Sir Richard Hansard (c. 1550–1619) was an English-born soldier who served and settled in Ireland during the Tudor and

Stuart era The Stuart period of British history lasted from 1603 to 1714 during the dynasty of the House of Stuart. The period ended with the death of Queen Anne and the accession of King George I from the German House of Hanover. The period was plagu ...

s. He fought for the

Crown A crown is a traditional form of head adornment, or hat, worn by monarchs as a symbol of their power and dignity. A crown is often, by extension, a symbol of the monarch's government or items endorsed by it. The word itself is used, partic ...

during Tyrone's Rebellion, during which he was given command of the key town of

Ballyshannon Ballyshannon () is a town in County Donegal, Ireland. It is located at the southern end of the county where the N3 from Dublin ends and the N15 crosses the River Erne. Incorporated in 1613, it is one of the oldest towns in Ireland. Location B ...

County Donegal County Donegal ( ; ga, Contae Dhún na nGall) is a county of Ireland in the province of Ulster and in the Northern and Western Region. It is named after the town of Donegal in the south of the county. It has also been known as County Tyrconne ...

. He was born in Biscarthorpe in

Lincolnshire Lincolnshire (abbreviated Lincs.) is a county in the East Midlands of England, with a long coastline on the North Sea to the east. It borders Norfolk to the south-east, Cambridgeshire to the south, Rutland to the south-west, Leicestershire ...

. He was educated at the University of Cambridge after which he became a soldier. His wife Anne was the daughter of Sir Edward Martury of Genby. He served in Ireland in a number of places during the

Nine Years War The Nine Years' War (1688–1697), often called the War of the Grand Alliance or the War of the League of Augsburg, was a conflict between France and a European coalition which mainly included the Holy Roman Empire (led by the Habsburg monarch ...

(1594–1603) and was governor of Lifford during the latter stages of the war and also during the rebellion of Sir Cahir O’Dogherty. He took part in the suppression of O'Doherty's Rebellion of 1608 and had warned the Governor George Paulet of danger shortly before the

Burning of Derry The Burning of Derry took place on 19 April 1608 during O'Doherty's Rebellion when Sir Cahir O'Doherty led a force of rebels to storm Derry in Ulster. He launched his rebellion with an attack on the garrison town of Derry, which was taken tha ...

which launched the uprising. As a reward for his services he was granted

Lifford Lifford (, historically anglicised as ''Liffer'') is the county town of County Donegal, Ireland, the administrative centre of the county and the seat of Donegal County Council, although the town of Letterkenny is often mistaken as holding this ...

and the surrounding lands by

James I James I may refer to: People *James I of Aragon (1208–1276) *James I of Sicily or James II of Aragon (1267–1327) *James I, Count of La Marche (1319–1362), Count of Ponthieu *James I, Count of Urgell (1321–1347) *James I of Cyprus (1334–13 ...

and given permission to found a corporate town at Lifford as a veteran of the

. In his will he instructed his executors to build a church, a school and a school house in Lifford. He also set aside money from his lands to pay for a schoolmaster and other officials in the town.

References

Bibliography

* Bardon, Jonathan. ''The Plantation of Ulster''. Gill & MacMillan, 2012. * McCavitt, John. ''The Flight of the Earls''. Gill & MacMillan, 2002. {{DEFAULTSORT:Hansard, Richard People of Elizabethan Ireland People from East Lindsey District Military personnel from Lincolnshire English soldiers English emigrants to Ireland Irish knights Year of birth uncertain 1619 deaths