A rare 1876 Constabulary Medal (Ireland) awarded to Constable M. Nugent, Royal Irish Constabulary, for his gallantry near Michelstown, co. Cork, when, although badly wounded, he succeeded in arresting Thomas Croghe, who had fired a blunderbuss at Nugent and a prominent Land Agent; this Agent was notorious for increasing the rents of his tenant farmers to the point where they were ‘all but pauperised’

Constabulary Medal (Ireland), 1st type, ‘Reward of Merit Irish Constabulary’ (Constable Matthew Nugent No. 23363. Garryleigh. 30th March 1876) with integral top riband buckle, the recipient’s Christian name officially corrected, edge nicks, good very fine £3,000-£4,000

Provenance: Medal illustrated in British Gallantry Awards, by P. E. Abbott and J. M. A. Tamplin

Matthew Nugent was born in co. Meath in 1838. He worked as a labourer before joining the Irish Constabulary on 12 May 1858. He was a Sub-Constable in co. Tipperary from 12 October 1858. Nugent was transferred to Wicklow on 13 August 1861, where he was promoted to Acting Constable (wearing the insignia of a Corporal) in April 1872 and Constable (wearing the insignia of a Sergeant) on 1 January 1873. He was sent back to Tipperary (South Riding) on 15 October 1875.

On 30 March 1876 Nugent was one of two armed ‘Peelers’ assigned to guard Mr. Patten Brydge, a particularly unpopular Land Agent, as he travelled back home from his estate office after collecting rents. Brydge represented an English absentee landlord, a merchant from Newcastle-on-Tyne, who had bought an immense tract of land along the side of the Galtee hills, described as ‘extremely picturesque, but very isolated… the holdings are small, the ground, being nearly entirely a mountain slope, is not as productive as other lands in the fertile region around, and the tenantry have to toil hard and use no ordinary thrift in order to “make ends meet”.’ Brydge was hated for increasing rents to an unbearable level. In March 1875 he was shot at and narrowly escaped death. His staff were told that they must resign or face a boycott from the local community. After that attack, Brydge demanded continuous police protection. An iron ‘temporary’ barracks building, manned by four armed police, was set up at the entrance to his residence, Galtee Castle. Whenever he left home, Brydge was always ‘armed to the teeth’ and accompanied by two armed policemen.

Brydge travelled to Michelstown in a horse-drawn open car, along with his steward and his driver. They were guarded by Constable Nugent (sitting next to Brydge, on the side facing the Galtees) and Sub-Constable Jones, who were both armed with loaded rifles (probably Snider Enfield single-shot breech-loading carbines). Lying in wait as they returned along the road to Galtee Castle were three men; one on the left-hand side of the road armed with an old large bore blunderbuss, fully charged with black powder, bits of iron, lead slugs and lengths of wire, and an old horse-pistol. The two others were on the opposite (right) side of the road; both had modern shot guns, old blunderbusses and at least one revolver.

At Garryleigh, a townland on the top of the slope which leads down into Kilbehenny, there was sudden loud explosion from ahead and left, as a man jumped up from the ditch and discharged his blunderbuss at the approaching carriage. His aim was too high. The driver was blown off his box and killed instantly. ‘Constable Nugent was seriously wounded in the leg…[and] he had been struck by two pellets in the chest, two tore open his tunic at the shoulder’. Nugent fired his carbine at the gunman, but missed. The men on the other side of the road fired at Brydge, hitting him in the face, hand, arms and legs. ‘Both policemen jumped off the car to pursue their men, and in the records of the Irish police force no braver act is to be found chronicled.’ (Irish Times, Monday April 3 1876 refers)

Nugent confronted the first gunman, who had dropped his empty blunderbuss and drawn a horse-pistol. ‘With wonderful presence of mind and unsurpassed pluck, the constable presented his empty rifle, and threatening to shoot the man dead, ordered him to surrender.’ The gunman, Thomas Croghe, dropped his pistol ‘whereupon the constable seized him, and though badly wounded succeeded, after a great struggle in knocking him down and handcuffing him.’ Meanwhile Brydge and his steward had driven off at full gallop, abandoning the two Peelers and the corpse of the driver.

The two other gunmen had dropped their weapons and fled. The Sub-constable took the prisoner Croghe to the R.I.C. barracks at Kilbehenny, about three-quarters of a mile away. Nugent had to be taken by car to the Galtee Castle ‘temporary’ police barracks before he could get any medical attention from the two local doctors, who had both been summoned to care for Brydge. Brydge also telegraphed to Dublin to engage the Surgeon-General. Fortunately, Nugent recovered from his wounds.

He was awarded the Constabulary Medal for gallantry, promoted Second Head Constable (insignia of a military Warrant Officer) and transferred to Belfast in December 1876. He received a Favourable Record with a Gratuity of £25 on 7 August 1878. His last appointment was with Mayo Police, from 1 June 1883. After 25 years of R.I.C. service, Nugent was pensioned (£68 a year) on 1 December 1883.

Note: This must have been one of the last 1st type medals ever issued. In 1867 Queen Victoria granted the prefix ‘Royal’ to the Irish Constabulary. The force appears to have decided to use up its existing stock of 1st type medals, rather than melting them down, before issuing the 2nd type. The process took almost a decade, indicating how few awards were made during the 19th century.