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Patrick Purcell of Croagh

Lieutenant-General Patrick Purcell of Croagh (died 1651) was an Irish soldier. In his youth he fought in Germany during the Thirty Years' War. Back in Ireland he joined the Irish Rebellion of 1641 in 1642 when it reached Munster. He commanded units of the Confederate Munster Army, or precursors and successors of it, from 1642 to 1651 under their successive commanders-in-chief, Viscount Mountgarret, General Garret Barry, Viscount Muskerry, the Earl of Castlehaven, the Marquess of Ormond, and finally Hugh Dubh O'Neill. In 1651 at the surrender of Limerick to the Parliamentarians, he was excepted from pardon and executed by Henry Ireton.

Patrick Purcell of Croagh
DiedNovember 1651
Limerick
Allegiance Irish Confederation
RankLieutenant-General
Battles / wars

Early life

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Purcell was probably born in Croagh, County Limerick, between Rathkeale and Adare, south west of Limerick City. His family was Catholic, a rather obscure cadet line of the Purcells, feudal Barons of Loughmoe in County Tipperary.

Purcell married Mary, daughter of Thomas Fitzmaurice, 18th Baron Kerry by his 2nd wife Gyles (or Julia), daughter of Richard Power, 4th Baron Power, of Curraghmore.[1]

As a young man Purcell served Ferdinand III, Holy Roman Emperor, in the Thirty Years' War against Sweden and France.[2] He served under the generals Gottfried Huyn von Geleen and Claus Dietrich von Sperreuth [de] alongside Druckmüller's Croats and cuirassiers, against the Hessians and was wounded, probably at the Battle of Riebelsdorfer Berg on 15 November 1640.[3] His military rank is given as supremus vigiliarum prefectus,[4] which is Latin for the former German rank of Oberstwachtmeister [de], now Major.

Irish Rebellion of 1641

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Purcell joined the Irish Rebellion of 1641 when it reached Munster early in 1642 and Richard Butler, 3rd Viscount Mountgarret with his rebel army entered County Tipperary from Leinster. Thereupon the Catholic nobles of Munster raised their own army. Donough MacCarty, 1st Earl of Clancarty and Maurice Roche, 8th Viscount Fermoy were foremost among them. Purcell as well as his relative Theobald Purcell, Baron of Loughmoe served in this army.[5][6] They attacked the English settled there during the Plantation of Munster, besieging many of their castles.[7]

Siege of Castletown

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On 26 March 1642 Purcell besieged Castletown, County Limerick,[8] south east of Limerick City, not far from Croagh, defended by Hardress Waller, the future Cromwellian general.[9][10] The castle fell in May due to a shortage of water.[11]

Siege of King John's Castle, Limerick

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Main article: Siege of Limerick (1642)

In May and June 1642 General Garret Barry with the Irish Catholic Munster Army and Purcell attacked Limerick. The town opened its gates willingly,[12] but the Protestants, led by George Courtenay, 1st Baronet, of Newcastle,[13] defended King John's Castle in the Siege of Limerick. The besiegers attacked the castle's eastern wall and the bastion on its south-east corner by digging mines.[14] The castle surrendered on 21 June.[15]

Siege of Kilfinny Castle

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In July 1642, Purcell used artillery, captured at King John's Castle, to take Kilfinny Castle, defended by Elizabeth Dowdall,[16] Waller's mother-in-law.[17][18]

Siege of Newcastle

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In July and August 1642 Purcell besieged Newcastle, the seat of George Courtenay, which fell on 6 August.[19]

Siege of Askeaton Castle

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On 14 August 1642 Askeaton Castle surrendered to Lieutenant-Colonel Purcell.[20]

Irish Confederate Wars

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1st siege of Lismore Castle

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In 1643, Muskerry led the Confederate Munster Army in an offensive against Murrough O'Brien, 6th Baron of Inchiquin in County Waterford.[21] Purcell unsuccessfully besieged Lismore Castle, the seat of the Earls of Cork.[22] The offensive ended with the cease-fire, known as the Cessation, in September.[23]

2nd siege and capture of Lismore Castle

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In the campaign of 1645, James Tuchet, 3rd Earl of Castlehaven commanded the Confederate Munster army in its fight against Inchiquin,[24] who had allied himself with the Parliamentarians. Purcell, now Lieutenant-General, captured Lismore Castle,[25] which was defended by Major Power,[26] but Inchiquin doggedly defended the rest.[27]

