Redmond Roche

Redmond Roche (c. 1610 – after 1654) was an Irish politician who sat for County Cork in the Parliament of 1640–1649. He was a Protestant during his earlier life but joined the Confederateses in 1642.

Redmond Roche
BornAbout 1610
DiedAfter 1654
Spouses
  • 1. Jane Dowdall
  • 2. Alice Smith
ChildrenJane
Parent(s)David Roche, Joan Barry

Birth and origins
Family tree
Redmond Roche with wife, parents, and other selected relatives.[lower-alpha 1]
Eleanor
FitzGerald		Maurice
6th Viscount
d. 1600		Catherine
FitzGerald
David
7th Viscount
1573–1635		Joan
Barry
Maurice
8th Viscount
1597–1670		Jane
Dowdall
d. bef. 1638		Redmond
Roche		Alice
Smith
David
9th Viscount
d. 1703
Naval officer		John
Roche		Jane
Roche		Richard
Waller
Ulick
10th Viscount
d. 1733
Legend
XXXSubject of
the article		XXXViscounts
Fermoy

Redmond was born about 1610,[lower-alpha 2] probably at Castletownroche in Munster, Ireland. Redmond was the fifth and youngest son of David Roche and his wife Joan Barry. His father had succeeded in 1600 as the 7th Viscount Fermoy.[2] As son of a viscount, Redmond was entitled to the honorific "The Honourable" from birth. His father's family, the Roches, were Old English and descended from Adam de Rupe who had come to Ireland from Wales with Robert FitzStephen during the Anglo-Norman invasion of Ireland.[3]

Redmond's mother was a daughter of James FitzRichard Barry, 3rd Viscount Buttevant.[4] Redmond's mother's family, the de Barrys, were Old English like his father's. They descended from Philip de Barry, who had come to Ireland from Wales in 1183.[5]

Redmond was one of nine siblings, who are listed in his father's article. Of note are here his eldest brother, Maurice, the future 8th Viscount Fermoy, and his eldest sister, Helen, who would become the second wife of Charles MacCarthy, 1st Viscount Muskerry.

Marriages

Roche married first Jane Dowdall, the third daughter of Sir John Dowdall and his wife Elizabeth Southwell.

Redmond and Jane had one daughter:

  • Jane, who married Richard Waller, Esquire, of Dublin.

His first wife died before 1638.[6]

He married secondly, after 1636, Alice Smith, widow of William Wiseman of Bandon (died 1636), daughter of Sir Richard Smith of Ballinatray and his wife Mary Boyle, sister of Richard Boyle, 1st Earl of Cork.[7] Alice's first husband had been MP for Bandonbridge in the Irish Parliament of 1634–1635, the 1st Irish Parliament of King Charles I.

Nothing is known about children he may have had from the second marriage.

It is significant that both wives were Protestants.

Parliament

Roche was elected to the Irish Parliament of 1640–1649,[lower-alpha 3] the 2nd Irish Parliament of King Charles I, in an by-election held to replace Donough MacCarty in one of the two seats for County Cork. MacCarty had to vacate his seat in the Commons as he had on 20 February 1641 succeeded as the 2nd Viscount of Muskerry and moved to the House of Lords. Roche contested and won the resulting by-election some time early in 1641.[11]

MacCarty was Roche's nephew by marriage Sir Donough MacCarty, who had been elected as member (MP) for County Cork. MacCarty's father, the 1st Lord Muskerry had in 1599 married Roche's eldest sister Helen as his second wife.[12] Helen was thus MacCarty's stepmother and Roche was his uncle by marriage.[11]

County MPs were then known as knights of the shire.[13] Traditionally they had to be knights and the MacCartys had arranged for Donough to be knighted before his first term in the Irish Parliament of 1634–1635.[14] Roche had never been knighted and therefore became a knight of the shire who was only an esquire. This was already well accepted in the 17th century.

