James Butler, 3rd Earl of Ormond

James Butler
3rd Earl of Ormond
Known forEarl of Ormond, Governor of Ireland, founder of Gowran Castle
Bornc. 1359
Died7 September 1405
Gowran Castle, Ireland
BuriedSt. Mary's Collegiate Church, Gowran, Ireland
NationalityIrish
Spouse(s)Anne Welles, Katherine FitzGerald of Desmond
IssueJames Butler, 4th Earl of Ormond, Sir Richard Butler of Polestown, Anne Butler, Sir Philip Butler, Sir Ralph Butler, James "Gallda" Butler, Edmund Butler, Gerald Butler, Theobald Butler, Thomas Le Boteller (illegitimate son)
FatherJames Butler, 2nd Earl of Ormond
MotherEleanor de Bohun
OccupationNoble, Governor of Ireland

James Butler, 3rd Earl of Ormond (c. 1359 – 7 September 1405), was a noble in the Peerage of Ireland. He acceded to the title in 1382, and built Gowran Castle three years later in 1385 close to the centre of Gowran, making it his usual residence, whence his common epithet, The Earl of Gowran.

James died in Gowran Castle in 1405 and is buried in St. Mary's Collegiate Church, Gowran together with his father James Butler, 2nd Earl of Ormond, his grandfather James Butler, 1st Earl of Ormond and his great great grandfather Edmund Butler, Earl of Carrick and 6th Chief Butler of Ireland. James, the 2nd Earl, was usually called The Noble Earl, being a great-grandson, through his mother, Eleanor de Bohun, of King Edward I of England.