Theobald Wolfe Tone (1763 - 1798)

Born 20 Jun 1763 in Dublin, County Dublin, Ireland

Husband of Martha (Witherington) Tone-Wilson — married 21 Jul 1785 in Dublin, County Dublin, Ireland

Descendants

Died 19 Nov 1798 at age 35 in Provost's Prison, Dublin, County Dublin, Ireland

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Biography

Wolfe Tone is Notable.

Family and Early Life

Theobald Wolfe Tone was born 20 November 1763 at Dublin, Ireland, the eldest son of Peter Tone, a successful coach builder, and his wife Margaret Lamport.^{[1] [2]} His family lived in a fashionable part of Dublin although his father also had an interest in other properties in the city, and owned a cottage in Kildare on the estate of Theobald Wolfe, a barrister and politician who was Theobald's godfather and for whom he had been named.^[3][4] In the late 1770s his father's business failed and the family moved from Dublin into the cottage in Kildare, and in 1789 their circumstances were reduced even further when Peter Tone lost all of his family properties as the result of extended litigation with his brother over ownership rights.^[3][4] Theobald had fifteen younger siblings, although only five survived, and took his role as an older brother very seriously by helping his brothers find employment and later allowing his sister to make her home with his young family.^[4]

Despite Tone's burning ambition to join the military, his father insisted that he enroll at Trinity College.^[5] There Theobald quickly realized that most of his time could be spent socializing with friends and attending military parades, and that by cramming for a few days at the end of each term he was consistently able to pass all his exams.^[6] During his time as a student at Trinity, Tone frequently had occasion to walk past the home of Edward Fanning and observe his granddaughter in a window. He "soon grew passionately fond of her" and deliberately cultivated a relationship with her older brother in order to be introduced to the young lady.^[7]

Marriage and Children

On 21 July 1785 Theobald, aged twenty-two, eloped with Martha ("Matilda") Witherington, daughter of William Witherington, a woolen draper, and granddaughter of Edward Fanning, a wealthy Church of Ireland clergyman.^[8][9] It was love at first sight for Tone, who described his future wife as "...not yet sixteen years of age and as beautiful as an angel."^[7]

There were four children from this marriage:

1. Maria Tone, b. 1786;^[10]d. 1804^[11]
2. William Theobald Wolfe Tone, b. 29 Apr 1791;^[12] m. 1825 Catherine Sampson;^[12] d. 10 Oct 1828^[12]
3. Francis Tone, b. 1793;^[4] d. 1806^[11][4]
4. Richard Tone, b. 1794;^[4] d. 1795^[4]

The young couple received some financial support from Matilda's grandfather, but the rest of her family (angered by Matilda's marriage at such a young age) were estranged from them.^[12] Tone received his B.A. from Trinity early in 1786^[7] and, having no income to live on, moved himself and Matilda to Kildare to live with his father.^[12] Peter Tone was by then living in financially precarious circumstances but welcomed the young couple, who were already expecting their first child.^[12] In January 1787, Tone left his wife and infant daughter in Kildare and went to London to study law in the Middle Temple, planning to become a barrister to support his young family.

Early Career

Once again, Tone found himself completely uninterested in his studies. After the first month he never opened a law book, and later confessed that he never entered Westminster Hall more than three times in his life.^[13] Instead, he spent most of his time concocting an improbable scheme to set up a military colony on a South Sea island, and attempting (with one of his younger brothers) to enlist in the East India service.^[12] Eventually he returned to Dublin, where he often sat in the public gallery of the Irish House of Commons listening to the speeches, and he began writing political articles and pamphlets urging for Ireland to become independent.^[4][12] He also became friends about this time with Thomas Russell and was a founding member of The United Irish Society, which sought the inclusion of Irishmen of 'every religious persuasion.'^[4][12] He did eventually receive his LL.B. degree in 1789 and became a member of the Irish Bar, but he detested the profession and what little income he received came instead from his political writings.^[13]

