The Kilpatricks and Cranwills from
Dublin, Ireland
The Kilpatricks of Dublin, formerly Armagh, and the
Cranwills of Dublin and Ballycanew, Wexford, have without a doubt been the most
pleasurable and successful areas of my Irish family research. My paternal Grandmother
Mabel Jackson Wise’s mother was named Agnes Amelia Kilpatrick. This information
I discovered on Mabel’s birth record. I had never heard of Agnes, the wife of
George Edwin Wise, however her oval photographic portrait and that of my Great-Grandfather
Wise had hung as a pair above our sideboard in the dining room at our home, Routala, Wunulla Road in Point Piper as
a child. My understanding from my dad, Reg Robson, was that they were my great-grandparents,
I knew nothing more. Finally I now had a name to put to the lovely photograph
of my Great-Grandmother Wise.
My earliest endeavours uncovered the Wise line, and led me
back to Ireland, however, my research stalled for some time with Agnes Amelia Kilpatrick,
because I didn’t know she was Irish. I spent quite a bit of time searching for
an Australian birth index for Agnes without success, and then moved onto other
areas of the family tree. I also deliberated over the interesting middle names
that Agnes had given to her children, the clue here was that she was obviously
giving family names to them, for instance, Edna, her third daughter was given
her own surname of Kilpatrick, and other siblings were given names such as
Jackson, Murray, Cranwill, Evangeline and Raymond. The puzzle started coming
together when I found Agnes’ death record, giving the names of her parents,
James and Elizabeth, and giving me another generation to place into the family
tree.
Australian Birth
Index 1788-1922:
Name:
|
Mabel Jackson Wise
|
Father's Name:
|
George Wise
|
Mother's name:
|
Agtess Amelia Kilpatrick
|
Birth Place:
|
Avoca, Victoria
|
Registration Year:
|
1878
|
Registration Place:
|
Victoria
|
Registration Number:
|
13011
|
Australian Death
Index 1787-1985:
Name:
|
Agnes A Wise
|
Death Date:
|
1924
|
Death Place:
|
New South Wales
|
Father's Name:
|
James
|
Mother's name:
|
Elizabeth
|
Registration Year:
|
1924
|
Registration Place:
|
Burwood, New South Wales
|
Registration Number:
|
1069
|
Photographic portrait
of Agnes Amelia Wise, nee Kilpatrick
John Borthwick
Wedding Album, Drawing Room, Fox Hills. Sent from England by Irene Borthwick to her sister Mabel
Robson.
Recently I was tidying up my mother’s apartment at Point
Piper, and I came across a wedding album for Sir John Borthwick’s marriage to
Irene Heller, on 4 November 1939 in Surrey, England. John being a first cousin
to Dad; their mothers Irene and Mabel Wise were sisters. The album had the name
Mabel written in Aunt Irene’s handwriting on the front cover, and you can see
the photograph illustrated above with her unmistakable writing describing the
drawing room at her magnificent home, Fox
Hills in Surrey, England. Irene must have compiled this album for her
sister, Mabel Robson and sent it to her home, Drayton at Rose Bay in Sydney, Australia. My father, Reg Robson,
must have inherited this album after the family home was sold in 1950, and it
lay undisturbed for years in a box of treasures, firstly in my father’s
dressing room cupboard, and later in my mother’s bedroom cupboard. Irene
Borthwick was dad’s favourite aunt, and he gave me the middle name Irene in her
honour. Aunt Irene was an amazingly generous hostess, and over many decades she
would always entertain my father and mother at Fox Hills in Surrey or at her
town house, Eaton Square in London, when visiting from Sydney.
In 1953 my father and mother were invited to Westminster Abbey to attend the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II. Dad had done an enormous amount of work for the Liberal Party in Sydney and he was honoured by this invitation. Aunt Irene later invited mum and dad to stay at Fox Hills in Surrey, where they attended Royal Ascot. I can remember visiting Aunt Irene with my parents in May 1975, and again in January 1982, when I took my husband Geoff to introduce him to Aunt Irene, after a ski holiday in Austria. Dinner with Aunt Irene was always a very formal affair, and her faithful butler Smith was always on hand to look after everyone.
In 1953 my father and mother were invited to Westminster Abbey to attend the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II. Dad had done an enormous amount of work for the Liberal Party in Sydney and he was honoured by this invitation. Aunt Irene later invited mum and dad to stay at Fox Hills in Surrey, where they attended Royal Ascot. I can remember visiting Aunt Irene with my parents in May 1975, and again in January 1982, when I took my husband Geoff to introduce him to Aunt Irene, after a ski holiday in Austria. Dinner with Aunt Irene was always a very formal affair, and her faithful butler Smith was always on hand to look after everyone.
To my amazement the album showed a portrait hanging on the
walls at Fox Hills of Agnes Amelia Wise, Irene and Mabel’s mother. The photograph
of this portrait had hung on our dining room wall at Point Piper for years and
it must have been Aunt Irene who commissioned her mother’s portrait.
My research on the Wise family of Avoca, country Victoria,
Australia, shows that James Kilpatrick and William McOboy Wise were partners in
the Kilpatrick Wise General Stores in Avoca and Percydale, their children Agnes
Amelia Kilpatrick and George Edwin Wise grew up together, probably helping out
in their fathers’ general stores; they married at Avoca, Victoria in 1873, the
same year that William McOboy Wise died so tragically, after being thrown from
his horse. It was sad to realise that, like my own children, George Wise’s
children would never have known their grandfather.
Australian Marriage
Index 1788-1950:
Name:
|
Agnes Amelia Kilpatrick
|
Spouse Name:
|
George Wise
|
Marriage Place:
|
Victoria
|
Registration Place:
|
Victoria
|
Registration Year:
|
1873
|
Registration Number:
|
2579
|
I was unsuccessful in finding the death records for James
and Elizabeth Kilpatrick amongst the Victorian records from Avoca, and this was
where I became stuck. Not knowing when they died was also difficult as there
were possible records I could see, but I couldn’t know which one was correct.
It was quite by chance that I found the Kilpatrick family
grave at Avoca cemetery. Earlier I had found that Avoca cemetery was where so
many of the Wises had been buried, and I had obtained photos of their graves
from Carol Judkins, a photographer and researcher. It was on a hunch that I
searched Carol Judkin’s website again, and found a listing for Kilpatrick, and
there was the name Cranwill listed amongst the Kilpatrick middle names. I
excitedly emailed Carol for photos of the Kilpatrick family headstones at Avoca
cemetery. You will see from this email that it was early in my research and I
still had no real idea about the Kilpatrick line.
See the link and my email below:
KILPATRICK George Frederick William, Evangeline Jessie, James John
Thomas, Alfred Hayes, Charles Edward Cranwill, Caroline Mary, Eliza, James.
From: Virginia Rundle To: judkins@netspace.net.au Sent: Sunday, May 29, 2011 7:29 AM Subject: FW: Avoca cemetery
Dear Carol, Just as I was about
to close the webpage I decided to check for Kilpatricks in the Avoca cemetery,
having had no leads at all on their whereabouts or even their names, I was
looking for a link to my Great Grandparents, Agnes Amelia Kilpatrick married to
George Edwin Wise. I thought they might have met and married before moving
to Sydney. And there they all were. My great Aunt Irene Borthwick nee Wise had the second
name Evangeline. I know this must be them! So exciting. Could you also email me
the Kilpatrick gravestones? George and Evangeline Kilpatrick must be my
GGGrandfather/mother on the other side. Wow so exciting. I will go and search
the records for them. I would like to come and see the Avoca cemetery, and the
countryside where they settled, sometime in the near future. I am so eagerly
looking forward to receiving the photos. I am going to tell the whole family
about this.
Regards Virginia Rundle
Without waiting for a reply from Carol I started my own
search on ancestry for these people, and what unfolded in the space of the next
few hours on a rainy Sunday morning, was a story of such unbelievable sadness,
that it was difficult to comprehend. I collected six death records and the
corresponding cemetery indexes for the Kilpatrick family, and it became
apparent that I was in the midst of uncovering a family tragedy, where, in the
space of three weeks in the autumn of 1864, six of the young children of James
and Elizabeth Kilpatrick all died and were buried in Avoca cemetery.
Here are the cemetery records; listing the dates in order
that the children died:
Australian Cemetery Index
1808-2007:
Name:
|
George Frederick William Kilpatrick
|
Death Age:
|
6
|
Birth Date:
|
abt 1858
|
Death Date:
|
23 Mar 1864
|
Cemetery:
|
Avoca
|
Cemetery Location:
|
Avoca, Victoria
|
Name:
|
Evangeline Jessie Kilpatrick
|
Death Age:
|
11
|
Birth Date:
|
abt 1853
|
Death Date:
|
25 Mar 1864
|
Cemetery:
|
Avoca
|
Cemetery Location:
|
Avoca, Victoria
|
Name:
|
James John Thomas Kilpatrick
|
Death Age:
|
8
|
Birth Date:
|
abt 1856
|
Death Date:
|
31 Mar 1864
|
Cemetery:
|
Avoca
|
Cemetery Location:
|
Avoca, Victoria
|
Name:
|
Alfred Hayes Kilpatrick
|
Death Age:
|
6/12
|
Birth Date:
|
abt 1863
|
Death Date:
|
8 Apr 1864
|
Cemetery:
|
Avoca
|
Cemetery Location:
|
Avoca, Victoria
|
Name:
|
Charles Edward Cranwill Kilpatrick
|
Death Age:
|
3
|
Birth Date:
|
abt 1861
|
Death Date:
|
11 Apr 1864
|
Cemetery:
|
Avoca
|
Cemetery Location:
|
Avoca, Victoria
|
Name:
|
Caroline Mary Kilpatrick
|
Death Age:
|
14
|
Birth Date:
|
abt 1850
|
Death Date:
|
17 Apr 1864
|
Cemetery:
|
Avoca
|
Cemetery Location:
|
Avoca, Victoria
|
A bleak mood overtook me, and I instinctively knew that the
children must have died from an epidemic that swept through their Victorian
town. Sure enough a quick Google of Australian epidemics uncovered a diphtheria
epidemic in 1864 that had taken such a shocking toll on our family.
It is hard to imagine how James and Elizabeth Kilpatrick coped with this terrible sadness.
It is hard to imagine how James and Elizabeth Kilpatrick coped with this terrible sadness.
James and Elizabeth were Agnes’ parents, a fact I picked up
from Agnes’ death record, and it was now probable that Elizabeth’s surname was either
Cranwill or Jackson. So much was happening at once, it was hard to absorb the
information. On a hunch I went with Cranwill and placed it in my ancestry tree
as Elizabeth’s surname, and immediately I had “shaking leaves” all over the
family tree!
A few hours later I received a reply from Carol confirming
my fears and giving me an enormous amount of information to absorb, including
the news that Agnes Amelia Kilpatrick had been born in Dublin, and that she had
another sister, Elizabeth, who didn’t die in the diphtheria epidemic; this was
comforting news. The record that was most fascinating was the death record for Elizabeth
Kilpatrick, naming her parents as William (Wm) Cranwill and Frances Johnston.
