Robert Lundy (died 1717[1]) was a Scottish army officer best known for serving asGovernor of Londonderry during the early stages of theSiege of Derry.
Lundy was born inDumbarton and raised in theChurch of Scotland. He pursued a military career, serving in theEarl of Dumbarton's regiment in theFrench Army ofLouis XIV. He had risen to rank ofcaptain when the regiment returned to Scotland in 1678 where it was renamed theRoyal Scots. Lundy continued to serve with the regiment when it was sent out to reinforce theTangier Garrison. In October 1680 he was wounded during a battle with the local Moroccan forces during theGreat Siege of Tangier.[2]
He married an Irish wife, Martha Davies, whose father, Rowland Davies, became later theDean of Cork,[3] and through her family connections was able to secure promotion tolieutenant colonel in theRoyal Irish Army.[4] In 1688 he was atDublin in the regiment ofViscount Mountjoy.
However, in 1685 Charles II died and James II succeeded. In 1687 he replaced Ormonde withRichard Talbot and introduced a policy of replacing Protestant officers with Catholic ones in the Irish Army. Mountjoy was one of few Protestants remaining in the army and he could protect his Protestant soldiers and officers, such as Lundy.
TheApprentice Boys of Derry shut the gates of the city against "a regiment of twelve hundred Papists, commanded by a Papist, Alexander Macdonnell, Earl of Antrim",[5] who hastily withdrew his small force. Later, theViceroy solicited intervention by Mountjoy and finally dispatched a strong but poorly disciplined Irish force commanded by Sir Richard Hamilton to march north against the Protestants.[6]
A stratagem prepared by Mountjoy and Lundy to assume control of Derry succeeded in embedding a small garrison of predominantly Protestant troops under the command first of Mountjoy then of Lundy, who assumed the title of governor.[7] However, popular feeling in Derry ran so strongly in favour of thePrince of Orange that Lundy declared himself an adherent of KingWilliam III, and he obtained from him a commission confirming his appointment as Williamite governor of Derry.
From December 1688 to March 1689 Lundy had the walls and the gates repaired to protect the city, refitted gun carriages and musket stocks, removed buildings and dungheaps outside the walls which might provide cover to besiegers, purchased powder, cannonballs and matchlocks, and had a protectiveravelin and outworks built.[8][9]
Lundy's motivation cannot certainly be known. What is certain is that from the moment Derry was threatened by the troops of King James, Lundy used all his endeavours to paralyse the defence of the city. In April 1689 he was in command of a force of Protestants who encountered some troops under Richard Hamilton atStrabane, when, instead of holding his ground, he told his men that all was lost and ordered them to shift for themselves; he himself was the first to take flight back to Derry. King James, then atOmagh on his way to the north, similarly turned in flight towards Dublin on hearing of the skirmish, but returned next day on receiving the true account of the occurrence.[10]
On 14 April English ships appeared in theFoyle with reinforcements for Lundy under ColonelJohn Cunningham andSolomon Richards. Lundy dissuaded Cunningham from landing his regiments, representing that a defence of Derry was hopeless; and that he himself intended to withdraw secretly from the city. At the same time he sent to the enemy's headquarters a promise to surrender the city at the first summons. As soon as this became known to the citizens, Lundy's life was in danger, and he was vehemently accused of treachery. When the enemy appeared before the walls, Lundy gave orders that there should be no firing. But all authority had passed out of his hands.
The people flew to arms under the direction of MajorHenry Baker and CaptainAdam Murray, who organised the famous defence in conjunction with theGeorge Walker. Lundy, to avoid popular vengeance, hid himself until nightfall when, by the connivance of Walker and Murray, he made his escape in disguise.[11]
He was apprehended in westernScotland, imprisoned atDumbarton Castle,[12] and then sent to theTower of London. He was excluded from theAct of Indemnity in 1690. An effort was made to send him for trial at Derry, but this was argued against because it was evident that Lundy still retained the support of influential people there. AsGeorge Walker described this, "he had a faction for him" in the town.[13] After an enquiry in London he was "cleared of charges of treason" and returned to military service.
From 1704 to 1712 he was "Adjudent-General of the King of Portugal's forces in the Queen of England's pay" during theWar of Spanish Succession[14] where he defendedGibraltar against the French.[15] In 1707 he was captured by the French, but was exchanged a year later.[16]
Lundy is reviled inUlster loyalism as a traitor to this day, and is burned in effigy during the celebrations to mark the anniversary of the shutting of the gates of Derry in 1688.[17] Much likeJudas, his name has become a byword for "traitor" among unionists and loyalists.[18]Ian Paisley regularly denounced people, includingMargaret Thatcher,Terence O'Neill andDavid Trimble, as "Lundies".
It's said that Colonel Lundie, the late governor of Londonderry is seized in the West and imprisoned in Dumbarton Castle.
This article incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain: Ronald John McNeill (1911). "Lundy, Robert". InChisholm, Hugh (ed.).Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. This work in turn cites: