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"Nor yet blessed city is that worth no more,Whic h first in fighting fields thy sons didclaim,Lo! Coote's strong ar m controls the In dianshore,d Niagara roam thy Massy's name. "(An Add ress to Limerick)

County Limerick, ~eneral- re Massy ,later th e first Lord Clarina, whose gallantand distinguished military career markedhim out as one of the most colourful menof his day.T h e M a s s y s w e r e o n e of t h e m o s tprominen t of the grea t land ed families thatdominated Clarina and the surro undinga rea i n t he e igh t een th , n ine t een th andearly twentieth centuries. They first came

into possession of the Elm Park Estate in1757, and it remained in the family until1923. They were a remarkable family fortwo reasons: firstly, they were a prominentm i l i t a r y d y n a s t y , a n d t h r e e o f t h e i rn u m b e r ( t h e f i r s t , s e c o n d a n d f o u r t hB a r o n s C l a r i n a ) r o s e t o t h e r a n k o fGeneral in the Brit ish Army; secondly,they were closely related to individualswho played a prom inent role in the historyof both Britain and Ireland. The first andsecond Barons Clar ina were re la ted toE l i z a b e t h , M a r c h i o n e s s C o n y n g h a m(1768-1861), a very famous and long-livedmistress of King George IV. In startlingcontrast to this connection is the kinshipof t h e f o u r t h , f if t h a n d s i x t h B a r o n sClarina to prominent figures in the IrishNational Movement. Thes e figures were

Ersk ine Ch ilders (1870-1922), who playeda prominent role in the War of Independ-ence and Civil War, h is s on Ers kine H.Childers (1906-1974), who held severalministries in Fianna Fail governments andwas Pr esid ent of I re land from 1973 to1974, and Robert Barton (1881-1975), as igna to ry o f t h e Ang lo - I r ish T rea ty of1921, who later becam e Chairman of theAgricultural Credit Corporation from 1934to 1954. Th e present article is concernedwith the most interesting figure that thefamily produced, Eyre Massy, first BaronClarina, but first it is necessary to examinethe history of the family before they tookup reside nce in Clarina.T h e M a s s y s , a n E n g l i s h f a m i ly o fNorman descent , a rr ived in I re land in1641 in the person of one General Hug hMassy. He came over f rom England tofight the Irish Rebels who had taken upa r m s t h a t y e a r . H u g h M a s s y c l a im e dd e s c e n t f r o m H a m o D e M a s s y , a

Col Hugh Massy m. Elizabeth EvansI

l IHugh, 1st Baron George, lEyre, 1st Baron m.Massy (1700-88) Archdeacon of Clarina (1719-1804) 1Ardfert (1702-82) 1III -------- -------- 11111--1111-------------- 1 1-----.

George Hannah Catherine Nathaniel William(1771-96) Emily Jane 2nd Baron Clarina(1773-1810)

Hugh Barton (1766-1854)I

Nathaniel Clements M.Pl

I l ICatherine Clements Alicia m. Ralph Gore, Elizabeth m. Francis, 2nd Baron(1744-1815) Earl of Rosse (d. 1814) Conyngham (d. 1787)I

m. Penelope Westropp(1779-1843)I

Henry, 3rd Baron& 1st m. Elizabeth DenisonMarquis Conyngham Marchioness Conyngham(1766-1832) (1768-1861)Mistress of George IV

I ------- ----_____ I I IThomas Johnson Susan Elizabeth m. Eyre, 3rd Baron Clarina (1798-1872)Barton (1802-64) Barton (1810-86)I II______________

Charles WilliamBarton (1836-90)IlRobert Barton(1881-1975)

Signatory of1921 Treaty

IAnnaMaria m. ProfRobertHenriet ta (d. 1884) Caesar Childers(1833-77)IRobert ~r sk in e hilders(1870-1922) Involved in

War of Independence &Civil WarIIErskine Childers (1906-74)Presidentof Ireland (1973-4)

II_______--- ------Eyre Challoner Lionel. 5th Baron Clarina m. (1) Ellen Bannatyne (d. 1883)4th Baron Clarina (1837-1922) (2) Sophia Maria Butler (1855-1912(1830-97) 1Unrnamed IEyre, 6th Baron Clarina m. Mice Erica Allheusen (d. 1961)

(1880-1952)

Genealogical chart showing the relationship of the Barons Clarina with various historical personages.