From: Carol & George Judkins
[mailto:judkins@netspace.net.au]
Sent: Sunday, 29 May 2011 8:47 AM
To: Virginia Rundle
Subject: Re: Avoca cemetery
Sent: Sunday, 29 May 2011 8:47 AM
To: Virginia Rundle
Subject: Re: Avoca cemetery
Hi Virginia, Photo attached
Marriage for George and Agnes:
Digger - Pioneer
Index. Victoria 1836-1888
Surname: WISE
Given Names: George
Event: M
Spouse Surname/Father: KILPATRICK
Spouse Gvn Names/Mother: Agnes Amelia
Sex: M
Birth Place: George - CORK Agnes - DUBLIN
Death Place:
Year: 1873
Reg Number: 2579
Given Names: George
Event: M
Spouse Surname/Father: KILPATRICK
Spouse Gvn Names/Mother: Agnes Amelia
Sex: M
Birth Place: George - CORK Agnes - DUBLIN
Death Place:
Year: 1873
Reg Number: 2579
And they also had a number of children:
Digger - Pioneer
Index. Victoria 1836-1888
Surname: WISE
Given Names: Lily Cranwill
Event: B
Spouse Surname/Father: George
Spouse Gvn Names/Mother: Agnes Amelia KILPATRICK
Age:
Sex:
Birth Place: AVOCA
Death Place:
Year: 1874
Reg Number: 13403
Given Names: Lily Cranwill
Event: B
Spouse Surname/Father: George
Spouse Gvn Names/Mother: Agnes Amelia KILPATRICK
Age:
Sex:
Birth Place: AVOCA
Death Place:
Year: 1874
Reg Number: 13403
Surname: WISE
Given Names: Ellen Murray
Event: B
Spouse Surname/Father: George
Spouse Gvn Names/Mother: Agnes Amelia KILPATRICK
Age:
Sex:
Birth Place: AVOC
Death Place:
Year: 1875
Reg Number: 154
Given Names: Ellen Murray
Event: B
Spouse Surname/Father: George
Spouse Gvn Names/Mother: Agnes Amelia KILPATRICK
Age:
Sex:
Birth Place: AVOC
Death Place:
Year: 1875
Reg Number: 154
Surname: WISE
Given Names: Edna Kilpatrick
Event: B
Spouse Surname/Father: George
Spouse Gvn Names/Mother: Agnes Amelia KILPATRICK
Age:
Sex:
Birth Place: AVOC
Death Place:
Year: 1876
Reg Number: 20553
Given Names: Edna Kilpatrick
Event: B
Spouse Surname/Father: George
Spouse Gvn Names/Mother: Agnes Amelia KILPATRICK
Age:
Sex:
Birth Place: AVOC
Death Place:
Year: 1876
Reg Number: 20553
Surname: WISE
Given Names: Cyril Raymond
Event: B
Spouse Surname/Father: George
Spouse Gvn Names/Mother: Agnes Amelia KILPATRICK
Age:
Sex:
Birth Place: PERC
Death Place:
Year: 1883
Reg Number: 4507
Given Names: Cyril Raymond
Event: B
Spouse Surname/Father: George
Spouse Gvn Names/Mother: Agnes Amelia KILPATRICK
Age:
Sex:
Birth Place: PERC
Death Place:
Year: 1883
Reg Number: 4507
Surname: WISE
Given Names: Irene Evangeline
Event: B
Spouse Surname/Father: George
Spouse Gvn Names/Mother: Agnes Amelia KILPATRICK
Age:
Sex:
Birth Place: PERC
Death Place:
Year: 1885
Reg Number: 12481
Given Names: Irene Evangeline
Event: B
Spouse Surname/Father: George
Spouse Gvn Names/Mother: Agnes Amelia KILPATRICK
Age:
Sex:
Birth Place: PERC
Death Place:
Year: 1885
Reg Number: 12481
Surname: WISE
Given Names: Alice Ruby
Event: B
Spouse Surname/Father: George
Spouse Gvn Names/Mother: Agnes Amelia KILPATRICK
Age:
Sex:
Birth Place: PERC
Death Place:
Year: 1887
Reg Number: 30849
Given Names: Alice Ruby
Event: B
Spouse Surname/Father: George
Spouse Gvn Names/Mother: Agnes Amelia KILPATRICK
Age:
Sex:
Birth Place: PERC
Death Place:
Year: 1887
Reg Number: 30849
Surname: WISE
Given Names: Mabel Jackson
Event: B
Spouse Surname/Father: George
Spouse Gvn Names/Mother: Agness Amelia KILPATRICK
Age:
Sex:
Birth Place: AV OC
Death Place:
Year: 1878
Reg Number: 13011
Given Names: Mabel Jackson
Event: B
Spouse Surname/Father: George
Spouse Gvn Names/Mother: Agness Amelia KILPATRICK
Age:
Sex:
Birth Place: AV OC
Death Place:
Year: 1878
Reg Number: 13011
On the headstone it notes James Kilpatrick as having died in Adelaide -
year is obstructed by some very inconsiderate weeds - however registration
shows he died 19 May 1894
Digger - South Australian
Deaths Registrations 1842 to 1915
Surname: KILPATRICK
Given Names: James
Date: 1894-05-19
Sex: M
Age: 73y
Status: N
Relative: (not recorded)
Relative 2:
Residence: Mile End
Death Place: Mile End
District Code: Hin
Symbol:
Book: 219
Page: 68
Cross Reference:
Given Names: James
Date: 1894-05-19
Sex: M
Age: 73y
Status: N
Relative: (not recorded)
Relative 2:
Residence: Mile End
Death Place: Mile End
District Code: Hin
Symbol:
Book: 219
Page: 68
Cross Reference:
Now here are some birth and death registrations for the children of
James and Eliza:
Digger - Pioneer
Index. Victoria 1836-1888
Surname: KILPATRICK
Given Names: James John Thomas
Event: B
Spouse Surname/Father: James
Spouse Gvn Names/Mother: Eliza CRANWILL
Age:
Sex:
Birth Place: RICHMOND
Death Place:
Year: 1855
Reg Number: 7017
Given Names: James John Thomas
Event: B
Spouse Surname/Father: James
Spouse Gvn Names/Mother: Eliza CRANWILL
Age:
Sex:
Birth Place: RICHMOND
Death Place:
Year: 1855
Reg Number: 7017
Surname: KILPATRICK
Given Names: Geo Fredk Wm
Event: B
Spouse Surname/Father: James
Spouse Gvn Names/Mother: Eliza CRANWILL
Age:
Sex:
Birth Place: AVOCA
Death Place:
Year: 1858
Reg Number: 8071
Given Names: Geo Fredk Wm
Event: B
Spouse Surname/Father: James
Spouse Gvn Names/Mother: Eliza CRANWILL
Age:
Sex:
Birth Place: AVOCA
Death Place:
Year: 1858
Reg Number: 8071
Surname: KILPATRICK
Given Names: Chas Edwd Cranwil
Event: B
Spouse Surname/Father: James
Spouse Gvn Names/Mother: Elizabeth CRANWIL
Age:
Sex:
Birth Place: AVOCA
Death Place:
Year: 1861
Reg Number: 15790
Given Names: Chas Edwd Cranwil
Event: B
Spouse Surname/Father: James
Spouse Gvn Names/Mother: Elizabeth CRANWIL
Age:
Sex:
Birth Place: AVOCA
Death Place:
Year: 1861
Reg Number: 15790
Surname: KILPATRICK
Given Names: Alfred Hayes
Event: B
Spouse Surname/Father: James
Spouse Gvn Names/Mother: Eliza CRANWILL
Age:
Sex:
Birth Place: AVOC
Death Place:
Year: 1864
Reg Number: 188
Given Names: Alfred Hayes
Event: B
Spouse Surname/Father: James
Spouse Gvn Names/Mother: Eliza CRANWILL
Age:
Sex:
Birth Place: AVOC
Death Place:
Year: 1864
Reg Number: 188
Surname: KILPATRICK
Given Names: Alfred Hayes
Event: D
Spouse Surname/Father: James
Spouse Gvn Names/Mother: Eliza
Age: 6M
Sex:
Birth Place: AVOCA
Death Place:
Year: 1864
Reg Number: 2623
Given Names: Alfred Hayes
Event: D
Spouse Surname/Father: James
Spouse Gvn Names/Mother: Eliza
Age: 6M
Sex:
Birth Place: AVOCA
Death Place:
Year: 1864
Reg Number: 2623
Surname: KILPATRICK
Given Names: Chas Edwd Cranwill
Event: D
Spouse Surname/Father: James
Spouse Gvn Names/Mother: Eliza
Age: 3
Sex:
Birth Place: AVOCA
Death Place:
Year: 1864
Reg Number: 2624
Given Names: Chas Edwd Cranwill
Event: D
Spouse Surname/Father: James
Spouse Gvn Names/Mother: Eliza
Age: 3
Sex:
Birth Place: AVOCA
Death Place:
Year: 1864
Reg Number: 2624
Surname: KILPATRICK
Given Names: Caroline Mary
Event: D
Spouse Surname/Father: James
Spouse Gvn Names/Mother: Eliza
Age: 14
Sex:
Birth Place: DUBL
Death Place:
Year: 1864
Reg Number: 2625
Given Names: Caroline Mary
Event: D
Spouse Surname/Father: James
Spouse Gvn Names/Mother: Eliza
Age: 14
Sex:
Birth Place: DUBL
Death Place:
Year: 1864
Reg Number: 2625
Surname: KILPATRICK
Given Names: George Frederick William
Event: D
Spouse Surname/Father: James
Spouse Gvn Names/Mother: Eliza
Age: 6
Birth Place: AVOCA
Death Place:
Year: 1864
Reg Number: 47
Given Names: George Frederick William
Event: D
Spouse Surname/Father: James
Spouse Gvn Names/Mother: Eliza
Age: 6
Birth Place: AVOCA
Death Place:
Year: 1864
Reg Number: 47
Surname: KILPATRICK
Given Names: Evangeline Jessy
Event: D
Spouse Surname/Father: James
Spouse Gvn Names/Mother: Eliza
Age: 11
Birth Place: DUBL
Death Place:
Year: 1864
Reg Number: 48
Given Names: Evangeline Jessy
Event: D
Spouse Surname/Father: James
Spouse Gvn Names/Mother: Eliza
Age: 11
Birth Place: DUBL
Death Place:
Year: 1864
Reg Number: 48
Surname: KILPATRICK
Given Names: James John Thomas
Event: D
Spouse Surname/Father: James
Spouse Gvn Names/Mother: Eliza
Age: 8
Birth Place: MELB
Death Place:
Year: 1864
Reg Number: 51
Given Names: James John Thomas
Event: D
Spouse Surname/Father: James
Spouse Gvn Names/Mother: Eliza
Age: 8
Birth Place: MELB
Death Place:
Year: 1864
Reg Number: 51
They lost a lot of children in the same year and all with in about a
month - must have been an outbreak of something. Perhaps diphtheria.
