Colonel Edward Wogan (-54) was an Irish Royalist officer. He is known as one of the last royalists to lose his life in the civil war.
Background
Wogan had originally been a Covenanting soldier who served under Cromwell but later defected to the Royalist cause of King Charles II.
Duncannon fort
Wogan is famed for successfully defending a fort at
Duncannon
Duncannon () is a village in southwest County Wexford, Ireland. Bordered to the west by Waterford harbour and sitting on a rocky headland jutting into the channel is the strategically prominent Duncannon Fort which dominates the village.
Pr ...
during the
Irish Confederate Wars, from a siege by Oliver Cromwell. Thomas Roche informed the
Duke of Ormonde
The peerage title Earl of Ormond and the related titles Duke of Ormonde and Marquess of Ormonde have a long and complex history. An earldom of Ormond has been created three times in the Peerage of Ireland.
History of Ormonde titles
The earldom ...
that there was no way that he could hold the fort against Cromwell and that he would have to surrender as there were no provisions coming into the fort. The Duke of Ormonde then sent Edward Wogan, himself a defector from Ireton's ranks under Cromwell, along with 120 cavalry to replace Roche. They arrived just in time to save the fort and sent a defiant answer to Cromwell and he abandoned the siege rather than pursue it through the Winter. This saved
Waterford
"Waterford remains the untaken city"
, mapsize = 220px
, pushpin_map = Ireland#Europe
, pushpin_map_caption = Location within Ireland##Location within Europe
, pushpin_relief = 1
, coordinates ...
from occupation by Oliver Cromwell's army. See main article:
Siege of Waterford
The city of Waterford in southeastern Ireland was besieged twice during 1649 and 1650 during the Cromwellian conquest of Ireland. The town was held by Irish Confederate Catholic under General Richard Farrell and English Royalist troops u ...
.
In Britain
Colonel Edward Wogan also took part in the
Royalist rising of 1651 to 1654
Glencairn's rising was a Royalist revolt in Scotland against the Protectorate of Oliver Cromwell from 1653 to 1654. It was led by William Cunningham, 9th Earl of Glencairn (1610–1664), who was given command of the Royalist forces in Scotland b ...
in
Scotland
Scotland (, ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a Anglo-Scottish border, border with England to the southeast ...
. In November 1653 Colonel Edward Wogan, an Irishman sailed from
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...
into England where he recruited twenty-one men in
London
London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...
and rode off with them to join the Earl of Glencairn. He had decided to desert Parliamentary service and instead to move his body of mounted men along with some Worcestershire Royalists . They rode some 300 miles into
Edinburgh
Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian on the southern shore of t ...
. It is possible that, on the way, Wogan and his men carried out a coup against the English Parliamentarians at
Carlisle Castle, releasing a number of Royalist prisoners.
Wogan and his small band set out for on 21 November, covering around 25 miles a day, reached
Durham Durham most commonly refers to:
*Durham, England, a cathedral city and the county town of County Durham
*County Durham, an English county
* Durham County, North Carolina, a county in North Carolina, United States
*Durham, North Carolina, a city in N ...
nine days later. His decision to rest in Durham was reversed at the news of a Royalist success of the highlanders. Realising that reinforcements would probably soon be arriving from England, he gave up his intention to recruit in Durham and Northumberland and set off on 4 December. A party of Cromwellian horse was despatched from
Newcastle Newcastle usually refers to:
*Newcastle upon Tyne, a city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England
*Newcastle-under-Lyme, a town in Staffordshire, England
*Newcastle, New South Wales, a metropolitan area in Australia, named after Newcastle ...
to apprehend them but was driven back. Wogan and his men also managed to capture small parties of Cromwellians on their way, taking eighteen men outside Berwick, and driving through the town in broad daylight. In the Lowlands, with the informal help of a number of
Moss-trooper
Moss-troopers were brigands of the mid-17th century, who operated across the border country between Scotland and the northern English counties of Northumberland and Cumberland during the period of the English Commonwealth, until after the Restor ...
s, they captured a number of Lilburne’s men and entered
Peebles
Peebles ( gd, Na Pùballan) is a town in the Scottish Borders, Scotland. It was historically a royal burgh and the county town of Peeblesshire. According to the 2011 census, the population was 8,376 and the estimated population in June 2018 wa ...
on 9 December 1653. Wogan was able to persuade a number of dissatisfied mosstroopers to join his band permanently.
Injury and death
When Wogan advanced into the Earl of Glencairn’s headquarters at Loch Tay, he had according to Captain John Gwynne - around one hundred supporters. Glencairn welcomed the Irishman and granted him a commission to raise a regiment of horse. In a letter dated 6 February, Clarendon wrote to Middleton that Wogan had reported his troops were ‘above 1 500 horse and 8 000 foote’. He led his new regiment in a number of successful raids into Lowland territory thus winning the respect of Highlanders. Indeed, it was when Wogan’s career had reached another pinnacle that an injury ended further adventures. During a skirmish with English troops from the Brazen Wall Regiment near Drummond and Weems, he was wounded in the shoulder by a sword-thrust.
Assessment
Wogan certainly made a favourable impression on the Scottish Royalists with whom he fought side by side. John Graham of Deuchrie, who accompanied Glencairn throughout the rebellion, wrote of his valour and courage:
''The colonel himself was unfortunately killed in a rencounter he had with the brazen-wall regiment of horse; but notwithstanding of the deadly wounds he had received, he rooted the troop, and killed the commander thereof, though it was said, that in all the civil wars they never had been beat. This brave gentleman had his wounds healed over: but from what cause I know not, they broke out again, and occasioned his death, to the great regret of all who knew him.''
References
*Maurice, Sir Frederick, ''The Adventures of Edward Wogan'' (London: George Routledge and Sons Ltd., 1945).
*
Woolrych, A., ''Commonwealth to Protectorate'' (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1982).
*Underdown, D., ''Royalist Conspiracy in England 1649-1660''.
*Firth, C. H., ''Scotland and the Commonwealth'', pp. 296–297.
External links
https://web.archive.org/web/20071120101047/http://www.wogangen.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/prominent_wogan's.htm
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wogan, Edward
Irish soldiers in the Irish Confederate Wars
Military personnel from County Limerick
17th-century Irish people
1654 deaths