Thomas Eyre Lambert
Encyclopedia
Thomas Eyre Lambert was an Irish
soldier
and landlord
.
(J.P.) in County Galway
. He was a descendant
of John Lambert of Creg Clare
.
Between 1869 and 1871 he was one of the principals in a case of attempted murder
that gained national and international attention.
, the hunt members laughed. Shortly after this, the Barrett's were evicted, moving to Swangate in Athenry
.
News reached Peter Barrett, one of the family's older children, who was at the time working as a postman in London.
in the shadow of lime trees. When Lambert asked the man to identify himself, the man remained silent, leading Lambert to set his small dog on him. At this the man faced Captain Lambert, pointed a revolver and shot five bullets from no more than twelve yards. He then ran off through a group of trees called "The Rookery".
Lambert had been shot twice in the stomach
with another bullet
in his forehead
. Only for the presence of a hard hat, the bullet would have impacted his brain and killed him. Lambert rose, staggered towards his house and raised the alarm, with the local Royal Irish Constabulary
sealing off the Athenry area.
Shortly before 10pm, Peter Barrett appeared at Athenry railway station, where he bought a ticket for London. He then proceeded across the road to the Railway Hotel where he drew attention by several requests to members of staff as to what time it was, despite the hotel clock being plainly visible. He was noted as wearing a tall hat. He stepped on the train bound for Dublin.
Few policemen were in Athenry, as many had been relocated to Northern Ireland
to deal with the usual 12 July disturbances, but sub-constable Hayden was alerted in time to board the train where he noticed Barrett. As he fitted the description given by Captain Lambert, he was arrested and taken off at Woodlawn station, between Athenry and Ballinasloe. The following morning he was identified by Captain Lambert as his attacker.
) had suppressed some crucial facts. His efforts were successful in undermining Lambert's credibility.
The jury
were unable to deliver a verdict, leading to a second trial being held in Dublin. By this stage, the media
had given events detailed coverage and made the case front-page news, becoming a high-profile example of the Irish question, concerning both tenent's rights and Home Rule
.
had an especially bad reputation concerning land disputes. Some incidents of the times included:
Irish people
The Irish people are an ethnic group who originate in Ireland, an island in northwestern Europe. Ireland has been populated for around 9,000 years , with the Irish people's earliest ancestors recorded having legends of being descended from groups such as the Nemedians, Fomorians, Fir Bolg, Tuatha...
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...
and landlord
Landlord
A landlord is the owner of a house, apartment, condominium, or real estate which is rented or leased to an individual or business, who is called a tenant . When a juristic person is in this position, the term landlord is used. Other terms include lessor and owner...
.
Overview
Lambert was the son of Walter Lambert and Anne Eyre. He married Sarah Trousdell in August 1850 but died without issue. Lambert gained the rank of Captain in the service of the 38th Foot. He was at one time a Justice of the PeaceJustice of the Peace
A justice of the peace is a puisne judicial officer elected or appointed by means of a commission to keep the peace. Depending on the jurisdiction, they might dispense summary justice or merely deal with local administrative applications in common law jurisdictions...
(J.P.) in County Galway
County Galway
County Galway is a county in Ireland. It is located in the West Region and is also part of the province of Connacht. It is named after the city of Galway. Galway County Council is the local authority for the county. There are several strongly Irish-speaking areas in the west of the county...
. He was a descendant
Lineal descendant
A lineal descendant, in legal usage, refers to a blood relative in the direct line of descent. The children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, etc...
of John Lambert of Creg Clare
John Lambert of Creg Clare
John Lambert of Creg Clare, Irish soldier and Royalist, fl. c.1645 – c.1669.-Life:A native of County Galway a Hiberno-Norman, Lambert is described as "an officer in Lord Clanricarde's Regiment in the Duke of Ormonde's Army in Ireland 1645...
.
Between 1869 and 1871 he was one of the principals in a case of attempted murder
Attempted murder
Attempted murder is a crime in England and Wales and Northern Ireland.-Today:In English criminal law, attempted murder is the crime of more than merely preparing to commit unlawful killing and at the same time having a specific intention to cause the death of human being under the Queen's Peace...
that gained national and international attention.
Eviction of the Barretts
Captain Lambert inherited his father's estate in 1867, at Castle Lambert, a few miles northwest of Athenry. In 1869 he evicted the Barrett family from their farm at Moorepark, close to Castle Lambert. Folklore in the Athenry area relates that during a hunt, a rider asked if Barrett's house was that of Lambert's brother, Thomas. On being told that it was actually the home of a peasantPeasant
A peasant is an agricultural worker who generally tend to be poor and homeless-Etymology:The word is derived from 15th century French païsant meaning one from the pays, or countryside, ultimately from the Latin pagus, or outlying administrative district.- Position in society :Peasants typically...
, the hunt members laughed. Shortly after this, the Barrett's were evicted, moving to Swangate in Athenry
Athenry
Athenry is a town in County Galway, Ireland. It lies east of Galway city, and one of the attractions of the town is its medieval castle. The town is also well-known by virtue of the song "The Fields of Athenry".-History:...
.
News reached Peter Barrett, one of the family's older children, who was at the time working as a postman in London.
The shooting
On Sunday evening between 9pm and 10pm, 11 July 1869, Captain Lambert was walking up the avenue of Castle Lambert, returning from dinner at his brother's home in Moorepark. He encountered a man wearing a bowler hatBowler hat
The bowler hat, also known as a coke hat, derby , billycock or bombin, is a hard felt hat with a rounded crown originally created in 1849 for the English soldier and politician Edward Coke, the younger brother of the 2nd Earl of Leicester...
in the shadow of lime trees. When Lambert asked the man to identify himself, the man remained silent, leading Lambert to set his small dog on him. At this the man faced Captain Lambert, pointed a revolver and shot five bullets from no more than twelve yards. He then ran off through a group of trees called "The Rookery".
