James Bernard, 4th Earl of Bandon
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
James Francis Bernard, 4th Earl of Bandon KP (1850–1924) was a British Deputy Lieutenant in Ireland and cousin of the Earl of Middleton who was head of the southern Irish Unionists at the time of the Anglo-Irish War (1919–1921). Bandon Castle was one of the last mansions burned during the war by the Irish as a counter-reprisal measure against British policy to burn Irish homes in districts in which the British had declared martial law. Tom Barry, the leader of the local IRA claimed they burned two "big houses" for every one Irish peasant's cottage destroyed.
Bandon was also kidnapped by the local IRA and held hostage for six weeks. The IRA threated to have him executed if the British went ahead with executing IRA prisoners of war. During his captivity, Bandon coolly played cards with his captors, who treated him well. He was later released. Barry later stated he believed the kidnapping helped move the British towards the Anglo-Irish Treaty of 1921 and the cessation of hostilities.
Preceded by Francis Bernard, 3rd Earl of Bandon |
Earl of Bandon 1877–1924 |
Succeeded by Percy Bernard |
Lord Lieutenant of Cork 1877–1922 |
Succeeded by office abolished |
|
Preceded by Lord Dunboyne |
representative peer for Ireland 1881–1924 |
Succeeded by office lapsed |
This biography of a noble in the peerage of Ireland is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.