Thomas Preston, 1st Viscount Tara (1585October 1655) was an Irish soldier of the 17th century. After lengthy service as a
mercenary
A mercenary is a private individual who joins an armed conflict for personal profit, is otherwise an outsider to the conflict, and is not a member of any other official military. Mercenaries fight for money or other forms of payment rather t ...
in the
Spanish Army
The Spanish Army () is the terrestrial army of the Spanish Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is one of the oldest Standing army, active armies – dating back to the late 15th century.
The Spanish Army has existed ...
, Preston returned to Ireland following the outbreak of the
Rebellion of 1641. He was appointed to command the
Leinster
Leinster ( ; or ) is one of the four provinces of Ireland, in the southeast of Ireland.
The modern province comprises the ancient Kingdoms of Meath, Leinster and Osraige, which existed during Gaelic Ireland. Following the 12th-century ...
Army of the
Irish Confederacy, enjoying some success as well as a number of heavy defeats such as the
Battle of Dungans Hill in 1647 where his army was largely destroyed. Like other Confederate leaders, Preston was a
Catholic
The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...
Royalist. He remained in close contact with the
Lord Lieutenant
A lord-lieutenant ( ) is the British monarch's personal representative in each lieutenancy area of the United Kingdom. Historically, each lieutenant was responsible for organising the county's militia. In 1871, the lieutenant's responsibility ov ...
the
Marquess of Ormonde, and was a strong supporter of an alliance between Confederates and Royalists against the English Republicans.
Following 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 ...
, he left for France where he joined the Royalist Court-in-exile and was made Viscount Tara by
Charles II.
Lineage
Preston was a descendant of
Robert Preston, 1st Baron Gormanston, who in 1363 purchased the lands of
Gormanston, County Meath, and who was
Lord Chancellor of Ireland
The Lord High Chancellor of Ireland, commonly known as the Lord Chancellor of Ireland, was the highest ranking judicial office in Ireland until the establishment of the Irish Free State in 1922. From 1721 until the end of 1800, it was also the hi ...
in 1388. The Prestons came originally from the
Lancashire
Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated ''Lancs'') is a ceremonial county in North West England. It is bordered by Cumbria to the north, North Yorkshire and West Yorkshire to the east, Greater Manchester and Merseyside to the south, and the Irish Sea to ...
town of that name, and arrived in Ireland some time before 1320.
Sir Robert's great-grandson, Robert Preston, was created
Viscount Gormanston in 1478; and the latter's great-grandson was Christopher, 4th Viscount Gormanstown (died 1599), whose second son was Thomas Preston. Thomas's mother was Catherine FitzWilliam, daughter of the wealthy Dublin landowner Sir Richard FitzWilliam of
Baggotrath Castle. He was thus a close relative of
Viscount FitzWilliam.
Continental service
Thomas's elder brother succeeded in the title of Viscount Gormanstown, so Thomas Preston pursued a career in the military. Since
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 ...
s were not allowed to hold state positions in Ireland, he entered the Spanish service and fought in the
Thirty Years' War
The Thirty Years' War, fought primarily in Central Europe between 1618 and 1648, was one of the most destructive conflicts in History of Europe, European history. An estimated 4.5 to 8 million soldiers and civilians died from battle, famine ...
.
Preston was in the same Irish regiment in the Spanish service as
Owen Roe O'Neill, and distinguished himself in the
defence of Leuven against the French and Dutch in 1635. Between him and Owen Roe O'Neill, there was from the first intense jealousy. There was also some tension between Preston and
James Tuchet. In 1644 Tuchet, the
Earl of Castlehaven
Earl of Castlehaven was a title in the Peerage of Ireland, created on 6 September 1616. It was held in conjunction with the Baron Audley, Barony of Audley (created 1312 in the Peerage of England), the Barony of Audley of Orier (created with the ...
was chosen to lead a major Confederate expedition into Ulster. Unlike Preston, Castlehaven was a military amateur but was he favoured over Preston as he was of a prominent English family.
Irish Confederacy
Preston returned to Ireland after the
Irish Rebellion of 1641
The Irish Rebellion of 1641 was an uprising in Kingdom of Ireland, Ireland, initiated on 23 October 1641 by Catholic gentry and military officers. Their demands included an end to anti-Catholic discrimination, greater Irish self-governance, and ...
to support his fellow Irish Catholics. He was appointed general of
Leinster
Leinster ( ; or ) is one of the four provinces of Ireland, in the southeast of Ireland.