Lambert had been shot twice in the stomach
Stomach
The stomach is a muscular, hollow, dilated part of the alimentary canal which functions as an important organ of the digestive tract in some animals, including vertebrates, echinoderms, insects , and molluscs. It is involved in the second phase of digestion, following mastication .The stomach is...
with another bullet
Bullet
A bullet is a projectile propelled by a firearm, sling, or air gun. Bullets do not normally contain explosives, but damage the intended target by impact and penetration...
in his forehead
Forehead
For the Arsenal striker see GervinhoIn human anatomy, the forehead is the fore part of the head. It is, formally, an area of the head bounded by three features, two of the skull and one of the scalp. The top of the forehead is marked by the hairline, the edge of the area where hair on the scalp...
. Only for the presence of a hard hat, the bullet would have impacted his brain and killed him. Lambert rose, staggered towards his house and raised the alarm, with the local Royal Irish Constabulary
Royal Irish Constabulary
The armed Royal Irish Constabulary was Ireland's major police force for most of the nineteenth and the early twentieth centuries. A separate civic police force, the unarmed Dublin Metropolitan Police controlled the capital, and the cities of Derry and Belfast, originally with their own police...
sealing off the Athenry area.
Shortly before 10pm, Peter Barrett appeared at Athenry railway station, where he bought a ticket for London. He then proceeded across the road to the Railway Hotel where he drew attention by several requests to members of staff as to what time it was, despite the hotel clock being plainly visible. He was noted as wearing a tall hat. He stepped on the train bound for Dublin.
Few policemen were in Athenry, as many had been relocated to Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
to deal with the usual 12 July disturbances, but sub-constable Hayden was alerted in time to board the train where he noticed Barrett. As he fitted the description given by Captain Lambert, he was arrested and taken off at Woodlawn station, between Athenry and Ballinasloe. The following morning he was identified by Captain Lambert as his attacker.
Trial of Barrett
The trial of Regina versus Barrett was held in Galway in September 1869. Barrett was defended by Issac Butt, who proceeded to attack the prosecution's apparently iron-clad case. Barrett had been searched but no sign of the revolver. Butt uncovered inconsistencys in Lambert's evidence, and scored a major victory when he determined that Captain Lambert (a magistrateMagistrate
A magistrate is an officer of the state; in modern usage the term usually refers to a judge or prosecutor. This was not always the case; in ancient Rome, a magistratus was one of the highest government officers and possessed both judicial and executive powers. Today, in common law systems, a...
) had suppressed some crucial facts. His efforts were successful in undermining Lambert's credibility.
The jury
Jury
A jury is a sworn body of people convened to render an impartial verdict officially submitted to them by a court, or to set a penalty or judgment. Modern juries tend to be found in courts to ascertain the guilt, or lack thereof, in a crime. In Anglophone jurisdictions, the verdict may be guilty,...
were unable to deliver a verdict, leading to a second trial being held in Dublin. By this stage, the media
Mass media
Mass media refers collectively to all media technologies which are intended to reach a large audience via mass communication. Broadcast media transmit their information electronically and comprise of television, film and radio, movies, CDs, DVDs and some other gadgets like cameras or video consoles...
had given events detailed coverage and made the case front-page news, becoming a high-profile example of the Irish question, concerning both tenent's rights and Home Rule
Home rule
Home rule is the power of a constituent part of a state to exercise such of the state's powers of governance within its own administrative area that have been devolved to it by the central government....
.
Verdict
For a second time, the jury could not give a unanimous verdict, leading to all chages against Barret been dismissed.Aftermath
Some ten years later, Captain Lambert was walking down Galway's Shop Street when he met a Mr. Corbett of St. John's, Athenry, and another man. Lambert. When he asked Corbett who his friend was, Corbett hesitated, before admitting it was Peter Barret, who was by then living in the USA and home for a visit. Captain Lambert refused to shake his hand, and walked away.Other shootings
In the mid-to-late 1800s, County GalwayCounty Galway
County Galway is a county in Ireland. It is located in the West Region and is also part of the province of Connacht. It is named after the city of Galway. Galway County Council is the local authority for the county. There are several strongly Irish-speaking areas in the west of the county...
had an especially bad reputation concerning land disputes. Some incidents of the times included:
- James Connors (Kiltullagh)James Connors (Kiltullagh)James Connors , Irish tenant, murdered May 1881.Connors was a tenant at Forgehill, Toolooban, on the estate of Denis St George Daly, 2nd Baron Dunsandle and Clanconal . The farm consisted of fourteen acres....
, shot March 1881. - Peter Dempsey (Kiltullagh)Peter Dempsey (Kiltullagh)Peter Dempsey was a tenant farmer who was murdered during the Irish Land War in 28 May, 1881. He was shot to death while walking to Mass with his two daughters across a field mass path....
, shot May 1881. - MaumtrasnaMaumtrasnaMaumtrasna is a mountain in County Mayo, Ireland.The name derives from its Irish name which is roughly translated as the "Mountain pass crossing".- References :*...
murders of 1882, in which nine members of the Joyce family were shot to death. - John Henry BlakeJohn Henry BlakeJohn Henry Blake , was an Irish land agent, who was murdered on 29 June 1882.-Biography:He was the third and youngest son of Lieutenant-Colonel John Blake of Furbo, County Galway, and Maria Galway of Cork. He was a member of one of The Tribes of Galway...
, shot June 1882.
External links
- http://www.familylambert.net/History/bios/thomas.html
- http://www.thepeerage.com/p38548.htm#i385478