Andrew Blayney, 11th Baron Blayney
Encyclopedia
Lieutenant General
Andrew Thomas Blayney, 11th Baron Blayney (30 November 1770 – 8 April 1834) was an Irish peer. He ruled the Blayney estate at Castleblayney
, Co. Monaghan for fifty years from 1784 to 1834, and was one of the most illustrious soldiers ever to come from Co. Monaghan.
As commander of the 89th Regiment of Foot
, 'Blayney's Bloodhounds' as they were called, he fought with distinction in the Napoleonic Wars
. However, he was taken prisoner at the Battle of Fuengirola
, when making a raid from Gibraltar into Spain against a small group of Polish soldiers, and was kept prisoner for some years by the French government. His sabre
is currently on exhibition in the Czartoryski Museum
, in Kraków
.
He wrote a two-volume account of his experiences in the Napoleonic Wars - Narrative of a Forced Journey through Spain and France as a Prisoner of War in the Years 1810 to 1814, by Major-General Lord Blayney (London, 1814). He was captured by one of the O'Callaghans of Culaville, a colonel in the French army and a prominent United Irishman who escaped after 1798. It is said he insisted on Blayney being held to ransom for some of the United Irishmen who were in British prisons.
During Blayney's long incarceration, the 2nd Earl of Caledon
looked after his financial, domestic, and political affairs, and on his return, Blayney was given a seat in parliament for Caledon's infamous "rotten borough
" of Old Sarum
, Wiltshire.
Lord Blayney died on 8 April 1834 and was succeeded by his son Cadwallader, the 12th and last lord.
Lieutenant General
Lieutenant General is a military rank used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages where the title of Lieutenant General was held by the second in command on the battlefield, who was normally subordinate to a Captain General....
Andrew Thomas Blayney, 11th Baron Blayney (30 November 1770 – 8 April 1834) was an Irish peer. He ruled the Blayney estate at Castleblayney
Castleblayney
Castleblayney or Castleblaney is a town in County Monaghan, Ireland. The town has a population of about 3,000.Castleblayney lies near the border with County Armagh and is on the N2 road from Dublin to Derry...
, Co. Monaghan for fifty years from 1784 to 1834, and was one of the most illustrious soldiers ever to come from Co. Monaghan.
As commander of the 89th Regiment of Foot
89th Regiment of Foot
The 89th Regiment of Foot was a regiment of the British Army, formed on 3 December 1793.Its nickname was 'Blayney's Bloodhounds'...
, 'Blayney's Bloodhounds' as they were called, he fought with distinction in the Napoleonic Wars
Napoleonic Wars
The Napoleonic Wars were a series of wars declared against Napoleon's French Empire by opposing coalitions that ran from 1803 to 1815. As a continuation of the wars sparked by the French Revolution of 1789, they revolutionised European armies and played out on an unprecedented scale, mainly due to...
. However, he was taken prisoner at the Battle of Fuengirola
Battle of Fuengirola
At the Battle of Fuengirola a small Polish garrison of a mediæval Moorish fortress in Fuengirola held off a much larger Anglo-Spanish expeditionary corps under Lord Blayney.- Background:...
, when making a raid from Gibraltar into Spain against a small group of Polish soldiers, and was kept prisoner for some years by the French government. His sabre
Sabre
The sabre or saber is a kind of backsword that usually has a curved, single-edged blade and a rather large hand guard, covering the knuckles of the hand as well as the thumb and forefinger...
is currently on exhibition in the Czartoryski Museum
Czartoryski Museum
The Czartoryski Museum and Library is a museum located in Kraków, Poland, founded in Puławy in 1796 by Princess Izabela Czartoryska. The Puławy collections were partly destroyed after the November uprising of 1830–1831 and the subsequent confiscation of the Czartoryskis' property by the Russians...
, in Kraków
Kraków
Kraków also Krakow, or Cracow , is the second largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in the Lesser Poland region, the city dates back to the 7th century. Kraków has traditionally been one of the leading centres of Polish academic, cultural, and artistic life...
.
He wrote a two-volume account of his experiences in the Napoleonic Wars - Narrative of a Forced Journey through Spain and France as a Prisoner of War in the Years 1810 to 1814, by Major-General Lord Blayney (London, 1814). He was captured by one of the O'Callaghans of Culaville, a colonel in the French army and a prominent United Irishman who escaped after 1798. It is said he insisted on Blayney being held to ransom for some of the United Irishmen who were in British prisons.
During Blayney's long incarceration, the 2nd Earl of Caledon
Du Pre Alexander, 2nd Earl of Caledon
Du Pré Alexander, 2nd Earl of Caledon KP , styled The Honourable from 1790 to 1800 and then Viscount Alexander to 1802, was an Irish peer, landlord and colonial administrator, and was the second child and only son of James Alexander, 1st Earl of Caledon.-Education and Inheritance:He was educated...
looked after his financial, domestic, and political affairs, and on his return, Blayney was given a seat in parliament for Caledon's infamous "rotten borough
Rotten borough
A "rotten", "decayed" or pocket borough was a parliamentary borough or constituency in the United Kingdom that had a very small electorate and could be used by a patron to gain undue and unrepresentative influence within Parliament....
" of Old Sarum
Old Sarum (UK Parliament constituency)
Old Sarum was the most infamous of the so-called 'rotten boroughs', a parliamentary constituency of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland which was effectively controlled by a single person, until it was abolished under the Reform Act 1832. The constituency was the site of what had been...
, Wiltshire.
Lord Blayney died on 8 April 1834 and was succeeded by his son Cadwallader, the 12th and last lord.