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Conn O'Neill (prisoner)

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Not to be confused with Hugh O'Neill's older son Conn O'Neill (died 1601).
Conn Ruadh O'Neill
Conn Ruadh Ó Néill
Coat of arms
Other namesConn na Creige
Bornc. 1602
Ulster, Ireland
DiedIn or after 1622
Tower of London, London, England
FatherHugh O'Neill, Earl of Tyrone
MotherCatherine Magennis

Conn Ruadh O'Neill (Irish: Conn Ruadh Ó Néill; c. 1602 – in/after 1622), also known as Conn na Creige[1][2] ("Conn of the rock"),[3] was an Irish noble of the seventeenth century.

He was a son of Hugh O'Neill, Earl of Tyrone. Conn was left behind during the Flight of the Earls. The English authorities planned to re-educate Conn in the English manner by paying for him to attend Eton College. Eventually Conn was imprisoned in the Tower of London, where he likely died.

Family background

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Conn Ruadh O'Neill was the son of Irish lord Hugh O'Neill, Earl of Tyrone,[1][4] leader of the Irish confederacy during the Nine Years' War (1594–1603).[5][6] The O'Neill dynasty were the most powerful Gaelic family in Ireland.[7] Conn's mother was Tyrone's fourth wife Catherine O'Neill, Countess of Tyrone, of the Magennis family of Iveagh.[8] Conn had two full-brothers, Brian and Shane.[4][1]

According to historian Paul Walsh, "Conn O'Neill is commonly believed to have been Tyrone's youngest son; but he was seven or eight years old in 1609 and consequently born before Brian". This would mean Conn was born around 1602.[1] Historian Jerrold Casway corroborates this with his statement that Conn was five years old at the time of the Flight of the Earls,[9][10] which occurred in September 1607.[5] Conversely, Charles Patrick Meehan believes that Conn was seven years old at the time, meaning he would be born around 1600.[11] An article in Irish Historical Studies also states that Conn was seven years old at the time. However this article also corroborates Walsh and Casway's belief that Conn was the second of Tyrone and Catherine's children.[2] Shane was born in October 1599[12][13] and Brian was born c. 1604.[1]

Family's flight from Ireland

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Conn was left behind when Tyrone, Catherine and other supporters departed Ireland during the Flight of the Earls in 1607.[9][10][14] The flight was apparently a snap decision on Tyrone's part as he feared arrest from the English government.[15][5] Tyrone sent out messengers to gather his children from their foster-families.[9] However, Conn was living with his foster-family and could not be located in time.[9][10][2] Tyrone "sought him diligently, but... was overtaken with shortness of time."[10][16] Conn's mother Catherine was particularly upset by his absence and reluctant to leave Ireland. Tyrone threatened Catherine with his sword if she did not hurry to the boat and "put on a more cheerful countenance".[17][10]

Raised by the Crown

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Ireland

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Lord Deputy Arthur Chichester ordered a search for Conn, and the young boy was found.[2] Chichester charged Sir Tobias Caulfeild with taking Conn into the custody of the Crown.[16][2] Conn was taken by Caulfeild from his fosterers and lodged in Castle Caulfield at Charlemont.[18][2][11] Caulfeild kept the boy under close surveillance, in case any Irish relatives attempted to interfere with the boy's anglicised upbringing.[16] Whilst staying there, "the eyes of the people were much fixed upon [Conn]".[2] Tobias Caulfeild received a warrant allowing him to seize Catherine's goods "in consideration that [Caulfeild] had kept the child in his own care, and found him in meat and drink".[11]

In a letter to Dublin's Privy Council dated 4 July 1609, Chichester suggested that the children of former Irish confederacy members should be sent to England and put to trades, so that they might "forget their fierceness and pride." Chichester referenced Conn specifically; "there is a son of the Earl of Tyrone of some seven or eight years old". Chichester declared that the best course would be "to send [the children] to some remote parts of England or Scotland to be kept from the knowledge of friends or acquaintances."[19]

