Theobald Butler, 1st Baron Cahir

Theobald was the eldest son of Piers Butler and his wife, née Butler, whose first name is unknown. His father was the younger brother of Thomas Butler, 1st Baron Cahir of the first creation. His father's family, the Butlers of Cahir (also spelt Caher or Cahier) were a cadet line of the Butlers of Ormond that started with James Gallda Butler, a younger son of James Butler, 3rd Earl of Ormond. His mother was a daughter of MacPierce, Lord Dunboyne.[3]

His father, Piers Butler, felt that he was oppressed by Ormond and sided in 1565 with Gerald FitzGerald, 14th Earl of Desmond fighting on the losing side against the Ormonds in the Battle of Affane.[4]

Butler married Mary Cusack, daughter of Sir Thomas Cusack of Cussington, County Meath, Lord Chancellor of Ireland, and his second wife Maud Darcy.[5]

Theobald and Mary had six sons:

1. Thomas Butler, 2nd Baron Cahir (c. 1568 – 1627), his successor[6]
2. Piers of Cloghcullie (Clocully), County Tipperary, who married Eleanor, the daughter of Pierce Butler of Callan, County Kilkenny and left a son Thomas;, who became the 3rd Baron[lower-alpha 2]
3. Edmund Butler, died childless[9]
4. Richard of Clonbrogan, the father of Pierce whose son Theobald became the 5th Baron Cahir.[10]
5. James of Knocklofty (died 1630), whose son Theobald (died 1630) was involved in the rebellion of 1598[11]
6. John, of Cloughbridy[12]

—and two or three daughters:

1. Ellen, married Richard Butler of Ballyboe, County Tipperary[13]
2. Mary, married Cormac MacDermot MacCarthy, 16th Lord of Muskerry, and was the mother of Charles MacCarthy, 1st Viscount Muskerry[14][15]
3. Eleanor (although her existence is debatable), who was said to have married John Butler, eldest son of James Butler, 2nd Baron Dunboyne; but the claim, made in the course of an inheritance dispute over the right to the Dunboyne title, was probably false.[16]

In 1567 Butler was knighted at Clonmel by Henry Sidney,[17][18] who had been appointed lord deputy of Ireland in 1565.[19]

Butler was the nephew of Thomas Butler, 1st Baron Cahir (of the first creation, which occurred in 1542). When Butler's first cousin Edmund, the 2nd Baron, died without issue in 1560, the title became extinct. It was, however, revived on 6 May 1583 by Queen Elizabeth I of England in Butler's favour.[20] He became the 1st Baron Cahir (of the second creation) and ruled much of the barony of Iffa and Offa West.

Cahir died on 28 April 1596 at Cahir, County Tipperary.[21] He was succeeded by his eldest son Thomas as the 2nd Baron Cahir of the second creation.