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Eyre M assy, later first Lord Clarina.Photo courtesy of the Knight of Glin.Com panion - In-Arm s of Wi l l i am theConqueror. After the Rebellion was finallycrushed , General Massy acquired about1,800 acres in Co. Limerick during theCromwel l i an P lanta t ion . He se t t l ed a tD u n t r y l e a g u e n e a r G a l b a ll y in E a s tLimerick, and prospered. He was marriedf i v e t i m e s , a n d o n h i s d e a t h w a ss u c c e e d e d b y h i s s o n a n d h e i r , H u g hM a s s y . T h i s g e n t l e m a n m a r r i e d A m yBenson and on his death was succeededb y h i s s o n , C ol o ne l H u g h M a s s y . T h elatter married Elizabeth Evans, and theyh a d a f a m il y of s i x s o n s a n d f o u rdaughters . Th ree of the sons were to beassociated with Clarina. Th e eldest, Hu gh,l a t e r th e f i r s t Baron M assy (1700-88) ,resided at Duntryleague, but in 1757 h einherited the estate at Elm Park, Clarina.He never resided there, and the propertycame into the possession of his brother,Geo rge (1702-82), a Ch urch of IrelandC l e r g y m a n . H e e n j o y e d a s u c c e s s f u lc a r e e r i n t h e C h u r c h , a n d e v e n tu a l lybeca me Archdeacon of the Diocese ofArdfert (Kerry).

Like many Anglican clergymen of thistime, he was not a particularly pious man.He was an enthus ias ti c hunt sm an, andkept a pack of hound s at Elm Park. H e wasjovial and hosp itable an d enjoyed life tothe full. He married a Miss Jane Purdon,but they had no family, and on his deathfrom apoplexy in 1782, his brother, Eyre,succeed ed to the Clarina estate.Eyre Massy w as already a ma n of sixty-t h r e e w h e n h e i n h e r i t e d t h e E lm P a r kestate. Like his brothers, Lord Massy andArchdeacon Massy, he was des t ined tolive to a ripe an d vigorous old age. H e wasborn o n 24th May, 1719, and sp ent hisc h i l d h o o d a t h i s f a t h e r ' s e s t a t e a tDuntryleague. It was, perhaps, inevitablethat he should take up a military career,because he was th e s ix th and younges ts o n a n d h a d v i r t u a l l y n o c h a n c e o fi n h e r i t in g t h e D u n t r y l e a g u e e s t a t e . Am i l it a ry c a r e e r w a s a l s o c o n s i d e r e d afitting one for a scion of the gentry, andMassy was not the only Limerickman toachieve fame as a soldier in the eig hteenthand n ine teenth centur i es . Hi s contem-