Roche probably sat from May 1641 to June 1642. When he arrived, Thomas Wentworth, 1st Earl of Strafford, the Lord Lieutenant was about to be executed (12 May 1641[15]) or this had just been done. Ireland was ruled (since 10 February 1641) by the joint Lord Justices Sir William Parsons, 1st Baronet of Bellamont and John Borlase.[16]

The parliamentarian records show that at the time Roche lived at Caherduggan Castle, a tower house that stood along the road between Mallow and Doneraile.[lower-alpha 4]

Irish wars

Phelim O'Neill launched the Irish Rebellion of 1641 from the northern province of Ulster in October 1641.[18] Redmond's brother Maurice, Lord Fermoy, was one of the first of the Catholic noblemen of Munster to join the rebellion and was its leader in the early times. Roche initially supported William St Leger and accompanied him in December 1641 on his expedition into County Waterford to repress the rebellion there,[19] but later followed his family into the rebellion despite his links to the Boyles through his second wife. On 22 June 1642 Roche was expelled from parliament for having joined the rebels.[20] Lady Dowdall, his mother in law by his first wife, Jane Dowdall defended Kilfinny Castle in 1642 against the insurgents but had to surrender it on 29 July 1642.

Roche surprised and seized Caherduggan Castle for the insurgents in April 1644.[21]

Death

Redmond Roche died after 1654.[22]

Timeline
As his birth date is uncertain, so are all his ages.
AgeDateEvent
01610, aboutBorn[lower-alpha 2]
14–151625, 27 MarAccession of King Charles I, succeeding King James I[23]
21–221632, 12 JanThomas Wentworth, later Earl of Strafford, appointed Lord Deputy of Ireland[24]
24–251635, 22 MarEldest brother Maurice succeeded his father as the 8th Viscount. Fermoy[25]
30–311641, 20 FebCharles MacCarthy, 1st Viscount Muskerry, died in London.[26]
30–311641, earlyReplaced Donough MacCarty as MP for County Cork[11]
30–311641, 12 MayStrafford beheaded[15]
30–311641, 23 OctOutbreak of the Rebellion[27]
31–321642, 22 JunExpelled from parliament as a rebel[20]
31–321642, 29 JulLady Dowdall surrendered Kilfinny Castle. She was his mother-in-law by his first wife.
33–341644, AprilCaptured Caherduggan Castle.[21]
34–351645, 21 OctGiovanni Battista Rinuccini, the papal nuncio, landed in Ireland.[28]
35–361646, 5 JunBattle of Benburb[29]
38–391649, 30 JanKing Charles I beheaded.[9]
38–391649, 23 FebGiovanni Battista Rinuccini, the papal nuncio, left Ireland[30]
38–391649, 15 AugOliver Cromwell landed in Dublin[31]
40–411651, 3 SepBattle of Worcester[32]
41–421652, 12 MayFall of Galway[33]
43–441654, afterDied[22]

Notes and references

Notes
  1. This family tree is based on genealogies of the Viscounts of Fermoy.[1] Also see the lists of children in the text.
  2. His birth year is constrained by his eldest brother's birth in 1593 plus the gestations of his elder siblings, and the year 1620 as he must have been 21 to stand for election as MP in 1641.
  3. Also called the "Parliament 1639–1648"[8] as its start date and end date are both affected by the shift in the start of the year from 25 March to 1 January in the calendar reform of 1750. The opening date, the 16 March 1640, was still in 1639 according to the Old Style (O.S.) calendar, in force in Great Britain and Ireland at the time. Similarly, the end date, 30 January 1649 (the execution of Charles I),[9] was still in 1648 according to O.S.[10]
  4. The site of the former Caherduggan Castle has been excavated in 2011 by the archaeological firm Rubicon Heritage in advance of the realignment of the R581 between Doneraile and Newtwopothouse in 2013.[17]