By 1792 Tone was widely considered to be one of the most talented political writers and propagandists of his era.^[4] Perhaps his most famous (and revolutionary) article was An Argument on Behalf of the Catholics of Ireland, advocating that Catholics be granted equal rights in a united Irish government.^[3] As a result, Tone was offered the position of assistant secretary to the general committee of the catholic party, at an annual salary of 200£. This meant that for the first time in his life, Tone could rely on having a steady source of income.^[12]

Revolutionary Activities

Despite his relentless efforts to make the Irish government more inclusive, the Catholic Relief Act passed in 1793 fell far short of Tone's expectations and the right of Catholics to sit in parliament was not granted.^[4] Tone was forced to concede defeat, writing in one of his broadsides that "...if a nation wills a bad government, it ought to have that government."^[4] At the request of one of his friends, Tone wrote a paper on the current state of Irish public opinion in which he suggested that Ireland was governed by a protestant aristocracy for the benefit of England, but sooner or later the Ulster Presbyterians (aided by French troops) would stage a successful revolt.^[4][3] This paper was given to William Jackson, a French agent who was later arrested and executed for treason, and Tone found himself also suddenly facing a possible charge of treason.^[3] He refused to give up the names of any of his friends in the United Irish Society, but in return for his own freedom promised to leave Ireland and go to America after giving detailed testimony about his dealings with Jackman.^[4][3] On 13 June 1795 Tone, accompanied by his wife, his sister, and his three children, sailed from Belfast to the United States with nothing but their clothes, books, and approproximately 700£.^[14][12] His intention, however, which he shared with Russell and other friends before his departure, was to fulfill his obligation to arrive in America but then to immediately depart for Paris, to negotiate there for French military assistance in helping "catholics, dissenters and defenders" establish an independent, united Irish government.^[12][3]

Negotiations with France

Tone reached France by February 1796, and his ability to write eloquent political articles almost immediately won him audiences with highly placed government officials.^[3] He urged the French authorities to send a large force to support the United Irishmen in an effort to establish a new, independent Irish government....one that would be France's ally in any war against their mutual enemy, England.^[4] France's top republican general, Lazare Hoche, eventually agreed to command an Irish invasion force and Tone was made an adjutant-general in the French army. ^[4] Tone had requested the commission in order to ensure honorable treatment if he were to be captured as a prisoner-of-war, but it also fullfilled his life-long ambition to serve in the military.^[4] On 15 December 1796 forty-three ships, carrying fifteen thousand men and a large supply of arms and ammunition for distribution to the United Irishmen, set sail from Brest.^[12] Bad weather plagued them however and caused many of the vessels to become separated. Only half of the ships ever arrived off the coast of Kerry (Tone's ship made it, but the ship carrying Hoche did not), and a sudden storm compelled them to return to the open sea and eventually to return to Brest.^[12]

Another expedition was planned, in coordination with the Dutch, but this was also beset by bad weather and forced to return to port.^[3] The sudden and unexpected death of Hoche complicated any attempts to launch a third invasion force.^[4] When news reached Paris in April of the following year of a rebellion in Ireland, a decision was immediately made to send French military support. Owing to a state of disorganization in the French navy, however, it was not possible to again muster a large expedition.^[4] Instead smaller forces were sent to simultaneously land at different points along the Irish coast.^[4][12] This proved to be a disastrous strategy. After a prolonged battle at sea during which Tone himself commanded one of the batteries, he was taken prisoner and sent, in irons, to Dublin. There, despite being a French officer, he was court-martialed on a charge of treason and sentenced to hang within forty-eight hours.^[3]

Death

Theobald Wolfe Tone died 19 November 1798 in prison, of a self-inflicted wound to the neck.^[3][4] His body was returned to a relative's home in Dublin where his parents were staying, and he was buried at the family plot in Bodenstown on 21 November.^[3][12]

Tone is now frequently thought of as the father of Irish nationalism. A tradition has evolved of republican speeches being made at his grave, which has also become the site of many annual pilgrimages.^[4]

