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Charles Ffrench (or French) Blake-Forster (c. 1850/1851–9 September 1874) was a short-lived but prolific Irish writer, genealogist, and local public figure from a landed Galway-Clare family. He was born at Forster House (Forster Street House) on Forster Street/College Road in Galway, the eldest son of Captain Francis Blake-Forster (c. 1817–1881), an officer in the Connaught Rangers, JP, and landowner, and Mary Josephine Comerford (1827–1862).
en.wikipedia.orgThe Forster family originated in Hertfordshire and acquired Galway property from the mid-17th century (a royal grant of Clooneene/Ashfield in 1677). They became Blake-Forster through marriage into the Blake family of Menlo. Charles’s paternal grandmother was the Hon. Rose ffrench, linking him to the ffrench family (he was a grand-nephew of Edmund Ffrench, the last Warden of Galway). His mother was the daughter (and a co-heiress) of Henry Comerford, so the children were grandchildren of that prominent Galway merchant.
patrickcomerford.comSiblings and the 1874 deathsCharles had at least two younger siblings:
- Captain Francis O’Donnellan Blake-Forster (1853–1912), later High Sheriff of Galway (1878), of Castle Forster (near Kinvara) and Ballykeale House (Co. Clare). He married Marcella Johnstone (or Johnston; c. 1852–1917), eldest daughter of Robert Johnstone of Arran View, Doolin, Co. Clare, and a co-heiress of Admiral Sir Burton Macnamara, in 1879.
- Rose Emily (or Emily Rose) Blake-Forster (1854–6 August 1874).
Rose Emily died on 6 August 1874 (aged about 19–20) and was buried in the family vault at Bushypark Cemetery. Charles died of a brain haemorrhage roughly one month later, on 9 September 1874, at his father’s house on Forster Street, aged 23 or 24. Contemporary accounts attribute his death to overwork on literary and public duties compounded by the “fatigue and mental anxiety” from his sister’s illness and death. Local or family tradition (as you note) links her death to a horse fall; this is not detailed in the main published obituaries or genealogical summaries but fits the timing and the obituary’s reference to a beloved sister’s illness/death. Both were interred in the Blake-Forster family tomb at Bushypark.
findagrave.comCharles had been active young: town councillor, Board of Guardians member, and High Sheriff of Galway Town in 1874 (presiding over the first parliamentary elections under the Ballot Act). He was posthumously elected for the East Ward as a mark of respect. He contributed historical articles to the Galway Vindicator and Galway Express (1869–1871), including material on Kilfenora, and published The Irish Chieftains; or, A Struggle for the Crown (McGlashan & Gill, 1872). This mixes novelistic narrative of the Williamite-Jacobite War (from a Galway/Clare perspective, featuring figures such as Sir Roger O’Shaughnessy and family ancestors) with extensive notes, appendices, pedigrees, and documents. Its nationalist/Jacobite tone and uncrowned-harp binding reportedly led to his expulsion from the County Clubs of Galway and Ennis. He left several unpublished or lost manuscripts (including The Annals of Galway and others listed in the book).
galwaysown.ieHenry Comerford and the family’s enrichment (and the St John)Henry Comerford (c. 1795/1796–1861), Charles’s maternal grandfather, was a Clare-born Galway merchant (Merchant’s Road), magistrate, and landowner who also held Ballykeale (Ballykeel) House near Kilfenora. He married Margaret McDonagh in 1824 and had a large family; Mary Josephine was among the daughters. He acquired extensive post-Famine lands: more than £35,000 for roughly 4,440 acres in Co. Galway (including substantial holdings around Kinvara purchased from Sir William Gregory in 1857, Doorus, Rineen, and other townlands), plus property in Co. Clare (Drumcreehy, Kilfenora/Burren). He owned the tolls and customs of Kinvara, Delamaine Lodge, the Fair Green, gatehouse, animal pound, and much of the town parks (hundreds of acres), along with other urban Galway property. These passed in part to sons-in-law after his death (6 September or December 1861), notably through Mary Josephine’s 1846 marriage to Captain Francis Blake-Forster, which brought Ballykeale and related estates into the Blake-Forster family and “enriched” them.
