THE PIGOTT FAMILY OF QUEEN'S COUNTY, IRELAND; SOME ANCESTRAL CONNECTIONS.

John PIGOTT of Dublin, Ireland, Linen Draper, & of St Louis, Missouri

2011-11-05T22:38:00.001-07:00

St Louis City in the 1880s.
A view of the St Louis landing, on the Mississippi, ca 1850.

JOHN PIGOTT OF DUBLIN.

John PIGOTT emigrated to the United States in 1819; he probably arrived in Philadelphia on the ship Fox, 12 Jul 1819, with Robert ERWING & Mrs ERWING; he settled in St Louis, Missouri, where his wife (Frances HALE) & three surviving children (Eliza, Frances & William J. PIGOTT) joined him in the following year.
John was not the only member of his immediate family to emigrate to America. So too did his brother William - see [B] below; his sister Gertrude - see [C] below; and his sister Frances, wife of David DYAS - see [D] below.

John PIGOTT's obituary referred to him as a "native of Dublin"; he was almost certainly a Linen Draper in that city before he emigrated.

John PIGOTT of Dublin, a Wholesale & Retail Linen Draper, resided at 97 Back Lane, 1808-10; declared Bankrupt in Jan 1811, when his interest in the dwelling house and premises on the south side of Back Lane, which he held for a term of 19 years at a small annual rental, & where he carried on the trade of wholesale & retail Linen Draper, were to be put up for sale; back in business, as Linen Draper, 10 North King St, Dublin, 1813-14; & thereafter at 3 Upper Bridge St (1819).
John was initiated into Membership of Masonic Lodge No 153, Dublin, 8 Feb 1808, then residing at Back Lane, a Linen Draper; he was Grand Master of that Lodge, 19 Mar 1810, when he presided over a Lodge meeting at which James HALE (probably his brother-in-law) was "...to receive his certificate... having paid the sum agreed upon him".
John was of Linen Hall St, Dublin, Merchant, when named as grantor of a Deed of Assignment dated 16 Jan 1816 (Memorial No 478463), demising premises at 12 North King St to William PIGOTT (presumed to be his brother - see [B] below); & of Upper Bridge St, Dublin, Calico & Linen Merchant, when named as grantor of another Deed of Assignment dated Mar 1819 (Mem No 503419), demising a new brick dwelling at 3 Upper Bridge St to George BELL of Linen Hall St.

John PIGOTT disappears from Dublin records after 1819.

It is very likely that he was father, by his wife Frances HALE, of at least two children - Charlotte PIGOTT, bapt St Paul's (C.of I.), Dublin, 23 Jan 1807; & John PIGOTT, bt St Nicholas Within (C.of I.), 5 Nov 1809; both of these children appear to have died at King St, & were buried at St Catherine's (C.of I.), Dublin, in 1813 & 1814 (John, aged 4).

JOHN'S WIFE FRANCES & FAMILY JOIN HIM IN ST LOUIS.

John's wife Frances PIGOTT was in Boston, 15 Oct 1820, on the ship Carolina, en route from Liverpool to New Orleans, together with Gertrude PIGOTT (in 1834 & 1838, Mrs PEARCE), Hannah HALE, & Frances' surviving PIGOTT children (Betsy, Frances & William), clearly on her way, with packages of furniture, clothing, beds & bedding, to join her husband in St Louis.
On arrival in New Orleans, their ages were recorded thus - Hannah HALE (64 - old enough to have been Frances's mother), Gertrude PIGOTT (63 - old enough to have been Frances's aunt or mother-in-law), Frances PIGOTT (36), & her children Betsy (11), Frances (7), & William (4).

Frances was Administratrix of her late husband's estate, Sep 1831; she was recorded as a Communicant Member of Christ Church (Episcopal), St Louis, 1833; she witnessed her daughter France Lucy's marriage in St Louis, 1834; at 97 & 99 south Second St, widow, 1836-37, and 99 south Second St, 1839-41 [St Louis City Directory]; she was head of a household in St Louis Township, 1840 Census; Communicant Member of St Paul's (Episcopal) Church, St Louis, 1841; at Seventh St, between Franklin & Washington Aves, 1842; at west side of Third St, St Louis, opposite the Cathedral, 1845; in the 1845 St Louis Census, head of a household comprising 1 male & 2 females aged 21-45, 3 females aged 10-18, & 1 female aged 6-15; at Ward 3, St Louis City, 1850 Census, aged 72; & at Almond St, between Main & 2nd, 1851.

Frances PIGOTT died at St Louis City, ca 15 Sep 1850, "...of dysentery," & buried Christ Church Cemetery (in use 1839-59, & at the time located in the block bounded by Ohio & California Avenues and La Salle & Caroline Streets - part of which today appears, from google.maps, to have headstones, laid flat, on the perimeter of parkland east of California Ave, between Hickory & Rutgers Sts); her remains were exhumed & re-interred at Bellefontaine Cemetery, St Louis, 2 Feb 1863, in her daughter Elizabeth MADDOX's plot (Block 54, Lot 1125).

JOHN PIGOTT SETTLES IN ST LOUIS.

John PIGOTT first appears in official records on 10 Aug 1820, when he purchased 146 acres of land, near St Louis, from George Y. BRIGHT & Charles F. DELAMIERE, for $700, located in the S.E. fractional quarter of Section 24, Township 45; on 1 Feb 1821, he purchased an additional 160 acres in the same quarter, also for $700, which he sold to his brother William, 7 days later, along with "...2 mares & colts, 1 yoke of oxen, 3 cows & calves, 14 head of hogs, sows & pigs..." & miscellanoues furniture & farming implements - it appears that John was "setting" his brother up as a farmer.
These two blocks lay about 10 miles W.S.W. of the centre of St Louis City, near the present-day intersection of Manchester Rd and Woodlawn Ave, in the suburb now known as Rock Hill.

John purchased more land, in St Louis City Block 38, by deed dated 5 Oct 1829, for $650, from James GONZOLES & his wife Sophia, located on the S.E. corner of the intersection of Almond & Church (or 2nd) Streets, with an 80 ft frontage on Church St, & 150 ft on Almond St; he purchased yet more land, in City Block 55, by another Deed dated 1 Dec 1829, for $1,000, from the same James & Sophia GONZOLES, & located on the opposite corner, with a 60 ft frontage on the west side of Church St, & 150 ft on the north side of Almond St, which he "...occupied as a tavern."
These streets no longer exist, the whole area east of 3rd St to the Mississippi River having since been cleared to provide open parkland, over which the Gateway Arch stands proud - with Almond Street now under parkland south of the Arch near the approaches to the Poplar St Bridge.

John PIGOTT he was enumerated in Lower Ward, St Louis Township, 1830 Census, aged 40-50, with a female aged 30-39 (probably Frances, despite the lower age), a girl & boy aged 10-14 (Frances & William J.), & another boy aged 5-9 (John Thomas); he was listed as Alderman of South Ward, Township of St Louis, 1831.

John PIGOTT died in St Louis, 25 Oct 1831, "...after a painful illness... a native of Dublin, and for many years past a respectable citizen of this place" [St Louis Beacon, Thur 3 Nov 1831]; his remains were buried in the City Graveyard, which then stood immediately north-west of the intersection of Lafayette Ave and South 14th Street.
There is a note in his probate file, dated 30 Jan 1832, concerning an additional fee for the Sexton to re-inter his remains in Lot 7, also in the City Graveyard.
[Map showing early burial grounds in St Louis, many now defunct. North points to the right of the page.]
This cemetery was probably, like many others nearer the river, closed after a Cholera epidemic in St Louis in 1849 killed 4,500 residents, with the remains in the graveyard probably being re-interred. There is a large edifice now standing on the site.

[A] JOHN & FRANCES PIGOTT'S FAMILY.

John & Frances had surviving issue:

1. Elizabeth PIGOTT, born in Dublin, ca 1812; aged 11 on arrival in the U.S. with her mother, 1821; named as Eliza MADDOX on her father's probate oath, 1831; Administratrix of her late husband's estate, St Louis, 3 Jul 1832, her agent being William PIGOTT; Administratrix of her mother's deceased estate, 1850; marr, probably in St Louis, William P. MADDOX, with issue:
a. Edward MADDOX; named in his father's probate oath, 1832.
b. Francis MADDOX; named in his father's probate oath, 1832.
c. Eliza P. MADDOX, b Missouri, 25 Mar 1823 (recorded on her grave marker, but not consistent with her mother being born in 1812); marr 1stly, St Louis, 3 Aug 1848, Albion P. CONDON (born Maine, 1821; died St Louis, Aug 1853); Eliza marr 2ndly, St John's Church, St Louis, 22 Nov 1859, Thomas R. JAMES, Miller; they settled in Otterville, Cooper County, Missouri; she had issue:
i. Florence CONDON, b St Louis, 2 May 1849' died St Louis, 27 May 1941; marr St Louis, 13 Apr 1869, Charles Louis WEYRICH (b Baden, Germnay, 1842); he died St Louis, 1899; issue - a son Charles A. WEYRICH, b St Louis, 1872, & died 1897, leaving a pregnant wife Grace.
ii. Harry A. JAMES, b ca 1860; an engineer, aged 20, with parents, 1880 Census.
iii. Richard E. JAMES, b ca 1862; aged 17, Mill Worker, with parents, 1880; died St Louis, Aug 1924.
iv. William P. JAMES, b ca 1864; aged 15, at school, with parents, 1880; died St Louis, Jul 1936.
v. Charles J. JAMES, b ca 1866; aged 13, with parents, 1880; Regstry Clerk, Railwy Coy, 1920 Census; died St Louis, 10 May 1946, & bur Bellefontaine Cemetery.
vi. Catherine (Kate) W. JAMES, b ca 1869; died St Louis, Jan 1936; marr William A. McCOY; he died St Louis, Mar 1936.
vii. Josephine (Josie) J. JAMES, b Otterville, Missouri, ca 1872; died St Louis, 5 Sep 1955; marr William J. BABINGTON.
viii. Elizabeth (Lizzie) J. JAMES, b ca 1875; aged 25, with her half-sister Florence WEYRICH, 1900 Census; died St Louis, Sep 1940.

2. Frances PIGOTT, born in Dublin, ca 1814; at Galena, Jo Daviess Co, Illinois, 1880 Census, aged 67, widow, keeping house, with 3 grown children; marr St Louis, Missouri, 5 Feb 1834, Michael GORMAN, Chandler (a "mixed" Protestant/Catholic marriage witnessed, among others, by her mother, uncle William PIGOTT, & aunt Gertrude PEARCE); he was probably born in Clonaslee, Queen's Co, Ireland, ca 1806, son of Michael & Mary GORMAN; he was a Chandler in 1850, & Clerk in 1870; he died before 1880, & was buried in a family plot in St Mary's Catholic Cemetery,West Galena (as was Frances & most of the children); issue included:
a. John P. GORMAN, b St Louis, Missouri, 19 Mar 1835; aged 40, Clerk in Store, with widowed mother, 1880 Census; aged 61, with sister, 1900 Census; at West Galena, 1920 Census, aged 84, with 2 siblings; died Galena, 8 Feb 1923, & bur St Mary's Catholic Cemetery; unmarried.
b. Mary S. GORMAN, b Illinois, ca 1838; aged 38, with mother, 1880; at Bench St, West Galena, 1900 Census, aged 55, Unmarr, Music Teacher, with 3 siblings.
c. Thomas W. GORMAN, b Galena, Illinois, 21 Sep 1841; aged 18, with parents, 1860; aged 52, Bridge Tender, with sister, 1900 Census; aged 78, with brother, 1920 Census; died Galena, 22 Aug 1926, & bur St Mary's Catholic Cemetery; unmarried.
d. Frances Emma GORMAN, b Galena, Illinois, 25 Oct 1844; aged 32, School Teacher, with mother, 1880; aged 50, with sister, 1900 Census; aged 75, with brother, 1920 Census; died Galena, 7 Jan 1924; unmarried.
e. Michael R. GORMAN Jr, b Illinois, ca 1846; aged 21, with parents, 1870.

3. William J. PIGOTT, born in Dublin about 1816; Administrator of his uncle William PIGOTT's deceased estate, 1838; at District 46, Lafayette, Missouri, 1850 Census, aged 34, Druggist, with John T. PIGOTT; at Carroll, New Hampshire, 1860 Census, aged 34, Gentleman of Leisure; at San Buena Ventura, California, 1880 Census, aged 64, Boarder; died Los Angeles, Nov 1897.