 
Bunratty Castle, captured by Lord Muskerry and Purcell

Siege of Bunratty

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In 1646 the Munster army, under Edward Somerset, Earl of Glamorgan, who was favoured by Giovanni Battista Rinuccini, the papal nuncio, was sent to besiege Bunratty Castle near Limerick,[28] into which the Barnabas O'Brien, 6th Earl of Thomond, a Protestant, had admitted a Parliamentarian garrison in March.[29][30] The Confederates lacked money to pay their army.[31] After a setback on 1 April, in which the garrison drove the besiegers from their camp at Sixmilebridge,[32] the Supreme Council replaced Glamorgan with Muskerry at the end of May.[33][34] Muskerry had Lieutenant-General Purcell, Major-General Stephenson, and Colonel Purcell under him[35] with three Leinster regiments and all the Munster forces.[36] The castle's defences had been modernised by surrounding the castle proper, essentially a big tower house, with modern earthworks and forts defended by cannons.[37] These fortifications abutted on the sea and Bunratty was supported by a small squadron of the Parliamentarian Navy under Vice-Admiral William Penn. On 9 May, Lord Thomond left Bunratty for England by sea.[38] At the end of June Rinuccini came and paid the soldiers £600 (equivalent of about £123,000 in 2023[39]),[40] exhausting the last of his funds.[41] Muskerry brought two heavy cannons from Limerick for the siege.[42] When on 1 July a chance shot through a window killed McAdam, the Parliamentarian commander,[43] Muskerry pressed on[44] and the castle capitulated on 14 July.[45] The garrison was evacuated to Cork by the Parliamentarian Navy, but had to leave arms, munition, and provisions behind.[46][47]

Mutiny of the Munster Army

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The Confederate Supreme Council had in 1647 confirmed Glamorgan[a] as general of the Munster Army,[48] but the Confederation lacked the funds to pay the soldiers.[49] Glamorgan was unpopular with the troops[50] and the Munster gentry[51] because he was English. Several regiments mutinied demanding that Muskerry should be appointed general.[52]

Early in June 1647 the Supreme Council met at Clonmel near the Munster Army's camp.[53] On 12 June Muskerry, together with Lieutenant-General Purcell, rode over from the council meeting to the army's camp[54] where the troops acclaimed him as their leader and turned Glamorgan out of his command.[55] The Supreme Council ignored Muskerry's de facto take-over, upheld Glamorgan as the de jure commander who then passed the command officially to Muskerry.[56][57] In early August Muskerry handed the command over to Theobald Taaffe, another member of the peace party.[58][59][60] Neither Glamorgan, not Muskerry, nor Taaffe stopped Inchiquin, who took Cappoquin, Dromana, and Dungarvan in May[61] and sacked Cashel in September.[62]

Battle of Knocknanuss

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On 13 November 1647 Taaffe with the Confederate Munster Army lost the Battle of Knocknanuss against Inchiquin.[63] Purcell commanded two regiments of horse on the right wing alongside Alasdair Mac Colla and his redshanks.[64]

Cromwellian conquest of Ireland

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Siege of Dublin and Battle of Rathmines

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In January 1649, the Second Ormond Peace was signed.[65] The Irish Catholic Confederation was dissolved,[66] and replaced with the Royalist Alliance (also called Royalist Coalition) led by James Butler, 1st Marquess of Ormond as lord lieutenant of Ireland. Ormond decided to besiege Dublin, which was held by Michael Jones for the Parliamentarians. Ormond had Thomas Dillon, 4th Viscount Dillon and Purcell under him.

Ormond asked Purcell to occupy Baggotrath.[67] On 2 August Jones sallied and defeated Purcell and Ormond at the Battle of Rathmines.[68]

Siege of Limerick

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Purcell helped to defend the town during the Siege of Limerick. At the surrender on 27 October 1651[69] he was one of the 22 exempted by name from pardon.[70] He hid in the pest house and was arrested there together with the Terence O'Brien, bishop of Emly.[71] At the court-marshal Purcell fell on his knees and begged for his life. At his hanging he was held up by two of Ireton's musqueteers.[72] His head was affixed on St John's Gate, the southern gate of Limerick's Irishtown.[73][2]

Notes, citations, and sources

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Notes

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  1. ^ Glamorgan succeeded his father as 2nd Marquess of Worcester on 18 December 1646, but this change of title is usually ignored when dealing with Irish history.