patrickcomerford.comHenry is also remembered as owner of the brig St John (sometimes called a “coffin ship”), a Galway vessel of about 200 tons. It sailed from Galway on 7 September 1849 under Captain Martin Oliver, carrying roughly 100–143 passengers (many from Ennistymon, Lahinch, Kilfenora, and Connemara/Clare-Galway areas fleeing the aftermath of the Famine) plus crew, bound for Boston. On 7 October 1849 it was wrecked in a storm on Grampus Ledge (near Minot’s Ledge) off Cohasset, Massachusetts. Approximately 99–100 people died; only about 20–21 survived (including the captain and first mate Henry Comerford—believed a nephew of the owner—plus a few passengers). About 45 bodies washed ashore and were buried in a mass grave in Cohasset Central Cemetery (later marked by a Celtic Cross erected by the Ancient Order of Hibernians in 1914). Henry David Thoreau visited the scene shortly afterward and described it in Cape Cod. The disaster was one of the most notorious among the famine-era emigrant shipwrecks.
cohassetanchor.comMarcella Blake-Forster and the presentation copyMarcella Blake-Forster (née Johnstone) was Charles’s sister-in-law (wife of his brother Francis O’Donnellan). She and her husband retained links to the former Comerford properties (Ballykeale House remained in the family into the early 20th century). In 1906 she is recorded as owning over 250 acres of untenanted land and a mansion house at Corr (barony of Longford). Their children included a daughter also named Marcella Margaret (who later married Senator Michael Comyn KC). This makes Marcella a natural relative to present a copy of Charles’s Irish Chieftains to G.A. Comerford (almost certainly a kinsman on the Comerford side) in June 1904 or 1907.
comerfordfamily.blogspot.comThe Blake-Forster/Comerford connection thus united older Galway tribal and Forster/Blake landed interests with the commercial/landed rise of Henry Comerford. Charles’s early death cut short a promising career that mixed local administration, romantic nationalist historiography, and family pride in Galway and Clare roots. Forster Street, Forster Court, and the former family house still recall the name, while the Bushypark tomb and the lost manuscripts underscore how much more he might have contributed. Local histories (including the Galway Stories piece you shared and the detailed Comerford family research by Patrick Comerford) remain the best starting points for further primary-source digging in newspapers, land records, and parish registers.
7 web pages
Explore the St John shipwreck details
Investigate Henry Comerford’s land holdings
Clarify the Marcella Blake-Forster connection
Clarify the Marcella Blake-Forster connection
Thought for 18s
Marcella Blake-Forster (née Johnston/Johnstone, c. 1852–26 June 1917) was the sister-in-law of Charles Ffrench Blake-Forster. She was the wife of his younger brother, Captain Francis O’Donnellan Blake-Forster (1853–27 June 1912).
