Sir Richard Bingham was an English soldier and naval commander, who served in Ireland under Queen Elizabeth I during the conquest of the country and was appointed governor of Connacht.

Early life and military career

Bingham was born in Dorset to Richard Bingham and his wife Alice, and was the eldest of three brothers. Little is known of his early life, but he had embarked upon a military career before turning twenty, despite his small stature. He took part in Protector Somerset's Scottish expedition in 1547. A decade later, he served with the Spanish against the French at the battle of St. Quentin

Battle of St. Quentin (1557)

The Battle of Saint-Quentin of 1557 was fought during the Franco-Habsburg War . The Spanish, who had regained the support of the English, won a significant victory over the French at Saint-Quentin, in northern France.- Battle :...

. In October of the following year, 1558, he took part in a naval expedition in the Western Isles in Scotland.

In the Mediterranean war against the Turks, Bingham fought under John of Austria (Don Juan de Austria) on the side of the Spaniards and Venetians. During this campaign he was engaged in efforts to save the island of Cyprus and at the crucial naval battle of Lepanto

Lepanto

- Places :*The Bay of Lepanto or Gulf of Lepanto in Greece, now known as the Gulf of Corinth*The Greek town of Lepanto, now known as Naupactus*Lepanto, Arkansas in the United States*Lepanto - Ships :*The Italian battleship Lepanto...

 on 7 October 1571. The next two years were spent in the Low Countries, relaying intelligence to the queen's principal secretary, Lord Burghley

William Cecil, 1st Baron Burghley

William Cecil, 1st Baron Burghley , KG was an English statesman, the chief advisor of Queen Elizabeth I for most of her reign, twice Secretary of State and Lord High Treasurer from 1572...

. In 1576 he attempted peace negotiations with Don Juan on behalf of the Estates General

States-General of the Netherlands

The States-General of the Netherlands is the bicameral legislature of the Netherlands, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The parliament meets in at the Binnenhof in The Hague. The archaic Dutch word "staten" originally related to the feudal classes in which medieval...

 and, when the negotiations failed, fought valiantly for his employers at the Battle of Rijmenam

Battle of Rijmenam (1578)

The Battle of Rijmenam was a battle fought in the early stages of the Eighty Years' War between the forces of the States-General of the Netherlands and those of the Spanish Governor-General of the Habsburg Netherlands, Don Juan de Austria, on 31 July 1578, near Rijmenam in present-day Belgium...

. In the same year, 1578, the queen granted him an annuity of 50 marks in recognition of his military and diplomatic services.

Naval expeditions

In 1579, Bingham was sent to Ireland to aid in the suppression of the Second Desmond Rebellion

Second Desmond Rebellion

The Second Desmond rebellion was the more widespread and bloody of the two Desmond Rebellions launched by the FitzGerald dynasty of Desmond in Munster, Ireland, against English rule in Ireland...

. In September the following year he served as captain of the Swiftsure under Admiral William Winter

William Winter (admiral)

Sir William Wynter was an admiral under Queen Elizabeth I of England and served the crown during the Anglo-Spanish War ....

, and in the course of that expedition took part in the massacre at Smerwick of hundreds of Italian and Spanish troops who had surrendered to the English, an event on which he reported to another of the queen's secretaries, Francis Walsingham

Francis Walsingham

Sir Francis Walsingham was Principal Secretary to Elizabeth I of England from 1573 until 1590, and is popularly remembered as her "spymaster". Walsingham is frequently cited as one of the earliest practitioners of modern intelligence methods both for espionage and for domestic security...

.

In September 1583, Bingham was given a commission to apprehend pirates in the narrow seas; the queen told Burghley to instruct him to seize Dutch ships for debts due to her, under colour of looking for pirates.

