Charles Vallancey facts for kids

General Charles Vallancey (born April 6, 1731 – died August 8, 1812) was a British military surveyor. He was sent to Ireland and ended up staying there. He became very interested in old Irish history and artifacts. While some of his ideas aren't accepted today, his drawings of ancient objects were very detailed and correct. However, some of his other drawings, like one of a banquet hall at Tara, can't be checked because the old writings he used are now lost.

Early Life and Military Career

Charles Vallancey was born in Westminster, England, in 1731. His parents were Francis Vallancé and Mary Preston. He went to Eton College, a famous school, and then to the Royal Military Academy, Woolwich. This academy trained future army officers.

In 1747, he joined the army as an officer in the 10th regiment of foot. He worked with the Royal Engineers, who are soldiers that build things like bridges and forts. He rose through the ranks, becoming a lieutenant-general in 1798 and a full general in 1803.

Moving to Ireland and His Work

Before 1760, Vallancey moved to Ireland. His job was to help with a military survey of the whole island. This meant mapping the land for military purposes. He liked Ireland so much that he made it his home.

One of his first big projects was helping to design and build the Queens Bridge in Dublin. This bridge was built between 1764 and 1768 and is still used today.

Vallancey became very interested in Ireland's past. He studied its history, old languages, and ancient objects. At that time, not many people were paying attention to these things. He wrote many books and papers, including:

• Collectanea de Rebus Hibernicis (a collection of Irish topics), published in six parts between 1770 and 1804.
• Essay on the Irish Language (1772).
• Grammar of the Irish Language (1773).

He was a member of many important academic groups, like the American Philosophical Society and the Royal Society in London. He even helped the government plan how to defend Dublin during the 1798 Rising, a major rebellion in Ireland.

Vallancey also owned a very old and important Irish book called the Great Book of Lecan. He later gave this book to the Royal Irish Academy, where it is still kept today.

In one of his books, A Vindication of the Ancient History of Ireland (1786), he made some interesting claims. For example, he suggested that a Persian prophet named Zoroaster was actually Nuada Airgetlám, a mythical king from ancient Ireland. Nuada was part of the Tuatha Dé Danann, a group of god-like people in Irish legends.

Changes in West Cork (1778 Report)

Vallancey also wrote reports about the changes he saw in Ireland. In 1778, he described how much the area of West Cork had changed in just 20 years.

He noted that in 1760, there was only one main road between Cork and Bantry. By 1778, there were eight roads for carriages, plus many smaller paths for horses. He wrote that the country around Bantry looked wild and empty from the main road. However, the valleys were full of crops like corn and potatoes. The mountains were covered with black cattle.

He explained that 20 years earlier, the area was so empty that an army of 10,000 soldiers couldn't have found enough food between Bantry and Bandon. But by 1778, things were very different. The sides of the hills were being farmed, and wet, boggy areas were being made useful. The southern coast, from Skibbereen to Bandon, had become like a continuous garden, growing grain and potatoes. Only the very tops of some hills and the boggy hollows (which were used for fuel) remained untouched.

Later Views on His Work

After Vallancey died, people looked back at his work. In the mid-to-late 1800s, some of his ideas and conclusions were seen as not very accurate. Researchers found that his theories were often based on guesses and incomplete knowledge.

George Petrie, another important Irish scholar, said that Vallancey's writing was hard to follow and his ideas were like dreams. The Quarterly Review, a famous magazine, even said that Vallancey, despite being learned, wrote "more nonsense than any man of his time."

Another publication, the Edinburgh Review, suggested that trying to correct all his mistakes wouldn't help. Instead, they hoped his work would serve as a warning to future historians and language experts, showing them what not to do. Even though some of his theories were later questioned, Vallancey's efforts helped bring attention to Ireland's rich history and ancient culture.