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Daniel O'Neill, a Royalist Agent in Ireland, 1644–50
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 13 July 2017
Extract
Daniel O'Neill united in his person the two main branches of a great family. His father, Con, son of Niall, son of Brian Fagartach O'Neill, was lord of Upper Clandeboy; his mother Ellis (a sister of Eoghan Ruadh) belonged to the O'Neills of Tyrone. Daniel was born in Clandeboy early in the seventeenth century. His father died while he was a minor, and he was brought up a protestant, and, it is stated, a ward in chancery in England. He served his apprenticeship to arms with the English regiments in the Netherlands, and at an early age became familiar with the life both of camp and court. He was endowed with many natural advantages: a pleasing appearance and engaging manners, great fertility of resource, and an aptitude for handling difficult men and situations with a finesse which earned for him the name of ‘Infallible Subtle’.
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References
page 398 note 1 See Hogan, James, ‘ The Irish law of kingship with special reference to Ailech and Cinel Eoghain ’, in Proc. RIA, xl, sect, c, pp. 186–254 Google Scholar, and Tadhg (Ó Donnchadha (ed.), Leabhar Cloinne Aodha Buidhe (1931), for an account of Daniel O'Neill's forbears, the O'Neills of Clandeboy. The main authorities for his early life are : the Montgomery MSS. (ed. Hill), the Hamilton MSS. (ed. Lowry), Clarendon's Rebellion, Strafford's Letters and Despatches, Laud's letters in Works, Hexham's Relation of the famous siege of Breda (Delft, 1637), the historical collections of Rushworth and Nalson, Commons’ Journ., Lords' Journ., letters in Evelyn's Diary, iv (ed. Wheatley), Warburton's Memoirs of Prince Rupert and the cavaliers, Cal. S.P. Dom.s Cal. S.P. Ire., and reports of the Hist. MSS. Comm. Gilbert has collected a number of documents from some of the above sources in the introduction of Contemp. Hist., i, pt. 11. There is an excellent notice of Daniel O'Neill in DNB, and a short article by Lt.-Col. W. O. Cavenagh in Journ. RSAI., xxxviii (1908).
page 399 note 1 The agreement of which O'Neill was a witness, is printed in G. Hill, Mac- Donnells of Antrim, p. 267. The date given, 28 Jan. 1644 seems incorrect, for the king and Lord Digby both wrote on Jan. 20 to Ormond announcing the mission of Antrim and O'Neill; the king's instructions to Antrim are dated the same day, and Carte says that Antrim and O'Neill left Oxford about Jan. 21.
page 399 note 2 Clarendon, Rebellion (ed. W. D. Macray), bk. viii, § 268-76. Clarendon here dates the event a year later than the time it actually occurred.
page 399 note 3 Charles I to Ormond 20 Jan. 1644, and Digby to Ormond, same date (Carte, Ormond (ed of 1851), vi. 20).
page 399 note 4 O'Neill to Ormond, 24 Feb. 1644 (Gilbert, Contemp. hist., i, pt. 1, pp. 569-70).
page 400 note 1 O'Neill to Digby, 2 Mar. 1644 (Contemp. hist., i, pt. 1, pp. 570-2) ; Carte, Ormond, iii. 55-6. See also ibid., vi, passim ; Contemp. hist., i, pt. 11, passim ; Ir. confed., iii. 112-14.
page 400 note 2 ‘ Mr. Dan. O'Neill's Instructions’ (Bodl. MS., Carte 13, f. 168).
page 400 note 3 Decree of supreme council and confederate catholics (Ir. confed., iii. 113). This decree makes it clear that they would provide only the arms etc., leaving Antrim to levy the men. In the paper from Carte MSS. cited above, O'Neill seems to state that the supreme council would also supply the men.
page 400 note 4 Daniel O'Neill's demands from Kilkenny, 2 Mar. 1644 (Contemp. hist., i, pt. 11, p. 572).
page 401 note 1 Bellings and Fennell to Ormond, 25 May 1644 (Ir. confed., iii. p. 170-1).
page 401 note 2 Daniel O'Neill to Digby, 2 Mar. 1644 (Contemp. hist., vol. i, pt. 11, 571).
page 402 note 1 Daniel O'Neill to Digby, 2 Mar. 1644 (Contemp. hist., vol. i, pt. 11, 571). The agents referred to were the Irish commissioners at Oxford.
