William Lamport, The Man Behind the Mask: Wexford’s Inspiration for Zorro

Wexford has produced many notable and inspiring figures throughout its history….

Many of these figures have contributed significantly to both Irish and global affairs, yet as significant as many of them have went on to be, very few of them have become the subject of legend.

The same cannot be said for William Lamport, the Wexford born Irish Catholic adventurer whose storied life took him from Rosslare to London to France to Spain to Mexico and allegedly provided the inspiration for the fictional hero ‘Zorro’.

Wexford Origins:

William Lamport was born in 1611 to a family of the Old English Catholic gentry who had arrived in Wexford through the Anglo-Norman invasion of the late 12^th century. The family had been loyal servants to the crown since their arrival in Ireland, however the establishment of the Church of England by King Henry VIII caused this devoutly Catholic family to clash with the crown. William was baptised in St. Peter’s Church (which once stood where St. Peter’s Square now is).

William’s father, Patrick Lamport used his ships to aid King Philip II’s Spanish forces which attempted to land at Kinsale to aid an Irish Catholic revolt against Queen Elizabeth I in 1601. In the years to follow Patrick Lamport’s ships would plague English merchant ships off Ireland’s southern coast. Young William Lamport’s life was to be marred by tragedy as his mother died while William was still very young and his father Patrick was finally captured in 1617 and executed on the orders of King James I of England.

William was raised by his relatives and spent a lot of time at sea. When he was not at sea, William was proving to be quite an intelligent student and received an education from the Franciscans in Wexford town. In 1626, he was sent to Dublin to study under the Jesuits. With financial support from the Catholic clergy, William journeyed to London where he studied law and attended public lectures at Gresham College. Lamport arrived in a London awash with anti-Catholic persecution and fled London having been exposed for distributing Pro-Catholic pamphlets which denounced King James I.

Fleeing to the Continent

Lamport’s troubles were not to come to an end as he found himself captured by pirates near Saint-Malo and spent two years in their service fighting as a mercenary for France. Near Bordeaux, Lamport seized the opportunity and escaped to La Coruna in Spain where he joined a community of other Irish Catholic gentry who fled from Ireland. He continued his studies in Santiago de Compostela and won a scholarship to Collegio de los Irlandes in Salamanca. Lamport styled himself as Don Guillén Lombardo and his obvious talents came to the attention of the Governor of La Coruna, Pedro de Toledo y Leiva, Marquis of Mancera. The Marquis recommended him to the royal court of King Philip IV of Spain. Spain had given Lamport an opportunity to reinvent himself having claimed noble origins, changing his name and he attempted to shave a few years off his age also.

Spain’s Chief Minister Gaspar de Guzmán, count-duke of Olivares arranged for him to be trained at the Spanish royal court at the Colegio de San Lorenzo and Colegio Imperial de Madrid. Lamport became known for his expertise in law, languages, and military matters. He was known by King Philip IV as one of the most promising up and comers at the royal court. In his years at the royal court, he spied for Spain in Italy and Catalonia while also fighting on military campaigns in Germany and the Basque country. He also attempted to recruit soldiers for an uprising in Ireland but the Spanish crown lost interest. Around this time, he was also tasked by the count-duke of Olivares to spy on the new viceroy of New Spain (Mexico).

Time in Mexico:

Upon being sent to report back on the new Viceroy, the Marquis of Villena , Lamport was struck by the discontent among the local population and Spanish settlers alike with the amount of influence exercised by Madrid over the territory of New Spain. He sent back many dispatches condemning the new Viceroy, however his view of Villena was not entirely negative.

A successful rebellion in Portugal against the Spanish Habsburg monarchy put pressure on the new Viceroy as he was related to those who had risen to power in the wake of the rebellion. Following Villena’s departure as Viceory, Lamport’s services were not utilised by the new governor Palafox. He also anticipated that his patron the count-duke of Olivares would soon be dismissed from his post.

With nothing left to lose, he began to plot the seizure of Mexico City with a forged royal authorisation and the potential backing of a militia of indigenous mine workers. He had gained sympathy for the plight of the indigenous people while helping an indigenous petitioner, Iganacio Pérez, prepare a legal brief highlighting abuse suffered by the miners.

Planned Rebellion and Arrest:

Lamport envisaged himself as a possible king of an independent Mexico and with that in mind claimed to be the half-brother of King Philip IV. His writings made quite clear he was very aware of the local population’s hatred of Spanish rule and that he was for the sovereignty of the people of Mexico. Among his documents there was a written declaration of independence for Mexico, while other papers affirmed his plans to create a popularly endorsed constitutional monarchy which would free African slaves and indigenous forced labourers on the basis of racial equality.

Although Lamport was a man of many talents, discretion was not one of them. He informed all of his neighbours of his plans and one of them attempted to inform a royal judge. The royal judge was however deeply reluctant to act given his political connections. He was however arrested in late October 1642 under the Mexican Inquisition on the basis of his dabbing in astrology which was framed as an attempt to communicate with demonically for the purpose of treason. When he was arrested a search of his papers uncovered his plot.

Over the course of his long imprisonment Lamport wrote extensively and in his prison writings he mentioned his Wexford origins. After 17 years imprisonment following an attempted prison escape and facing 228 charges of heresy Lamport was sentenced to be burned to death. Lamport escaped the pyre on November 19^th 1659 and strangled himself with his own iron collar.

An Inspiration for Zorro?

Lamport’s example of planned rebellion and championing the rights of the enslaved and indigenous peoples served as an example for others who wished to liberate Mexico from Spanish rule. In 1872 a Mexican liberal politician, Vicente Riva Palacio wrote a historical novel based on the life of Lamport entitled Memorias de un impostor. This tale of a double agent plotting against the Spanish government, championing the cause of the downtrodden, has been widely cited as an inspiration for the fictional character of Zorro.

While some historians such as Terry Clavin assert these claims are overblown other historians such as Fabios Troncarelli of Viterbo University, Wisconsin support the theory that Lamport served as the inspiration for the swashbuckling fictional character.

The people of Wexford have most certainly taken the idea that a native of their county inspired the fictional hero. In 2015, the 400^th anniversary of Lamport’s forged birthdate, Wexford Zorrofest was held in Wexford town to celebrate the life of one of Wexford’s most fascinating sons.

Whether or not Lamport truly inspired Zorro is a matter for academic debate. Even if he didn’t, the fact Lamport championed the rights of those oppressed under the Spanish colonial administration and authored the first Mexican declaration of independence means that Lamport is someone Wexford people can be proud of regardless.

Sources:

Terry Clavin, Lamport, William, Dictionary of Irish Biography

Des Kiely, Famous Wexford People

The Mark of Lamport: The Real Zorro was from Wexford, The Irish Times

Real Zorro Unmasked, The Irish Independent

William Lamport – The Wexford Zorro – Ireland’s Own