Rebellion in 1798.

Chapter XXII.

Irish Rebellion

**Rebellion in Ireland in 1798 - Mr. Waddy’s Castle

• A priest cut in twoby the portcullis and partly eaten by Waddy - Dinner party at Lady Colclough’s - Names and characters of the company, including Mr. Bagenal Harvey, Captain Keogh, &c. - Most of them executed soon after - Tour through and state of Couty Wexford, after the battles and storming of the town - Colonel Walpole killed and his regiment defeated at Gorey - Unaccountable circumstance of Captain Keogh’s head no decaying.**

Many incidents which, I really think, could not have occurred in any country except Ireland, took place there in the year 1798. There is something so very different from other people in every deed or word of the unsophisticated Irish, that in fact one has no right to be surprised, whatever scenes may by them be acted.

One of these curious occurrences remains even to this day a subject of surmise and mystery. During the rebellion in County Wexford in 1798, Mr. Waddy, a violent loyalist, but surrounded by a neighbourhood of inveterate insurgents, fled to a castle at a considerable distance from the town of Wexford. Though not in repair, it was not unfit for habitation, and might secure its tenant from any *coup de main *of undisciplined insurgents. He dreaded discovery so much that he would entrust his place of refuge to no person whatsoever and, as he conceived, took sufficient food to last until he might escape out of the country. There was but one entrance to the castle, and that was furnished with an old ponderous portcullis, which drew up and let down as in ancient fortresses.

Here Mr. Waddy concealed himself, and everybody was for a long time utterly ignorant** as to his fate - some said he was drowned; **some, burned alive; others, murdered and buried in ploughed ground! but whilst each was willing to give an opinion as to the mode of his destruction, no one supposed him to be still alive. At length, it occurred to certain of his friends, to seek him through the country; with which view they set out, attended by an armed body.

Their search was in vain, until approaching by chance the old castle, they became aware of a stench, which the seekers conjectured to proceed from the putrid corpse of murdered Waddy. On getting nearer this opinion was confirmed, for a dead body lay half within and half without the castle, which the descent of the portcullis had cut nearly into equal portions. Poor Mr. Waddy was deeply lamented; and, though with great disgust, they proceeded to remove that half of the carcass which lay outside the entrance, when, to their infinite astonishment, they perceived it was *not *Waddy, but a neighbouring priest who had been so expertly cut in two; how the accident had happened nobody could surmise.

They now rapped and shouted, but no reply: Waddy, in good truth, lay close within supposing them to be rebels. At length, on venturing to peep out, he discovered his friends, whom be joyfully requested to raise, if possible, the portcullis, and let him out, as he was almost starverl to death.

This, with difficulty, was effected, and the other half of the priest was discovered immediately within the entrance, but by no means in equally good condition with that outside; inasmuch as it appeared that numerous collops and rump-steaks had been cut off the reverend gentleman’s hindquarters by Waddy who early one morning had found the priest thus divided; and being alike unable to raise the portcullis or get out to look for food, certain indeed, in the latter ease, of being piked by any of the rebels who knew him, he thought it better to feed on the priest, and remain in the castle till till fortune smiled, than run a risk of breaking all his bones by droppineg from the battlements, his only alternative.

To the day of Waddy’s death he could give no collected or rational account of the incident; indeed so confused had his head become in consequence of his critical circumstances, that the whole appeared to him ever after as a dream or vision quite beyond his comprehension.

The foregoing, though among the most curious, is but one of the extraordinary occurrences of that dreadful insurrection - some of which tend to strengthen my superstitious feeling, which is, I confess, very deep-rooted, as also is my conviction that “whatever is, is right.” Scarcely any except the fortunate* ***will, I suppose, be ready to join me in the latter notion, though in the former I am aware I have many associates, particularly amongst old women and hypochondriacs. I am, it is true, perpetually laughed at for both by *clever *ladies and *strong-minded *gentlemen, but still think proper to retain my own impressions.

I will detail the following circumstance in illustration of these principle. It took place immediately previous to the breaking out of the rebellion.

I dined at the house of Lady Colclough, a near relative of Lady Barrington, in he town of Wexford, in April, 1798. The company, so far as I recollect, consisted of about 17 persons, amongst whom were several other of tidy B ‘5 relatives, then members of the grand jury:

Mr. Cornelius Grogan, of Johnstown, a gentleman of very large fortune, who had represented the county; his two brothers, both wealthy men; Captain Keogh, afterwards rebel governor of Wexford, the husband of Lady B ---‘s aunt; the unfortunate John Colclough, of Tintern; and the still more unfortunate Mr. Colclough; Counsellor John Beauman; Counsellor Bagenal Harvey, afterwards the rebel generalissimo; Mr. William Hatton, and some others. The conversation after dinner turning on the distracted state of the country became rather too free, and I begged some of the party to he more moderate, as our ways of thinking were so different, and my public situation did not permit me, especially at that particular period, to hear such strong language. The loyalists amongst us did not exceed four or five.

