John Lambert of Creg Clare ( fl. c.1610 – c.1669) was an Irish soldier and

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 governm ...

Life

A native of County Galway a Hiberno-Norman, Lambert is described as "an officer in Lord Clanricarde's Regiment in the Duke of Ormonde's Army in Ireland 1645. Had a lease of Creg Clare from the

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 extant and held by the Marquess of Sligo since 191 ...

in 1669." (O'Regan, p. 40) According to Patrick Melvin (p. 53), the original Lambert residence, Creg Clare, is north-east of

Ardrahan Ardrahan () is a village in County Galway, Ireland. History Richard de Burgo conquered Galway in 1236, and granted the land to Maurice Fitzgerald who built the castle whose ruins still stand today. The churchyard wall contains the remains ...

, close to Castle Taylor, Tullira and Roxborough, homes of the Taylor, Martyn and Persse families by the early 18th-century. Donovan O'Sullivan more fully describes him as the secretary of

Ulick Burke, 1st Marquess of Clanricarde Ulick MacRichard Burke, 1st Marquess of Clanricarde, 5th Earl of Clanricarde, 2nd Earl of St Albans (; ; ; ; 1604, in London – July 1657, in Kent), was an Anglo-Irish nobleman who was involved in the Wars of the Three Kingdoms. A Catholic Roy ...

in November 1651. In that month, Clanricarde "dispatched his secretary, John Lambert, to Galway to find out exactly the real state of feeling in the town. Lambert's instructions were to put the inhabitants fully ''au courant'' with the situation in the kingdom. Having done this, he was to inform them that, since the Jamestown meeting had not been possible, the

Lord Deputy The Lord Deputy was the representative of the monarch and head of the Irish 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. The plural form is '' ...

now proposed that a Council of

prelate A prelate () is a high-ranking member of the Christian clergy who is an ordinary or who ranks in precedence with ordinaries. The word derives from the Latin , the past participle of , which means 'carry before', 'be set above or over' or 'pre ...

nobility Nobility is a social class found in many societies that have an aristocracy. It is normally ranked immediately below royalty. Nobility has often been an estate of the realm with many exclusive functions and characteristics. The character ...

and

gentry Gentry (from Old French ''genterie'', from ''gentil'', "high-born, noble") are "well-born, genteel and well-bred people" of high social class, especially in the past. Word similar to gentle imple and decentfamilies ''Gentry'', in its widest c ...

should be held at Galway or some place near it to review the whole position, consider the possibility of foreign aids, and decide whether Clanricarde could be of any further use to the country;" (pp. 314–315). Donovan O'Sullivan reports that "The mayor and Council of Galway seem to have been impressed with Lambert's statement."

Family

He married twice; firstly in 1649 to Redish, daughter of Thomas Lynch,

Mayor of Galway The office of Mayor of Galway is an honorific title used by the of Galway City Council. The council has jurisdiction throughout its administrative area of the city of Galway which is the largest city in the province of Connacht, in Ireland. The ...

by whom he had; * Mary Lambert, who married Robert French of Rahasane, Co. Galway. * Joseph Lambert, whose descendants settled in County Mayo. Redish Lynch died in the 1650s. Lambert married secondly, on 23 June 1659, Mary Ffrench, who may have been brother to Robert Ffrench of Rahasane, and daughter of Marcus Ffrench of Cahir Dangin and wife Catherine D'arcy. Redish and John Lambert had a son; * Charles Lambert, ancestor of subsequent Lambert families of County Galway, born c.1660, killed at 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 ...

, 1689.

Disputed ancestry

John Lambert has been associated with

Major-General Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of a ...

John Lambert John Lambert may refer to: *John Lambert (martyr) (died 1538), English Protestant martyred during the reign of Henry VIII *John Lambert (general) (1619–1684), Parliamentary general in the English Civil War * John Lambert of Creg Clare (''fl.'' c. ...

(1619–1684), claiming descent from his father, Josias of Carlton, Yorkshire (born 1554). However, there is in fact nothing to demonstrate any relationship between the two, beyond the accident of sharing a name. He may instead have been a kinsman of Charles Lambart, 1st Earl of Cavan. Writing in 1820,

James Hardiman James Hardiman (1782–1855), also known as Séamus Ó hArgadáin, was a librarian at Queen's College, Galway. Hardiman is best remembered for his '' History of the Town and County of Galway'' (1820) and '' Irish Minstrelsy'' (1831), one of the f ...

included the Lamberts among the "many other families, who ... were equally ancient and respectable, as well from length of residence in the town, as through alliance with the other inhabitants, by whom they were gradually affiliated, and finally considered, without any distinction, as members of the same body" (p. 20) as the

Tribes of Galway The Tribes of Galway ( ga, Treibheanna na Gaillimhe) were 14 merchant families who dominated the political, commercial and social life of the city of Galway in western Ireland between the mid-13th and late 19th centuries. They were the families ...

, the premier families of Galway town in the early 1600s.

Descendants

Melvin remarks that Lambert's "original seat in the county was Cregclare near Ardrahan. Further branches of the family became established at Castle Ellen and Castle Lambert" (located some four miles west and north of

Athenry Athenry (; ) is a town in County Galway, Ireland, which lies east of Galway city. Some of the attractions of the medieval town are its town wall, Athenry Castle, its priory and its 13th century street-plan. The town is also well known by virt ...