Citations

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  1. ^ Lodge 1789a, p. 198, line 17: "Mary, first married to Patrick Purcell, of Croagh-Purcell, Major-General to the army ..."
  2. ^ a b Prodinus 1721, p. 100: "Illustrissimus dominus Patritius Purcell, totius Momoniae Vice-Generalis, magnanimus, & dexterrimus miles (in Germania sub augustae memoriae Ferdinando tertio, contra Svecum & Gallum notissimus) post captam Urbem Limericensem, patibulo suspenditur, caput abscinditur, & pertica infixa, ad portam Australem (quae porta S. Joannis dicitur) ..."
  3. ^ Carve 1859, p. 85, line 5: "Non procul hinc aberat Druckmüller cum Croatis et cataphractis, hic uno impetu hostem aggreditur, et bono eventu quadringentis captis sexcentos occidit simulque cum impedimentis ducentos quinquaginta equos in nostra castra intulit. Intra hunc mensem quo hoc loco subsistendum fuit, saepius hostem ad pugnam lacessiveramus, sed cum nusquam compareret in campo, jussu Generalium Geleen et Sperreuter, ex improviso ad arma conclamatum et classicum cantatum est, quod audientes adversarii in aciem prodierunt, saevoque praelio nobiscum congressi sunt. Hac pugna utrimque plurimi occiderunt vulneratusque e nostris Patritius Purcel est supremus vigiliarum prefectus."
  4. ^ Hennig 1952, p. 29, line 19: "Patrick Purcell, supremus vigiliarum prefectus"
  5. ^ M'Enery 1904, p. 163, penultimate line: "The principal men among the besiegers were General Gerald Barry, Patrick Pursell of Croagh, County Limerick, lord Roche, lord Muskerry ..."
  6. ^ Wiggins 2001, p. 262: "7. Theobald Purcell, titular baron of Loughmoe"
  7. ^ Westropp 1907, p. 155: "The English settlers were given possession of the castles, and Connello was divided into seignories, mainly held by Berkeley, Courtenay, Oughtred, Trenchard, Cullom, Billingsley and Agar."
  8. ^ Wiggins 2001, p. xvii, line 9: "[March 1642] / 26th / Castletown Castle, Co. Limerick, besieged by Patrick Purcell, and taken after five weeks."
  9. ^ Firth 1899, p. 128, left column: "In the conquest of Ireland he [Waller] took a prominent part, following Cromwell thither with his regiment in December 1649."
  10. ^ Little 2004c, p. 978, left column: "... by June 1650 he [Waller] had been promoted major-general."
  11. ^ Murphy 2012b, p. 142: "Eventually a shortage of water forced Waller to yield the castle [i.e. Castletown] about six weeks later on either 4 or 13 May 1642."
  12. ^ Meehan 1882, p. 28, line 11: "The inhabitants ... opened their gates to the confederates ..."
  13. ^ M'Enery 1904, p. 163, line 31: "The castle was defended by Captain George Courtenay, a younger son of Sir William Courtenay, head of the famous house of Courtenay, Earls of Devon;"
  14. ^ Wiggins 2001, p. 1: "The castle had been brought to the brink of surrender by the invisible and inexorable power of deep gallery mining."
  15. ^ Adams 1904, p. 255: "... capitulated on the 21st of June [1642]. Lord Muskerry took possession the next day."
  16. ^ Westropp 1907, p. 163: "Purcell came up with seven thousand men and three of its cannon, and fired on the castle. Defence was impossible; the indomitable woman, after enduring 'three great shot', surrendered ..."
  17. ^ Coolahan 2019, Title: "Elizabeth married Sir John Dowdall, of Kilfinny, Limerick."
  18. ^ Lodge 1789b, p. 16: "Sir John Dowdall of Kilfinny ... left five daughters, viz Anne ... Elizabeth [married] before 1630 to Hardress Waller of Castleton in the county of Limerick, Knt.;"
  19. ^ Wiggins 2001, p. 226, line 8: "In August 1642 Patrick Purcell arrived with one of the Limerick guns, and the castle was surrendered forthwith."
  20. ^ Westropp 1903, p. 168: "Lord Broghill had sent 200 soldiers to garrison the castle [Askeaton] a few months before; but the summer passed, and the Irish besieged the place, and there seemed no hope of relief. Belling preserves the terms of the capitulation: 'August 14th, 1642—Lieut-Col. Purcell and the Council of his Majesty's Catholiques for the province of Munster for the one part, the warden of Askeaton on the other. ... It was signed for the Confederates by Patrick Purcell ...' "
  21. ^ Bagwell 1895, p. 321, right column, line 7: "Muskerry threatened the county of Waterford ..."
  22. ^ Adams 1904, p. 283: "In 1643 it [Lismore] was again besieged by Lieutenant-Colonel Purcell with seven thousand foot and nine hundred horse ..."