4. John Thomas PIGOTT, born in St Louis, 14 Jun 1823; enumerated with William J. PIGOTT, at Lafayette, 1850 Census, aged 27, also a Druggist; Banker in Boonville, Missouri; died 29 Nov 1904; of Lexington, when he married at Boonville, 17 Mar 1859, Josephine Hanley TRIGG; they had issue:
a. Nannie PIGOTT, b Lexington, Missouri, 1860; with parents, 1860 Census; died young, before 1870.
b. William Trigg PIGOTT, born Boonville, 3 Oct 1861; Kemper Military School, Boonville; Missouri University, 1880, graduating in Law; commenced a Law Practice in Virginia City, Montana, Aug 1880; Virginia City Attorney, Nov 1880 to Nov 1890; in partnership with Ransome COOPER, 1890 to 1894, residing in Great Falls; vice-president for Montana, American Bar Association; Member, Montana Board of Education; Justice of the Montana Supreme Court (appointed twice, elected once); a Democrat; died 18 Mar 1944; marr Pike Co, Missouri, 11 Jan 1883, Virginia CURTIS (born Georgia, daur of Rev Judson M. CURTIS); they had issue:
i. John Thomas PIGOTT, b Missouri, 27 Sep 1885; Yale University, 1906; Lawyer; at Washington St, San Francisco, 1930 Census, aged 44, Attorney in General Practice, with wife & 3 ch'n; died San Francisco, 8 May 1965; marr 1stly, Bessie ASHTON (1888-1943); he marr 2ndly, Daphne DRAKE (1894-1978); issue by 1st marriage - Elizabeth R. PIGOTT (marr Paul K. YOST), Virginia C. PIGOTT (marr Lewis V. COLEMAN), & John Thomas PIGOTT Jr (b 1920, U.S.N., & Lawyer in Los Angeles).
ii. Morris Curtis PIGOTT, b Boonville, 14 Feb 1887; Kemper Military School; Yale University, 1906; Mining Engineer & Metallurgist; Mexico, 1919; at Cochise, Arizona, 1920, aged 43, Assistant Superintendant Copper Smelter, with wife & 2 ch'n; died Helena, Montana, 5 Jun 1926; marr Helena, Montana, 1 Jun 1911, Marianne Van HOOK (b San Diego, 1888, daur of John Clifford Van HOOK & Carrie Duer EVANS); issue - Van Hook Curtis PIGOTT (b 28 Sep 1912, died 1926), Marianne (b 1914, marr David Allen SHARP), & William Trigg (III) PIGOTT (b 1922, died 2007, marr with issue).
iii. William Trigg (II) PIGOTT, born Montana, 6 Aug 1889, & Kemper Military School; A.B., Yale, 1911; Infantry Major; Military Attache, Tokyo; for many years Military Attache, U.S. Embassy, London; retired from the Diplomatic Service, 1935; died 2 Jul 1975; probably married Marie, perhaps without issue.
iv. Winifred PIGOTT, born Montana, Jan 1896; aged 34, a widow, with her brother John, 1930 Census; died Palo Alto, California, 3 Mar 1969; marr 1stly, Wirt Wendall PENDERGAST (b Washington State, 1895); he died Wenatchee, Welan Co, Washington, 3 Mar 1928; she marr 2ndly, 22 Apr 1946, as his 2nd wife, Clifford E. Van HOOK, Rear Admiral, U.S. Navy (a brother of her sister-in-law Marianne); he died at Santa Clara, California, 28 Nov 1975, leaving issue only by his first marriage.
c. Frank Wetzell PIGOTT, born Boonville, 21 Sep 1864; at Boonville, 1910 Census, aged 45, Book Keeper; at Boonville, Broker, 1912, when he applied for a U.S. Passport; aged 65, book-keeper, with "cousin" Whitlaw DRAFFEN (probably instead his brother Frederick's relation); died Boonville, Missouri, 1 Aug 1953.
d. John Christian PIGOTT, born Boonville, 21 Nov 1865; partner in the firm of PIGOTT & McKINLEY, Dry Goods, Boonville; at Boonville, 1930 Census, aged 64, no occupation, with wife; marr Boonville, 11 Jan 1893, Mary Wilson TRENT; she died 13 May 1953, aged 84.
e. Harry Hale PIGOTT, born Boonville, 26 Jul 1868; Kemper Military School; Secretary, Agricultural & Loan Agency, & of the War Finance Corporation; Managing Director, Federal Agricultural Corporation, Helena Barnach; died Flathead County, Moontana, 29 May 1954; marr Bates Co, Missouri, 17 Mar 1892, Anna R. FRIZELL; she died Gallatin Co, Montana, 13 Apr 1956, aged 81; they had issue:
i. Josephine PIGOTT, born Butler, Missouri, 8 May 1894; died Talahassee, Florida, 6 Jan 1969; marr Helen, Montana, 15 Jan 1920, Ethelbert DOWDEN; he died Denver, Colorado, 5 Feb 1986, aged 94; with issue - Marion DOWDEN (b Denver, 1922; died New Haven, CT, 2007, wife of Starr Hicock BARNUM).
ii. Marianne F. PIGOTT, born Helene, 30 Sep 1897; died 1963, unmarr, & buried with her parents in Forestvale Cemetery, Montana.
iii. Anna Lou PIGOTT, born Kenwood, Helena, 29 Oct 1903; died Denver, Sep 1941 (by a self-inflicted gun-shot wound to the head); marr Helena, 16 Jun 1926, Charles BOETTCHER, a millionaire businessman & aviator friend of LINDBERGH; he was kidnapped for ransom in Denver, 1933; he died 1963 (having marr 2ndly Mrs Mae Scott FOSTER); issue - 2 daughters.
f. Frederick F. PIGOTT, born Boonville, 9 Aug 1871; Farmer in Boonville; marr Boonville, 14 Oct 1908, Mary H. DRAFFEN.
___________________________________________________________________________________

[B] WILLIAM PIGOTT OF DUBLIN & ST LOUIS.

William PIGOTT; Linen Draper, North King St, Dublin, 16 Jan 1816, when named by John PIGOTT (presumed to be his brother) as grantee of a Deed of Assignment for the newly built premises at 12 North King St; William disposed of that property by Deed odf Assignment, dated 2 Jan 1817, to Henry GANNON of Linen Hall St, Dublin.
William emigrated to America; he probably arrived in New York on the brig Anne in Apr 1817; he settled in St Louis, where he "purchased" a farm lot from his brother John, in Feb 1822; he "sold" this lot in Dec 1827 to his sister-in-law Frances PIGOTT, for $5, "...for & in consideration of the natural love, affection, goodwill & amity which he bears..." towards her.
William was inaugural Secretary, Missouri Hibernia Relief Society, St Louis, 1827; probably at Upper Ward 3, St Louis, 1830 Census, with two other Free Whites (one aged 30-39, the other 20-29) and a female slave; joint securitor (with Jonathan WISEMAN), 3 Jul 1832, for his niece Elizabeth MADDOX's probate oath as Administratrix of her late husband's estate; witnessed his niece Frances PIGOTT's marriage in St Louis, Feb 1834; & died in St Louis, 16 Apr 1838 [Missouri Republican, Tue 17 Apr], late resident of corner of Third & Locust Streets, St Louis; apparently unmarried.
___________________________________________________________________________________

[C] GERTRUDE PEARCE ALIAS PIGOTT OF DUBLIN & ST LOUIS.

Gertrude PIGOTT arrived in the U.S. with her sister-in-law Frances PIGOTT, 1821, her age then recorded as 63; this would put her birth in ca 1757, which is considerably earlier than other indications, and suggests a possibility that this may have been instead of a previous generation, and perhaps instead the mother of John, William & Francesm, rather than their sister.
But Gertrude PEARCE was recorded in her brother John PIGOTT's probate accounts, 1831, as a creditor for $14 worth of dry goods; she witnessed (her presumed niece) Frances Lucy PIGOTT's Catholic marriage in Feb 1834; and she was bequethed a $82 share of (her presumed brother) William's estate, 1838.
G. PEARCE was buried in the City Burial Ground, 12 May 1833, by Rev CHADERTON, of Christ Church (Episcopal), St Louis; this could have been Gertrude's husband.

___________________________________________________________________________________

[D] FRANCES DYAS ALIAS PIGOTT OF DUBLIN, ST LOUIS & IOWA.

Frances PIGOTT appears to have been born about 1786 (if her age at death was correctly reported); some of her descendants believe that she served as Lady-in-Waiting to Queen Caroline of England, wife of King George III (but, without corroborating evidence, this has the hallmarks of being a bit of a tall story - it appears that her family are Irish, and neither King George, nor his wife, ever visited Ireland).

Frances emigrated to America, with her husband David DYAS & their 4 children, in 1817; again, there is an uncorrobrated story that their removal from Ireland was forced by their legal predicament, brought about by their "assisting" a Catholic Priest about the Irish countryside (perhaps concealing a "meddlesome" priest from being "arrested" by the authorities), and that their departure, perhaps on a "coffin" ship from the west coast of Ireland, was assisted by the said Queen Caroline.
It is not impossible that her father, as yet unidentified, but perhaps another John PIGOTT (Frances named her 2nd son John Pigott DYAS), may have been in Army service, and as such could have served time as an Aide-de-Camp to a member of the Court in London, even a member of the Royal Family, and that Frances may later have "used" that connection, perhaps through a colleague of her father & later installed in Dublin Castle, to forestall attempts have them brought to trial until after there "escape."

Frances & David first settled in Williamsport, Hardy County, Virginia, where another two children were born, in 1818, & in Apr 1821; they then "visited" St Louis, where another child was born in Jul 1824.
The family was possibly enumerated in the 1830 Census at Cedar, Boone Co, Missouri, as David DIAL (aged 40-49), with a female (40-49), a male (20-29), a male & a female (15-19), a female (10-14), a male & a female (5-9) & a male (under 5).
Her husband David was said to have served in the 27th Regiment of the Illinois State Infantry, during the Black Hawk War of Apr-Aug 1832, so perhaps then residing in Illinois; by 1838, they were residing at Bellevue, recorded as the Territory of Wisconsin, later the State of Iowa. David was enumerated at Bellevue, Iowa, in the 1850 Federal Census (aged 64, Farmer, with son Robert); in the 1856 Iowa State Census (aged 70, a Widower, with son Robert); & in the 1860 Federal Census (aged 73, Gentleman, with son George).
Frances was buried at Belleville, Jackson Co, Iowa, 19 Apr 1845, aged 60; David died at Bellevue, 31 Oct 1863; they were both buried in a small cemetery on Brady Farm, known as the BRADY-DYAS cemetery, now on private property.

David & Frances had issue:

1. Catherine Sophia DYAS, b Ballyfermott, Co Dublin, 31 Oct 1810; aged 7 on arrival in America; at Bellevue, Iowa, 1880 Census, aged 67, a widow, with son Stephen; died 11 Sep 1883, & buried Brady Farm Cemetery, Bellevue; she married 14 May 1833, Thomas NICHOLSON (b Pennsylvania, 1792); he died Bellevue, 1 Nov 1855, & buried Brady Farm Cemetery; issue:
a. Stephen NICHOLSON, b Iowa, ca 1851; aged 28, a Farmer, with is mother, 1880 Census.

2. William Frederick DYAS, born Co Meath, Ireland, 1812; aged 5 on arrival in the U.S.; Private, 27th Illinois Regiment, Black Hawk War; at Bellevue, Iowa, 1860 Census, aged 48, Farmer, with wife & son; died Byron, Thayer County, Nebraska, 28 Feb 1875, & bur Bellevue Presbyterian Cemetery; he marr Mary Ann LENNOX (b Maryland, ca 1837); she was at Bellevue, Jackson Co, 1880 Census, aged 42, wih 5 children; she died 18 Sep 1910, aged 74, & was buried Bellevue Presbyterian Cemetery; issue:
a. William F. DYAS, b Iowa, 8 Apr 1860; Farmer in Belevue; died 9 Feb 1924; marr Emma L. LAUBER; she died 19 Jul 1925, aged 63; both buried Bellevue Presbyterian Cemetery.
b. Robert J. DYAS, b Iowa, ca 1862; Farm Labourer, aged 18, with mother, 1880; died 1941.
c. Anna DYAS, b Iowa, ca 1965; at school, aged 14, with mother, 1880.
d. Ella F. DYAS, b Iowa, ca 1869; at school, aged 11, with mother, 1880.
e. Melanie L. DYAS, b Iowa, ca 1873; aged 7, with mother, 1880; probably buried 1961, Bellevue Presbyterian Cemetery.

3. Amelia Gertrude DYAS, born Co Meath, Ireland, 14 Mar 1814; aged 3 on arrival in the U.S.; at Bellevue, 1820 Census, aged 31, with husband son; died 1891, & buried REED Family Cemetery, Jackson Co, Iowa; marr 1stly, at Galena, Illinois, 10 Nov 1835, Alexander Whitehall REED; issue:
a. Samuel REED, b Iowa, ca 1839; aged 10, with parents, 1850 Census.
Amelia marr 2ndly, her late husband's half-brother, William H. REED.

4. John Pigott DYAS, b Co Meath, Ireland, 1816; aged 1 on arrival in the U.S.; Merchant, aged 31, 1850 Census, residing with his sister Amelia REED, at Bellevue, with his wife & 2 daurs; died 1855, and buried Brady Farm Cemetery; marr Bellevue, Margaret BEATTY; issue:
a. Frances DYAS, b Iowa, ca 1845; aged 5, with parents, 1850.
b. Emily DYAS, b Iowa, ca 1847; aged 2, with parents, 1850.
c. Margaret DYAS, b Iowa, ca 1851.
d. James DYAS, b Iowa, ca 1853.
e. John P. DYAS, b Iowa, ca 1855.

5. Robert Samuel DYAS, b Williamsport, Hardy Co, Virginia, 1818; at Bellevue, 1856 Iowa State Census, aged 37, Farmer, with wife & 3 ch'n; ditto, 1860 Census, aged 41, with wife & 4 ch'n; ded 20 Dec 1861, & bur Brady Farm Cemetery; marr Scott Co, Iowa, 30 Sep 1847, Martha Van HORN (b Holland, 15 Aug 1828); she died 16 May 1907, & bur Bellevue Presbyterian Cemetery; issue:
a. Mary DYAS, b Iowa, ca 1848; aged 12, with parents, 1860.
b. William Lewis DYAS, b Iowa, 7 Nov 1850; aged 9, with parents, 1860; at Anaconda, Deer Lodge County, Montana, 1900 Census, aged 49, Clerk, with wife & 4 ch'n; died Anaconda, Montana, 13 Jul 1907; marr Anaconda, 8 May 1893, Emma ELRIDGE (b Tennessee, 1869); issue:
i. Robert Lewis DYAS, b 9 Jan 1894; marr Anaconda, 18 Apr 1920, Dorothy FINDLAY.
ii. Margaret DYAS, b 24 Jun 1896.
iii. George D. DYAS, b 29 Mar 1898.
iv. Carrie DYAS, b 16 Feb 1900.
v. Edward Elridge DYAS, b 2 May 1902; died Anaconda, 2 Oct 1930.
vi. William Henderson DYAS, b 22 Aug 1904; died Anaconda, 27 Jan 1909.
vii. Dorothy Emma DYAS, b 29 Nov 1906.
c. Catherine DYAS, b Iowa, ca 1852; aged 7, with parents, 1860.
d. Edward Samuel DYAS, b Bellevue, Iowa, 16 May 1855; died 24 Apr 1940, & bur Bellevue Presbyterian Cemetery; poss marr Catherine (died 11 Oct 1948) with issue:
i. Robert H. DYAS, b 22 Aug 11890; died 7 Dec 1965, & bur Bellevue Presbyterian Cemetery.
ii. Edward S. DYAS Jr, b 25 Aug 1893; died 19 Feb 1980, & bur Bellevue Presbyterian Cemetery; prob marr with issue.
iii. Harold R. DYAS, b 6 Nov 1895; died 15 Dec 1971, & bur Beelevue Presbyterian Cemetery.

