Lieutenant-Colonel William Blacker (1 September 1777 – 25 November 1855
['']Burke's Peerage
Burke's Peerage Limited is a British genealogical publisher founded in 1826, when the Irish genealogist John Burke began releasing books devoted to the ancestry and heraldry of the peerage, baronetage, knightage and landed gentry of Great Br ...
'' gives information for two contemporaries named William Blacker. Page 103 gives and brother of Valentine Blacker
Valentine Blacker CB (19 October 1778Burke, John (1835). ''A Genealogical and Heraldic History of the Commoners of Great Britain and Ireland, Enjoying Territorial Possessions Or High Official Rank, Vol. II.'' Publisher: R. Bentley for Henry Colbu ...
with 1776 as birth and 20 October 1850 as death. Page 104 gives a distant relative of Valentine Blacker with 1 September 1777 as birth and 1855 as death. It appears the distant relative, whose father was Dean Blacker (died 1 December 1826) was the author and subject of this biography.) was a
British Army
The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurk ...
officer, Commissioner of the Treasury of Ireland, and author.
[John Burke, Bernard Burke, Peter Townend, ed. (1875). Burke's Genealogical and Heraldic History of the Landed Gentry. H. Colburn (p. 103).] His published work is sometimes attributed under the names Fitz Stewart or Colonel Blacker.
Life and career
Born in Carrickblacker House, in the
Oneilland East
Oneilland East (, the name of an ancient Gaelic district) is a barony in the north-east of County Armagh, Northern Ireland. It is also called Clanbrasil (from ''Clann Bhreasail'', "offspring of Breasal"). It lies in the north-east corner of the ...
barony Barony may refer to:
* Barony, the peerage, office of, or territory held by a baron
* Barony, the title and land held in fealty by a feudal baron
* Barony (county division), a type of administrative or geographical division in parts of the British ...
in
County Armagh
County Armagh (, named after its county town, Armagh) is one of the six counties of Northern Ireland and one of the traditional thirty-two counties of Ireland. Adjoined to the southern shore of Lough Neagh, the county covers an area of and ha ...
, he entered the
University of Dublin
The University of Dublin ( ga, Ollscoil Átha Cliath), corporately designated the Chancellor, Doctors and Masters of the University of Dublin, is a university located in Dublin, Ireland. It is the degree-awarding body for Trinity College Dubl ...
in the 1790s. Blacker was a participant at the
Battle of the Diamond
The Battle of the Diamond was a planned confrontation between the Catholic Defenders and the Protestant Peep o' Day Boys that took place on 21 September 1795 near Loughgall, County Armagh, Ireland. The Peep o' Day Boys were the victors, killing ...
. There, Blacker became one of the original members of the
Orange Institution
The Loyal Orange Institution, commonly known as the Orange Order, is an international Protestant fraternal order based in Northern Ireland and primarily associated with Ulster Protestants, particularly those of Ulster Scots heritage. It als ...
. After earning his degree, Blacker obtained a commission in the
60th Regiment of Foot
6 (six) is the natural number following 5 and preceding 7. It is a composite number and the smallest perfect number.
In mathematics
Six is the smallest positive integer which is neither a square number nor a prime number; it is the second small ...
, then serving in the
West Indies
The West Indies is a subregion of North America, surrounded by the North Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea that includes 13 independent island countries and 18 dependencies and other territories in three major archipelagos: the Greater A ...
, but poor health compelled him to return home. In 1806 he was promoted to major, and in 1812 rose to his final rank of
lieutenant-colonel
Lieutenant colonel ( , ) is a rank of commissioned officers in the armies, most marine forces and some air forces of the world, above a major and below a colonel. Several police forces in the United States use the rank of lieutenant colonel. ...
. In 1816 his uncle
Sir George Hill, 2nd Baronet
Sir George FitzGerald Hill, 2nd Baronet (1 June 1763 – 8 March 1839) was an Irish politician.
Family and early life
He was the oldest son of Sir Hugh Hill, 1st Baronet of Brook Hall, County Londonderry,
who had been a member of the Parliam ...
appointed Blacker to the
Commission of the Treasury of Ireland. He was confirmed Lord Dublin and was the great-grandfather of Sir
Cecil Blacker
General Sir Cecil Hugh Blacker (4 June 1916 – 18 October 2002) was a senior British Army officer and a former Adjutant-General to the Forces.