Governor of Connacht

In 1584 Bingham was appointed governor of the Irish province of Connacht, an office which led him into great controversy for the rest of his career. His brothers George and John were assistant commissioners, and he himself was knighted by Lord Deputy Perrot

John Perrot

Sir John Perrot served as Lord Deputy of Ireland under Queen Elizabeth I of England during the Tudor conquest of Ireland...

 at Dublin Castle on 12 July 84. But by 1586, Connacht had gone into general rebellion. At the Galway assizes early in the year Bingham presided at court, when over 70 death sentences for disloyalty to the crown were passed. Later in the year, he took Castle Cloonoan in Clare after a seven day siege and had the O'Brien owner shot and put the garrison to the sword.

The principal agitators of the rebellion in Connacht were the MacWilliam Burke clan of Mayo. Bingham entered their territory in March, taking Castlehag in Lough Mask, and agreed to withdraw his forces only if the men of the country prosecuted the rebels. Perrot then granted a 3 month protection for the rebels, in return for pledges, and decided that the title of the MacWilliam should be abolished. In July the Burkes rose out again with even more adherents and sent men to Ulster to engage the Scots. In a provocative move, Perrot invaded Bingham's authority by forbidding him from moving against them, and the rebel numbers doubled to 800. Bingham assembled his army at Ballinrobe in mid-July, and by the end of the month the rebel Burkes were ready to submit on the terms offered by him.

The costs of the rebellion were covered by cattle seizures and fines. Bingham confiscated parts of the Burkes' property, granting to his brother John the castle of Castlebarry near Castlebar, which had belonged to Edmund Burke, the 80-year old leader, who had been hanged upon conviction at common law in August 1586 after being carried to the gallows on a bier. Perrot wanted an immediate peace, but Bingham insisted on good pledges, suspecting that the rebels were buying time to reap their corn. By August 26, peace had been made with all the Connacht rebels.

Bingham still had to deal with an incursion by a force of 3,000 Scots who had crossed the river Erne from Ulster. He watched them in the mountains and woods and descended on them at Ardnarea at noon on September 23, when they thought he was far off. The Scots went into battle formation, but Bingham - despite his paucity of horse - drew them on until his foot came up, then charged and broke them. They fled to the river and all - including women and children - were killed or drowned, except 80. Those who escaped, as well as the Scots horsemen, were killed by locals in Tirawley. Bingham's brother John distinguished himself in this route.

Meanwhile, Perrot attempted again to invade Bingham's authority, against the advice of his council at Dublin. He brought his forces to Galway to gather evidence on foot of charges brought against Bingham by a rebel supporter, but nobody came in to testify. Perrot left the province in October, and an appeal was made to Walsingham for mediation.

In November, formal complaints were made against Bingham for having provoked the rebellion, but a declaration was signed by 43 Mayo gentleman to the effect that the cause of the rebellion had been the extinction of the MacWilliam title and the suppression of exactions to be replaced with a central composition. The charges against Bingham, as brought before the Dublin council, were dismissed as malicious in February 1587.

At the end of Bingham's first tour of duty in Connacht it was claimed that the province was so prosperous that it produced corn for the other provinces and even attracted settlers from the Pale, and that even the composition was being paid in money. By then, the governor had come to tolerate the composition, for all its faults, as an expedient means of governing once the septs had been reduced and brehon law abolished.

Netherlands and return to Ireland

In July 1587 Bingham left Ireland for service in the Netherlands, with the prospect of assuming command of England's expeditionary army at the end of the year upon the recall of the Earl of Leicester

Earl of Leicester

The title Earl of Leicester was created in the 12th century in the Peerage of England , and is currently a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom, created in 1837.-Early creations:...

. His brother George took his place in Ireland in September. In 1588 Bingham corresponded with Burghley on the defence of the realm against the Spanish. In January of the same year he married for the first time.

