Henry Bagenal | |
|---|---|
| Born | c. 1556 England |
| Died | 14 August 1598 (aged 41-42) County Armagh, Ireland |
| Spouse(s) | Eleanor Savage |
Sir Henry BagenalPC (c. 1556[1] – 14 August 1598[2]) was marshal of theRoyal Irish Army during the reign of QueenElizabeth I.
Henry Bagenal was born in England, the eldest son ofStaffordshire soldierNicholas Bagenal and his Welsh wife Eleanor Griffith, daughter of Sir Edward Griffith ofPenrhyn.[1] His brother wasDudley Bagenal.[3] Henry Bagenal probably matriculated fromJesus College, Oxford when he was 16 (in 1572 or 1573), but left without taking a degree in order to join his father Sir Nicholas who was then marshal of thearmy in Ireland. In May 1577, Sir Nicholas was appointed chief commissioner of Ulster, with Henry as his assistant. Bagenal was himself knighted in 1578. He was involved in some military disasters, such as a defeat atGlenmalure on 25 August 1580 whenLord Grey led the troops (with Bagenal one of the commanders of the rear) into battle withFiach McHugh O'Byrne andViscount Baltinglass in theWicklow mountain passes. In 1584, Bagenal was colonel of the garrison atCarrickfergus when 1,300 ofSorley Boy MacDonnell's Scots landed onRathlin Island. Bagenal attacked but was ambushed atGlenarm and had to retreat.[4]
In May 1586, Bagenal was sent by his father to the court to report. He sought measures to weakenHugh O'Neill, Earl of Tyrone, an enhancement of the role of the marshal, and a presidency in Ulster with a shire hall and jail to dispense royal justice. Whilst on his visit, he wrote toEdward Manners, 3rd Earl of Rutland (a relative of his wife) on 16 September 1586 to ask whether he had a parliamentary borough to spare; he was elected MP for bothGrantham andAnglesey and chose the latter. He returned to Ireland in September 1587 to deputize for his father. He succeeded his father as marshal of the army in Ireland and chief commissioner for Ulster in October 1590, and was sworn of thePrivy Council. His proposals for action were not accepted, as a decision had been taken to adopt a conciliatory attempt to O'Neill. To Bagenal's contempt, O'Neill asked for the hand of Bagenal's sisterMabel in marriage; he refused, but they eloped anyway.[4]
On 17 August, the council dismissed Bagenal's claim that O'Neill had conferred withCormac MacBaron O'Neill andHugh Roe O'Donnell before theBattle of the Ford of the Biscuits. Bagenal's claims were proven correct by the testimony from captured woman Joan Kelly, who was present at the confederate camps.[6][7]
In May 1595, Bagenal led an army of 1,750 to relieve the garrison atMonaghan. His forces were attacked by O'Neill and sustained heavy losses. Bagenal was forced to withdraw toNewry and had to be resupplied by sea as O'Neill had blocked the Moyry Pass. Bagenal managed to resupply the Armagh garrison in December 1598 and June 1597, but had more difficulty in resupplying a fort on the Blackwater.[4] In an attempt to do so, he was mortally wounded by O'Neill's forces duringBattle of the Yellow Ford inCounty Armagh. As Bagenal approached O'Neill's trenches, a bullet struck his forehead through his raised visor.[8][9]
In September 1586 he married Eleanor Savage ofCheshire,[1][10] daughter of Sir John Savage and Elizabeth Manners, daughter ofThomas Manners, 1st Earl of Rutland.[citation needed] They had three sons and six daughters.[1] The senior Bagenal line died out in 1712 with the death of Henry's grandsonNicholas Bagenal; the junior but better-known branch inCarlow, who foundedBagenalstown, survived longer.[citation needed]
Brian Friel's playMaking History turns largely on the marriage between Bagenal's sister Mabel and Hugh O'Neill. Mabel and another sister, Mary Barnewall, are major characters in the play. Bagenal himself is mentioned often but does not appear on stage.[11][12]
In 2021, Irish actorAidan Gillen was attached to portray Bagenal in the TV seriesThe O'Neill. As of 2024, the series is unproduced.[13]
