Anne Devlin was born in Cronebeg, a townland east of Aughrim, Co. Wicklow, in 1778. She was the second eldest of seven children. The famous Wicklow rebels of 1798, Michael Dwyer and Hugh Vesty Byrne, were related to the Devlins. The Devlins left Cronebeg and moved to Corballis, a mile south of Rathdrum, some years after Anne was born. They farmed a rented 30 acre farm and their landlord was a Mr Thomas Darby. Mr Darbys sister, Miss Leonard, became very fond of the young Anne. After Miss Leonard married Lieutenant Hempenstall, a man hated by the locals and known as the Human Scaffold, she obtained permission from the Devlins for Anne to join her at her new home at Inchicore in Dublin in 1797. After a few months, Annes father decided to take her home. It is thought by some that he was actually a United Irishman and knew that the 1798 rebellion was about to take place. After the rebellion, Annes father was arrested and put in a Wicklow jail. During this time, the Devlins were often raided because the authorities knew about their famous rebel cousins. When her father got out of prison, the family moved to Rathfarnham in Co. Dublin. In 1803, when she was 25 years old, Anne became the housekeeper of the young leader of the 1803 rebellion, Robert Emmet (pictured below). He was planning the rebellion when she lived with him. Because he did not want to be caught by the authorities, he took the false name Mr Ellis. Although Anne is often referred to as Emmets servant or housekeeper, she was really an all-round helper, who could be totally trusted. In fact, she was chosen by Emmet because she was so trustworthy. He had been told by her cousin, You may place one thousand lives in her hands. He decided that she was the woman for the job. Anne wanted to play an active part in the revolution that Emmet was planning. She was never paid by Emmet for her services. Instead, her expenses were paid by her father. Her main job was to organise the delivery of Roberts messages by hand all around the city. As a result, she knew the names of more than fifty insurgents spread across Dublin. This secret knowledge made her a very important person in Dublin, who the police would certainly want to arrest if they found out about her activities. She was loyal to Robert but she was probably not in love with him. Indeed, she arranged for messages to get to his fiancée, Sarah Curran. After the rising failed, Anne was questioned by Major Sirr, Dublins Chief of Police. She refused to talk, despite his offer of £500 and government protection. On the scroll above is an excerpt from Annes account of her arrest. Notice how the police used violence against her. Anne met Emmet for the last time when she was transferred to Kilmainham Jail. Major Sirr begged her to provide information about Emmet, as he was already a dead man, but she refused. Emmet himself had told her that she could talk about his plans if she was under threat of harm. However, she did not budge. The governor of the prison, Dr Edward Trevor, who was known as the Devils partner, used every device imaginable to get Anne to inform on Emmet and his companions. All his efforts, including physical and mental torture, were in vain. His treatment of Anne was so excessive that an investigation into his methods was called for. However, no action was taken. Conditions in Kilmainham Jail in the early part of the nineteenth century were unspeakable. Food was usually contaminated, sewers were open and sanitation was non-existent. Annes tiny cell had unglazed windows and a bed of straw on a cobbled floor. There was no protection from cold or damp. There was no reading material, no visitors and no healthcare. Anne was never convicted of any crime, but she was in prison for three years, nonetheless. She was kept in solitary confinement for most of that time and endured beatings, starvation and psychological torture. By the end of August 1803, more than twenty of Annes family and relatives had been arrested and imprisoned in Kilmainham. Her young brother, James, was barely nine years old when he died in the damp cells from sheer neglect. Anne was eventually released in 1806. She found employment as a companion to Mrs Elizabeth Hammond at Sir John Rogersons Quay. She held this position for four years. Between 1806 and 1810, she sat for her portrait by Lydon. The portrait is now in the National Gallery of Ireland. She told the story of her life to Reverend Brother Luke Cullen (1793-1859). He was a famous folk chronicler from Little Bray, and a Carmelite brother in Clondalkin. below is a beautifully written in depth article about Anne Devlin well worth a few moments of your time to read rushlightmagazinearticles.rushlightmagazine/
Posted on: Thu, 05 Jun 2014 11:16:43 +0000
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