  23. ^ Airy 1886, p. 54, right column: "... and the cessation was signed on the 15 September [1643]."
  24. ^ Castlehaven 1815, p. 54: "Towards the spring [1645] the Supreme Council ordered me to go against Inchiquin and to begin the field as early as I could."
  25. ^ Castlehaven 1815, p. 59: "I invested it; and having ordered the batteries, and lieut. general Purcell to command, and try if he could have better success with that place now ..."
  26. ^ Adams 1904, p. 284: "The following year [1645] the castle was again besieged, this time by troops under Lord Castlehaven. Major Power with a garrison of a hundred of the Earl's tenants managed to kill five hundred of the besiegers and to make terms before they surrendered."
  27. ^ Murphy, "O'Brien, Murrough", 5th paragraph: "... the confederates missed their opportunity in 1644–6 to make any substantial advance in the province."
  28. ^ Aiazza 1873, p. 155, letter by Rinuccini to Cardinal Pamphili: "March 28, 1646 – The Earl of Glamorgan, who went to Limerick to punish the defection of the Earl of Thomond, has we hear already besieged the palace in which the Earl had admitted the Parliamentarians ..."
  29. ^ Bagwell 1909, p. 115: "Thomond surrendered Bunratty to the Parliament in March 1646."
  30. ^ Gardiner 1893a, p. 54, line 16: "A Parliamentary squadron had sailed up the estuary of the Shannon and had seized Bunratty Castle, a few miles below Limerick."
  31. ^ Bagwell 1909, p. 117, line=4: "... the siege of Bunratty was likely to be raised for want of money to pay the soldiers."
  32. ^ Bagwell 1909, p. 116, in the margin: "Fight at Sixmilebridge, April 1."
  33. ^ Meehan 1882, p. 190: "Reverting to the operations before Bunratty, it is necessary to state that the detachments that Glamorgan was to have brought to England had failed to reduce the place, and that he himself was driven from his camp ... the command then devolved to Lord Muskerry ..."
  34. ^ Coonan 1954, p. 224: "To the end of May the Supreme Council at Limerick appointed Muskerry commander of the confederate force besieging Bunratty."
  35. ^ O'Donoghue 1860, p. 274, line 5: "He [Muskerry] had under him lieutenant-general Purcell, major-general Stephenson, and colonel Purcell, all of them officers trained in the great struggle known since as the thirty years' war."
  36. ^ Gilbert 1879, p. 106: "... my lord of Muskry to goe and leager Bonratty with 3 Linster regiments of foote and 300 horse, and all the Munster forces."
  37. ^ Street 1988, p. 38: "As well as the circle of earthworks and the tidal marshland the castle stood on high ground and had its own defence of a high earth mound."
  38. ^ Street 1988, p. 39: "At length, on the 9 May, Lord Thomond embarked on a ship that was to sail to Cork ..."
  39. ^ UK Retail Price Index inflation figures are based on data from Clark, Gregory (2017). "The Annual RPI and Average Earnings for Britain, 1209 to Present (New Series)". MeasuringWorth. Retrieved 7 May 2024.
  40. ^ O'Donoghue 1860, p. 273: "... he brought to Bunratty the sum of six hundred pounds ..."
  41. ^ Bagwell 1909, p. 117, line 7: "The nuncio went himself to the camp at the end of June with all that remained of the Pope's money ..."
  42. ^ O'Donoghue 1860, p. 274, line 15: "... it was resolved to send for two heavy pieces of cannon to Limerick ..."
  43. ^ Street 1988, p. 41, line 22: "It was on 1st July [1746] that the tragedy occurred ... Colonel MacAdams rose ... and passing a window when a shot passed through it and killed him."
  44. ^ Adams 1904, p. 69, line 27: "When Muskerry heard this, he decided to attack in force 'knowing how much discouraged they were at the loss of so valiant a person.' "
  45. ^ Bagwell 1909, p. 117: "On July 14 [1646] the garrison capitulated and were carried off in Penn's boats."
  46. ^ Adams 1904, p. 69, line 30: "... the garrison capitulated for their lives, and the officers their swords, and returned to Cork by water. This was in 1646."
  47. ^ Coffey 1914, p. 179, line 12: "... the garrison escaped with their lives, but leaving arms, ammunition and provisions in the hands of the Irish."
  48. ^ McGettigan, "Somerset, Edward", 6th paragraph: "In the same year [1647] he [Glamorgan] was appointed General of Munster by the confederate supreme council ..."