6. David Alexander DYAS, b Williamsport, Hardy Co, VA, 15 Apr 1821; at Bellevue, 1860 Census, aged 39, Farmer, with wife & 2 ch'n; ditto, 1870, aged 49, with 2nd wife & 5 ch'n; at Vicksburg Township, Jewel Co, Kansas, 1880 Census, aged 59, Farmer, with wife, 6 ch'n & mother-in-law; marr 1stly, Jackson Co, Iowa, 14 Sep 1848, Mary Van HORN (b Ohio, 1828, a sister of Martha, his sister-in-law); she died Bellevue, 1860; issue:
a. Martha Antoinette DYAS, b Bellevue, 2 Aug 1849; with father, 1870 & 1880; poss, as Nettie, died 25 Dec 1920, & bur Caldwell Cemetery, Kansas.
b. Joseph Samuel DYAS, b Iowa, 10 Apr 1953; died 27 Jul 1915, & bur Caldwell Cemetery, Kansas.
c. Charles David DYAS, b Bellevue, 12 Jul 1859; aged 20, with father, 1880; died 1929, & bur Pleasant View Cemetery, Jewell Co, Kansas; marr Mary HENRY; she died 1948; with issue.
David marr 2ndly, 20 Dec 1866, Rebecca LAMBERTSON (b Indiana, 1838); she died Formoso, Kansas, 24 Oct 1880; further issue:
d. Mary DYAS, b Iowa, ca 1865; aged 4, with parents, 1870.
e. George Franklin DYAS, b Bellevue, 4 Jun 1868; with parents, 1870, 1880; died Beloit, Mitchell Co, Kansas, 8 Apr 1952, & bur Randell Cemetery, Jewel Co; marr 1stly, 16 Feb 1887, Etta HANDLEY; marr 2ndly, 4 Mar 1900, Rudy Lulu MILLS.
f. Robert Clyde DYAS, b Bellevue, 7 Aug 1872; with parents, 1870; died Randell, Jewel Co, KS, 25 Jul 1955, & bur Wallace Cemetery, KS; marr Jewell Co, 7 Apr 1898, Violet Mary RIGHTMEIER; she died 23 May 1956, aged 75.
g. John Thomas DYAS, b Concordia, Cloud Co, Kansas, 25 Mar 1874, a twin; with parents, 1880; died 7 Aug 1956, & bur Wallace Cemetery, KS; marr Jewell Co, KS, 31 Mar 1898, Stella Amelia PATON; she died Jewell Co, 7 Mar 1939; with issue:
1. Raymond Thomas DYAS, b 9 Sep 1899; died 6 May 1968; marr Jewell Co, 3 Jun 1921, Grace Gertrude MILLER.
ii. Vivian Margaret DYAS, b 8 Dec 1901; died 7 Apr 1979; marr 1917, Albert Custer PAYNE.
iii. Marion DYAS, b 12 Mar 1906; died 15 Apr 1974; marr 1926, Dorothea ABRAMS.
iv. Carol Esther DYAS, b 8 Jul 1914; died Omaha, Nebraska, 26 Sep 1971, & bur Wallace Cemetery, Kansas; marr HATFIELD.
h. James Tobias DYAS, the other twin; died 1964.
j. Margaret Bell DYAS, b Formoso, Jewell Co, KS, 14 Oct 1876; died 7 Oct 1935, & bur Wallace Cemetery; marr KEMMERER.
k. Mary Louise DYAS, b Formoso, 11 Sep 1878; died Formoso, 22 May 1892.

7. George Francis DYAS, b St Louis, Missouri, 10 Jul 1824; at Bellevue, Iowa, 1860 Census, aged 35, Farmer, with wife, 2 ch'n & father-in-law; ditto, 1880 Census, aged 55, Farmer, with wife, 4 daurs & father-in-law; marr Anna Frances WHITMORE (b Indiana, ca 1836, daur of Daniel WHITMORE) & widow of Joseph Van HORN (by whom a daur Emily Van HORN); issue:
a. Carie DYAS, b Iowa, ca 1855; aged 24, Teaching School, with parents, 1880.
b. Rosealtha DYAS, b Iowa, ca 1858; aged 21, Teaching School, with parents, 1880; marr Jeremiah LINAHAN, with issue.
c. Amelia DYAS, b ca 1860.
d. Frances DYAS, b ca 1864; prob as Jane, age 15, at school, with parents, 1880.
e. Eva Sophia DYAS, b Jackson Co, Iowa, 27 Jul 1866; aged 13, at school, with parents, 1880; marr Jesse W. MACE, with issue.

JOHN PIGOTT'S EARLIER ANCESTRY IN IRELAND - SOME SPECULATION.

American records indicate that the wife of this John PIGOTT, of Dublin & St Louis, was Frances HALE. And it is this marriage, to Frances HALE, which places John PIGOTT, the Linen Draper, fairly & squarely in the domain of my ancestor, John PIGOTT of Grafton Lane & Charlotte St, Dublin, whose wife was Mary VICKERS. Her sister, Eliza VICKERS, was the wife of Edward HALE of Hanover St, Dublin, & their issue included a daughter Frances HALE (b 1811), possibly named after an aunt; and Edward is likely to have been closely related to James HALE, who named his son William Pigott HALE (b 1806); which James HALE was a member of the same Masonic Lodge as John PIGOTT.
In fact, James & Hannah HALE, of Cork St, Dublin (1773, 1778), & of Dolphin's Barn (1775), had three children baptised at St Catherine's (C.of I.), Dublin - Edward William HALE, on 11 Apr 1773; James HALE, on 27 Sep 1775; & Francis or Frances HALE, on 30 Aug 1778, the gender of the last yet to be confirmed from the original register or transcript of it.

It seems logical to assume that the two John PIGOTTs would have known of each other - they were both Protestants, with connections to the Cloth Manufacturing industry and with links to Masonic Lodges, & were having children baptised around the same period in much the same area just south-west of Dublin City, in the vicinity of the Liberty of St Patrick's Cathedral.
It is even possible, perhaps even likely, that they were related, as cousins, before they became brothers-in-law "at a short distance."

And if the relationship proves to be fact, then it indicates the early ancestry of John PIGOTT of St Louis is likely to trace back through the senior line of Dysart PIGOTT's in Queen's County, with a "partial" pedigree recorded by Robert PIGOTT (ca 1665-1730), the last main line prioprietor of Dysart, in his 1728 will. Although Robert had no issue of his own, he recorded the names of a (perhaps incomplete) number of PIGOTT nephews, any of whom may have survived, married & had issue.

Having three other siblings emigrate to America should have made the task of identifying the previous generation more simple. But to date, we only have indications of actual ages for the two sisters, but not for either John or William.
And the loss of primary records in Ireland appears to have included what may have been there, prior to 1922, for this family.
But we do have a possible name for their father - as the daughter Frances named her 2nd son John Pigott DYAS, it seems not unlikely that that was her father's name - and if so, he was yet another John PIGOTT of Ireland!

William MAGUIRE of Dublin; Paving Tax Inspector, Cathedral Sexton & a Primitive Wesleyan Methodist

2010-09-26T22:16:00.000-07:00

[The granite obelisk in the Vicar's Bawn, St Patrick's Cathedral, Dublin, erected by William MAGUIRE to mark his own burial plot, & in memory of his son Thomas. Photo by Yvonne RUSSELL, William's great-great-great-grand-daughter.]

Dean Jonathan SWIFT was very fond of gardening; in about 1724, he constructed a garden on the south side of Long Lane, Parish of St Kevin, not far from his Cathedral Church of St Patrick, in Dublin; around it he built a substantial wall; and within it, a small dwelling; but for the most part he planted orchards & vines.
And he gave it a name - Naboth's Vineyard.

Several decades later, in January 1782, under the care of a different Dean, Dr William CRADOCK, the dwelling was the residence of Thomas MAGUIRE, formerly of Mullalougher near Ballyhaise in County Cavan, his wife Letitia MAGUIRE alias PHAYRE, & their family of 5 surviving children (Mary Anne, aged 17; Martha, 16; Joseph, 11; Thomas, 9; & John, 6) from 8 born. And on the 14th of that January, in the house in Naboth's Vineyard, on Long Lane, was born their 9th & last child, their youngest son, William MAGUIRE.
William is the subject of this article.

[Part of John ROCQUE's 1756 Map of Dublin, showing "Naboth's Vineyard" south of Long Lane & east of Williams's Lane; the dwelling house is shown (dotted) in the very bottom left-hand corner, where Williams's Lane makes a 90 degree turn to the north; the hatched building above it, a quarter of the way up the western boundary, was a shed or out-house. It became the site, and still is, of Meath Hospital.]

RECENT FAMILY ORIGINS IN COUNTY CAVAN.

His father Thomas MAGUIRE, born in 1739, was the youngest of 4 sons of John MAGUIRE, probably of Clara, near Red Hills, Co Cavan, by his wife Martha BUCK, of Mullieghara (perhaps in error for Mullalougher?), near Ballyhaise, Co Cavan. John MAGUIRE, who was born in 1693, died in 1774 & was buried with his father at Killoughter Churchyard. [Part of the old Churchyard at Killoughter, Co Cavan. There are no remaining legible stones with MAGUIRE inscriptions.]

Thomas's elder siblings, our William's uncles & aunt, were as follows:
1. Mathew MAGUIRE.
2. John MAGUIRE.
3. William MAGUIRE.
[We have no further particulars of these three - although one of them may have been ancestor to John & Matthew MAGUIRE, both of Mullalougher, Redhills, Co Cavan, & probaby Methodists, who on 5 Dec 1823, both then over 23 & of the yeomanry, petitioned the Colonial Office for assistance to emigrate to Carleton County, Canada West (later Ontario), perhaps to join relations already there - see Bruce S. ELLIOTT's "Irish Immigrants in the Canadas: a new approach," p. 327, in a footnote to text on p. 125.]
4. Martha MAGUIRE, b 1735; died 1822; married in the Diocese of Kilmore & Ardagh, 1767, Samuel MARTIN, of Tullyvin, Co Cavan; he may have been buried at St Peter's (C.of I.,), Dublin, 12 Jul 1813, aged 75; issue unknown, but possibly including (? Thomas MARTIN, of Sandymount, Co Dublin, the father of Joseph MARTIN, who married at St John's (C.of I.), Dublin, 12 Sep 1849, Elizabeth PHAIR, a daughter of John PHAIR of 48 Fleet St, Dublin, & a sister of Letitia PHAIR, the wife of Nathaniel COLGAN; ? a Dr MARTIN was Tutor to Robert MAGUIRE, son of Thomas MAGUIRE & Lucinda KENNY, on his admission to Trinity College).

Thomas was living in Ballyhaise in 1759, when he took possession of a book entitled "Friendship in Death, in Twenty letters from the Dead," by Mrs Elizabeth ROWE, Dublin, 1752, the title page, inscribed "Thomas MAGUIRE, Ballyhays, county Cavan, 1759"; this title page, probably removed from the book, was later one of a number (including those of Lord KEANE, Sir William PIGOTT, James GREY & Charles KELLY, the last two married to PIGOTT sisters of William's son-in-law John PIGOTT), & with a Book-plate of his son (our William) attached to it, which came into the possession of Bertha SMITH of St Bees, and detailed in an item submitted by her & published in Notes & Queries, 6th Series, Volume II, 1880, page 28.
One might speculate that the book was originally given to Thomas in connection with a death in the family circle in that year, perhaps his mother, or even a grand-parent.

Thomas is recorded in the W.M. diary as having held the lease of a farm at Mullalougher from Colonel Thomas NEWBURGH, of Ballyhaise House, although confirming evidence has not yet been found in the Deeds Registry; NEWBURGH was an acquaintance of both Dean SWIFT & of John WESLEY, which two reverend gentlemen were both involved with institutions that would become pivotal in the lives of several of the MAGUIRE children, & in particular, our William MAGUIRE.

Thomas was married, on 6 Apr 1763, to Letitia PHAYRE of Kilmore (probably her Diocese); this date is recorded in William MAGUIRE's Diary (see below), & we have no further details relating to it. So far, I have been unable to determine the identity of Letitia's parents - all we know is that her father's name was undoubtedly PHAYRE (or PHAIR); & that her mother was still living, aged 77, around the year 1766, & probably living with her daughter in Mullalougher, Co Cavan.

Thomas & Letitia took their family to Dublin in November 1777. We cannot be entirely sure of the exact reasons behind the move, but we have indicators from several sources. William wrote an account of his life in 1823, which hereafter will be referred to as the W.M. Diary (leather-bound, with entries from reverse ends, one personal, the other genealogical, now in the possession of CRAWFORD descendants in Buckinghamshire). In it, William stated that Colonel NEWBURGH's widow:
"...having a particular liking for my mother, when she married the Dean and came to Dublin, induced my parents to come and settle also."
[The W.M. Diary.]

The widow was Martha CARY, who had married NEWBURGH on 16 Jan 1747 [St James's Evening Post, London, Thur 22 Jan 1747]; the Dean was William CRADOCK, who married the widow Martha on 26 Jan 1777 ["Exshaw's Magazine, 1777, p.152" - as cited in Notes & Queries, 6th Ser. VI, 16 Sep 1882, p.223]; and CRADOCK, as the lineal successor to Dean SWIFT, was now the master of Naboth's Vineyard.

I have a sneaking suspicion that William's mother, Letitia MAGUIRE alias PHAYRE, may have been related to Martha CRADOCK alias NEWBURGH alias CARY, but research has not yet established whether this was the case, & probably will not. If not, one might then speculate that the connection may have been through Letitia's mother, perhaps in service with Martha at Ballyhaise House, where she met Mr PHAYRE, possibly working his profession or trade in the NEWBURGH estate at Ballyhaise. Estate Accounts, if they still exist, might prove interesting.
Perhaps Martha may also have been a Primitive Wesleyan Methodist? She died 13 Dec 1804, & was buried in the Vicar's Bawn, aged 73, & without issue.

And I suspect that William's father may have been acting as a caretaker-cum-gardener in Naboth's Vineyard until a more substantial role was found for him, several years later, as Sexton of his "patron's" Church of Ireland Cathedral of St Patrick.

A RELIGIOUS CONVERSION IN THE FAMILY.

