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  • FASCINATING TALE OF A FRENCH PIRATE AT BONHAMS MARINE SALE

    Derek Gardner (1914-2007) Thurot’s Last Flight

    THE fascinating tale of a French pirate with Irish connections feted in England is recalled at Bonhams marine sale on April 24. Shortly after laying siege to Carrickfergus Francois Thurot was defeated by British Forces at the Mull of Galloway in 1760.  A painting by Derek Gardner depicting the battle is estimated at £20,000-30,000.  It shows the moment when Thurot’s ship, the Maréchal de Belle-Isle, was taken by Captain John Elliot’s H.M.S Æolus.  The battle ended four years of havoc wreaked by Thurot on the British Navy. Earlier that month Thurot and 600 men attacked Carrickfergus in Co. Antrim. After months at sea, the French fleet was depleted and was reported to be surviving on raw potatoes.  The Duke of Bedford, Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, got word that Thurot was in Carrickfergus and hastily assembled the fleet which led to the final battle. Of the prisoners taken on Thurots ships 220 were brought to Carlisle, 500 to Carrickfergus, 90 to Cobh and 84 to Dublin.  The captured prizes were brought by Elliot to Kinsale.  Modern sources tend to agree that Thurot was the son of a postmaster at Nuirs-St-Georges, though there is a claim that one of his grandfathers was an O’Farrell from Ireland who had served in the Irish Brigade of the French Army.  Thurot was a popular figure and his death resulted in an outpouring of grief in Galloway, Dumfries and along the Irish coast. Ballads, biographies, paintings and engravings were produced commemorating his life, and he became a martyred ‘folk hero’.  Thurot’s defeat was a pivotal moment during the Seven Years’ War  and contributed to Britain’s ultimate defeat of the French army. It is seen as vital in securing the supremacy of British forces and resulted in the capture of key regions in North America including Canada and the eastern section of French Louisiana.

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