Sir Henry Tichborne
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Sir Henry Tichborne PC (Ire) (1581–1667) was an English soldier and politician. He excelled at the
Siege of Drogheda The siege of Drogheda took place from 3 to 11 September 1649, at the outset of the Cromwellian conquest of Ireland. The coastal town of Drogheda was held by a mixed garrison of Irish Catholics and Royalists under the command of Sir Arthur ...
during the
Irish Rebellion of 1641 The Irish Rebellion of 1641 was an uprising in Kingdom of Ireland, Ireland, initiated on 23 October 1641 by Catholic gentry and military officers. Their demands included an end to anti-Catholic discrimination, greater Irish self-governance, and ...
. He governed Ireland as one of the two Lord Justices from 1642 to 1644. In 1647, he fought under Michael Jones against the Irish Catholic Confederates in the
Battle of Dungan's Hill The Battle of Dungan's Hill took place in County Meath, in eastern Ireland on 8 August 1647. It was fought between the armies of Confederate Ireland and the English Parliament during the Irish Confederate Wars. The Irish army was intercep ...
. He was given the Beaulieu Manor by
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 a ...
and its possession was confirmed to him at the Restoration.


Birth and origins

Henry was born in 1581 in England, the fourth son of Benjamin Tichborne and his second wife, Amphilis Weston. His father would be created the 1st Baronet of Tichborne, Hampshire, in 1621. His mother was a daughter of Richard Weston of Skrynes in
Roxwell Roxwell is a village and civil parish in the Chelmsford (borough), Chelmsford district of Essex, England. The village is approximately west from the centre of the county town of Chelmsford, and to the south of the A1060 road, on which are the pa ...
,
Essex Essex ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the East of England, and one of the home counties. It is bordered by Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, the North Sea to the east, Kent across the Thames Estuary to the ...
, and Wilburga Catesby. His branch of the family was Anglican, and he was only remotely related to the Catholic martyrs Nicholas Tichborne (died 1601) and Thomas Tichborne (died 1602).


Early life

Like many younger sons of English landowning families, Henry chose a military career. He served as a soldier in the north of Ireland, where the
Plantation of Ulster The Plantation of Ulster (; Ulster Scots dialects, Ulster Scots: ) was the organised Settler colonialism, colonisation (''Plantation (settlement or colony), plantation'') of Ulstera Provinces of Ireland, province of Irelandby people from Great ...
was in progress. He became governor of
Lifford Lifford (, historically anglicised as ''Liffer'') is the county town of County Donegal, Ireland, the administrative centre of the county and the seat of Donegal County Council, although the town of Letterkenny is often mistaken as holding this ...
, County Donegal, about 1620. He was
knighted A knight is a person granted an honorary title of a knighthood by a head of state (including the pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the church, or the country, especially in a military capacity. The concept of a knighthood ...
on 24 August 1623 at
Tichborne Tichborne is a village and Civil parishes in England, civil parish east of Winchester in Hampshire, England. History In archaeology in the south of the parish within the South Downs National Park is a bell barrow, bowl barrow and regular aggr ...
in England by King
James I James I may refer to: People *James I of Aragon (1208–1276) * James I of Sicily or James II of Aragon (1267–1327) * James I, Count of La Marche (1319–1362), Count of Ponthieu * James I, Count of Urgell (1321–1347) *James I of Cyprus (1334†...
. In December 1623, Tichbourne was appointed a Commissioner for the
Plantation Plantations are farms specializing in cash crops, usually mainly planting a single crop, with perhaps ancillary areas for vegetables for eating and so on. Plantations, centered on a plantation house, grow crops including cotton, cannabis, tob ...
of
County Londonderry County Londonderry (Ulster Scots dialects, Ulster-Scots: ''Coontie Lunnonderrie''), also known as County Derry (), is one of the six Counties of Northern Ireland, counties of Northern Ireland, one of the thirty-two Counties of Ireland, count ...
. He received large grants of land in counties Leitrim and Donegal that had been confiscated from Irish landowners. He was elected MP for Tyrone County in the Parliament of 1634–1635, the first of Charles I.


Irish wars

Ireland suffered 11 years of war from 1641 to 1652, which are usually divided into the
Rebellion of 1641 The Irish Rebellion of 1641 was an uprising in Ireland, initiated on 23 October 1641 by Catholic gentry and military officers. Their demands included an end to anti-Catholic discrimination, greater Irish self-governance, and return of confiscat ...
, the Confederate Wars, and the Cromwellian Conquest. This eleven years' war in turn forms part of the
Wars of the Three Kingdoms The Wars of the Three Kingdoms were a series of conflicts fought between 1639 and 1653 in the kingdoms of Kingdom of England, England, Kingdom of Scotland, Scotland and Kingdom of Ireland, Ireland, then separate entities in a personal union un ...
, also known as the British Civil Wars.


