Conyngham, Sir Albert (d. 1691), Williamite officer, was born at Mount Charles, Co. Donegal, son of the Very Rev. Alexander Conyngham, dean of Raphoe, and Maria Conyngham (née Murray). On the restoration of King Charles II (1660) he was made lieutenant-general of the ordnance in Ireland, an office he held till the accession of James II (qv) in 1685. Deprived of his position due to his adherence to the established church he actively opposed the rule of James II. After the ‘Glorious revolution’ of 1688 he set about raising a regiment of irregular horse in Donegal and Fermanagh. In August 1689 he received an official request from Col. William Wolseley (qv) to raise a regiment of 600 men; but it seems that he had anticipated this order, as a list of officers of the regiment exists dated June 1689. A royal warrant (1 January 1690) put this regiment, generally referred to at the time as ‘Conyngham's regiment of dragoons’, on the regular army establishment and Conyngham was made its colonel. During the course of the Williamite wars in Ireland these cavalrymen gained a fearsome reputation for their fighting prowess. Col. Conyngham led them at the battles of the Boyne, Newtown Butler, Belturbet, and Aughrim. The regiment was also present at the first siege of Limerick and the capture of Galway.
At the end of August 1691 Conyngham was ordered to take his regiment to Castlebar, Co. Mayo to negotiate terms with Hugh Balldearg O'Donnell (qv), who had agreed to change allegiances and join the Williamite army with his forces. From there he marched towards Sligo to take part in the siege of that town. On the morning of 5 September 1691 the regiment's camp at Collooney, near Sligo, was attacked by a Jacobite force of 700 men under Col. Scott. Conyngham was taken prisoner but was later killed.
Conyngham married (date unknown) Margaret, daughter of Robert Leslie (qv), bishop of Raphoe. They had one surviving son, Henry Conyngham, a professional soldier who also raised a regiment of horse for the Williamite cause and was MP for Killybegs (1692–3) and Co. Donegal (1695–9, 1703–6). Later a major-general, he was killed at the battle of St Estevans (26 January 1706) while campaigning in Spain with Lord Peterborough. Katherine Conolly (qv) was a daughter. Some correspondence of Sir Albert Conyngham is held in the NLI and in the house of lords papers, London.