Sources

1. ↑ Tone, WIlliam Theobald Wolfe (ed). The Life of Theobald Wolfe Tone (vols. 1-2). Washington: Gales & Seaton (1826). p. 11.
2. ↑ "Irish Records Index, 1500-1920," database, (Ancestry Record 4077 #49449 : accessed 6 October 2022), Theobald Wolfe Tone, baptism in 1763 in St Mary's/Donybrk Dubl; citing J and J Limited Company. Index to Irish Wills. Vol. 1-2. Salt Lake City, UT, USA J and J Limited Company, 1998.
3. ↑ ^{3.00 3.01 3.02 3.03 3.04 3.05 3.06 3.07 3.08 3.09 3.10 3.11} Bartlett, Thomas. Tone, Theobald Wolfe. Dictionary of Irish Biography online edition (Oct 2009).
4. ↑ ^{4.00 4.01 4.02 4.03 4.04 4.05 4.06 4.07 4.08 4.09 4.10 4.11 4.12 4.13 4.14 4.15 4.16 4.17 4.18 4.19 4.20 4.21} Elliott, Marianne. Tone, (Theobald) Wolfe. Oxford Dictionary of National Biography online edition, (23 Sep 2004), rev. 3 Jan 2008. Available here by subscription.
5. ↑ Burtchaell, George Dames (ed.) Alumni Dublinenses: a register of the students, graduates, professors and provosts of Trinity College in the University of Dublin, p. 816. "Tone, Theobald Wolfe, Pen. (Mr. Craig), Feb 19, 1781, aged 17; s. of Peter, Mechanicus; b. Dublin. Sch. 1784; B.A. Vern. 1785; LL.B. Vern. 1789 (Irish Bar 1789). See D.N.B. and Allibone."
6. ↑ Tone, WIlliam Theobald Wolfe (ed). The Life of Theobald Wolfe Tone (vols. 1-2). Washington: Gales & Seaton (1826), p. 20.
7. ↑ ^{7.0 7.1 7.2} Tone, WIlliam Theobald Wolfe (ed). The Life of Theobald Wolfe Tone (vols. 1-2). Washington: Gales & Seaton (1826). p. 21.
8. ↑ Deputy Keeper of Ireland, Index to the Act or Grant Books and to Original Wills of the Diocese of Dublin 1272-1858. Yr: 1785; Sub-category: Parish Marriages; Tone, Theobald Wolfe and Martha Witherington, 1785, M.L., p. 223. Image available here by subscription.
9. ↑ "Irish Records Extraction Database," database, (Ancestry Record 3876 #44230 : accessed 6 October 2022), Theobald Wolfe Tone marriage to Martha Witherington in St. Anne, Dublin, County Dublin, Ireland.
10. ↑ Tone, WIlliam Theobald Wolfe (ed). The Life of Theobald Wolfe Tone (vols. 1-2). Washington: Gales & Seaton (1826). p. 22.
11. ↑ ^{11.0 11.1} Webb, Alfred. A Compendium of Irish Biography (1878), digital copy included in Library Ireland: Theobald Wolfe Tone.
12. ↑ ^{12.00 12.01 12.02 12.03 12.04 12.05 12.06 12.07 12.08 12.09 12.10 12.11 12.12 12.13 12.14 12.15} Dunlop, Robert. Tone, Theobald Wolfe. Dictionary of National Biography, online archive edition.
13. ↑ ^{13.0 13.1} Tone, WIlliam Theobald Wolfe (ed). The Life of Theobald Wolfe Tone (vols. 1-2). Washington: Gales & Seaton (1826), p. 24.
14. ↑ Tone, WIlliam Theobald Wolfe (ed). The Life of Theobald Wolfe Tone (vols. 1-2). Washington: Gales & Seaton (1826), pp. 127-128.

See Also:

• Green, Michael. A Biography of Wolfe Tone. Information About Ireland website, Dublin.

• Speeches from the Dock, part 1. Dublin: A.M. Sullivan (1868), Theobald Wolfe Tone.

• Useful bibliography of on-line autobiographical material on Theobald Wolfe Tone, with links.

• Wikipedia: Wolfe Tone