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Sir Faithful Fortescue (1585–1666), of
Dromiskin
Dromiskin (historically ''Druminisklin'', from ) is a village and townland in County Louth, Ireland. It is situated 10 km south of Dundalk, about 1 km inland from the Irish coast.
History
The village was home to a monastery for h ...
in
County Louth
County Louth ( ; ga, An Lú) is a coastal county in the Eastern and Midland Region of Ireland, within the province of Leinster. Louth is bordered by the counties of Meath to the south, Monaghan to the west, Armagh to the north and Down to the ...
, Ireland, was
Governor of Carrickfergus in Ireland, long the chief seat and garrison of the English in
Ulster
Ulster (; ga, Ulaidh or ''Cúige Uladh'' ; sco, label= Ulster Scots, Ulstèr or ''Ulster'') is one of the four traditional Irish provinces. It is made up of nine counties: six of these constitute Northern Ireland (a part of the United King ...
and was a
royalist
A royalist supports a particular monarch as head of state for a particular kingdom, or of a particular dynastic claim. In the abstract, this position is royalism. It is distinct from monarchism, which advocates a monarchical system of governme ...
commander during the
English Civil War
The English Civil War (1642–1651) was a series of civil wars and political machinations between Parliamentarians (" Roundheads") and Royalists led by Charles I ("Cavaliers"), mainly over the manner of England's governance and issues of re ...
.
Origins
Fortescue was born in 1585, the third son of John Fortescue (d. 1604) of
Buckland Filleigh
Buckland Filleigh is a village, civil parish and former manor in the Torridge district of North Devon, England, situated about 8 miles south of the town of Great Torrington. According to the 2001 census, the parish had a population of 170. It i ...
in
Devon
Devon ( , historically known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South West England. The most populous settlement in Devon is the city of Plymouth, followed by Devon's county town, the city of Exeter. Devon is ...
, but the first by his second wife Susannah Chichester, eldest daughter of Sir
John Chichester (c. 1516/22-1569) of
Raleigh
Raleigh (; ) is the capital city of the state of North Carolina and the seat of Wake County in the United States. It is the second-most populous city in North Carolina, after Charlotte. Raleigh is the tenth-most populous city in the Southeas ...
in the parish of
Pilton and of
Youlston both in North Devon, a
Member of Parliament
A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members of ...
,
Sheriff of Devon
The High Sheriff of Devon is the Queen's representative for the County of Devon, a territory known as his/her bailiwick. Selected from three nominated people, they hold the office for one year. They have judicial, ceremonial and administrative f ...
in 1552 and 1557, by his wife Gertrude Courtenay, a daughter of
Sir William Courtenay (1477–1535) of
Powderham in Devon. One of Susannah's brothers was
Arthur Chichester, 1st Baron Chichester
Arthur Chichester, 1st Baron Chichester (May 1563 – 19 February 1625; known between 1596 and 1613 as Sir Arthur Chichester), of Carrickfergus in Ireland, was an English administrator and soldier who served as Lord Deputy of Ireland from 160 ...
of Belfast (1563–1625), who was to play such an influential role in the life of Faithful Fortescue.
Although Faithful's father's second marriage is not mentioned in the
Heraldic Visitation
Heraldic visitations were tours of inspection undertaken by Kings of Arms (or alternatively by heralds, or junior officers of arms, acting as their deputies) throughout England, Wales and Ireland. Their purpose was to register and regulate the ...
return made in 1620 by his elder half-brother Roger Fortescue of Buckland Filleigh, this second marriage is recorded in the parish register of
Heanton Punchardon
Heanton Punchardon ( ) is a village, civil parish and former manor, anciently part of Braunton Hundred. It is situated directly east-southeast of the village of Braunton, in North Devon. The parish lies on the north bank of the estuary of the ...
in Devon, near Raleigh, on 22 September 1584, and although the first name of the groom is illegible, the will of Susanna's brother Arthur Chichester, 1st Baron Chichester confirms the marriage when he mentions "my nephew Sir Faithful Fortescue".
