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On this day

November 3

1324
Other

November 3, 1324

Execution of Petronilla de Meath

Petronilla de Meath, a maidservant, became the first person to be burned at the stake for witchcraft in Ireland on November 3, 1324, in Kilkenny. Accused as an accomplice of her employer, Dame Alice Kyteler, Petronilla endured torture and public humiliation before confessing to charges of sorcery and heresy. Kyteler, a wealthy noblewoman, managed to flee Ireland, leaving her servants to face the accusations. The charges against Petronilla included sacrificing animals, concocting potions from children's body parts, and engaging in lustful associations with a demonic entity. Her execution marked a significant, albeit tragic, event in Irish legal and social history, highlighting the early instances of witchcraft trials in the region.

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1717
Deaths

November 3, 1717

Assassination of Henry Luttrell in Dublin

Henry Luttrell, a controversial Irish soldier, was assassinated in Dublin on November 3, 1717. Born in the mid-1650s, Luttrell served in the French army before joining James II's Jacobite forces in Ireland. Despite being a trusted commander under Patrick Sarsfield, his actions at the Battle of Aughrim in 1691, where his troops failed to hold a vital causeway, led to suspicions of betrayal. After the surrender of Limerick, Luttrell defected to the English side, receiving an annual pension and his brother's estate from William of Orange. This perceived betrayal earned him widespread hatred among many Irishmen, ultimately leading to his unsolved assassination.

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1845
Politics

November 3, 1845

Irish Delegation Urges Halt to Food Exports During Famine

On November 3, 1845, a delegation of twenty-two prominent Irish figures visited Lord Heytesbury, the British Viceroy in Dublin, to address the escalating crisis of the Great Famine. They implored him to halt the export of food from Ireland, fearing widespread starvation. However, Lord Heytesbury dismissed their concerns, asserting that there was no intention to stop food removal and downplaying the severity of the hunger, focusing solely on the potato blight. This encounter is now commemorated by some as the "Irish Holocaust Commemoration Day," marking the official start of the famine and the perceived cover-up of food removal, despite abundant grain in the country.

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