United Irish Fears and French Invasion

With Dr Lee- Jane Giles, Assocate Lecturer, University of Plymouth.

On 23 June 1797 a court martial was convened in the Citadel at Plymouth to hear evidence against four Irish marines, Robert Lee, Daniel Coffey, John McGinnes and Joseph Brenan; all stood accused of inciting mutiny and sedition at the Stonehouse Barracks. Levied against the Plymouth marines were the following charges: Robert Lee endeavouring to ‘excite the Marines in Barracks, to Mutiny and Sedition’, Daniel Coffey ‘active in Swearing the Marines … and seditious words in the ranks …’, John McGuiness ‘for inciting Marines to join’, and Joseph Brenan for also using seditious words in the ranks. Occurring at the same time as the more well-known and documented mutinies at Spithead and the Nore this mutiny came at a time when the country faced the threat of invasion from France. Alongside rumours of United Irish involvement, the fear that this mutiny in particular generated within the Admiralty was plain to see and three of the marines were condemned to be executed by firing squad. Using court martial testimonies, admiralty letters, diary extracts and letters and poems penned by the ringleader, this paper will explore the events that occurred at Stonehouse Barracks to situate this lesser-known incident within the wider context of the more well documented mutinies of 1797.

Image credit: (Marine-Barracks at Stone House, Devonshire) J. Walker , No.16 Rosomans Street, London

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