Faithful was baptised on 22 August 1585 at
Wear Gifford, North Devon, which manor was then a seat of his father's third cousin, Hugh Fortescue (1545–1600) of Wear Giffard Hall and of
Filleigh
Filleigh is a small village, civil parish and former manor in North Devon, on the southern edge of Exmoor, west of South Molton. The village centre's street was, until the 1980s opening of the North Devon Link Road, the main highway between ...
,
Sheriff of Devon
The High Sheriff of Devon is the Queen's representative for the County of Devon, a territory known as his/her bailiwick. Selected from three nominated people, they hold the office for one year. They have judicial, ceremonial and administrative f ...
in 1583, who was married to Elizabeth Chichester, Faithful's aunt, whose descendant later in the 18th century was created
Earl Fortescue
Earl Fortescue is a title in the Peerage of Great Britain that was created in 1789 for Hugh Fortescue, 3rd Baron Fortescue (1753–1841), a member of parliament for Beaumaris and Lord-Lieutenant of Devon.
History
The Earls Fortescue desce ...
. The Fortescues of Filleigh and their cousins the Fortescues of Buckland Filleigh were both descended from Martin Fortescue (d. 1472) of Filleigh and Wear Gifford, who married Elizabeth Densel, heiress of Filleigh, Wear Gifford and Buckland Filleigh. Faithful Fortescue was a descendant in the fifth generation of Sir
John Fortescue (c. 1394–1479),
Chief Justice of the King's Bench
Chief may refer to:
Title or rank
Military and law enforcement
* Chief master sergeant, the ninth, and highest, enlisted rank in the U.S. Air Force and U.S. Space Force
* Chief of police, the head of a police department
* Chief of the boa ...
, of
Ebrington Manor
Ebrington Manor is a grade II listed manor house in the parish of Ebrington in Gloucestershire, England. Since 1476 it has been a seat of the Fortescue family, since 1789 Earls Fortescue.
Location
It is located within the village of Ebri ...
,
Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire ( abbreviated Glos) is a county in South West England. The county comprises part of the Cotswold Hills, part of the flat fertile valley of the River Severn and the entire Forest of Dean.
The county town is the city of Gl ...
, a younger grandson of the Fortescue family of
Whympston in the parish of
Modbury
Modbury is a large village, ecclesiastical parish, civil parish and former manor situated in the South Hams district of the county of Devon in England. Today due to its large size it is generally referred to as a "town" although the parish co ...
in Devon, the earliest Fortescue seat in the
British Isles
The British Isles are a group of islands in the North Atlantic Ocean off the north-western coast of continental Europe, consisting of the islands of Great Britain, Ireland, the Isle of Man, the Inner and Outer Hebrides, the Northern Isles, ...
.
Faithful was named after his uncle Sir Faithful Fortescue (c.1512-c.1608), whose 2nd son, also Faithful Fortescue, served with the army in Flanders and was a Lieutenant-Colonel in the royal army.
Career
In 1598 Fortescue's maternal uncle,
Sir Arthur Chichester
Arthur Chichester, 1st Baron Chichester (May 1563 – 19 February 1625; known between 1596 and 1613 as Sir Arthur Chichester), of Carrickfergus in Ireland, was an English administrator and soldier who served as Lord Deputy of Ireland from 160 ...
(1563–1625), later created
Baron Chichester of Belfast, went to Ireland in command of a regiment of infantry, and took with him Faithful Fortescue. In a brief memoir of his uncle (later published by the family's historian
Lord Clermont
Earl of Middleton was a title in the Peerage of Scotland. It was created 1 October 1656 for army officer John Middleton, together with the subsidiary title Lord Clermont and Fettercairn, also in the Peerage of Scotland. In 1674, he was succeed ...
(d.1887)), Faithful Fortescue wrote: ''"With the first Lord Chichester I had, from coming young from school, my education, and by him the foundation of my advancement and fortune I acquired in Ireland"''. In 1604 Sir Arthur Chichester was appointed
Lord Deputy of Ireland
The Lord Deputy was the representative of the monarch and head of the Irish executive (government), executive under English rule, during the Lordship of Ireland and then the Kingdom of Ireland. He deputised prior to 1523 for the Viceroy of Ireland ...
