Richard 'the Duellist' FitzGerald, 21st Knight

Duellist

Remember me, Sir, to squire Richard of Glin,
That offspring of heroes, and essence of men, Pray tell him, if Taylor be sent to the crib,
He must push out his pinnance, with foresail and jib, And steer to the city, nor think of delay,
My debts, jailers' fees, and my garnish to pay.
And tell him, I've promised that during my days,
His mountain seraglio (140) shall never want stays' (141)

So wrote John Taylor, poet and staysmaker of Rathkeale in a poem dedicated to Mr. P. P. The Poet Taylor supported a wife and large family by the manufacture of stays and by writing dedicatory odes to members of the Limerick squirearchy. A note on the family life of Richard who succeeded Edmond, we know that besides his mountain Seraglio' one Mary Canter, a sort of wife let, by whom he had 'off the record' issue, (142) Richard married twice. Some confusion exists as to whether he married his Fitzgibbon wife first and his Roche wife second or vice-versa. The following, based upon research and reason, is my personal option of the sequence of events. It may or may not be correct.

Richard, who was born c. 1706/7 was twice married. His first wife was a daughter of Alderman Dominick Roche (created Viscount Cahiravilla and Baron Tarbert in the Jacobite peerage (143)) who died between 2nd February 1701 and 27th August 1702, at which dates his will was signed and proved. (144) She, as Thomas F. Culhane surmised 'must have been a first cousin of Richards' mother and many years his senior' (145) It is not certain whether Richard had issue by her or not but when she died he married, sometime before April 1753, Mary Fitzgibbon, one of the four daughters of Patrick Fitzgibbon of Newcastle, Co. Limerick and his wife Mary de Lacy (146) Patrick was uncle to John Fitzgibbon (Cf. Fig 7) (147) who became Lord Chancellor of Ireland in 1789 and advanced in the peerage as swiftly as he had done in law, to become 1st Earl of Clare.

A beautiful oval silver cake-basket (hallmarked 1770) made by Robert Makepeace of Dublin, with the Fitzgerald and Fitzgibbon arms quartered (Cf. Fig 8) which commemorates this union is still preserved at Glin. (148) Richard's lady was to live until March 1775 and predeceased her husband by only a few months. A marriage settlement was drawn up between Richard and various members of the Fitzgibbon family, who were numerous, including the future Lord Chancellor in April 1767 (149) many years after the marriage had actually taken place - one of the chief clauses dealt with the education of and the marriage portions of Richard and Mary's two daughters. It seems likely that the future Lord Clare had a large part in the drawing up of this lengthy document, as it is very detailed and clear.

Richard received £500 dowry from Mary's father and in turn promised that he would provide a competent jointure for Mary and for their sons and daughters etc. (150) Richard lady 'was safely delivered of twins, viz, a son and daughter, by Dr. Thomas Lee of Tralee' (151) on December 26th, 1754; sometime later the son, called Edmond, died young and the daughter baptised Arabella (a Fitzgibbon family name) later married and died in 1792 (152), A younger daughter, Mary, was born some years after the twins.

Richard the Duellist

As was usual with members of his class, Richard, as a young man, went on a (the) grand tour of the continent in the 1730's. His grand nephew, John Fraunceis, writing in 1834, suggested (although he clearly mistook John for his brother Richard) that he went 'to France in some official capacity'. (153) If this was so, it must have been to the court of Sc. Germain, for the Glin Fitzgeralds were then, staunch Jacobites. It was during his continental rambles that Richard first showed prowess as a duellist. There is a tradition of his having fought with some person high in office in that country who was cased in armour' (154) and John Fraunceis wrote: 'I have a portrait of him, full length, receiving the challenge from his servant' (155) Gaughan's version reads;

'Once he fought a duel with a Spaniard but could never get his sword home, until his servant shouted out 'Sáidh é mar a sáidhtear na muca' (trans: stick him where they stick the pigs') So he lunged and pierced the Spaniard in the neck. Thereby he inflicted a fatal wound on the Spaniard who was found to be wearing chain mail under his clothes'(156) Culhane was inclined to dismiss the whole story as folklore as similar stories are or were told about Baron Keating, Centy. ORourke, Daniel O'Connell and an ancestor of the Webbs of Maidstown, Bruree. 'Humanity Dick' or 'Hair-· Trigger Dick' (Martin) features in a similar story. 'There was an occasion when a very famous Continental duellist was engaged to fight a duel with Humanity Dick.

This duellist had led an apparently charmed life, but it was discovered that he wore a suit of mail beneath his clothes. One of Humanity Dick's servants knowing this, said to his master in Irish 'Buail 6 mar mharbhuigheann fear Conamara an mhuc', meaning 'Hit him where the Connemara man kills the pig'. This he promptly did by hitting his opponent behind the ear.' (157) The long family tradition at Glin and the family owned portrait of Richard shows that this Glin tradition cannot be dismissed too lightly. Also it is possible that there were two or more noted continental duel- lists wandering about encased in armour at the same time.