There is a second source that provides another reason for the MAGUIRE family's departure from Mullalougher. Charles Henry CROOKSHANK, M.A., wrote a comprehensive "History of Methodism in Ireland" (published by B.S. ALLEN & Son, Belfast, 1885); in it, he records the following details, naming MAGUIREs who are confirmed as our William's parents (see also William's obituary, published in the Primitive Wesleyan Methodist Magazine, 1845, pp.26-37), as follows:
"Mr [John] SLOCOMB, who had been appointed to the Clones circuit, and is described by WESLEY as 'an old labourer, worn out in service,' came to the house of Mr MAGUIRE in Mullalougher, ill of fever, the week before Christmas [1776]. Although he was tended with unremitting care and affection, on the last day of the year he sank under the virulence of the disease...
"When Mr & Mrs MAGUIRE returned from the interment... they found that two of their children had taken the infection, and soon after Mr MAGUIRE and two others of the family caught the disease; but the Lord supported and healed them. Mr MAGUIRE then resolved to move to Dublin, which he did as soon as practicable..."
["History of Methodism in Ireland," by Charles Henry CROOKSHANK, Chapter 27 - 1776, p.308. See image at http://books.google.com.au/books?id=2dS74YprT5kC&pg=PA197&lpg=PA197&dq=%22Mrs+MAGUIRE+of+Mullalougher%22&source=bl&ots=9f7uXct7gA&sig=DpPxmG7E74njx3-KCX_Un7iPZfY&hl=en&ei=PM6mTKGRIo_KvQO1-bDTDA&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=2&ved=0CBcQ6AEwAQ#v=onepage&q=%22Mrs%20MAGUIRE%20of%20Mullalougher%22&f=false ]

Perhaps the timing of Mrs CRADOCK's removal to Dublin was just coincidence, but a fortuitous one in Thomas's case, leading, as it appears, to an immediate employment & accommodation package. But Methodists had not always been welcome in the MAGUIRE household in Mullalougher:
"The young convert [John SMITH] felt an earnest desire to lead others to a saving knowledge of Christ; and with this end visited Mrs MAGUIRE of Mullalougher, whom he had previously known. He spoke to her of what the Lord had done for him, and his words sank deep into her heart. On leaving he promised to return on the following Sabbath and pray with any persons that would be present; but before Sunday came, the people of the neighbourhood tauntingly spoke of him as being a Methodist, and Mr MAGUIRE refused to let him pray in the house. A poor neighbour, however, gave a hearty invitation to God's servant, and Mrs MAGUIRE went to hear him.
"Mr MAGUIRE following, to bring her back, arrived during prayer. He went in, and wishing to escape observation, knelt down; and was deeply convinced of sin. When the young convert [SMITH] concluded his address to the throne of grace, Mr MAGUIRE went forward to him, in great distress, requested an interest in his prayers, and invited him to his house on the next Sabbath."
["History of Methodism in Ireland" by Charles Henry CROOKSHANK; Chapter 17 - 1766, p. 197.]

Although this does conflict with William's obituary, which stated that Rev John BREDIN had preached in the MAGUIRE house "shortly after" Letitia's 1763 marriage. However, 3 years after they were married, Thomas MAGUIRE & his wife Letitia, with an infant child in tow, joined the Society of Methodists; another who did was Mrs MAGUIRE's mother, "...poor... blind" and aged 77 years, although CROOKSHANK did not identify her by name; but we can be certain that it was Mrs PHAYRE, & probably a widow; although possibly re-married.

AN EARLIER RELIGIOUS & POLITICAL CONVERSION IN THE FAMILY.

Thomas was not the first MAGUIRE of his blood to undergo a significant religious "conversion."
His grandfather, Bryan McConnagher MAGUIRE, was recorded in our William's diary as having been born at Lisnaskea, Co Fermanagh, in the year 1648. [Aghalurcher Churchyard, Co Fermanagh; this was the burial ground for old Lisnaskea, & the main burial ground for the MAGUIREs of the Lisnaskea Sept. A number of MAGUIRE killings by close MAGUIRE relations took place either inside the Church, or in the Church-yard, particularly around the time of the abdication of Edmond, 8th MAGUIRE Chief, in the 1480's (see below).]

By 1689, Bryan was a Captain, & serving in the Army of the Catholic King James II (& VII); he was made prisoner by the Williamite forces garrisoned in Crom Castle, under command of Col CRIGHTON; Bryan may have been serving under Piers BUTLER, 3rd Viscount Galmoy, who led a small Army under orders from King James in Dublin to take Enniskillen.

In Mar 1689, the garrison at Crom had held out sufficiently for it to be reinforced from Enniskillen, virtually under Galmoy's nose; whence the garrison immediately set upon the beseigers, & routed them from their trenches, forcing them to retreat back to Belturbet. Galmoy had with him several young Protestant officers as prisoners, & used them as bait, offering a prisoner exchange between Capt DIXIE & the Jacobite prisoner in Crom Castle, our Capt Bryan MAGUIRE.

All was proceeding with due caution, including the obtaining of permission from Enniskillen; until Galmoy reneged, & had the Protestant officers tried for treason; whereupon they were sentenced to death. MAGUIRE, already released into Galmoy's care at Belturbet as part of the deal, protested Galmoy's actions, & offered his life & freedom for DIXIE's release; when Galmoy proceeded with the executions, MAGUIRE:
"...returned to Crom, according to his parole, so much disgusted at what was done that he lay down his commission and would serve King James no longer. "Bryan... obtained security for his life & liberty, to go at large with a protection from Col CREIGHTON... He retired from military service, and took some ground at a place called Clara, about a mile from Red Hills in the County of Cavan." [The W.M. Diary.]

There was an eyewitness to these events, whose identity I have yet to establish; his report, perhaps the most authentic available (notwithstanding his anonymity), was cited by Thomas WRIGHT in his 1854 "The History of Ireland from the earliest period...", as follows:
"At this time, one Brian MacConagher Maguire (who had been a captain in the Irish army), was a prisoner with us at Crom. Him the Lord Gillmoy had a desire to release, and the next day he sent an express to captain Crighton (the proprietor of the Castle of Crom, and governor thereof), proposing to exchange captain Dixie for this Captain Maguire, and desiring, if the change were approved of, that Captain Maguire might be sent to him, promising upon his honour to return us Captain Dixie for him.
"The exchange was very acceptable to the governor, and all that were in the castle of Crom, but yet they would conclude nothing until they had the consent of the governor of Enniskillen, and the other officers that were there, and so sent an express from Crom to Enniskillen for their resolution. The messenger was immediately sent back to Captain Crighton, with orders from the governor to go on with the exchange. Accordingly Captain Crighton sent Maguire to the lord Gillmoy, desiring that Captain Dixie might be returned to him, according to his promise under his hand, which letter is in the hands of the governor of Enniskillen. But the lord Gillmoy, as soon as he had Maguire in his hands, called a council of war on Captain Dixie and his cornet, Mr. Charleton, where they were both found guilty, and sentence of death passed upon them, for levying men by the Prince of Orange's commission, which was found in their pockets; and immediately they were desired to prepare to die against the next day; but in the meantime great endeavours were used, and promises made them of life and preferment, if they would turn Papists and adhere to King James. But they though both young men, resolutely rejected the offer, and preferred their religion to the saving of their lives.
"And here, I cannot but remember Maguire's carriage, who (as it was reported) showed an extraordinary concern for the Lord Gillmoy's breach of faith; he went to him, and told him that his putting Mr. Dixie to death (after his promise under his hand to return him,) would be a perpetual stain to his honour, and rather than he should do so base a thing, prayed that he might be returned a prisoner back to Crom, and that Mr. Dixie's life might be saved, for he did not desire to purchase his freedom by so great injustice.
"But the Lord Gillmoy, deaf to anything that could be said on their behalf, caused both the young gentlemen to be hanged on Mr. Russell's sign-post in Belturbet, and, when they were dead, commanded to take their corpses into the kitchen, to cut off both their heads, and ordered them to be thrown out into the street to the soldiers to play at foot-ball with, and when the soldiers for some time had pleased themselves with this barbarous sport, the heads were set up on the market-house in Belturbet." [The ruins of Crom Castle, built 1610, & destroyed by fire in 1764. From the "Somme Memorial Loyal Orange Lodge 842" web-site. An information sign at the site records that the round tower in the middle distance was one of two "added" in the 19th century to enhance the view of the ruins from the new castle.]

But Bryan's old world order had not quite finished with him:
"Bryan had a brother, a Romish priest, who apprehended that his retirement from the cause of King James might lead to his giving up the Romish religion, came to see him one day, and, with a loaded pistol in his hand, threatened to shoot him if he did not then promise that he would go to Church.
"Bryan had to make the extorted promise, but at the same time, with great determination he vowed he would never go to Mass, and then the brothers departed..." [The W.M. Diary.]

And against this somewhat other-wordly display of "brotherly love & Christian charity," not all of which we will have the luxury of verifying in every detail, & without being forced to view it through the propagandist glare of a warring sectarian prism, Bryan may have the last laugh:
"Bryan soon after married a Protestant, Mary LLOYD, and died about the year 1724, leaving one son named John. He was buried in the church-yard of Killoughter alias Drumerra near Red Hills." [The W.M. Diary.]

There is a Church of Ireland, with burial ground, in Drumerra Townland, just a mile or so east of Redhills on the road to Cootehill, immediately to the north of Killoughter Townland; but it was not constructed until 1814 (when the Parish was created out of Annagh Parish), & the earliest decipherable burial date on any stone there is 1820.
It seems certain that Bryan was therefore buried in the old burial ground, on or near the site of an much older church (early O.S. maps), in Killoughter Townland, about 200 metres NNE of the St Brigid's R.C. Church carpark, off the road that leads eastwards into the heart of Mullalougher Townland.

Although we cannot be certain, Bryan's future wife may have been among the Protestant citizenry who had found their way to the apparent "sanctuary" inside Crom Castle (and if not there, almost certainly instead in the Enniskillen garrison). There was indeed a Colonel Thomas LLOYD who served under Gustavus HAMILTON, Governor of Enniskillen, in 1688-89, & who actually captured the garrison at Redhills, Co Cavan, in May 1689; he was married, but apparently died without issue.
HAMILTON appears to have been related to the CARY family of Derry & the NEWBURGH family which acquired Ballyhaise House near Cavan; he approved the prisoner transfer between Crom Castle & Belturbet in March 1689; Enniskillen garrison records from that period, if they still exist, may prove to be of interest. It is interesting to speculate on the possibility that our Bryan, having formed a "romantic" attachment to a LLOYD relation, may have been deemed by the Colonel to have been a suitable settler in the hinterland of the Redhills garrison under Protestant control.

A SERVANT OF THE CATHEDRAL CHURCH.

William's father Thomas was, on 21 Mar 1779, appointed to succeed Fergus GIBBONS as Sexton of St Patrick's Cathedral. His predecessor had been dismissed under suspicion of being involved in a theft from the Cathedral:
"...some villains (who it is imagined concealed themselves for the purpose in the church) broke through the Chapter Room of St Patrick's Cathedral into a place where the Cathedral plate was deposited and carried it entirely away, together with the pulpit cloth, &c. Strict searching is making in order to discover these sacreligious wretches..."
[Saunder's News-Letter, 20 Mar 1779.]

Thomas's promotion probably came with a different residence, closer to his new job, in South Close, adjacent to the Cathedral, although evidence has not yet surfaced as to when this move took place - but it was clearly not until after our William's birth in 1782.

But, judging by the speedy action taken in removing GIBBONS, the Cathedral Chapter would have been well advised to have the next Sexton living very close to the front door, and as soon as practicable. [Part of John ROCQUE's 1756 Map of Dublin, showing St Patrick's Cathedral and Patrick's Close (alias South or Back Close); the Sexton's house, No 5, is one of the dwellings shown, but the which is unknown; probably one of those opposite the south transept of the Cathedral, perhaps nearer the corner of Mitre Alley. The Deanery is the larger building just north of St Kevin St, under the "Sep" of St Sepulchre's.]

Apart from securing the fabric of the Cathedral, the Sexton was the officer "...on whom all notices of burial are served, and who secures all fees on same" [Virger's note in the Register, 1854], & was required to supply the Virger with the list of burials, presumably for him to write up in the register.

In 1783, Thomas was probably involved in the preparations for the inaugural installation of the Most Illustrious Order of St Patrick (for Irish Peers); Dean CRADOCK was appointed the first Registrar of the order, as it had been decided that the Cathedral was to be the Order's chapel.

In 1785, John WESLEY commenced a brown leather-bound volume of Dublin Membership Lists of the Methodist Society, which survives among the holdings of the Library of the Wesleyan Historical Society in Ireland, Edgehill College, Belfast; dated 28 June, it included entries for Thomas MAGUIRE, Sexton, & Letitia MAGUIRE, both of Deanery House. Subsequent entries were made, but in a different hand, and recorded Thomas & Letty at Deanery House, Jun 1787; and separate entries in June 1788 for Thomas at Deanery House, & Letty at Vineyard Row - I do not know whether this apparent "separation" has any significance - perhaps they had moved from the Deanery, but Thomas's details alone had not yet been up-dated?

And on 9 Feb 1794, Thomas was himself buried in the first of several family plots that he had organised for himself & his family; the W.M. Diary records his death, aged 54, on the same day, which is not impossible, although a little unlikely (perhaps William, then only 11, relied later on the Register for the details, & only the burial date had been entered).

The Register records the detail:
"Mr Thomas MAGUIRE, late Sexton (for 16 years) was interred 9 Feb 1794 in the Vicar's Bawn." [Cathedral Register, Volume 1, Marsh's Library.]

And upon his death, he was succeeded as Sexton by his widow Letitia (appointed 31 Mar 1794), although the physical side of the role may have been too much for, as her son Thomas "returned" to Dublin to assist her.
To which responsibility she added the post of Robe Keeper (appointed 13 Apr 1797, in the Room of Mrs FERNS, deceased). Letitia resigned both these positions on 5 Jun 1810, aged 70, & was succeeded as Sexton by her youngest son, our William, & as Robe-Keeper by her daughter-in-law, William's wife of 6 years, Mary MAGUIRE alias VICKERS.

I am a little at a loss as to why William got this post instead of his older brother Thomas, who eventually became Virger, but it may well have had something to do with William having secured a position with the Paving Board in 1803 (see below); prior to the establishment of the Corporation for the Paving, Lighting & Cleansing the Streets of Dublin (the predecessor of the Dublin Corporation), these were the duties of the Vestry, and the Sexton had control of the Vestry responsibilities for Liberty of the Cathedral.

Letitia herself died two years later, on 21 Mar 1812, aged 72 (W.M. Diary):
"Mrs Letitia MAGUIRE, late Sextonness & Robe-keeper of the Cathedral, interred 24 Mar 1812 in the family burial place, aged 72 years."
[Cathedral Register, Vol.2, Marsh's Library.]