And Eliza's death registration:
Digger - Edwardian
Index. Victoria 1902-1913
Surname: KILPATRICK
Given Names: Eliza
Event: D
Sex:
Spouse Surname/Father: Cranwill Wm
Spouse Gvn Names/Mother: Frances JOHNSTON
Age: 88
Death Place: Donald
Year: 1907
Reg. Number: 11942
Given Names: Eliza
Event: D
Sex:
Spouse Surname/Father: Cranwill Wm
Spouse Gvn Names/Mother: Frances JOHNSTON
Age: 88
Death Place: Donald
Year: 1907
Reg. Number: 11942
And then another death registration for another daughter of Eliza and James:
Digger - Death
Index. Victoria 1921-1985
Surname: GREWAR
Given Names: Elizth Frances
Father: Kilpatrick Jas
Mother: Eliza CRANWILL
Death Place: DONALD
Age: 87
Age Code:
Year: 1934
Reg Number: 16157
Event: D
Given Names: Elizth Frances
Father: Kilpatrick Jas
Mother: Eliza CRANWILL
Death Place: DONALD
Age: 87
Age Code:
Year: 1934
Reg Number: 16157
Event: D
Well that lot should keep you busy sorting out who is who. Regards Carol
Carol
attached a photograph of the grave which stands at the far end of Avoca
Cemetery. It is a magnificent and very large marble headstone surrounded by an
ornate cast iron fence. When I visited Avoca in 2011 I was unprepared for its
largeness and its very peaceful and scenic position in the cemetery, nearby to
the grave is a large paddock where merino sheep were quietly grazing and, and in
the distance the very dramatic and steep Pyrenees Mountains rise suddenly from
the flat plain beneath.
The Kilpatrick Family
Headstone at Avoca Cemetery, Victoria.
My mind was
working hard to digest all this information. A planned ski trip to Thredbo
allowed me the thought that Geoff and I could then drive to Avoca in Victoria
and see for ourselves the countryside where the Wises and Kilpatricks had lived
after their migration from Ireland. My sister Lavinia Chrystal was also
excitedly planning to join us on our adventure.
The
excitement of our trip was coupled with the fact that we were able to find a
descendant of James and Eliza Kilpatrick’s elder daughter Elizabeth, living in
St Arnaud, not far from Avoca in Victoria. This was a woman called Laura Grewer,
whose husband Laurence, was the Grandson of Elizabeth Grewer nee Kilpatrick.
Laurence’s father was James Joseph Kilpatrick Grewer, and it turns out that
like Agnes Wise, Elizabeth Grewer named many of her children with traditional
Irish family names, including three daughters named Caroline, Evangeline and
Frances. Laura was 101 years old and it was wonderful to visit her home and
celebrate her reaching such a great age. She had many congratulatory letters on
her walls including one from Queen Elizabeth and amongst many others, the Prime
Minister of Australia. Laura was in good spirits and still living
independently, and she put on a spread of cakes, biscuits and tea. Laura had an
amazing memory, and she told us the story about the diphtheria epidemic that
struck the Kilpatrick family so grievously. The undertaker apparently refused
to attend the Kilpatrick’s home and the Reverend and James Kilpatrick had to
take the children to the cemetery to bury. It must have been a terrible ordeal.
The Reverend came back each time over the space of five weeks to help James and
Eliza bury their children, and to offer prayers. On the last occasion he turned
up with a bottle of sulphur dust, and each of the surviving daughters were
administered by the Reverend who poured the sulphur mixture down their throats
to hopefully stop them from catching the disease. He apparently turned to the
parents and told them he didn’t have the heart to keep coming back to their
door, and he had heard that this was a remedy of sorts. It probably burnt the children’s
throats, but that was better than dying. It did the trick, and Elizabeth, Jane
and Agnes survived. The scourge was never ever talked about in our family.
Just before
our road trip to Victoria, I caught up with my second cousin Peter Borthwick
and his wife Helen, and they told me that they had a Wise family tree that they
thought I would be interested in. Helen very kindly photocopied it, and dropped
it into my letter box the next day. It was exciting to open this material and
try to get my mind around all the contemporary information about the Wise and
Kilpatrick descendants. Helen told me it was the work of her mother-in-law,
Lady Irene Borthwick, who had lived all her married life in England. It was
obvious that my Great Aunt Irene had kept a close eye on the expanding family
in Australia, and had noted down all the generations, marriages and their children
in a most meticulous fashion, and it was such a help to me to see for the first
time, my father’s large amount of first and second cousins, the majority of
whom, I had never heard of. She also had an incredible amount of accurate
information on dates and places of births and deaths from Ireland.
The most
important discovery from this document was the existence of yet another
daughter of James and Elizabeth Kilpatrick. Jane Isabella, the second eldest
daughter, who was listed as having been born in Bray, Dublin on 24 December
1848.
One of the
biggest disappointments of my research into the Wises and Kilpatricks, was that
I was never able to find out what ships they arrived in Australia on. The
Borthwick files claim that the Wises arrived in Sydney in 1851. It would appear
that both families were unassisted migrants, and they paid their own way to
Australia, and as such there are many gaps in these records that were not
recorded by the authorities. Newspaper columns listing the arrival of ships and
passengers into ports by shipping agents are fairly common but a full list is a
rare find, and in our case, it was not to be.
The next few
pages I have illustrated with some family charts, and an obituary for Mrs E
Kilpatrick, starting on this page with a Family View Report for Agnes Amelia
Kilpatrick, and the following page is a “pedigree” chart for my grandmother,
Mabel Robson nee Wise showing both the Wise and Kilpatrick sides of her Irish
family. Note that the “Family View Reports” do not show the children in
chronological order, and I think this is a software problem with the chart
maker, Family Tree Maker. The third chart is a Family View Report for Elizabeth
“Eliza” Cranwill. It is pretty amazing to be able to click a button on a
computer and come up with many various family reports and charts.
After
viewing the family grave at Avoca and noting Elizabeth’s name listed on the
grave as Eliza, I decided that I would adopt this name too. There was so much
to go through and add to the family tree. I spent a lot of time checking and
adding records and to my absolute fascination it turned out that Jane Isabella
Kilpatrick married Henry Wise, another of William McOboy Wise’s sons, and just
to make sure I had found the correct person, I then found Jane’s death index
confirming her parents as James and Elizabeth. It was incredible, two daughters
marrying two sons, and both in the same year. I wondered if theirs had been a
double marriage with Agnes Kilpatrick and George Wise.
Australian Marriage Index 1788-1950:
Name:
|
Jane Isabella Kilpatrick
|
Spouse Name:
|
Henry Wise
|
Marriage Place:
|
Victoria
|
Registration Place:
|
Victoria
|
Registration Year:
|
1873
|
Registration Number:
|
1358
|
Australian
Death Index 1787-1985:
Name:
|
Jane I Wise
|
Death Date:
|
1905
|
Death Place:
|
New South Wales
|
Father's Name:
|
James
|
Mother's name:
|
Elizabeth
|
Registration Year:
|
1905
|
Registration Place:
|
Newtown, New South Wales
|
Registration Number:
|
6016
|
Australian Death
Indexes 1787-1985:
Name:
|
James Kilpatrick
|
Death Date:
|
19 May 1894
|
Death Place:
|
Mile End
|
Age:
|
73
|
Residence Place:
|
Mile End
|
Registration Place:
|
Hindmarsh, South Australia
|
Page Number:
|
68
|
Volume Number:
|
219
|
Estimated birth year:
|
abt 1821
|
Name:
|
Eliza Kilpatrick
|
Death Place:
|
Donald, Victoria
|
Age:
|
88
|
Father's Name:
|
Cranwill Wm
|
Mother's name:
|
Frances Johnston
|
Registration Year:
|
1907
|
Registration Place:
|
Victoria
|
Registration Number:
|
11942
|
Estimated birth year:
|
abt 1819
|
The children’s names on the Kilpatrick grave are significant
ones, I am yet to work out all the meanings of the middle names, and the name
Hayes does warrant further research. Also the name George Frederick William Kilpatrick
is significant, as it turns out Jane Isabella Wise, Agnes’ sister named one of
her sons Frederick William Kilpatrick Wise, and this cannot be a coincidence.
The visit to Avoca is covered in the chapter, The Wises of Avoca, however one article
that is most relevant to this chapter was an obituary on Eliza Kilpatrick from
the Avoca Mail, which gave me some
more information to answer some of my questions. Lavinia, Geoff and I spent a
morning at the Avoca and Districts Historical Society (ADHS) and after joining
their society, we were able to access the Library and copy many documents of
interest regarding the Wise and Kilpatricks. In my haste to copy everything, I
overlooked the obituary of Eliza’s for quite some time, and during my research
for this chapter, the obituary literally fell out of a page in my folder!
One important clue from the email of Carol Judkins that was
exciting was that the Kilpatrick family was from Dublin, and for the first time
I was on the verge of achieving my goal, which was to place our family
correctly into their place of origin. However, I was not to realise how
absorbing and time consuming this quest was to become. I had for the first time
a link to a family tree back in Dublin, and this was to prove a most
interesting discovery.
I now had to turn my research to Ireland to find out more
about the Cranwills and the Kilpatricks. One thing that was an advantage was
the rare and unusual name Cranwill, which has proved to be such a help in my
research. A Kilpatrick born in Armar (sic) as written on the gravestone, was
not helpful, as the name Kilpatrick is as common as Jones in Wales. Nevertheless,
I didn’t realise how easy it was going to be to find out more about James and
Eliza until I googled their full names into my laptop, and incredibly came up
with a website listing the availability of an original marriage certificate for
them, all at the click of my mouse button. It was one of my most exciting
finds.
I was able to see so much information, I could see that both
James and Eliza were both literate and could sign their own names, it was a
first marriage for them both and James’ occupation was listed as a draper,
which of course fitted right into his occupation in Avoca co-running the
Kilpatrick Wise General Stores. James and Eliza’s father’s were both listed on
the marriage certificate which gave their occupations as well. James’ father
also named James was listed as a farmer, and Eliza’s father was listed as
Thomas Cranwill, a merchant. These occupations were obviously fairly well to do
in Ireland. I was gripped with the need to find out more about the Cranwills. The
address of the parents is not included, and it well may be that a listed father
maybe deceased at the time of the marriage, but not indicated. The amazing
ability to capture these online handwritten parish records to my own computer
was exciting.
The thought that I was now witnessing a document that was
original, and was actually signed by both James and Eliza on the day of their
marriage was truly amazing. I could see the ink splotches, smears and various
handwriting and age spots on these documents; what absolute treasures these
documents are! In light of earlier research I had done on the Wise family of Cork, I realised
how lucky I was to have these documents, because so many original parish
records were destroyed in 1922 when the Four Courts Building in Dublin was
blown up by the British forces who thought Irish rebels were hiding out in the
building. See my chapter on the Wise Merchants of Cork.
