Lot 148
Battle of the Boyne interest - Richard Talbot, 1st Earl of Tyrconnell letters patent
Jacobite, Stuart, and Scottish Applied Arts | 429
Auction: 13 May 2015 at 12:00 BST
Description
Letters patent, c.47 x 68cm, from King James II & VII granting Richard Talbot Earl of Tyrconnell "to commission officers and men of horse and foot in the defence of our Kingdom of Ireland", 1688, manuscript and engraving on vellum, lacking seal, large section lacking due to fire damage affecting text and engravings
Footnote
Note: Richard Talbot, 1st Earl of Tyrconnell, 1630 – 14 August 1691, was an Irish royalist and Jacobite soldier. Upon the accession of James II/VII, he was appointed commander in chief of the forces in Ireland and during his time as Lord Deptuty of Ireland (1687-88), appointed Irish Catholics to high positions. As a consequence, the Irish Catholic population largely sided with James II during the 'Glorious Revolution'. In 1689, James arrived in Dublin and was supplied by Tyrconnel with a ready army. Despite this, King James and Tyrconnel were defeated by William and Mary's Protestant forces in 1690 - a defeat often considered to have turned the tides in William and Mary's favour. This letters patent is King James' authorisation for Talbot to appoint his army.