Sir John Doyle | |
|---|---|
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| Born | 1756 Dublin, Ireland |
| Died | 8 August 1834 (aged 77–78) |
| Allegiance |  Great Britain United Kingdom |
| Branch | British Army |
| Years of service | 1771–1820s |
| Rank | General |
| Battles / wars | American War of Independence –Brooklyn,Harlem Heights,Springfield,Brandywine,Germantown (wounded),Monmouth Courthouse,Siege of Charleston French Revolutionary Wars –Holland (wounded),Gibraltar andEgypt |
| Relations | Welbore Ellis Doyle (brother) |
GeneralSir John Doyle, 1st BaronetGCB,KCH (1756 – 8 August 1834) was aBritish Army officer and politician who served in theAmerican War of Independence and theFrench Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars.[1][2] He was elected Member of Parliament forMullingar in theIrish House of Commons in 1783, and went on to serve as Secretary of War inDublin Castle administration.[1]
Doyle raised his own regiment, the87th Regiment of Foot, for theFrench Revolutionary Wars in 1793 and served inHolland,Gibraltar andEgypt.[1] His efforts were greatly appreciated byKing George III, who took the trouble to write to theEarl Marshall, "... so that his [Doyle's] zeal and exertions in our service may be known to posterity".[2]
The latter part of his career included his appointment asPrivate Secretary toGeorge IV thePrince of Wales. He was also appointedLieutenant Governor of Guernsey in 1803 where he served until 1813. He was also active in Guernsey as Deputy Grand Master of theFreemasons.[3] He was appointedKnight Bachelor in 1813 and General in 1819.[1][2] On 29 October 1825 he was created abaronet,[4] but the baronetcy became extinct upon his death.
John Doyle was born inDublin in 1756, the fourth son of Charles and Elizabeth Doyle of Bramblestown, County Kilkenny. He enteredTrinity College Dublin in July 1768 to study law, but when his father died in March 1771 he joined the army in March 1771.[5]
Doyle was the uncle of women's political rights campaignerAnna Wheeler, previously Doyle, who, in 1812, took her daughters to stay with him and his family inGuernsey, having walked out on her husband inCounty Limerick.[6]
Doyle started his military career in March 1771 when he purchased anensigncy[7] and joined the48th (Northamptonshire) Regiment of Foot. He purchased a promotion and rose to the rank of Lieutenant in 1773.[1]
Doyle transferred to the40th (2nd Somersetshire) Regiment of Foot on its being ordered overseas, where he served with distinction in theAmerican War of Independence (1775–1783). Serving as lieutenant of light cavalry at Boston he became Adjutant to the battalion. He was involved in theBattle of Long Island in August 1776, where he recovered the body of his commanding officer,Lieutenant-Colonel James Grant, under enemy fire.[7]: 5 He then fought at theBattle of Harlem Heights, In 1777 he fought at theBattle of Brandywine andBattle of Germantown (where he was wounded).[7]: 6
His wound changed the course of his American campaign because he was appointed to assist Lord Rawdon (Francis Rawdon-Hastings, 1st Marquess of Hastings) to raise theVolunteers of Ireland regiment (also known as 2nd American Regiment and which would shortly become a regular unit, the 105th Regiment of Foot), and wherein he was promoted tocaptain. This unit then fought at theBattle of Monmouth Courthouse in 1778, and now appointed and acting Major of Brigade moved with the Regiment to South Carolina participating in theSiege of Charleston in 1780,[1] before being mentioned in dispatches after fighting at theBattle of Camden.[7]: 7 He also fought at theBattle of Springfield.
Following the peace in America in 1782 Captain Doyle returned to Ireland, entering politics.
FollowingFrance declaring war on Great Britain, in September 1793, Doyle raised his own regiment, the87th (The Prince of Wales's Irish) Regiment;[7]: 16 they were also known asThe Prince of Wales Irish Heroes.[1]
Raised in rank to brevetcolonel, he led the unit under the Duke of York in theFlanders Campaign 1793–1795. He served at thesiege of Valenciennes 13 June-28 July 1793 and distinguished himself at Alost duringMoira's retreat 1794 where he was wounded in a cavalry action, needing to return to Britain to recover. His Regiment, sent in his absence, toBergen op Zoom where the Catholic town promptly surrendered to the French, making the whole Regiment prisoners of war.[7]: 18–9
Returning to Ireland he was appointed head of the war department and from 1796 until 1799 as Secretary of War. The release of his Regiment as prisoners saw Doyle appointed Colonel of the 87th Foot on 3 May 1796.
