HISTORICAL RECORD

OF

THE FOURTH,

OR

ROYAL IRISH REGIMENT

OF

DRAGOON GUARDS.

CONTAINING AN ACCOUNT OF

THE FORMATION OF THE REGIMENT
IN 1685;

AND OF

ITS SUBSEQUENT SERVICES
TO 1838.

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ILLUSTRATED WITH PLATES.

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PUBLISHED BY LONGMAN, ORME, AND CO.,

PATERNOSTER ROW, LONDON;

AND BY MESSRS. CLOWES AND SONS;

AND TO BE HAD OF ALL BOOKSELLERS.

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1839.

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LONDON:
Printed by William Clowes and Sons,
Stamford Street.

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CONTENTS.

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Anno		Page
1685	The Duke of Monmouth's rebellion	1
——	Six independent troops of horse raised	3
——	Constituted a regiment of Cuirassiers	—
——	Obtains rank as Sixth Regiment of Horse	4
——	Arms and equipment	—
——	Reviewed by King James II.	5
1686	Establishment, and names of officers	6
——	Reviewed by King James II.	7
1687	————, and employed on the King's duty	—
1688	The Revolution	8
1689	Accession of William III.	9
——	Employed on the King's duty	10
1690	Obtains rank as Fifth Regiment of Horse	11
1691	Proceeds on foreign service	12
1692	Battle of Steenkirk	—
1693	——— Landen	13
1695	Covering the siege of Namur	15
1696	Attack on a French outpost	16
1697	Peace of Ryswick	—
——	Returns to England	17
1698	Proceeds to Ireland	—
1746	Styled First Irish Horse	22
1751	Uniform, standards, &c.	23
1788	Reduced to the quality of Dragoons, and styled Fourth Dragoon Guards	31
——	Styled the Fourth, or Royal Irish Dragoon Guards	33
1793	Proceeds to England	34
1795	Returns to Ireland	—
1796	Disturbed state of Ireland	35
——	A French force arrives at Bantry Bay	—
1797	Alterations in the equipment, &c.	36
1798	Rebellion in Ireland	37
——	Action at Naas	—
——	———— Prosperous and Carlow	38
——	———— near Gorey	39
——	———— at Ovidstown, Goff's Bridge, and Arklow	40
——	———— Vinegar Hill	41
——	———— Gore's Bridge and Kildare	43
1799	Proceeds to England	44
——	Horses' tails docked	—
1800	Marches to Scotland	—
1802	Returns to Ireland—Alteration in the clothing	45
1803	Bonaparte's threat of invading England	—
——	Field officers released from the charge of troops	46
1804	Embarks for England	—
1805	St. Patrick's fund established in the regiment	47
1806	Proceeds to Scotland—Returns to England	—
1808	Riots at Manchester, &c.	48
——	Men's hair cut short, and powder discontinued	49
1809	Troop Quartermasters replaced by Troop Serjeant-Majors	—
1810	Riots in the Coal districts	—
1811	Six troops proceed to Portugal	50
1812	Covering the siege of Ciudad Rodrigo	51
——	———————— Badajoz	—
——	Skirmish at Llerena	52
——	Advances to Madrid	—
——	Retreats to Portugal	—
1813	Returns to England	54
——	Regimental school established	—
1814	Peace concluded—The establishment reduced	55
1814	Proceeds to Ireland	—
1814	Alteration in the uniform	56
1815	War proclaimed—The establishment augmented	—
——	Peace restored—The establishment reduced	57
1818	Embarks for England	—
1819	Alteration in the uniform	58
1820	Riots at Wakefield and Sheffield	59
1821	Marches to Scotland	—
1822	Embarks for Ireland	60
1826	————— England	61
——	Riots at Dudley, Wolverhampton, and Lichfield	—
1827	Alterations in the uniform	62
1830	Marches to Scotland	64
——	Lace changed from silver to gold	—
1831	Riots at elections in Scotland	—
1832	Embarks for Ireland	66
——	Riots in Ireland	—
1834	Ditto	71
1835	Embarks for England, and stationed at Brighton	74
1837	Riots at elections in England	77
1838	Attends the coronation of Queen Victoria	78
——	Her Majesty approves of the regiment bearing the Harp and Crown, in addition to the Star of the Order of St. Patrick	79
——	The conclusion	—

SUCCESSION OF COLONELS.