porary, General Sir Ey re Coote (1726-83),a native of Kilmallock, won fam e for hisvictory at Porto Novo in India in 1781,while Field Marshal1 Lord Go ugh (1779-1 8 6 9 , w h o w a s b o r n i n L i s n ag r y , j u s to u t s i d e L i m e r ic k C i ty , c o n q u e r e d t h eP u n j a b f o r B r i t a i n i n t h e 1 8 4 0 s . E y r eMassy purchased a commiss ion in thearmy in 1739, and thus began a militarycareer that lasted for over sixty years. y ej o in e d t h e 2 7 t h F o o t , k n o w n a s t h eEnniskillings, and became a Lieutenant I$the Grenadiers. IM a s s y h a d n o s o o n e r r ec e i ve d h i sc o m m i s s i o n t h a n h e f o u n d h i m s e lf o nactive service in war time. The year 1739saw the outbreak of war between Britainand Spain. This conflict was known as th eWar of Jenkins Ear. It soon merged into amajor war involving most of the Europeanpowers. It was but one of a series of warswhich had b egun in 1689, and were toc o n t i n u e u n t i l 1 8 1 5 . T h i s s e c o n d"Hundred Years War" was essent ial ly as t ruggle for world dominat ion betweenBritain and France, but various conflictsbetween th e powers of continental Europ ewere also bound up in it. The stakes werevery high - at issue was the futu re of NorthA m e r i c a, I n d i a a n d o t h e r p a r t s o f t h ewor ld where the two grea t powers andt h e i r a l l i es w e r e o p p o s e d . T h e t i t a n i cs t ruggle en ded in 1815 and resul ted invast areas of the g lobe coming under th esway of th e Anglo-Saxon powe rs.Massy saw action in two of the mostimportant of the se strugg les, the War ofthe Austrian Su ccession (1740-48) and th eSeven Years War (1756-63). Th ese w ere inthe nature of world wars, with fighting inNorth America, the We st Indies and India,as well as in Europe. In 1739, the BritishG o v e r n m e n t i n t e n d e d t o a t t a c k a n dc o n q u e r l a r g e p a r t s o f t h e S p a n i s h -Amer ican Empi re . To th i s end , a f l ee tcommanded by Admiral Edward Vernonset out for th e Caribbean. In November1739, Vernon and his forces captured theimportant city of Portobello in Panama.T h e 27th Foot, including Massy, played animportant role in this battle, which wasregarded as a great victory for the Britishforces . Massy and the o ther surv ivorsreturned to Britain in December 1740. In1745-6, he served with his regiment inScotland. Prince Charles Edward Stuart,bet ter know n a s Bonnie Prince Charl ie ,had raised the Jacobites in rebellion, andt h e B r i t i s h G o v e r n m e n t s e n t a s t r o n garmy to Scotland to crush the threat. Thisforce was commanded by William, Dukeo f C u m b e r l a n d , a s o n of G e o r g e 1 1.Cumberland's army decis ively defeatedthe Jacobites at the Battle of Culloden in1746, and the rebellion collapsed. Massywas wounded in the bat t le . His braveryattracted the attention of the Duke, whobecam e his patron. In 1747, Cumberlandpromoted Massy to the rank of Captain-Lieutenant and i t was due to th e Duke 'sinfluence that he became Captain in 1751and Major in 1755.In 1756, the Seven Years War bro keout. The most important theatre of war inthe early sta ge s of this conflict was No rth

