Sir Henry Tichborne

Sir Henry Tichborne (c.1581–1667) was a leading soldier and statesman in seventeenth-century Ireland who held a number of important civil offices and military commands. During the English Civil War he was a Royalist and was praised for his successful defence of Drogheda. Although he made his peace with Parliament after the defeat of the Royalist cause, he returned to public life at the Restoration with his reputation undamaged.

He was English born: his family were a junior branch of the Tichborne Baronets of Tichborne, and Henry founded his own dynasty, which acquired the short lived title Baron Ferrard. He began the building of the impressive Tichborne mansion, Beaulieu House, which still exists.

He was the fourth son of Sir Benjamin Tichborne, 1st Baronet of Tichborne, Hampshire, and his second wife Amphilis Weston, daughter of Richard Weston of Essex and his wife Wilburga Catesby. Like many younger sons of English landowning families, he chose a military career and served as a soldier in Ireland. He became Governor of Lifford about 1620 and was knighted in 1623, receiving large grants of land in Leitrim and Donegal. He was a Commissioner for the Plantation of County Londonderry.

When the Irish Rebellion of 1641 broke out he was living at Finglas near Dublin. He brought his family to Dublin for their safety, and the Crown quickly enlisted his services for the defence of Drogheda. Despite the hostility of the townspeople of Drogheda, who favoured the rebels, he showed great courage and determination in the task of defending the town, and refused to contemplate surrender even when the situation was desperate. When the garrison were reduced to eating their own horses he said that "he would stay till the last bit of horseflesh was eaten, then fight his way out". Despite repeated onslaughts from the rebels, and some suspicion of treachery on his own side, he managed to hold out from November 1641 until March 1642 when he received reinforcements from James Butler, 1st Duke of Ormonde. This was "for the English, the first good news out of Ireland in five appalling months". He then joined forces with Charles, 2nd Lord Moore to prevent the rebels from regaining control of Leinster. They marched on Dundalk, which they took on 26 March: Tichborne became Governor of the town.

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