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IRISH REBELLION FIRST EDITION

Synopsis

Containing an impartial account of the proceedings of the irish revolutionaries, from the year 1782 till the suppression of the rebellion. with an appendix to illustrate some facts. by the rev. james gordon, rector of killegny in the diocese of ferns, and of cannaway, in the diocese of cork. author of terraquea, or a new system of geography and modern history; twenty five years an inhabitant of the county of wexford.

Item Description

t edition. 8vo. 5.5 x 8.5 inches. [2] + 302 pp. + 94 pp. appendix + [9] pp. index +[1] + [1] pp. advertisement + [1]. D. Price and later ownership of Geo. Gilbertson on title page.Firs

Notes

A detailed account of the 1798 Irish Rebellion. It covers the risings in both County Antrim and in the south east, where Wexford was held by the rebels, and also the French invasion, under General Humbert, in the west, which, despite their victory at Castlebar, ultimately led to the French capitulation. It is valuable for its contemporary viewpoint, which is, although that of a Protestant clergyman, aware of the summary execution of fellow ministers by the rebels, not unmindful that 'many acts of cruelty were committed by Protestants on their Romanist countrymen, with little attention to personal guilt or innocence'. In the appendix are a list of the Protestant prisoners held in Wexford and lists of those massacred, mostly by the rebels, but also by government soldiers 'as an illustration of the atrocious practices of that calamitous period.' This appendix additionally provides transcripts of the trials of a rebel commander, accused of murdering a Protestant minister and of several soldiers convicted of murdering rebel civilians, all of whom were either who either executed or transported after the rebel defeat at Vinegar Hill. James Bentley Gordon (1750-1819) graduated from Trinity College, Dublin in 1773. He was greatly interested in history and geography and the publication of his six volume Terraquea, begun in 1798 and advertised in this volume, was interrupted by the preparation of this account. Gordon later went on to publish a History of Ireland (1805) and A History of the British Islands (1815). The History of the Rebellion proved to be a popular title; second editions appeared in both Dublin and London in 1803. There was another London edition in 1808 and it was also published in Baltimore (1805) and Philadelphia (1813). This first edition of 1801 is scarce; COPAC lists only four copies, in the British Library, Oxford, Cambridge and Newcastle.