Marriage of James
Kilpatrick and Eliza Cranwill, December 28 1845, St Peters, City of Dublin
Now I had the correct name of Eliza’s father, and before me
I could see Eliza’s other sisters, Isabella, Mary Anne and Emily Cranwill's marriage
records from Dublin at around the same time, each one listing “Thomas”, “Thomas
S”, “Thos.” or “Thomas Smith” Cranwill as their father, his occupation also
varying from gentleman, to merchant, to grocer. It was so interesting to see
these hand written original documents and analyse them. James and Eliza were
married at St Peters, City of Dublin. St Peter’s Church was demolished in 1983 to make way for the
Dublin YMCA. Witnesses to the marriage were Alexander Knox and Frederick Augustus Alcock. Frederick later migrated to South Africa.
St Peter's Church, Aungier Street, Dublin, near St Stephen's Green, now demolished.
St Peter's Church, Aungier Street, Dublin, near St Stephen's Green, now demolished.
The records for the marriages of Eliza’s sisters follow. James Kilpatrick was a witness to the marriage Eliza’s sister, Mary Ann Cranwill to William Shern who were married at Grangegorman Church, Dublin City. This date has helped me pinpoint the approximate migration of the Kilpatrick family to Australia, which must have been shortly after July 1853.
Marriage of William
Shern and Mary Ann Cranwill, 2 November 1853 at Grangegorman, Dublin
Marriage of John
Brindley and Isabella Cranwill, at St Mark’s Church, City of Dublin, 9 July 1845.
The last two records are the marriages of Emily Cranwill to William James Holland, at St
Catherine’s Church, Dublin and Isabella Cranwill to John Brindley, who were
married at St Mark’s Church, City of Dublin.
St Paul's Church, Dublin is one of the more prominent buildings at Arran Quay. It was built in 1835 by Patrick Byrne, and it's dominating portico and dome front the Liffey River. Three of James and Eliza Kilpatrick's children, Elizabeth, Caroline and Agnes were baptised in this beautiful church.
St Paul's Church, Arran Quay, Dublin.
Baptism of Elizabeth Frances Kilpatrick, 13 July 1847, St Paul's Dublin, born 20 Feb 1847.
Baptism of Caroline Mary Kilpatrick 23 June 1850, St Paul's, Dublin, born 1st April 1850.
Baptism of Agnes Amelia Kilpatrick, 11 Jan 1852, St Paul's Dublin, born 30 Nov 1851.
St Paul's Church, Arran Quay, Dublin.
Baptism of Elizabeth Frances Kilpatrick, 13 July 1847, St Paul's Dublin, born 20 Feb 1847.
Baptism of Caroline Mary Kilpatrick 23 June 1850, St Paul's, Dublin, born 1st April 1850.
Baptism of Agnes Amelia Kilpatrick, 11 Jan 1852, St Paul's Dublin, born 30 Nov 1851.
The Kilpatrick's daughters are listed with the address, 12 Queen Street, Dublin and there is precious information on these Baptisms giving their dates of birth and the church. A few years later I searched Irish Genealogy again, widening the search parameters to allow for "other" spellings of Kilpatrick. It was exciting to find a baptism record for Evangeline Jesse, born 22 July 1853 to James and Elizabeth Fitzpatrick of 36 Thomas Street, Dublin, and baptised at St Catherine's Dublin on 23 December 1853. Clearly this is a transcription error for Evangeline and her baptism date at Christmas time, gave the extended family an opportunity to attend, when the family would have had a few days off work.
Thomas Street being familiar as the address of Eliza's father, Thomas Smith Cranwill. The record is presently listed only as a transcription, waiting to be imaged. The rest of the Kilpatrick’s children were born in Australia, either in Melbourne or Avoca.
I have found no record for the Kilpatrick family's migration to Australia. The Dublin records show that the departure of the Kilpatricks is after November 1853, when James Kilpatrick was witness to the marriage of William Shern and Mary Ann Cranwill, and September 1854, was when the family apparently arrived in Melbourne. The first confirmation of the Kilpatrick's arrival in Australia is with the birth record for James and Elizabeth's son, James John Thomas Kilpatrick, named in honour of his father James "John?" Kilpatrick, and paternal grandfather, Thomas Smith Cranwill.
Australian Birth Index 1788-1922:
It is possible that James Kilpatrick was smitten with gold fever, and that this was the reason he took his large family across the world to Australia. The idea of adventure, and visiting exotic new worlds on the journey cannot be discounted, as they had no close family in Australia to encouraged their migration. It is possible that uncertainty in his employment could have been the cause. The move coming after what seemed to be a settled, and fairly prosperous existence for the family in Dublin.
It was particularly exciting for me to find the very precious baptism record for Agnes Amelia Kilpatrick, my great- grandmother, knowing how rare these records are in Ireland. I also tried to find the baptism of Jane Isabella Kilpatrick, Agnes’ elder sister, but was unsuccessful. Jane married Henry Wise, the eldest brother of George Edwin Wise in 1873. Purchasing the marriage records might show the two Kilpatrick daughters marrying the two Wise brothers on the same date. The Wise family tree names Jane as the second daughter of James and Eliza Kilpatrick, and gives her birth date as 24 December 1848.
Australian Death
Index 1787-1985:
Area - DUBLIN (COI) , Parish/Church/Congregation - ST. CATHERINE
Baptism of EVANGELINE JESSE FITZPATRICK of 36 THOMAS ST on 23 December 1853Name | EVANGELINE JESSE FITZPATRICK |
---|---|
Date of Birth | 22 July 1853 |
Address | 36 THOMAS ST |
Father | JAMES FITZPATRICK |
Mother | ELIZABETH |
Further details in the record:
Father Occupation DRURERBook Number | Page | Entry Number | Record_Identifier |
---|---|---|---|
5 | 25 | 197 | DU-CI-BA-63912 |
Thomas Street being familiar as the address of Eliza's father, Thomas Smith Cranwill. The record is presently listed only as a transcription, waiting to be imaged. The rest of the Kilpatrick’s children were born in Australia, either in Melbourne or Avoca.
I have found no record for the Kilpatrick family's migration to Australia. The Dublin records show that the departure of the Kilpatricks is after November 1853, when James Kilpatrick was witness to the marriage of William Shern and Mary Ann Cranwill, and September 1854, was when the family apparently arrived in Melbourne. The first confirmation of the Kilpatrick's arrival in Australia is with the birth record for James and Elizabeth's son, James John Thomas Kilpatrick, named in honour of his father James "John?" Kilpatrick, and paternal grandfather, Thomas Smith Cranwill.
Australian Birth Index 1788-1922:
Name: | James John Thomas Kilpatrick |
---|---|
Father's name: | James Kilpatrick |
Mother's name: | Eliza Crannill |
Birth Place: | Richmond, Victoria |
Registration Year: | 1855 |
Registration Place: | Victoria |
Registration Number: | 7017 |
It is possible that James Kilpatrick was smitten with gold fever, and that this was the reason he took his large family across the world to Australia. The idea of adventure, and visiting exotic new worlds on the journey cannot be discounted, as they had no close family in Australia to encouraged their migration. It is possible that uncertainty in his employment could have been the cause. The move coming after what seemed to be a settled, and fairly prosperous existence for the family in Dublin.
It was particularly exciting for me to find the very precious baptism record for Agnes Amelia Kilpatrick, my great- grandmother, knowing how rare these records are in Ireland. I also tried to find the baptism of Jane Isabella Kilpatrick, Agnes’ elder sister, but was unsuccessful. Jane married Henry Wise, the eldest brother of George Edwin Wise in 1873. Purchasing the marriage records might show the two Kilpatrick daughters marrying the two Wise brothers on the same date. The Wise family tree names Jane as the second daughter of James and Eliza Kilpatrick, and gives her birth date as 24 December 1848.
I was able to pour over the marriage documents for Eliza and
her sisters, and notice small changes to her father’s name and occupation, on
some records he was listed as grocer, merchant and gentleman. On Isabella
Cranwill’s marriage record he listed his middle name as Smith. I was in no
doubt that this would probably be another maiden name in the family, and I
placed this name as his mother’s maiden name, just as I had placed Cranwill as
Eliza’s surname in my ancestry family tree.
Keen readers will have noted the error on Eliza Kilpatrick’s
Australian Death Record, which gives her father’s name as William and not
Thomas. Errors on death records are common because the person giving the
information may not be a close relation, or so much time has passed that the
details are forgotten. It is for this reason that the family researcher relies
more heavily on baptism and marriage records than death records. It was also
exciting to have Eliza’s mother listed as Frances Johnston. At first I thought this
surname may have been an error, knowing that Mabel Wise’s middle name was Jackson.
The surname Jackson at this stage has no connection with any family document during my research
in Dublin. Mabel’s middle name Jackson possibly should
have been Johnston.
Name:
|
Eliza Kilpatrick
|
Death Place:
|
Donald, Victoria
|
Age:
|
88
|
Father's Name:
|
Cranwill Wm
|
Mother's name:
|
Frances Johnston
|
Registration Year:
|
1907
|
Registration Place:
|
Victoria
|
Registration Number:
|
11942
|
Estimated Birth Year:
|
abt 1819
|
Almost immediately I found other family links to Thomas
Smith Cranwill on ancestry.com citing his father’s name as Patrick or “Patt”
Cranwill of Ballycanew, Wexford, and his mother as Jane or Ann Smith. In the
next pages I have placed several Family Charts to help understand the
complexity of this large Dublin family. The next page shows Agnes Amelia
Kilpatrick’s Family Chart.
Starting with James Kilpatrick, I will show how my Dublin research
developed over many months. I spent time placing the new extended Cranwill
family members into my family tree, and also endeavoured to find out as much as
possible about James Kilpatrick – draper of Dublin, and Eliza’s father Thomas
Smith Cranwill, gentleman grocer/merchant of Dublin. I also researched Old Irish Newspapers and had much success finding that both James and his
father-in-law were men of standing in their community. It left me wondering
exactly why James Kilpatrick and his family left a seemingly prosperous upper middle class lifestyle in Dublin, to chase
a new life on the other side of the world, and it was an especially curious
action for a man who had such a large family to look after.
Kilpatrick
James, 12 and 72
Queen St (linen draper and grocer in general)
James, 34 Manor St
(occup not listed)
John, 83 Meath St
(vegetables)
This same entry appeared in Thom’s 1850 Directory of Ireland, on page 968. It occurred to me
that the second entry could very well have been James’ father, perhaps living
in Dublin in retirement. The Wise Family Tree claims that Jane Isabella Wise
was born in Bray, a seaside town in County Wicklow, close to Dublin. It is
possible that this is the reason I have not been able to find her baptism and
it is possible that this was where the Kilpatricks farmed. All speculation
admittedly, especially since James Kilpatrick is listed as having been born in
Armar/Armagh. However the fact that Thomas Smith Cranwill’s father hailed from the
tiny township of Ballycanew in Wexford, it did add credence to these city
dwellers also having country properties near to Dublin.
75 Thomas Street,
Dublin was the home of Eliza Cranwill upon her marriage to James Kilpatrick
and this fact is recorded on their marriage certificate. This would have been a
home and shop for Eliza’s father Thomas Smith Cranwill who was a grocer and
wine merchant. No 75 is the fifth house in from the corner, with white stucco
(possibly not original) and brown keystone details. Thomas Street is a fine
wide street, close to Dublin Castle, the Four Courts and the River Liffey which
runs through the city.