, an office which he held until 1616. This was the period of the
Plantation of Ulster
The Plantation of Ulster ( gle, Plandáil Uladh; Ulster-Scots: ''Plantin o Ulstèr'') was the organised colonisation (''plantation'') of Ulstera province of Irelandby people from Great Britain during the reign of King James I. Most of the sett ...
, and Fortescue acquired offices and lands in the north of Ireland. In 1606 he received a
patent
A patent is a type of intellectual property that gives its owner the legal right to exclude others from making, using, or selling an invention for a limited period of time in exchange for publishing an enabling disclosure of the invention."A p ...
for life of the post of Constable of
Carrickfergus Castle
Carrickfergus Castle (from the Irish ''Carraig Ḟergus'' or "cairn of Fergus", the name "Fergus" meaning "strong man") is a Norman castle in Northern Ireland, situated in the town of Carrickfergus in County Antrim, on the northern shore of B ...
, otherwise known as Knockfergus Castle, one of the major fortified places in the north of Ireland.
A few years later he obtained a grant from the crown comprising an extensive range of territory in
County Antrim
County Antrim (named after the town of Antrim, ) is one of six counties of Northern Ireland and one of the thirty-two counties of Ireland. Adjoined to the north-east shore of Lough Neagh, the county covers an area of and has a population o ...
, which had formerly belonged to the Irish chieftain
Rory Oige MacQuillane (Rory Og MacQuillan), which he erected into the "manor of Fortescue". A part of this land he sold in 1624; the remainder, together with the property of
Dromiskin
Dromiskin (historically ''Druminisklin'', from ) is a village and townland in County Louth, Ireland. It is situated 10 km south of Dundalk, about 1 km inland from the Irish coast.
History
The village was home to a monastery for h ...
in
County Louth
County Louth ( ; ga, An Lú) is a coastal county in the Eastern and Midland Region of Ireland, within the province of Leinster. Louth is bordered by the counties of Meath to the south, Monaghan to the west, Armagh to the north and Down to the ...
, was handed down to his descendants. In the Irish parliament of 1613, there was
gerrymander
In representative democracies, gerrymandering (, originally ) is the political manipulation of electoral district boundaries with the intent to create undue advantage for a party, group, or socioeconomic class within the constituency. The m ...
ing by the creation of borough and county franchises among the new English and Scottish settlements in Ulster. Fortescue was elected to this parliament as member for
Charlemont; in the subsequent parliaments of 1634 and 1639 he sat in turn as member for
Dungannon
Dungannon () is a town in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland. It is the second-largest town in the county (after Omagh) and had a population of 14,340 at the 2011 Census. The Dungannon and South Tyrone Borough Council had its headquarters in the ...
and
County Armagh
County Armagh (, named after its county town, Armagh) is one of the six counties of Northern Ireland and one of the traditional thirty-two counties of Ireland. Adjoined to the southern shore of Lough Neagh, the county covers an area of and ha ...
, while his eldest son Chichester succeeded him as representative for Charlemont.
In 1624 he obtained the command of a company in the army raised in England to serve in the Netherlands under
Count Mansfeld
Peter Ernst, Graf von Mansfeld (german: Peter Ernst Graf von Mansfeld; c. 158029 November 1626), or simply Ernst von Mansfeld, was a German military commander who, despite being a Catholic, fought for the Protestants during the early years of the ...
; but through the interest of Lord Chichester he was permitted to exchange into a regiment then being enlisted in
Cumberland
Cumberland ( ) is a historic county in the far North West England. It covers part of the Lake District as well as the north Pennines and Solway Firth coast. Cumberland had an administrative function from the 12th century until 1974. From 19 ...
and other northern counties of England for service in Ireland.