There is no surviving memorial to mark the original burial location of Thomas & Letitia MAGUIRE.
A plan of the Vicar's Bawn (as illustrated above) was drawn up in the Register in 1824 by their son, our William, and on it is shown the MAGUIRE plot, immediately adjacent to the southern wall of the "French" or "Lady" Chapel, directly under the last two windows nearest to the corner of the Chapel (the Lady Chapel had been, for a time, turned over for use by French Huguenots as a place of worship). Thomas was almost certainly buried in this plot.
By 1812, it is probable that a 2nd plot had been purchased; it is almost certainly shown by William in 1823 as the PHAYRE plot, adjacent but one to the south of the original MAGUIRE plot. Letitia may have instead been buried there.

It is highly likely that this MAGUIRE grave was disturbed when work was carried out on the cathedral foundations, and it is possible the remains were re-buried elsewhere (perhaps filling up the PHAYRE plot).

It is clear that there were several related burials in one or other of the two plots:
1. Joseph MAGUIRE; appointed Clerk of the Cathedral, 17 Mar 1788; buried in the Vicar's Bawn, "...near the end of the French Chapel," 3 Nov 1791. Probably William's eldest surviving brother (although at age 16 perhaps too young to be the Cathedral Clerk).
2. Rebecca PHAIR, interred in the Vicar's Bawn, in Mr Thomas MAGUIRE's ground, 29 Jul 1795.
3. Mrs Rebecca PHAIRE, aged 81, interred in Thomas MAGUIRE's ground. Too young to be William's maternal grandmother; unless she was instead Letitia's step-mother; perhaps more likely to have been instead the mother of Thomas PHAYRE, the husband of William's eldest sister Mary Ann (see below).
[James MALTON's View of the Vicar's Bawn, St Patrick's Cathedral, 1791. Could any of the people depicted here have perhaps been of our MAGUIRE family?]

Before we return the subject of this article, & his illustrious career in Dublin, let us take a look at his immediate family connections. The little we know of his MAGUIRE aunts & uncles was recorded above; what we know of his siblings is as follows:
1. Mary Ann MAGUIRE was born 19 Apr 1764; she was interred in the Vicar's Bawn, St Patrick's Cathedral, almost certainly in the PHAYRE plot, on 5 Aug 1802; she was married, by License of the Dublin Diocese, 1785, to Thomas PHAYRE, who was probably already her relation; he was buried with her on 5 Dec 1802; they left issue: 1. Robert PHAYRE, who settled in England with his wife Margaret TACKABURY; probably had issue (a child of Robert PHAIR buried in the Vicar's Bawn, 1 Jun 1815,"... in Mr Maguire's burial place"). 2. John PHAYRE, born in Dublin, 12 May 1790, & after his parents died in 1802, he was raised by his MAGUIRE grandmother, & went to New York in 1817 (obituary, New York Christian Advocate, 4 Apr 1867, p.107); Deacon & Elder, Wesleyan Methodist Church, New York; died suddenly at his residence, 201 West 3oth St, New York, 4 Dec 1866, & buried in his own plot, Cypress Hills Cemetery (see their Burial Records); marr 1stly, Frances A. BOGERT; she died at 198 Allen St, New York, 19 Jan 1841; with issue (Elizabeth D. PHAYRE, b ca 1825, marr Isaac Jollie with issue; Sarah Anne PHAYRE, marr her 2nd cousin Thomas Lancelot PIGOTT; Francis PHAYRE, b ca 1830, died Feb 1852; daur marr SMITH with 2 children buried at Cypress Hills in Rev John PHAYRE's plot - John F. SMITH in Jan 1851 & Letitia M. SMITH in Jan 1853, both children). John marr 2ndly Catherine McComb JOLLIE; she died at 325 West 30th St, New York, 9 Jun 1873; further issue (John F. PHAYRE, born New York City 11 Jul 1842, B.A. from the University City of New York, died New York 1919, having marr on 20 Aug 1869 Augusta C. TALLMAN, with issue a daughter Mary A. PHAYRE born 1871). 3. Letitia PHAYRE, Assistant Sexton at St Patrick's, 1817; Robekeeper, 1831; Sextonness, 3 Patrick's Close South, 1842-48; Gallery Keeper, 1845; marr William WHITE, Carpenter, also of St Patrick's Cathedral; h was buried there 14 Dec 1838; issue baptised at St Patrick's Cathedral (Mary Anne WHITE, born 5 May 1821, & bt 14 May; Letitia WHITE, born 11 Jul 1823, & bt 24 Jul; William WHITE, bapt 13 Nov 1824, & buried 6 May 1825; Henry WHITE, bapt 25 May 1826, & buried 7 Jan 1829; William Eustace WHITE, bapt 22 Apr 1827, & buried 8 Apr 1833; Thomas WHITE, born 13 Dec 1828, bt 21 Dec, & buried 22 Mar 1845; Lucinda WHITE, born 5 Nov 1830, & bt 25 Nov).
2. Martha MAGUIRE, born 13 Jul 1765; marr St Audoen's (C.of I.), Dublin, 27 May 1783, Thomas BUCK (who was probably already related to her), with issue: 1. Thomas BUCK. 2. Daniel BUCK. Thomas & Daniel BUCK witnessed a marriage in Johnstown District, Grenville County, Nov 1835, between Samuel MEECH & Eliza ENGLISH, & peformed by William BROWN, a Methodist Episcopal Church Minister [Johnstown District Marriage Registers, Archives of Ontario, Microfilm MS248, Reel 3]. 3. Letitia BUCK. Hiram HOLDEN married Canada West, 9 Sep 1834, Letitia BUCK, daughter of Thomas BUCK, both of Marchville, Grenville County, ceremony performed by Rev Anson GREEN, another Methodist Episcopal Church Minister; with issue including a son Thomas HOLDEN. This family emigrated to Canada on 28 April 1823 [W.M. Diary].
3. Jean MAGUIRE; born 18 Nov 1766; died young.
4. John MAGUIRE; born 28 Jul 1768; died in infancy.
5. Joseph MAGUIRE; born 5 May 1770; perhaps appointed Clerk of St Patrick's Cathedral (but possibly too young?); died 1 Nov 1792 (W.M. Diary) & buried in the Vicar's Bawn "...near then end of the French Chapel," on 3 Nov 1791 (Cathedral Register); apparently unmarried.
6. Thomas MAGUIRE; born 10 May 1772; sent to school "in the country" but returned to Dublin on his father's death, to assist his mother in her duties as Sexton; apprenticed for 7 years to Mr BRITTLE (Obit, Primitive Wesleyan Methodist Magazine, 1845, p.30], whose business was not stated, but probably involved with glazing, & from as early as 1789, as indicted by the next; the Glass Cutter in Dublin who bound his younger brother William as an apprentice, 1795; joined the Methodist Society in 1788-89, & possibly at the start of his apprenticeship; directory-listed as Delf Seller of 70 Camden St, Dublin (1803-20); Collector of the House Tax, Dublin Foundling Hospital, 1808-27; of 80 Camden St (1820-22); of 111 St Stephen's Green (1824-29: of 2 Harcourt Rd (1836-44); Constable (24 Nov 1789 & 1814), Beadle (27 Jun 1795) & Virger (1 Dec 1818) of St Patrick's Cathedral; died 6 Aug 1844, of cholera, & was buried in the Vicar's Bawn, in his own plot, as recorded in the Cathedral Register: "Mr Thomas MAGUIRE, Ae 72 years, for many years Verger of this Cathedral & Sub-Proctor, buried 7 Aug 1844 in the family burial ground." A Cathedral publication "Gravestones; St Patrick's Cathedral" consulted in Marsh's Library, records the inscription, now effectively illegible, as follows: "...Also the remains of his father, Mr Thomas MAGUIRE of Harcourt Road, who departed this life the 6th of August 1844, aged 72 years." The stone is now located on a plot unidentified on William MAGUIRE's 1842 Plan - it was almost certainly relocated from one of the two earlier graves, excavated when foundation work was carried out. [The relocated tabular stone covering the re-interred remains of Rev Robert MAGUIRE & his parents Thomas MAGUIRE & Lucinda MAGUIRE alias KENNY; it is highly likely that the remains of Thomas MAGUIRE Sr & Letitia MAGUIRE alias PHAYRE were also re-interred here; there is a complete transcription of the now largely illegible inscription in Marsh's Library. Photo by Derek CRAWFORD of Dublin, gt-gt-grandson of Henry MAGUIRE.] Thomas married, in the Cathedral, 13 Mar 1796, Lucinda KENNY; she was buried with Thomas, 25 May 1853, aged 82; they had issue: i. Robert MAGUIRE, baptised 15 Dec 1796: B.A., Trinity College Dublin; Residentiary Preacher & Minor Canon of St Patrick's Cathedral; died 23 Mar 1837, of fever, & buried Vicar's Bawn; several plaques installed inside the Cathedral in his memory; married St Peter's (C.of I.), 26 Jun 1831, Margaret HEWSON; she survived as widow; no issue. ii. Thomas MAGUIRE, bapt 20 Apr 1800, & buried Vicar's Bawn, 27 Aug 1801. iii. Letitia MAGUIRE, bapt 27 Aug 1802 & buried Vicar's Bawn, 24 Mar 1817. iv. Lucinda MAGUIRE, born 9 Sep 1809, & bt 10 Sep; declared Bankrupt, 1863; marr Apr 1839, William ROBERTS, Wine Merchant in Abbey St Dublin; at 17 Ranelagh Rd, 1849-1859; issue (Anne Letitia ROBERTS, born 2 Apr 1840, & bt 10 Jun; Robert Maguire ROBERTS, born 17 May 1841, & bt 18 May; William ROBERTS, born 16 Nov 1843, & bt 27 Dec; Lucinda Emily ROBERTS, born Dec 1844, bt 29 Jan 1845, & buried St Patrick's 30 May 1859; Thomas Maguire ROBERTS, born 1 May 1846 & bt St Peter's 28 May, married at Enniscorthy in 1875 to Annie COOKE, with issue; Margaret Martha ROBERTS, born 1 Sep 1847 & bt St Peter's 21 Oct; Mary Ellen ROBERTS, born 22 Jul 1849 & bt St Peter's 13 Sep; Letitia Alice ROBERTS, born 22 Nov 1850 & bt St Peter's 28 Jan 1851).
7. John MAGUIRE (the 2nd); born 10 May 1774; went to America on 18 Mar 1795; died there, perhaps before 1844 (detail recorded in the W.M. Diary, but perhaps in another hand); no further particulars. Possibly (but clearly not if he was dead before 1844) enumerated at No 2 Township, Grenville County, Canada West (Ontario), 1851 Census, aged 77, Farmer, born Ireland, with Leticia McGUIRE, aged 51, & Mathew McGUIRE, aged 27, Farmer (perhaps in error for 37, on indications of later Census index information), both also born Ireland, & what appear to be other possible relations born Canada. [Possibly settled in Carleton County, Ontario, anyway - if so, perhaps the relation of John & Matthew MAGUIRE, both of Mullalougher, Redhills, Co Cavan, who on 5 Dec 1823 petitioned the government for assistance to emigrate, perhaps to join relations already there - see above.]
8. William MAGUIRE; born 20 May 1777; died 1777, an infant. Of his PHAYRE relations, we know almost nothing, other than to speculate that Thomas PHAYRE (above) was the son of one of William's uncles.

[An interior view of St Patrick's Cathedral, from a water colour painting, ca 1830, by an unidentified artist, used to illustrate a booklet entitled "St Patrick's Cathedral," by Victor JACKSON [The Irish Heritage Series, No 9]. The Organ was at that time located immediately east of the transepts, blocking the view of the whole of the area where the choir & altar presently stand, the east window & the Lady Chapel. The illuminated area seen through the 2nd arch from the left, at ground floor level, just above the choir stalls, is the entry to the north transept, then separated off for use by the congregation of the parish of St Nicholas Without. Again, it is interesting to speculate whether any of the people depicted, especially the three in the foreground, may have been members of our MAGUIRE family.]

WILLIAM MAGUIRE BEGINS HIS CAREER.

At the time of his father's death in Feb 1794, William, then aged 12, was still at school. In the following year, as he records in his "diary," he was bound as an apprentice to his brother Thomas, who was a glass cutter (Thomas, aged 22, was not yet married); William remained with Thomas until the end of 1799, when: "...he removed to a distant part of the city, and I not liking the business, did not continue." [The W.M. Diary.]

William apparently went back to school, occasionally, and: "...preparing myself for whatever situation providence might please to direct me to." [The W.M. Diary.]

He did not have to wait long. In March 1800, and at the recommendation of Mr Bennet DUGDALE, William was appointed 2nd Master at the General Free School in Abbey St. William observed that the school was directed principally by Quakers; although it appears that DUGDALE was yet another member of the Methodist Society, who had led the class into which his brother Thomas had made his entry into the Society some 8 years earlier. But here William did not stay long.

A mercantile career beckoned, & by 12 Jan 1801, he had resigned his teaching post to take up a position as Clerk for Mack MONSARRAT, Esq, of Abbey St, Wine Merchant & Perfumer, with premises in Kertland House. Despite a three week illness with the fever (in June 1801), he lived with MONSARRAT until Apr 1802, when he took up a position as Clerk, in the room of his brother, with Mr J.T. ALLAN, of Cook St, Brass Founder; here he stayed until June 1803.

And then, making one final career change, on 3 Sep 1803, & at the recommendation of Rev James VERSCHOYLE, Dean of St Patrick's Cathedral, William was appointed a Supervisor of the Dublin Paving Board, under the Commissioners for Paving, Lighting & Cleansing the Streets of Dublin. And in the big league, William early encountered "persuasions" that were thrown his way: "I found this a place of great temptation for I was placed over Contractors, who, to gain the Officer placed over them, were in the habit of constantly treating them. The first day I entered my new employment, I, with other Officers, was invited to a tavern to dinner after which drink was very freely applied..." [The W.M. Diary.]

No time wasted here - and how things haven't changed much over the last 200 years! William took the advice of "...a good man" named Edward KINSLEY, a Lamp Inspector, who pointed out that if William accepted the Contractor's invitations, he would put himself "...under a Compliment to him" - but if he refused, he would remain independant of the Contractor's pressures. Which advice William was able to keep, from that day, refusing to: "...accept of any treat or present and consequently would not give a Certificate of my Division until I was satisfied with the work. When I would be out on Inspection with my brother officers, they would go to taverns aand leave me without asking me to go with them, so completely did I get out of this Snare... "And yet after all this, I had the pleasure of the Contractors saying that I did them more justice than those who were living on them..." [The W.M. Diary.]

