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Archiver > CountyCork > 2000-10 > 0971994337


From: "M Hankins" <>
Subject: RE: [Cork] Fermoy/British Military
Date: Thu, 19 Oct 2000 15:25:37 -0700
In-Reply-To: <08c801c03971$d9446600$0502a7d1@dghome>


Thank you Donnacha for giving us a much clearer picture of the military
life in Fermoy.
Could the hospital been there a little earlier? His payroll records have
Richard Ringer in hospital at Fermoy during the April-June quarter of 1810.
Unfortunately I haven't been lucky enough to go there yet so can't
visualize whether it would have been a little village or a town big enough
to have it's own hospital during that time, and able to accommodate the
military.
There is so little information about the lives of non-officers in the
regimental records that it is pure gold when someone contributes material
that sheds a little light.

Regards,
Marjorie.
-----Original Message-----
From:Donnacha O'Briain-De Grant [mailto:]
Sent:October 18, 2000 7:11 PM
To:
Subject:Re: [Cork] Fermoy/British Military

The late1790s with rebellion threatening and the fears of French invasion of
Ireland led the British Government to embark on a large program of
fortifications and barracks. Fermoy's strategic importance due to it's
location on the river Blackwater and easy access to a large part of the
south and centre, plus the offer of free land by the local landowner, made
it an ideal candidate for one such. In 1797, the first troops began to
arrive. In 18O6 the 'Old Barracks' was built followed in 18O9 by another
known as the, (you guessed it), 'New Barracks'. The garrison of Fermoy grew
rapidly so that by the early 19th century there was barrack accomodation
for about two thousand soldiers.

The barracks had a hospital from about 1812 and included a hospital for
soldiers families. Barrack accommodation for the families of the 'other
ranks' that did not exist earlier was introduced in the 1870s.

Apart from the need for responding to periodic insurrection in Ireland, one
of the principle military uses of the country was to 'hide' troops from the
European enemy, or potential enemy powers. There was a separate 'Irish
Establishment' for the British Army to facilitate this, since these numbers
were not reported on the British list. However, the Irish barracks were
just the same in status as those on the British mainland. It was all the
United Kingdom at this time. It would be incorrect therefore to think of
Fermoy or any Irish barracks to be a especially a 'holding point'.
Regiments could arrive at Fermoy from any part of the Empire and leave
Fermoy to go to any part.


Regards,

Donnacha



From: M Hankins
Subject: RE: [Cork] Fermoy/British Military


> Hi Pam,
>
> Apparently Fermoy was used as a holding point for British Troops not on
> active duty. My 2x grt grandfather, Richard Ringer, was stationed there
> for several months at a time between battles during the Napoleonic War.
He
> spent time in hospital there too, so possibly it was a military
> recuperation station. After several months in Cork, they marched to
> Kilkenny and spent time there. This information came from the pay list
of
> the 76th Regt which is held at Kew in England.
>
> Are there any military historians on the list that can give any additional
> information regarding the connection to Fermoy?
> Or any books on the subject?
>
> Regards,
> Marjorie,
> Ontario, Canada.

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