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»;tIIE ancient and distinf;nislied family of Devcreux, of Bal- niiigir, was, beyond a doulit, the most affluent and iufluen- tial of all the old Stronghonian families which colonised " ye English baronies" of the County Wex- ford, namely, " Shilhiirue or Shelburne, Bargye, and Forthe," immediately after the invasion under Robert FitzStephen, Raymond le Gros,' Lis uncle Maurice Fitz- Gerald, and Richard FitzGilbert de Clare, Earl of Pembroke, or " Strongbow," the chief of the expedition. These three baronies comprise the southern portion of the county, and may fairly be designated " the cradle of the English race in Ireland." The Devereuxes maintained their power and independence for many centuries, as evinced by the fact that in the numerous and bloody conflicts which took place between the native Irish, headed by the clans Kavanagh and Kinsellagh, and the foreigners or " Galls," as their enemies called them, the head of the house of Devereux was usually selected to lead the Anglo-Norman troops of the County Wexford.

Before entering into a more minute account of the Wexford branches of the family, it will be interesting to glance at the early origin of the name. The surname of the family is derived from the town ...