William's attitude met with approbation of the Board, if not all of Commissioners, and when the Government conducted an enquiry, in 1807, the Commissioners were dismissed, a new Board appointed, & of all the serving officers, only William was offered a situation of his own choosing by the new Board. And so, in Aug 1807, William was appointed Collector of Taxes for the Paving Board. During this period, William was recorded as residing at 5 South Close (also known as Patrick's or Back Close), clearly the Sexton's residence, with his widowed mother Letitia. Undoubtedly things did not change when William assumed that responsibility on his mother's resignation in 1810.

It is only around the year 1822 that we find William has moved, with what had already become a large family, from the Sexton's house, to premises at 9 Peter Place, in or near Charlemont St.

For, on 23 Jan 1804, William was married, by Consistorial License, & by the Rev James NEVINS (Curate of St Andrew's), to Mary VICKERS; and by 1822, 11 of their 16 children had been born (see below).

Mary was born at Elbow Lane, Dublin, 25 Jan 1786, 2nd daughter of John VICKERS, Weaver of Phordham's Alley (1788) & of Elbow Lane (1790-99), by his wife Elizabeth STINSON (died 27 Jul 1799; baptised at St Catherine's, Dublin, 15 Sep 1765, 3rd daughter of Robert STINSON of the Coombe, Twister & Throwster, by his wife Elizabeth).

Her father, John VICKERS, died on 22 Apr 1806, aged 43; he was born at New Row, Parish of St Catherine's, 20 Mar 1763, elder son of Joseph VICKERS, of the Coombe, Dublin, Silk Weaver, by his wife Elizabeth (her maiden surname has not yet been determined); John was the elder brother of Mary VICKERS, born 7 Jul 1769, the wife of John PIGOTT of Grafton Lane & Charlotte St, whose son John PIGOTT married in 1824 William's eldest daughter Elizabeth MAGUIRE (see below). Her grandfather, Joseph VICKERS, was baptised at St Catherine's, Dublin, 17 Jun 1734, son of John VICKERS & Mary EMERSON [see image at http://churchrecords.irishgenealogy.ie/reels/d-117-1-1-195.pdf & scroll down to the last entry in the left column].

Mary's siblings were as follows:
1. Susana VICKERS, born 10 Jun 1784; died young.
3. Esther VICKERS, born 2 Feb 1788; died 18 May 1810.
4. John VICKERS, born 21 Feb 1790; died Charlotte Mall, Dublin, 30 Nov 1824; married Dublin, 20 Nov 1815, Hannah LEESON, with issue:
a. George VICKERS, born Dublin, 30 Aug 1816; Organist in Limerick, 1853; Professor of Music, Ventnor Villas, Hove, Sussex, 1871; went to Canada; died at his brother's residence in Toronto, 11 Oct 1883, the childless widower of Miss FORT of Limerick.
b. John Joseph VICKERS, born Dublin 5 May 1818; emigrated to New York, 1848; went to Canada, 1850; Businessman & local politician in Toronto, from 1852; founder & sole proprietor of Vickers Express Company, 1854-1888; died Toronto, 11 Mar 1896; marr in Belleville, Ontario, 1851, Catherine Mary MOODIE (born England, 14 Feb 1832, eldest daur of John Wedderburn Dunbar MOODIE by Susanna STRICKLAND), who died 14 Dec 1904, leaving issue:
i. Georgina Eliza VICKERS, b Toronto, 28 May 1856; died Toronto, 6 Oct 1893; marr Toronto, 6 Aug 1881, Edward Philip LEACOCK, with issue.
ii. John Alexander Dunbar VICKERS, b Toronto, 22 May 1858; died 1918; marr Ellen Florence TENCH, with issue.
iii. Katie Moodie VICKERS, b Toronto, 28 Jan 1860; died 1932; marr Philip Playford McMURRICH, with issue.
iv. William Wallbridge VICKERS, b Toronto, 6 Aug 1862; Barrister-at-Law; died Toronto, 28 Jun 1927; marr Mary HOWLAND, with issue.
v. Isabella Josephine VICKERS, b Toronto, 7 Aug 1864; died Denver, May 1943; marr 21 Sep 1887, Henry SEWALL, M.D. (1855-1936), Professor of Physiology, Universities of Michigan (1881-89) & Denver (from 1889), Denver Health Commissioner, & Secretary of the Colorado Board of Health; s.p.
vi. Victor Gilmore Ridgway VICKERS, b Toronto, 1 Jun 1866; died Montreal, 1944; marr 1905, Marcella May SMITH.
vii. Ethel Rosina VICKERS, b Toronto, 4 Mar 1868; marr 11 Nov 1891, Samuel William EWING, of Montreal; issue a daughter - Katherine Hamilton EWING (b Montreal, 1 Dec 1893, twice married with issue, & also known as Doria MARCH, silent film actress).
viii. Henrietta Moodie VICKERS, b Toronto, 2 Mar 1870; died 1938; unmarr.
ix. Arthur Algoma VICKERS, b Toronto, 26 Mar 1872; died 1914; marr Marcella Gertrude FINN.
x. Agnes Strickland VICKERS, b Toronto, 6 Nov 1874; died 1950; marr 1902, Philip Edward McKENZIE.
c. Elizabeth VICKERS , b Dublin, 25 Dec 1821; residing in Hove, Sussex, 1871, with her widowered brother George; died in Dublin, 12 Dec 1908, & buried in her MAGUIRE cousin's plot in Mt Jerome Cemetery.
d. Frederick Torrens VICKERS, b Dublin, 27 Jun 1825; died Dublin, 28 Feb 1827.
5. Joseph VICKERS, born 13 Nov 1792; married Mary Ann SPRATT.
6. George VICKERS, born 7 Feb 1794; died 27 Jul 1828; married 21 Aug 1817, Margaret CONNELL.
7. Elizabeth VICKERS, born 17 Oct 1795; died an infant.
8. Elizabeth VICKERS (2), born 3 Oct 1796; died young.
9. Robert VICKERS, born 13 Sep 1798; died young.

William remained at 9 Peter Place until his death; although in 1832-33 he was recorded as living at Sidney Villa, Merrion.

In 1823, William was encouraged to join with the Dublin Methodists, a large number of whom had, in 1816, separated themselves into the Primitive Wesleyan Methodist Connection, in order that they could remain "loyal" to the Established Church of Ireland in matters sacramental. William would serve this Connection in financial matters for the rest of his life, as periodical Representative of the Dublin Circuit at Annual Conferences, & as Treasurer of several Funds, including the Family Fund.

Back at the Paving Board, William continued to impress his superiors, & on 12 Apr 1826, he was appointed Inspector of Taxes for the Paving Board, with an annual salary of 200 pounds, paid monthly, & the responsibility: "...to report on applications upon the subject of Taxes, prepare Collector's books for Paving, Lighting & Watering taxes, examine & control weekly abstracts of Collector's receipts, & personally investigate all cases of non-collection & the causes thereof." [Returns of the Commissioner, Paving Establishment, 1831-32.]

This added to the smaller remuneration he received for exercising his duties as Sexton of St Patrick's Cathedral, which in 1834 was recorded as 31 pounds 13 s. & 2d. halfpenny per annum [Parliamentary Papers, House of Commons, 1834, p.50]. And at the same time, his wife Mary was earning 10 pounds per annum for performing her duties as Robe Keeper.

And not only did William get paid to be Sexton - there are one or two heirlooms in the family which came to William for performing the duties associated with Cathedral burials - Dean KEATING gave him a silver snuff box, with the inscription:
"The gift of Rev'd Jn Wm KEATING, D.D., Dean of St Patrick's, to Mr Wm MAGUIRE, as a Token of his Regard for his Great Kindness & Attention on a late Melancholy Occasion. March 25th, 1811."
[In the possession of Brian Herbert MAGUIRE, of Leeton, N.S.W., 1992; Brian was a grandson of William's eldest surviving son William MAGUIRE, Solicitor of Dublin & Sydney.]

Dean KEATING's wife Mervyn, elder daughter of Oliver NUGENT of Bobsgrove, Co Cavan, had died on 20 Mar 1811, leaving the Dean with 2 infant children, & perhaps with several others. And the Dean was to die himself on 6 May 1817, aged 47; there is no doubt that his other gift, a gold or silver ring, engraved with the name "MAGUIRE" & the date "1 May 1817" was in expecation of William doing him the same justice in death as he had done for his wife 6 years earlier - although Thomas McFANN, William's obituary writer, observed that KEATINGE: "...held Mr William MAGUIRE in such high esteem that on his death-bed, he took off his gold ring and presented it to him, as a token of his friendship."

William also got involved in Antiquarian activities associated with the Cathedral. In 1835, he supervised the excavation & opening up of Dean SWIFT's coffin, to enable medical studies of his skull, along with that of his Stella; when the relics were replaced, William enclosed with them a bottle, sealed with wax impressed with his Arms of MAGUIRE of Fermanagh, in which was a document, dated 13 Aug 1835, & containing this note:
"Doctor SWIFT's grave was opened this day by permission of the Dean, the British Association being holding their meeting in Dublin; he scull was in two as it now appears, having been opened on his death to examine the brain."

In the inner fold of the document was another paper, also signed by Wm MAGUIRE, Sexton, with a 2nd date of 13 Aug 1838 (although the year may be in error for 1835) which stated: "Stella's scull was taken out of the adjoining grave & is now deposited with SWIFT's." This information came to light in 1882, when work was being carried out to repair the Cathedral's foundations. William's bottle was found, & the seal broken, revealing that some water had entered the bottle; and the "discovery" was published in the Church of Ireland Gazette for that year: "...a coffin was discovered containing the skulls & other bones of the celebrated Jonathan SWIFT, D.D., & Stella, the lady on whose life he had such a mysterious and melancholy influence. The coffin of the Dean was immersed in water, and the bones were much decayed, but the skulls were enclosed in a box and were in good preservation.
A sealed bottle, containing the record of the fact that they were lent to the Phrenological Society some 40 years ago, was found in the box, crushed into one of the skulls, and to this circumstance their preservation is in some degree due."

William does not appear to have been a prolific maker of property deeds; research has yet to discover whether his ancestors made property transfers in County Cavan that, after 1708, would have been required to have been registered at the Registry of Deeds in Henrietta St, Dublin; but William himself figured in several of his own:
1. Of Patrick's South Close, County of the City of Dublin, Gent, when named as grantee in an Indenture of Lease, dated 24 Mar 1819, concerning a lot of ground on the east side of Patrick St (which he had from the three Commissioners of Wide Streets); grantee of additional leases on land on the east side of Patrick St in Apr 1824 & Feb 1825; on which lands William had erected several substantial brick dwellings, which, by an Indented Deed of Mortgage, dated 31 Aug 1840 (Register Vol.20, p.90); and which, as William MAGUIRE of Peter Place, County of Dublin, Gent, he made the lot over to a Committee of the Primitive Wesleyan Methodist Society (comprising John HAYES of Ormond Quay, Merchant; Robert QUEALE of Back Lane, Merchant; John SIBTHORPE of Cork Hill, Merchant; Henry James SIBTHORPE of Cork Hill, Medical Doctor; & William ROBERTS of Dublin, Merchant). The names HAYES, SIBTHORPE & ROBERTS will become familiar - members of them married members of William's family. Here too we see more connections with the Primitive Wesleyan Methodist Society. And it appears from several later wills (his son Rev Robert's in 1890; & his grandson William Robert of Tower Hill Lodge) that William made bequests of property in Patrick St , Dublin; William's will has not yet been discovered.
2. Of Peter Place, Co Dublin, Gent, when he was joint 3rd party (with William EWART of Belfast, Merchant, father of William's future daughter-in-law) to the Marriage Settlement, dated 11 Nov 1830 (Memorial No 576300), for his daughter Letitia MAGUIRE & John HOLDEN of Belfast, Merchant, in which John HOLDEN was required to execute his bond for 1,500 pouinds sterling to make provision for Letitia in case she survived him.
3. Of Peter Place, City Dublin, Gent, when he made an Indented Deed dated 23 Dec 1833, in which his son-in-law, John PIGOTT of East Hanover St, but late of Sandymount, made over to him the lease of the dwelling house at No 11 Fitzwilliam St, Dublin, on the northern corner of Baggot St, as the result of John PIGOTT being "...fairly in debt" to William in the sum of 106 pounds (G.B. currency), PIGOTT cited as having purchased the lease 12 months earlier from William BATES. 4. Of the City of Dublin, Gent, when he was named as grantee in a Deed of Mortgage, dated 9 May 1837 (Vol.8, p.87), made by his son-in-law John HOLDEN of Belfast, Merchant, and executed after William had prosecuted HOLDEN in the Court of Chancery for the recovery of a 500 pound sterling debt & the interest accrued upon it, which HOLDEN had failed to repay by the nominated date; the mortgage involved two properties in High St, Belfast, leases of which HOLDEN had purchased in 1833 & 1835 from Catherine ASHMORE of Dorset St, Dublin.
4. Of Peter Place, City of Dublin, Gent, when named as grantor in a Deed dated 8 Nov 1843 (Vol.17, p.13), concerning the sale to Col Henry WHITE of St Helen's, Co Dublin, of a property at Old Merrion, Parish of Booterstown, Co Dublin, which he had acquired by Deed of Assignment date 18 Sep 1830 from Richard CHARLES of Shaw St, Dublin, Slate Merchant, Edmund ORFORD of Kildare St, Dublin, Hotel Keeper, & his wife Mary ORFORD otherwise KEARNS. This was probably Sidney Villa, where William was directory listed in 1834, and which address was recorded in Minutes of Primitive Wesleyan Methodist Society Annual Conferences for 1832 & 1833.

WILLIAM'S LIFE COMES TO AN END.

William died at 9 Peter Place on 24 Jun 1844, aged 62; notice of the death was published in Saunder's News-Letter & Dublin Gazette, 27 Jun, as follows:
"DIED - On the 28th (sic - & impossible!) inst., at his residence, 9 Peter-place, after a painfully lingering illness, Mr William MAGUIRE, deeply & deservedly regretted by his family & circle of numerous friends."

