Justin McCarthy, 1st Viscount Mountcashel,
PC (Ire) ( – 1694), was a
Jacobite general in the
Williamite War in Ireland
The Williamite War in Ireland took place from March 1689 to October 1691. Fought between Jacobitism, Jacobite supporters of James II of England, James II and those of his successor, William III of England, William III, it resulted in a Williamit ...
and a personal friend of
James II. He commanded
Irish Army
The Irish Army () is the land component of the Defence Forces (Ireland), Defence Forces of Republic of Ireland, Ireland.The Defence Forces are made up of the Permanent Defence Forces – the standing branches – and the Reserve Defence Forces. ...
troops during the conflict, enjoying initial success when he
seized Bandon in
County Cork
County Cork () is the largest and the southernmost Counties of Ireland, county of Republic of Ireland, Ireland, named after the city of Cork (city), Cork, the state's second-largest city. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster ...
in 1689. However, he was defeated and captured at the
Battle of Newtownbutler
The Battle of Newtownbutler took place near Enniskillen in County Fermanagh, Ireland, in 1689 and was part of the Williamite War in Ireland between the forces of William III and Mary II and those of King James II.
War in Western Ulste ...
later in the same year. He escaped and was accused of having broken parole. After the end of the war, he led an
Irish Brigade overseas for service in the French Army. He died in French exile.
Birth and origins
Justin was born about 1643, probably in
Blarney, County Cork, Ireland. He was the third son of
Donough McCarthy and his wife Eleanor Butler. At the time of his birth, Justin's father was the 2nd Viscount Muskerry, but he would be advanced to
Earl of Clancarty in 1658. His father's family were the
MacCartys of Muskerry, a
Gaelic Irish dynasty that branched from the
MacCarthy-Mor line with Dermot MacCarthy, second son of Cormac MacCarthy-Mor, a medieval
Prince of Desmond. This second son had been granted the Muskerry area as
appanage
An appanage, or apanage (; ), is the grant of an estate, title, office or other thing of value to a younger child of a monarch, who would otherwise have no inheritance under the system of primogeniture (where only the eldest inherits). It was ...
.
Justin's mother was the eldest sister of
James Butler, at that time
Marquess of Ormond. Her family, the
Butlers, were
Old English
Old English ( or , or ), or Anglo-Saxon, is the earliest recorded form of the English language, spoken in England and southern and eastern Scotland in the Early Middle Ages. It developed from the languages brought to Great Britain by Anglo-S ...
and descended from
Theobald Walter, who had been appointed Chief Butler of Ireland by
King Henry II in 1177. Justin's parents were both Catholic; they had married before 1641.
Irish wars
Justin was born during the
Irish Confederate Wars
The Irish Confederate Wars, took place from 1641 to 1653. It was the Irish theatre of the Wars of the Three Kingdoms, a series of civil wars in Kingdom of Ireland, Ireland, Kingdom of England, England and Kingdom of Scotland, Scotland, all then ...
in the part of Ireland that was then held by the
Irish confederacy. His father was then a member of the confederacy's Supreme Council and commander of its Munster army. Justin was two in 1645 when his mother hosted
Giovanni Battista Rinuccini, sent as
nuncio
An apostolic nuncio (; also known as a papal nuncio or simply as a nuncio) is an ecclesiastical diplomat, serving as an envoy or a permanent diplomatic representative of the Holy See to a state or to an international organization. A nuncio is ...
to Ireland by
Pope Innocent X, at
Macroom Castle. His father opposed Rinuccini's dealings in Irish politics and when the nuncio seized power in a coup d'état in 1646, Justin's father was detained at
Kilkenny Castle
Kilkenny Castle ( ) is a castle in Kilkenny, Republic of Ireland, Ireland, built in 1260 in Ireland, 1260 to control a fording-point of the River Nore and the junction of several routeways. It was a symbol of Anglo-Norman invasion of Ireland, N ...
and stripped of the command of the Munster Army.
Exile
In April 1650 his family lost Macroom Castle, where Justin had spent his childhood, in the context of the
Battle of Macroom. Around that time, anticipating the loss of Macroom or because of it, his father sent Justin, his mother, and sisters to security in France. His mother then lived in Paris, in the convent of the
Feuillantines.
After Rinuccini's departure, his father fought the
Parliamentarians in the
Cromwellian Conquest of Ireland
The Cromwellian conquest of Ireland (1649–1653) was the re-conquest of Ireland by the Commonwealth of England, initially led by Oliver Cromwell. It forms part of the 1641 to 1652 Irish Confederate Wars, and wider 1639 to 1653 Wars of the Three ...
. Muskerry fought to the bitter end, surrendering
Ross Castle near
Killarney
Killarney ( ; , meaning 'church of sloes') is a town in County Kerry, southwestern Republic of Ireland, Ireland. The town is on the northeastern shore of Lough Leane, part of Killarney National Park, and is home to St Mary's Cathedral, Killar ...
to
Edmund Ludlow
Edmund Ludlow (c. 1617–1692) was an English parliamentarian, best known for his involvement in the execution of Charles I, and for his ''Memoirs'', which were published posthumously in a rewritten form and which have become a major source ...
in June 1652.