The tone of the conversation was soon lowered, but not before I had made up my mind as to the probable fate of several in company, though I certainly had no idea that, in little more than a month, a sanguinary rebellion would desolate my native land, and violent deaths, within *three *months, befal a great proportion of that joyous assemblage. I had seen enough, however, to convince me that all was not right, and that, by plunging one step farther, most of my relatives and friends would be in imminent danger.

The party, however, broke up; and next morning Mr. Beauman and myself, happening to meet on the bridge, talked over the occurrences of the previous day, uniting in opinion as to the inauspicious aspect of things, and actually proceeding to make out a list of those amongst the dinner party whom we considered likely to fall victims! and it so turned out that *every ane *of our predictions was verified. It was superficial observation alone that led me to think as I did at that moment, but a decided presentiment of what eventually happened soon after took possession of me; and, indeed, so full was I of forebodings, that I have more than once been roused out of my sleep by the horrid ideas floating through my mind!

Bagenal Harvey, already mentioned in this work, who had been my schoolfellow and constant circuit-companion for many years, laughed at Lady Colclough’s at my political prudery, assured me I was totally wrong in suspecting him, and insisted on my going to Bargay Castle, his residence, to meet some old Temple friends of ours on the ensuing Monday. My relative Captain Keogh was to be of the party.

I accordingly went there to dinner, but that evening proved to me one of great uneasiness, and made a very disagreeable impression both on my mind and spirits. The company I met included Captain Keogh; the two unfortunate Counsellors Sheers, who were both hung shortly afterwards; Mr. Colclough, who was hung on the bridge; Mr. Hay, who was also executed; Mr. William Hatton, one of the rebel directory of Wexford, who unaccountably escaped; and a gentleman of the bar; whose name I shall not mention, as he still lives.

The entertainment was good and the party cheerful. Temple freaks were talked over, the bottle circulated; but at length Irish politics became the topic, and proceeded to an extent of disclosure which utterly surprised me. With the Messrs. Sheers, particularly Henry, I had always been on terms of the greatest intimacy. I had extricated both of them not long before from considerable difficulty, through the kindness of Lord Kilwarden; and I had no idea that matters wherein they were concerned had proceeded to the lengths developed on that night.

The probability of a speedy revolt was freely discussed, though in the most artful manner, not a word of any of the party committing themselves; but they talked it over as a result which might be expected from the complexion of the times and the irritation excited in consequence of the severities exercised by the Government. The chances of success, in the event of a rising, were openly debated, as were also the circumstances likely to spring from that success, and the examples which the insurgents would in such a case probably make.

All this was at the same time talked over, without one word being uttered in favour of rebellion - a system of caution which I afterwards learned was much practised for the purpose of gradually making proselytes without alarming them. I saw through it clearly, and here my presentiments came strong upon me. I found myself in the midst of absolute though unavowed conspirators. I perceived that the explosion was much nearer than the Government expected, and I was startled at the decided manner in which my host and his friends spoke.

Under these circumstances, my alternative was evidently to quit the house or give a turn to the conversation. I therefore began to laugh at the subject, and ridicule it as quite visionary, observing jestingly to Keogh “Now, my dear Keogh, it is quite clear that you and I, in this famous rebellion, shall be on different sides of the question, and, of course, one or the other of us must necessarily be hanged at or before its termination - I upon a lamp-iron in Dublin, or you on the bridge of Wexford. Now, we’ll make a bargain! - if we beat you, upon my honour I’ll do all I can to save your neck, and if your folks beat us, you’ll save me from the honour of the lamp-iron!”

We shook hands on the bargain, which created much merriment, and gave the whole after-talk a cheerful character and I returned to Wexford at twelve at night, with a most decided impression of the danger of the country, and a complete presentiment that either myself or Captain Keogh would never see the conclusion of that summer.

I immediately wrote to Mr. Secretary Cooke, without mentioning names, place, or any particular source of knowledge, but simply to assure him that there was not a doubt that an insurrection would break out at a much earlier period than the Government expected. I desired him to ask me no questions, but said that he might depend upon he fact, adding that a commanding force ought instantly to be sent down to garrison the town of Wexford “If the Government,” said I in conclusion, “does not attend to my warning, it must take the consequences.” My warning was not attended to but his majesty’s Government soon found I was right. They lost Wexford, and might have lost Ireland, by that culpable inattention.

The** **result need scarcely he mentioned; every member of that jovial dinner-party, with the exception of myself, the barrister before alluded to, and Mr. Hatton, was executed within three months and on my next visit to Wexford I saw the heads of Captain Keogh, Mr. Harvey, and Mr. Colclough on spikes over the court-house door.

