Michael Richards (1673–1721) was an Irish

military engineer Military engineering is loosely defined as the art, science, and practice of designing and building military works and maintaining lines of military transport and military communications. Military engineers are also responsible for logistics ...

who rose to become Chief Engineer of Great Britain and

Surveyor-General of the Ordnance The Surveyor-General of the Ordnance was a subordinate of the Master-General of the Ordnance and a member of the Board of Ordnance, a British government body, from its constitution in 1597. Appointments to the post were made by the crown under ...

. He was the son of

Jacob Richards Jacob Richards (1773 – July 20, 1816) was an American politician and lawyer who served in the United States House of Representatives from 1803 to 1809, representing the 1st congressional district of Pennsylvania as a member of the Democratic-R ...

, also a leading military engineer, and the grandson of Solomon Richards. The family were Irish Protestants who owned land in

County Wexford County Wexford () is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster and is part of the Southern Region, Ireland, Southern Region. Named after the town of Wexford, it was ba ...

. His elder brothers

Jacob Jacob, later known as Israel, is a Hebrew patriarch of the Abrahamic religions. He first appears in the Torah, where he is described in the Book of Genesis as a son of Isaac and Rebecca. Accordingly, alongside his older fraternal twin brother E ...

and John Richards both pursued military careers. He was commissioned in 1692 (although he may have seen earlier service in the

Williamite War in Ireland The Williamite War in Ireland took place from March 1689 to October 1691. Fought between Jacobitism, Jacobite supporters of James II of England, James II and those of his successor, William III of England, William III, it resulted in a Williamit ...

) and served in

Flanders Flanders ( or ; ) is the Dutch language, Dutch-speaking northern portion of Belgium and one of the communities, regions and language areas of Belgium. However, there are several overlapping definitions, including ones related to culture, la ...

in the

Nine Years War The Nine Years' War was a European great power conflict from 1688 to 1697 between France and the Grand Alliance. Although largely concentrated in Europe, fighting spread to colonial possessions in the Americas, India, and West Africa. Relat ...

. He accompanied an expedition to

Newfoundland Newfoundland and Labrador is the easternmost province of Canada, in the country's Atlantic region. The province comprises the island of Newfoundland and the continental region of Labrador, having a total size of . As of 2025 the population ...

in 1697. He played a role in rebuilding the town of St. John's which had been destroyed in a French attack. In 1711, he was appointed as Chief Engineer of Great Britain, a position that had gone unfilled since the death of Sir

Martin Beckman Sir Martin Beckman (1634/35–1702) was a draughtsman/painter, Swedish-English colonel, chief engineer and master gunner of England. Life Beckman was born in Stockholm, the son of Melcher Beckman and his wife Chistiana van Benningen. He left ...

in 1702.Ostwald, p. 157. On the reappointment 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 ...

, as

Master-General of the Ordnance The Master-General of the Ordnance (MGO) was a very senior British military position from 1415 to 2013 (except 1855–1895 and 1939–1958) with some changes to the name, usually held by a serving general. The Master-General of the Ordnance was ...

in 1714, his protégé Richards was made

. Richards moved to Charlton Grove, a hilltop house in Charlton, with a view to the

Royal Arsenal The Royal Arsenal, Woolwich is an establishment on the south bank of the River Thames in Woolwich in south-east London, England, that was used for the manufacture of armaments and ammunition, proof test, proofing, and explosives research for ...

Woolwich Woolwich () is a town in South London, southeast London, England, within the Royal Borough of Greenwich. The district's location on the River Thames led to its status as an important naval, military and industrial area; a role that was mainta ...

. Here, he oversaw the building of the Royal Brass Foundry (1716–17). This

Grade I listed In the United Kingdom, a listed building is a structure of particular architectural or historic interest deserving of special protection. Such buildings are placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Hi ...

building has been attributed to both

Sir John Vanbrugh Sir John Vanbrugh (; 24 January 1664 (baptised) – 26 March 1726) was an English architect, dramatist and herald, perhaps best known as the designer of Blenheim Palace and Castle Howard. He wrote two argumentative and outspoken Restorat ...

and

Nicholas Hawksmoor Nicholas Hawksmoor ( – 25 March 1736) was an English architect. He was a leading figure of the English Baroque style of architecture in the late-seventeenth and early-eighteenth centuries. Hawksmoor worked alongside the principal architects ...

, but may have been designed by Richards himself.Saint & Guillery (2012), pp. 135-137. Richards retired from the Army with the rank of Brigadier General. His marble tomb with an effigy in full armour is in St Luke's Church in Charlton.

References

Bibliography

* (2005): ''Follow the Sapper: An Illustrated History of the Corps of Royal Engineers''. Institution of Royal Engineers. * (2007): ''Vauban Under Siege: Engineering Efficiency and Martial Vigor in the War of the Spanish Succession''. BRILL. * (2012): ''Woolwich - Survey of London, Volume 48'', Yale Books, London.
online text
{{DEFAULTSORT:Richards, Michael 17th-century Irish people 18th-century Irish people Irish soldiers 1673 births 1721 deaths Irish military engineers British Army brigadiers British military personnel of the War of the Spanish Succession Engineers from County Wexford Military personnel from County Wexford