comerfordfamily.blogspot.comKey details of the connection
- Marriage: Francis O’Donnellan (High Sheriff of Galway in 1878; of Castle Forster near Kinvara, Co. Galway, and Ballykeale/Ballykeel House near Kilfenora, Co. Clare) married Marcella in 1879 at St Andrew’s Church, Dublin. She was the eldest daughter of Robert Johnston (or Johnstone), JP, of Aran View (Arran View/Glasha Beg), Doolin, Co. Clare, and a co-heiress of Admiral Sir Burton Macnamara. patrickcomerford.com
- Children included: Catherine (m. John St George Lucas, 1910); Francis Blake-Forster of Corr House (m. Ethel R. Taaffe, 1914); Mary (m. David Crawford Pearson, MD, 1911); Frances/Frances Rose (m. Arthur Matthew Kelly, 1918); Robert; O’Donnellan (“Donny,” 1886–1938); and Marcella Margaret (who later married Senator Michael Comyn KC). comerfordfamily.blogspot.com
- Later life and property: The couple retained family links to the former Comerford properties (Ballykeale had come into the Blake-Forster family via Charles and Francis’s mother, Mary Josephine Comerford). In 1906 Marcella is recorded as owning over 250 acres of untenanted land plus a mansion house at Corr (barony of Longford). Francis died in 1912 and Marcella in 1917; both (along with some children) are commemorated in the Comerford family mausoleum at Bishop’s Quarters/Drumcreehy churchyard near Ballyvaughan, Co. Clare. patrickcomerford.com
Link to the presentation copy of The Irish ChieftainsThe Marcella who presented a copy of Charles’s 1872 book The Irish Chieftains; or, A Struggle for the Crown to G.A. Comerford in June 1904 (or 1907) is this Marcella (née Johnston), Charles’s sister-in-law. As the wife (and later widow) of his brother and a member of the extended family that inherited Comerford-linked estates, she had natural access to family copies of the work and a clear reason to gift one to a Comerford relative. G.A. Comerford was almost certainly a kinsman on the maternal (Comerford) side of the family, descending from or connected to Henry Comerford (Charles’s maternal grandfather).
galwaysown.ieNote that one of her daughters was also named Marcella (Marcella Margaret, later Mrs Comyn). A later family comment refers to “my grandmother Marcella ffrench Blake-Forster” born at Arran View and living at Ballykeale before marrying Michael Comyn—this describes the daughter, not the 1904/1907 presenter.
patrickcomerford.comIn short, the connection runs: Charles → brother Francis O’Donnellan → wife Marcella (née Johnston) Blake-Forster → presentation of the book to a Comerford relative. This ties the Blake-Forster and Comerford lines together through both blood (via Charles’s mother) and marriage.
4 web pages
Explore the Comerford family lineage
Investigate the Irish Chieftains book
Clarify the distinction between the two Marcellas
Investigate the Irish Chieftains book
Thought for 24s
The Irish Chieftains; or, A Struggle for the Crown: with numerous notes and a copious appendix (1872) is the only full-length published work of Charles Ffrench Blake-Forster (c. 1850/1851–1874). It is a hybrid of historical novel and scholarly local history focused on the Williamite–Jacobite War (1689–1691) in Ireland, especially from a Galway and North Clare perspective.
deburcararebooks.comPublication details
- Publisher: McGlashan and Gill (also styled McGlashin and Gill), 50 Upper Sackville Street, Dublin (with London and Edinburgh agents).
- Format: Royal octavo; prelims + xiii + 728 pages.
- Binding: Typically green cloth with ornate gilt decoration on the spine and front board (blind-stamped on the rear). Contemporary accounts note that some copies featured an uncrowned harp, which offended Unionist or aristocratic circles.
- Rarity: First editions are scarce and collectible. Condition varies widely; fine copies have sold for several hundred euros, while poorer ones are cheaper. Modern print-on-demand reprints (e.g., Kessinger Publishing) exist. mwbooks.ie
Content and structureThe book divides roughly into two parts:
- Narrative (main story, roughly the first 400+ pages)
Presented as a historical tale, it follows real and lightly fictionalized events and people from James II’s landing at Kinsale through the major campaigns (Boyne, Aughrim, sieges of Athlone and Galway, etc.—Derry is omitted). The action centres on South Galway and North Clare strongholds and families:- The O’Shaughnessys (Chiefs of Cineal Aodh / Kinel Aedh) at Fidane Castle and Gortinsiguara.
- The Forsters / Blake-Forsters of Clooneene (Ashfield) and Rathorpe (the author’s own ancestors, portrayed sympathetically as Jacobite supporters).
- Related local gentry: Prendergasts, Blakes of Menlo, Burkes, Lynches, Ffrenches, and others.
- Notes and Appendix (substantial scholarly apparatus, roughly the final 300 pages)
These are the book’s most enduring value. They include:- Detailed genealogical tables and pedigrees (especially Blake-Forster, O’Shaughnessy, and Prendergast).
