Thomas Preston, 1st Viscount Tara facts for kids

Thomas Preston, 1st Viscount Tara (1585 – October 1655), was an important Irish soldier in the 1600s. He spent many years as a mercenary (a soldier who fights for money) in the Spanish Army. When the Irish Rebellion of 1641 started, Preston came back to Ireland.

He became a general for the Irish Confederacy in Leinster. This group was made up of Irish Catholics who wanted more rights. Preston had some victories, but also some big losses, like the Battle of Dungans Hill in 1647. Like other leaders of the Confederacy, Preston was a Catholic who supported the King (a Royalist). He worked closely with the King's representative in Ireland, the Marquess of Ormonde. Preston wanted the Confederates and Royalists to join forces against the English Parliament's army (the Republicans).

After the Cromwellian conquest of Ireland, Preston went to France. There, he joined the King's court, which was in exile. King Charles II made him Viscount Tara. A Viscount is a noble title, ranking below an Earl and above a Baron.

Early Life and Family Background

Thomas Preston came from a long line of important Irish families. His family, the Prestons, originally came from a town called Lancashire in England. They moved to Ireland before the year 1320.

One of his ancestors, Robert Preston, bought land in Gormanston, County Meath in 1363. This Robert Preston was also a very important judge, known as the Lord Chancellor of Ireland, in 1388. Later, another family member was given the title of Viscount Gormanston in 1478. Thomas Preston was the second son of Christopher, the 4th Viscount Gormanstown. His mother was Catherine FitzWilliam, whose family was also very wealthy and important in Dublin.

Military Service in Europe

Since Roman Catholics in Ireland were not allowed to hold important government jobs, Thomas Preston decided to become a soldier in the Spanish army. He fought in the Thirty Years' War, a big conflict in Europe.

Preston served in the same Irish regiment as another famous Irish soldier, Owen Roe O'Neill. Preston showed great bravery in 1635 when he helped defend the city of Leuven against French and Dutch forces. However, Preston and Owen Roe O'Neill often did not get along. There was a strong rivalry between them.

Leading the Irish Confederacy

After the Irish Rebellion of 1641 began, Preston returned to Ireland to help his fellow Irish Catholics. The Irish Confederates made him the general of their army in Leinster. This was the biggest and best-equipped part of the Irish Catholic forces.

Preston's time as a commander in Ireland (from 1642 to 1652) had its ups and downs. He was praised for successfully taking Duncannon in 1645. But he lost several important battles, including New Ross in 1643 and Dungans Hill in 1647. The Battle of Dungans Hill was a disaster for the Confederates, as their Leinster army was almost completely destroyed. Preston was very good at attacking and defending castles (called siegecraft). However, he was not as skilled at fighting battles in open fields where armies moved a lot.

Preston was also involved in disagreements within the Confederate leadership. At first, he sided with those who did not want to make peace with the King's supporters. But later, he joined the moderate group who signed a peace treaty with the King's side (the Royalists) in 1648. He supported the King because of his family's background (known as "Old English") and because he strongly disliked Owen Roe O'Neill.

Preston continued to fight with the defeated Royalists during the Cromwellian conquest of Ireland. He defended the city of Waterford until his troops were forced to surrender due to hunger and sickness. He then led his remaining soldiers to Galway, which was the last city in Ireland still held by the Irish. After a long siege in late 1652, Galway also fell due to plague and lack of supplies. Preston surrendered the city. He was allowed to leave Ireland with his troops and join the French army.

He went into exile in France in 1652, where King Charles II's court was also in exile. In 1650, while in exile, King Charles II had given him the title of Viscount Tara. Preston offered his services to King Charles in Paris, where he passed away in October 1655.

Family Life

Thomas Preston was married to Marguerite Dieudonnée de Dhuy, a noble lady from Flanders (part of modern-day Belgium). They had several children. One of their daughters, Catherine, married Sir Phelim O'Neill. Another daughter, Mary, married Colonel Francis Netterville, and later Colonel John Fitzpatrick.

His son, Anthony, became the 2nd Viscount Tara after his father's death. However, the title ended when Anthony's son, Thomas (the 3rd Viscount), was killed in 1674. King Charles II, who had stayed with the Preston family in Bruges during his own exile, spoke kindly of the children later in life. However, he was unable to help them get back their family's wealth, which had been lost. By 1670, the younger Thomas was said to have no money at all.

See also

• William Preston (Virginia soldier)
• William Preston (poet)