Sadly both 12 Queen Street, where the Kilpatrick girls
baptisms listed, and 4 Charlemont Place, the address listed for James
Kilpatrick on his marriage record have been demolished. Thus it was with great
delight that I found, on Google Maps that 75 Thomas Street, a Georgian
building, still surviving in Dublin, and hopefully has been heritage listed.
James Kilpatrick’s
signature appears upon Lord Morpeth's Testimonial Roll, and when you see this signature it is undoubtedly his, and very similar to that
on his marriage record. Fourth column, second sheet.
Created in 1841 at the instigation of the Duke of
Leinster, Daniel O' Connell and others, this remarkable document marks the
occasion of Lord Morpeth departing from his political office in Ireland.
James Kilpatrick signed his name to this document which acts like a census for
Ireland. The Morpeth
Testimonial Roll, wrapped around a gigantic bobbin, measures 412 metres in
length and contains around 250,000 signatures gathered from across the whole of Ireland. Since 2009 it
has been lodged in the Russell Library, Castle Howard, Yorkshire.
The roll consists of 652 sheets of paper which were
either signed in Dublin or sent out to the counties
of Ireland for signing, and returned to Dublin for
assembly. This remarkable feat was undertaken in the space of a month;
from collecting the signatures to compiling the roll to constructing the wooden
bobbin and chest. Some of the sheets still bear their postage stamps and franks,
which are secondary additions of great historical importance, as printed stamps
were only introduced in 1840.
James Kilpatrick signature also appears is on the Earl of
Clarendon plea document, lodged at the NAI in Dublin,
for the mercy of William Smith O’Brien. The Petition gathered in 1848 records the
names, addresses, occupations and political loyalties of over 80,000 people
from all over Ireland and parts of England. Over half of the names collected
came from Dublin. It is one of the first mass political petition movements,
which aimed to save the life of this rebel leader, after his conviction for
high treason and sentence of death. It was acknowledged that O’Brien was
committed to Irish independence and he headed up an uprising in Ballingary,
County Tipperary. This was an Ireland wide petition, and James’
signature appears in the Dublin Petition, Part 1, where he also gave his
address as Queen Street, Dublin, giving me absolutely no doubt that this was my
great great grandfather. I found this document on Find My Past website which is
available for free at the NSW State Library. The petition was successful and
O’Brien’s sentence was commuted to transportation to Van Diemen’s Land and was
released in 1854 with the understanding that he would be unable to return to
Ireland. He spent two years living in Brussels before he was finally pardoned
and was allowed to return to Ireland but never returned to his rebellious ways.
Emily
“Amelia” Cranwill, sister to Eliza Kilpatrick nee Cranwill, married William J
Holland on 3 July 1846, the same year as this listing of Slaters Directory, which was presumably printed before her marriage. Holland’s
occupation was listed as gentleman, and his father’s, a cooper. They were
obviously all in the merchant trades of Dublin, and led a comfortable upper
middle class, and seemingly prosperous existence. The directory shows a
listing for Thomas S Cranwill, of 43 North King Street and an Emily Cranwell at
75 Thomas Street, both linen drapers. These entries are without doubt Eliza’s
brother Thomas S. who carried the same name as his father, and her sister
Emily. Although I don’t have any death records for their father, I have
collected and shown below his two probate documents, one for 1844 and one for
1861, both show the probate was not resolved until 1861. Eliza’a brother died
in 1890 as I have collected his death record, which also gives his year of
birth as 1815, tying in with Eliza generationally. It is unusual to have two
probate documents, however, their father could have made a complicated will,
and there may have been a split in the family finances after 1844.
Thomas S Cranwell had two Probate
Files
Ireland, Landed Estate Court Files:
Name:
|
|
Event Type:
|
Probate
|
Event Date:
|
1844
|
Event Place:
|
Dublin, Ireland
|
Document Number:
|
055
|
Volume Number:
|
063
|
Volume Date Range:
|
Nov-Dec 1861
|
County:
|
Dublin
|
Alternate Event Place:
|
North King-Street
|
Name:
|
|
Event Type:
|
Probate
|
Event Date:
|
1861
|
Event Place:
|
Dublin, Ireland
|
Document Number:
|
055
|
Volume Number:
|
063
|
Volume Date Range:
|
Nov-Dec 1861
|
County:
|
Dublin
|
Thomas Smith Cranwill was born in 1776, the third son of Patrick “Patt”
Cranwill and Jane “Ann” Smith. Irish naming traditions were followed by the
Cranwills, and he was given his maternal grandfather’s full name, Thomas Smith.
He came from a large family including three brothers, Peter abt. 1772, John abt.
1775 and Dr Joseph Peter Cranwill abt. 1779, and five sisters, Jane abt. 1769,
Dorothy abt. 1780, Mary Ann b 1782, Elizabeth “Eliza” abt. 1783 and Ann Jane abt.
1790. In all probability Patrick and Jane had more children in the intervening
years that did not survive to adulthood. Jane Cranwill, the eldest daughter
married the Reverend Fossey Tackaberry, a Methodist Preacher from Wexford, whose
life is still celebrated today with meetings and gatherings to discuss his
life’s work and the books that have been written about him.
“TACKABERRY, FOSSEY
(1796-1847, Irish preacher, was born in the County of Wexford. He was converted
in 1815 under the preaching of Andrew Taylor, one of the General Missionaries sent
into south-east Ireland by the Irish Conference. Even as a local preacher,
still with farming as his livelihood, Fossey Tackaberry was more like an
itinerant in his work of spreading the Gospel message. So he offered for the
ministry and was accepted as a candidate in 1822. He then gave himself fully to
preaching, in which he excelled, and had a wide circuit ministry covering all
the main centres in Ireland. So much was he beloved of the people that
Conference sent him to the Belfast North Circuit in 1843 and there he healed
disputes and misunderstandings that had occurred among Methodists in that city.
His last circuit was Sligo, to which he was appointed in 1846 in the midst of
the baneful effects of the Irish Famine. He threw himself wholeheartedly into
the relief of distress, never forgetting the preaching of the Gospel as well.
He rescued an orphan boy of ten years of age, after the death of the only
surviving relative to care for him, an elder brother of fourteen. From this boy
whom he rescued, Fossey Tackaberry caught typhus fever, and within a month was
dead.” ENCYCLOPEDIA OF WORLD METHODISM, ed. by Nolan B. Harmon. Nashville, TN:
United Methodist Publishing House, 1974
Thomas Smith Cranwill was surrounded by highbrow influences, it was
written in a letter by his great granddaughter Mia, that he gave his occupation
as a literary dilettante in Dublin circles, his father Patt was involved in the
Church of St Mogues, at Ballycanew in Wexford as a Pew Holder and Church Warden,
and with the connection to the preacher Fossey Tackaberry whose ancestors all worshipped
at St Mogues, Ballycanew, and are listed in the church’s register, it can be
seen that Thomas Smith Cranwill was surrounded by men of great influence and
leadership.
Thomas Smith Cranwill married Frances Johnson on 24 Jun 1801 at St
Michael’s Church, High Street, Dublin. The church
was demolished in the late 1800’s to make way for architect George Edmund Smith,
to build the Christ Church Cathedral, which still stands today in Dublin.
Thomas and Frances’ marriage licence is listed on the next page. It would open
another chapter of our Dublin family history if I could find Frances Johnson’s
mother’s name. Eliza Cranwill named her eldest daughter Elizabeth Frances,
following Irish naming traditions, whereby the eldest daughter is named in
honour of her maternal grandmother. The name Elizabeth, in this case was
possibly her great grandmother’s name. I believe Mabel Wise was named in honour
of her grandmother, Frances Johnson, however in outback Percydale, Victoria,
Australia, she was erroneous Christened as Mabel Jackson Wise.
The chart above is a vertical
pedigree chart for Eliza Cranwill. It is important to work from the bottom and move upwards with each
generation. It is possibly the best chart to show many generations on one page,
Eliza being my great great grandmother, this chart can take us back ten more
generations in our tree from there.
Two other interesting connections occurred by way of message on
ancestry.com from other family researchers. The first was a message link on
ancestry.com to Mary Ann Cranwill, Patrick and Ann Cranwill’s third daughter
who married William George Eades. Margaret Greenwood of Melbourne and I
corresponded on the Cranwills immediately. Margaret explained that William and
Mary Ann Eades son, John Cranwill Eades, and his family migrated to Melbourne.
John Cranwill Eades would have been a first cousin to Eliza Cranwill who
married James Kilpatrick. Perhaps in the early stages when the Kilpatricks were
living in Melbourne they were in contact with John Cranwill Eades.
It was thrilling to have a connection to Margaret Greenwood, who was as
excited as I was that we had found a fellow Cranwill researcher here in
Australia. Margaret sent me quite a lot of information and photos, and her
research on the possibility that the Cranwills had hailed from England, before
settling in Dublin and Ballycanew. She showed me great kindness during my early
stages of research which was limited to the fact that I only found out about
the Cranwills recently.
This next document came from Margaret Greenwood, as part of the package
of information she kindly posted to me. Margaret has worked tirelessly as a
researcher and her contacts and information have been vital to my family tree.
To her credit, as a true family researcher, she knows the value of sharing
documents, as this may lead to unearthing further information over time.
Assignment of Land from Patrick
Cranwill to his son Thomas Cranwill, document courtesy of Margaret Greenwood
For the first time this “assignment of land” document, which I believe
is from the Public Records Office of Ireland, reveals Frances Johnson’s father
as William Johnston. Whether the spelling is correct will probably never be
known, however Patrick and Thomas Cranwill’s name is spelt Cranwell. I now have
two conflicting documents with two different spellings. I am not too bothered
with this, as spelling mistakes are common, particularly in regard to scribes,
be it the parish church, the census collector, or in this case the city clerk. The
important thing is that without a doubt this document is regarding our
ancestors, and it is a gem.
This would appear to be a deed of assignment of a lease that had been
entered into on the 6 May 1778 from the Bishop of Waterford and Lismore, which
had passed into the name of Patrick Cranwill of Ballinmoney, Co Wesford,
farmer. Further, as at 25 June 1801 Patrick Cranwill for the consideration
mentioned in the deed and the intended marriage between Thomas Cranwill,
Merchant of Dublin, and Frances Johnston the said Patrick Cranwill transferred
one half of his interest, possibly to show the father of the bride, William Johnston,
Merchant of Dublin, that his daughter was marrying someone of substance.
Google Maps image of the
Cranwill Estates as written up in the Cranwill
Deed of Assignment
The lands of Ballinamony, near Ballycanew, was the home of the Cranwills,
and from this map it seems unchanged in 200 years. Amazingly the referenced
place names are also unchanged.
Whilst I am incredibly grateful for this document I lament that so much
more information could have been provided by these men, a simple address, or a
middle name would have helped to identify which William Johnston/Johnson is
involved, as a search of Merchants bring up several William Johnsons Merchants
of Dublin, that it would be unwise to speculate which is our William.
