Richard Kane was born Richard O’Cahan, in Duneane, Co. Antrim on 20 December 1662. He was the only son of Thomas O’Cahan and his wife Mary Dobbin. When he was 26 he was advised to change his name to Kane. He joined the army as a Protestant in the Antrim Volunteers in Carrickfergus. He was at the Defence of Londonderry in 1689 and fought with William III’s army at the Boyne and the siege of Limerick. In 1695 in the Flanders campaign he was wounded at the siege of Namur. In Marlborough’s campaigns he fought at Blenheim where he was again seriously wounded. In 1710 he was given his own regiment but it was disbanded in 1717.
In 1712 he was sent to Minorca which had been captured from Spain in 1808. The Duke of Argyll was Governor but left the day-to-day running of the Island to Kane. He was to remain there for the next 20 years apart from a period in Gibraltar. He was appointed Lieutenant Governor in 1720 and made many improvements to the island despite lack of money and interference from the Catholic Church. He reformed the legal system, created a new constitution and built a road connecting Mahón with Ciutadella at the other end of the island, thus improving the island’s economy. He was also involved with improvements to agriculture, introducing different grain and cattle, and drought-resistant clover to feed the cattle.
When Gibraltar came under threat from Spain in 1725, Colonel Kane was sent there to command troops and employ his talents as an administrator. He recommended a civil government for the Rock. On 25 Dec 1725 he was appointed Colonel of the (9th) Regiment but remained in the Mediterranean. In the same year he returned to Minorca and was appointed Governor in 1733. He was promoted to Brigadier-General in 1735. He died in Mahón on 19 Dec 1736 and was buried in the chapel of St Philip’s Castle although his grave was destroyed by the Spanish. The bust of Brigadier-General Richard Kane is by J M Rysbrack, part of a monument in the west aisle of the north transept of Westminster Abbey. There is a long inscription in Latin detailing his life and achievements. Kane is remembered as an exceptional soldier and a benevolent colonial administrator devoted to the people in his care.