Lord Wentworth, appointed Lord Deputy in July 1633, some months before his arrival in Ireland, commissioned Fortescue to raise a
troop of horse, of which he was to have the command. The commission brought with it heavy expenditure and a long series of personal differences with Wentworth (later 1st Earl of Strafford). His troubles began as soon as Wentworth landed in Ireland, when he immediately dismissed, without any pay, forty of the newly enrolled troopers, to make room for the gentlemen and servants he had brought with him; difficulties about payments followed, then refusals to promote Fortescue and his sons, then scandals about his lordship's visits to a 'noble lady,’ then a personal quarrel. The business ended in a letter from Lord Strafford, after he had left Ireland, during his imprisonment in the
Tower of London
The Tower of London, officially His Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress of the Tower of London, is a historic castle on the north bank of the River Thames in central London. It lies within the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, which is separa ...
, ordering his steward to discharge Fortescue from the command of his troop.
Irish rebellion of 1641
In 1640 or 1641 Fortescue petitioned the House of Commons for promotion to the rank of lieutenant-colonel in the Irish establishment. On 27 January 1642 this petition came before the house; on that day a report was received from
John Pym
John Pym (20 May 1584 – 8 December 1643) was an English politician, who helped establish the foundations of Parliamentary democracy. One of the Five Members whose attempted arrest in January 1642 sparked the First English Civil War, his use ...
, on behalf of the committee for Irish affairs, to the effect that the king had commanded the lord-lieutenant
Robert Sidney, 2nd Earl of Leicester
Robert Sidney, 2nd Earl of Leicester (1 December 1595 – 2 November 1677) was an English diplomat and politician who sat in the House of Commons between 1614 and 1625 and then succeeded to the peerage as Earl of Leicester.
Life
Sidney was born a ...
, to recommend seven officers to the house for commands in Ireland. The committee recommended Fortescue, the house 'being very well satisfied that he is a man of honour and experience and worthy of such an employment'.
Fortescue received the appointment of Governor of
Drogheda
Drogheda ( , ; , meaning "bridge at the ford") is an industrial and port town in County Louth on the east coast of Ireland, north of Dublin. It is located on the Dublin–Belfast corridor on the east coast of Ireland, mostly in County Louth ...
during the summer of 1641. In October of that year, the
Irish Rebellion of 1641
The Irish Rebellion of 1641 ( ga, Éirí Amach 1641) was an uprising by Irish Catholics in the Kingdom of Ireland, who wanted an end to anti-Catholic discrimination, greater Irish self-governance, and to partially or fully reverse the plantatio ...
broke out in Ulster. The insurgents were able, without resistance, to seize
Newry
Newry (; ) is a city in Northern Ireland, divided by the Clanrye river in counties Armagh and Down, from Belfast and from Dublin. It had a population of 26,967 in 2011.
Newry was founded in 1144 alongside a Cistercian monastery, althoug ...
,
Carrick,
Charlemont, and other places, and threatened Drogheda, the only fortified town between them and
Dublin
Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of th ...
. The town was not garrisoned, and the only troops Fortescue was able to obtain consisted of sixty-six horse and three companies of foot, raised hurriedly by his brother-in-law,
Charles Moore, 2nd Viscount Moore of Drogheda
Charles Moore, 2nd Viscount Moore of Drogheda (1603-1643) was an Irish aristocrat noted for his leadership of Irish Royalist forces in northern Leinster during the early stages of the Irish Confederate Wars.
Background
He was the third but elde ...
. Finding his body of men inadequate to the defence of the place, Fortescue threw up his commission and went to England for help.
Nicholas Bernard
Nicholas Bernard (c. 1600–1661) was an Anglican priest and author during the 17th century. A dean in Ireland at the time of the Rebellion of 1641, he wrote descriptions of current events. He was also the biographer of James Ussher.
Biograp ...
, who was in Drogheda during the siege, says of Fortescue on this occasion that, ''"though willing to hazard his life for us, yet he was loath to lose his reputation also"''. Fortescue left behind his eldest son, Chichester Fortescue, who was in command of a company in Lord Moore's regiment, and who died during the siege, and his second son, John Fortescue, who was killed by the rebels. Shortly after his departure
Sir Henry Tichborne
Sir Henry Tichborne PC (Ire) (1581–1667) was an English soldier and politician. He excelled at the Siege of Drogheda during the Irish Rebellion of 1641. He governed Ireland as one of the two Lord Justices from 1642 to 1644. In 1647, he fou ...
was appointed by the lords justices governor of the place, and brought to its relief a force of a thousand-foot and a hundred horse.