Siege of Drogheda

When the
Irish Rebellion of 1641 The Irish Rebellion of 1641 was an uprising in Kingdom of Ireland, Ireland, initiated on 23 October 1641 by Catholic gentry and military officers. Their demands included an end to anti-Catholic discrimination, greater Irish self-governance, and ...
broke out Tichborne was living at
Finglas Finglas (; ) is a northwestern outer suburb of Dublin, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It lies close to Junction 5 of the M50 motorway (Ireland), M50 motorway, and the N2 road (Ireland), N2 road. Nearby suburbs include Glasnevin and Ballymun; Du ...
near Dublin. He brought his family to
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 ...
for safety, and the Crown quickly enlisted his services for the defence of
Drogheda Drogheda ( , ; , meaning "bridge at the ford") is an industrial and port town in County Louth on the east coast of Ireland, north of Dublin. It is located on the Dublin–Belfast corridor on the east coast of Ireland, mostly in County Louth ...
. He held the town in Royalist hands despite the hostility of most of the inhabitants who favoured the insurgents. He showed great courage and determination and refused to contemplate surrender even when the situation was desperate. When the
garrison A garrison is any body of troops stationed in a particular location, originally to guard it. The term now often applies to certain facilities that constitute a military base or fortified military headquarters. A garrison is usually in a city ...
were reduced to eating their own horses, he said that "he would stay till the last bit of horseflesh was eaten, then fight his way out". Despite repeated onslaughts from the rebels, and some suspicion of treachery on his own side, he managed to hold out from November 1641 until 5 March 1642 when the rebels raised the siege. This was "for the English, the first good news out of Ireland in five appalling months". He then received reinforcements from James Butler, 12th Earl of Ormond and joined forces with Charles Moore, 2nd Viscount Moore of Drogheda to prevent the rebels from regaining control of
the Pale The Pale ( Irish: ''An Pháil'') or the English Pale (' or ') was the part of Ireland directly under the control of the English government in the Late Middle Ages. It had been reduced by the late 15th century to an area along the east coast s ...
. Tichbourne and Moore marched on
Dundalk Dundalk ( ; ) is the county town of County Louth, Ireland. The town is situated on the Castletown River, which flows into Dundalk Bay on the north-east coast of Ireland, and is halfway between Dublin and Belfast, close to and south of the bor ...
, which they took on 26 March: Tichborne became governor of the town.


After Drogheda

His defence of Drogheda greatly enhanced his political standing. On 11 May 1642 he was sworn of the privy council and in March 1643 King
Charles I Charles I may refer to: Kings and emperors * Charlemagne (742–814), numbered Charles I in the lists of Holy Roman Emperors and French kings * Charles I of Anjou (1226–1285), also king of Albania, Jerusalem, Naples and Sicily * Charles I of ...
appointed him
Lord Justice of Ireland The Lords Justices (more formally the Lords Justices General and General Governors of Ireland) were deputies who acted collectively in the absence of the chief governor of Ireland (latterly the Lord Lieutenant) as head of the executive branch o ...
jointly with Sir John Borlase, instead of
Sir William Parsons, 1st Baronet of Bellamont Sir William Parsons, 1st Baronet of Bellamont, PC (Ire) ( â€“ 1650), was known as a "land-hunter" expropriating land from owners whose titles were deemed defective. He also served as Surveyor General of Ireland and was an undertaker in ...
. He held office until 21 January 1644 when Ormond was appointed
Lord Lieutenant of Ireland Lord Lieutenant of Ireland (), or more formally Lieutenant General and General Governor of Ireland, was the title of the chief governor of Ireland from the Williamite Wars of 1690 until the Partition of Ireland in 1922. This spanned the K ...
. Clarendon said that he was by then a man of "so excellent a fame" that even the King's bitterest enemies in Parliament had nothing to say against the appointment. He opposed the cease-fire with the Confederates that was negotiated by Ormond and signed on 15 September 1643. In 1644 he went to England with the aim of advising the King in his negotiations with the
Irish Confederacy Confederate Ireland, also referred to as the Irish Catholic Confederation, was a period of Irish Catholic self-government between 1642 and 1652, during the Eleven Years' War. Formed by Catholic aristocrats, landed gentry, clergy and military ...
, but was captured by Parliamentary forces on his way back and spent several months in the
Tower of London The Tower of London, officially His Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress of the Tower of London, is a historic citadel and castle on the north bank of the River Thames in central London, England. It lies within the London Borough of Tower Hamle ...
, until Parliament consented to his exchange.


