Staker Wallace

Male, Deceased Person

1733 – 1798

16

Who was Staker Wallace?

Patrick "Staker" Wallace was an Irish freedom fighter, perhaps born at Teermore, in Bulgaden-Ballinvana parish of County Limerick, Ireland, near the town of Kilfinane. He achieved some fame as an Irish patriot when he was brutally executed for independence activities by a pro-British nobleman in 1798.

Most commonly known as Staker Wallace or The Staker, his first name was most likely Patrick. His nickname was given to him after death. Some sources give his first name as William or Edmond, but these are less likely than Patrick. In her 1909 book about her ancestor, Eunice Graham Brandt referred to Staker as William. After being beheaded, his head was put on a stake for everyone to see. Thus, Staker Wallace. The monument in his honour in Martinstown, Limerick, refers to him as Edmond. Unfortunately, contemporary news accounts in the Limerick Chronicle are long-lost. Nonetheless, his correct first name can be established from other sources.

According to traditional Irish naming patterns, the first-born son was named after his paternal grandfather. Both of Staker's sons named their first-born sons Patrick. A history of Limerick published in 1866 included a list of sentences passed by the General Court Martial in Limerick on 4 July 1798. Included on the list: "Patrick Wallis, for collecting subscriptions for procuring the assassination of Chas. S. Oliver, Esq., to be hanged at Kilfinane, his head to be affixed on one of his own pikes, and placed on the castle." A document on the United Irishmen in Limerick found in the 1940s in the Irish State Paper Office listed prisoners in the new gaol in 1798. Ten of those listed had been executed, including a Patrick Wallis. Wallis and Wallace are interchangeable spellings of his surname. Both were used in County Limerick at the time.

We need you!

Help us build the largest biographies collection on the web!

Born
1733
Lived in
  • County Limerick
Died
1798

Submitted
on July 23, 2013

Citation

Use the citation below to add to a bibliography:

Style:MLAChicagoAPA

"Staker Wallace." Biographies.net. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 28 Mar. 2024. <https://www.biographies.net/people/en/william_staker_wallace>.

Discuss this Staker Wallace biography with the community:

0 Comments

    Browse Biographies.net