Henry Baker was an Anglo-Irish soldier, noted for his time as

Governor of Londonderry The Governor of Londonderry and Culmore was a British military appointment. The Governor was the officer who commanded the garrison and fortifications of the city of Derry and of Culmore fort. The Governor was paid by The Honourable The Irish So ...

. He oversaw the successful defence of the city during the

Siege of Derry The siege of Derry in 1689 was the first major event in the Williamite War in Ireland. The siege was preceded by a first attempt against the town by Jacobite forces on 7 December 1688 that was foiled when 13 apprentices shut the gates ...

in 1689, but died of illness before Derry was relieved. Baker was a professional, career soldier. He served as part of the

Tangier Garrison The Tangier Garrison was the land force which oversaw the defence of English Tangier between 1661 and 1684 when it was evacuated. It was part of the English Army, the de facto standing army that Charles II established following the Restoration ...

, something he had in common with other leading figures of the Siege of Derry such as Robert Lundy,

Percy Kirke Lieutenant General Percy Kirke (c. 1646 – 31 October 1691), English soldier, was the son of George Kirke, a court official to Charles I and Charles II. Career In 1666 Kirke obtained his first Army commission in Lord Admiral's regiment, and ...

and John Mitchelburne. Following the Irish Protestant rebellion against James II in 1688–89, Baker joined a newly raised regiment in Eastern Ulster. He was present during a failed attack on

Carrickfergus Carrickfergus ( , meaning " Fergus' rock") is a large town in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. It sits on the north shore of Belfast Lough, from Belfast. The town had a population of 27,998 at the 2011 Census. It is County Antrim's oldest ...

and then at the

Break of Dromore The Break of Dromore took place on 14 March 1689 near Dromore, County Down in the early stages of the Williamite War in Ireland. It featured Catholic Jacobite troops under Richard Hamilton and Protestant Williamite militia led by Hugh Mon ...

when an

Irish Army The Irish Army, known simply as the Army ( ga, an tArm), is the land component of the Defence Forces of Ireland.The Defence Forces are made up of the Permanent Defence Forces – the standing branches – and the Reserve Defence Forces. The A ...

force under Richard Hamilton routed

Arthur Rawdon Sir Arthur Rawdon, 2nd Baronet (17 October 1662 – 17 October 1695) was an Irish landowner. He built a large part of Moira, County Down in the seventeenth century. Known as "Father of Irish Gardening" and "The Cock of the North", he was a keen ...

's Protestant troops.Doherty p.239 With many other survivors of Dromore, Baker headed west towards Derry, one of the few remaining centres to hold out against James II. The Protestants suffered another defeat at the

Battle of Cladyford A battle is an occurrence of combat in warfare between opposing military units of any number or size. A war usually consists of multiple battles. In general, a battle is a military engagement that is well defined in duration, area, and force ...

, and the Jacobite forces approached Derry to besiege it. After the previous Governor Robert Lundy had resigned his post and left the city, Baker was offered the governorship. He agreed to take command, provided that the Reverend

George Walker George Walker may refer to: Arts and letters * George Walker (chess player) (1803–1879), English chess player and writer *George Walker (composer) (1922–2018), American composer * George Walker (illustrator) (1781–1856), author of ''The Co ...

was appointed his deputy to oversee the city's stores. Under Baker's leadership the city's defenders remained active, sallying out a number of times against the besiegers. After he fell ill command was handed over to John Mitchelburne, who was formally elected governor after Baker's death. Baker was buried in

St Columb's Cathedral St Columb's Cathedral in the walled city of Derry, Northern Ireland, is the cathedral church and episcopal see of the Church of Ireland's Diocese of Derry and Raphoe. It is also the parish church of Templemore. It is dedicated to Saint Columba, ...

in Derry.

References

Bibliography

* Childs, John. ''The Williamite War in Ireland, 1688-1691''. Continuum, 2007. * Doherty, Richard. ''The Siege of Derry: The Military History''. Spellmount, 2010. 17th-century Irish military personnel Irish soldiers Year of birth unknown 1689 deaths Soldiers of the Tangier Garrison Williamite military personnel of the Williamite War in Ireland {{Ireland-bio-stub