Henry Charles Sirr (soldier)
Encyclopedia
Henry Charles Sirr was an Irish
soldier
, police officer
, wine
merchant
and collector
.
He was born in Dublin Castle
, the son of Major Joseph Sirr, the Town Major (chief of police) of Dublin from 1762 to 1767.
In 1792 he married Eliza D'Arcy (1767–1829), the daughter of James D'Arcy. He was the father of Rev. Joseph D'Arcy Sirr, MRIA
and of Henry Charles Sirr
.
Sirr served in the British Army
in 1778-1791 and was thereafter a wine merchant. In 1796 he was appointed acting Town Major of Dublin, confirmed in it in 1798. He was responsible for the arrest of Irish revolutionaries
Lord Edward FitzGerald
, Thomas Russell
and Robert Emmet
.
In 1802 he was mulcted £150 damages, and costs, for the assault and false imprisonment of John Hevey. His lawyer in this case referred to his "very great exertions and laudable efforts" to crush the Irish Rebellion of 1798
. The opposing lawyer, Curran, told a long tale of a grudge held by Sirr against Mr Hevey, the latter a Yeoman volunteer against the Rebellion, who had convinced a jury that one of Sirr's chief witnesses in a treason case was unreliable. Sirr and his colleague were alleged to have used wrongful arrest, imprisonment, and condemnation to hanging as means to extortion and personal satisfaction.
In 1808 the Dublin police was re-organised and his post was abolished, but he was allowed to retain the title. Niles' Register of 24 March 1821 remarks that "Several persons have been arrested at a public house in Dublin, by major Sirr, charged with being engaged in a treasonable meeting, and committed to prison... We thought that this old sinner, given to eternal infamy by the eloquence of Curran, had gone home".
He founded the Irish Society for Promoting Scriptural Education in the Irish Language.
Sirr was an avid collector of documents and curios. He sold McCormac's Cross and other valuable antiquities in exchange for second-rate copied paintings. The remains were given by his older son, Joseph to Trinity College, Dublin
at some time between 1841 and 1843. It now forms the Sirr Collection of the Trinity College Library, Dublin
He was buried in the churchyard of St. Werburgh's Church
, while his victim, Lord Edward FitzGerald, was buried in the vaults of the same church.
used him as the "type of the Irish turncoat" in Dubliners
. In Ivy Day in the Committee Room
a character remarks:
"There's a lineal descendant of Major Sirr for you if you like! O, the heart's blood of a patriot! That's a fellow now that'd sell his country for fourpence—ay—and go down on his bended knees and thank the Almighty Christ he had a country to sell."
In Master and Commander
by Patrick O'Brian
, a character refers to the Rebellion having spawned "a vile race of informers and things like Major Sirr".
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
soldier
Soldier
A soldier is a member of the land component of national armed forces; whereas a soldier hired for service in a foreign army would be termed a mercenary...
, police officer
Police officer
A police officer is a warranted employee of a police force...
, wine
Wine
Wine is an alcoholic beverage, made of fermented fruit juice, usually from grapes. The natural chemical balance of grapes lets them ferment without the addition of sugars, acids, enzymes, or other nutrients. Grape wine is produced by fermenting crushed grapes using various types of yeast. Yeast...
merchant
Merchant
A merchant is a businessperson who trades in commodities that were produced by others, in order to earn a profit.Merchants can be one of two types:# A wholesale merchant operates in the chain between producer and retail merchant...
and collector
Collecting
The hobby of collecting includes seeking, locating, acquiring, organizing, cataloging, displaying, storing, and maintaining whatever items are of interest to the individual collector. Some collectors are generalists, accumulating merchandise, or stamps from all countries of the world...
.
He was born in Dublin Castle
Dublin Castle
Dublin Castle off Dame Street, Dublin, Ireland, was until 1922 the fortified seat of British rule in Ireland, and is now a major Irish government complex. Most of it dates from the 18th century, though a castle has stood on the site since the days of King John, the first Lord of Ireland...
, the son of Major Joseph Sirr, the Town Major (chief of police) of Dublin from 1762 to 1767.
In 1792 he married Eliza D'Arcy (1767–1829), the daughter of James D'Arcy. He was the father of Rev. Joseph D'Arcy Sirr, MRIA
Royal Irish Academy
The Royal Irish Academy , based in Dublin, is an all-Ireland, independent, academic body that promotes study and excellence in the sciences, humanities and social sciences. It is one of Ireland's premier learned societies and cultural institutions and currently has around 420 Members, elected in...
and of Henry Charles Sirr
Henry Charles Sirr
Henry Charles Sirr was a British lawyer, diplomat and writer. He was a barrister who qualified at Lincoln's Inn, London and eventually went into government service, working as Deputy Queen's Advocate for the Southern Circuit of Ceylon in the mid-19th century.He was the son of Henry Charles Sirr,...
.
Sirr served in the British Army
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
in 1778-1791 and was thereafter a wine merchant. In 1796 he was appointed acting Town Major of Dublin, confirmed in it in 1798. He was responsible for the arrest of Irish revolutionaries
Irish Rebellion of 1798
The Irish Rebellion of 1798 , also known as the United Irishmen Rebellion , was an uprising in 1798, lasting several months, against British rule in Ireland...
