Marcus Trevor, 1st Viscount Dungannon (1618 – 3 January 1669/70), also known as Colonel Mark Trevor, was an

Anglo-Irish Anglo-Irish people () denotes an ethnic, social and religious grouping who are mostly the descendants and successors of the English Protestant Ascendancy in Ireland. They mostly belong to the Anglican Church of Ireland, which was the establis ...

soldier and peer. 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 ...

and the

Interregnum An interregnum (plural interregna or interregnums) is a period of discontinuity or "gap" in a government, organization, or social order. Archetypally, it was the period of time between the reign of one monarch and the next (coming from Latin '' ...

he switched sides several times between the Royalist and Parliamentary forces. Under King Charles II he was a significant force 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 in 1662 was created the first

Viscount Dungannon Viscount Dungannon is a title that has been created twice in the Peerage of Ireland. The first creation came in 1662 when Marcus Trevor was made Baron Trevor, of Rostrevor in the County of Down, and Viscount Dungannon. These titles became extinct ...

Life

Trevor was the son of Sir Edward Trevor of

Rostrevor Rostrevor () is a village and townland in County Down, Northern Ireland. It lies at the foot of Slieve Martin on the coast of Carlingford Lough, near Warrenpoint. The Kilbroney River flows through the village and Rostrevor Forest is nearby. ...

County Down County Down () is one of the six counties of Northern Ireland, one of the nine counties of Ulster and one of the traditional thirty-two counties of Ireland. It covers an area of and has a population of 531,665. It borders County Antrim to the ...

, and of

Brynkinalt Hall Brynkinalt Hall ( cy, Neuadd Bryncunallt; or simply Brynkinalt (); also spelled as Brynkinallt or Bryn-kinallt) is a Grade-II* listed private property, built in 1612, near Chirk, Wrexham County Borough, Wales. The hall is surrounded by an est ...

, near

Chirk Chirk ( cy, Y Waun) is a town and community in Wrexham County Borough, Wales, south of Wrexham, between it and Oswestry. At the 2011 census, it had a population of 4,468. Historically in the traditional county of Denbighshire, and later Clwy ...

Denbighshire Denbighshire ( ; cy, Sir Ddinbych; ) is a county in the north-east of Wales. Its borders differ from the historic county of the same name. This part of Wales contains the country's oldest known evidence of habitation – Pontnewydd (Bontnewy ...

, by his marriage to Rose Ussher, a daughter of

Henry Ussher Henry Ussher (1550 – 2 April 1613) was an Irish Protestant churchman, a founder of Trinity College, Dublin, and Church of Ireland Archbishop of Armagh. Life The second of five sons of Thomas Ussher by Margaret (d. January 1597), daughter of H ...

(''ca.'' 1550–1613),

Archbishop of Armagh In Christian denominations, an archbishop is a bishop of higher rank or office. In most cases, such as the Catholic Church, there are many archbishops who either have jurisdiction over an ecclesiastical province in addition to their own archdio ...

and his first wife Margaret Eliot. He was thus a cousin of a later Archbishop of Armagh,

James Ussher James Ussher (or Usher; 4 January 1581 – 21 March 1656) was the Church of Ireland Archbishop of Armagh and Primate of All Ireland between 1625 and 1656. He was a prolific scholar and church leader, who today is most famous for his ident ...

(1581–1656), who was Henry's nephew. Thanks to 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 ...

, Trevor's father was imprisoned in Narrowater Castle, where he remained until 1642 and died soon after being released. In the meantime, Trevor himself, although young, served as one of the king's commanders in County Down. In October 1641 the rebel Con Magennis addressed a letter to Trevor and others.Gerald le Grys Norgate, 'Trevor, Marcus', in ''Dictionary of National Biography'', vol. 57 (1899) Following the outbreak of the

First English Civil War The First English Civil War took place in England and Wales from 1642 to 1646, and forms part of the 1639 to 1653 Wars of the Three Kingdoms. They include the Bishops' Wars, the Irish Confederate Wars, the Second English Civil War, the Anglo ...

, late in 1643, Trevor was part of a Royalist force which sailed to England, probably a division sent by the

Marquess of Ormonde A marquess (; french: marquis ), es, marqués, pt, marquês. is a nobleman of high hereditary rank in various European peerages and in those of some of their former colonies. The German language equivalent is Markgraf (margrave). A woman w ...

under Colonel Robert Byron, who garrisoned

Chester Chester is a cathedral city and the county town of Cheshire, England. It is located on the River Dee, close to the English–Welsh border. With a population of 79,645 in 2011,"2011 Census results: People and Population Profile: Chester Loca ...

. On 12 January 1644 he was almost captured by parliamentarian forces led by Colonel Thomas Mytton at Ellesmere. Trevor was soon given command of a regiment of horse, and in July fought at the

Battle of Marston Moor The Battle of Marston Moor was fought on 2 July 1644, during the Wars of the Three Kingdoms of 1639 – 1653. The combined forces of the English Parliamentarians under Lord Fairfax and the Earl of Manchester and the Scottish Covenanters und ...