page 402 note 2 Trevor to Ormond, 9 Mar. 1644 (Carte, Ormond, vi. 57) ; Same to same, 26 Mar. 1644 (ibid., p. 70).
page 402 note 3 Digby to Ormond, 8 Mar. 1644 (ibid., p. 56).
page 402 note 4 ‘ Certaine propositiones to the King which Daniell O'Neille thought necessary for the present condition of Ireland, with his Majesties answer to every demand ’ (Contemp. hist., vol. i, pt. 11, pp. 598-9).
page 402 note 5 Steele, Tudor and Stuart proclam., i, no. 2606 ; ii, pt. I, no. 416.
page 402 note 6 Daniel O'Neill to Ormond, 17 July 1644 (Contemp. hist., i, pt. 11, p. 591).
page 403 note 1 Daniel O'Neill to Ormond, 17 July 1644 (ibid., p. 592).
page 403 note 2 A collection of all the publicke orders, ordinances, and declarations of both houses of parliament … together with sever all of his majesties proclamations and other papers (ed. E. Husband, 1646, pp. 855-6).
page 403 note 3 Ir. Confed., v. 58-9.
page 403 note 4 Ibid., v. 65, 67, 190, 196, 198, 208, 210. Glamorgan always refers to O'Neill as * my cousin \
page 404 note 1 The king's packet of letters (1645). Copy in RIA, Haliday tracts.
page 404 note 2 Contemp. hist., i, pt. 11, pp. 666-7.
page 404 note 3 Daniel O'Neill to Ormond, 18 Apr. 1646 (ibid., pp. 671-2).
page 405 note 1 Plunkett to Ormond, 7 May 1646 (Ir. confed., v. 335).
page 405 note 2 Ormond to Daniel O'Neill, 18 July 1646 ; Eoghan Ruadh to Ormond, 19 and 29 July 1646 ; Ormond to Eoghan Ruadh, 1 and 3 Aug. 1646 (Contemp. hist., i, pt. 11, pp. 688-92).
page 405 note 3 Daniel O'Neill was one of the witnesses to the peace (Ir. confed., vi. 350).
page 405 note 4 Eoghan Ruadh to Daniel O'Neill, 7 Aug. 1646 ; Eoghan Ruadh to Ormond, 17 Aug. 1646 (Contemp. hist., i, pt. 11, pp. 693-4, 696-7).
page 405 note 5 ‘ Remembrances for Mr. Daniell O'Neill’, 28 Aug. 1646 (ibid., p. 700).
page 406 note 1 Daniel O'Neill to Roscommon, 1 Sept. 1646 (Contemp. hist. i. pt. 11, pp. 701-2). Cf. Sir George Blimdell's account of recent affairs in Ireland (Gal. S.P.Ire., 1633-47, PP. 759-60).
page 406 note 2 Daniel O'Neill to Roscommon, r Sept. 1646 (ibid., p. 702).
page 406 note 3 Ibid., i, pt. 11, p. 702.
page 406 note 4 Daniel O'Neill to Ormond, 1 Oct. 1646 (ibid., i, pt. 11, pp. 708-9). Ir. confed., pp. 300, 315, 320.
page 407 note 1 Commentarius Rinuccinianus, ii. 417 ; Daniel O'Neill to Digby, 7 Oct. 1646, and Eoghan Ruadh to Digby [not, as stated, to Ormond] (Contemp. hist., i, pt. 11. pp. 710-11).
page 407 note 2 The nuncio's diary, quoted in Comment. Rinucc., ii. 472.
page 407 note 3 Ibid., ii. 472-6.
page 407 note 4 There is a single reference to this cousin, Lowe, in a letter from Daniel to Ormond, 1 Oct. 1646 (Contemp. hist., i, pt. 11, p. 708).
page 407 note 5 This was probably Arthur Magennis who, however, was not consecrated until 1 May 1648 (Comment. Rinucc, iii. 56).
page 408 note 1 Daniel to Ormond, i Oct. 1646 (Contemp. hist., i, pt. 11. pp. 693-4).
page 408 note 2 The memoirs of’ G[eorge] I[eyburn]: being a journal of his agency for Prince Charles in Ireland in the year 1647 (London, 1722), p. 45.
page 408 note 3 Beltings in Ir. Confed., vii. 19 ; Clarendon, Rebellion in Ire., pp. 70-1.
