Pauline on 25 Sep 2005  •  Link

from L&M Companion
Catholic soldier; Deputy-Governor of Tangier 1662-5 and Colonel of the Irish regiment there. By 1672 he was in England, made governor of Yarmouth and given a regiment of foot to serve at sea. 'Hee owed his ende to his modesty which would not suffer him to discover a clapp till a gangreen made it publick to the world and mortal to himselfe' (Rochester}.

[L&M is a whole joy unto itself. Regiment of foot at sea? Gangreen (just where?) both publick and mortal? ]

Pedro on 1 May 2006  •  Link

Fitzgerald up to '63.

“Colonel John Fitzgerald was an experienced officer who had commanded an Irish Regiment in the service of Charles II in exile in the Low Countries, and commanded it at the battle of the Dunes in 1658. Pepys records that Fitzgerald was a great favourite of the Duke of York, who wished to promote him, but Norwood, Bridge, and Peterborough were all hostile and so the Privy Council blocked his preferment. His regiment had joined the Dunkirk garrison after the Restoration on 12th March 1661, and he sailed with his regiment and the regiment of Farrell for Tangier in January 1662.
In April 1663 Andrew Rutherford, Earl of Teviot, the Governor of Tangier, was ordered to reduce the two Irish regiments in the garrison to one of five companies, under Fitzgerald’s command. “

For more, that may be considered spoilers see…

http://www.queensroyalsurreys.org…

Pedro on 19 Oct 2007  •  Link

More on Fitzgerald to 1664.

On 4th May 1664, Teviot was killed in a Moorish ambush. Fitzgerald was then on leave and was instructed to return immediately. This he did and was appointed Governor, and thereby Colonel of the Governor's Regiment, on 7th June 1664. He was at the same time instructed to reorganise the two Regiments into two of roughly equal size, eliminating the national differences. This was done for two reasons. First to spread the veterans of good fighting quality around and stiffen the rest, secondly to eliminate a dangerous degree of Republicanism present among the soldiery of the English Regiment - who were in great part former Protectorate men. Interestingly, it was Norwood who was to command the Lieutenant Governor's Regiment.