Bingham returned as governor of Connacht later in 1588, reaching Athlone in May. He entered the dispute over the inheritance of the late Donnell O'Connor Sligo, who had died in late 1587, leaving the strategic manor of Sligo to a dubious heir (the castle being reserved to the crown, in order to command the western approach into Ulster). Commissioners appointed by Perrot found for the claimed heir, and Bingham was compelled to deliver custody of the manor, while lodging an objection: on further inquiry, the heir was found to be illegitimate. This finding was confirmed, and the subsequent grant of land was made according to Bingham's recommendation.

Spanish Armada and renewed rebellion

In September 1588, upon news of the flight of the Spanish Armada

Spanish Armada

This article refers to the Battle of Gravelines, for the modern navy of Spain, see Spanish NavyThe Spanish Armada was the Spanish fleet that sailed against England under the command of the Duke of Medina Sidonia in 1588, with the intention of overthrowing Elizabeth I of England to stop English...

 into the North Sea, Bingham ordered that all Spanish refugees landing on the coast of Connacht should be brought to Galway and put to death there. Many vessels were wrecked in the following month, and of the survivors who came to shore he estimated that 1,000 were put to death under his authority. His brother George, sheriff of Sligo, also killed many Spanish survivors. Bingham suggested that 50 of the captives be kept alive, but the new lord deputy, William Fitzwilliam

William Fitzwilliam

William FitzWilliam may refer to:*William FitzWilliam, 1st Earl of Southampton , English courtier*William FitzWilliam , Lord Deputy of Ireland...

, ordered him to put them all to death; later, more survivors came into his custody and he put them under the charge of bailsmen. (Some years later, in January 1592, Bingham persuaded several Spaniards to come in from the Burkes under protection and sent them to Dublin for passage home, but they were detained in prison there against his wishes.)

In September, Bingham marched out with a small force toward the castles of Doona and Torrane, on intelligence that hundreds of survivors under the command of Don Alonso de Leyva had left those strongholds and marched to Donamona to intercept another landing of 500 men. Punishment was meted out to those suspected of succouring the Spanish. By the end of September, few Irish lords refused to give up their Armada survivors, but the presence of the Spanish caused unrest among several clans. In March 1589 open rebellion was entered by the pretender to the title of the MacWilliam - the Blind Abbot of the Burkes - and by other western clans. Fitzwilliam intervened and laid waste to Mayo, Sligo and parts of Roscommon, ordering Bingham to withdraw his forces from Mayo so as not to hinder the pacification.

A peace commission was set up, with Bingham at its head, which sat in Galway in April, but most of the rebels stayed out. Then Sir Brian O'Rourke

Brian O'Rourke

Lord Brian na Múrtha Ó Ruairc , hereditary lord of West Bréifne in Ireland during the later stages of the Tudor conquest of that country, was proclaimed by the English to be a rebel and became the first man extradited within Britain for crimes alleged to have been committed in Ireland.-Early life:Ó...

 committed a great cattle raid in Sligo, while the Burkes took similar action in the south-west, across the Mayo border. The latest rebel demand was for the withdrawal of Bingham from Connacht, the installation of the MacWilliam, and the removal of sheriffs from Mayo. Chaos reigned in the province, while the authorities remained divided on how best to proceed. One faction in the Dublin council put the collapse of the talks down to the desire of some of the peace commissioners to blame Bingham for the rebellions.

Bingham pursued his policy in the field, scouring Mayo and Roscommon with his forces, until the rebels had caved in and O'Rourke was driven north into Ulster. At Cong he was ordered by Fitzwilliam to cease and to disband some of his newly raised forces, and a new peace commission was appointed to treat until Fitzwilliam arrived. The lord deputy was determined that blame be placed on Bingham, and the rebels were resurgent as Fitzwilliam ordered the governor to remain at Athlone. Fitzwilliam travelled to Galway with 350 foot and 120 horse to receive the formal submissions of the rebels, and two books of complaints were lodged by them against Bingham. The complaints were forwarded by the lord deputy into England, and before leaving the province he denied Bingham the use of martial law and cut off his authority to conduct assize sessions, until Fitzwilliam himself had completed his progress through the province.