The commissioners of parliament appointed to raise a force for the suppression of the Irish rebellion selected Fortescue in June 1642 for the command of the third troop of horse intended to serve under
Lord Wharton
Baron Wharton is a title in the Peerage of England, originally granted by letters patent to the heirs male of the Thomas Wharton, 1st Baron Wharton, 1st Baron, which was forfeited in 1729 when the last male-line heir was declared an outlaw. The B ...
, as lord-general of Ireland. In addition to this body of cavalry, Fortescue also raised for service in Ireland a company of infantry, which was attached to the
Earl of Peterborough
Earl of Peterborough was a title in the Peerage of England. It was created in 1628 for John Mordaunt, 5th Baron Mordaunt (see Baron Mordaunt for earlier history of the family). He was succeeded by his eldest son, Henry, the second Earl. He was a ...
's regiment, and was then compelled to serve with the parliamentary army in England during the civil war.
In action in the First English Civil War
While waiting at
Bristol
Bristol () is a city, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. Situated on the River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Gloucestershire to the north and Somerset to the south. Bristol is the most populous city in ...
to cross to Ireland, Fortescue's troop was placed under the command of
Robert Devereux, 3rd Earl of Essex
Robert Devereux, 3rd Earl of Essex, KB, PC (; 11 January 1591 – 14 September 1646) was an English Parliamentarian and soldier during the first half of the 17th century. With the start of the Civil War in 1642, he became the first Captain ...
. It was marched to the Midlands to take part in the campaign on the side of the Parliament. Charles I issued a protest against the diversion, naming especially Fortescue and his troop of horse. On the eve of the
battle of Edgehill
The Battle of Edgehill (or Edge Hill) was a pitched battle of the First English Civil War. It was fought near Edge Hill and Kineton in southern Warwickshire on Sunday, 23 October 1642.
All attempts at constitutional compromise between K ...
, Fortescue, who was acting as major in Lord Wharton's regiment of horse, tried negotiations with
Prince Rupert
Prince Rupert of the Rhine, Duke of Cumberland, (17 December 1619 (O.S.) / 27 December (N.S.) – 29 November 1682 (O.S.)) was an English army officer, admiral, scientist and colonial governor. He first came to prominence as a Royalist cavalr ...
, and promised to desert. On the next day, when Prince Rupert charged the left wing of the parliamentary army, Fortescue with his troop drew off from the rest of Lord Wharton's regiment and rode over to the royal horse. Many of Fortescue's troopers forgot to throw away orange scarfs worn as the Earl of Essex's colours, and eighteen out of the sixty men of the troop were killed or wounded by the cavalry whom they had joined.
Soon after the battle, Fortescue was appointed to the command of the 10th regiment of the royal infantry, and served with the army whose headquarters was at Oxford during the remainder of the civil war.
Later royalist service
In 1647 he accompanied the
Marquis of Ormonde
Lieutenant-General James FitzThomas Butler, 1st Duke of Ormond, KG, PC (19 October 1610 – 21 July 1688), was a statesman and soldier, known as Earl of Ormond from 1634 to 1642 and Marquess of Ormond from 1642 to 1661. Following the failur ...
during his Irish campaign, and remained with him until the retreat of the royal army from Dublin to Drogheda. He made his way to the
Isle of Man
)
, anthem = "O Land of Our Birth"
, image = Isle of Man by Sentinel-2.jpg
, image_map = Europe-Isle_of_Man.svg
, mapsize =
, map_alt = Location of the Isle of Man in Europe
, map_caption = Location of the Isle of Man (green)
in Europe ...
, and thence crossed to Wales. At
Beaumaris
Beaumaris ( ; cy, Biwmares ) is a town and community on the Isle of Anglesey in Wales, of which it is the former county town of Anglesey. It is located at the eastern entrance to the Menai Strait, the tidal waterway separating Anglesey from ...
he was arrested and imprisoned by order of the House of Commons, first at
Denbigh Castle
Denbigh Castle and town walls (; cy, Castell Dinbych a waliau tref; ) were a set of fortifications built to control the lordship of Denbigh after the conquest of Wales by Norman King Edward I in 1282. The King granted the lands to Henry de Lac ...