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PLATES.

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HISTORICAL RECORD

OF THE

FOURTH, OR ROYAL IRISH REGIMENT

OF

DRAGOON GUARDS.

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The Regiment, which forms the subject of the following memoir, is one of the seventeen corps, now in the British army, which derive their origin from the commotions in England during the first year of the reign of King James II.

The origin of these commotions may be traced to the pernicious councils adopted by King Charles I., which were followed by a flame of puritanical zeal and of democratical fury and outrage in the country, which deprived the monarch of life, and forced the royal family to reside for several years in exile on the continent, where King Charles II. and his brother, James Duke of York, imbibed the doctrines of the Church of Rome. After the Restoration, in 1660, the King concealed his religion from his Protestant subjects; but the Duke of York openly avowed the tenets of the Roman Catholic Church, which rendered him exceedingly unpopular. King Charles II. having no legitimate issue, his eldest illegitimate son, James Duke of Monmouth, an officer of some merit, who had espoused the Protestant cause with great warmth, and had become very popular, aspired to the throne. In a few months after the accession of James II., this nobleman arrived from Holland (11th June, 1685) with a band of armed followers, and erecting his standard in the west of England, called upon the people to aid him in gaining the sovereign power.

Although a deep feeling of anxiety was general in the kingdom at this period, yet the King had declared his determination to support the Protestant religion, as by law established, and his designs against the constitution had not been manifested; hence loyalty to the sovereign, a principle so genial to the innate feelings of the British people, prevailed over every other consideration. A number of Mendip miners and other disaffected persons joined the Duke of Monmouth; but men of all ranks arrayed themselves under the banners of royalty.

To officers and soldiers imbued with a laudable esprit de corps, the particulars relating to the origin and services of their regiment are of intense interest, and the circumstances which gave rise to the formation of their corps are of themselves an era. To encourage such feelings is one of the objects of the present undertaking, and, although the general reader may think the narrative tedious, the officers and men of the Royal Irish Dragoon Guards will feel gratified at learning by whom, and where, each troop, of which their regiment was originally composed, was raised. This information has been procured from public documents, in which it is recorded that, in the midst of the hostile preparations which the Duke of Monmouth's rebellion occasioned in every part of the kingdom, a troop of horse was raised by James Earl of Arran, eldest son of William Duke of Hamilton, a nobleman distinguished alike for loyalty and attachment to the Protestant religion; a second troop was raised, in the vicinity of London, by Captain John Parker, Lieutenant of the Horse Grenadier Guards attached to the King's Own troop of Life Guards (now First Regiment of Life Guards); a third at Lichfield, by William Baggott, Esq.; a fourth at Grantham, by Thomas Harrington, Esq.; a fifth at Durham, by John Fetherstonhalgh, Esq.; and the sixth at Morpeth, by William Ogle, Esq.; and that, after the decisive battle of Sedgemoor had destroyed the hopes of the invader, these six troops were ordered to march to the south of England, and were incorporated into a regiment of Cuirassiers, which is now the Fourth or Royal Irish Regiment of Dragoon Guards. The Colonelcy was conferred on the Earl of Arran, by commission, dated the 28th of July, 1685; the Lieutenant-Colonelcy on Captain Charles Nedby,[7] from the Queen's regiment of horse; and the commission of Major on Captain John Parker.