Military career
Educated at Wellington College and at the Royal Military College, Sandhurst, Cecil ...
Commandant of Horse.
In 1829, he inherited the family estate upon his father's death. He resigned his military office shortly after and retired to Carrickblacker House. Blacker was buried in
Portadown
Portadown () is a town in County Armagh, Northern Ireland. The town sits on the River Bann in the north of the county, about southwest of Belfast. It is in the Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Council area and had a population of a ...
in the Old Seagoe Cemetery.
Writings
Blacker and his relative
Valentine Blacker
Valentine Blacker CB (19 October 1778Burke, John (1835). ''A Genealogical and Heraldic History of the Commoners of Great Britain and Ireland, Enjoying Territorial Possessions Or High Official Rank, Vol. II.'' Publisher: R. Bentley for Henry Colbu ...
were both lieutenant-colonels, and both were published authors. Because some of the work was published
pseudonymously
A pseudonym (; ) or alias () is a fictitious name that a person or group assumes for a particular purpose, which differs from their original or true name (orthonym). This also differs from a new name that entirely or legally replaces an individua ...
, the two are sometimes confused or conflated in texts. In ''
The Dublin University Magazine
The ''Dublin University Magazine'' was an independent literary cultural and political magazine published in Dublin from 1833 to 1882. It started out as a magazine of political commentary but increasingly became devoted to literature. The magazine ...
'', where his work often appeared, they wrote, "We know not why Colonel Blacker has chosen not to own himself the author of some papers which in the pages of our own Magazine have excited attention of which any man might feel proud."
[Lieut.-Col. William Blacker.](_blank)
''The Dublin University Magazine'', Volume 17, Number 101, May 1841
Blacker authored a popular poem on military service, ''Oliver's Advice'', originally published in 1834 under his occasional pseudonym, "Fitz Stewart."
["Fitz Stewart" (1834)]
Oliver's Advice.
''The Dublin University Magazine
The ''Dublin University Magazine'' was an independent literary cultural and political magazine published in Dublin from 1833 to 1882. It started out as a magazine of political commentary but increasingly became devoted to literature. The magazine ...
'' The poem was widely anthologized.
[John O'Hanlon, ''The Poetical Works of Lageniensis seud.' (1893), p. 140.] The poem popularized a phrase attributed to
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 ...
as part of a "well-authenticated anecdote." Each stanza ends with a variant of the line, "
put your trust in God, my boys, and keep your powder dry
"Trust in God and keep your powder dry" is a maxim attributed to Oliver Cromwell, but whose first appearance in print was in 1834 in the poem "Oliver's Advice" by William Blacker, with the words "Put your trust in God, my boys, and keep your powde ...
." The line appeared in ''
Bartlett's Familiar Quotations'' attributed to Colonel Blacker.
His 1818 song "
The Crimson Banner
"The Crimson Banner" is a traditional Irish song, also known as "The Eighteenth of December" and "No Surrender!". Written by William Blacker in 1818, it is part of the Protestant Loyalist tradition.Blackstock & Magennis p.68
The song celebrates ...
" commemorates 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 ...
during the
Williamite War in Ireland
The Williamite War in Ireland (1688–1691; ga, Cogadh an Dá Rí, "war of the two kings"), was a conflict between Jacobite supporters of deposed monarch James II and Williamite supporters of his successor, William III. It is also called th ...
.
References
External links
Lieut.-Col. William BlackerFrom ''
The Dublin University Magazine
The ''Dublin University Magazine'' was an independent literary cultural and political magazine published in Dublin from 1833 to 1882. It started out as a magazine of political commentary but increasingly became devoted to literature. The magazine ...
'', Volume 17, Number 101, May 1841
{{DEFAULTSORT:Blacker, William
1777 births
1855 deaths
People from County Armagh
Members of the Royal Irish Academy
British Militia officers
Alumni of Trinity College Dublin
People educated at The Royal School, Armagh
British Yeomanry officers
Royal American Regiment officers
Grand Masters of the Orange Order