Clare's Dragoons
Encyclopedia
The Clare's Regiment, later known as Clare's Dragoons, was initially named O'Brien's Regiment after its originator Daniel O'Brien, 3rd Viscount Clare
. An infantry regiment, they acquired the honourable nickname Clare's Dragoons.
Many of Clare's Regiment remained loyal to the dethroned James II of England
and fought against the army of William III of England
, during the Williamite War in Ireland
.
On 1 July 1751 a royal warrant provided that in future regiments would not be known by their colonels' names, but by their "number or rank". Accordingly Lieutenant-General Irvine's Regiment was redesignated as the 5th Regiment of Foot.
in 1690 and the Treaty of Limerick
signed 3 October 1691.
Note : another regiment, régiment de Bulkekey, (sic)(?) briefly took the name of régiment de Clare between 1691 and 1693.
There were two Irish regiments in French service that bore at some time the name of Clare and of O'Brien. The original O'Brien's Regiment was placed on the French establishment in 1689, and after being renamed as Clare's Regiment in 1691 it was renamed again in 1694 as Lee's Regiment.
The second Clare's Regiment which was raised in 1696. This second regiment is the one referred to in the Clare's Dragoons song. This regiment too was briefly named O'Brien's Regiment. In 1775 this second Clare's Regiment was disbanded and its troops incorporated into Berwick's Regiment.
Daniel O'Brien, 3rd Viscount Clare
Daniel O'Brien was the 3rd Viscount Clare.O'Brien was the son of Connor O'Brien, 2nd Viscount Clare and Honora O'Brien, daughter of Daniel O'Brien and Ellen FitzGerald....
. An infantry regiment, they acquired the honourable nickname Clare's Dragoons.
Many of Clare's Regiment remained loyal to the dethroned James II of England
James II of England
James II & VII was King of England and King of Ireland as James II and King of Scotland as James VII, from 6 February 1685. He was the last Catholic monarch to reign over the Kingdoms of England, Scotland, and Ireland...
and fought against the army of William III of England
William III of England
William III & II was a sovereign Prince of Orange of the House of Orange-Nassau by birth. From 1672 he governed as Stadtholder William III of Orange over Holland, Zeeland, Utrecht, Guelders, and Overijssel of the Dutch Republic. From 1689 he reigned as William III over England and Ireland...
, during the Williamite War in Ireland
Williamite war in Ireland
The Williamite War in Ireland—also called the Jacobite War in Ireland, the Williamite-Jacobite War in Ireland and in Irish as Cogadh an Dá Rí —was a conflict between Catholic King James II and Protestant King William of Orange over who would be King of England, Scotland and Ireland...
.
Clare's regiment's fate, the 5th Regiment of Foot
| Commanded by | appointed | regiment known as | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Daniel O'Brian, Viscount Clare Daniel O'Brien, 3rd Viscount Clare Daniel O'Brien was the 3rd Viscount Clare.O'Brien was the son of Connor O'Brien, 2nd Viscount Clare and Honora O'Brien, daughter of Daniel O'Brien and Ellen FitzGerald.... |
|
Clare's Regiment of Foot | Irish regiment of the Dutch Service |
| Sir John Fenwick | |
Fenwick's Regiment of Foot | Dutch Service |
| Henry Wisely or Wesley | |
Wisely's Regiment of Foot | Dutch Service |
| Thomas Monk | |
Monk's Regiment of Foot | Dutch Service to 1685 |
| Thomas Tollemache Thomas Tollemache Thomas Tollemache was an English soldier; the second son of Sir Lionel Tollemache of Helmingham, Suffolk and his wife, Elizabeth, 2nd Countess of Dysart.... |
|
Tollemache's Regiment of Foot | English Establishment from 1685 |
| Edward Lloyd | |
Lloyd's Regiment of Foot | |
| Thomas Fairfax Thomas Fairfax, 5th Lord Fairfax of Cameron Thomas Fairfax, 5th Lord Fairfax of Cameron was the great-grandson of Thomas Fairfax, 1st Lord Fairfax of Cameron. His father was Henry Fairfax, 4th Lord Fairfax of Cameron and his mother was Francis Barwick... |
|
Fairfax's Regiment of Foot | |
| Thomas Pearce | |
Pearce's Regiment of Foot | |
| Sir John Cope John Cope (soldier) Sir John Cope KB was a British general and member of parliament. A successful officer in the Wars of the Spanish and Austrian Succession he is best known for his defeat at the Battle of Prestonpans in 1745.-Life:... |
|
Cope's Regiment of Foot | |
| Alexander Irvine | |
Irvine's Regiment of Foot |
On 1 July 1751 a royal warrant provided that in future regiments would not be known by their colonels' names, but by their "number or rank". Accordingly Lieutenant-General Irvine's Regiment was redesignated as the 5th Regiment of Foot.
