James Butler, 1st Earl of Wiltshire

James Butler was an English noble, the eldest son of James Butler, 4th Earl of Ormond, by his first wife, Joan de Beauchamp, Countess of Ormond.

He was created Earl of Wiltshire by King Henry VI (r. 1422-1461, 1470-1471) on 8 July 1449, for his fidelity to the Lancastrian interest. In 1451 he became Lord Deputy of Ireland. In 1452 he succeeded his father in the Earldom of Ormond and was additionally appointed Lord Lieutenant for ten years. In 1454, he was constituted Lord High Treasurer of England.

For a man who lived in a time when nobles won their lands and wealth by sword, Butler’s war record was dreadful. In 1451, he fled the Earl of Devon's private army; in 1455, he escaped from the Battle of St Albans in disguise; in 1460, he fled abroad to escape the Yorkists. He also fled from his last two battles, the Battle of Mortimer's Cross and at Towton in 1461, but was captured and executed at Newcastle in 1461.

At his peak he was worth £20,000. This would make him worth £6.3bn in 2010.