richard talbot was undoubtedly a man of great intelligence and strong character: o'flanagan thought him a man in every way as remarkable as his brother "the great earl of shrewsbury". on the other hand, he had serious character flaws, being high-handed, quarrelsome and undiplomatic. his feud with archbishop swayne weakened the authority of the church; and his quarrel with ormonde, which seems to have been personal, is generally agreed to have been a major factor in weakening english rule in ireland. even in a turbulent age when cases of assault and even murder were common enough it was notable that talbot, despite his clerical office, was prepared to use violence, as shown by the accusation in 1442 that he beat up two senior members of the irish council, hugh banent and robert dyke.