, and afterwards at
Carnarvon Castle
Caernarfon Castle ( cy, Castell Caernarfon ) – often anglicised as Carnarvon Castle or Caernarvon Castle – is a medieval fortress in Caernarfon, Gwynedd, north-west Wales cared for by Cadw, the Welsh Government's historic envir ...
.
He was able to join Charles II at
Stirling
Stirling (; sco, Stirlin; gd, Sruighlea ) is a city in central Scotland, northeast of Glasgow and north-west of Edinburgh. The market town, surrounded by rich farmland, grew up connecting the royal citadel, the medieval old town with its me ...
in the spring of 1651, and took part in the campaign which ended in the
battle of Worcester
The Battle of Worcester took place on 3 September 1651 in and around the city of Worcester, England and was the last major battle of the 1639 to 1653 Wars of the Three Kingdoms. A Parliamentarian army of around 28,000 under Oliver Cromwell def ...
.
Later life
Fortescue went to the continent, where he remained, at first in France, and afterwards in the Netherlands, until the
English Restoration
The Restoration of the Stuart monarchy in the kingdoms of England, Scotland and Ireland took place in 1660 when King Charles II returned from exile in continental Europe. The preceding period of the Protectorate and the civil wars came to be ...
. By royal warrant of 21 August 1660 he was restored to the post of Constable of Carrickfergus Castle, an office which he was permitted to transfer a few months later to his eldest surviving son, Sir Thomas Fortescue, and was created a
Gentleman of the Privy Chamber
A privy chamber was the private apartment of a royal residence in England.
The Gentlemen of the Privy Chamber were noble-born servants to the Crown who would wait and attend on the King in private, as well as during various court activities, f ...
. This office attached him to the royal court, and he lived mainly in London.
Death and burial
He sought refuge on the
Isle of Wight
The Isle of Wight ( ) is a county in the English Channel, off the coast of Hampshire, from which it is separated by the Solent. It is the largest and second-most populous island of England. Referred to as 'The Island' by residents, the Isle of ...
from the
Great Plague of London
The Great Plague of London, lasting from 1665 to 1666, was the last major epidemic of the bubonic plague to occur in England. It happened within the centuries-long Second Pandemic, a period of intermittent bubonic plague epidemics that origi ...
in 1665 and died there in the manor-house of Bowcombe, near
Carisbrooke
Carisbrooke is a village on the south western outskirts of Newport, Isle of Wight and is best known as the site of Carisbrooke Castle. It also has a medieval parish church. St Mary's Church (overlooking Carisbrooke High Street with views to the ...
, in May 1666, being more than eighty-five years of age, and was buried at Carisbrooke Church. No contemporary monument survives, although his descendant and the historian of the Fortescue family Lord Clermont erected a brass tablet on the wall on the north side of Carisbrooke Church inscribed as follows:
:''"In memory of Colonel Sir Faithful Fortescue, Knight, son of John Fortescue, Esquire, of Buckland-Filleigh in Devon, by Susannah, daughter of Sir John Chichester of Raleigh. He was a distinguished Royalist officer, and fought in several battles of the Great Civil War. At the Restoration he became a Gentleman of the Privy Chamber to King Charles II. Having left London to avoid the contagion of the plague, he retired to this island, and soon afterwards, being then of a great age, died at the manor of Bowcombe in this parish, and was buried within these precints on the 29th day of May, A.D. 1666. This tablet is placed here by his eldest male representative, Thomas (Fortescue) Lord Clermont, A.D. 1866"''
In addition in 1878 Lord Clermont and his younger brother Lord Carlingford erected in his memory a stained glass window in Buckland Filleigh Church in Devon, next to the manor house in which he was born, inscribed as follows:
:''"To the memory of Sir Faithful Fortescue, Knight, son of John Fortefcue, Esquire of Buckland-Filleigh, and of his wife Susannah Chichester of Raleigh, an officer distinguished in the great Civil War, who died at Carisbrook in the Isle of Wight, A.D. 1666, and was buried there, this window is dedicated by his lineal descendants Thomas Fortescue, Lord Clermont, and Chichester Fortescue, Lord Carlingford, A.D. 1878."
