James Bernard, 4th Earl of Bandon

James Francis Bernard, 4th Earl of Bandon KP (12 September 1850 – 18 May 1924) was a British Deputy Lieutenant in Ireland and Representative Peer. Lord Bandon was a cousin of the Earl of Middleton (who was head of the southern Irish Unionists at the time of the Anglo-Irish War (1919–1921)).

Burning of Castle Bernard

Castle Bernard near the town of Bandon, County Cork was one of the last great houses burned during the troubles of the 1920s by an Irish Republican Army party under Sean Hales on 21 June 1921 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.

Kidnapping

Lord Bandon was also kidnapped by the local IRA and held hostage for six weeks being released on 12 July. The IRA threated to have him executed if the British went ahead with executing IRA prisoners. During his captivity, Bandon coolly played cards with his captors, who treated him well. Tom Barry later stated he believed the kidnapping helped move the British towards the Anglo-Irish Treaty of 1921 and the cessation of hostilities.

Estate

He reorganised his various Cork estates by way of settlement in 1876 and further in 1895 and 1896 including the mortgaging of the lands to his agents Richard Wheeler Doherty, and the appointment of George and John Jones and Doherty as his attorneys.

References

Registry of Deeds, Dublin, 1876, 1895 and 1896 Bandon Historical Journal no 12, 1996

Exciting Family Part of the family moved to Scotland in the late thirties James Owen Bernard the son of Robert Bernard were last heard of in a small town called Cardenden (Bowhill) close to Lockgelly in Fifeshire Scotland, the only surviving son of James O' Bernard is Robert Mitchell Bernard.