Connacht remained unstable, and O'Rourke broke into action again, attacking the sheriff of Sligo in the Curlew mountains. Trouble spread across the north, despite the presence of the lord deputy, and the disablement of the governor became a strategic worry for the government in London. Walsingham wrote in support of Bingham, and the privy council at London ordered that a trial before the lord deputy and council at Dublin proceed on the basis of the books of complaint. Fitzwilliam set about gathering evidence against Bingham, but crucial testimony from absent rebels was lacking.

In early October, the Blind Abbott was proclaimed MacWilliam, and the queen ordered Fitzwilliam to assist Bingham in suppressing the title. But support from England could not prevent the charges against Bingham being read before the council in early November. No witnesses appeared against him (although there were mutterings that they were too fearful to come to Dublin); his own witnesses underwent examination on the 28th. His full acquittal was proclaimed on December 5.

Bingham returned to Connacht, where the lord deputy had gathered his forces at Galway with an invitation to the rebels to submit by the 12th of January 1590. Hardly any rebels of note accepted, fearing that their hostages would be inadequate and that they themselves would be detained. Bingham was then given a free hand, and promptly marched to Cong with the earls of Thomond and Clanricard. The rebels harried them as they marched into Tirawley, but the next day the Blind Abbott was injured when he chased one of Thomond's kerne - as he overtook his prey on horseback, the kerne wheeled about and struck him with a sword, nearly cutting off the foot above the ankle.

The crown forces progressed through the country, burning crops and villages, and the rebels withdrew with their cattle towards the mountains of Erris, where they soon sued for peace. Bingham was in Roscommon when the Burkes and Clandonnell accepted his conditions, which included the charges of the wars of 1586 and 1589. He then turned against O'Rourke who had invaded Sligo in March, although illness prevented him from taking the field and his brother George assumed command. Within the month O'Rourke had fled to Ulster with his sons, and the clans of Leitrim had submitted.

End of Perrot's influence

In 1592 Perrot, who was then on the privy council in London with a special brief to advise on Irish affairs, formally complained to the queen of Bingham's severity and insubordination. But Perrot became entangled in allegations made against him by a priest imprisoned at Dublin, and the investigation broadened out to include the former lord deputy's dealings with the rebel O'Rourke. Bingham's assistance was sought in building a case against Perrot, but curiously his evidence was rather limited. Nevertheless, Perrot was convicted of treason and died in the Tower, while O'Rourke was extradited from Scotland to London, whereupon his rebel followers came in to Bingham, who subsequently resisted suggestions that they be attainted. He also made it clear that only O'Rourke's personal seignory be subject to attainder, even though the crown had been expecting a much larger part of the rebel's clan territory in Leitrim.

In June 1592 a Burke faction went into rebellion again, and as part of the ensuing terms of the peace Bingham forced them to give pledges for each sept, imposed a fine of 2000 marks, and made them bear the damages of war since 1588. Connacht was quiet until May 1593, when Hugh Maguire

Hugh Maguire

Aodh Mag Uidhir, anglicised as Hugh Maguire was the Lord of Fermanagh in Ireland during the reign of Elizabeth I and leader of the ancient Maguire clan; he died fighting crown authority during the Nine Years War.-Early career:...

 and the late rebel's son, Brian Og O'Rourke, raided Sligo after Bingham's brother George had seized the latter's milch cows in lieu of composition rent. In June they suffered heavy losses in a raid on Roscommon in the company of Fiach McHugh O'Byrne

Fiach McHugh O'Byrne

Fiach mac Aodh Ó Broin was Lord of Ranelagh and sometime leader of the Clann Uí Bhroin, or the O'Byrne clan, during the Elizabethan conquest of Ireland.-Background:...