Marriage and progeny
Fortescue married twice:
*Firstly to Anne Moore (d.1634), a daughter of
Garret Moore, 1st Viscount Moore
Garret Moore, 1st Viscount Moore PC (I) (1564 – 9 November 1627) was an Anglo-Irish politician and peer.
Birth and origins
Garret was a son of Sir Edward Moore of Mellifont and his wife Elizabeth Clifford. His father was a knight and owner of ...
(ancestor of the
Marquis of Drogheda). She died on 5 September 1634 and was buried in St. Patrick's Cathedral. By her he had 16 children (5 of whom died young) ten sons and six daughters including:
**Chichester Fortescue (d.1641), of Donoughmore, County Down, eldest son and
heir apparent
An heir apparent, often shortened to heir, is a person who is first in an order of succession and cannot be displaced from inheriting by the birth of another person; a person who is first in the order of succession but can be displaced by the b ...
, who succeeded his father as Member of Parliament for Charlemont. He trained as a lawyer at the
Inner Temple
The Honourable Society of the Inner Temple, commonly known as the Inner Temple, is one of the four Inns of Court and is a professional associations for barristers and judges. To be called to the Bar and practise as a barrister in England and Wal ...
and married Elizabeth Slingsby (d.1695), daughter of Sir William Slingsby, of Kippax in Yorkshire, who survived him and remarried to John Villiers, Viscount Purbeck, brother of George Villiers, Duke of Buckingham. By his first wife he had one child:
***Elizabeth Fortescue (d.1705), who married Sir Richard Graham of Norton Conyers, near Ripon, and was the ancestress of Sir Reginald Graham (fl.1869). Elizabeth Fortescue was buried in the parish church of Warth. Her portrait was at Norton Conyers until the removal of the pictures in 1864, upon the sale of the mansion and estate, but the arms of Graham impaling Fortescue were still visible in 1869 above the entrance door.
**He was a major in the army in Ireland and raised a company at his own expense in Lord Moore's regiment, and died in 1641 during the
Siege of Drogheda
The siege of Drogheda or the Drogheda massacre took place 3–11 September 1649, at the outset of the Cromwellian conquest of Ireland. The coastal town of Drogheda was held by the Irish Catholic Confederation and English Royalists under ...
, his father having shortly before resigned as Governor of Drogheda, leaving his two sons in the garrison.
**John Fortescue (d.1642), 2nd son, killed by the rebels in Ireland in 1642, died unmarried.
**Sir Thomas Fortescue (c.1620-1710), 3rd and eldest surviving son and heir, who held a commission in the royal army during the civil war, succeeded his father in his estates, and was the ancestor of Lord Clermont, and of his brother,
Chichester Parkinson-Fortescue, 1st Baron Carlingford
Chichester Samuel Parkinson-Fortescue, 2nd Baron Clermont and 1st Baron Carlingford (18 January 1823 – 30 January 1898), known as Chichester Fortescue until 1863 and as Chichester Parkinson-Fortescue between 1863 and 1874 and Lord Carlingford ...
. He married twice, firstly to Sydney Kingsmill, daughter of Colonel William Kingsmill, son of Sir Francis Kingsmill, of Sidmonton, in Hampshire, by his wife Jane St. Leger, daughter of Sir Watham St. Leger, of Ulcombe in Kent. Secondly, he married Elizabeth Cary, a daughter of Sir Ferdinando Cary, grandson of the first Lord Hunsdon, by whom he had no issue. By his first wife he had two sons:
***Chichester Fortescue;
***William Fortescue;
**...... Fortescue, 4th son, killed in action in Ireland.
**Roger Fortescue;
**Garret Fortescue;
**William Fortescue.
**Lettice Fortescue, married to Sir Thomas Meredith, Knight;
**Eleanor Fortescue, married firstly to Thomas Burnet, slain in the service of King Charles I; secondly to Colonel Brent Moore, of the family of Beneden (or Moor Place) in Kent;
**Mary Fortescue;
**Elizabeth Fortescue;
**Alice Fortescue.
*Secondly no later than 1637, to Eleanor Whitechurch, a daughter of Sir Marmaduke Whitechurch, Knight, and widow of John Symonds, Esquire, by whom he had no issue.
