Richard St Lawrence, 7th Baron Howth

Richard St Lawrence, 7th Baron Howth (c.1510-1558 ) was an Anglo-Irish nobleman and military commander.

Family
He was the second son of Christopher St Lawrence, 5th Baron Howth and Anne Bermingham. He succeeded to the title in 1549 on the death of his brother Edward, 6th Baron, who had outlived his only son. Richard married Lady Catherine FitzGerald, daughter of Gerald FitzGerald, 9th Earl of Kildare but had no children.

Career
Whereas his brother Edward is said to have left no mark on the history of his time, Richard was a figure of some importance. He had some legal training, having entered Lincoln's Inn in 1541. He was a justice of the peace for Meath and Dublin, and sat on the Commission for Gaol Delivery. He was also entrusted with levying of subsidy. He enjoyed the confidence of the English Crown and was on good terms with successive Deputies, Sir Edward Bellingham, Sir James Croft and Thomas Radclyffe, 3rd Earl of Sussex.

He is mainly remembered as a military figure; he is said to have played a leading role in all the military expeditions of his day. His most famous campaign was against the Scots at Lecale in 1551. He defeated Shane O'Neill in an engagement in 1553, and saw further action in 1555. In 1556 Sussex sent him on another expedition against the Scots, whom he defeated at Glenarm. In 1558 in the absence of the Lord Deputy of Ireland he was appointed one of the guardians of the Pale, and was credited with maintaining firm order.

He died at Drogheda in the autumn of 1558, and was succeeded in the title by his brother Christopher, 8th Baron