In 1658 his father was created Earl of Clancarty by Charles II in Brussels, where he was then in exile.
[215, line 2](_blank)
/> By this advancement the title of the viscount of Muskerry became a subsidiary title of the family, which was given as courtesy title
A courtesy title is a title that does not have legal significance but is rather used by custom or courtesy, particularly, in the context of nobility, the titles used by children of members of the nobility (cf. substantive title).
In some context ...
to the Earl's heir apparent, at that time his eldest brother Charles
Charles is a masculine given name predominantly found in English language, English and French language, French speaking countries. It is from the French form ''Charles'' of the Proto-Germanic, Proto-Germanic name (in runic alphabet) or ''* ...
, who was therefore styled Viscount Muskerry thereafter.
Restoration
The family had their property confiscated under the Cromwellian regime, but it was restored to them at the Restoration of Charles II. Justin seems to have grown up mainly in France. He became a professional soldier and showed great skill in his profession, but poor eyesight hampered his career. He entered the French army
The French Army, officially known as the Land Army (, , ), is the principal Army, land warfare force of France, and the largest component of the French Armed Forces; it is responsible to the Government of France, alongside the French Navy, Fren ...
in 1671, and then transferred to the Duke of Monmouth's regiment, then in French pay, and served against the Dutch.
On 4 March 1665, the Second Anglo-Dutch War
The Second Anglo-Dutch War, began on 4 March 1665, and concluded with the signing of the Treaty of Breda (1667), Treaty of Breda on 31 July 1667. It was one in a series of Anglo-Dutch Wars, naval wars between Kingdom of England, England and the D ...
broke out. Three months into the war, on 3 June 1665 O.S., his brother Charles, Lord Muskerry, was killed on the flagship, the ''Royal Charles'', in the Battle of Lowestoft, the first major naval engagement of the war and an English victory.[215, line 13](_blank)
/> His brother had an infant son, also named Charles, who succeeded him as heir apparent and was, therefore, styled Viscount of Muskerry. However, their father, the 1st Earl, died two months later, on 4 August 1665, and the younger Charles succeeded as the 2nd Earl of Clancarty. The 2nd Earl died about a year later, on 22 September 1666, still an infant. Thereupon Callaghan, the infant's uncle, succeeded as the 3rd Earl of Clancarty.
Justin McCarthy came to England in 1678 and was befriended by the future James II, who generally chose soldiers, especially Irish soldiers, as his boon companions. Charles II decided to use his services in Ireland, and made him a colonel in Sir Thomas Dongan's regiment. On the outbreak of the Popish Plot, however, the discovery of Colonel McCarthy's presence at Whitehall
Whitehall is a road and area in the City of Westminster, Central London, England. The road forms the first part of the A roads in Zone 3 of the Great Britain numbering scheme, A3212 road from Trafalgar Square to Chelsea, London, Chelsea. It ...
caused uproar: he fled the country, and the Secretary of State, Sir Joseph Williamson, who had issued his commission, was sent to the Tower of London
The Tower of London, officially His Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress of the Tower of London, is a historic citadel and castle on the north bank of the River Thames in central London, England. It lies within the London Borough of Tower Hamle ...
.
Meddling in nephew's marriage
By 1683 Colonel MacCarthy was at Court again, where his growing influence was shown by the marriage he arranged for his immensely wealthy nephew Donough MacCarthy, 4th Earl of Clancarty. Callaghan, the 3rd Earl, had died in 1676, leaving his young son in the care of his widow, Lady Elizabeth FitzGerald, daughter of George FitzGerald, 16th Earl of Kildare: she has been described as "a fierce Protestant isolated in a Catholic family". She placed her son in the care of John Fell, Bishop of Oxford
The Bishop of Oxford is the diocesan bishop of the Church of England Diocese of Oxford in the Province of Canterbury; his seat is at Christ Church Cathedral, Oxford. The current bishop is Steven Croft (bishop), Steven Croft, following the Confirm ...
, for a Protestant education. Colonel MacCarthy was determined to have the final word on the young earl's marriage and religion, and persuaded the King to invite the young earl to Court for Christmas
Christmas is an annual festival commemorating Nativity of Jesus, the birth of Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a Religion, religious and Culture, cultural celebration among billions of people Observance of Christmas by coun ...
. He brought that letter in person to the bishop. Here Donough MacCarthy, at sixteen, was married to Elizabeth Spencer who was two years younger. The marriage would not be consummated for many years. The bride was a daughter of Robert Spencer, 2nd Earl of Sunderland
Robert Spencer, 2nd Earl of Sunderland, (5 September 164128 September 1702) was an English nobleman and politician of the Spencer family. An able and gifted statesman, his caustic temper and belief in absolute monarchy nevertheless made him n ...
. The Earl of Sunderland was a Protestant at that time but had Catholic leanings and would turn a Catholic in 1687. The marriage was a failure, and Kenyon, Sunderland's biographer, remarked that it left a stain on the reputation of all those who ruined the lives of these two young people, without gaining anything in return. Gilbert Burnet wrote that in anything that did not directly concern his religion, MacCarthy was an honourable man.
