One morning in 1797 the Ancient Britons [a Welsh Regiment of the English Army ] accompanied by Becker’s Yeomanry, rode out from Newry through Corrags until they came to a loanan which, over a hill, led to the farm of a widow woman, one Mrs Ryan.
Pre 1800
Death of Shane O’Neill
We wish to demonstrate by this present series of historical articles on the mid-sixteenth century and the role of Shane O’Neill in particular, that Nicholas Bagenal – the ‘hero’ of ‘Bagenal’s Caisle
Mr Justice Dowdall and Thomas Stukeley were sent by the English Government to Shane O’Neill for the purpose of conferring with him but they met with little success.
In contempt the proud O’Neill stated that he never made peace with the Queen except at her own seeking and he arrogantly boasted that he would keep from O’Donnell his country (Donegal) and Newry from Bagenal and Dundrum from Kildare.
Even the English Deputy acknowledged O’Neill’s strong position: he was, he said, ‘the only strong and rich man in
In Newry Nicholas Bagenal despaired completely and in March 1567 he made a bargain with the aforementioned Thomas Stukeley to sell to him all his lands in
1641-1956 Newry Events
1641 Sir Con Magennis briefly took Newry for the Irish in the Rebellion. It was shortly retaken by Lord Conway. In the following years it changed hands intermittently.
Bagenal Dynasty II
It was in the reign of Henry VIII, the most famous of English Kings that Nicholas Bagenal fled to
Shane O’Neill eliminates rivals
In Shane O’Neill’s time (1550s-60s) there was acrimony and conflict within the O’Neill clan between the English appointed Barons (or Earls) of
For example on 12th April 1562, between Newry and Carlingford Brian, the young Baron (eldest son of Matthew O’Neill) was slain, along with twenty of his retainers by Turlough Lynagh O’Neill at the head of 100 horsemen.
Turlough Lynagh O’Neill was Shane O’Neill’s tanist (second and heir apparent) under the Brehon laws. It was by this deed that Hugh, Brian’s brother became Baron of Dungannon. He was raised under English rule and patronage but, as we know, he rejected this in 1595 on the death of Turlough Lynagh and became ‘The O’Neill’.
He was almost immediately then to lead the greatest rebellion against English rule.
It is in Shane O’Neill that for the moment we are more interested. He abhorred and rejected his father’s (
… more later ….
… Bagenal decides to quit …
Tory Hunter, John Johnson
During the 18th century in Creggan, and throughout
Dudley Bagenal
Nor did ALL the Bagenal family hold true to the officially-sanctioned line of succession to the English throne! From the Ordnance Survey Memoirs of 1836 (another useful general history source) we learn the following regarding the Bagenal property acceded to Creely in Carneyhaugh …
Castle Roche, Co Louth
We have many fine examples of ancient castle ruins in our area (Bagenal’s certainly NOT being one of them!) and the one I write of now is about five miles southwest of the border at Forkhill. It is
Bagenal Dynasty I
Although the Bagenal dynasty stretched into the seventeenth and early eighteenth centuries in Newry, the only men to impact on the larger Irish stage were the first and second, Nicholas and his son Henry.