Siding with the English Parliament

Back in Ireland in the autumn of 1645, he resumed his office as Governor of Drogheda. He soon concluded, as did many others, that the Royalists could not retain control of Ireland: the real struggle was between the Irish Confederacy and Parliament, and Tichborne, having already fought against the Confederates, decided to throw in his lot with Parliament. Though he was initially regarded with some suspicion by his new masters, he relieved their doubts about his loyalty by fighting with distinction at the
Battle of Dungan's Hill The Battle of Dungan's Hill took place in County Meath, in eastern Ireland on 8 August 1647. It was fought between the armies of Confederate Ireland and the English Parliament during the Irish Confederate Wars. The Irish army was intercep ...
in April 1647 where Michael Jones crushed the Confederate army of
Leinster Leinster ( ; or ) is one of the four provinces of Ireland, in the southeast of Ireland. The modern province comprises the ancient Kingdoms of Meath, Leinster and Osraige, which existed during Gaelic Ireland. Following the 12th-century ...
; and he was highly rewarded as a result. At the same time he acquired a reputation for ruthlessness towards his Irish opponents which was notable even by the standards of the time: "killing many hundreds with his own hands". In 1650 he had a personal interview with
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 ...
who assured him of his goodwill, and promised him the estate of Beaulieu, forfeited by the attainder of Christopher Plunket, 2nd Earl of Fingall The estate was promised to him in 1654, but Louth and Meath had been set apart for the adventurers and he could not get it. He was eventually given equivalent lands in Wicklow in 1656. (which he eventually obtained possession of, with some difficulty). His famous letter to his wife, written in 1651, is a valuable first-hand description of the Siege of Drogheda and of his later military exploits. It has been suggested that it was intended for more widespread circulation, with a view to obtaining further reward for his services.


Restoration

From 1650 on he lived in retirement until the Restoration of Charles II, when his submission to Parliament was not held against him (such conduct having been common enough among both English and Irish royalists). Sir Henry was made marshal of the army of Ireland for life in July 1660. He was elected to 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 Sligo Borough in 1661. In 1666 he was finally confirmed by the Court of Claims as owner of the confiscated estate of Christopher Plunket, 2nd Earl of Fingall in
County Louth County Louth ( ; ) is a coastal Counties of Ireland, county in the Eastern and Midland Region of Republic of Ireland, Ireland, within the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster. Louth is bordered by the counties of County Meath, Meath to the ...
, originally promised to him by Cromwell, where he began the building of a mansion, Beaulieu House, which still exists, although it was substantially rebuilt by his grandson, Lord Ferrard. He was clearly a very rich man: as late as 1717 his great-granddaughter Judith brought a fortune to her husband Charles Spencer, 3rd Earl of Sunderland. He fell ill towards the end of the year and planned to travel to
Spa A spa is a location where mineral-rich spring water (sometimes seawater) is used to give medicinal baths. Spa health treatments are known as balneotherapy. The belief in the curative powers of mineral waters and hot springs goes back to pre ...
for his health but was too weak to leave home (he was now about eighty-five, a great age for the time). He died at Beaulieu early in 1667 and was buried in St Mary's Church, Drogheda.