, at which he was later claimed to have wounded

Oliver Cromwell Oliver Cromwell (25 April 15993 September 1658) was an English politician and military officer who is widely regarded as one of the most important statesmen in English history. He came to prominence during the 1639 to 1651 Wars of the Three Ki ...

himself. Trevor's forces next marched into the north-western counties, and in October 1644 he led the defence of

Ruthin Ruthin ( ; cy, Rhuthun) is a market town and community in Denbighshire, Wales, in the south of the Vale of Clwyd. It is Denbighshire's county town. The town, castle and St Peter's Square lie on a hill, skirted by villages such as Pwllglas and ...

. The following winter he spent in

Cornwall Cornwall (; kw, Kernow ) is a historic county and ceremonial county in South West England. It is recognised as one of the Celtic nations, and is the homeland of the Cornish people. Cornwall is bordered to the north and west by the Atlantic ...

under

Ralph Hopton Ralph Hopton, 1st Baron Hopton, (159628 September 1652), was an English politician, soldier and landowner. During the 1642 to 1646 First English Civil War, he served as Royalist commander in the West Country, and was made Baron Hopton of Stra ...

, and on 16 February 1646, Trevor was one of Hopton's officers at the rout of the

Battle of Torrington The Battle of Torrington (16 February 1646) was a decisive battle of the south-western campaign of the First English Civil War and marked the end of Royalist resistance in the West Country. It took place in Torrington, Devon. Prelude After ...

, after which the king's army in the West was broken. In May 1646, he joined Fairfax at Oxford and took service with Parliament against the Irish rebels. In October 1647 he was in Louth but in June 1649 he deserted, following Monck's treaty with

Owen Roe O'Neill Owen Roe O'Neill (Irish: ''Eoghan Ruadh Ó Néill;'' – 1649) was a Gaelic Irish soldier and one of the most famous of the O'Neill dynasty of Ulster. O'Neill left Ireland at a young age and spent most of his life as a mercenary in the Spanish ...

, and rejoined the Royalists under Ormonde. On 15 July he defeated Ferral, who was transporting ammunition for O'Neill to Dundalk, then helped in the defence 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 ...

. In November 1649 Trevor was shot in the stomach during a skirmish near

Wexford Wexford () is the county town of County Wexford, Ireland. Wexford lies on the south side of Wexford Harbour, the estuary of the River Slaney near the southeastern corner of the island of Ireland. The town is linked to Dublin by the M11/N11 N ...

and taken to Kilkenny, where he recovered from his wounds. In March 1649/50 he was chosen by the Irish as Lieutenant-General of horse, but soon afterwards he again changed sides. In November 1654 Oliver Cromwell described him to his son

Henry Cromwell Henry Cromwell (20 January 1628 – 23 March 1674) was the fourth son of Oliver Cromwell and Elizabeth Bourchier, and an important figure in the Parliamentarian regime in Ireland. Biography Early life Henry Cromwell – the fourth son of Oli ...

as a dangerous man who should be secured in a safe place. In 1658 Trevor was trying to persuade others to support the future King Charles II, and before the Restoration, he was again firmly in the royalist camp. On 6 December 1660 the new king appointed him Ranger of Ulster, with a grant of twelve hundred acres in the

Liberty of Dundalk Liberty is the ability to do as one pleases, or a right or immunity enjoyed by prescription or by grant (i.e. privilege). It is a synonym for the word freedom. In modern politics, liberty is understood as the state of being free within society fr ...

and a further six hundred acres near Carlingford,

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 ...

.Deputy-Keeper of Irish Records, 32nd Rep. App. i. pp. 566, 656, 750 He also joined the

Privy Council of Ireland His or Her Majesty's Privy Council in Ireland, commonly called the Privy Council of Ireland, Irish Privy Council, or in earlier centuries the Irish Council, was the institution within the Dublin Castle administration which exercised formal executi ...

. On 28 August 1662, Trevor was created

of Tyrone and Baron Trevor of Rostrevor and in 1664 he was appointed as Governor of County Down. In a letter of 1668, Ormonde congratulated Dungannon on "setting distrust and enmity betwixt the Irish". He died at Dundalk on 3 January 1669/70 and was buried at Clanallin, near

. His first wife was Frances, daughter and coheir of Sir Marmaduke Whitechurch. His second was Anne, widow of John Owen of Orieltown. On 27 March 1686, two of his sons matriculated at

Christ Church, Oxford Christ Church ( la, Ædes Christi, the temple or house, '' ædēs'', of Christ, and thus sometimes known as "The House") is a constituent college of the University of Oxford in England. Founded in 1546 by King Henry VIII, the college is uniqu ...

, and on 31 December 1687 John, the elder, was accidentally shot by his younger brother, Marcus Trevor. It was yet another son, Lewis Trevor, who succeeded his father.

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dungannon, Marcus Trevor, 1st Viscount 1670 deaths 1618 births Viscounts in the Peerage of Ireland Peers of Ireland created by Charles II Members of the Privy Council of Ireland Trevor, Marcus