Previously to the final catastrophe, however, when the insurgents had been beaten, Wexford retaken by our troops, and Keogh made prisoner, I did not forget my promise to him at Bargay Castle. Many certificates had reached Dublin of his humanity to the royalists whilst the town of Wexford was under his government, and of attempts made upon his life by Dixon, a chief of his own party, for his endeavouring to resist the rebel butcheries. I had intended to go with these directly to Lord Camden, the Lord-Lieutenant; but I first saw Mr. Secretary Cooke, to whom I related the entire story, and shewed him several favourable documents. He told me I might save myself the trouble of going to Lord Camden, and at the same time handed me a despatch received that morning from General Lake, who stated that he had thought it necessary, on recapturing Wexford, to lose no time in “making examples” of the rebel chiefs; and that accordingly Mr. Grogan, of Johnstown; Mr. Bagenal Harvey, of Bargay Casfle; Captain Keogh, Mr. Colclough, and some other gentlemen had been hanged on the budge and beheaded the previous morning.

I felt shocked beyond measure at this intelligence, particularly as I knew Mr. Cornelius Grogan, an excellent gentleman, 70 years of age, of very large fortune and establishments, to be no** **more a rebel than myself. Being unable, from infirmity, to walk without assistance, lie was led to execution.

I was at all times ready and willing to risk my life to put down that spirit of mad democracy which sought to subvert all legal institutions, and to support every true principle of the constitution which protected us; but at the same time I must in truth and candour say, and I say it with reluctance, that during those most sanguinary scenes the brutal conduct of certain frantic royalists was at least on a parallel with that of the frantic rebels.

A short time after the recapture of Wexford, I traversed that county, to see the ruins which had been occasioned by warfare. Enniscorthy had been twice stormed, and was dilapidated and nearly burned. New Ross shewed most melancholy relics of the obstinate and bloody battle of full ten hours’ duration, which had been fought in every street of it. The numerous pits crammed with dead bodies, on Vinegar Hill, seemed on some spots actually elastic as we stood upon them; whilst the walls of an old windmill on its summit appeared stained and splashed with the blood and brains of many victims who had been piked or shot against it by the rebels.

The court house of Enniscorthy, wherein our troops had burned alive above 80 of the wounded rebels, and the barn of Scullabogue, where the rebels had retaliated by burning alive above 120 Protestants, were terrific ruins! The town of Gorey was utterly destroyed, not a house being left perfect; and the bodies of me killed were lying half covered in sundry ditches in its vicinity. It was here that Colonel Walpole had been defeated and killed a few days hefore.

[No man ever came to a violent death more unwarily! Colonel Walpole was a peculiarly handsome man, an aid-de-camp to Lord Camden. With somewhat of the air of petit-maitre, he fluttered much about the drawing room of the Castle; but as he had not seen actual service, he felt a sort of military inferiority to veterans who had spent the early part of their lives in blowing other people’s brains out; and he earnestly begged to he entrusted with some command that might give him an opportunity of fighting for a few weeks in the County Wexford, and of writing some elegant despatches to his excellency the Lord-Lieutenant. The Lord Lieutenant most kindly indulged him with a body of troops, and sent him to fight in the County Wexford, as he requested; but on passing the town of Gorey, not being accustomed to advanced guards or flankers he overlooked such trifles altogether! and having got into a defile with some cannon and the Antrim regiment in a few minutes the colonel was shot throught the head the cannon changed masters, and most of the Antrim heroes had each a pike, ten or twelve feet long, sticking in his carcass.- “Sic transit gloria mundi.”]

An unaccountable circumstance was witnessed b me on that tour immediately after the retaking of Wexford. General Lake, as I have before mentioned, had ordered the heads of Mr. Grogan, Captain Keogh, Mr. Bagenal Harvey, and Mr. Colclough to be placed on very low spikes, over the court-house door of Wexford. A faithful servant of Mr. Grogan had taken away his head; but the other three remained there when I visited the town. The mutilated countenances of friends and relatives in such a situation would, it may be imagined, give any man most horrifying sensations! The heads of Messrs. Colclough and Harvey appeared black lumps, the features being utterly indistinguishable; that of Keogh was uppermost, but the air had made no impression on it whatever! His comely and respect-inspiring face, except the *pale *hue, scarcely to be called *livid, *was the same as in life, his eyes were not closed, his hair not much ruffled: in fact, it appeared to me rather as a head of chiselled marble, with glass eyes, than as the lifeless remains of a human creature. This circumstance I never could get any medical man to give me the least explanation of. I prevailed on General Hunter, who then commanded in Wexford, to suffer the three heads to be taken down and buried.

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