Lieutenant General Richard Ingoldsby (died 1712) was an

Anglo-Irish Anglo-Irish people () denotes an ethnic, social and religious grouping who are mostly the descendants and successors of the English Protestant Ascendancy in Ireland. They mostly belong to the Anglican Church of Ireland, which was the State rel ...

general, who enjoyed the personal regard of

John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough General (United Kingdom), General John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough, 1st Prince of Mindelheim, 1st Count of Nellenburg, Prince of the Holy Roman Empire, (26 May 1650 – 16 June 1722 Old Style and New Style dates, O.S.) was a Briti ...

, and later played a prominent role in the government of

Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...

.Chichester, Henry Matthews "Ingoldsby, Richard (died 1712)" ''Dictionary of National Biography '' He was the son of Colonel Sir George Ingoldsby, a soldier who came to Ireland with his cousin

Oliver Cromwell Oliver Cromwell (25 April 15993 September 1658) was an English statesman, politician and soldier, widely regarded as one of the most important figures in British history. He came to prominence during the Wars of the Three Kingdoms, initially ...

, and his wife Mary Gould, daughter of James Gould of Ludden Castle, Corbally, County Limerick. His father was the sixth son of Sir Richard Ingoldsby of Lenborough in

Buckinghamshire Buckinghamshire (, abbreviated ''Bucks'') is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England and one of the home counties. It is bordered by Northamptonshire to the north, Bedfordshire to the north-east, Hertfordshir ...

and Elizabeth Cromwell, aunt of

; his uncles included Richard Ingoldsby the regicide, and Sir Henry Ingoldsby, 1st Baronet. His father was granted substantial lands in

County Limerick County Limerick () is a western Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster and is located in the Mid-West Region, Ireland, Mid-West which comprises part of the Southern Reg ...

, and acquired other holdings in the same county by marriage: his main residence was Ballybricken Castle. He held a variety of official posts, both under Cromwell and after the Restoration. Richard was commissioned as an army officer before 1670, but little more is heard of him until 1689. Given his family's republican background, and his family connection to Oliver Cromwell, it was natural that he should welcome the

Glorious Revolution The Glorious Revolution, also known as the Revolution of 1688, was the deposition of James II and VII, James II and VII in November 1688. He was replaced by his daughter Mary II, Mary II and her Dutch husband, William III of Orange ...

, although he inclined to Toryism in later life. He was appointed colonel in 1692 and adjutant-general for the expedition against France. In 1693 he was appointed colonel of the Royal Welch Fusiliers and commanded them at the Siege of Namur. In 1696 he became a brigadier general. He claimed to have suffered serious losses, amounting to £12000, as a result of his support for the Glorious Revolution and petitioned the English Parliament for redress. He spent some time in

, and was briefly imprisoned for his involvement in a

duel A duel is an arranged engagement in combat between two people with matched weapons. During the 17th and 18th centuries (and earlier), duels were mostly single combats fought with swords (the rapier and later the small sword), but beginning in ...

between John Methuen, the Lord Chancellor of Ireland, and Thomas Fitzmaurice, 1st Earl of Kerry. King William III, anxious to avoid a scandal, quickly ordered his release. During the

War of the Spanish Succession The War of the Spanish Succession was a European great power conflict fought between 1701 and 1714. The immediate cause was the death of the childless Charles II of Spain in November 1700, which led to a struggle for control of the Spanish E ...

he became major general and then

lieutenant general Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the battlefield, who was norma ...

. He commanded a division under Marlborough 1702–6, and fought at the Battle of Schellenberg. At the Battle of Blenheim he was second in command of the first line under Charles Churchill. He became colonel of the Royal Irish Regiment in 1705. After 1707 he spent much of his time in

, being by then incapacitated from active service after being seriously wounded. He combined military and political offices: he was commander of the Irish forces Comptroller of the Ordinance and Master of the Horse, and also sat in the

Irish House of Commons The Irish House of Commons was the lower house of the Parliament of Ireland that existed from 1297 until the end of 1800. The upper house was the Irish House of Lords, House of Lords. The membership of the House of Commons was directly elected, ...

as member for Limerick City, and wielded considerable political influence locally. Despite his support for the Revolution, he was now seen as a

Tory A Tory () is an individual who supports a political philosophy known as Toryism, based on a British version of traditionalist conservatism which upholds the established social order as it has evolved through the history of Great Britain. The To ...

in politics, as was the rest of the Dublin government at the time. He was an Irish Privy Counsellor and Lord Justice of Ireland 1709–10; a letter from Marlborough makes clear that this appointment was his doing, a sign of his personal regard for Ingoldsby. He became rich enough to buy Carton House, ancestral home of the Earl of Kildare, and was recommended for a Peerage shortly before his death. Ingoldsby died in January 1712 and was buried after an impressive State funeral in Christ Church Cathedral. Buried on 9 February 1712 on the north side of the altar- the Registers of Christ Church Cathedral Dublin By his wife Frances Naper, daughter of Colonel James Naper of Loughcrew,

County Meath County Meath ( ; or simply , ) is a Counties of Ireland, county in the Eastern and Midland Region of Republic of Ireland, Ireland, within the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster. It is bordered by County Dublin to the southeast, County ...

, he had one son, Henry, who also served with the Royal Welch Fusiliers and as MP for Limerick City. He wasted most of his father's fortune on high living in London, and after his death, his heirs were forced to sell Carton back to the Earl of Kildare in 1738.

References

Sources

* *Walsh, Patrick A.; Beaumont, David "Ingoldsby, Richard" ''Cambridge Dictionary of National Biography'' 2009 {{DEFAULTSORT:Ingoldsby, Richard Irish generals 1712 deaths Members of the Parliament of Ireland (pre-1801) for County Limerick constituencies English generals Year of birth unknown British Army lieutenant generals Irish MPs 1703–1713 Members of the Privy Council of Ireland