Early in March 1741 at least two Dublin newspapers reported the 'Tryal of Mr. Fitzgerald for the Murder of Mr. Clarnpett' at Limerick, (158) which 'lasted a considerable time and the jury after a short space brought him in guilty of man-slaughter at large; he was touched with a cold iron." (159) This murder of Clampett was probably the result of a duel and judging by the leniency of the punishment the 'Mr. Fitzgerald' in question must have been a man of considerable rank and influence. I am not suggesting that this was Richard of Glin but it may well have been. When one considers that very often poor women apprehended for shirt or handkerchief - stealing were usually branded with a - iron, the Mr. Fitzgerald in question got off lightly. Richard, like his father, was a man of fiery temper and he later caned Thomas Studdert on the Exchange in Limerick early in 1750.

Two mementoes of Richard's continental tour have survived; "The Mystic Marriage of St. Catherine",a 16th century Parmesan Italian picture, and a Spanish Charcoal brazier, both preserved at Glin. (160)

RICHARD THE HORSEMAN
Richard was a noted horseman and it was during his time at Glin that the famous Race-course (160a) was established there - probably in the late 1 740s. We first learn of Richard's prowess as a jockey at races held near Ardfert, Co.. Kerry, in August .1746 from a letter written by Lady Theodoria Crosbie (6f Ardfert) to her sister 'Bug' (i.e. Lady Mary Tighe) on the 30th of August 1746:' we went to the famous Races (near Ardfert) - where I had the terrible mortification of seeing a horse of Willy's (Wm.Crosbie, her husband) famously beat and not only that but distanced the first heat.

'If it had not been for the shock I would have liked the diversion well en' There were five started - and all ran pretty well equal except the squire's. Dick Fitzgerald, brother of the Knight of Glin, won it - and all the ladies decket it out with ribbons - and I was obliged to give one too - which was vastly provoking' (161)

The Dublin newspapers between February (162) and June (163) 1747 carried notices of forthcoming races at Clogheen (spelled variously as Cloheen, Clougheen etc.) near Clonmel, Co. Tipperary. These were advertised to continue for seven years. However these aspirations were not realised and the Clogheen races were held sporadically between 1747 and 1755, when they 'disappear'. We know that the races were held there in 1747, 1751, 1753 and 1754. Results for other years (e.g. 1749 and 1750) are unclear as the Racing Calendar was not published for these years. Some years later a military barracks, commander the Earl of Drogheda, was set up on Clogheen race-course. (164)

At the first race meeting at Clogheen, held between Monday, July 6th and Saturday, July 11th, (inclusive) 1747, Richard had two victories: 'Last Saturday ended the Races at Clogheen, at which was present a vast concourse of nobility and gentry of the neighbouring country, as also from Mallow. The first Plate was won by Mr. Dogherty's Horse; two by Mr. Fitzgerald's Horses of the Glynn, and the other by Sir Matthew Dean, Bart, and Friday's Plate by Mr. Butler of Oarranlea'. (165) A pair of silver tazzas, chased with a band of oak-leaves, dating from Richard's victories at Clogheen are still preserved at Glin Castle and bear the inscription: "Wow by Richard Fitz-Gerald Esq. of Glin on his horse STERLING at Cloheen". (166)

In September 1749 Richard's brother-in-law, Thomas Freke Crosbie, entered his 'grey-gelding Looby' (167) for the King's Plate of 100 Guineas at the Curragh and sometime in the same month Richard purchased this horse. The results of this race (as published by Faulkner) suggest that Richard's horse grey-gelding Looby' won the first heat and came second in the second but was distanced in the third when he apparently retired. The Earl of Antrim's grey-horse Bustard was the eventual winner, followed by Sir Edward O'Brien's (of Dromoland) horse, Ranger in second place and Sir Marmaduke Wyvill's black horse, Primate, following the field. 'There never was so fine running, or so much company, upon the Curragh, in the Memory of the oldest sportsman there....' (168) wrote the Faulkner s racing correspondent. In July 1750 Mr. Fitzgerald's gelding (not named) was entered for the Trim races, (169) but Faulkner did not, apparently, publish the results.

RICHARD THE SAILOR
The Rathkeale poet, Taylor, has referred to Richards 'pinnance, with foresail and jib' in his ode to Mr. P.P. During 1764-5 Thomas Smith was Mayor of Limerick. He was Vice-Admiral of the Shannon also and as such he decided to exercise his right of sovereignty over Scattery Island in the Lower Shannon, and to cast a silver dart into the river between Loop Head and Kerry Head. He sallied forth with the Corporation and officials on Tuesday September 10th 1765 and boarded the Burton. A diary of Thursday, 12th September 1765 records: Four o' clock in the morning, wind S.S.E. all sails filled, the cutter led the van. Near Scattery the River seemed throng'd with boats and sloops; there Richard Fitzgerald, Esq., from on Board his vessel, saluted the admiral, by several discharges of Cannon, which were cheerfully re-echoed from the Burton' (170)

