Theobald Dillon, 7th Viscount Dillon of Costello-Gallin (died 1691) supported

King James II James II and VII (14 October 1633 – 16 September 1701) was King of England and Ireland as James II and King of Scotland as James VII from the death of his elder brother, Charles II, on 6 February 1685, until he was deposed in the 1688 Glori ...

, was

attainted In English criminal law, attainder was the metaphorical "stain" or "corruption of blood" which arose from being condemned for a serious capital crime (felony or treason). It entailed losing not only one's life, property and hereditary titles, but ...

on 11 May 1691, and fell in the

Battle of Aughrim The Battle of Aughrim () was the decisive battle of the Williamite War in Ireland. It was fought between the largely Irish Army (Kingdom of Ireland), Irish Jacobitism, Jacobite army loyal to James II of England, James II and the forces of Will ...

during the

Williamite War The Williamite War in Ireland took place from March 1689 to October 1691. Fought between Jacobite supporters of James II and those of his successor, William III, it resulted in a Williamite victory. It is generally viewed as a related conflic ...

. His attainder was reversed in favour of the 8th Viscount on 20 June 1694.

Birth and origins

Theobald was probably born at Loughglynn, his parents' habitual residence. He was a son of Robert Dillon and his wife Rose Dillon. His father, Captain Robert Dillon of Loughglynn, was a member of the landed gentry. He was son and heir of

Lucas Dillon of Loughglynn Sir Lucas Dillon of Loughglynn (1579–1656) was in 1628 one of the negotiators of the Graces; he was MP for Roscommon in the two Irish Parliaments of Charles I. At the Irish Rebellion of 1641 he sided with the rebels and joined the Irish Cat ...

, who had been the second son of

Theobald Dillon, 1st Viscount Dillon Theobald Dillon, 1st Viscount Dillon (died 1624), was an Irish military commander and adventurer. He held extensive lands in eastern Connacht and north-western Leinster, some acquired by sharp practices. He was a loyal supporter of Elizabeth I ...

. At the time of Theobald's birth, the Dillons of Loughglynn were a cadet branch of the

Viscounts Dillon Viscount Dillon, of Costello-Gallen in the County of Mayo, is a title in the Peerage of Ireland. It was created in 1622 for Theobald Dillon, Lord President of Connaught. The Dillons were a Hiberno-Norman landlord family from the 13th century ...

. Theobald's mother was a daughter of John Dillon of

Streamstown Streamstown () is a village in County Westmeath, Ireland. It sits roughly 20 km from the county town of Mullingar Mullingar ( ; ) is the county town of County Westmeath in Ireland. It is the third most populous town in the Midland Regio ...

. Theobald appears as the elder of two brothers: #Theobald (died 1691) #Lucas, died unmarried His sisters were: #Alice or Elizabeth, married James Ferrall #Jane, married Lally #Mary, married a Dillon of Sinogweny

Marriage and children

Theobald Dillon married Mary, daughter of Sir Henry Talbot of

Templeogue Templeogue is a southwestern suburb of Dublin in Ireland. It lies between the River Poddle and River Dodder, and is about halfway from Dublin's centre to the mountains to the south. Geography Location Templeogue is from Dublin city centre t ...

, County Dublin, and of Mount Talbot in County Roscommon, a brother-in-law of

Richard Talbot, 1st Earl of Tyrconnell Richard Talbot, 1st Earl of Tyrconnell, ( – 14 August 1691) was an Irish politician, courtier and soldier. Talbot's early career was spent as a cavalryman in the Irish Confederate Wars. Following a period on the Continent, he joined the court ...

. Theobald and Mary mainly lived at Kilmore,

County Roscommon County Roscommon () is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is part of the province of Connacht and the Northern and Western Region. It is the List of Irish counties by area, 11th largest Irish county by area and Li ...

. Theobald and Mary had six sons: #Robert, predeceased his father and died unmarried #

Henry Henry may refer to: People and fictional characters * Henry (given name), including lists of people and fictional characters * Henry (surname) * Henry, a stage name of François-Louis Henry (1786–1855), French baritone Arts and entertainmen ...

(died 1714), became the 8th Viscount Dillon #

Arthur Arthur is a masculine given name of uncertain etymology. Its popularity derives from it being the name of the legendary hero King Arthur. A common spelling variant used in many Slavic, Romance, and Germanic languages is Artur. In Spanish and Ital ...

(1670–1733), became a general in French service #Christopher, captain in the Dillon regiment, died unmarried #James, in the Dillon regiment, died unmarried #Lucas, in the Dillon regiment, died unmarried —and two daughters: #Jane, married Sir John Burke, Baronet of Mitford #Bridget

Later life

In the 1680s Dillon was lieutenant-colonel in Clanricarde's Regiment of Guards of the Irish Army. In 1683 Lucas Dillon, 6th Viscount Dillon, died childless at Kilfaughny,

County Westmeath County Westmeath (; or simply ) is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster and is part of the Eastern and Midland Region. It formed part of the historic Kingdom of ...

, despite having married twice. He was the last of the senior branch descended from Christopher Dillon of Ballylaghan. Theobald, his second cousin, was the next heir male of the 1st Viscount. Theobald inherited the title and the estate, becoming the 7th Viscount Dillon. In 1688 Lord Dillon, as he now was, raised two regiments of foot for James II, one commanded by his eldest son, Henry Dillon, the other by his second son, Arthur Dillon. Both fought 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 ...

, but the second, Arthur Dillon's was sent to France with the Irish Brigade in April 1690 in exchange against the Lauzon's French Expeditionary Force. Lord Dillon was a

Roman Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...

member 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 ...

of the

Patriot Parliament Patriot Parliament is the name commonly used for the Irish Parliament session called by King James II during the Williamite War in Ireland which lasted from 1688 to 1691. The first since 1666, it held only one session, which lasted from 7 May ...

of 1689. On 11 May 1691 he was attainted.

Death, succession, and timeline

Lord Dillon fell at the

on 12 July 1691. His widow was killed accidentally by the explosion of a bomb during the Siege of Limerick on 7 September 1691. As he had been attainted, his title and his lands were forfeit. However, in 1694 his son Henry managed to obtain a reversal of the

attainder In English criminal law, attainder was the metaphorical "stain" or "corruption of blood" which arose from being condemned for a serious capital crime (felony or treason). It entailed losing not only one's life, property and hereditary titles, but ...

and succeeded to title and lands.

Notes and references

Notes

Citations

Sources

* * * – Dacre to Dysart (for Dillon) * * – (for timeline) * * – Viscounts (for Dillon) {{DEFAULTSORT:Dillon, Theobald Dillon, 7th Viscount Dillon 1691 deaths 17th-century Irish nobility Irish soldiers in the army of James II of England Irish soldiers in the French Army Members of the Irish House of Lords Theobald 07 Year of birth missing