I found an interesting reference to Eliza Cranwill, fourth daughter of
Mr P Cranwill of Ballinamoney, Wexford, from an old Irish newspaper which gave
much information, including the fact that Eliza’s family was indeed a large one
and showing that Eliza was very much a Cranwill family name.
Recently I was able to add their marriage record which has now been
placed on ancestry.
Dublin
Ireland, Marriage Licence Record, 1270-1858:
Name:
|
Pooley Gill
|
Spouse:
|
Eliza Cranwell
|
Document Year:
|
1813
|
Record Type:
|
Marriage Licence
|
In 1800 Dublin was the capital of Ireland, with an independent
Anglican/Irish Parliament, although still dominated by the English peerage
system, however many of these Peers and MP’s had been born in Ireland. It was
during this period that many of the great Georgian buildings and street scape
schemes of Dublin were built. By the late 18th century, these Irish Anglicans
came to regard Ireland as their native country. This 'Patriot Parliament'
successfully agitated at Westminster for increased autonomy and better terms of
trade with Great Britain and the Colonies, there were also penal reforms which
were less severe than those imposed by the Westminster system.
Under the influence of the American and French revolutions, some Irish
radicals went a step further and formed the United Irishmen, a group
wanting to create an independent, non-sectarian and democratic republic.
United Irish leaders in Dublin included an even more radical element with
Napper Tandy, Oliver Bond, Edward Fitzgerald and Wolfe Tone (leader) who
planned to take Dublin in a street rising in 1798, however they were arrested
and the city occupied by a large British military presence shortly before the
rebels could assemble their forces. There was some local fighting on the city's
outskirts at Rathfarnham, but the city remained secure.
The ramifications of this ‘rebellion’ shocked Dubliners and Westminster
alike, and in response in 1801, the Irish Act of Union sought to merge the
Kingdom of Ireland with that of English rule under what became known as the
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. The Irish Parliament then voted
itself out of existence and Dublin lost its political status as the capital of
Ireland. Though the city’s population continued to grow, it suffered
financially from the loss of income which was bought to Dublin during
parliamentary sessions. The Peers and MPs would have bought thousands of
servants to the city, and the social season of the Vice Regal court in Dublin
effectively ended. Within a few years many of the finest mansions, including
the Houses of Leinster, Powerscourt and Aldborough were put up for sale by
their Anglican/Irish Peers, and many of the once elegant Georgian
neighbourhoods rapidly became slums.
In 1829 the wealthier Irish Catholics recovered full citizenship of the
United Kingdom. This was partly as a result of agitation by Daniel O’Connell,
who organised mass rallies for Catholic emancipation. Unlike Belfast in the
north Dublin did not feel the full effects of the Industrial Revolution and as
a result unemployment was high. Efforts were made to stem this problem when a
radical new tramway system was initiated by a private company, the Dublin
United Tramway Company, which employed the local trades and labourers for the
job. Guinness brewery, Jameson’s Distillery and Jacob’s biscuit factory also
help to provide for a more stable employment. However, the horrors of the
potato famine in rural surrounds in the mid 1840’s bought to Dublin an increase
in crime, when these displaced and starving farming communities crowded into
the city, and Dublin stalled in these uncertain and unstable times.
Aggressive advertising encouraged millions of Irish to migrate to America,
Canada, Australia and New Zealand, to start a new life with new opportunities
for land ownership and prosperity, this coupled with the discovery of gold in
California, and in country Victoria and NSW in Australia, were probably just
some of the reasons that these migration policies were so successful. Other
poor souls were convicted, many for minor theft, and transported to Australia
by the thousands, in ship load after ship load, never to be heard of again in
their homeland. In the space of nearly sixty years the population of Ireland
halved, from eight million in about 1845 to four million in 1901, when the
Irish census was taken. Families were torn apart by this migration, and in the
two hundred years since this massive relocation of peoples leaving Ireland, it
is a fact that many Australians today still have no idea where they came from,
or who their ancestors were.
Our
Protestant Irish family, the Kilpatricks left Dublin in the early 1850’s bound
for Victoria, Australia as unassisted migrants, leaving their extended families
and a land that had been their home for centuries. Their reasons were probably
financial, but it cannot be discounted that there was always the underlying
threat of a Catholic rebellion against the English rule, which could have
placed their lives in Dublin in danger. Whilst records are the only way to
illustration our ancestors’ life in Dublin, uncovering some of the records of
the extended family of Eliza Cranwill have also helped me to get a clearer
picture of their everyday lifestyle. The marriage of Eliza, the educated
daughter of a grocery merchant to James Kilpatrick, a linen draper, was an
appropriate union which was supported by her family. Eliza’s family was a large
one, with five sisters and three brothers.
It
is evident that Thomas Smith Cranwill and his sister Emily took over a
successful business from their father because of the listings of his occupation
on various marriage records for his daughters. The grocery business would seem
to have been a thriving concern and small advertisements appeared regularly in
the local newspapers. On the next page is a listing, from page 1826 of the
Dublin Directory, in the year 1868, for Thomas Cranwill, also trading as a
linen draper.
The
next few pages contain directory entries, probate records and newspaper
articles regarding Thomas Smith Cranwill, the brother of Eliza Kilpatrick, nee
Cranwill. It should be noted that he is active in both Dublin and in Ballycanew
areas. The probate record also confirms his son named Arthur Henry Cranwill.
Cranwill being such an unusual name has been such a gift to me in the research
of this family and I have been able to place many of Eliza Cranwill extended
family into the tree with the confidence that each time I found a Cranwill record
from Dublin, it was always her family, and it was just a matter of working out
the branches.
Dublin Street Directory
1868
This
entry shows that Thomas Smith Cranwill and James Kilpatrick were both linen drapers.
Thomas
Smith Cranwill
Ireland, Civil Registration
Indexes
Name:
|
|
Event Type:
|
Death
|
Event Date:
|
Oct - Dec 1890
|
Event Place:
|
Dublin North, Ireland
|
Registration Quarter and Year:
|
Oct - Dec 1890
|
Registration District:
|
Dublin North
|
Age:
|
77
|
Birth Year (Estimated):
|
1813
|
Volume Number:
|
2
|
Page Number:
|
334
|
Thomas
Smith Cranwill
Ireland, Calendar
of Wills and Administrations
Name:
|
|
Event Type:
|
Probate
|
Event Place:
|
Dublin
|
Beneficiary's Name:
|
Dublin Street Directory of
1858
Bassett’s Wexford Guide of
1885, page 51
The other interesting family connection came from Tom Hollingsworth, and
his website Holly Gardens. A simple Google of the name Cranwill brings up Tom’s
website which has an enormous amount of interest on it for our family. Tom’s site concentrates naturally enough on
his own family line, but also concentrates on his ancestors, and for this, I
have had a most interesting time going through his tree and its sources,
because his ancestors on the Cranwill line, become our shared ancestors. Jane
Cranwill’s second marriage to William Johnston is his line. Jane had firstly
married Fossey Tackaberry. She was the elder daughter of Patt Cranwill and a
sister to Thomas Smith Cranwill, the father of Eliza.
Tom visited Balleycanew in 2005 and 2007, where he had full access to St
Mogue’s Church vestry records and was able to photograph some. He also told me
that he met a woman named Cranwill who lived opposite St Mogues, who was very
kind and showed him around her property.
Margaret Greenwood had earlier included ten pages from the Vestry Book
where the name Cranwill was mentioned in her letter package to me. These pages
I have added to the end of this chapter, and a huge thanks must go to Margaret
for her help. I didn’t realise at the time I received them, that they were such
a valuable document for our Cranwill family.
As my research intensified
in Ireland I was continually finding other historians and family researchers
who were placing records and family histories and stories regarding the
Cranwills online, and all of these researchers referred to Ballycanew in
Wexford. This was probably where the
family for generations had been landowners and lease holders, and all would
have had connections to St Mogue’s Church, a Church of England and Ireland
faith. Some branches of the family had obviously moved to Dublin, but originally
I suspect that the family were all farmers, living near to Ballycanew, and
their Church was the major connection with their society.
Extract from St Mogues Vestry Book showing image of the original signatures of some of the parishioners including Patt Cranwill. Image supplied courtesy
of Tom Hollingsworth from his website Holly Gardens.
Image supplied courtesy
of Tom Hollingsworth from his website Holly Gardens
The photographs above came from
a website called Holly Gardens authored by Tom Hollingsworth who has done a
good deal of work on the Cranwills, Smiths and Colleys. He refers often in his
online history to The St Mogue’s Vestry Book, and a transcription of this book
is able to be downloaded online as a PDF document for the researcher. Patt
Cranwill’s name and signature appears several times in this book.
The first photograph on the
previous page comes from an original page of the vestry book. Tom
Hollingsworth’s had illustrated this page in the book, because his ancestor
Nicholas Hollingsworth appears. I was just lucky to notice that my ancestor,
Patt Cranwill had signed his name to this document as well. I cannot tell you
how amazed I was to see his signature, especially when you consider that Patt
Cranwill died in 1828. I am most grateful for this important information from
Tom Hollingsworth.
Among the documents and photos
supplied to me by Margaret Greenwood was the following photo, taken of St
Mogues Church and graveyard, where many of our ancestors are apparently buried.
Image of St Mogue’s Church,
Ballycanew, Wexford, courtesy of Margaret Greenwood.
Margaret Greenwood also gave me a copy of her Descendants of John Cranwill of Ballycanew document, dated 18 April 2007, and it can be
seen that Margaret has been researching the Cranwills for quite some time,
while I only started in 2011. It has been my greatest pleasure to collaborate
with Margaret, and we are hoping to finally meet when she
visits Sydney soon.
Here is an excerpt from her article The Descendants of John Cranwill providing evidence that John and
his son Peter were buried in the churchyard at St Mogue’s Balleycanew:
“John Cranwell was
buried in St Mogue’s Ballycanew, Co Wexford…
Here lyeth ye body of
John Cranwll
Who Departed this life
Feb’y 3rd
1772 aged 71
The graves of John
Cranwill and Peter Cranwill were buried side by side (possibly father and son)…
Here lied the body of
Peter Cranw’ll
Who Departed this life
? 1772 Aged ?
The lettering in 1953
was said to be hard to decipher.”
Margaret also has a copy of a letter dated Dec 1950 from Mia
Cranwell, 3 Shields Square, Stillorgan, Dublin regarding the Cranwill family
stories, myths and legends. Mia being a granddaughter of Thomas Smith Cranwill Jnr,
Eliza Kilpatrick’s brother.
Margaret’s document on The
Descendants of John Cranwill has been attached to the end of this chapter
and contains some fascinating stories and facts on the Cranwills. Not all of it
can be established at this stage, but over time more information I am sure is
going to come forward to support and extend her vital research.
The next page shows a directory
entry for a Will document, registered in the historic town of Ferns, Wexford,
for John Cranwill of Ballinemony, 1772, father of Patt. It is of great
historical significance as it takes the family back yet another generation and
confirms Patts father as living at Ballinemony, but gives the date of his death
which then coincides with the date on his headstone listed above.