At the formation of this regiment it ranked as Sixth Horse, but was distinguished by the name of its Colonel, the practice of using numerical titles not having been introduced into the British army until the reign of King George II. This corps being composed of the sons of substantial yeomen and tradesmen, who provided their own horses, it was held in high estimation in the country, and the men were placed on a rate of pay (2s. 6d. per day) which gave them a respectable station in society. Few nations in Europe possessed a body of troops which could vie with the English horse in all the qualities of good soldiers, and, in the reigns of King William III. and Queen Anne, this arme acquired a celebrity for gallantry and good conduct; and these qualities, whether evinced by bravery in the field, or by steadiness and temperate behaviour when their services have been required on home duties, have proved their usefulness, and have rendered them valuable corps during succeeding reigns.

The Earl of Arran's Regiment was armed and equipped, in common with the other regiments of Cuirassiers, with long swords, a pair of long pistols, and short carbines; the men wore hats, with broad brims bound with narrow lace, turned up on one side, and ornamented with ribands; large boots; and gauntlet gloves; their defensive armour was steel cuirasses, and head-pieces. This regiment was distinguished by white ribands, white linings to the coat, white waistcoats and breeches, white horse-furniture, the carbine belts covered with white cloth, and ornamented with lace, and the officers wore white silk sashes;—each regiment had a distinguishing colour, which was then called its livery, and which is now called facing, and the distinguishing colour of the Earl of Arran's Regiment was WHITE.[8]

On their arrival in the south of England, Arran's Cuirassiers proceeded to the vicinity of Hounslow, and on the 20th of August passed in review before King James II. and his court on the heath. In order to make a display of his power and to overawe the disaffected in the kingdom, His Majesty ordered an army of eight thousand men to encamp on Hounslow Heath, of which this regiment formed a part; and on the 22nd of August the King reviewed twenty squadrons of horse, one of horse-grenadier guards, one of dragoons, and ten battalions of foot on the heath. After the review Arran's Cuirassiers marched into quarters at Winchester and Andover, where they arrived on the 5th of September.

In these quarters the regiment passed the succeeding winter; and on the 1st of January, 1686, its establishment was fixed by a warrant under the sign manual, from which the following is an extract:—

At this period the following officers were holding commissions in the regiment:—

Arran's Cuirassiers were called from their cantonments in Hampshire in June, and again pitched their tents on Hounslow Heath, where they were reviewed several times by the King; and afterwards marched into quarters at Leicester, Ashby de la Zouch, Loughborough, and Melton Mowbray; and while in these quarters their Lieutenant-Colonel retired, and was succeeded by Major John Parker.

In the following summer they were withdrawn from Leicestershire, and proceeding to the metropolis, occupied quarters for a short time at Chelsea and Knightsbridge, from whence they proceeded to Hounslow, and again pitched their tents on the heath. After having been reviewed by the King, they marched (9th August) to Windsor and adjacent villages, and furnished a guard for the royal family at Windsor Castle; also a guard for the Princess Anne (afterwards Queen Anne) at Hampton Court Palace, and one troop was stationed at London to assist the Life Guards in their attendance on the Court.

On the 31st of August the regiment marched to London, and was quartered in Holborn, Gray's Inn Lane, and the vicinity of Smithfield, in order to take part in the duties of the court and metropolis; and in September it furnished a detachment to protect a large sum of money from London to Portsmouth.

Having been relieved from the King's duty, Arran's Cuirassiers marched to Richmond and adjacent villages in May, 1688; and in July they once more encamped on Hounslow Heath. After taking part in several reviews, mock-battles, and splendid military spectacles, which were exhibited on the Heath by a numerous army, they proceeded to Cambridge, Peterborough, and St. Ives, and afterwards to Ipswich, where they were stationed a short time under Major-General Sir John Lanier, but were suddenly ordered to march to London in the beginning of November.