Appointed a brevetBrigadier-General he was appointed in charge of the land forces in the proposed assault on theTexel in October 1796 with the hope of destroying the Dutch fleet, however storms resulted in the ships abandoning the attempt.[7]: 21 Brigadier General Doyle was then ordered to Gibraltar, however on his way to the port of embarkation was attacked by highwaymen and badly wounded twice. Having recovered, he proceeded to join the staff in Gibraltar.[7]: 21–2
Confirmed in the rank of Brigadier General and appointed to command the 4th brigade, he served underAbercromby andHutchinson in Egypt in 1801, and saw action at Manresa, Marabout, andRamanieh 9 May. On 17 May 1801, in the Egyptian desert he led the 250 troopers of the12th Light Dragoons to capture the 600 man, 460 camel French Dromedary Regiment (French:Régiment de Dromadaires) by persuading them to surrender without a fight.[7]: 23–6 The surrender of Cairo, concluding with theAlexandria in September. He distinguished himself during these operations leading to promotion toMajor-General on 29 April 1802.[1][2]
He was appointedLieutenant Governor of Guernsey in 1803. After declaring a "state of emergency" in 1804,[8] he undertook to improve thedilapidated defences and to improve upon them by building over 60 additional gun batteries at likely landing points. Costing considerable sums of money, he managed to persuade, through eloquence, the Island to pay for these costs, as the Islands were in imminent danger of invasion from France.[7]: 33
Doyle actively organised the defence in theBailiwick of Guernsey, he oversaw the draining of land atBraye du Valle to connect the tidal north of the island to the main island, using the proceeds of the sale of the land to pay for the construction of military quality roads.[7]: 39–40 He organised threeMartello towers to be built, includingFort Grey, to supplement the existingGuernsey loophole towers, progressing and completingFort George. Working closely with theRoyal Guernsey Militia and bringing to the islandordnance and regular infantry. In addition he improved, in a like manner, the defences ofAlderney.[7]: 38
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After theAmerican Revolutionary War Doyle returned to Ireland on half pay, so that he could be recalled to the army. He was a founding member of the Irish Whig Club and was an early advocate for the emancipation of Catholics.[5] In 1783 he was electedMP forMullingar in theIrish House of Commons[1] Giving speeches to theParliament of Ireland atParliament House in favour of providing relief for starving unemployed Irish workers and their families, for which he was awarded the freedom ofDublin city, of improving the situation for disabled soldiers in Ireland, pleading the cause offoundlings andCatholic emancipation.[7]: 11–16
Brought to the notice of thePrince of Wales, Doyle was appointed his Private Secretary.[7]: 16 He progressed to serve asSecretary of War in Irish politics from 1796 until 1799.[1] Doyle was appointed asLieutenant Governor of Guernsey from 1803 to 1813.[1][2] He was elected MP forNewport, IoW in the UK Parliament in 1806, sitting until 1807. Doyle was lauded by the government and people of Guernsey,[7]: 34–7 and Alderney.[7]: 47 He was made a Baronet in 1805, promoted toLieutenant-General on 24 April 1808, made aKnight of the Bath in 1812 and promoted to a full General in 1819. Governor ofCharlemont Castle from 1818 until his death.[10]
George III wrote to theEarl Marshall,Charles Howard, 11th Duke of Norfolk:... so that his (Doyle's) zeal and exertions in our service may be known to posterity.[2]
Doyle was Deputy Grand Master of the Orange Lodge No.116 of theFreemasons. In 1806 he was presented with the 'Doyle Cup' which has been in the collection ofMuseum of Freemasonry, London, since 1938. The cup shows Doyle's freemasonry and military career in the French Revolutionary Wars. The lid bears the arms of the Masonic Ancients Grand Lodge and a Royal Crown. The spout bears thePrince of Wales's feathers – signifying that Doyle wascolonel of thePrince of Wales Royal Irish Regiment, that he had been initiated in Prince of Wales Lodge and the Prince of Wales was Grand Master of thePremier Grand Lodge of which he was also a member.[3]
A second Masonic cup follows the general design of the first, but shows scenes from the American War of Independence. It was presented by theMariners Lodge and remains in Guernsey.[3] Guernsey has commemorated Doyle in several ways: theDoyle Monument atJerbourg Point; Doyle Road; Fort Doyle; Doyle Street; Doyle Lane; Doyle Close; and The Doyle – (previously the site of Doyle Barracks).[1]
| Government offices | ||
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| Preceded by | Lieutenant Governor of Guernsey 1803–1816 | Succeeded by |
| Baronetage of the United Kingdom | ||
| New creation | Baronet (of Guernsey) 1825–1834 | Extinct |
| Preceded by |  Doyle baronets of Guernsey 29 October 1825 | Succeeded by |
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