Lord Edward FitzGerald
Lord Edward FitzGerald
Lord Edward FitzGerald was an Irish aristocrat and revolutionary. He was the fifth son of the 1st Duke of Leinster and the Duchess of Leinster , he was born at Carton House, near Dublin, and died of wounds received in resisting arrest on charge of treason.-Early years:FitzGerald spent most of his...
, Thomas Russell
Thomas Russell (rebel)
Thomas Paliser Russell was a co-founder and leader of the United Irishmen was executed for his part in Robert Emmet's rebellion in 1803.-Background:...
and Robert Emmet
Robert Emmet
Robert Emmet was an Irish nationalist and Republican, orator and rebel leader born in Dublin, Ireland...
.
In 1802 he was mulcted £150 damages, and costs, for the assault and false imprisonment of John Hevey. His lawyer in this case referred to his "very great exertions and laudable efforts" to crush the Irish Rebellion of 1798
Irish Rebellion of 1798
The Irish Rebellion of 1798 , also known as the United Irishmen Rebellion , was an uprising in 1798, lasting several months, against British rule in Ireland...
. The opposing lawyer, Curran, told a long tale of a grudge held by Sirr against Mr Hevey, the latter a Yeoman volunteer against the Rebellion, who had convinced a jury that one of Sirr's chief witnesses in a treason case was unreliable. Sirr and his colleague were alleged to have used wrongful arrest, imprisonment, and condemnation to hanging as means to extortion and personal satisfaction.
In 1808 the Dublin police was re-organised and his post was abolished, but he was allowed to retain the title. Niles' Register of 24 March 1821 remarks that "Several persons have been arrested at a public house in Dublin, by major Sirr, charged with being engaged in a treasonable meeting, and committed to prison... We thought that this old sinner, given to eternal infamy by the eloquence of Curran, had gone home".
He founded the Irish Society for Promoting Scriptural Education in the Irish Language.
Sirr was an avid collector of documents and curios. He sold McCormac's Cross and other valuable antiquities in exchange for second-rate copied paintings. The remains were given by his older son, Joseph to Trinity College, Dublin
Trinity College, Dublin
Trinity College, Dublin , formally known as the College of the Holy and Undivided Trinity of Queen Elizabeth near Dublin, was founded in 1592 by letters patent from Queen Elizabeth I as the "mother of a university", Extracts from Letters Patent of Elizabeth I, 1592: "...we...found and...
at some time between 1841 and 1843. It now forms the Sirr Collection of the Trinity College Library, Dublin
Trinity College Library, Dublin
Trinity College Library Dublin, the centrally-administered library of Trinity College, Dublin, is the largest library in Ireland. As a "copyright library", it has legal deposit rights for material published in the Republic of Ireland; it is also the only Irish library to hold such rights for the...
He was buried in the churchyard of St. Werburgh's Church
St Werburgh's Church, Dublin
St. Werburgh's Church is a Church of Ireland church in Dublin, Ireland, and was built in 1178, shortly after the arrival of the Anglo-Normans in the town, and named after St. Werburgh, abbess of Ely and patron saint of Chester who died in 699 CE. It is located in Werburgh Street, close to Dublin...
, while his victim, Lord Edward FitzGerald, was buried in the vaults of the same church.
Fictional representation
James JoyceJames Joyce
James Augustine Aloysius Joyce was an Irish novelist and poet, considered to be one of the most influential writers in the modernist avant-garde of the early 20th century...
used him as the "type of the Irish turncoat" in Dubliners
Dubliners
Dubliners is a collection of 15 short stories by James Joyce, first published in 1914. They were meant to be a naturalistic depiction of Irish middle class life in and around Dublin in the early years of the 20th century....
. In Ivy Day in the Committee Room
Ivy Day in the Committee Room
Ivy Day in the Committee Room is a short story by James Joyce published in his 1914 collection Dubliners.-Plot summary:In a committee room, Mat O'Connor, a canvasser for Richard Tierney, a candidate in an upcoming municipal election, discusses child-rearing with Old Jack, who tries to keep a fire...
a character remarks:
"There's a lineal descendant of Major Sirr for you if you like! O, the heart's blood of a patriot! That's a fellow now that'd sell his country for fourpence—ay—and go down on his bended knees and thank the Almighty Christ he had a country to sell."
In Master and Commander
Master and Commander
Master and Commander is a historical naval novel by Patrick O'Brian. First published in 1969 , it is first in the Aubrey-Maturin series of stories of Captain Jack Aubrey and the naval surgeon Stephen Maturin. Closely based on the historical feats of Lord Cochrane, O'Brian's novel is set in the...
by Patrick O'Brian
Patrick O'Brian
Patrick O'Brian, CBE , born Richard Patrick Russ, was an English novelist and translator, best known for his Aubrey–Maturin series of novels set in the Royal Navy during the Napoleonic Wars and centred on the friendship of English Naval Captain Jack Aubrey and the Irish–Catalan physician Stephen...
, a character refers to the Rebellion having spawned "a vile race of informers and things like Major Sirr".