On Friday 13th August, between Loop Head and Kerry Head the ornately inscribed silver- dart was cast and on their return they again passed by Glin where: 'Two o' clock the Burton came with in a close view of Glin, from whence rattled through the air, several complimentary discharges of cannon, which were fully return'd from the Burton..." (171)

TROUBLE WITH THE STUDDERTS
A row developed between the Fitzgeralds and the Studderts who had leased Killeany in 1733 and 1739. This came to a head early in February 1746(172) when informations were given against the. Firzgeralds and the people of Glin, by Philip Sullivan, late of Killeany and seven other tenants of Studdert's concerning 'the battering down of Thomas Studdert's Orchard? Studdert is described as of Bunratty, Co. Clare' but the orchard was situated at Killeany. ln May (1746) information was given by Darby Collins of Glin 'as to the breaking a boat or yawl belonging to Thomas Studdert of Bunratty (173) The Fitzgerald brothers were blamed but Edmond and a James Casey of Glin gave evidence before Justice William Massy 'as to outrages committed on the lands of Glin' (174) by the Studderts.

They main- tained that the Studderts owed them arrears of rent and wasted 'a wood growing on the lands of Killeany, and which wood was not at all demiled' tho' suruptitiously possessed by them', (175) and Richard was later to claim that this 'Waste' amounted to upwards' of £2,000 (176) no doubt he exaggerated. The following day (5th July 1746) John Allen 'of Ennisconah' (on the lands of Killeany) gave information before Justice Massy complaining as 'to brutal assault on himself and others (committed) by Thomas Fitzgerald and others while in search of Philip Sullivan, whom his Master Thomas Studdert was obliged to produce at (the) next Assizes.' (177) Christopher Modler gave similar information. It would appear that the Fitzgeralds abducted Sullivan to prevent his giving information against them..

Thomas Studdert was to write about the Fitzgeralds and their followers later: "I further insist, that I have a right to call these people, clans, and so charge them with outrages, against whom so many indictments remain upon record; and where the terrors of the place are such, that the process of the law can t be served with safety; who in numbers destroyed my house, staved my boat, battered my orchard, and stole a large hay-reek in one night, and who, with two of their principals (Richard and Thomas per haps) at their head, attacked and almost murdered some of my people; who went legally armed to take those robbers; and that Mr. Thomas Fitzgerald told the present sheriffs, bailiffs, who went to replevin the cattle lately taken, that it should not be obeyed, and did not value it a fart' (178) and that if he went to where he suspected the cattle were hidden 'he would hough him.'

(179) Richard Fitzgerald, in a letter (published in the Munster Journal April 19th, 1750) denied all of Studdert's allegations and between 1746 and 1750 there were charges and counter-charges by both parties. Eventually the Studderts sold their holdings (and interests) in Killeany and other lands in the barony of lower Connelloe to others - among whom was Mrs. Elizabeth Bateman the wife of Rowland Bateman and who shortly after wards became the mother-in-law of Thomas Fitzgerald. Richard made more lettings of the Glin estates than any of his brothers and the fortuitous marriage of Catherine to Robert Fitzgerald (1752) eased many of the financial problems of Edmond, Richard and Thomas.

In the early years of his marriage, Robert spent much time in Glin and a letter which he wrote from there has survived. (180) By an agreement (181) he made with the brothers he agreed to take over the estates of Glin (that is to say, the rentals and profits) and to clear the debts of Edmond and to clear John's old debt to George Fitzgerald, now bought by David Latouche (since October, 1754).(182) However after the death of Mary, the bean tighearna (sometime in late 1753), relations between Robert and his Glin brother-in-laws great ly deteriorated. By the terms of her will, (dated 13th November 1753) Mary left all her interests to Robert, with a proviso that should he recover monies due to her from Castle Martyr and Ballinacurra, two-thirds of ten parts of it should go to Richard, with one-sixth each to Edmond and Thomas with other minor provisions for others. (183)

Robert's name lived on in Glin, after his wife died (April 1759) as a garden at Tullyglass was called "Councillor Fitzgeralds Hay yards' in 1766 (184) and later. Like the de Vere Hunts, the Franklins, the Wilsons (Caherconlish) and others Richard had a winter residence in Limerick city at the then most fashionable Newtown Pery. (Cf. Fig 9) Its position is shown on an indented lease of April 10th, 1772 between Sir Henry Harstonge and William Hogg. (185) Early, in December 1774 he advertised it:

Newtown Pery, with a large Coach House and an eight horse stable; the house is newly built, large and commodious, has every convenience and fixture that can be wished for, and finished in the most elegant manner; any person inclined to bid for the house, will be shown it by Mr. Bartholomew Hickie, (186) Merchant at the end of Fish Lane, by whom proposals will be transmitted to Richard Fitzgerald, Esq. at Glin, who will close with the first good tenant that offers the value, and who can also be supplied with the entire, or any part of the furniture of the house he may want, at a valuation, which are all of the newest fashion, and not twelve months in use.
November 24, 1774

On the 4th March 1775 Richard's wife Mary, died 'after suffering the pains of a lingering disorder' (188) and the following June 24th Richard died at Glin.(189)