Background
Born Rose O"Neill her father was Sir Henry O"Neill of Clandeboye while her mother Martha Stafford was the daughter of an English-born official in Ireland Sir Francis Stafford.
Born Rose O"Neill her father was Sir Henry O"Neill of Clandeboye while her mother Martha Stafford was the daughter of an English-born official in Ireland Sir Francis Stafford.
A committed Catholic Antrim had been one of the largest and wealthiest landowners in Ireland, but his free-spending had run him heavily into debt and his problems had been compounded by the Irish Rebellion of 1641. Antrim had tried to steer a neutral course, gradually developing a role as a mediator between the Irish Royalists and the Catholic Irish Confederates as they negotiated a potential alliance. Following the Cromwellian conquest of Ireland, Antrim was left suddenly exposed and tried to gain favour with the new regime.
Rose worked very hard to clear her husband"s name, mortgaging her estates to raise money for his legal fees and wrote numerous letters to Charles II and other influential figures lobbying them on his behalf.
Her husband died in 1683.