John PIGOTT

1590 c - 1646

• Name	John PIGOTT
  Born	1590 c	of Grangebegg + Dysart, Queens Co.
  Gender	Male
  Event	1641 Oct	active in the Army in the Protestant cause
  Occupation	[Sergeant]-Major in the Army
  Occupation	M.P. for Queen's County
  Died	10.03.1646	Exected by rebels after siege of Dysart Castle   [1]
  Person ID	I1542	Tarleton
  Last Modified	21 Mar 2021

  
  

  Father	Robert PIGOTT,   b. 1565, Dysart, Queens, Ireland ,   d. 23 May 1641, Siege of Maryborough, Queens Ireland  (Age 76 years)
  Mother	Ann ST LEGER,   b. 1573 c,   d. 05.10.1599
  Married	1589 - 1590	Stradbally
  Family ID	F1237	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

  Family	Martha COLCLOUGH,   b. 1592 c, Tynterne, Wexford? Ireland
  Married	1612	c
  Children	+ 1. Robert PIGOTT,   b. C 1615,   d. .09.1646, at fall of the Fort of Maryborough, Queens Co.  (Age ~ 31 years)   2. Thomas PIGOTT,   b. 1614 c, Ireland ,   d. 1673, Long Ashton, Bristol + 3. Martha PIGOTT,   b. 1624 c   4. William PIGOTT,   c. 1627, Dysart, Stradbally, Ireland ,   d. 6 Oct 1646, Executed by Irish catholic rebels after siege of Dysart Castle  (Age ~ 19 years)   5. Alexander PIGOTT,   b. 1620 c,   d. 1680, Inishannon, Cork, Ireland + 6. John PIGOTT,   b. 1627 c, Dysart, Queens, Ire ,   d. 1668, Rahinduff, Intestate   7. Sybilla PIGOTT,   b. 1633 c, Dysart, Stradbally, Ofally   8. Mary PIGOTT,   b. 1630 c, Dysart, Stradbally, Ireland   9. Jane PIGOTT,   b. 1630, Dysart Stradbally   10. Thomasine PIGOTT
  Last Modified	21 Mar 2021
  Family ID	F676	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

