of Viscount Dungarvan and earl of Cork. In 1629 he was sworn in lord-justice, with Lord Loftus his son-in-law, and in 1631 he was appointed lord high-treasurer of Ireland, and continued in the government till the arrival of Lord Strafford. Though the principles of Lord Strafford's policy in Ireland were in the main just and comprehensive, it cannot be denied that he was often harsh and unjust towards individuals. To the earl of Cork his conduct was insolent, oppressive, and illegal. Strafford ordered him to call in his writs in a suit which the latter had instituted, adding, "If you will not, I will clap you in the castle, for I tell you I will not have my orders disputed by law nor lawyers;" but it is remarkable that this act of tyranny was brought forward against Strafford when tried for his life, and the earl of Cork was summoned over to England to give his testimony. When the rebellion broke out in 1641, the care and skill of the earl of Cork and the liberal and wise spirit shown by him in his extensive plantations, retarded for awhile the miseries of war, and ultimately tended to its suppression. He fortified his castle of Lismore and garrisoned it with one hundred foot and as many horse, under the command of his son. Lord Broghill. He placed the same number of troops under his son, Lord Kinalmeaky, in Bandon Bridge, a town built by himself and fortified at the cost of fourteen thousand pounds, while at the earnest request of the viceroy he took upon himself the defence of Youghal, aided by his son. Lord Dungarvon, a troop of cavalry, and two hundred of his own tenants. The hardships and straits which the earl of Cork and his loyal sons sustained are stated in various correspondences of the times, and especially in the letters of these nobles; and ere the rebellion was crushed Lord Kinalmeaky was slain at the head of his troops in the battle of Liscarrol. In 1642 the earl was commissioned to try the rebels for high treason. The earl had, in the course of these two years, exhausted his means and reduced himself to the lowest condition of distress by his liberal contributions towards the expenses of the war. His estates were nevertheless the most thriving in the kingdom; his improvements were the most extensive, costly, judicious, and useful, consisting of churches, hospitals, schools, bridges, castles, and towers. So surprised was Cromwell on seeing what he had done that he remarked, "If there had been an earl of Cork in every province, it would have been impossible for the Irish to have raised a rebellion."
The earl did not long survive these troubles, or live to see the end of this long and disastrous war. He died at Youghal in September, 1643, having nearly attained the age of seventy-seven years, and was interred in the parish church.
Richard Boyle may fairly be pronounced to have been an able and a good man, and the cognomen bestowed upon him of "the great earl of Cork" was not unmerited. Borlace, in his Reduction of Ireland, writes of him, "He was a person, for his abilities and knowledge in the affairs of the world, eminently observable, inasmuch as (though he was no peer of England) yet he was permitted to sit upon the woolsack as Consiliarius. And for all the estate he arrived at (which was the greatest in the memory of the last age), none ever taxed him with exorbitancies, but such as thought princes had too little, and religious men not enough."—J. F. W.
BOYLE, Richard, son of the first earl of Cork, succeeded to the title on the death of his father in 1643. He was born at Youghal in Ireland on the 28th October, 1612. He was remarkable for his loyalty to Charles I., whom he assisted and supplied with money. In consideration of his services, he was created Lord Clifford of Lanesborough, and afterwards earl of Burlington. He was also appointed lord-lieutenant of the West Riding of Yorkshire and custos rotulorum of the city of York, which posts he held till the time of James II., when he resigned them rather than accommodate himself to the designs of that monarch. He died on the 15th January, 1697-98, in his eighty-sixth year.—J. F. W.
