragment of Navan's Market Cross shows the arms of the Nangles and indicates their rights to hold fairs in the town. (link The Market Cross and C.C. Ellison Article)

In the early 1200s the Nangles founded themselves involved in a civil war between the de Lacys and the de Courcys, a war which eventually brought to Ireland the Lord of Ireland, King John. The Nangles fought on the de Courcy side and against the de Lacys. For a brief period they lost their land, having thus been seen as “bad boys” in the eyes of King John.  Restoration of lands occurred in the period 1207/1210. The 1220s saw the Normans push westward across the Shannon, the fifth Baron being granted title to land in the old kingdoms of Connaught.

Out of that branch are descended the Costello family, ruling the Barony of Costello. In 1303 the then Lord of Navan was involved in the English invasion of Scotland, which was featured in the film Braveheart. Another branch of the family had taken root in Munster, where the name became Nagle. In the late 15^th century the Nangle family became involved in the Lambert Simnel conspiracy.

The Lord of Navan seems to have been present at Christchurch Cathedral in Dublin on the 24^th May 1487 when the young imposter was crowned King Edward VI of Ireland. This was not really a clever move on the Nangle’s part as they were marked down as potentially disloyal, but according to the speaker Henry VII could not really do much about it as he needed his Irish lords.

Throughout the sixteenth century the Nangles continued to survive and to make marriage alliances with other Norman families.

In 1641 the Ulster Rising occurred, and by October it had spread southwards into Meath. The Nangles choose the Catholic cause and became participants in the Civil War and afterwards in the first modern Irish Independent Government. Robert Nangle served for a while on the supreme council of the Confederation of Kilkenny.

On the military front the Nangles served in the armies of Leinster. But they had backed the wrong cause again. Much of their land was confiscated under the terms of the Cromwellian plantation. They were lucky – their lands were restored under Charles II – but the restoration settlement could not give them back political power over the town of Navan or the County of Meath.

One of the Nangles, Walter Nangle, managed to serve as High Sheriff of Meath in 1663, However. Many Nangles were listed as having taken part in the Battle of the Boyne. From the Meath area were Captain Walter Nangle and his brother, George, grandsons of the Robert Nangle who served in the Confederation Parliament. The last person to hold the title Baron of Navan was Francis Nangle who died in Austria in 1781.

Burke’s peerage lists a Francis Edward Nangle OBE, who served as High Sheriff of Armagh in the 1960s but the most direct line of descent from the Nangles is Jocelyn Francis Nangle, born 1910, and listed as living in Surrey.

The town of Navan is the personal legacy of the de Angulo / Nangle family. They were a remarkable family who made a successful career for themselves in Ireland and whose history in Co. Meath extends through the highest offices of the land, in the Government of King James II and in the Catholic Confederation, and outwards into Europe and to the ranks of the Irish Brigade of the French Army and to the Imperial Artillery regiments of the Austrian Army of the eighteenth century.

Kildalkey House

is two storey over basement house and is now the parochial house. Walter Nangle erected a house at Kildalkey in 1725. The current house may date from about 1840. It became the residence of the parish priest of Kildalkey and in 1903 the parish purchased the house.

The Nangle family of Kildalkey sprang from Walter Nangle, the eight and youngest son of Sir Thomas Nangle, 17 th Baron of Navan. Walter was born some time before 1561 and the family became well established at Kildalkey by the early 17th century. Jocelyn Nangle of Kildalkey was involved in the rebellion of the 1640s. Walter Nangle was born in 1700 and inherited the estate at Kildalkey on the death of his father in 1721. He married twice and was succeeded by his son, Edward. Edward‟s son, James Francis Nangle, became a Justice of the Peace in 1797 and was appointed Deputy Governor of County Meath. James Nangle of Kildalkey died at his seat in 1812. He was born in Spain as some of the family had moved abroad during the penal days. He was succeeded by his uncle, Walter Nangle. Walter‟s son, Charles, inherited Kildalkey in  Charles married Cecelia, daughter of Richard Barnewall, of Bloomsbury, and the widow of John Connolly of Newhaggard. They lived at Newhaggard House. Charles died bankrupt in 1847 and the Kildalkey property left the Nangle family.

The Hodgens family came into possession of Kildalkey estates. Thomas Hodgens bequeathed £1000 for the establishment of Almshouses at Kildalkey and an annual bequest of £60 for the inmates. The Hodgens family lived mainly in Dublin leasing out their Kildalkey estates.

Source: meath-roots.com

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Gilbert de Angelo and his son, Joceline, came over to Ireland with the Earl Strongbow, who made Gilbert a grant of Magheragalen.   His name appears as a witness to the grant of Howth to Sir Almeric de St. Laurence.   He had two other sons besides Joceline, Hostilio de Angulo, who obtained a grant of lands in Connaught, afterward and now called after him, the barony of Costello, in the county of Mayo.  His descendants were called Mac Histilio, corrupted into Costello, and his descendants and representatives are still possessed of a good estate in that barony.  Another son settles in the county of Cork, having obtained a grant of lands in the barony of Fermoy, called Moneaminy.  Silvanus Spenser, son of Edmond, the poet, married Ellen, eldest daughter of David Nangle, of Nagle, of Moneaminy, who died in 1637.  Sir Richard Nangle, Attorney-General to King James II, was of this family, as is Sir Richard Nagle, of Jamestown in the county of Westmeath.

Joceline de Angulo, above mentioned, had a grant of the barony of Navan from Sir Hugh de Lacy, and thus, as stated in the inscription, became the first Baron of the Navan, and one of the magnates of the palatine honour of Meath.

Gilbert de Angulo, his son, second Baron, rebelled against King John, but, having submitted, had a pardon under the great seal, now on record on the Close Roll of the year 1207 in the Tower of London.

William de Angelo, son of Gilbert, was included in his father’s pardon, and paid 300 marks for a writ of a restitution of his lands, as appears in an entry on the Close Roll in the Tower of London for the year 1210.

Philip de Angulo, son of William, had livery of his lands in 1215.  Walter de Lacy, then lord of Meath, granted and confirmed to him his lands, etc., in Meath, to which grant Geoffrey de Montemarisco (or De Marisco), Lord Justiciary of Ireland, was a witness.  This Philip is the person alluded to in the inscription ‘aliquando Baro de Novan’, there having been no other Philip Baron of the Navan.

John Nangle, Baron of the Navan, who died in 1517, married Elinor, daughter and heir of Sir Thomas Dowdall, Knight, and this marriage is noted by the quartering of the arms of Dowdall on the stone No. I.

Patrick Nangle, Baron of the Navan, the grandson of Martin, became a Protestant, and married Mary, daughter of Sir Richard Bolton of Brazil, Knight, Lord Chancellor of Ireland, and had an only daughter, wife of Dudley Loftus, Esq., LL. D., Judge of the Prerogative Court of Armagh.  He was succeeded in his barony by his brother, George Nangle, who died 1676, leaving a son, John Nangle, Baron of the Navan, living, 1685, leaving two sons, Thomas and Jasper, and four daughters.

There were many junior branches of this ancient family, of which the representatives still exist. The Nangles matched with the first and most boble families in Ireland.

It is to be regretted that the remainder of the stone has been lost. It may hereafter turn up.”

*The colours or border are not represented on the stone.