- List of Regiments of Foot
The Irish Brigade
The Irish Brigade was a brigade in the French army composed of Irish exiles. It was formed in May 1690 when five Jacobite regiments were sent from Ireland to France in return for a larger force of French infantry who were sent to fight in the Williamite war in Ireland. The Irish Brigade served as part of the French Army until 1792. These five Jacobite regiments, comprising about 5000 men, were named after their colonels: Lord Mountcashel, Butler, Feilding, O'Brien and Dillon. They were largely inexperienced and the French immediately disbanded Butler's and Feilding's, either incorporating their men into the remaining three regiments or sending them back to Ireland. The remaining three regiments, Mountcashel's, O'Brien's and Dillon's, formed the Irish Brigade which served the French during the remainder of the Nine Years War (1689–97)The Wild Geese
Under the terms of the Treaty of Limerick signed in October 1691, which ended the war between King James II and VII and King William III in Ireland, a separate force of 12,000 Jacobites arrived in France in an event known as Flight of the Wild Geese. These were kept separate from the Irish Brigade and were formed into King James's own army in exile, albeit in the pay of France. Lord Dorrington's regiment, later Rooth or Roth, following the Treaty of Ryswick in 1698, was formed from the former 1st and 2nd battalions James II's Royal Irish Foot Guards formerly on the Irish establishment of Britain.Irish regiment in French service
Le régiment de Clare was a French regiment of the Ancien Régime. It was created from Irish volunteers who had left Ireland following the Battle of the BoyneBattle of the Boyne
The Battle of the Boyne was fought in 1690 between two rival claimants of the English, Scottish and Irish thronesthe Catholic King James and the Protestant King William across the River Boyne near Drogheda on the east coast of Ireland...
in 1690 and the Treaty of Limerick
Treaty of Limerick
The Treaty of Limerick ended the Williamite war in Ireland between the Jacobites and the supporters of William of Orange. It concluded the Siege of Limerick. The treaty really consisted of two treaties which were signed on 3 October 1691. Reputedly they were signed on the Treaty Stone, an...
signed 3 October 1691.
Évolution of the régiment
- 1696 : Created under Louis XIV with the name of régiment de Clare and known as the brigade irlandaiseIrish Brigade (French)The Irish Brigade was a brigade in the French army composed of Irish exiles, led by Robert Reid. It was formed in May 1690 when five Jacobite regiments were sent from Ireland to France in return for a larger force of French infantry who were sent to fight in the Williamite war in Ireland...
. - 1706 : name changed to régiment O'Brien.
- 1720 : reverts to original name, régiment de Clare.
- 1775 : reformed and incorporated in the régiment de BerwickJames FitzJames, 1st Duke of BerwickJames FitzJames, 1st Duke of Berwick, 1st Duke of Fitz-James, 1st Duke of Liria and Jérica was an Anglo-French military leader, illegitimate son of King James II of England by Arabella Churchill, sister of the 1st Duke of Marlborough...
.
Note : another regiment, régiment de Bulkekey, (sic)(?) briefly took the name of régiment de Clare between 1691 and 1693.
Combats et batailles
- War of the Austrian SuccessionWar of the Austrian SuccessionThe War of the Austrian Succession – including King George's War in North America, the Anglo-Spanish War of Jenkins' Ear, and two of the three Silesian wars – involved most of the powers of Europe over the question of Maria Theresa's succession to the realms of the House of Habsburg.The...
- 1745 : Battle of FontenoyBattle of FontenoyThe Battle of Fontenoy, 11 May 1745, was a major engagement of the War of the Austrian Succession, fought between the forces of the Pragmatic Allies – comprising mainly Dutch, British, and Hanoverian troops under the nominal command of the Duke of Cumberland – and a French army under Maurice de...
- 1745 : Battle of Fontenoy
There were two Irish regiments in French service that bore at some time the name of Clare and of O'Brien. The original O'Brien's Regiment was placed on the French establishment in 1689, and after being renamed as Clare's Regiment in 1691 it was renamed again in 1694 as Lee's Regiment.
The second Clare's Regiment which was raised in 1696. This second regiment is the one referred to in the Clare's Dragoons song. This regiment too was briefly named O'Brien's Regiment. In 1775 this second Clare's Regiment was disbanded and its troops incorporated into Berwick's Regiment.