The circumstances in which the loyal officers and soldiers of the King's army were placed were of a most painful character. The King had been making rapid advances towards the subversion of the established religion and laws of the kingdom; and loyalty to the sovereign,—a distinguished feature in the character of the British soldier, and the love of the best interests of their native country,—which is inherent in men, were become so opposed to each other, that it appeared necessary for one to be sacrificed. Arran's Cuirassiers were, however, spared this painful ordeal by the circumstances which occurred. The King had resolved to remodel his army in England by the dismissal of Protestants and the introduction of Papists, as he had already done in Ireland; but the arrival of the Prince of Orange, with a Dutch army to aid the English nobility in opposing the proceedings of the Court, overturned the King's measures. The loyalty and attachment to the King evinced by the Earl of Arran occasioned him to be promoted to the rank of Brigadier-General, and his regiment was considered one of the corps on which dependence could be placed. It had completed an augmentation of ten men per troop ordered in September, and was selected to remain as a guard near the Queen and the infant Prince of Wales, who was afterwards known as the Pretender: but a defection appearing in the army, the infant Prince was sent to Portsmouth; and the regiment, having been released from its duty of attendance on the Queen, was ordered to march to Salisbury.

Many officers and soldiers joined the Prince of Orange, and amongst others, Lord Churchill, Colonel of the third troop of Life Guards; the King gave the Duke of Berwick the command of the third troop of Life Guards; removed the Earl of Arran to the Royal Regiment of Horse Guards; and conferred the Colonelcy of the Sixth Horse on the Earl's brother, Charles Earl of Selkirk, from Guidon and Major in the fourth troop of Life Guards, his commission bearing date the 20th of November, 1688.

The desertions which took place alarmed the King and Queen; Her Majesty fled with the infant Prince to France, and was followed by the King. The Prince of Orange assumed the reins of government, and the Earl of Selkirk's regiment was ordered to march to Stamford in Lincolnshire.

On the 31st of December, 1688, the Prince of Orange conferred the Colonelcy of the regiment on Colonel Charles Godfrey, who had previously held a commission in the Duke of Monmouth's regiment of horse.

The Prince and Princess of Orange having ascended the throne while the regiment was quartered in Lincolnshire, it took part in the solemnity of the proclamation of their Majesty's accession at Stamford, on the 16th of February, 1689, on which occasion three troops, with the trumpets and kettle drums, paraded the town, and, 'after firing several volleys, partook of a substantial repast, with abundance of wine, and drank their Majesties' health amidst reiterated acclamations.'

In the middle of March three troops proceeded to the Isle of Wight, where 1500 Irish Roman Catholics were detained in the custody of a military force. These men had entered the service of King James in Ireland, and had been ordered to England to support the arbitrary proceedings of the Court; at the Revolution they were deprived of their arms and sent prisoners to the Isle of Wight, from whence they were eventually transported to Hamburgh, to be disposed of in the service of the Emperor of Germany.

Thirty men and horses of the regiment were transferred, in April, to the Blues, to complete the establishment of that corps previous to its embarkation for Holland.

During the summer three troops of the Sixth Horse were encamped on Hounslow Heath. King William had reasons to suspect that several old corps were not well affected towards his interests; but His Majesty appears to have placed entire confidence in the attachment of the officers and men of this regiment to his person and government; and in August a strong detachment left the camp at Hounslow, to take part in the duties of the Court and metropolis. The remainder of the three troops of the Sixth Horse, encamped on the heath, proceeded into quarters at Croydon and Mitcham; and in December, the three troops in the Isle of Wight were removed to Salisbury.

The detachment having been relieved from the King's duty in London, the regiment was removed in February, 1690, into quarters at Oxford and Abingdon. In the following month it received orders to embark for Ireland, to serve under King William, against the French and the Irish Roman Catholics under King James. This order was, however, countermanded, and when the King proceeded with three troops of Life Guards to Ireland, this regiment marched into quarters in the villages near London, in order to take part in the duties of the Court. Having been relieved from this duty by the Fourth Horse (now 3rd Dragoon Guards), the regiment marched into quarters at Portsmouth and Isle of Wight, and subsequently to Salisbury and Winchester.