, who had brought forces from Leinster. In September Hugh Roe O'Donnell

Hugh Roe O'Donnell

Aodh Rua Ó Dónaill, anglicised as either Hugh Roe O'Donnell or Red Hugh O'Donnell , was An Ó Domhnaill and Rí of Tir Chonaill . He led the Irish forces against the English conquest of Ireland from 1593 and helped to lead the Nine Years' War from 1595 to 1603...

 sent a small force to stir up Mayo, and in response Bingham sent men against Maguire, and the rising proved a failure when the men of Tirawley set upon the rebels.

Northern rebellions

In January 1594, a detachment of Henry Bagnal's army with 2 companies sent by Bingham under the command of his cousin, Captain George Bingham, besieged Enniskillen

Enniskillen

Enniskillen is a town in County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland. It is located almost exactly in the centre of the county between the Upper and Lower sections of Lough Erne. It had a population of 13,599 in the 2001 Census...

. The outer wall of the castle defence was breached, and the defenders - 40 shot, 60 able men and 200 others - locked themselves in. Preparations were made to fire the gate, but the defenders sought a parley which was granted and the castle was surrendered: 150 were put to the sword. At this time Bingham was at Athlone and couldn't travel to Dublin because of a disease that prevented him from riding. In August the castle had to be relieved by the lord deputy, and in the following May it was taken by O'Donnell.

In September 1594, the younger O'Rourke and O'Donnell again attacked Sligo and were driven off with losses. In March the following year, Bingham drove O'Donnell from Roscommon, but he returned in April, and Bingham could only divert him to Longford, while seeking English soldiers to supplement the muster. In June, his cousin George was murdered by his ensign bearer, Ulick Burke (cousin of the Earl of Clanricarde

Earl of Clanricarde

Earl of Clanricarde is a title that has been created twice in the Peerage of Ireland, first in 1543 and again in 1800. The former creation became extinct in 1916 while the 1800 creation is still extant and held by the Marquess of Sligo since 1916....

), who had conspired with the garrison in Sligo castle; the castle was then surrendered to O'Donnell. Bingham sought 6 companies and 50 horse from the lord deputy to retake Sligo and Ballyshannon, but few could be spared from the campaign against Tyrone

Hugh O'Neill, 3rd Earl of Tyrone

Aodh Mór Ó Néill, anglicised as Hugh The Great O'Neill , was the 2nd or 3rd Earl of Tyrone and was later created The Ó Néill...

, the chief rebel of the period.

Bingham had been left with few resources to counter the dominance asserted by O'Donnell in northern Connacht. And then the new lord deputy, William Russell

William Russell, 1st Baron Russell of Thornhaugh

William Russell, 1st Baron Russell of Thornhaugh was a younger son of Francis Russell, 2nd Earl of Bedford. His birthdate is uncertain, with some records showing that he was born as early as 1553, some as late as 1563...

, came to Galway to consider a further set of charges against the governor. In the course of an attempted appeasement of the rebels, O'Donnell submitted in April 1596 to John Norreys

John Norreys

Sir John Norreys , also frequently spelt John Norris, was an English soldier of a Berkshire family of court gentry, the son of Henry Norris, 1st Baron Norreys a lifelong friend of Queen Elizabeth....

 and Geoffrey Fenton

Geoffrey Fenton

Sir Geoffrey Fenton was an English writer, Privy Councillor, and Principal Secretary of State in Ireland.-Early literary years:...

, who had come to Connacht to make peace. The MacWilliam and O'Donnell held out for their own terms: the MacWilliamship and surrender of all queen's lands, and a reduction in the composition rates. The commissioners withdrew their forces in September, and in the following year a new force under the command of Conyers Clifford

Conyers Clifford

-Life:He was the eldest son of George Clifford, esq., of Bobbing Court in Kent, by his wife Ursula, daughter of Roger Finch. He served in the army sent under Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex to the siege of Rouen in 1591, being then a captain...

 was stationed in the north of the province, which compelled the submission of all the Mayo clans during a widespread famine in their country.