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Clarina Castle (Elm Park), postcard bv L.E. Ruttle, Post O ffice, Clarina.America , and Massy was se n t the re in1757 as a Major in the 46th Foot. In 1758,he becam e Lieu tenan t-Co lone l of th i sreg imen t . The fo l lowing year was thed e c i s i v e o n e i n t h e N o r t h A m e r i c a nc a m p a i g n . T h e B r i t i s h i n v a d e d N e wFrance (Canada), the main Frenc h colonyi n N o r t h A m e r i c a , i n f o r c e . An a r m ycommanded by General Wolfe capturedQuebec , t he l a rg es t c i ty in Canada . As e c o n d f o r c e , c o m m a n d e d b y M a j o r-G e n e r a l J ef f re y A m h e r s t , w a s s e n t t ocap tu re Fo r t Niagara , near the famousNiagara Falls. This move was intended tocut off Canada from the France 's o thergreat American colony, Louisiana. Massywas in command of the 46th Regiment,which formed part of Amherst's army.His role in the decisive battle of LaBeue Famille, fought near F ort Niagara on24 th Ju ly 1759 , i s a mat te r o f someconjecture. His own acc ount of this cruc ialepisode in his career is se t forth in the farfrom modest "Memorial of his Services",which is a very subjective account of hism i l i t a r y c a r e e r . H e c l a i m s t h a t h ecommanded the British forces and theirallies in this battle and ma sterminded th evictory against th e French. T he Bri t isharmy consisted of a force of 500 me n fromthe 46th Regiment plus som e Indians. TheFrench army was much larger, consistingof 1,800 French and French-Canadians,a n d 5 0 0 I n di a n s . T h e b a t t l e w a s h a r dfought, but the British emerged victorious,capturing all of the French officers excepto n e , w h o m a na g e d t o m a k e g o o d h i sescape. Fort Niagara surrendered soonafter, and the whole of the Upper Ohio fellinto British hands.Massy claimed that this was the firstengagemen t since the outbreak of the wari n w h i c h t h e I n d i a n s w e r e d e f e a t e d .However, the s tandard accounts of thebattle do not cre dit Massy with the victory.Th e actual commander of the army anda r c h i t e c t of i t s s u c c e s s w a s a n o t h e rIrishman, Sir William Johnson. Shortlya f t e r t h e f a ll of F o r t N i a g a r a , M a s s yr e q u e s t e d a t r a n s f e r b a c k t o h i s o l d

Limerick Museum.C W A .

Arms of the Baron s Clarina.The supporters are two Grenadiersoldiers in the uniform of the 27thFoot Regim ent, recalling the firstBaron's long asso ciation with thisRegiment. The m otto "Pro LibertatePatriae translates "For the Libertyof my Country".r e g i m e n t , t h e 2 7 th F o o t . D u r i n g t h ecampaign of 1760 , he commanded theg r e n a d i e r s . H i s s u p e r i o r , G e n e r a lAmhers t , l ed th e Br i t i sh fo rces ou t o fOswego, New York, and sailed down theSt Lawrence River to capture Montreal.B l o c k in g t h e w a y w a s t h e F r e n c hstronghold of Fort Levis (now ChimneyIsland, New York). The re th e Battle of theThousand Islands was fought, resulting inanoth er British victory. Massy took part inth is las t bat t le fought by the French indefence of New France.Having brought the North Americancampaign to a successful conclusion, theBritish now turned to th e Frenc h coloniesin the W est Indies. In February, 1762, ahuge British force, numbering 14,000 mencommanded by Majo r -Genera l Rober tMoncton, at tacked the weal thy Frenchsugar island of Martinique. Massy wasaga in in command o f a ba t t a l ion o fgrenadiers during th is invasion, whichr e s u l t e d i n a F r e n c h d e f e a t . I n t h emeantime, Spain had entered the war asan al ly of Fr ance. In August 1762, theBritish struck hard a t the Spanish Empire.