Ferns Wills 1601-1800, including the Indexed Will of John Cranwill of Ballinemony, Co Wexford, 1772. Image supplied
courtesy of Margaret Greenwood.
I could see other online Cranwill researchers, including a detailed
tree called the Maytree. Margaret suggested I email Wally McMahon, as he is an
authority on St Mogue’s Vestry Book. It would seem from the email below that
John Beatty actually transcribed the Vestry Book in the early 1990’s. This is the
version that I was able to download online. Here is one of the many links to
the Ballycanew Vestry Book 1760-1819, Edited and Transcribed by John
D Beatty, 67 pages:
www.hollygardens.com/hollingsw/StMoguesVestryBook.pdf
On 10/08/2012 8:30 PM, Wally McMahon wrote:
Dear Virginia,
For your info and hope you follow where I am coming
from.
Wally
----- Original Message -----
Sent:
Thursday, August 09, 2012 11:32 PM
Subject: Re: Pew
no. 4
Hi Wally,
In looking again at the 1760 allocation of pews, I can't tell that any of them are assigned a specific number. The vestry minutes show a list of people in pews, and the list is numbered 1 to 12 with 13 blank on one side, and then 1 to 11 on the other side.
In one sequence it reads:
"4. That the seat next to Robert Doyne Esq. shall belong to Howard Kyan Esq. and his successors."
In the other sequence:
"4. That the seat next to Mr. Thomas Parker shall belong Mr. William Bolton and his successors."
In looking again at the 1760 allocation of pews, I can't tell that any of them are assigned a specific number. The vestry minutes show a list of people in pews, and the list is numbered 1 to 12 with 13 blank on one side, and then 1 to 11 on the other side.
In one sequence it reads:
"4. That the seat next to Robert Doyne Esq. shall belong to Howard Kyan Esq. and his successors."
In the other sequence:
"4. That the seat next to Mr. Thomas Parker shall belong Mr. William Bolton and his successors."
James Bulger and John Cranwell were assigned under
#12 in the first sequence. They were "back-benchers," as it were. The
people with less money were crammed into the back rows while the richer sorts
with "Mr" or "Esq" by their names were closer to the front.
The exception is that the seats in one of the transoms were all of the poorer
sorts. My ancestor, Leonard Bennett, was crammed into a pew with George
Johnston, and Samuel Rowsome but they were up close in "the seat
below the pulpit on the south side," assigned under number 7 in the second
sequence. This must have been an undesirable seat, even though it was close to
the front, since the minister did not face that direction, and I suspect you
couldn't see anything.
It is difficult to discern all of the politics that were evident in how the pews were allocated, but there was definitely a hierarchical structure. Wish I could send you an electronic copy of the Ballycanew vestry book that I did, but I wrote it on one of those large old floppy disks that were around in the early 1990s, and no computers will read those any more.
John
>>> "Wally McMahon" 08/09/12 1:16 AM >>>
It is difficult to discern all of the politics that were evident in how the pews were allocated, but there was definitely a hierarchical structure. Wish I could send you an electronic copy of the Ballycanew vestry book that I did, but I wrote it on one of those large old floppy disks that were around in the early 1990s, and no computers will read those any more.
John
>>> "Wally McMahon" 08/09/12 1:16 AM >>>
Dear John,
Your advice is needed again!!
31 March 1812 Pew No. 4 was vacant and conferred to
Thomas Godkin and family.was this the original Pew of Cranwell/Bulger?
Would this be the same Pew No. 4 that was later
allocated to Patt. Cranwill and his successors and be the same Pew No.4 North
Side transferred 1818 by Peter Cranwill??
sorry about this
regards
Wally
I am sure by now that many readers of this chapter will have picked up the
name Colley coming through the Cranwill family. Possibly the best way to track
this family has been by way of the charts I have been providing. Jane “Ann”
Smith who married Patt Cranwill of Ballinemony, Ballycanew, County Wessex, was
the daughter of Thomas Smith and Dorothy Colley of Ballyduff, near Balleycanew,
County Wexford.
I found links to John Colley Smith, who was also known as
John C Smith whilst researching old Irish newspapers on the Cranwills. It soon
became obvious that he was a brother to Jane “Ann” Smith, who married Patt
Cranwill. As the great uncle to Eliza Cranwill his family line would have been
known. Please see the documents in the following pages which link the Cranwills
and Smiths upon John C Smith’s death. The important link with John is his middle
name of Colley, which helps to confirm the link back another generation, as
Dorothy Colley’s parents were Thomas Colley and Agnes Lyndon. Therefore on
Dorothy Colley’s marriage to Thomas Smith she gave her son the name John Colley
Smith, in honour of her grandfather John Colley. It is with this generation that
many articles are written about the Colley family, linking Thomas Colley and
Agnes Lyndon back to very early Irish gentry, the Colleys of Carbury Castle,
County Kildare. Our line carries the name of Thomas Smith down through the
Cranwills with Patt Cranwill and Ann Jane Smith giving their son the name
Thomas Smith Cranwill. There is no doubt that these links are significant and
most interesting for our family and the documentation through Irish Gentry is
supported by the many historians who have recorded this family line.
Unfortunately there are no baptism or marriage records to rely on, and these
documents were no doubt blown up in the fire at the Dublin Records Office in
1922. There are however many excellent research documents regarding the
Colleys, and the reason for this huge interest in our ancestry is due to the
Duke of Wellington, whose ancestry line also follows our line for many
generations. More on this later.
Guide
through Ireland by James Fraser of Dublin, page 11
It is not
clear how long this home was in John Colley Smith’s family, but it is a nice
document which links the death notice to the family home. It is interesting to
note that Thomas Colley Smith’s Uncle John Colley Smith married Anne Brownrigg,
and it can be no coincidence that the neighbours of the Smiths in Wexford was
Brownrigg, as mentioned in the previous Guide Book to Ireland image.
Ballyduff was the home of Thomas Smith, the father of Jane Ann Smith,
who married Patt Cranwill. Amazingly Cranwill land’s Google map shows Ballyduff
close to Balinemony. It would seem prudent for these families to intermarry to
keep retain their land holdings, a common Irish tradition.
Descendant Chart of
Sir Henry Colley of Castle Carbery, Kildare, courtesy of Tom Hollingsworth
Our family are lucky that a document remains from Gloucestershire of “Notes and Queries”
1890 edited by Rev. Beaver H Blacker and published in London, England that same
year, stating the Colley line. This is most probably due to his interest in the
Duke of Wellington, however most importantly he explored both the Duke’s line
and our own descendant line, and this was the only way I could reliably and
firmly place our family into the Colley family, as whilst other sources were
informative, none were secure. The family tree above is a most helpful tool to
easily explain this connection.
I consulted many online documents and after several days of
study I wrote a short synopsis on my work and sent it to my sister, Lavinia,
and to my sons Jeremy and Rowan in an email, as a way of recording my thoughts
and showing everyone how amazing our Irish heritage was. Even today when I am
writing up the family history, I just couldn’t resist popping in this email
written to the family exactly three years ago, when I was still quite new to
genealogy. I could see the excitement coming through about my latest
discoveries. I think finding out about the significance of the name Agnes was
one of those defining moments in my family research.
Subject:
|
How
many people have Napoleon and the Duke of Wellington in their family trees!
|
Date:
|
Sun, 1
Apr 2012 10:44:36 +1000
|
From:
|
Virginia
Rundle <virginia@arundle.com>
|
To:
|
chrystalprivate
|
CC:
|
'Jeremy
Rundle' <private>, 'Rowan Rundle (RGR Corp)'
<private>, grprivate
|
Hi!
Here is my latest jag, which has
taken me several hours over several days to piece together. I don’t mind if you
don’t read it, or just LOL( Laugh Out Loud). I am writing this down before I
forget my research and my links to this piece of our family history.
Robert Cowley or Colley was born
about 1470, see link below, he is our 11th Great grandfather. I can
possibly go back one more generation at this stage to his father Walter, but I
have not gained sufficient pedigree sources to confirm this yet. The article
below is from Wikipedia, the sources of this dictionary are compiled and edited
by www contributors. Whilst sources are checked and verified, it is open to
worldwide authorship, and thus has been criticised for being open to misinformation,
alterations and inaccuracies. Anyone found to be deliberately mucking up the
honorary system is barred. Interesting to see that Robert is the start of a
huge pyramid of descendants. The Duke of Wellington being one. Robert is
regarded as the founder of one of the great Anglo/Irish families in recorded
history.
Our Walter, Robert’s son, was the
Solicitor General of Ireland in 1535. Walter is our 10th G
grandfather.
Robert’s elder son, also called
Robert was slain by rebels in 1572, he had no issue. Robert had been
granted land in Castletown, in King Country where he was proclaimed a Justice
of the Peace by Queen Elizabeth. The rebels, I would think were the Irish
Catholics who had been shunted off their lands by the English invaders.
Unfortunately these new English landowners often had manors in England, and as
such could be neglectful of their Irish properties, appointing keepers, wardens
and bailiffs in their absence, creating a dangerous livelihood. Rebellions were ferocious with mass
slaughtering on both sides. Retribution was also horrific, and the English had
the back up of regiments who would swiftly quell the rebels.
Walter and Anne Colley, had a son
called Sir Henry Colley who married Catherine Cusack, who was born on 2 October
1535 at Castle Carbury/Carbery, Co Kildare. Queen Elizabeth granted Henry Colley the
manor and castle of Edenberry along with Drumcooley and other lands in Co.
Offaly. In a previous email I wrote to Lavinia telling her of this interesting
development, with a story about the Colleys obtained from an online tree on
ancestry. Apparently Henry Colley is our 9th G Grandfather, but more
information than hearsay needed to be done.
Sir Henry and Catherine Colley
nee Cusack had another son, also a Sir Henry, and it was through this branch
but down another line, that the Duke of Wellington is related as a cousin in
the family. Therefore as Jeremy and Rowan who are the start of my tree
Ancestry.com the program works out that their direct relationship to the Duke
of Wellington as their 6th cousin, 5 times removed!
They had many sons and daughters,
one of which is our ancestor John born 1665, the year of the Great Fire of
London. I am not able to confirm his wife as yet, but his son was Thomas Colley
born 1695 who married Agnes Lyndon. Their daughter Dorothy Colley married
Thomas Smith, in turn their daughter Jane Smith married Patrick Cranwill born
1740. Patrick is our 5th G Grandfather, his parents were John
Cranwill and Nancy O’Byrne.
Do you remember some time ago I
found out that Nancy O’Byrne was thought to be a direct descendent of the
famous Irish rebel, Feach McHugh O’Byrne of County Wicklow, who led his
Catholic Gaelic Clans into battle against the English? He was beheaded, then
cut up into pieces, after the Battle of Glenmalure, on Sunday 8 Mary 1597...