Citations
  1. Burke 1883, p. 454–456Genealogy of the viscounts of Fermoy
  2. Burke 1883, p. 455, left column, line 54. "... 24 October 1600, he [Maurice, the 6th Viscount] d. [died] at his seat at Glanogher ..."
  3. Burke 1883, p. 454. "The family of Roche was established in Ireland by Adam de Rupe of Roch Castle, co. Pembrokeshire, who accompanied Robert FitzStephen to that country in 1196."
  4. Dunlop & Cunningham 2004, p. 460, left column. "Roche [the future 7th Viscount] married, before 1593, Joan daughter of James FitzRichard Barry, Viscount Buttevant, and his wife, Ellen MacCarthy Reagh."
  5. Furnivall 1896, p. 126. "Nat longe ther aftyr, come into Irland Richard de Cogan, Miles brother, wyth fair meygne from the kynge I-sent; & ther-aftyr yn the begynnyge of Marce come Phylype de barry, a man ..."
  6. Lodge 1789, p. 16, line 23. "Jane (the first wife of Redmond Roche, Esq. the fifth son of David, Viscount of Fermoy; died before 1638 and had a daughter Jane married to Richard Waller of Dublin, Esq. ...)"
  7. Burke 1898, p. 416 . "Sir Richard Smyth, Knt., of Ballynatray, co. Waterford ... m. [married] Mary, dau. [daughter] of Roger Boyle ..."
  8. House of Commons 1878, p. 604, 6th table row. "1639 / 16 March / 1648 / 30 January"
  9. Fryde et al. 1986, p. 44, line 17. "Charles I. ... exec. 30 Jan. 1649 ..."
  10. Gerard 1913, p. 739, right column. "[The year began]... from 1155 till the reform of the calendar in 1752 on 25 March, so that 24 March was the last day ..."
  11. McGrath 1997, p. 257, line 12. "Redmond replaced his nephew by marriage, McCarthy."
  12. Ohlmeyer 2004, p. 107, left column, line 31. "Donough's mother died in or before 1599 when his father married as his second wife Ellen (died [died] in or after 1610), widow of Donnell MacCarthy Reagh and daughter of David Roch, seventh Viscount Fermoy."
  13. Harris 1930, p. 1193, left column, line . "k. [knight] of the shire, in England, one of the representatives of a shire or county in Parliament, in distinction from the representatives of cities and boroughs."
  14. Ó Siochrú 2009, Middle of the 1st paragraph. "Knighted the following year [1634] ..."
  15. Burke 1883, p. 577, left column, line 3: "He [Strafford] suffered death with characteristic firmness on Tower Hill, 12 May 1641."
  16. Dunlop 1895, p. 420, left column. "... a fresh commission issued to Parsons and Sir John Borlase, who were accordingly sworn lord justices on 10 February 1641."
  17. Nicholl 2016. "The remains of a towerhouse, an adjacent well and a surrounding ditch were revealed."
  18. Perceval-Maxwell 1994, p. 214. "Sir Phelim O'Neill struck in Ulster on the evening of Friday, 22 October [1641], 'the last day of the moon'. He took Dungannon first, and two hours later he was in the possession of the strong castle of Charlemont ..."
  19. Burke 1883, p. 455, right column, line 36. "V. Redmond, who 4 December, 1641, accompanied Sir William St. Leger, President of Munster, to quell the rebellion in co. Waterford."
  20. House of Commons 1878, p. 609. "1639 / – / Redmond Roch, esq., expelled 22 June 1642 for the rebellion. / Cahirdougan / ditto [Cork County]"
  21. McGrath 1997, p. 258, line 5. "... he seized the castle of Caherdongen in April 1644 and kept possession of the house."
  22. McGrath 1997, p. 257, line 11. "d. 1654+."
  23. Fryde et al. 1986, p. 44, line 16. "Charles I. ... acc. 27 Mar. 1625 ..."
  24. Asch 2004, p. 146, right column, line 23. "Wentworth was appointed lord deputy on 12 January 1632 ..."
  25. Dunlop 1897, p. 68, left column, bottom. "He died in the odour of loyalty at Castletown Roche on 22 March, 1635, and was buried on 12 April at the Abbey, Bridgetown."
  26. Ó Siochrú 2009, 2nd paragraph, 1st sentence start. "On the death of his father (20 February 1641) ..."
  27. Warner 1768, p. 6. "... the twenty-third October [1641] ... seized all the towns, castles, and houses belonging to the Protestants which they had force enough to possess;"
  28. Coffey 1914, p. 152, line 16. "... [Rinuccini] landed at Kenmare October, 21st [1645]."
  29. Cusack 1871, p. 317. … encamped at Benburb. Here, on the 5th of June A.D. 1646 he [Owen Roe O’Neill] won a victory …
  30. O'Sullivan 1983, p. 278. "... the San Pietro, the vessel which had brought him to Ireland and on which he now proposed to depart ... on the morning of the 23rd February 1649, Rinuccini quitted 'the place of his refuge' and went on board."
  31. Coffey 1914, p. 213. "Cromwell landed in Dublin on August 15th [1649]."
  32. Atkinson 1911, p. 420, five lines from end of page. "59. The “Crowning Mercy...On the 3rd of September, the anniversary of Dunbar, the programme was carried out exactly."
  33. Cusack 1871, p. 320. "The town [Galway] surrendered on the 12th of May 1652."

Sources
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