A stro ng force invaded Cuba and capturedHavana, the capital, which was the centreof Spain's Caribbean possessions. HereMassy, again in command of the grenad-iers, was severely wounded. T he followingyear saw the end of the war, with Britainsupreme in North America and poised toestablish supr ema cy in India.Th e coming of peace in 1763 broug hta c lo se to the mos t exc i t ing phas t ;, inMassy's career. Although he remained amilitary officer, he was not destined to$einvolved in battle again. He commandedthe 27th Foot at New York and Q uebecfrom 1763 to 1769, and w itnessed the earlystages of the dispute between Britain andthe American Colonies. H e returned toI r e l a n d i n 1 7 6 9 , a n d w a s a p p o i n t e dColonel of th e regi ment in 1773. He w aspromoted to Major-General in 1776, andfrom that year to 1780, he command ed thetroo ps at Halifax, capital of Nova Sc otiai n C a n a d a . T h e A m e r i c a n W a r ofIndependence had begun in 1775, andFrance and Spain had allied themselveswith the Am erican Rebels. In 1780, Massywas posted to Cork, whe re he comm andedfor some time. While there, he drew up aplan for the defence of the city against apossible Fre nch invasion. Th is plan is nowin the British Library in London. In 1782,M a s s y w a s p r o m o t e d t o L i e u t e n a n t-Colonel, but h e was unemployed for over adecade thereaf te r. T h i s was ex t remelyvexing for someone who had been activelyemployed for ove r forty years. In 1793, warbroke out yet again between Britain andFrance. Massy was bitterly disappointed atnot receiving a command and complainedto his friend, General Sir John Vaughan,t h a t " p o p i s h c h i l d r e n " h a d r e c e i v e dcadetships in his old regime nt, the 27thFoot. "Indeed, my brother Grenadier, myheart is broke", he wrote. In 1794, theBritish again captured Martinique, and theF r e n c h s t a n d a r d s t a k e n t h e r e w e r ecarried in state into St. Paul's Cathedral,London. Massy, recalling his part in theearlier capture of the island, was furious."We had no such honours pa id to ou rnob le and b rave Commande r , Genera lMoncton" , he compla ined . Massy hadbecome a c ranky , re t i red o ld so ld ie r ,apparently destined to spend the rest ofhis days in discontented obscurity.Later in 1794, he was rescued from thisfa te when h e was appo in ted to h i s o ldcommand in Cork. The old gentleman wasdelighted to be once again of service toKing and Country. His period in charge atCork, from 1794 to 1796, was a difficultone. Britain and Ireland lived under thefear o f a F rench invas ion , and theG o v e r n m e n t h u r r i e d l y d r a f t e d l a r g enumb ers of new recrui ts in to the army.T h e s e y o u n g s o l d i e r s , r aw a n d u n d i s -ciplined, resented the strict regime of th earmy. In 1795, 2,000 of th em stationed onSp ike I s l and mu t in ied , bu t M assy pu tdown the rebellion with firmness. As areward for h is services , the 77 year o ldveteran was promoted to the rank of fullGenera l in 1796. Th i s was the se condhighest rank in the army (the highest wasFie ld -Marsha l ) . In 1797 , he was m ade

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Massy Lodge, summer residence of the Massys in the Galtees near Anglesborough, built c. 1800, now partly demolished.Governor of Limerick, and soon after wasappointed Governor of the Royal Hospital,K i lm a i n h am , a t t h a t t i m e a h o m e f o rretired servicemen. He was also created aMarshal of the Army in Ireland. Massyheld th ese posts until his death.General Massy's military career was avery long and successful one. However,t h e r e w e r e o t h e r s i d e s to t h e m a n . H ebecam e a mem ber of the Irish Parliament,and s at for the B orough of Swo rds from1790 to 1797. His private life also deser vesattention. He married Catherine Clements(1744-1815) on 27th Decem ber 1767. Sh ew a s t h e t h i r d d a u g h t e r of N a t h a n i e lClements MP, and her brother was laterraised to the peerage as the First Earl ofLeitrim. Massy was 48 at the time of hismarriage and Catherine was 23. Despite,or possibly because of the g reat differencei n t h e i r a g e s , t h e y w e r e v e r y h a p p ytogether, and enjoyed 37 years of weddedbl i s s . In 1798, over 30 yea rs a f t e r h i smarriage, Massy wrote to Lord Camden,Viceroy of Ireland, describing C atherineas "a very virtuous good wife, and a mostexcellent mother ... whom I adore". Theyh a d f o u r c h i l d r en , t w o s o n s a n d t w odaughters. They were greatly saddened byth e death of their eldest son, George, in1796, at the tend er ag e of 25.At the en d of the 18th century, G eneralMassy began to agitate for a peerage to b econferred o n his beloved wife. In 1798, heasked Lord Camden to ra is e he r to thepeerage, with the title of Lady Niagara, inho no ur of hi s victory of 1759. No thingc a m e o f t h i s , a n d b e s i d e s , C a t h e r i n edeclared that sh e could neither spell norp r o n o u n c e t h e w o r d " N i ag a r a" ! I nNovember 1800, Camden's successor, theMarquis Cornwallis, wrote to the Duke ofPortland, the Hom e Secretary, stating thatMassy had "most s trongly ur g ed that his