  49. ^ Meehan 1882, p. 215, line 7: "... the want of money and provisions ... Fifty thousand dollars, forwarded by the Holy See for the confederate armies, were still on the coast of France; but the Parliamentary cruisers stood in the way ..."
  50. ^ Meehan 1882, p. 215, line 22: "... the army reluctantly obeyed the Englishman [Glamorgan] who had superseded Muskerry."
  51. ^ Warner 1768, p. 121, line 12: "But the gentry of the province considered this as an affront, to have a stranger put upon them;"
  52. ^ Meehan 1882, p. 215, line 24: "Several regiments mutinied demanding that the latter [Muskerry] should be re-appointed ..."
  53. ^ Meehan 1882, p. 215, line 15: "In the beginning of June, the supreme council proceeded to Clonmel ..."
  54. ^ Gilbert 1879, p. 141: "My lord Muskry ... with Lieutenant Generall Pursell in his company ... putts himself in posture on a hill in sight of the armie ..."
  55. ^ Warner 1768, p. 121, line 25: "In the mean time he [Muskerry] repaired to the army, where he had great interest; and in an hour's time they declared for him, and turned Lord Glamorgan out of this command."
  56. ^ Meehan 1882, p. 215: "... Glamorgan by way of reparation to his honour, was reinstated for a few days, and then ceded the command to Muskerry"
  57. ^ Aiazza 1873, p. 268, letter by Rinuccini to Cardinal Pamphili: "March 25th, 1647 – ... In Munster a plot has been discovered, headed by Viscount Muskerry, against the Marquess of Worcester [i.e. Glamorgan] who is general there, and prosecuted with so much ardour that it may cause the loss of the whole province ..."
  58. ^ Coffey 1914, p. 194: "Early in August [1647] Muskerry laid down his command, which was given to Lord Taaffe."
  59. ^ Bagwell 1909, p. 152: "Muskerry, having got rid of Glamorgan, ... handed over the command in Munster to Taaffe."
  60. ^ Healy 1893, p. 346: "The Southerners vented their displeasure of Glamorgan in mutiny, with the result that Lord Muskerry, their old general was restored, who appointed Lord Taaffe commander."
  61. ^ Bagwell 1895, p. 323, left column, line 14: "Cappoquin and Dromana against which he had cherished designs since 1642 were easily taken. there was a little fighting at Dungarvan ... This was early in May. "
  62. ^ Meehan 1882, p. 225, line 9: "His [Inchiquin's] third raid on the Cathedral and city of Cashel, in Sept. (1647) ..."
  63. ^ Coffey 1914, p. 195: "The army then moved to Knocknanuss or Knock-na-gaoll, where on November 13th [1647] Taaffe was routed by Inchiquin."
  64. ^ Meehan 1882, p. 232: "... [on the right] 3,000 Scotch and Irish commanded by McColl, and two regiments of horse, led by Purcell; Taaffe himself being of the left ..."
  65. ^ Moody & Martin 2001, p. 406, line 5: "Second 'Ormond peace' with the Confederates (17 Jan. [1649])"
  66. ^ Duffy 2002, p. 114, line 38: "The confederacy was dissolved ..."
  67. ^ Coffey 1914, p. 213: "The fortification of Baggotrath was to have been accomplished in a night. Major General Purcell, who was in charge of this undertaking, managed to lose his way, though the distance he had to cover was barely a mile."
  68. ^ Joyce 1903, p. 202: "... to fortify the old castle of Rathmines. But Colonel Jones sallied forth in the night and surprised not only Purcell but Ormond himself and utterly routed the entire army (2nd of August 1649)."
  69. ^ Coffey 1914, p. 222, line 17: "The siege lasted until October 27th, when the town surrendered."
  70. ^ Bagwell 1909, p. 272, line 5: "Of those named the most important were Hugh O'Neill, the governor, the Bishops of Emly and Limerick, Major-General Purcell ..."
  71. ^ Lenihan 1866, p. 179, line 16: "The illustrious Terence Albert O'Brien, bishop of Emly, was taken in the pest-house, where Father Wolfe and major-general Purcell were also at the moment."
  72. ^ Lenihan 1866, p. 180, line 1: "Purcell fell on his knees, and begged earnestly for his life, but this request was denied to him : at his execution, in order to support him, he was held up by two of Ireton's musqueteers."
  73. ^ Bagwell 1909, p. 274, line 10: "His [the Bishop of Emly's] head was placed over one of the gates, as were those of Stretch and Purcell, who alone behaved in a pusillanimous manner."

Sources

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