Siege of Limerick (1691)

The Siege of Limerick in western Ireland was a second siege of the town during the Williamite War in Ireland (1689–1691). The city, held by Jacobite forces was able to beat off a Williamite assault in 1690. However, after a second siege in August–October 1691, it surrendered on favourable terms.

Siege of Limerick 1691
Part of the Williamite War in Ireland
The treaty stone on which the Treaty of Limerick was signed in 1691
Date August – October, 1691 Location Limerick, Kingdom of Ireland Result Williamite victory Treaty of Limerick Evacuation of Jacobite and French troops from Ireland
Belligerents
Jacobite forces  Jacobites  Kingdom of France Irish Catholics	Williamite forces  English, Scottish, Dutch, Ulster Protestant troops Danish Auxiliary Corps
Commanders and leaders
Patrick Sarsfield	Godert de Ginkell
Strength
14,000	20,000
Casualties and losses
around 800 killed	low, though likely some deaths from disease

Siege

By the time of the second siege, the military situation had turned against the Jacobites; their main force had been badly defeated at the Battle of Aughrim in July, with over 4,000 killed, including their commander, the Marquis de St Ruth, and thousands more either taken prisoner or deserted. The town of Galway capitulated in July 1691; its Jacobite garrison was accorded 'all the honours of war,' which allowed them to retain their weapons and receive a free pass to Limerick.

Siege of Limerick 1691, map.

However, although its defences had been considerably strengthened since 1690, morale was now much lower after a series of defeats and retreats. By now, siege warfare was an exact art, the rules of which were so well understood wagering on their outcome and duration had become a popular craze; the then enormous sum of £200,000 was alleged to have been bet on the siege.[1] The Williamite general Godert de Ginkell surrounded the city and bombarded it, tearing a breach in the walls of English town. A surprise Williamite attack drove the Irish defenders from the earthworks defending Thomond bridge, sending its Irish defenders reeling back towards Limerick. The French defenders of the main gate of the city refused to open it for the fleeing Irish and about 800 of them were cut down or drowned in the river Shannon.

Capitulation and treaty

After this point, Patrick Sarsfield ousted the Chevalier de Tessé and the Marquis d'Usson, the French commanders in Limerick, and began negotiations to surrender. He and Ginkel concluded a treaty that promised to: respect the civilian population of Limerick; tolerate the Catholic religion in Ireland; guarantee against the confiscation of Catholic-owned land; and allow Sarsfield and the fully armed Jacobite army to withdraw to France. Limerick capitulated under these favourable terms in October 1691. Sarsfield left Ireland with 10,000 soldiers and 4,000 women and children to enter the French service. This journey has become known as the Flight of the Wild Geese. The terms of the Treaty of Limerick were not honoured by the 1697 Protestant dominated Irish Parliament and Catholics were subjected to the continuous oppression of the Penal Laws which discriminated against them right up to the early 19th century.

Sources

• S. McGarry, Irish Brigades Abroad, Dublin 2013.
• Piers Waudchope, Patrick Sarsfield and the Williamite War, Dublin 1992.
• J.G. Simms, Jacobite Ireland, London 1969.

References

1. Manning, Roger (2006). An Apprenticeship in Arms: The Origins of the British Army 1585-1702. OUP. pp. 413–414. ISBN 0199261490.

External links

• Webpage on the Williamite sieges - including good maps and photos