92:. Subsequently, Richard and others, in dire need of fresh supplies, joined with Lord Inchiquin in a Declaration of Remonstrance, which was submitted to Parliament in early 1648. Shortly after this Lord Inchiquin renounced his allegiance to the English Parliament and joined forces with Lord Taaff. Richard and several other officers disagreed with this and there followed a period of complex political and military intrigue during which loyalties to the Parliamentary cause and the Royalists were in a state of flux.
127:. They were freed when the garrison in the town rose up in support of Cromwell on 16 October 1649, Later that month the 'Protestant Army of Munster' based in Cork drew up a Resolution to send to Cromwell pleading that they had been forced by Lord Inchiquin to serve the Irish cause. The first signature on the Resolution is that of Richard and Cromwell, on 14 November 1649, wrote to
198:; if this is correct it might help to explain how Richard's life and lands were spared during these troubled times when many of his friends and acquaintances fared very badly. The surname of Richard's second wife cannot be confirmed but there are good reasons to believe it to be Kingston; the Kingston family were settled near
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Richard signed his will on 21 June 1692 "being sick in body but in perfect sense and disposing memory". He died on 26 September 1692 and was buried in the old churchyard at
Castlehaven; his tomb lies in the chancel of the old church and is marked by a slab bearing the words 'This is the burial place
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in 1685, and
Richard was frequently engaged in various armed skirmishes with Irish rebels. In 1690, under the command of Colonel O'Driscol, the rebels unsuccessfully besieged Castletownshend but soon after it was attacked again by about 500 of them led by MacFineen O'Driscoll and Richard was forced
19:(as he spelt his name) was a soldier and politician in England. He was born in 1618 or 1619. Much research has been undertaken by various members of the Townsend family to trace Richard's origins but nothing is known about him before 1643 when he was appointed to command a company, as a
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on 18 October 1685. From the time that he moved from
Kilbrittain Castle to Castletownshend until his death Richard sought to consolidate his estates in West Carberry and to lead the settled life of a landowner. However, these were unsettled times, particularly after the accession of
103:, but Richard and a number of other officers in Inchiquin's army (notably Colonel Gifford and Colonel Warden) were unable "to endure the thought of joining with the Irish against their own countrymen" and declared for Cromwell, who, having suppressed the uprisings in
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in August 1646 and afterwards wrote to
Colonel Ceely to report on the siege and "to receive directions how to dispose of the regiment, and positively what employment and future maintenance we may expect". This letter is preserved in the Tanner MS in the
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20 April – 13 June 1644 where he distinguished himself and was promoted to Major ("he was shot in the head but still lives"). In 1645 he assumed command of
Colonel Ceely's Regt when Colonel Ceely was returned to
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in 1666 he was pardoned and hence escaped the forfeitures placed on many
Cromwellian soldiers. His purchases of land were subsequently confirmed by royal patents in 1666, 1668 and 1680. He lived for a time at
60:. Following the siege, Richard was made Colonel of a regiment of 1000 men, raised for service in Ireland, with Robert Phayre as his Lieutenant Colonel and they remained camped near
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until 19 June 1647 when
Parliament ordered that "Colonel Townesend and his regiment ... be transported to Ireland" to join the Parliamentary Army in Ireland under the command of
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in the Irish
Parliament, which met at Chichester House, Dublin in 1661. His appearances in the Parliament were infrequent and he was fined for non-attendance.
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Richard retired from service sometime before 1654 and made extensive purchases of land; in all about 8,000 acres (32 km). Following the restoration of
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before finally settling at
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that
Colonel Townesend had been "an active instrument for the return of both Cork and Youghal to their obedience".
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Richard had a large family of which there were seven surviving sons. Of these, it is only through his son Colonel
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It has always been the belief that Richard's first wife, Hildegardis Hyde, was a close kinswoman of
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to surrender. He was subsequently paid £40,000 in compensation for the destruction of his home.
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In 1666, under threat of invasion by the French, the Duke of Ormonde, at the insistence of the
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on 30 January 1649 united all the factions in Ireland against
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