- Explanatory notes on people, places, traditions, and documents referenced in the text.
- Transcripts or summaries of family papers, wills (e.g., Dermot Oge’s), deeds, letters, and historical reports.
- Material on the Irish Brigade, local topography, and post-war affairs.
The half-title lists several other projected works by Blake-Forster (The Annals of Galway, legends of Clare and Galway, etc.) that were never published (or have been lost).Reception and controversyThe book was well-received in some nationalist and local-history circles for its patriotism and research, but it provoked strong reaction among the Protestant and Unionist gentry. Blake-Forster was reportedly expelled or blackballed from the County Clubs of Galway and Ennis (and principal Dublin clubs) because of the Jacobite/nationalist opinions expressed and the uncrowned harp on the binding. A relative later confirmed this. A contemporary review appeared in the Dublin University Magazine (February 1873).
sources.nli.ieSignificance today
- Primary value lies in the local Galway/Clare history, family pedigrees, and preserved traditions rather than as pure fiction or rigorous academic history.
- It reflects mid-Victorian romantic nationalism and the author’s pride in his Blake-Forster, ffrench, and Comerford ancestry.
- Full-text digitizations are freely available on the Internet Archive (Google Books scans and others), making the complete narrative, notes, and appendix searchable online.
- Original copies remain sought by collectors of Irish local history and Jacobite material.
In summary, the book is both a product of its youthful, gifted author and a substantial (if partisan) contribution to the history of the Williamite War in the west of Ireland, distinguished above all by its dense supporting apparatus of notes and family documentation.
4 web pages
Explore the Williamite War in Ireland
Investigate the Irish Brigade in France
Investigate the Irish Brigade in France
Thought for 28s
The Irish Brigade in France (French: Brigade irlandaise; Irish: Briogáid Éireannach) was a formation of Irish expatriate soldiers in the French Royal Army that served from 1690 until its formal dissolution in 1791. It is the most famous of the “Wild Geese” units—Irish Catholic soldiers who left Ireland after the Williamite War to serve continental Catholic monarchs.
wikipedia.orgOriginsIn May 1690, during the Williamite War in Ireland, five Jacobite (pro-James II) Irish regiments were sent to France in exchange for a larger French force under the Comte de Lauzun that reinforced James II in Ireland. These roughly 5,000 men formed the original Irish Brigade under Justin MacCarthy, Viscount Mountcashel. The initial regiments were Mountcashel’s, Butler’s, Feilding’s, O’Brien’s, and Dillon’s; Butler’s and Feilding’s were soon absorbed, leaving three core units (Mountcashel’s, O’Brien’s/Clare’s, and Dillon’s).
en.wikipedia.orgAfter the Treaty of Limerick (3 October 1691) ended the war, an estimated 12,000–19,000 additional Jacobite soldiers (plus women and children) sailed to France under Patrick Sarsfield in the event romanticised as the Flight of the Wild Geese. These troops initially formed a separate Jacobite army in exile under James II at Saint-Germain-en-Laye. After the Treaty of Ryswick (1697) and further reorganisations, the remnants were amalgamated into the French Irish Brigade. Recruiting continued for decades, drawing young Catholic men (especially from the west of Ireland) who faced limited prospects under the Penal Laws.
en.wikipedia.orgComposition and organisationThe Brigade typically consisted of three to six infantry regiments (each of one or more battalions) plus, at times, cavalry (notably Fitzjames’s Horse). Core long-lasting units included:
- Dillon’s Regiment
- Clare’s (originally O’Brien’s, later Clare’s)
- Berwick’s
- Walsh’s (or Walsh-Serrant)
- Bulkeley’s / Roth’s
- Lally’s (raised during the War of the Austrian Succession)
Regiments were named after their colonels (often hereditary within Irish exile families) and retained distinct Irish identity, red uniforms (evoking Stuart allegiance), and privileges as foreign troops. Strength fluctuated; at peak periods it numbered several thousand. Officers were predominantly Irish or of Irish descent; rank-and-file recruitment gradually included more French-born men of Irish ancestry.
regiments.orgMajor campaignsThe Brigade fought in nearly every major French land campaign between 1690 and 1789:
- Nine Years’ War: Steenkirk (1692), Neerwinden (1693), Marsaglia (1693).
