Charlemont Fort was a

garrison A garrison (from the French ''garnison'', itself from the verb ''garnir'', "to equip") is any body of troops stationed in a particular location, originally to guard it. The term now often applies to certain facilities that constitute a mil ...

situated in Charlemont, County Armagh.

History

The fort was built in 1602 by

Lord Mountjoy The titles of Baron Mountjoy and Viscount Mountjoy have been created several times for members of various families, including the Blounts and their descendants and the Stewarts of Ramelton and their descendants. The first creation was for Walter ...

. The name ''Charlemont'' came from Charles Blount's Christian name. It was situated on the Armagh bank of the River Blackwater, it was armed with 150 men under the command of Sir Toby Caulfield, whose descendants took the name Charlemont from the place. The Stronghold of Charlemont proved to be of great strategic importance in the

Irish Confederate Wars The Irish Confederate Wars, also called the Eleven Years' War (from ga, Cogadh na hAon-déag mBliana), took place in Ireland between 1641 and 1653. It was the Irish theatre of the Wars of the Three Kingdoms, a series of civil wars in the kin ...

in the 1640s, as it was one of only a handful of modern fortresses to be found in Ireland at that time. It was captured by the forces of

Felim O'Neill Sir Phelim Roe O'Neill of Kinard (Irish: ''Sir Féilim Rua Ó Néill na Ceann Ard''; 1604–1653) was an Irish politician and soldier who started the Irish rebellion in Ulster on 23 October 1641. He joined the Irish Catholic Confederati ...

in 1641 and the Ulster army of the Irish Confederates managed to hold on to the fort throughout the 1640s. O'Neill's forces were able to capture the fort by exploiting his landed status, calling on Lord Caulfield for dinner. It was eventually captured by Charles Coote after he had been reinforced by

New Model Army The New Model Army was a standing army formed in 1645 by the Parliamentarians during the First English Civil War, then disbanded after the Stuart Restoration in 1660. It differed from other armies employed in the 1639 to 1653 Wars of the Th ...

soldiers in late 1650, but hundreds of Coote's soldiers were killed in the effort. During the 1689-1691 Williamite War in Ireland, it was occupied by a Jacobite force under Teague O'Reagan; while the defences were strong, the garrison was short of provisions and it surrendered to Williamite forces in April 1690. The fort ceased to be used as a garrison on 14 February 1858. It was destroyed in 1920 by fire and the only building remaining today is the gatehouse.

Governors

Governors of Charlemont included: *Henry Barry, 3rd Baron Barry of Santry *1719: John Tichborne * bef. 1756: John Johnston (d. 1770) *8 September 1770: James Gisborne *27 February 1778: Lieut-General Guy Carleton, 1st Baron Dorchester *12 November 1808:

Chapple Norton General Hon. John Chapple Norton (2 April 1746 – 19 March 1818) was a British Army officer who served in the American Revolutionary War and who later became a Member of Parliament for Guildford. Early life John Chapple Norton was born on ...

*31 March 1818:

Albemarle Bertie, 9th Earl of Lindsey Lieutenant-General Albemarle Bertie, 9th Earl of Lindsey (17 September 1744 – 18 September 1818) was a British nobleman and general. Early life Bertie was born on 17 September 1744. He was the son of Peregrine Bertie, a barrister of Lincoln's ...

*21 September 1818: Sir John Doyle, 1st Baronet

Destruction

On 30 July 1920 a group of around forty armed from the

Irish Republican Army The Irish Republican Army (IRA) is a name used by various paramilitary organisations in Ireland throughout the 20th and 21st centuries. Organisations by this name have been dedicated to irredentism through Irish republicanism, the belief tha ...

men seized the fort, which was being occupied by a caretaker, and burned it down. The ruins were sold in 1921 to a masonry contractor. In 1922 the family also lost their great house

Roxborough Castle Roxborough Castle was a castle in Moy, County Tyrone, Northern Ireland originally built in 1738. It was the seat of the Earls of Charlemont, along with Charlemont Fort, and was burned out by the Irish Republican Army in 1922. Originally bui ...

to the same fate.inthedistrict.com
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History

Governors

Destruction

References

External links

See also