Siege,  Storm  &  Slaughter:    

The  Archaeology  of  17th  century  Sieges  in  Ireland

Damian  Shiels

Practised  in  the  Art  of  War:  Limerick  Sieges,  1642  to  1691 Absolute  Hotel,  Limerick Saturday  4th  October  2014

Overview •  Siege  &  BaBlefield  Archaeology •  Finding  17th  Century  Siege  Archaeology-­‐‑  The  What  &  How •  Kinsale  1601 •  Carrickmines  1642

•  Castledonovan  1650 •  Clogh  Oughter  1653 •  In  the  Footsteps  of  Ginkel  1691

LiBle  Bighorn,  Montana  (1876)

Siege  Archaeology  in  Ireland

•  Investigative  Programmes •  Chance  Discoveries

What  Do  We  Find? •  Evidence  of  Fortification

•  Evidence  of  Bombardment •  Evidence  of  Mining •  Evidence  of  Destruction

•  Evidence  of  Death

 Reconstructing  a  Siege  Landscape  

 v   Primary  Accounts

v   Modern  Cartography

v  Knowledge  of  Military  Manoeuvres

v  Contemporary  Cartography

v  Good  Walking  Shoes

 The  Siege  of  Kinsale  1601  

 •  Decisive  encounter  of  the  Nine  Years  War  (1594-­‐‑  1603)

•  21st  September  1601  Don  Juan  del  Águila  Spanish  force  lands

•  17th  October  1601  Lord  Deputy  Mountjoy  arrives  to  begin  siege

•  6th  December  1601  Confederate  Irish  forces  arrive  at  Kinsale

•  24th  December  1601  BaBle  of  Kinsale

October  17th

 ‘the  army  rose  and  marched  within  half  a  mile  of  Kinsale,  where  they  encamped  under  a  hill  called  Knock  Robin,  having  no  means  to  entrench’  

October  26th

‘the  army  dislodged  and  encamped  on  a  hill  called  the  SpiBle,  more  than  a  musket  shot  away  from  the  town  on  the  north’  

Early  December

‘the  Quarter  or  lesser  Camp  on  the  West  side  ....... should  rise  and  sit  down  farther  off,   towards  the  South-­‐‑gate’

Established  26th  November   ‘We  fortify’d  the  foresaid  Camp  on  the  West  (or  South-­‐‑West)  side’  Fynes  Moryson:  Secretary  to  Lord  Deputy  Mountjoy

The  Evidence

Miscast  Shot,  Lord  Deputy’s  Camp

Caliver  Shot,   Thomond’s  2nd  Camp

 The  Siege  of  Carrickmines  1642  

 •  A  Walsh  Castle  defending  and  part  of  the  Dublin  Marches  defences

•  26th  March  1642  Besieged  by  Crown  forces  under  Sir  Simon  Harcourt

•  27th  March  1642  Outer  wall  breached  and  Castle  assaulted

 

The  Siege  of  Carrickmines  1642    

‘[the  soldiers]  brake  in  desperately  into  the  castle  and  they  slew  250  men,  women  and  children’

‘…[the  soldiers]  who,  being  mightily  enraged  with  the  loss  of  their  beloved  

Colonel,  entered  with  great  fury  puBing  all  to  the  sword,  sparing  neither  Man,  Woman  

or  Child…’

Belongings  of  the  Dead

The  Moment  of  Death

The  Taking  of  Castledonovan,  1650  

•  A  Castle  controlled  by  the  O’Donovans  in  West  Cork ‘The  estates  of  Daniel  senior  [Donal  III  O’Donovan]  were  seized  by  the  usurped  power,  who  burned  Killiny  and  destroyed  all  that  came  in  their  way  and  blew  up  two  of  his  castles’

The  Siege  of  Clogh  Oughter,  1653    

•  Castle  controlled  by  Confederates  uder  Colonel  Philip  O’Reilly •  Besieged  by  Parliamentarians  under  Colonel  Barrow,  March  1653

‘We  have  intelligence  from  Colonell  Barrow  that  Trinity  Island,  in  the  county  of  Cavan  (as  I  take  it),  and  some  other  islands  therabouts,  are  delivered  up  unto  him,  and  that  he  is  now  before  Cloughwater  Castle,  and  hath  by  a  fiery  floate  burnt  their  boates  or  coUes  (as  he  hopes),  and  with  sluges  hath  burnt  their  corne,  and  hopes  in  a  short  tyme  it  will  be  rendered  or  quiUed.’  

Gun  Type   Calibre  (in)   Length  (5.)   Weight  (lb.)   Diameter  of  Shot  (in)   Point  Blank  Range  

(yd.)  

Saker   3.5-­‐4   8-­‐10   1400-­‐1800   3.25-­‐3.75   360  

Demi-­‐culverin/Small  

culverin  

4.25-­‐5   9-­‐13   2000-­‐4000   4-­‐4.75   400  

Culverin   5.25-­‐5.5   10-­‐13   4500-­‐4800   5-­‐5.25   460  

Demi-­‐cannon   6.25-­‐6.75   1-­‐12   5400-­‐6000   6-­‐6.5   -­‐  

Gun   Crew   Horses  

Saker   6   24  

Demi-­‐culverin   7   36  

Culverin   8   50  

Demi-­‐cannon   16   60  

The  Archaeology  of  a  Campaign The 1691 Campaign

• Williamite Camp, Mullingar

• Siege of Ballymore

• Siege of Athlone

• Battle of Aughrim

• Siege of Galway

• Siege of Limerick

The  First  Siege Ballymore 7th June- 8th JuneThe Archaeology: Surviving ElementsThe Archaeology: Objects

The  Second  Siege Athlone 18th June- 30th June The Archaeology: Surviving ElementsThe Archaeology: Objects

Limerick  1690/1 Limerick 25th August- 26th SeptemberThe Archaeology: Surviving ElementsThe Archaeology: Surviving Elements

Acknowledgements •  Thomond  Archaeological  &  Historical  Society •  Department  of  Arts,  Heritage  &  the  Gaeltacht •  National  Museum  of  Ireland •  National  Roads  Authority •  Eneclann  Ltd •  Brian  Hodkinson •  Sara  Nylund •  Paul  O’Keeffe •  Dr.  Linda  Fibiger •  Dr.  Mark  Clinton •  Dr.  Con  Manning •  Jonathan  Millar •  Linda  Hegarty