However, Conn quickly became the focus of plots to make him the figurehead of an uprising, notably the Ulster Conspiracy of 1615.[2] Allegedly, a goal of the conspiracy was "to take away Conn ne Kreigy O Neile, son to the Earl of Tyrone, from Charlemont."[19] In order to prevent this plot, Chichester ordered that Conn be sent to Dublin for safekeeping. King James I already planned to have "the sonnes of divers noblemen and gentlemen" of Ireland sent to England to be raised in the English manner.[2] James ultimately sent Conn to England.[19][14][2]

England

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Conn was conducted to England in June 1615 by Francis Blundel.[20] Conn's travel from Dublin to England cost £40.[21] He was installed at Eton College[19][14][20] and was educated there as a Protestant[14] and a fellow-commoner. The English Privy Council put Henry Savile, the provost of Eton, in charge of Conn. Savile was advised "to have [Conn] brought up in vertue and religion" and was warned to keep a watchful eye over Conn's tutors.[21]

Henry Savile

The Crown spent a further £51 on "apparel, bedding and other necessaries" for Conn at Eton. Conn also had a servant attend him—in October, the Privy Coucil appointed George Pierson as Conn's servant. All of Conn's expenses were paid for by the King.[21]

Conn entered Eton in the third quarter of 1615.[22]

Following the death of three of his elder brothers in exile, Conn moved up the line of succession.[citation needed] His father died in Rome in July 1616,[5] and Conn's elder brother Shane was recognised by the Spanish as the successive Earl of Tyrone.[13]

Conn was abruptly pulled out of Eton in the third quarter of 1622. The provost was ordered to deliver him to a messenger of the Crown. Conn was then brought to Whitehall in London.[22]

It is likely Conn Ruadh O'Neill died during imprisonment in the Tower of London

Tower of London

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On 12 August 1622, Conn was committed to the Tower of London.[19] Conn was held in the Tower with a number of his relatives of the O'Neill and O'Donnell dynasties and may have lived in some comfort as was common for a nobleman. It is not known exactly when he died, or whether he was ever released. The last record of him is from 1622.[23] Historian Robert Dunlop believes this is when Conn died.[14] Historian Jerrold Casway believes Conn died in the Tower.[24][18]

According to John O'Hart, Conn had a son named Feardorach.[25]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e Walsh 1930, p. 31.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Moody et al. 1940, p. 189.
  3. ^ Burke's Peerage. Vol. 2. 2003. p. 3006.
  4. ^ a b Casway 2016, p. 73.
  5. ^ a b c d Morgan, Hiram (September 2014). "O'Neill, Hugh". Dictionary of Irish Biography. doi:10.3318/dib.006962.v1. Archived from the original on 26 September 2023. Retrieved 3 May 2024.
  6. ^ The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica (12 April 2024). "Hugh O'Neill, 2nd earl of Tyrone". Encyclopedia Britannica. Archived from the original on 12 July 2024.
  7. ^ Morgan 1993, p. 86-87.
  8. ^ Casway 2016.
  9. ^ a b c d Casway 2016, p. 74.
  10. ^ a b c d e Casway 2003, p. 61.
  11. ^ a b c Meehan 1868, p. 284.
  12. ^ Burke, John, ed. (2003). Burke's Peerage. Vol. 2 (107 ed.). p. 3006.
  13. ^ a b Walsh 1974, p. 320.
  14. ^ a b c d e Dunlop 1895, p. 196.
  15. ^ Dunlop 1895, p. 195.
  16. ^ a b c Walsh 1930, p. 31-32.
  17. ^ Casway 2016, p. 74-75.
  18. ^ a b Casway 2016, p. 76.
  19. ^ a b c d e Walsh 1930, p. 32.
  20. ^ a b Moody et al. 1940, pp. 189–190.
  21. ^ a b c Moody et al. 1940, p. 190.
  22. ^ a b Moody et al. 1940, pp. 190–191.
  23. ^ Casway 1984, p. 27.
  24. ^ Casway 2003, p. 62.
  25. ^ O'Hart, John (1892). "O'Neill (No.2) Irish genealogy". Irish Pedigrees; or the Origin and Stem of the Irish Nation. 1 (5 ed.). Retrieved 21 September 2024.

Bibliography

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