The modern province comprises the ancient Kingdoms of Meath, Leinster and Osraige, which existed during Gaelic Ireland. Following the 12th-century ...
, by the
Irish Confederates, which was the largest and best equipped of the Irish Catholic forces.
His performance as a commander in Ireland in the intermittent wars of 1642 to 1652 was mixed. He won widespread praise for his successful
siege of Duncannon in 1645, but lost a string of field battles including
New Ross
New Ross (, formerly ) is a town in southwest County Wexford, Republic of Ireland, Ireland, on the River Barrow on the border with County Kilkenny, northeast of Waterford. In 2022, it had a population of 8,610, making it the fourth-largest t ...
(1643) and
Dungans Hill (1647). This last battle was disastrous for the Confederates, as their Leinster army was all but wiped out at it. In general, he was skilled in the art of siegecraft, but never had a very good understanding of mobile warfare.
In August 1646, Preston's alcoholism and royalist tendencies led Chief Doctor
Owen O'Shiel to leave Preston's command and move to the Ulster Army.
Preston played a major part in the Confederates' internal strife, siding at first with radicals who opposed the first Ormonde peace, but later siding with the moderates who signed a conclusive treaty with Ormonde and the Royalists in 1648. His Royalism was motivated by his
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 ...
roots and his extreme personal dislike of Owen Roe O'Neill, who led the opposing faction. He fought with the defeated Royalists during 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 ...
,
defending the city of
Waterford
Waterford ( ) is a City status in Ireland, city in County Waterford in the South-East Region, Ireland, south-east of Ireland. It is located within the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster. The city is situated at the head of Waterford H ...
until hunger and disease forced him to capitulate. He marched his remaining troops to
Galway
Galway ( ; , ) is a City status in Ireland, city in (and the county town of) County Galway. It lies on the River Corrib between Lough Corrib and Galway Bay. It is the most populous settlement in the province of Connacht, the List of settleme ...
, the last Irish-held city on the island. In late 1652, after another
lengthy siege, Galway too was reduced by plague and lack of supplies. Preston surrendered the city on condition that he and his troops be allowed to leave the country and find employment in the French army.
He left the country for exile in France, where the Royalist court was in exile, in 1652.
In 1650
Charles II while in exile created him
Viscount Tara; and after his departure from Ireland in 1652 he offered his services to Charles in Paris, where he died in October 1655.
Family
Preston's wife was a
Flemish lady of rank, Claire van der Eycken, daughter of Philippe-Charles van der Eycken and Anne de Jauche de Mastaing. She was the sister of Anthone van der Eycken (+ 22 march 1646) lord of Sint-Joris (Beernem in Flanders). Preston had by Claire three children. Louise (born 1624), a daughter by his second wife Catharina Reyns, was the second wife of Sir
Phelim O'Neill
Sir Phelim Roe O'Neill of Kinard ( Irish: ''Sir Féilim Rua Ó Néill na Ceann Ard''; 1604–1653) was an Irish politician and soldier who started the Irish rebellion in Ulster on 23 October 1641. He joined the Irish Catholic Confede ...
, while her sister Mary married Colonel Francis Netterville, a grandson of
Nicholas Netterville, 1st Viscount Netterville, and after his death married Colonel John Fitzpatrick. His son Anthony succeeded him as 2nd Viscount Tara, a title that became extinct on the murder by
Sir Francis Blundell, 3rd Baronet and his brothers of Thomas, 3rd Viscount, in 1674.
Charles II, who during his exile lodged with the Preston family in
Bruges
Bruges ( , ; ; ) is the capital and largest city of the province of West Flanders, in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is in the northwest of the country, and is the sixth most populous city in the country.
The area of the whole city amoun ...
, spoke warmly of the children and their guardian Miss Warren in his later years, but did nothing to repair their ruined fortunes: the younger Thomas in 1670 was said to be penniless.
[Fraser, Antonia ''King Charles II'' Mandarin edition 1993 p.152]
See also
*
William Preston (Virginia soldier)
*
William Preston (poet)
Notes
References
*
*
Bibliography
* O Siochru, Micheal. '' Confederate Ireland, 1642–1649''. A Constitutional and Political Analysis''. Four Courts Press, 1999.
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tara, Thomas Preston, 1st Viscount
Preston
Irish generals
Preston
Viscounts in the Peerage of Ireland
Peers of Ireland created by Charles II
1585 births
1655 deaths
17th-century Irish military personnel
Military personnel from County Meath
Preston, Thomas, 1st Viscount Tara
Irish soldiers in the Spanish Army
Irish expatriates in France
People of Elizabethan Ireland