John Cunningham was an Anglo-Irish soldier known for his command of an aborted attempt to relieve the city of Derry during the 1689 Siege. His failure led to his dismissal and replacement by William Stewart. Some sources refer to him as Thomas Cunningham, but the vast majority called him John.
Cunningham spent his much of his youth in Derry and visited several times as an adult. It is reported that at the time of the Siege he still had a brother living in the area who may have taken part in the city's defence. [1]
As a Captain serving in the English Army during the reign of James II, Cunningham was a supporter of the Whig opposition. By May 1688 he wanted to resign his commission as he strongly opposed the King's religious reforms and did not want to be involved in what he saw as the destruction of the Church of England. [2] Following the Glorious Revolution which ousted James, Cunningham received rapid promotion to Colonel and took command of a regiment which had previously been under Henry Cornwall. [3]
In 1689 the regiment was one of two (the other was commanded by Solomon Richards) sent by ship from Liverpool to relieve the besieged city of Derry, one of the few Protestant strongholds still holding out against King James' Irish Jacobite forces. Cunningham was the senior officer on board, but his orders placed him under the command of the Governor Robert Lundy as soon as he went ashore. When the expedition anchored in Lough Foyle its arrival coincided with the Battle of Cladyford in which the Irish Army under Richard Hamilton had crossed the River Finn and routed the ill-organised Protestant forces. Lundy was panicked by the defeat at Cladyford, and was now convinced that Derry could not hold out. After at first ordering Cunningham and Richards ashore, he then countermanded this order suggesting that if they were disembarked both regiments would be lost when Derry had to surrender. [4]
Cunningham and Richards returned to England with their regiments and carrying pessimistic reports despite anger amongst many of the Derry inhabitants that two disciplined regular battalions had been allowed to depart without firing a shot. As he had directly disobeyed orders to attempt to land at either Belfast Lough or Strangford Lough, should Derry not be possible, he was dismissed from his command and cashiered but received no further punishment. Solomon Richards was likewise deprived of his regiment. Cunningham's regiment passed under the command of Colonel William Stewart.[ citation needed ]
Robert Lundy resigned his post as Governor of Derry shortly afterwards, and left the city, but it successfully held out under the command of Henry Baker and John Mitchelburne. Amongst the forces commanded by General Percy Kirke which eventually arrived to assist the defenders was Cunningham's former regiment under Colonel Stewart. It has been suggested that had Derry fallen immediately, little blame would have been attached to Cunningham and Richards, but the successful resistance of the defenders raised questions about their negligent conduct. [5]
The siege of Derry in 1689 was the first major event in the Williamite War in Ireland. The siege was preceded by an attempt against the town by Jacobite forces on 7 December 1688 that was foiled when 13 apprentices shut the gates. This was an act of rebellion against James II.
The Williamite War in Ireland was a conflict between Jacobite supporters of deposed monarch James II and Williamite supporters of his successor, William III. It is also called the Jacobite War in Ireland, Williamite Conquest of Ireland, or the Williamite–Jacobite War in Ireland.
The Apprentice Boys of Derry is a Protestant fraternal society with a worldwide membership of over 10,000, founded in 1814 and based in the city of Derry, Northern Ireland. There are branches in Ulster and elsewhere in Ireland, Scotland, England, Australia and Toronto, Canada. The society aims to commemorate the 1689 Siege of Derry when Catholic James II of England and Ireland and VII of Scotland laid siege to the walled city, which was at the time a Protestant stronghold. Apprentice Boys parades once regularly led to virulent opposition from the city's Irish nationalist majority, but recently a more conciliatory approach has taken place and now the parades are virtually trouble-free. The 2014 'Shutting of the Gates' parade was described as "the biggest in years" and was violence-free.
Robert Lundy was a Scottish army officer best known for serving as Governor of Londonderry during the early stages of the Siege of Derry.
Henry Luttrell was an Irish soldier known for his service in the Jacobite cause. A career soldier, Luttrell served James II in England until his overthrow in 1688. In Ireland he continued to fight for James, reaching the rank of General in the Irish Army.
Events from the year 1689 in Ireland.
Alexander Cannon was a Scottish professional soldier in the second half of the 17th century, who served in the armies of William of Orange and James VII and II.
Gainsborough was a 40-gun fourth-rate frigate of the English Navy, originally built under the 1652 programme for the navy of the Commonwealth of England by Thomas Taylor at Pitch House (Wapping), and launched in 1653. She was named for the Parliamentarian victory at the Battle of Gainsborough in 1643.
Gustavus Hamilton, 1st Viscount BoynePC (Ire) (1642–1723) was an Irish soldier and politician. In his youth, he fought in his cousin Sir George Hamilton's regiment for the French in the Franco-Dutch War. About 1678 he obtained a commission in the Irish Army. King James II appointed him to his Irish Privy Council in 1685.
General Sir William Stewart, was a Scottish-born soldier, Commander-in-chief of Queen Anne's Forces in Ireland, Member of Parliament for County Waterford and a Privy Councillor. He was a benefactor of Hanover Square, London, donating the land and laying the first stone of St George's, Hanover Square.
William Stewart, 1st Viscount Mountjoy (1653–1692), was an Anglo-Irish soldier.
Thomas Buchan (c.1641–1724) was a Scottish professional soldier from a Catholic family in Aberdeenshire who served in the armies of France, the Netherlands and Scotland. He remained loyal to James II after the 1688 Glorious Revolution and participated in the War in Ireland before taking command of Jacobite forces in Scotland in February 1690. After the Highland chiefs submitted to William III in early 1692, he was given safe passage to France and later allowed to return home in 1703. He maintained links with the Stuart exiles and played a small role in the 1715 Rising but escaped punishment and died at Fyvie in 1724.
Adam Murray was an Irish soldier known for his service during the Williamite War in Ireland (1689–1691). He is particularly known for his participation at the 1689 Siege of Derry where he was one of the most active officers in defence of the city.
Henry Baker was an Anglo-Irish soldier, noted for his time as Governor of Londonderry. He oversaw the successful defence of the city during the Siege of Derry in 1689, but died of illness before Derry was relieved.
The siege of Carrickfergus took place in August 1689 when a force of Williamite troops under Marshal Schomberg landed and laid siege to the Jacobite garrison of Carrickfergus in Ireland. After a week the Jacobites surrendered, and were allowed to march out with the honours of war.
Robert Ramsay was a Scottish Jacobite soldier noted for his service during the Williamite War in Ireland. A Roman Catholic and veteran of the "French Brigade" which served in the Third Anglo-Dutch War under the Duke of Monmouth, Ramsay held the post of Adjutant-General of Foot in the English Army prior to the deposition of James II in the 1688 Glorious Revolution.
Solomon Richards was a professional soldier who fought in Ireland first for Cromwell and then for William of Orange. He is best known for his part in a failed attempt to relieve the Siege of Derry in 1689.
William Dorrington was an English army officer. Contemporary sources often spell his surname as "Dorington", or "Dodington".
Dominic Sheldon, often written as Dominick Sheldon, was an English soldier. A leading Jacobite he served in James II's Irish Army during the Williamite War between 1689 and 1691. He was a noted cavalry commander, present at the Battle of the Boyne and Battle of Aughrim. Later after going into exile, he rose to the rank of lieutenant general in the French Army. He was also remained a prominent courtier at the Jacobite court in exile at Saint Germain.
Jacob Richards was an Irish officer of the English Army, He is noted for his innovations and influence on the development of British Artillery. Elements of his career are sometimes confused with his identically named father Jacob Richards. His two younger brothers Michael Richards and John Richards were both noted artillery officers.