• Notes

  From Chris Pigott - Notes: http://pigott-gorrie.blogspot.com/2008/06/peremptory-bold-companion-major-john.html John was a Captain in the Army when he was named, on 9 July 1641, with his father Sir Robert, in certain orders dated of the Irish Parliament, relating to the Advowson of the Rectories of Dysart-enos and Kilteale, Queen's County. He was certainly part of the Irish Establishment [see Ormond Manuscripts, Series 1, Volume 1, page 123] when the Civil War broke out in October 1641, and either was, or quickly became attached to the Earl of Kildare's Regiment in Leinster, under the Colonelncy of Sir Charles COOTE (the proprietor of the Mountrath smelter where John's Dysart iron ore was smelted), and with other Captains including his half-brother William PIGOTT, and eventual half-brother-in-law Primeiron ROCHFORT. But he was also still in Parliament, and on 16 November 1641 was, with others, appointed to a commission to treat with the rebels in Ulster. By 1642, ORMOND [Manuscripts, Op. Cit.] recorded that John and William PIGOTT, both Captains, were attached to the Athy Garrison. It was probably from here, and sometime around March to April 1642, that John was reported to have been in Rosse, County Wexford, having just visited his brother-in-law (the COLCLOUGH family were of that county) in Wexford, at a farm 4 miles from Rosse, and held by Job WARD, Esq. It appears that he may have given information to a protestant prisoner in Rosse concerning the destruction of some of his property. [See William WHALLEY's evidence before the 1642 Commissioners, cited in HORE's "History of Wexford," 1901, Volume 1, page 311.] John was also said [see Rolf LOEBER's "Warfare and Architecture in County Laois," a chapter in "Laois, History and Society," Edited by NOLAN and LANE, Dublin, 1999] to have been involved in the Siege of Villier's Manor at Borris-in-Ossory, where numerous Protestants had fled for safety at the end of 1641. It was the Duke of Buckingham's estate, and leased to Sir William ST LEGER, the Lord Deputy of Munster (he was John's cousin german); this estate was garrisoned with a Constable and 30 wardens due to its strategic importance for guarding the main road to Roscrae, County Tipperary, and further into Munster; and there is some evidence that his eldest son, Robert PIGOTT, was governor. Florence FITZPATRICK, the rebel lord of Upper Ossory, laid siege to it for 17 weeks until relieved by Sir Charles COOTE at Easter 1642, and John was probably part of this relieving force. Some idea of the condition of the place can be gleaned from the following report: "In 1642, accompanied with the Lord Upper Ossory, Andreas FITZPATICK of Castle Fleming, Colonel FITZPATRICK of Rathdonagh, with about six or seven hundred men, he besieged the castle of Borras, whither all the Protestants of the Barony had retired in the beginning of the rebellion for protection, but was obliged by Sir Charles COOTE to raise the siege on Easter Day that year; to which, however, he returned about Lammas, and so reduced the place, that the besieged for a long time fed on horses, dogs, cats, bean leaves, potatoe-tops and cowhides, being without bread, drink or salt; and about All-Hallowtide, Colonel PLUNKET, with about 1000 men, demanded the surrender of the castle in the King's name, saying that if the warders held the castle, to the King's use, he would send in more armed men to assist them; unto which Andrew BRERETON, of Killadowle, Queen's County, Gent (being left by Sir Charles COOTE, Chief Commander of the place), replied that if he would shew any authority, under the King, for what he required and offered, that he would obey. Whereupon (for the want of such authority) he departed." [COLLINS, "Peerage of England; Genealogical, Biographical and Historical," 1812, Volume 3, pages 304-05.] John appears to have been, at some time, appointed Governor of the Garrison at Athy (see below). But he was not named in a report dated 15 April 1642, concerning ORMONDE's return to Dublin, and his encounter with the Rebel Army near Kilrush, having left the Athy Garrison under the care of Captains Erasmus BURROWES, GRIMES and Thomas WELDON and their companies. Although by 15 August 1642, Captains BURROWES, PIGOTT and GRIMES had defeated 800 rebels near Athy, and slew about 200 of them. By 18 September 1643, ORMOND had negotiated a Cessation of Arms. GRAHAM wrote that the Irish: "...continued the siege of Castlecoote after the Cessation was published. The Earl of Castlehaven, after he had been fully informed of it, battered the Castle of Disert in the Queen's County, and when he had taken and plundered it, he shewed the Garrison the Articles of the Cessation, pretending that they were just come to hand, and that he was sorry they did not get here sooner..." [See Richard COX's "Hibernia Anglicana," Volume ii, page 135.] It would appear that the PIGOTTs were allowed back into possession, although it is likely that one of the conditions was that John lay down his arms for the duration, and it appears that he did. Until the rebel army under Sir Phelim O'NEIL came calling again in late 1646. And we find some poignant correspondence in the Egmont Manuscripts [Volume 1, Part 1, pages 329-31, Historical Manuscripts Commission], which chronicle the deterioration in the security of Ireland at that time, and specifically as it affected Dysart in Leix. Roger BRERETON, in Dublin, had written to John's second son, Colonel Thomas PIGOTT in Somerset, a letter dated 5 January 1646, which stated: "Your father, mother, and friends in Leix are all in good health and daily expect to hear good news from England." By 10 November, we find in a letter of Colonel Thomas PIGOTT to Sir Phillip PERCIVAL in London: "...Alexander writes me word that my brother Robin was slain when Maryborough was taken. What is become of my father I cannot hear, not now the rebels are in Dublin..." And by 13 November, Thomas, again in a letter to PERCIVAL: "...the cruel massacre of my father and younger brother I believe you have heard. The Lord grant me and mine patience to bear it... I daily expect my mother over..." And again, on 20 November, also to PERCIVAL: "The sad story of my father's death I received from Sir Adam LOFTUS, and he from my mother, to whom I hope God will proportion her patience to her affliction, and grant that we might make good use of it. I fear 'tis but the prologue to the rest of the poor Protestants there. It much moderates my grief that he died in a good cause, and left a good favour behind him. I pray God give me grace to look and submit to His pleasure, as in this, so in all past and to come afflictions and sufferings of my friends there, for I do not see an end to them." And we continue with CAREY's account of the storm and sack of Dysart, on 6 October 1646, with which we began this article: "...With PIGOTT were six-score musketeers, well appointed, the house strong enough as was thought for such a party. No sooner did this party arrive at the fort, and merely advancing, than a volley of shot issued from the castle, whereof one Alexander McALLEN, a captain of Roger McGUIRE's regiment, was killed; hereby growing discontent, advancing towards the haggard whence (as the ill-luck of the defendants would have it) the wind with a good blast did blow towards the castle, commanded to set the same on fire, the musketeers still playing on the enemy, the pikemen carrying on the points of their pikes lighted sheaves, throwing them as thick as hail into the castle windows, and thrusting armed men to oppose if any offered to quench the angry progress thereof, enkindled also the door through the grate, so that the defenders could act no service, were all smoked and returning to corners, as from the fury of both fire and sword, were slaughtered within before any entered the door, such outcries were heard within as if on doomsday. "Bryen Oge O'DWYNE, a rank Puritan, a brother-in-law of said PIGOTT, and chief mover of his obstinacy, ran to the castle door, now half-burnt, some of the assailants offering to enter, presented himself to Colonel FARRELL, and begged his life; it being promised with all the danger of his own, defended him from the militia fury, who, rushing in, did butcher all that came in their way, both PIGOTT and others, except women and children, as by the General commanded under pain of death not to offer violence to either of theses classes; ten or eleven men were mercifully saved under female disguise. "The house was very rich, and in an instant rifled all for the common soldiers, or such as laboured most for it. Thus was Disert taken by force, PIGOTT and the wooden-legged minister slain."

  
  

• Sources

  [S185] http://familytreemaker.genealogy.com/users/d/a/v/Sally-A-Davis/BOOK-0001/0002-0003.html.