During the winter, the Fifth Regiment of Horse[9] was disbanded in Ireland; and the Sixth Horse obtained rank as Fifth Horse from this period.

From Salisbury and Winchester the regiment, now taking rank as Fifth Horse, was withdrawn in May, 1691, and proceeded to Hertford, Dartford, and Romford, and one troop furnished the guard at Windsor for the Queen Dowager, Catherine, consort of the late King Charles II. In June one troop was in attendance on the Princess Anne at Tunbridge; and in the autumn the regiment furnished a relay of escorts to attend the King from Harwich to London, when His Majesty returned from the Netherlands.

The conquest of Ireland having been achieved, the King was enabled to augment his army in the Low Countries; and, soon after His Majesty's arrival in England, Godfrey's Horse were selected to proceed on foreign service. The regiment was, accordingly, embarked in transports on the river Thames on the 27th of November, and sailed on the following day. After its arrival in Flanders it went into quarters at Ghent.

In the spring of the following year, the Fifth Regiment of Horse took the field to serve its first campaign with the army under King William III. in person, who was fighting for the preservation of the Protestant religion and the balance of power in Europe, against the forces of Louis XIV. of France. After several movements, King William attacked the French army, commanded by Marshal Luxembourg, at its position near Steenkirk, on the 24th of July, 1692. The Fifth Horse supported the attacking column, and when the infantry deployed, it drew up on the right skirts of a wood, through which the main body of the army had to pass. The leading corps behaved with signal gallantry, but were repulsed, and the main body of the army was too far in the rear to give the required support. An immense body of French cavalry menacing the British infantry, the Fifth Horse were ordered to advance, and they succeeded in checking the enemy's squadrons. Lord Mountjoy[10], a young nobleman of great promise, who was serving as a volunteer, was killed by a cannon ball at the head of the regiment. It soon afterwards received orders to retire, and this movement was covered by a squadron of Horse Grenadier Guards. The regiment was subsequently engaged in several movements, and in the autumn it proceeded into winter-quarters.

Shortly after the battle of Steenkirk, the Princess Anne of Denmark's regiment of horse,[11] which had lost many men and horses in the action, was disbanded; and on the 7th of March, 1693, its Colonel, Francis Langston, was appointed to the command of the Fifth Horse, vice Colonel Charles Godfrey, who retired.

In the ensuing campaign the regiment was again engaged for several weeks in marches, manœuvring, and occupying positions on the rich plains of the Netherlands, to defeat the designs of the enemy; and on the 19th of July it was engaged in the hard-contested battle of Landen, where it had an opportunity of distinguishing itself. It was formed, during the early part of the action, near the village of Neer-Landen, to support the infantry on the left, and sustained some loss from a heavy cannonade to which it was exposed. At length Marshal Luxembourg, by means of an immense superiority of numbers, carried the village of Neer-Winden, forced the position occupied by his opponents, and his numerous cavalry overpowered the squadrons in the right wing of the confederate army. King William instantly ordered the English horse on the left to oppose the victorious career of the enemy; and Langston's Regiment, galloping to the scene of conflict, charged the French horsemen with signal gallantry. The right squadron of this regiment, led by its Colonel, Francis Langston, broke the French squadron to which it was opposed, and made great slaughter; and the heroic Langston, an officer remarkable for prowess and valour, who had served against the Moors in Africa, and at the battles of the Boyne, Aghrim, and Steenkirk, was seen using his broadsword with terrible execution, but he was eventually surrounded, severely wounded, and taken prisoner. Fresh squadrons of French cavalry, flushed with the prospect of victory, renewed the fight, and, notwithstanding the bravery evinced by the English horse, superiority of numbers prevailed. King William ordered a retreat, which, having to be made across bridges and by narrow defiles, was not executed without much confusion and loss. His Majesty remained on the ground until nearly surrounded by the enemy; but he was rescued by a party of his Life Guards and a troop of Horse.