This was done by Lord Deputy Russell on the direct order of Queen Elizabeth 1 of
England. An over excited Russell then had Feach’s head boxed up and sent to
London, where it was presented to the Queen! Apparently she was not too impressed
by this gift and her displeasure was recorded in many histories. This wonderful
story unfortunately must remain as a very interesting family story, as I can
find no documents in its support, apart from some overenthusiastic family
researchers on ancestry!
I digress, but only to point out
that while the connection to Feach is a family myth, the Colley lineage is
actually supportable by documents.
Patrick and Jane Cranwill nee
Smith were the parents of Thomas Smith Cranwill who married Frances Johnson in
1801. Their daughter Eliza Cranwill married James Kilpatrick and as we know, they
are buried at Avoca in Victoria, Australia. It is interesting that their daughter, our
great-grandmother was called Agnes, because today I have found out that
this is a family name. When Agnes was named by her mother, Eliza Cranwill,
she would have known that her own great-grandmother was called Agnes Lyndon -
and now generations later, Agnes Wise is my great-grandmother.
Enjoy reading this when you have
a couple of hours.
My most helpful links below were
used to authenticate relationships, amongst many other google searches of
English and Irish history. It is all there to find. It is just amazing.
All I can think of is that
Grandpa Reg Robson would have just LOVED this family story!
Love V
Carbury Castle,
County Kildare
Ruins of Carbury
Castle, County Kildare
The transcription of the Gloucester
Notes and Queries is attached at the end of this chapter. Whilst the
transcription is not in traditional style as set down by Burke’s Peerage, it is
quite readable and clear enough for our family to accept that these lines are
our direct family ancestors, which is pretty amazing. Unfortunately it does not
expand our line after Thomas Colley and Agnes Lyndon, however there is enough
information and records to substantiate the further line of their daughter
Dorothy Colley and her marriage to Thomas Smith as our direct ancestors.
Four pages from an
old book recently placed online, entitled Journal
of the Association for the Preservation of the Dead in Ireland 1888-1891
Volume 1 pages 246-249.
These four pages are most interesting and it took me ages to
work out that there maybe a typographical error in printed book for the name of
the town Millenagh, which possibly should have read Killenagh, this was mostly worked
out thanks to the Redmond family tree, many of whom still live in the township
Killenagh, which is close to Balleycanew. I am still waiting on confirmation of this. The complex place names in Ireland shows Millenagh as an obselete parish, but close by to Killenagh. This will be important if and when a search is conducted to find the graves.
The extraordinary thing about the
pages in this book is that the author is obviously knowledgeable about the
Colleys, and the relationship with the Smiths. What is amazing is that I have
stumbled across the grave of my 5 x great grandparents, Thomas Smith and
Dorothy Colley. Thomas’ wife is acknowledged as a Colley, her parents being
Thomas Colley and Agnes Lyndon. This is incredible information that I never
expected to find, and only released online in January 2014. Each and every time
I Google on the www there is something more there for the researcher! However
it leaves me now with no doubt to this lineage. Long forgotten and dusty books
lying on upper shelves in homes and libraries are being released on the
internet, as scanned copies, many freely available, and they are bringing so
much valuable information about the past.
I stand in awe and amazement of my Grandmother Mabel Wise’s
pure Irish and most distinguished ancestry. Personally, it has been an amazing
journey of research, uncovering so much about the society, geography and
history of Ireland; and finding out exactly where our family fitted into this
part of the world. My goal was to take the Wises and Kilpatricks back to
Ireland, and it has taken me several years of research. However, I am lucky
that I had at my fingertips the internet, it was far harder for previous
generations to piece these things together than it was for me. They had to make
enquiries by way of writing letters, visiting libraries and by accessing registry
offices; it must have been laborious and difficult work. For that reason we
must be very grateful for the Family Tree document that Aunt Irene Borthwick
nee Wise accomplished. Family histories are never finished, and I only hope one
day that our family can uncover Mabel’s ‘Kilpatrick’ ancestry line, perhaps
with the advent of DNA family research this will be accomplished sooner than
later.
I hope everyone who reads this has enjoyed my journey taking
our Australian family back to Ireland. It has more than fulfilled my expectations, and I
would like to dedicate my Irish research to my father, Reginald George
Robson, who, in this the centenary year of his birth, would have been
absolutely delighted by my research on the family tree, and more so by my
determination to write it up.
Virginia Rundle
12 May 2015
Bibliography:
Church Records, Irish genealogy, online Births, Deaths and
Marriages
Public Records Office of Ireland (PROI)
Public Records Office of Victoria (PROV)
NSW Births, Deaths and Marriages
Holly Gardens Website, written by Tom Hollingsworth, images and
Colley Family Tree
St Mogue’s Vestry Book, edited and transcribed by John D
Beatty
Gloucestershire Notes and Queries Vol IV 1890 Rev. Beaver H
Blacker
Avoca and Districts Historical Society (ADHS)
Old Irish Newspapers website – formerly free but now a pay
for view site
A Guide through Ireland by James Fraser
Charts from Family Tree Maker
Google Maps
Borthwick Wedding Album
Borthwick Family Tree
Carol Judkins from Netspace
Henry Shaw’s Dublin Street Directory, 1850, 1858, 1868
Earl of Clarendon Plea Document
Lord Morpeth Roll of Signatures
Find My Past and Ancestry.com online family subscription
websites
Slater’s Dublin Directory
Irish Landed Estates Court Files
Encyclopaedia of World Methodism Edited by Nolan B Harmon
Margaret Greenwood’s Family Documents, John Cranwill
Descendant Chart, records and photos
Bassett’s Wexford Guide of 1885
Emails from Wally McMahon and John Beatty
Journal of the Association for the Preservation of the Dead
in Ireland 1888-1891 Volume 1 pages 246-249
Irish Pedigrees, the Origin and Stem of the Irish Nation,
John O’Hart 1892 pages 123 - 128
Cowley
or Colley Family of Gloucestershire
Transcript taken from: Gloucestershire Notes and
Queries, Vol. IV, 1890.
Edited by REV. BEAVER H. BLACKER, M. A. Published in 1890. London, England.
Edited by REV. BEAVER H. BLACKER, M. A. Published in 1890. London, England.
Transcribed by Brenda Pickard
In Vol. IV of the Gloucestershire Notes and
Queries for 1890 between pages 563 to 566.
III.
Robert Cowley, of Dublin, And His Line.
Robert Cowley, of Dublin, And His Line.
About the year 1460 was born Robert Cowley, a man of some mark, and the
first known ancestor of Arthur Cowley, or Wellesley, the great Duke of
Wellington. Readers may find frequent mention of Robert Cowley, or Colley, in
the Calendars of State Papers; in 1530 he had two sons who held high posts in
Ireland, and he himself is styled "Old Colley." Modern peerages state
that the earliest known ancestor of the Duke of Wellington was an English- man
of a Rutland family, living in Ireland. Robert Colley is styled in the State
Papers an Englishman, but only in the same way as were the Cusacks, Wellesleys,
and others who had lived for centuries within the English pale. There is
nothing to show that his ancestors were connected with Rutland. His earliest
public appearance, in 1515, as one of the two bailiffs of Dublin, would point
to his being descended from the Cowleys who removed from Bristol, and continued
to hold a good position in the city of their adoption. From him the descent may
be briefly given.
i Robert Cowley,
or Colley, bailiff of Dublin 1515, died at a great age between the years 1535 and 1547. He is frequently mentioned in Holinshed's Chronicles and the Book of Howth, and had issue, 1. Walter, principal solicitor for Ireland 1530, whose only son died s.p., and
or Colley, bailiff of Dublin 1515, died at a great age between the years 1535 and 1547. He is frequently mentioned in Holinshed's Chronicles and the Book of Howth, and had issue, 1. Walter, principal solicitor for Ireland 1530, whose only son died s.p., and
ii. Robert,
clerk of the privy council in Ireland, master of the rolls 1528. He had issue, 1. Robert, killed 1573, leaving a daughter, and
clerk of the privy council in Ireland, master of the rolls 1528. He had issue, 1. Robert, killed 1573, leaving a daughter, and
iii. Sir Henry,
died 1584, having had issue by his first wife........,
died 1584, having had issue by his first wife........,
1. Sir George, who married a daughter of Archbishop Loftus; he styles
himself "of English birth," and left issue.
Sir Henry married secondly, Catherine, daughter of Sir Thomas Cusack, son of John Cusack and Aleson, his wife, daughter of Sir William Wellesley. By her he had issue,
Sir Henry married secondly, Catherine, daughter of Sir Thomas Cusack, son of John Cusack and Aleson, his wife, daughter of Sir William Wellesley. By her he had issue,
2. Sir Henry, who follows as IVth of the line.
[4]3. Walter, seneschal of Wexford, who had issue,
a. Dudley, who had two sons, Thomas and Arthur.
b.Sir William, living 1609.
a. Dudley, who had two sons, Thomas and Arthur.
b.Sir William, living 1609.
[5]c. John, who married......, and had issue,
[6](1) Thomas, of Balcarrick, who married Agnes Lyndon, and had issue,
(a) John, of Ballywalter, who left issue a daughter, married to Capt. Pownder.
(b) Richard.
(c) Thomas.
(a) John, of Ballywalter, who left issue a daughter, married to Capt. Pownder.
(b) Richard.
(c) Thomas.
[7](d) Roger, of Balcarrick, born 1696, married Jane Jones, and had
issue, with daughters,
[8](1) Arthur, of Balcarrick, born 1756, married Anne Pentland, and had
issue,
[9](a) Francis, born 1816, married Harriet Beesley, and has issue, with
daughters,
[10](A) Arthur Roger, born 1852.
iv. Sir Henry,
eldest son of Sir Henry (iii) by his second marriage, was at school in 1587;
he married Anne, daughter of Archbishop Loftus, and sister of the wife of his
brother, Sir George Cowley, and had issue,
v. Sir Henry,
who died 1637, having married Anne, daughter of Christopher Peyton, and
had issue,
vi. Dudley,
who died 1674, having married Anne, daughter of Henry Warren, by whom he
had issue,
vii. Henry,
who married Mary, daughter of Sir William Ussher, and had issue,
1. Henry, ancestor (through his daughter Mary) of Viscount Harberton,
and
viii. Richard,
who was created Lord Mornington, father of
ix. Garrett,
Earl of Mornington, father of
x. Arthur,
Duke of Wellington, born 1769, died 1852. N.B.- The late generations of
this branch of the family will be found fully and correctly given in modern
peerages.
EXCERPTS OF CRANWILL
IN ST MOGUE’S VESTRY BOOK, kindly supplied by Margaret Greenwood:
Copy of an email from
Michael Warren to Margaret Greenwood 10 August 2003
The following
document was written by Margaret Greenwood and who kindly sent me a copy and
gave me permission to reproduce it in this chapter:
The following six pages are taken from a newly uploaded
online book (2013). The Origin and Stem
of the Irish Nation, a ‘dusty document’ rescued from the shelves of an
Irish Library, this book was written by John O’Hart and published in 1892. It
is the leading Irish Pedigree Reference Book for family researchers and was
acclaimed by his peers at the time as accurate and authoritative.
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