Thomas Eyre was an Irish military engineer. Thomas Eyre was the second son of Colonel Samuel Eyre of Eyreville,

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 ...

. In 1738, he joined the regiment of

James Oglethorpe Lieutenant-General James Edward Oglethorpe (22 December 1696 – 30 June 1785) was a British Army officer, Tory politician and colonial administrator best known for founding the Province of Georgia in British North America. As a social refo ...

, the founder of the Colony of Georgia, and sailed to the colony. He rose from the rank of cadet to be sub-engineer for Georgia and

South Carolina South Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders North Carolina to the north and northeast, the Atlantic Ocean to the southeast, and Georgia (U.S. state), Georg ...

by 1743, when he left for England. As a lieutenant, Eyre joined Trelawney's Regiment of Foot, headed by Edward Trelawney, Governor of Jamaica. He served in

Jamaica Jamaica is an island country in the Caribbean Sea and the West Indies. At , it is the third-largest island—after Cuba and Hispaniola—of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean. Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, west of Hispaniola (the is ...

and at Roatán (Rattan), and was promoted to captain in 1748. Eyre retired from active duty in 1752. On 31 August 1752, Eyre was appointed Surveyor General of Ireland, having purchased the office from Arthur Jones-Nevill. Joseph Jarratt worked as his deputy in this role. He undertook works at the Royal Barracks in Dublin, but the condition of the barracks was criticised by the Commissioners of the Ordnance for Ireland. As Surveyor General, he was also involved in harbour works at

Dún Laoghaire Dún Laoghaire ( , ) is a suburban coastal town in County Dublin in Ireland. It is the administrative centre of the county of Dún Laoghaire–Rathdown. The town was built up alongside a small existing settlement following 1816 legislation th ...

, and was responsible for the rebuilding of the State Apartments at

Dublin Castle Dublin Castle () is a major Government of Ireland, Irish government complex, conference centre, and tourist attraction. It is located off Dame Street in central Dublin. It is a former motte-and-bailey castle and was chosen for its position at ...

. In 1763, the office of Surveyor General was abolished, and Eyre was transferred to the new post of Chief Engineer of the Ordnance. He also represented Thomastown and Fore 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, ...

. Hugh Montgomery-Massingberd, ''Burke's Irish Family Records'' (London, 1976) page 396, cited in Darryl Lundy
Colonel Thomas Eyre
thepeerage.com, accessed 7 April 2012 Eyre died at Parliament House, Dublin, on 22 February 1772

References

* 1772 deaths Engineers from County Galway Irish officers in the British Army 49th Regiment of Foot officers Members of the Parliament of Ireland (pre-1801) for County Kilkenny constituencies Members of the Parliament of Ireland (pre-1801) for County Westmeath constituencies Irish MPs 1761–1768 Irish MPs 1769–1776 Year of birth unknown Surveyors General of Ireland Military personnel from County Galway Irish military engineers {{Ireland-pre1801-MP-stub