The Royal Burgh has had several distinguished provosts, none more so than John Porter, who was first appointed to the civic chair in 1792. He was born at Crossiebeg, the son of the tenant, John Porter, and his wife, Ann White, on 6 April 1760. Members of the family had earlier appeared in the records. William Porter in Crossiebeg had risen with the Marquis of Argyll in 1685, and John Porter, probably the Colonel's grandfather, in 1737 inspired or wrote the book known as Porter's Prophecies.
He is designated in the Lowland Kirk Register as Captain John Porter of Knockbay when, on 20 November 1792, his wife, Elizabeth Campbell, gave birth to their son Charles.
The Great Irish Rebellion began on 23/24 May 1798, when co-ordinated risings took place in Meath, Co. Dublin and Kildare.
The rebels had varying fortunes throughout the summer, but their prospects revived when General Humbert landed at Killala on the West Coast with a French force on 22 August.
The Counties of Longford and West Meath rose in the hopes of joining with the French. On 5 September, about 7000 rebels were in possession of Wilson's Hospital, a large Protestant institution astride the main road to Longford.
Thomas Pakenham in The Year of Liberty (revised edition, Weidenfield and Nicholson, 1997) takes up the story:
'The Mullingar Commander, Colonel Blake, did not lift a finger against [the rebels]. From Castlepollard however, a small town several hours march to the north, a force of about a hundred local yeomanry, under their landlord, Lord Longford, boldly marched off in pursuit of the rebels. They reached the area to fmd the United Army of Westmeath had encamped in the Hospital's demesne, having expelled the charity boys and old men who were supported there, wounded the chaplain, and seized a supply of arms and liquor. Lord Longford's party halted. A message had been sent to some Highlanders stationed at Cavan to come to their assistance with all speed,
'The Cavan garrison was commanded by a Scotsman called Major Porter, a man of stemer stuff than the Commander at Mullingar. Despite the risk of an attack at Cavan, he had set off early that morning to the rescue with every man that could be spared: 250 of the local yeomanry and a hundred Argyll Fencibles, with one piece of artillery. It was a daring move against an enemy reported so numerous - 7000 in West Meath, 6000 at Granard - in an action of such strategic importance. Major Porter's instinct was, however, perfectly correct.
'For this Midland rising followed the same pattern as the rising around Dublin on May 23rd or around Belfast on June 8th. Wild rumours of success had swept the country; some of the most respectable people were supposed to be involved; they had only to rise to fmd the neighbouring counties would follow. They had risen accordingly. But no other counties had joined them ... and except for a minority bent on vengeance or plunder, the people had no idea what to do next.
'At Granard, it is true, the rebels made a regular attack on the town, led by an ex-yeomanry officer and his brother, Hans and Alexander Denniston. But they fled before the start of the battle, and the action was a massacre. For four hours, the garrison, reinforced by Major Porter's 250 yeomanry, shot sabred and bayonetted their attackers. Only two men were wounded on their side. The official estimate of the rebels' losses was 400, but others put it nearer a thousand.
'At Wilson's Hospital Major Porter completed the work of destruction. Some of the rebels tried to negotiate a truce. They offered to go home if their grievances were redressed ... Thousands left the camp and returned home. The rest found themselves trapped between Major Porter's Highlanders and Lord Longford's yeomanry. About 200 were cut down in the demesne of Wilson's Hospital; others tried to escape across a neighbouring lake and many were drowned; darkness ended the pursuit. Otherwise, as one Loyalist reported, "The slaughter would have been prodigious.”
'Late on the evening of the 7th, all that was left of the United Armies of Longford and West Meath staggered into Humbert’s camp at Cloone.'
This virtually ended the rising. On 8 September, Humbert, finding himself between two armies, fought on for half an hour before submitting to what he claimed was a superior force of 30,000 men.
In the Lossit correspondence, there is a relevant letter, dated Armagh, '12th Sept 98', from Alex MacKay, presumably a brother of the Carnpbeltown lawyer, Hugh MacKay, giving some details of the business.
There is also a copy of a letter from the Earl of Longford to 'Major Porter, Argyll Regt.', as follows:
Mullingar October 8th 1798
'To you in particular as Commanding Officer 1 have been directed to make this acknowledgement of the high sense they have of what they owe to your activity and spirited judgement on the occasion. If to these public thanks my private acknowledgements can add anything I beg you may accept them; and he assured that should necessity require it, we hope to have the honor & happiness of again acting with the Argyll Regiment.
There is attached a short note as follows:
'Major Porter with 150 men and one field piece of the Argyll Regiment engaged upwards of Five Thousand of the rebels at Wilson's Hospital at or near Ballanalack where he had two privates & two of the gun horses killed and three privates wounded. One of them since died & the rebels had about 300 men killed.
'Lord Longford in the latter part of the action came to his assistance with his yeomanry corps who were of essential service in pursuing the rebels and destroying numbers of them. This happened the day before the defeat of the French in Ireland.'
In his retirement, he lived, as Lt. Col. Porter, at Drumore House. In an article published in The Campbeltown Courier on 8 March 1924, Colonel Charles Mactaggart stated: 'Colonel Porter had seven daughters remarkable for their beauty, and when I was a boy traditions of the beautiful Miss Porters still lingered in Campbeltown. Colonel Porter's closing years were clouded by financial misfortunes and he died in comparative poverty in a house in Longrow.'
This year, 1998, is the bicentenary
of the Great Rebellion, and it is fitting that we should remember the gallantry
of our old Provost.
No 44 Autumn 1998
Page 2: Janet and Marie Morrison's 1999 Trip to Scotland - Part Two
Page 3: A Series of e-mails from Daniel Stevenson
Page 4: An American Lady in Southend, 1878
Page 5: Bits and Bobs
Page 6: Antiquity and Technology
Page 7: Lt Colonel John Porter: A Gallant Provost
Page 8: By Hill and Shore