Master George Fogg

GFogg

Master George Fogg

George Fogg (1560?-1606) Little is know of George Fogg prior to 1579 and the Desmond rebellion. It is said he was the son of a merchant, but information on that account is spotty. When James Fitzmaurice Fitzgerald launched an invasion of Munster in 1579, George was a Sergeant with the English forces there. He fought in the Desmond Rebellion with the Earl Grey de Wilton. He was one of the few survivors of the Earl's large English army that was ambushed and massacred at the battle of Glenmalure.

George Fogg some how managed to reach the town of Rathdrum. He was part of English troops and locally raised forces under Ormonde that succeeded in re-taking the south coast, destroying the lands of the Desmonds and their allies in the process, and killing their tenants. He is listed as one of the men wounded while capturing Carrigafoyle, the principal Desmond castle at the mouth of Shannon river, this cut off the Geraldine forces from the rest of the country and prevented a landing of foreign troops into the main Munster ports. By 1580, Fogg was fit enough to help capture the castle at Smerwick in Kerry and massacre its Papal defenders.

Some time in 1581, he married an Irish girl named Elizabeth, and there is evidence that he became a catholic at this time. The two had met in Rathdrum while Ormonde was gathering his forces. Their first child Meg was born in early in 1581, a boy, Kit, followed at the end of that same year. All evidence points to a happy marriage. George remained in Ireland by all accounts happy until his wife died of some disease in 1586. Shortly after that event he had moved back to England and took up residence in Lathom.

A curious thing occurs in 1587, George becomes a vocal member of the local the Church of England. At some point he converted back, as to why this occurred there is only blind speculation. Oddly he remains a bachelor, tending to his children and thriving Inn. The tragic circumstances of his death are clouded in some mystery. What is know is that the local sheriff was involved in removing a patron from the Inn. And that night the Inn burned to the ground, the charred remains of George were found clutching his money box.