His obituary referred to William's last illness as follows:
"In the early part of the last winter [late 1843], in a letter to his wife Mrs MAGUIRE, who was then on a visit with her daughter, Mrs HOLDEN, in Belfast, he remarks, 'I am beginning to feel I am in a tenement of clay.'
"In January, 1844, he was obliged to take his leave of his office at the Paving Board... His cough had become very troublesome, and his strength gradually declined, yet no serious fears were entertained of the issue until about the month of May. A consultation on his case was then held by the most eminent medical men in this city, when they pronounced his case to be hopeless. His disease proved to be an inward cancer, and his sufferings occasionally were very severe and protracted." [Primitive Wesleyan Methodist Magazine, 1845, p.34. From an issue held in the Library of the Wesleyan Historical Society in Ireland, Edgehill College, Belfast, & kindly extracted by the Archivist, Robin RODDIE.]

The Cathedral Register recorded his burial:
"28th June 1844: Mr William MAGUIRE, for 34 years Sexton of this Cathedral, aged 62, interred in the family burial ground, Vicar's Bawn."

Again, we turn to his obituary for the detail:
"His funeral took place on the Friday morning following. It being the time of the Annual Conference, of which body Mr MAGUIRE had been an official member for many years, as Treasurer of the Family Fund, the morning session of the Conference was suspended, and all its members attended, and preceeded the hearse three abreast. They were followed by the leaders and members of the Strangers' Friend Society, and nearly all the male members of the Society; the family followed in mourning coaches, and a long line of carriages of clergymen and gentlemen closed the mournful procession.
"When the funeral arrived at the north entrance to St Patrick's Cathedral, those preceeding the corpse formed into a semi-circle; and the coffin was met by the present Dean, the Hon and Very Rev Henry PAKENHAM. The writer of these pages never recollects to have heard the beautiful burial service of the Church of England more impressively or solemnly read than on this occasion. At the grave the Dean delivered an address, distinguished by fervid eloquence, deep feeling, and important evangelical truth.
"Thus was our respected brother honoured in death as well as in life." [P.W.M. Magazine, 1845, p.35.]

He was undoubtedly buried in his own plot, indicated on his 1824 plan of the Vicar's Bawn as lying about 30 feet south of the south-eastern corner of the Lady Chapel, & marked "MAGUIRE #2" on the illustration above. The grave is marked by a granite obelisk (pictured at the top of this article), which he caused to be erected on the sad occasion of the death, in 1828, of his eldest son Thomas MAGUIRE. After his own death, an additional inscription was added, to the eastern face of the obelisk:

"Sacred to the memory of Mr Wm MAGUIRE, late of this Cathedral, who departed this life the 24th of June 1844. AE 62. Job 1st, 21st." [Job 1; 21: "And said naked came I out of my mother's womb and naked shall I return; the Lord gave and the Lord taketh away; blessed be the name of the Lord."]

William's widow Mary continued to live at 9 Peter place, until 1853; thereafter she was recorded at 5 Garville Ave, Rathgar (1854-58); & at 5 Garville Terrace, Rathgar (1861-65), probably with her son Henry. On 3 Jun 1845, an Indented Deed was made between the same Committee of Primitive Wesleyan Methodists named in her late husband's deed (see above), and the other party, comprising Mary MAGUIRE of Peter Place, Dublin, Widow, and her 5 younger sons, Joseph, Richard, Edward, Henry & Robert, all also of Peter Place, & concerning the same mortgaged premises at Patrick St, Dublin. I do not know whether the naming of Joseph before Richard in this deed may indicate that the birth order of the triplets in the St Patrick's Register may have been incorrect.

Mary was living at 21 Kenilworth Square, Rathgar, when she died, 28 Jun 1871, of Senility; the death was informed by her son Joseph, of 21 Kenilworth Sq, present at death; she was buried on 1 July at Mount Jerome Cemetery [Section 5C, Plot 4081], about 60 foot east of South Walk, & 10 foot north of Guinness Walk, in an unmarked grave immediately to the west of the grave of her son John (died 1865), & purchased for her burial by her son Henry.

WILLIAM AND MARY'S RATHER LARGE FAMILY OF SIXTEEN CHILDREN.

William & Mary had thirteen children born at 5 South (or Back or Patrick's) Close, and another three born at 9 Peter Place; all were baptised at St Patrick's Cathedral. They were as follows:

1. Elizabeth MAGUIRE, born at 10 o'clock in the evening, Saturday 1 Dec 1804 (the W.M. Diary) , & bapt 23 Dec; died Aug 1854, & was buried in the PIGOTT plot, Vicar's Bawn, 15 Aug, with her husband's parents, John PIGOTT (died 1838) & Mary PIGOTT alias VICKERS (died 1829) who was her mother's aunt; married at St Peter's (C.of I.), Dublin, 1824, John PIGOTT Jr (1796-1877) of Dublin, Brooklyn & Kansas; with issue: i. John Vickers PIGOTT, born Dublin & bt St Patrick's 12 Jun 1825; went to America; probably settled in Rose Township, Ramsey County Minnesota; died St Paul, Minnesota, 10 Aug 1881; probably marr Mary O'BRIEN; she died St Paul, 21 Jun 1902, aged 68 with issue (Richard PIGOTT, born VA 1850; Margaret A. PIGOTT, born VA 1853, marr William BELL; John PIGOTT, born MN 1858; Thomas J. PIGOTT, born MN 1862; & Charles E. PIGOTT, born MN 1863). ii. William Frederick PIGOTT, born Dublin, 22 Jan 1827; buried St Patrick's Cathedral, 6 Jun 1842. iii. Mary Georgina PIGOTT, born Dublin & bt St Patrick's 5 Oct 1828; died at Dalkey, 18 May 1837 & buried at St Patrick's. iv. Thomas Lancelot PIGOTT, born Dublin, 20 Mar 1831; went to New York before 1859; died Manhattan, Jul 1911, & buried at Cypress Hills Cemetery, 11 Jul; marr at New York, 1863, his 2nd cousin Sarah Ann PHAYRE; issue (William H. PIGOTT, aged 15, with parents, 1880 Census; n.f.p.). v. Alfred Joseph PIGOTT, born Dublin, 21 May 1833; Imperial Army, in the Crimea & in India (Siege of Lucknow); went to New York, Mar 1861; 36th N.Y. Volunteer Infantry, Civil War; died at Philadelphia, 5 Jul 1863, without issue; married at New York, Feb 1863, Ellen WALSH. vi. George Maguire PIGOTT, born Dublin, 11 Sep 1836, & bt St Peter's, 23 Jul 1839; went to Kansas, Jul 1858; died on a visit to his brother, Kiowa, Oklahoma, 26 Feb 1910, & buried at Oak Hill Cemetery, Lawrence, Kansas; marr Elizabeth, born Alabama, died 1907, without surviving issue. vii. Henry Robert PIGOTT, born Dublin, 5 Oct 1838, & bt St Peter's, 23 Jul 1839; went to Ceylon, 1862; emigrated to N.S.W., 1890; died at Faulconbridge, 26 Apr 1904; marr at Battersea, London, 5 Jun 1862, Ellen GILES (daur of Rev John Eustace GILES by his 2nd wife Anne LEESE); she died at Burwood, N.S.W., 21 Jul 1925, with issue (including my grandfather Henry Robert Maguire PIGOTT - see all of their separate & earlier postings on this blog page). viii. Edward Albert PIGOTT, b Dublin, 22 Dec 1840, & bt St Peter's 2 Aug 1842; went to the Choctaw Nation (later re-named Oklahoma); died at Kiowa, Pittsburg Co, Oklahoma, Jan 1912, & buried in his brother George's Plot, Lawrence, Kansas; marr at Chickasaw Nation, 24 Jul 1871, Annie NORRIS (of the Choctaw Nation), with issue only one surviving daughter (Mary A. PIGOTT, born Indian Territories, Sep 1887; marr 1908, George A. ROGERS; with issue a son Charles ROGERS, b Oklahoma 1907). ix. Elizabeth Letitia PIGOTT, born Dublin, 9 Oct 1843; went to New York, 1870; living in Manhattan, 1930 Census; unmarried. x. Adelaide Kate PIGOTT, born Dublin, 19 May 1848; went to live with her uncle Edward MAGUIRE after her mothe's death; she died at Torquay, Apr 1856.

2. Letitia MAGUIRE (pictured above); born 18 Oct 1806, & bapt 9 Nov; died at Mervue, Holywood, Co Down, 18 Sep 1887, aged 80, & buried in the old Priory Churchyard, Holywood; married at St Peter's (C.of I.), Dublin, 12 Nov 1830, John HOLDEN of Belfast, Hatter; he was a major player in the Sewn Muslin Manufacturing Trade in Belfast; he died at Mervue, High St, Holywood, 1 Dec 1888, aged 90; with issue:
i. William Sinclair HOLDEN, born 19 Feb 1832; died 31 May 1833, & bur Shankhill Cemetery.
ii. Mary Jane HOLDEN, born Belfast, 4 Dec 1833; aged 75, unmarried, 1911 Census, living with her MAGOWAN nephew.
iii. John Sinclair HOLDEN, born Belfast, 14 Feb 1836; Medical Practitioner in Glenarm, Co Antrim, & after 1869, in Sudbury, Co Suffolk; died at Sudbury, 13 Jul 1923; married 1stly, at Sudbury, 13 Apr 1880, Mary ANDREWES, with issue (George Sinclair HOLDEN, b 1881; Nora May HOLDEN, b 1883; & Rosalind Letitia HOLDEN, b 1887). John marr 2ndly, at Sudbury, 1895, Mary SIKES, with further issue (Agnes Joyce HOLDEN, b 1896; & Marjory Joan HOLDEN, b 1900). iv. William Thomas HOLDEN, born 14 Dec 1838; Church of Ireland Clergyman; Curate of Bocking, Essex, 1871; Rector of Whipsnade, near Dunstable, Beds, 1878-1914; married at Braintree, Essex, 1872, Sarah Blake WYATT; issue (Lilian Kate HOLDEN, b 1874; & William Meynell HOLDEN, b 1878).
v. Letitia HOLDEN, born Belfast, 15 Jun 1842, a twin; at Royal Rd, Smithfield, Co Antrim, 1911 Census, aged 68, with her husband & unmarried sister; married at Belfast, 1867, Samuel John MAGOWAN, of Glenarm, Co Antrim, Bank Manager; with issue (Samuel McDonald MAGOWAN, b 1868, who marr Elizabeth IRVINE, with issue; & Emily MAGOWAN, living 1911, later the wife of Frank HOEY).
vi. Lucinda HOLDEN, born 15 Jun 1842, the other twin; died Belfast, 1892; unmarried.
vii. Henry Brian McConnagher Maguire HOLDEN, born Belfast, 10 Jan 1845; Church of Ireland Clergyman; Curate of Kilconrida, 1869; Curate of Ballymena, 1873; went to England; Sec'y, C.of E. Temperence Soc'y, Ripon, Yorks, 1877; Vicar of St Bart's, Bowling, Bradford, 1880; Vicar of Caunton, Notts, 1888; living at St Leonard's-on-Sea, Sussex, 1911 Census; married at Holywood Parish Church, 3 Aug 1870, Dora Adams GRANT; no issue.
viii. Elizabeth Emily HOLDEN, born Belfast, 13 Aug 1847; aged 63, 1911 Census, with her married sister; unmarried.

3. Thomas MAGUIRE, born 8 Oct 1808, & bapt 23 Oct; Organist; Student at Trinity College, Dublin; Organist at St Anne's Parish Church; died Jan 1828, aged 19, & buried 23 Jan in his father's plot, Vicar's Bawn; unmarried; on this grave was erected the MAGUIRE obelisk.

4. William MAGUIRE (pictured above); born 4 Apr 1811, & bapt 26 Apr; Solicitor in Dublin; emigrated to South Australia, 1848, & advertised his intention to Register with the Supreme Court of S.A. as Barrister, etc, 13 Nov 1848; his business papers were disposed of by notice dated 4 Dec 1852; he sailed from Melbourne, on the schooner Mary and Ellen, arr Sydney 23 Dec 1852, his wife & 3 ch'n following on the ship Golden Spring, arr Sydney 14 Mar 1853; practiced as a Solicitor in Sydney; resident, Alderman & Mayor of Randwick; died Randwick, 1 Aug 1877; married at St Mary's (C.of I.), Dublin, 21 Jun 1836, Hannah HENEY [see image at http://churchrecords.irishgenealogy.ie/reels/d-277-3-4-039.pdf ]; issue 4 children, three of whom survived to emigrate with their parents:
i. Hannah MAGUIRE, born Dublin, ca 1837; went to Australia; married at Sydney, 1854, John Willis DAVISON, with issue: a. Hannah Willis DAVISON, b Sydney, 1856; marr Melbourne, 1878, John Howard LOUCHE, with issue - Richmond John LOUCHE, b 1879; Desmond Fitzgibbon LOUCHE, b 1881; Ormonde Ernest LOUCHE, b 1883; Frances Olive LOUCHE, b 1885; Marion Grace LOUCHE, b 1889; & Annie Marguerite LOUCHE, b 1891. b. Frances Ellen DAVISON, b 1857; marr Sydney, 1886, Charles Chester DUNSTAN, with issue - Kathleen Beatrice DUNSTAN, b 1887; Hilda Maude DUNSTAN, b 1888, marr Canon Frederick TUGWELL; Dorothy Frances DUNSTAN, marr WILSON; Edith Lilian DUNSTAN, b 1894, marr James CAMPBELL; Chester Kingsley DUNSTAN, b 1897, marr Beth STONEY; & Willis M.F. DUNSTAN, died 1901. c. Robert William Henry DAVISON, b Surry Hills, 1859; died 1899; marr 1890, Kate DEMPSTER, with issue - Rita Willis DAVISON, b Glebe, 1891; Falkland Eric DAVISON, b Glebe, 1894. d. John Charles DAVISON, b 1861; died Carcoar, 1901, unmarr. e. Mary Edith DAVISON, b 1863; died 1950; marr 1890, Arthur Cole Valentia POWNALL, with issue - Ina Valentia POWNALL, b 1891; Marjorie Maud POWNALL, b 1892, marr Edward HAYLOCK; & Wilfred Hall POWNALL, b 1897. f. Elizabeth Maude DAVISON, b 1866, unmarr).
ii. Mary MAGUIRE, born Dublin, ca 1840; emigrated to Australia; died at North Sydney, 31 Aug 1859, aged 20; unmarried.
iii. William Henry MAGUIRE, born Dublin, ca 1842; emigrated to Australia; Postal Inspector, N.S.W. Government; died at Neutral Bay, 1924; married at Tamworth, 1863, Maria SMITH; with issue: a. William MAGUIRE, b Sydney, 1863; died 1915; marr 1897, Edith S. LAMBERT. b. Arthur Robert MAGUIRE, b Goulburn, 1865; died Chatswood, 1922; marr 1893, Agnes HINCHCLIFF; issue - Edith L. MAGUIRE, b 1895; & Eric Lindsay MAGUIRE, b 1898. c. Walter Charles MAGUIRE, b Goulburn, 1867; marr 1906, Constance READ, with issue - Philip Read MAGUIRE, b 1909; & Robert Read MAGUIRE, b 1911. d. Edithe Mary MAGUIRE, b Sydney, 1869; died Balmain, 1897, unmarr. e. Alfred Thomas MAGUIRE, b Maitland, 1871; died Chatswood, 1941, unmarr. f. Eva Maude MAGUIRE, b West Maitland, 1873; died Albury, 1875, infant. g. Florence May MAGUIRE, b Albury, 1875; died Chatswood, 1960, unmarr. h. Mabel Lillian MAGUIRE, b Sydney, 1877; died Bathurst, 1891, unmarr. j. Ethel Gray MAGUIRE, b Balmain, 1879; died Chatswood, 1961, unmarr. k. Leslie Gault MAGUIRE, b Balmain, 1880; died Chatswood, 1977, unmarr. l. Herbert Edwin MAGUIRE, b Balmain, 1882; marr 1913, Muriel Nyree Adele NEWTON, with issue - Brian Herbert MAGUIRE, b 1914, later of Leeton (in 1992, he had possession of the William MAGUIRE Sr ring & snuff box given as presents by Dean KEATINGE); Elsbeth Minnie MAGUIRE, b 1916 (descendants in N.Z.); & Derek William MAGUIRE, b 1919.