Meanwhile, the Privy Council had directed a trial at Dublin of the latest charges against Bingham, who complained about the partiality of Fenton and Norreys. The arrival of a new lord deputy, William Burgh, in May 1596 seemed to promise a fair hearing, but such were the shifts and feints in the preparatory proceedings that Bingham petitioned the privy council for trial before the full Dublin council or in England. In September, fearing assassination, he fled without leave to England to appeal for justice and was put in the Fleet. He sent a petition to Burghley for his release, which was granted in November on account of his illness, although he did suffer a suspension from office.

Bingham was eventually ordered back to Ireland to stand trial before the council, and set out on the journey back in Clifford's company, but had to stop at Chester because of further ill-health. In January 1597, after his ship was blown back to Beaumaris, Bingham excused himself from attending at Dublin - again due to ill-health, which continued into the summer when he also complained of the expense of maintaining relatives at Dublin.

In 1598, when it became clear that Tyrone's rebellion was getting out of control, Bingham's knowledge of Irish affairs was suddenly deemed unequalled in England. Upon Sir Robert Cecil

Robert Cecil

Robert Cecil may refer to:*Robert Cecil, 1st Earl of Salisbury , statesman, spymaster and minister to Elizabeth I of England and James I of England...

's suggestion that the Earl of Essex

Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex

Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex, KG was an English nobleman and a favourite of Elizabeth I. Politically ambitious, and a committed general, he was placed under house arrest following a poor campaign in Ireland during the Nine Years' War in 1599...

 take command in Ireland, Francis Bacon

Francis Bacon

Francis Bacon, 1st Viscount St Albans, KC was an English philosopher, statesman, scientist, lawyer, jurist, author and pioneer of the scientific method. He served both as Attorney General and Lord Chancellor of England...

 urged Essex to heed the advices of the veteran governor of Connacht. After the significant defeat of the crown forces at the battle of the Yellow Ford

Battle of the Yellow Ford

The Battle of the Yellow Ford was fought in western County Armagh, Ulster, in Ireland, near the river Blackwater on 14 August 1598, during the Nine Years War ....

, a faction fight grew at court between the Cecil and Essex parties over the Irish appointment - fuelled by the anticipation of a significant Spanish intervention, either in England or Ireland. The circumstances had grown desperate, and Bingham received an appointment as marshal of Ireland and general of Leinster. He left England at the head of 5,000 troops but, upon arrival at Dublin, he died.

Legacy

Bingham married Sarah Heigham (nat.1565; ob.1634) of Suffolk in January 1588, but left no male issue. His nephew, Sir Henry Bingham, 1st Baronet

Sir Henry Bingham, 1st Baronet

Sir Henry Bingham, 1st Baronet was an Irish politician and baronet.Born at Milton Abbas, he was the son of Sir George Bingham, nephew of Sir Richard Bingham, and his wife Cicely Martin, daughter of Robert Martin. Bingham served as captain in the Irish Army. He was nominated High Sheriff of County...

 - son of George - succeeded to his estate. A cenotaph was erected in his name in Westminster Abbey.

In 1599 Essex was appointed to lead an army into Ireland

Essex in Ireland

Essex in Ireland refers to the military campaign pursued in Ireland in 1599 by Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex, during the Nine Years War and the Anglo-Spanish War....

, but the expedition was largely a failure, and it was only in 1601 that the English took the upper hand, with their victory at the battle of Kinsale, which led to the submission of Tyrone

Tyrone

The name Tyrone can refer to:*County Tyrone, a county in Northern Ireland, roughly corresponding to the ancient kingdom of Tír Eogain*An Earl of Tyrone*A small steam train which runs between Bushmills and the Giant's Causeway in Northern Ireland-Places:...

after the queen's death in 1603.

Bingham's reputation has suffered on account of the harshness of his rule in Connacht, and he became the image of a cruel governor, lording it over the Irish without regard to justice or mercy. His apologists insist that everything he did during his tenure in that province was within the letter of his authority.