Extract 1 from A Rebel Hand: Nicholas Delaney of 1798
by Patricia and Frances Owen
The trial of Nicholas Delaney -
murder accusations and Wicklow Gaol
Wicklow Gaol, where Nicholas was imprisoned
Murder
On July 6, George Heppenstall, John Myers, Richard Twamly, his brother George and nephew Robert Twamly were held up by three men “on the highroad leading thro Kilpipe”. Myers was soon allowed to go – we must assume he was not a revenge target. The rest of the captives, referred to by Edward Neil as “the orange men”, were put under guard. Heppenstall and Richard Twamly were to die.
Kilpipe is a small town by the Derry Water, south of Aughrim on the Carnew – Arklow road. Nearby, the road forks off north-west into the Wicklow Mountains, where many of the insurgents had fled, and passes through Aghavannagh, where they had that day made a temporary camp. Although the troops were not yet pursuing them into the mountains, the presence of anyone on the Aughrim road would be unwelcome to the rebels – and these men were instantly recognised as enemies...
Biddy Dolan, the notorious informer
The only witness to finger Nicholas was, not surprisingly, Bridget Dolan [a notorious informer and former rebel]. She said that she had been at “the rebel camp at Aghavanagh” when “two men and a Boy were brought Prisoner ~ by the Prisoner Edward Neil and the Prisoner Nicholas Delany and several other Rebels ~ Neil had a Pistol and Sword and Delany had a Gun”.
The men were taken back onto the road and shot by Edward Neil and Nicholas: “There was a ring around the men who were killed and the Prisoners Neil and Delany were within the ring, and within less than two yards of the murder’d men when they fired.” Replying to Nicholas’s cross-questioning, Dolan was positive that he had been one of the party that brought in the captives and that he “certainly fired the Gun at one of them”. Nicholas and Neil attempted, through further questioning, to show that she was not sure of the time or the exact place of the murders, though she gave a precise description of the roadside which enabled us to find the site 200 years later. Neil tried to discredit her evidence:
~ On your oath were you bribed to swear against me ~
~ I was not.
It seems that the authorities found it important to identify Nicholas as being among the men present at Heppenstall and Twamly’s death. They took the trouble to bring in Bridget Dolan to swear that he was one of the murderers.
Imprisoned in Wicklow Gaol
Nicholas now had another 16 months of “long and severe confinement” before he was taken aboard Atlas II, bound for Sydney Cove. Any imprisonment in the 18th century was severe at the best of times; now the overcrowding with captive rebels made it even worse. The Irish Parliament had introduced many Acts for the regulation of prisons which the reformer John Howard found admirable, compared to the state of prisons in England and Wales. One of these was to order the purchase of a secure piece of ground beside a prison where the inmates could get some air and exercise. Unfortunately, Howard notes, “the policy of this country in these matters is as defective in point of execution, as it is commendable in theory”. Howard gives a picture of Wicklow Gaol in 1789:
"WICKLOW COUNTY GAOL adjoins to the sessions house. On the first floor there is one room for debtors and another for women. Down six steps are two very damp rooms called the low gaol for felons, which have no air or light but by the iron grated door towards the street. A small court; no water. The county proposes to build a new gaol."
[It hardly needs to be added that this 'low gaol' was where Nicholas and his fellow prisoners were to rot for months.]
If you're interested in Nicholas's life story, Irish history or the early days of Australia, here are some extracts from the book. If you like them, let us know and we'll add some more.
Of course, we hardly need to mention that all original text and images on this site are copyright. But if you'd like to use some of them for attributed research, private distribution, email us at arebelhand@gmail.com.
On July 6, George Heppenstall, John Myers, Richard Twamly, his brother George and nephew Robert Twamly were held up by three men “on the highroad leading thro Kilpipe”. Myers was soon allowed to go – we must assume he was not a revenge target. The rest of the captives, referred to by Edward Neil as “the orange men”, were put under guard. Heppenstall and Richard Twamly were to die.
Kilpipe is a small town by the Derry Water, south of Aughrim on the Carnew – Arklow road. Nearby, the road forks off north-west into the Wicklow Mountains, where many of the insurgents had fled, and passes through Aghavannagh, where they had that day made a temporary camp. Although the troops were not yet pursuing them into the mountains, the presence of anyone on the Aughrim road would be unwelcome to the rebels – and these men were instantly recognised as enemies...
Biddy Dolan, the notorious informer
The only witness to finger Nicholas was, not surprisingly, Bridget Dolan [a notorious informer and former rebel]. She said that she had been at “the rebel camp at Aghavanagh” when “two men and a Boy were brought Prisoner ~ by the Prisoner Edward Neil and the Prisoner Nicholas Delany and several other Rebels ~ Neil had a Pistol and Sword and Delany had a Gun”.
The men were taken back onto the road and shot by Edward Neil and Nicholas: “There was a ring around the men who were killed and the Prisoners Neil and Delany were within the ring, and within less than two yards of the murder’d men when they fired.” Replying to Nicholas’s cross-questioning, Dolan was positive that he had been one of the party that brought in the captives and that he “certainly fired the Gun at one of them”. Nicholas and Neil attempted, through further questioning, to show that she was not sure of the time or the exact place of the murders, though she gave a precise description of the roadside which enabled us to find the site 200 years later. Neil tried to discredit her evidence:
~ On your oath were you bribed to swear against me ~
~ I was not.
It seems that the authorities found it important to identify Nicholas as being among the men present at Heppenstall and Twamly’s death. They took the trouble to bring in Bridget Dolan to swear that he was one of the murderers.
Imprisoned in Wicklow Gaol
Nicholas now had another 16 months of “long and severe confinement” before he was taken aboard Atlas II, bound for Sydney Cove. Any imprisonment in the 18th century was severe at the best of times; now the overcrowding with captive rebels made it even worse. The Irish Parliament had introduced many Acts for the regulation of prisons which the reformer John Howard found admirable, compared to the state of prisons in England and Wales. One of these was to order the purchase of a secure piece of ground beside a prison where the inmates could get some air and exercise. Unfortunately, Howard notes, “the policy of this country in these matters is as defective in point of execution, as it is commendable in theory”. Howard gives a picture of Wicklow Gaol in 1789:
"WICKLOW COUNTY GAOL adjoins to the sessions house. On the first floor there is one room for debtors and another for women. Down six steps are two very damp rooms called the low gaol for felons, which have no air or light but by the iron grated door towards the street. A small court; no water. The county proposes to build a new gaol."
[It hardly needs to be added that this 'low gaol' was where Nicholas and his fellow prisoners were to rot for months.]
If you're interested in Nicholas's life story, Irish history or the early days of Australia, here are some extracts from the book. If you like them, let us know and we'll add some more.
Of course, we hardly need to mention that all original text and images on this site are copyright. But if you'd like to use some of them for attributed research, private distribution, email us at arebelhand@gmail.com.
To purchase a copy of A Rebel Hand: Nicholas Delaney of 1798: From Ireland to Australia by Patricia and Frances Owen (Banner, 1999, ISBN 0 9533418 0 1), please go to the Contact Us page
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