- War of the Spanish Succession: Blenheim (1704), Almansa (1707), Malplaquet (1709).
- War of the Austrian Succession: The pinnacle came at the Battle of Fontenoy (11 May 1745). When a powerful British-Hanoverian column under the Duke of Cumberland broke the French centre, Marshal Saxe committed the Irish Brigade (Clare’s, Dillon’s, Berwick’s, Bulkeley’s, Lally’s, Roth’s infantry plus Fitzjames’s Horse—about 3,800–4,000 men). Charging with the battle-cry “Cuimnidh ar Luimneach agus ar feall na Sasanach” (“Remember Limerick and Saxon treachery”), they broke the Allied advance, captured colours (including from the Coldstream Guards) and guns, and helped secure a decisive French victory. Irish casualties were heavy (around 500–650, disproportionately officers). King Louis XV personally thanked them. Fontenoy remains the Brigade’s highest battle honour. historyireland.com
- Later actions included Lauffeld (1747) and Rossbach (1757). Elements also served in the Jacobite rising of 1745 in Scotland and, during the American Revolutionary War, as marines (Dillon’s, Walsh’s, Berwick’s) at Savannah (1779) and Yorktown (1781).
Decline and endAfter Fontenoy the Brigade gradually lost purely Irish character as native recruitment declined and French-born men filled the ranks. In 1775 several units were amalgamated, leaving three main regiments (Dillon, Berwick, Walsh). On 21 July 1791 the French National Assembly “nationalised” all foreign regiments except the Swiss; the Irish units became ordinary French line infantry (87e, 88e, and 92e Régiments de Ligne) and lost their distinctive titles, uniforms, and status. Some royalist officers later joined the émigré Army of the Princes; a short-lived “Loyal Irish Brigade” was raised in British service (1794–1798) from former officers and Irish recruits, but it saw limited action and was disbanded. Napoleon later created a separate Irish Legion (1803–1815), which was not a direct continuation.
en.wikipedia.orgIn 1792 the Comte de Provence (future Louis XVIII) presented the remaining units with a farewell standard bearing a harp, shamrocks, fleurs-de-lys, and the motto “1692–1792 Semper et Ubique Fidelis” (“Always and Everywhere Faithful”).Legacy and connection to Blake-ForsterThe Brigade became a powerful symbol in Irish nationalist memory of exile, loyalty, and martial prowess. Nineteenth-century writers (including John Cornelius O’Callaghan’s History of the Irish Brigades in the Service of France, 1870) romanticised it extensively. In Charles Ffrench Blake-Forster’s The Irish Chieftains (1872) the Brigade features in the narrative and especially the extensive notes/appendices, which cover Irish Brigade service, family connections among Galway/Clare exiles, and post-Limerick Jacobite history up to the mid-18th century.
deburcararebooks.comOverall, more than 50,000 Irishmen are estimated to have served in French, Spanish, and other continental armies during this era. The French Irish Brigade stands as the longest-lived and most celebrated of these formations, bridging the Jacobite cause with broader European warfare for a full century.
6 web pages
Explore the Battle of Fontenoy
Investigate the Spanish Irish Brigade
Explore the Battle of Fontenoy
Thought for 1m 4s
The Battle of Fontenoy (11 May 1745) was a major engagement of the War of the Austrian Succession, fought near the village of Fontenoy (close to Tournai, in present-day Belgium). It is best known as the masterpiece of French Marshal Maurice, Comte de Saxe, and as the highest battle honour of the Irish Brigade in French service.
