In the 1630s King Charles I devoted considerable resources to increasing the strength of the royal navy by building large ships such as the Sovereign of the Seas. In 1642, however, at the outbreak of civil war in England, the bulk of the navy sided with parliament rather than with the king. By the summer … Read more
In 1648 a revolt broke out among the fleet stationed in the Downs and a number of ships defected to the royalists in Holland. Prince Rupert (right), the king’s nephew and an experienced soldier, took command of the ships. In January 1649 the prince led a flotilla of seven warships from Helvoetsluys to Kinsale. Following … Read more
On 13 August 1649 Oliver Cromwell and a flotilla of around 35 ships sailed from Milford Haven to Dublin. Cromwell spent most of the voyage being seasick. A second, larger fleet of approximately 84 vessels sailed the next day and also arrived at Dublin after adverse weather prevented them from landing in Munster. A third, … Read more
This enormous tome is Jane Ohlmeyer’s second book and has its origins in her first: a biography of Randall MacDonnell (1609–83), 1st marquis of Antrim. His eye-catching career prompted Ohlmeyer to wonder whether or not his experiences were ‘typical’. Eighteen years later, she has provided an answer that is rather more comprehensive than simply ‘yes’ … Read more
Sir,—May I point out an error in the article on counties, palatinates, boroughs and ridings in the last issue (HI 20.5, Sept./Oct. 2012)? County Clare (now Clarecastle), which was briefly named as the county town by Elizabethan administrators in the 1570s. This is attested to in the Annals of the Four Masters (James Frost, The history … Read more