, respectively) "on property acquired from the Blakes and Brownes. The earlier name of Castle Lambert was Aghrim and it was part of the estate of the Blakes of Corbally, which was the original name of Castle Daly." Notable descendants of John Lambert include: * Charles Lambert of Creg Clare, Jacobite, killed at the 1689 siege of Derry * Sarah Lambert, Lady Clanmorris, wife of Charles Barry Bingham, 2nd Baron Clanmorris (married 1816) * John Walter Henry Lambert of Aggard,

Craughwell Craughwell (historically ''Creaghmoyle'', from ) is a town and townland in County Galway, Ireland. Name The name Craughwell is also used as a surname, properly '' Ó Creachmhaoil'', though often anglicised as ''Craughwell'', ''Croughwell'' and ...

, J.P., High Sheriff of County Galway, 1855 (1811–99) * Captain Thomas Eyre Lambert,

landlord A landlord is the owner of a house, apartment, condominium, land, or real estate which is rented or leased to an individual or business, who is called a tenant (also a ''lessee'' or ''renter''). When a juristic person is in this position, t ...

and assassin target (1819–1920) * Isabella Lambert Carson (born 1823) *

James Staunton Lambert James is a common English language surname and given name: *James (name), the typically masculine first name James * James (surname), various people with the last name James James or James City may also refer to: People * King James (disambiguat ...

of Creg Clare, M.P. for Galway (1826–33) * Ada Constance Lambert, wife of Sir George Moyers,

Lord Mayor of Dublin The Lord Mayor of Dublin ( ga, Ardmhéara Bhaile Átha Cliath) is the honorary title of the chairperson ( ga, Cathaoirleach, links=no ) of Dublin City Council which is the local government body for the city of Dublin, the capital of Ireland. Th ...

, 1881. *

Nannie Lambert Power O'Donoghue Nannie Lambert Power O'Donoghue, also known as Ann Stewart Lyster Lambert, was born in 1843 and lived until 12 January 1940. She came from an upper-middle class family and she was famous for her horse riding, poetry and journalism projects. She ...

, equestrian, journalist and novelist (1843–1940) * Edward Henry Carson, Baron Carson PC, Pc (Ire), Kt., QC, (1854–1935) *

Edward Martyn Edward Martyn (30 January 1859 – 5 December 1923) was an Irish playwright and early republican political and cultural activist, as the first president of Sinn Féin from 1905–08. Early life Martyn was the elder son of John Martyn of Tullira ...

, co-founder of The

Abbey Theatre The Abbey Theatre ( ga, Amharclann na Mainistreach), also known as the National Theatre of Ireland ( ga, Amharclann Náisiúnta na hÉireann), in Dublin, Ireland, is one of the country's leading cultural institutions. First opening to the p ...

, (1859–1924) * Walter Peter Lambert, Lt. Col., M.C. (born 1891) * Douglas Martin Hogg, 3rd Viscount Hailsham PC, KC (born 1945)

Family tree (abbreviated)

John Lambert of Creg Clare, fl. 1610 – after 1669. =Redish Lynch, daughter of Thomas Lynch, Mayor of Galway =Mary Ffrench, dau of Marcus Ffrench of Cahir Dangin , , , _________________________________ , , , , , , , Joseph of Kilmaine, c.1652-90+ Mary Charles Lambert of Creg Clare, k. Derry, 1689. =unknown =Robert French of Rashane =Janet Taylor of Ballymacragh (Castle Taylor) , , , _____________________ , , , Walter Lambert of Creg Clare , , =Miss Hamilton =Sibella Martyn of Tullira Joseph, fl. 1754. Francis, alive 1722. , , =Anne Ruttledge , , __________________________________________ , , , , , , , , __________ , , , , , , , , Charles John Peter, d. 1836. Thomas Belinda Ms. Lambert , , =Miss Carrol of Ardagh William Francis , d.s.p. =Mercy Ormsby=Rebecca Lindsay ________________________, __________________ (issue) (issue) , , , , Walter Peter Lambert of Castle Ellen. Sabina Lambert =Ellen Tubbs =Thomas Mahon of Belleville, Co. Galway. , _______________________, ______________________________ , , , , Peter, 1785–1844. Charles, b. 1804. =Eleanor Seymour =Maria Louisa Caroll =Jane Catherine Irwin of Oakfield, County Sligo. , , , , , , Stubbs, Lambert. Lambert. , Isabella Louisa Maria, 1837–1904

, 1843–1940 =Edward Henry Carson =Henry Jenkins Stavely Bowdler =William Power O'Donoghue , ,

Edward Carson Edward Henry Carson, 1st Baron Carson, Her Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council, PC, Privy Council of Ireland, PC (Ire) (9 February 1854 – 22 October 1935), from 1900 to 1921 known as Sir Edward Carson, was an Unionism in Ireland, Irish u ...

References

* ''History of Galway'', James Hardiman, 1820. * ''Old Galway'',

Mary Donovan O'Sullivan Mary Josephine Donovan O'Sullivan was Professor of History at Queens College, Galway (now NUI Galway) from 1914 to 1957. Biography One of ten children, four of whom survived infancy, Donovan was born at Fair Hill Road in Galway on 24 November ...