Marriage and children

He married Jane, daughter of Sir Robert Newcomen of
Keenagh Keenagh or Kenagh () is a village in County Longford, Ireland. south of Longford, Longford town, it is on the R397 road (Ireland), R397 near the Royal Canal of Ireland, Royal Canal. The village has two churches (Catholic and Church of Ireland) ...
,
County Longford County Longford () is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster. It is named after the town of Longford. Longford County Council is the Local government in the Republic ...
, first of the Newcomen baronets, and his first wife Katherine Molyneux, daughter of Sir Thomas Molyneux,
Chancellor of the Exchequer of Ireland The Chancellor of the Exchequer of Ireland was the head of the Exchequer of Ireland and a member of the Dublin Castle administration under the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland in the Kingdom of Ireland. In early times the office was sometimes called ...
, and his wife Catherine Stabeort of
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. They are said to have quarrelled over his desertion of the Royalist cause, and for a time she left him and went to live on the
Isle of Man The Isle of Man ( , also ), or Mann ( ), is a self-governing British Crown Dependency in the Irish Sea, between Great Britain and Ireland. As head of state, Charles III holds the title Lord of Mann and is represented by a Lieutenant Govern ...
(although it is possible that this was for her own safety). They seem to have become reconciled in their later years, (she was of course the recipient of his famous letter of 1651), since they are buried together at Beaulieu. Jane died in 1664. Henry and Jane had eight children, five sons: #Benjamin, killed at Belruddery during the Irish Confederate war, aged 21 #William (died 1693), married Judith Bysse, daughter of John Bysse,
Chief Baron of the Irish Exchequer The Chief Baron of the Irish Exchequer was the Baron (judge) who presided over the Irish Court of Exchequer. This was a mirror of the equivalent court in England, and was one of the four courts which sat in the building in Dublin which is still ...
, and widow of Robert Molesworth, by whom he was the father of Henry, first and last Baron Ferrard #Richard, major of the Horse Guards in Ireland, died unmarried #Henry, died unmarried #Samuel, died young —and three daughters: #Dorcas, married William Toxteth, Esquire, of Drogheda, a native of
Lancashire Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated ''Lancs'') is a ceremonial county in North West England. It is bordered by Cumbria to the north, North Yorkshire and West Yorkshire to the east, Greater Manchester and Merseyside to the south, and the Irish Sea to ...
#Amphilis, married Richard Broughton, a younger brother of Sir
Edward Broughton Edward Broughton (1803 – 5 August 1831) was an English convict turned serial killer who was transported to Van Diemen's Land for fourteen years for house-breaking. He escaped from Sarah Island in Macquarie Harbour with four other convicts a ...
; in 1674, at the time of her marriage, she was painted by the noted pastellist Edmund Ashfield. #Elizabeth, married Roger West of The Rock,
County Wicklow County Wicklow ( ; ) is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. The last of the traditional 32 counties, having been formed as late as 1606 in Ireland, 1606, it is part of the Eastern and Midland Region and the Provinces ...
and Ballydugan,
County Down County Down () is one of the six counties of Northern Ireland, one of the nine counties of Ulster and one of the traditional thirty-two counties of Ireland. It covers an area of and has a population of 552,261. It borders County Antrim to the ...
, who was
High Sheriff of Down The High Sheriff of Down is the Sovereign's judicial representative in County Down. Initially an office for lifetime, assigned by the Sovereign, the High Sheriff became annually appointed from the Provisions of Oxford in 1258. Besides his judicia ...
in 1657.


Character

Tichborne was praised in his own time by the
Confederate Ireland Confederate Ireland, also referred to as the Irish Catholic Confederation, was a period of Irish Catholic Church, Catholic self-government between 1642 and 1652, during the Irish Confederate Wars, Eleven Years' War. Formed by Catholic aristoc ...
leader
Richard Bellings Sir Richard Bellings (1613–1677) was a lawyer and political figure in 17th century Ireland and in the Wars of the Three Kingdoms. He is best known for his participation in Confederate Ireland, a short-lived independent Irish state, in which he ...
as a man who was "trusty to the King, valiant and moderate", but the accuracy of this verdict has since been questioned. His willingness to come to an accommodation with Cromwell, and to be enriched by him, casts doubt on how "trusty" he was to either the King or his subsequent masters. His courage and military skill are not in dispute, but these qualities are overshadowed by his ruthlessness, even by the standards of the time, towards the Irish. He was described by a contemporary, the
regicide Regicide is the purposeful killing of a monarch or sovereign of a polity and is often associated with the usurpation of power. A regicide can also be the person responsible for the killing. The word comes from the Latin roots of ''regis'' ...
John Moore, later Governor of Dublin, as "so great an enemy to the rebels in Ireland, killing many hundreds of them at his own hand or standing by to watch them executed". Tichborne himself admitted that he was a man who "showed little mercy". A modern view is that he was valued in his own time for his military skills, but not for his political judgment or humane qualities.Armstrong 2004 p.755


Citations


Sources

* * * * – Online edition * – 1611 to 1625 * * – History based on Richard Bellings memoirs * * * * * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Tichborne, Sir Henry 1580s births 1667 deaths 17th-century Irish politicians Irish generals People from County Louth People from the City of Winchester
Henry Henry may refer to: People and fictional characters * Henry (given name), including lists of people and fictional characters * Henry (surname) * Henry, a stage name of François-Louis Henry (1786–1855), French baritone Arts and entertainmen ...
Younger sons of baronets Irish MPs 1661–1666