BOYLE, Roger, fifth son of the first earl of Cork, was born on the 26th of April, 1621. When in his fifth year he was created Baron Broghill, and at fifteen he was sent to Trinity college, Dublin, where he soon acquired the reputation of being a good scholar. After leaving the university he went to travel through France and Italy, and upon his return he went to London, where he attracted the notice of the earl of Northumberland, who gave him the command of his own troop of horse. Having married Lady Margaret Howard, sister to the earl of Suffolk, Lord Broghill went to Ireland, where he arrived on the day the rebellion broke out, and proceeded to Lismore, the residence of his father. Lord Broghill at once took the command of a troop of horse raised by his father, and proceeded to join the lord-president, St. Leger, displaying during the rebellion great zeal and loyalty. Upon the death of Charles I. Broghill left Ireland, looking upon it and his estates there as utterly lost, and retired to his seat in Somersetshire, where he lived in retirement till 1649. Here he formed the design of going secretly to Charles II., for the purpose of obtaining a commission to raise troops in Ireland, and attempt the restoration of that monarch and the recovery of his own estates. His object was, however, discovered by the committee of state, and before he could leave the kingdom he received a message from Cromwell, whose sagacity enabled him to see in the loyalist noble one whose talents and knowledge of Ireland would be of great use to him in that country, desiring that he would wait upon him. While Broghill was pondering over this strange mandate, Cromwell entered his room, and told him that his designs were discovered, and that the committee were determined to make an example of him, if he himself had not diverted them from that resolution. On Broghill's denying the charge, Cromwell produced documents that left the former no course but to confess; whereupon Cromwell offered him the command of a general officer if he would serve in the war in Ireland, adding that he should have no oaths or engagements imposed upon him, nor be obliged to draw his sword against any but the Irish rebels. Finding that a refusal would but endanger his life, and that the terms offered were such as he could accept with honour, Broghill acquiesced, and at once repaired to Ireland where his personal influence soon placed him at the head of a regiment of 1500 men, and a troop of horse, consisting of gentlemen, who gladly repaired to him. With these he joined Cromwell at Wexford, who had speedily followed Broghill from England with an army of 12,000 men. The valour and ability of Lord Broghill were frequently put to the proof during the Irish war, and he entirely justified the estimate Cromwell had formed of him. While Broghill was subduing the rebels in the west, Cromwell, having taken Drogheda by storm, proceeded, though in the depth of winter, to invest Clonmel. Disease and some partial defeats thinned the ranks of Cromwell, so that he wrote to Broghill conjuring him by all the ties of friendship and duty to come to his aid without delay, as he should otherwise be obliged to raise the siege. To this Broghill replied—"That by the blessing of God he had just defeated the enemy, and would not fail to be with him in five days." He was as good as his word; and when he appeared at the camp the whole army, by Cromwell's command, welcomed him with the cry of—"A Broghill! a Broghill!" and Cromwell himself ran forward and embraced him. With this reinforcement the parliamentary troops took Clonmel in a few days after. Upon the return of Cromwell he left Ireton his deputy, intrusting to Lord Broghill a flying camp in Munster, and his gallantry, success, and great popularity, are said to have even excited the jealousy of Ireton. When this last was besieging Limerick, he ordered Lord Broghill to intercept the earl of Muskerry who was coming to its relief with 1000 horse and 2000 foot. Though the force of Broghill amounted but to 600 foot and 400 horse, he did not hesitate a moment, but, coming up with great expedition, he fell upon Muskerry, and after a desperate contest, in which he behaved with great personal gallantly, and narrowly escaped being slain, he completely routed the enemy. On the termination of the war in Ireland, Cromwell being now protector, made Broghill a privy-councillor, and shortly after sent him over to preside in Scotland, a task which he accepted unwillingly, and on the terms of being recalled after a year. After the death of Cromwell, his son Richard chose Lord Broghill as one of his cabinet council, being also a member of his parliament. In both positions Lord Broghill showed as much address and political ability as he had heretofore exhibited military talents; and he succeeded on more than one occasion in supporting Richard, and extricating him from serious difficulties. But Richard Cromwell was not made to sway the republican leaders of those stirring times, and so he laid down, to use his own words, "that greatness which was but a burthen" to him. Thus Broghill being absolved from all duty to the family of the great captain under whom he had fought, looked anxiously to the restoration of the king as the surest means of saving the nation. For this purpose he repaired to Ireland, not without incurring the suspicions of the commissioners sent thither, who were instructed "to have