en.wikipedia.orgBackgroundBy early 1745 France sought a decisive victory in the Low Countries to force an end to the war. Saxe, despite severe illness (dropsy), laid siege to the strategic fortress of Tournai on the Scheldt. The Allied “Pragmatic Army” (British, Hanoverian, Dutch, and a small Austrian contingent), commanded by the 24-year-old William Augustus, Duke of Cumberland (son of George II), marched to relieve it. Saxe left about 22,000 men to continue the siege and positioned his main army of roughly 50,000 on a strong natural defensive feature around the villages of Fontenoy, Antoing, and Vezon, about 8 km southeast of Tournai. He strengthened the position with redoubts and artillery. King Louis XV and the Dauphin were present on the battlefield.Forces
- French: Approximately 50,000–52,000 men and 100–110 guns under Saxe (actual field command; Louis XV was nominal commander).
- Allies (Pragmatic Army): Approximately 50,000 men and 80–110 guns under Cumberland (British/Hanoverian right and centre; Dutch under the Prince of Waldeck on the left; small Austrian reserve).
The Irish Brigade (about 3,870 infantry bayonets in the regiments of Dillon, Clare, Berwick, Bulkeley, Lally, and Roth, plus ~270 sabres of Fitzjames’s Horse) was held in reserve on the French left near the Bois de Barry.
historyireland.comCourse of the battleCumberland planned a coordinated attack but abandoned a more ambitious flanking move after Dutch reconnaissance was driven off. At dawn on 11 May the Allies formed up: British and Hanoverians on the right/centre, Dutch on the left.Early Allied assaults on the flanks failed under heavy French artillery and musketry. Cumberland then launched a massive frontal assault with a dense column of about 15,000 British and Hanoverian infantry against the French centre-left. This column advanced with great discipline, absorbing severe flanking fire, and temporarily broke into the French lines, reaching the French camp itself. A famous (possibly apocryphal) anecdote, popularised by Voltaire, describes Lord Charles Hay of the Allied ranks toasting the French and inviting them to fire first.The French line nearly collapsed. Saxe, directing from a litter because of his illness, committed successive counter-attacks with infantry, cavalry, and massed artillery. The decisive moment came when he ordered the fresh Irish Brigade (together with supporting French regiments such as Normandie and des Vaisseaux) to charge the right flank of the Allied column. Advancing to the cry “Cuimnidh ar Luimneach agus ar feall na Sasanach” (“Remember Limerick and Saxon treachery”), the Irish drove into the British ranks with the bayonet. Combined with French artillery and further assaults, this forced the Allied column to withdraw in good order but with heavy losses (roughly 50 percent of those engaged). The Dutch attacks on the French right also failed.
historyireland.comCasualties and outcome
- Allied losses: Roughly 7,400–12,000 killed, wounded, or captured, plus about 40 guns. British and Hanoverian infantry in the main column suffered especially severely (nearly 6,000 casualties from ~15,000 engaged).
- French losses: Approximately 7,000–8,000 killed or wounded. The Irish Brigade alone suffered about 656 casualties (a high proportion relative to its size, including many officers; Colonel Dillon was among the killed).
It was a clear French victory. Cumberland retreated toward Brussels. Saxe followed up by capturing Tournai and most of Flanders over the following months—the most successful French campaign in the Low Countries for generations. Louis XV became the first French king to claim a battlefield victory over an English-led army since the Middle Ages.
en.wikipedia.orgSignificance and legacyFontenoy restored French military prestige in Europe and is regarded as Saxe’s masterpiece of defensive and counter-attacking warfare. For the Irish Brigade it was the pinnacle of their century of service to France—the moment most celebrated in later Irish nationalist memory as proof of the martial prowess of the “Wild Geese.” Streets, clubs, and monuments (including one at Fontenoy itself, funded in the early 20th century) commemorate it. The battle also features prominently in accounts of the Brigade, including the notes and narrative of Charles Ffrench Blake-Forster’s The Irish Chieftains (1872).Contemporary observers noted the high cost of the victory; Louis XV is reported to have remarked on the bloodshed, saying the true glory was to spare lives. The engagement remains one of the classic set-piece battles of 18th-century linear warfare.
2 web pages
canisgallicus 