Wexford
The execution of
King Louis of France sent shock waves through the English and Irish
establishment and in April 1798 martial law was declared on County
Wexford. The Yeomen and Magistrates instigated a campaign of torture
and terror to disarm not alone the United Irish men, who were not
well organized in County Wexford, but also the Militia with it's high
number of armed Catholics.
Pitchcapping,
flogging and half hangings became the order of the day and it is said
that Archibald Hamilton Jacob, an Enniscorthy Orangeman, never left
the town without the cat-o-nine-tails and a hangmans noose. Others to
pursue a campaign of burning and terror included Hawtry White and
Hunter Gowen from north county Wexford.
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Because of his
liberal leanings Robert Carew of Castleboro, the local landlord, was
not permitted to raise either a Militia or a Yeomanry Corps and so
there was no need for the terror and burning in the Clonroche area
that was all too prevalent in other parts of the county.
On the 28 May 1798
rebellion broke out in County Wexford. In
little over a month 30,000 people were dead.
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Clonroche
Area in 1798
James Bently
Gorden was appointed Rector of Kilegney in 1799 and wrote a history
of the rebellion. His account of his own area, (Clonroche) is
interesting and the following is a synopsis of his account of the
happenings of 1798.
A lot of
murdering took place on Vinegar Hill and much greater still would it
have been had individual people not intervened. Father Philip Roche
of Poulpasty was one of these and saved many lives even from his
distant post at Lacken. He rescued some by sending for them under
false pretence of accusation and trial and then dismissed them with protections.
The exception
is the parish of Kilegney, a parish five miles south-west of
Enniscorthy of which I am present incumbent, is considerable and
remarkable in there was not a Protestant killed nor a house burned.
Surrounded on all sides before they heard of danger the Protestants
of the parish found escape impossible.
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They were
admitted as converts to the Roman Catholic church by Rev Thomas
Rodgers, the parish priest, a man of comparatively superior education
who gave them privately to understand that he expected no more than
an apparent conformity to please the multitude and seemed to have
succeeded in his influence for their protection.
Fr Philip Roche interposed in their favour whenever opportunity
occurred. Much may be attributable also to the respect of the lower
catholics to Mr Fitzhenry, a gentleman of their own religion,
resident amongst them.
Nor ought I
omit that the peasantry here had not previously been irrigated by
flogging and other violence, nor that Robert Shapland Carew, their
landlord, had immediately before the insurrection made an impressive
speech to the assembled people describing the evil consequences of
the rebellion and the acts of atrocity they would draw on themselves
from both sides.
The Rev Samual
Francis, my predecessor, was with family once forced to attend
service in the Catholic chapel and removed afterwards unmolested but
would be in danger of starving if he had not been supplied with
provisions by Mr Fitzhenry and Father Rodgers.
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