John Eyre (settler)
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John Eyre (died 1685) was an
English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Culture, language and peoples * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England * ''English'', an Amish ter ...
Cromwellian 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 a ...
settler in Ireland who became
Mayor of Galway The office of Mayor of Galway is an honorific title used by the of Galway City Council. The council has jurisdiction throughout its administrative area of the city of Galway which is the largest city in the province of Connacht, in Ireland. Th ...
.


Early life

Eyre was born in
Wiltshire Wiltshire (; abbreviated to Wilts) is a ceremonial county in South West England. It borders Gloucestershire to the north, Oxfordshire to the north-east, Berkshire to the east, Hampshire to the south-east, Dorset to the south, and Somerset to ...
, England, in the early 17th century, the son of Giles Eyre and Jane Snelgrove. The couple had ten sons and five daughters, John been the seventh son. They attended All Saints Church,
Whiteparish Whiteparish is a village and Civil parishes in England, civil parish on the A27 road, A27 about southeast of Salisbury in Wiltshire, England. The village is about from the county boundary with Hampshire. The parish includes the hamlets of Co ...
, where Giles and Jane are buried. Their funerary memorial, located within the church, reads:
''Buried here Gyles Eyre Esqre and Jane his wife. A man much oppressed by publick power for his laudable opposition to the measures taken in the reigns of
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and
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In the year 1640 (for then well known Court reasons) He was ... afterwards plundered at Brickworth of 2000 l. value and imprisoned for refusing to pay the sum of 400 l. illeg 1572 dyed Jan 1655 having issue 7 sons (3 of whom were likewise members of Parliament) and 4 daughters.''


In Ireland and Galway

Eyre and his younger brother Edward were officers in the forces of the Parliament, Eyre rising to the rank of major. In 1649 the brothers arrived in
Dublin Dublin is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Situated on Dublin Bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, and is bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, pa ...
as part an invasion force of 12,000 men led by
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 ...
. They saw service mainly under the command of Edward Ludlow. Eyre is mentioned as one of the officers with Ludlow when he arrived at
Galway Galway ( ; , ) is a City status in Ireland, city in (and the county town of) County Galway. It lies on the River Corrib between Lough Corrib and Galway Bay. It is the most populous settlement in the province of Connacht, the List of settleme ...
in 1651. With the surrender of the town in April 1652 the war ended, and the brothers began securing much property seized from Irish Roman Catholics, within the town and also in other parts of
County Galway County Galway ( ; ) is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is in the Northern and Western Region, taking up the south of the Provinces of Ireland, province of Connacht. The county population was 276,451 at the 20 ...
. Much land was made over to Cromwellian officers who were owed substantial pay arrears. Eyre's main landed estates were in the south-east of the county, dispossessing families such as Kelly, Madden, Horan, and Burke. In this area, known in Irish as
Síol Anmchadha Síol Anmchadha () was a sub-kingdom or lordship of Uí Maine, and ruled by an offshoot of the Uí Maine called the Síol Anmchadha (''"the seed of Anmchadh"''), from whom the territory took its name. It was located in Connacht, Ireland. Hist ...
, Eyre created the town of
Eyrecourt Eyrecourt, historically known as Donanaghta (), is a village in County Galway, Ireland. It is on the R356 regional road west of the Banagher bridge over the River Shannon. History The Eyres after whom the village is named, as well as other ...
and his main residence. This continued to be the home of generations of the family.


The Restoration and after

John and Edward Eyre were both returned as members of the Irish parliament in 1661, and John moved strongly to help preserve the settlements that had allowed them to become men of substance. However, he was absent on a number of occasions, apparently due to a serious dispute involving his brother, and Robert Martin of Ross, back in Galway. In September 1661 John Eyre was appointed
Mayor of Galway The office of Mayor of Galway is an honorific title used by the of Galway City Council. The council has jurisdiction throughout its administrative area of the city of Galway which is the largest city in the province of Connacht, in Ireland. Th ...
, Edward Eyre been re-appointed
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. Disputes between the Protestant settlers and Catholics attempting to regain lost property continued, members of families such as Browne, French, Martin, Lynch (see
The Tribes of Galway The Tribes of Galway () were 14 merchant families who dominated the political, commercial and social life of the city of Galway in western Ireland between the mid-13th and late 19th centuries. They were the families of Athy, Blake, Bodkin, Brown ...
) continued, but despite legal disputes that lasted years, none of them regained the substance of their property. In 1681, he was appointed High Sheriff of County Galway. Summing up his life, John Cronin states:
''John Eyre played a not insignificant part in radically altering mid-to-late seventeenth century Galway. ... he helped overthrow those landed Catholic families that had previously dominated the region, and well as to establish the supremacy of Protestant grandees within the area. He weakened the influence of the established Protestant church within Galway by depriving it of wealth and almost contemporaneously altered the religious make-up of the county by introducing Protestant settlers. ... To top it all off he developed a town and built a distinguished mansion ... he provides us with examples of tactics and strategies for social, economic and political advancement in early modern Ireland.''


Personal life

John Eyre married Mary Bigoe, daughter of Phillip Bigoe of Newtown, Lusmagh,
County Offaly County Offaly (; ) is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is part of the Eastern and Midland Region and the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster. It is named after the Ancient Ireland, ancient Kingdom of Uí ...
, in the 1650s. The first of their six children, John, was born in 1659. Samuel, Rowland (died young), Katherine (died young), Mary and Anne. The family remained important landowners and local politicians into the early 20th-century.


Notes


References

* ''John Eyre of Eyrecourt 1640–1685'', John Cronin, Journal of the
Galway Archaeological and Historical Society The Galway Archaeological and Historical Society was founded on 21 March 1900. It promotes historical preservation, as well as the study of the archaeology and history of the west of Ireland. As of January 2002, the Society had published 53 cons ...
, volume 60, 2008, pp. 88–115. {{DEFAULTSORT:Eyre, John 1685 deaths 17th-century Irish landowners Emigrants from the Kingdom of England to Ireland Politicians from County Galway Politicians from Wiltshire High sheriffs of County Galway Mayors of Galway Year of birth unknown People from Eyrecourt