wife should be raised to the peerage as areward for his "long and faithful service asa so ld ie r , and h i s zea lous loya lty as asubject". In view of Massy's persistencea n d h i s l o n g s e r v i c e , t h e G o v e r n m e n tdecided to grant his request, but the titlewas given to him and not to his wife. On27th Decemb er 1800, Massy was raised tothe P eerage of Ireland und er th e tit le ofBaron Clarina of Elm Park. This was oneo f n i n e p e e r a g e s c o n f e r r e d j u s t f o u rdays before the Act of Union came intoo p e r a t i o n a n d w a s o n e o f t w e n t y - s i xpeer ages cre ated in 1800. At the time ofhis elevation, Massy was 8 1 yea rs old. Itwas inevitable tha t he should not enjoy hisnew status for very long.In 1804, the old gentleman travelled toEngland to v i s i t t he fash ionable resor ttown of Bath, and there on 17th May hedied. He was interred in Bath Abbey. Hew a s s u c c e e d e d a s L o r d C l a r i na b y h i ssecond son, Nathaniel William, who, likehis father, was a soldier, and who died onactive service in>he W est Indes in 1810.Th e f i r s t ba ron 's widow surv ived unt i l1815, and a t he r d eath was buried with he rhusban d in Bath Abbey.Lord Clarina was a remarkable man.He was a soldier for 60 years , and wasintimately involved in some of the mostdramatic events of th e century. In his late70s, he was still able to crus h a formidablemutiny. His exa gge rated claim s of militarygreatness, while silly, were not unusual ina p e r i o d n o t a b l e f o r i t s e x t r a v a g a n tvainglorious public figures, such as Pittthe Elder, Wolfe and Nelson. His politicalviews were thos e of the vast majority ofthe Anglo-Irish upper classes of his time.He saw Ireland as being an essential partof the British Empire, and abhorred theRepublicanism of the United Irishmen. Hebelieved in the greatness of the British

Limerick Museum.Empi re , and regarded the F rench wi thfear and dislike. He was a religious bigotand political reactionary, but in thes e wasfairly typical of his class and period. Hewas devoted to his regiment and to thearmy. In private life, he was a kind anddevoted husban d. Along wi th th e f i r s tB a r on E m ly , h e i s p r o ba b l y t h e m o s tprominent figure in the history of Clarina.Th e crowning irony of his career was thathe h ad no need to exaggerate his exploits,as they were sufficient ly rem arkable inreality to make h im o ne of th e most gallantsoldiers of his day.He founded a dynasty that endured andthat dominated Clarina and its hinterlandfor over a century. The Elm Park Estatepassed out of the family in 1923, and thesixth and last Baron Clarina died in 1952.The first Baron never lived in that greatGothic structure, Clarina Castle, for it wasnot built until after his de ath.SOURCESDictionary of National BiographyMemorial of Services, Home OfficePapers, IrelandLeach, Douglas Edward: Arms forEmpir e: A M ili tary History of theBrit ish Colonies in North Ame rica

1607-1763, Macmil lan, New York,1973.Fryer, Mary Bracock: Battlefields ofCanada , D u n o u r n P r e s s , T o r o n to ,1986.Malcolmson, A. P. W.: The Pursuit ofthe Heiress: Aristocratic Marriage inIreland 1750-1820,Ulster HistoricalFoundation, 1982.Fitzgerald, Rev P. & McGregor, J. J.:The History, Topography andAntiquities of the County and City ofLimerick, two vols, 1826,1827.Desm ond Fitzgerald, K night of Glin.