Residences
He had the following residences:
*
Dromiskin
Dromiskin (historically ''Druminisklin'', from ) is a village and townland in County Louth, Ireland. It is situated 10 km south of Dundalk, about 1 km inland from the Irish coast.
History
The village was home to a monastery for h ...
in
County Louth
County Louth ( ; ga, An Lú) is a coastal county in the Eastern and Midland Region of Ireland, within the province of Leinster. Louth is bordered by the counties of Meath to the south, Monaghan to the west, Armagh to the north and Down to the ...
, Ireland. It was mentioned in a contemporary narrative by Sir Edward Brereton dated 8 July 8, 1635: ''"About five miles hence (i.e. from Dundallce), we saw Sir Faithful Fortescue's house or castle wherein for most part he is resident, which he holds by a long lease upon a small rent, under my Lord Primate of Armath. This is a dainty, pleasant, healthful, and commodious seat"''. He later bought a considerable freehold estate around it, which his descendant
Lord Clermont
Earl of Middleton was a title in the Peerage of Scotland. It was created 1 October 1656 for army officer John Middleton, together with the subsidiary title Lord Clermont and Fettercairn, also in the Peerage of Scotland. In 1674, he was succeed ...
still owned in 1869, the castle and grounds having long since disappeared.
*
Galgorm Castle
'Galgorm' is a townland in County Antrim, Northern Ireland, about 1 km west of Ballymena. It is part of the civil parish of Ahoghill. Administratively, it is in the Borough of Ballymena.
The townland encompasses the village of Galgorm an ...
, near
Ballymena
Ballymena ( ; from ga, an Baile Meánach , meaning 'the middle townland') is a town in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. It is part of the Borough of Mid and East Antrim.
The town is built on land given to the Adair family by King Charles I i ...
,
County Antrim
County Antrim (named after the town of Antrim, ) is one of six counties of Northern Ireland and one of the thirty-two counties of Ireland. Adjoined to the north-east shore of Lough Neagh, the county covers an area of and has a population o ...
. Fortescue built the castle, which still stands, in 1618. He sold it in about 1645 to the Scots-born clergyman Dr.
Alexander Colville, who made some additions to it. It is considered one of the finest examples of early Jacobean architecture in Ireland.
Literary works
*''An Account of the Rt. Honourable Arthur, first Lord Chichester, Lord Deputy of Ireland, by his Nephew, Sir Faithful Fortescue, Knight'', a short biography of his uncle
Arthur Chichester, 1st Baron Chichester
Arthur Chichester, 1st Baron Chichester (May 1563 – 19 February 1625; known between 1596 and 1613 as Sir Arthur Chichester), of Carrickfergus in Ireland, was an English administrator and soldier who served as Lord Deputy of Ireland from 160 ...
of Belfast (1563–1625), of whom he stated ''"noe man knew his composition and dispofition better than myself"'', published in 1869 by his descendant
Thomas Fortescue, 1st Baron Clermont
Thomas Fortescue, 1st Baron Clermont (9 March 1815 – 29 July 1887) of Ravensdale Park in County Louth, Ireland, was an Irish Whig politician and was the historian of the ancient Fortescue family of 12th century Devonshire origins.
Origins
He ...
.
[ Clermont, Lord (Thomas Fortescue), ''History of the Family of Fortescue in all its Branches'', (first published 1869) 2nd edition London, 1880, pp.176-17]
/ref>
References
*
;Attribution
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fortescue, Faithful
1580s births
1666 deaths
English knights
Cavaliers
Faithful
Members of the Parliament of Ireland (pre-1801) for County Armagh constituencies
Irish MPs 1613–1615
Irish MPs 1634–1635
Irish MPs 1639–1649