page 408 note 4 The memoirs of G[eorge] L[eyburn], p. 58.
page 409 note 1 Ibid., pp. 58-9. Bellings in Ir. Confed., vii. 19-20. Clarendon, Rebellion in Ire., pp. 70-1.
page 409 note 2 Supreme council to Rinuccini (Comment. Rinucc., ii. 693-4).
page 409 note 3 Ibid., ii. 695.
page 409 note 4 Hist. MSS. Comm., Fifth Rep., app., p. 173 ; Hutton, Embassy in Ireland, pp. 324-5. Cf. Comment. Rinucc., ii. 771.
page 409 note 5 Digby to Mazarin (ibid., ii. 713).
page 409 note 6 Carte, Ormond, iii. 387.
page 410 note 1 Ormond to Eoghan Ruadh, 21 Nov. 1648 (Contemp. hist., i, pt. 11, pp. 753-4).
page 410 note 2 Eoghan Ruadh to Ormond, 6 Dec. 1648 (ibid., pp. 754-5).
page 410 note 3 Daniel O'Neill to Lane, 7 Feb. 1649 ; Eoghan Ruadh to Ormond, 4 March 1649 (ibid., pp. 768, 779). Daniel procured his uncle a safe-conduct, which however was not used.
page 410 note 4 Carte, Ormond, iii. 421-2, 437.
page 410 note 5 Ormond to Daniel O'Neill, 27 Aug. 1649 (Contemp. hist., ii. 237-8).
page 410 note 6 Daniel O'Neill to Ormond, 5 Sept. 1649 (ibid., p. 251).
page 411 note 1 Daniel O'Neill to Inchiquin, 25 Sept. 1649 (ibid., p. 277).
page 411 note 2 Ibid., iii. 385.
page 411 note 3 Daniel O'Neill to Ormond, 16 and 18 Oct. 1649 (ibid., ii. 297, 299) ; Carte, Ormond, iii. 496.
page 411 note 4 Bodl. MS. Carte 26, f. 617.
page 411 note 5 Commentarius Rinuccinianus (from the unpublished transcript in the Capuchin archives, Church St., Dublin), pp. 3827, 4101 ; Cox, Hibernia Anglicana, ii, app. no. xlviii.
page 412 note 1 Daniel O'Neill to Ormond, 3 and 9 Jan. 1650 ; Ormond to Daniel O'Neill, 14 Jan. 1650 (Contemp. hist., ii. 344-7); Aphorismical discovery (ibid., ii. 60) ; Carte, Ormond, iii. 517.
page 412 note 2 E. H[ogan] (ed.), The history of the warr of Ireland by a British officer, p. 114; Journal of Henry O'Neill (Contemp. hist., iii. 212).
page 412 note 3 Daniel O'Neill to Ormond, 9, 30 Jan. 1650 (ibid., ii. 346, 355).
page 412 note 4 Journal of Henry O'Neill (ibid., iii. 212).
page 412 note 5 E. H[ogan], The warr of Ireland, p. 115.
page 413 note 1 Daniel O'Neill to marchioness of Ormond, 12 Oct. 1650 (Carte, Original letters, i. 384-6). Clarendon, Rebellion, bk. xii, § 124 ; bk. xiii, § 3. Gardiner, Commonwealth and protectorate (ed. of 1903), i. 236. Bagwell's statement (Stuarts, ii. 243) that Daniel left Ireland in Dec. 1650 in company with Ormond is incorrect. It is doubtless based on the loose statement of Castlehaven (Memoirs (ed. of 1815), p. 126) that Ormond quitted the kingdom ‘ taking with him Lords Inchiquin and Taafe, Daniel O'Neill and others his friends’.
page 414 note 1 J. Dalrymple, Memorials of Great Britain and Ireland, ii, app. pt. 11, p. 27. In editing this letter Dalrymple mistakenly assigned it to the year 1669. Yet from internal evidence alone, it is obvious that the year was 1664. (Chas. II doubtless wrote simply Oct. 24.) Owing to Dalrymple's error, it has sometimes been stated that O'Neill died in 1669, and he has also been multiplied into two persons, one dying in 1664 and the other in 1669. His tombstone in the church of Boughton- Malherbe, Kent, gives the year of his death as 1663, yet there is abundant corroboration of the date of O'Neill's death as 24 Oct. 1664, in the letters and diaries of contemporaries.