Under James II
Under the Catholic King James II, McCarthy was in 1686 promoted to Major General and became a member of 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 ...
. He quarrelled with the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland
Lord Lieutenant of Ireland (), or more formally Lieutenant General and General Governor of Ireland, was the title of the chief governor of Ireland from the Williamite Wars of 1690 until the Partition of Ireland in 1922. This spanned the K ...
, the 2nd Earl of Clarendon, and probably intrigued to secure Clarendon's recall.
In 1688 or early in 1689, Tyrconnell appointed him Muster-Master General in the Irish Army and Lord Lieutenant of County Cork.
On 23 May 1689, James II elevated Justin McCarthy to being Viscount Mountcashel, with the subsidiary title of Baron Castleinch. These titles were in what later became known as the Jacobite peerage.
Later in 1689, Lord Mountcashel, as he was now, took Castlemartyr and Bandon for James; at Bandon there was a massacre called "Bloody Monday", but Mountcashel persuaded the King to issue a general pardon
A pardon is a government decision to allow a person to be relieved of some or all of the legal consequences resulting from a criminal conviction. A pardon may be granted before or after conviction for the crime, depending on the laws of the j ...
to his defeated opponents. He met James II at his landing at Kinsale
Kinsale ( ; ) is a historic port and fishing town in County Cork, Ireland. Located approximately south of Cork (city), Cork City on the southeast coast near the Old Head of Kinsale, it sits at the mouth of the River Bandon, and has a populatio ...
, and was commanded to raise seven regiments. He sat in the Irish House of Lords
The Irish House of Lords was the upper house of the Parliament of Ireland that existed from medieval times until the end of 1800. It was also the final court of appeal of the Kingdom of Ireland.
It was modelled on the House of Lords of Englan ...
in the Parliament of 1689.
With 3,000 men he advanced from Dublin towards Enniskillen
Enniskillen ( , from , ' Ceithlenn's island') is the largest town in County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland. It is in the middle of the county, between the Upper and Lower sections of Lough Erne. It had a population of 14,086 at the 2011 censu ...
, which with Derry was one of the two places still resisting James II. He was met by 2,000 Protestant 'Inniskilleners' at the Battle of Newtownbutler
The Battle of Newtownbutler took place near Enniskillen in County Fermanagh, Ireland, in 1689 and was part of the Williamite War in Ireland between the forces of William III and Mary II and those of King James II.
War in Western Ulste ...
on 31 July 1689. Mountcashel's forces were routed; he was wounded, then captured. Allowed out on parole
Parole, also known as provisional release, supervised release, or being on paper, is a form of early release of a prisoner, prison inmate where the prisoner agrees to abide by behavioral conditions, including checking-in with their designated ...
he broke parole and escaped to Dublin; Schomberg remarked that he had thought McCarthy was a man of honour, but on the other hand he expected no better from an Irishman.
He went into exile in France and commanded the first Irish Brigade of Louis XIV
LouisXIV (Louis-Dieudonné; 5 September 16381 September 1715), also known as Louis the Great () or the Sun King (), was King of France from 1643 until his death in 1715. His verified reign of 72 years and 110 days is the List of longest-reign ...
.
Marriage
He married Lady Arabella Wentworth, daughter of Thomas Wentworth, 1st Earl of Strafford
Thomas Wentworth, 1st Earl of Strafford (13 April 1593 (New Style, N.S.)12 May 1641), was an English people, English statesman and a major figure in the period leading up to the English Civil War. He served in Parliament of England, Parliament ...
and his second wife Lady Arabella Holles, who was many years older than himself; they had no documented or legally recognized children; however, it is believed his lineage continued.
Death and timeline
His later career was hampered by his near-blindness. He died on 1 July 1694 N.S. at Barèges where he had gone to take the waters for his health and was buried there. At his death he tried to leave his property to a cousin, but it passed to his niece Catherine, sister of the 4th Earl of Clancarty. Her husband, Paul Davys, had the title Viscount Mount Cashell revived in his own favour.
Notes and references
Notes
Citations
Sources
*
* – 1642 to 1660
* (for MacCarty)
* – (for Ormond)
* – 1673 to 1685
*
* – 1643 to 1660
*
*
* – L to M
* – N to R (for Ormond)
* – Canonteign to Cutts (for Clancarty)
* – Eardley of Spalding to Goojerat (for Fingall)
* – Scotland and Ireland
* – 1625 to 1655
* – (for timeline)
*
*
*
*
* – Viscounts (for Butler, Viscount Mountgarrett)
*
* – (Snippet view)
* (for its frontispiece)
* – Irish stem
*
*
*
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mountcashel, Justin McCarthy, Viscount
1640s births
1694 deaths
Military personnel from County Cork
French military personnel of the Nine Years' War
Irish Jacobites
MacCarthy
MacCarthy dynasty
Members of the Irish House of Lords
Viscounts in the Jacobite peerage
Year of birth uncertain
Younger sons of earls
Burials at St Michan's Church, Dublin