5. John MAGUIRE (pictured above); born Sep 1813, & bapt 30 Sep; Manufacturing Ironmonger, of 10 Dawson St, Dublin, 1841; founder of the firm MAGUIRE & Son; died at Bullock, Killiney, Co Dublin, 6 Jun 1865, & buried at Mount Jerome Cemetery [Section C5, Plot 3264]; married, on 5 Mar 1841, probably in Dublin (or perhaps instead in Neneagh), Catherine FLETCHER (she was probably a daughter of Robert FLETCHER of Nenagh, Co Tipperary, Merchant, by his wife Sarah BURR); issue:
i. William Robert MAGUIRE, born Dublin, ca 1841; went into business with his father, & carried it on after his father's death; Managing Director of the merged public company named MAGUIRE & GATCHELL, Ltd, 10 Dawson St Dublin, 1899; resided at Tower Hill Lodge, Killiney; died there on 9 Dec 1923, & buried at Deansgrange Cemetery, Blackrock [Plot 6, Row B1, South Section]; married 1stly, at St Anne's (C.0f I.), Dublin, 27 Apr 1865, Rosetta SCOTT [see image at http://churchrecords.irishgenealogy.ie/reels/d-344-3-4-038.pdf ]; she died 4 Dec 1895, without issue. William marr 2ndly, at Holy Trinity, Bournemouth, 18 Dec 1905, his cousin Amy MAGUIRE (daughter of his uncle Joseph MAGUIRE - see below); she died at Tower Hill Lodge, 17 Feb 1940, without issue.
ii. Mary Elizabeth MAGUIRE, born Dublin, ca 1850; married at Dalkey (C.of I.) Church, 9 Dec 1873, Edward Irwin SCOTT (brother of Rosetta MAGUIRE alias SCOTT), a Medical Practitioner; they lived in Gwangchow & Swatow, Guangdung Province, China, 1874-1880; in Brackley, Northants, 1883-87; went to Hove, Sussex, 1888; he died at Hove, 1914; issue (Edward Fletcher SCOTT, b 1874, marr Neva M. ULAND; Ernest Christian SCOTT, b 1876, unmarr; Mary Katherine SCOTT, b 1878, unmarr; Margaretta SCOTT, b 1880, marr Edward WIGHT; William Howard SCOTT, b 1881, unmarr; Rosetta SCOTT, b 1883, unmarr; John Maguire SCOTT, b 1883; Alice Elizabeth SCOTT, b 1885, marr Richard Minton COURTAULD; Dorothy SCOTT, b 1887, unmarr).
iii. Elizabeth Kate MAGUIRE, born Dublin, ca 1852; married at Tower Hill Lodge, Dalkey, 24 Nov 1875, Joshua George BRERETON, Medical Practitioner; they lived in Chefoo, Shantung Province, China, 1879-1884; at Newport, Shropshire, 1891 Census; at Villa d'Este, Ryde, Isle of Wight, 1901 Census; with issue (Violet Kate BRERETON, b 1880, marr John Walter PRIDMORE; Adam Charles BRERETON, b 1884, unmarr; Dorothy Rosetta BRERETON, b 1891, marr Maurice Woodman EMLEY).
iv. John Burr MAGUIRE, born ca 1855; died suddenly, of heart disease, while skating at Kingstown, 6 Sep 1875, & buried in his father's plot at Mount Jerome Cemetery, aged 19; unmarried.

6. Mary Anne MAGUIRE, born 16 Dec 1815, & bapt 2 Feb 1816; probably cared for her widowed mother; died at Leicester Ave, Rathgar, Co Dublin, 22 May 1885, & was buried at Mount Jerome Cemetery, with her mother; unmarried.

7. James George Lambart MAGUIRE, born 24 Jan 1818, & bapt 5 Feb, a twin; died Jul 1830, & bur Vicar's Bawn, 22 Jul, aged 12.

8. Lucinda MAGUIRE, born 24 Jan 1818, & bapt 5 Feb, the other twin; of Peter Place, Dublin, Sep 1838, when she wrote verses to her cousin John Joseph VICKERS (b Dublin 1818, son of John VICKERS & Hannah LEESON) of Toronto, Ontario; died Oct 1840, & buried Vicar's Bawn, 31 Oct, aged 22; unmarried.

9. Robert MAGUIRE, born 26 Feb 1820, & bapt 27 Feb, a triplet; died Mar 1822, & buried Vicar's Bawn, 7 Mar, aged 2.

10. Richard MAGUIRE, (pictured above); born 26 Feb 1820, & bt 27 Feb, the 2nd triplet; of Peter Place, Dublin, when named on a Deed of his mother, dated 3 Jun 1845; Carpenter; emigrated to New Jersey; Steward, St Stephen's Lodge No 63, South Amboy, Grand Lodge (Masonic) of New Jersey, Jan 1867; Lay Deputy, Christ Church, South Amboy (Diocese of New Jersey, Episcopal Church), Mar 1867; at South Amboy Township, 1870 & 1880 Censuses; died at South Amboy, N.J., 20 Dec 1898, & bur Christ Church Cemetery, although his Monumental Inscription records his birth on 21 Feb 1820; marr Anna (born Oldenburg, Germany, 12 Dec 1825); she died at South Amboy, 11 Jan 1892; apparently without surviving issue.

11. Joseph MAGUIRE, born 26 Feb 1820, & bt 27 Feb, the last triplet; Architect in Dublin; at 9 Peter Place, 1846; Garville Ave, Rathgar, 1847-49; Leicester Ave, Rathgar, 1849-57; Kenilworth Square, Rathgar, 1858-88 (different numbers 2, 4, 8, 14 & 57); 19 Rathgar Ave, 1893-95; Charleville Rd, Rathmines, 1896-98; & 17; Castlewood Place, Rathmines, 1899-1900; & 13 Grosvenor Sq, 1904; died at his daughter's residence, 84 Rathgar Rd, 2 Dec 1904, & buried at Mount Jerome Cemetery [Section 5C, Plot 1913]; married at Rathfarnham (C.of I.), 1 May 1845, Mary HAYES (b Dublin, 26 Feb 1817, daughter of Andrew HAYES & Mary SPARLING); she died at 14 Rathgar Ave, 25 Jul 1896; issue:
i. Mary MAGUIRE, b ca Aug 1846; buried 27 Apr 1855, in her father's plot, aged 8 years & 8 months.
ii. Elizabeth MAGUIRE, born Co Dublin, 1848; died 12 Dec 1835; married at Dublin, 9 Apr 1881, Charles Banks CORDNER (son of Pendock Charles CORDNER); Commercial Traveller, Tea & Wine; he died 24 Apr 1923; issue (Cecil Charles CORDNER, b ca 1882, unmarr; Albert Noel CORDNER, b ca 1883, marr Ethel Marie HUTCHINS; Ida Lillian CORDNER, b ca 1885; Hubert Victor CORDNER, b ca 1886, unmarr & to Australia; & Elsie CORDNER, b ca 1890).
iii. Anna Jane MAGUIRE, born 1850; died at 14 Kenilworth Square South, 16 Sep 1866, & buried in the family plot, Mount Jerome Cemetery, aged 16.
iv. Letitia MAGUIRE, b Dublin, ca 1851; known as Tissie; Nursing Sister; District Nurse, 54 London Rd, Braintree, Essex, 1891 Census; Superintendent of Firs House, Trinity Rd, Bournemouth, 1901 & 1911 Censuses; died at Tower Hill Lodge, Dalkey, 11 Aug 1933, & buried in the family plot, Mount Jerome Cemetery; unmarried.
v. William Andrew MAGUIRE, born Dublin, 30 Jun 1853; Rathmines School; Sanitation Engineer; at 59 Kenilworth Sq, 1888; of 2 Home Villa, Rathmines, 1889; at 65 Canford Rd, Wandsworth, London, 1891 Census; died at Wandsworth, 7 Mar 1892; married at St Olave's Parish Church, Southwark, 5 Oct 1888, his cousin Ephraimina Adams MAGUIRE (daur of his uncle Rev Robert MAGUIRE - see below); issue (Wilfred Adams MAGUIRE, b 1889, d 1890; & Effie MAGUIRE, b 1891, d 1892).
vi. Amy MAGUIRE, born ca 1855; School Governess, with her married cousin at the Villa d'Este, Ryde, I. o W., 1901 Census; died at Tower Hill Lodge, Dalkey, 17 Feb 1940; marr, as his 2nd wife, her cousin William Robert MAGUIRE (son of her uncle John MAGUIRE of Dawson St - see above); no issue.
vii. Mary Caroline MAGUIRE, born Rathgar, 1 Dec 1856; died at Castlewood Park, Rathmines, 30 Jan 1939, & buried Mount Jerome Cemetery [Section C6, Plot 8946]; married Rathfarnham (C.of I.), 2 Apr 1879, James WELLS (son of William Frederick WELLS, Pharmacist); of 52 Upper O'Connell St, Dublin, Pharmacist; he died at Rathgar Rd, 7 Mar 1893; issue (Albert Owen WELLS, b 1880, unmarr; Annie Elizabeth WELLS, b 1881, marr Charles Tancred KEATINGE; William Frederick WELLS, b 1883, marr Annie; Violet Mary WELLS, b 1884, unmarr; Norah Beatrice WELLS, b 1886, unmarr; Eileen Lillian WELLS, b 1888, marr Thomas FITZHENRY; Agnes Margaret WELLS, b 1891, marr John Caldwell FERGUSSON). Grand-parents of Yvonne RUSSELL alias ROBINSON, of Dublin, who supplied much material for this family.
viii. Georgina Henrietta MAGUIRE, bapt Rathfarnahm (C.of I.), 15 Aug 1858; informed her mother's death, 1896; Nurse, "Rest for the Dying," Heytesbury St, Dublin, 1904, when she informed her father's death; Matron, 20 Camden Row, 1911 Census, aged 52 & unmarried; died 25 Feb 1941, & buried in Mount Jerome Cemetery [Section B205, Plot 23981] with her niece Mrs Agnes Margaret FERGUSSON alias WELLS.

12. Susannah MAGUIRE, born Oct 1820, & bapt 4 Oct; died 12 Oct 1824 (W.M. Diary); burial details not yet known.

13. Edward MAGUIRE, (pictured above); born 21 Sep 1822, & bapt 23 Sep; B.A., Trinity College, Dublin, Jun 1845; D.D., 1888; Church of Ireland Clergyman; Curate of Donaghmore, Co Donegal, 15 Oct 1846; Perpetual Curate of Muckamore, Co Antrim, 1847; Perpetual Curate of Ballymena, Co Antrim, 1860; Rector of Dunluce, Co Antrim, & Rural Dean of Coleraine, 1865; Rector of Ballinderry, Co Antrim, 1872; Rector of Bangor, Co Down, 1876; Dean of Down, 1887, retaining the Rectory of Bangor; died at Ardmara, Co Down, 7 Oct 1913, aged 91; married 1stly, at St Anne's (C.of I.), Belfast, 21 Jan 1847, Sarah Jane EWART (daughter of William EWART & Mary Ann ROSSMAN, & sister of Sir William EWART, 1st Bt of Glenmachen House); she died at Torquay, Devons, 14 May 1856, with issue:
i. Marian MAGUIRE, born ca 1849; died 1 Aug 1870, & buried Dunluce, aged 20; unmarried.
ii. Mary MAGUIRE, born 1851; died 1851, & buried New Burying Ground, Belfast, aged 1 week.
iii. William Ewart MAGUIRE, born Glenbank, Belfast, 22 Sep 1855; died at Torquay, Devons, 28 Feb 1856; aged 6 months.
Edward married 2ndly, at Knock Breda (C.of I.), 9 Nov 1865, Mary KINAHAN (daughter of Rev John KINAHAN & Emily GEORGE); she died at Ardmara, Co Down, 19 Feb 1904, aged 70; with further issue:
iv. Edward John MAGUIRE, born Dunluce Rectory, Bushmills, 14 Sep 1866; bapt there 14 Oct; Rossall School, Thornton-le-Fylde, Lancs; B.A., Trinity College Dublin, 1888; aged 44, Schoolmaster, with his father, 1911 Census, unmarried; assistant schoolmaster at Horris Hill, near Newbury, Berks, from 1889; died 1959, late of Ladle Hill House, Burghclere; marr Alice Angelet HELSHAM-JONES, with issue - Helen Mary MAGUIRE, b 1925; mentioned in her Aunt Muriel's account of Eva MAGUIRE's life & work, as a competent Pianist; died 2005; she married David PUGH, with issue.
v. Frederick George MAGUIRE, born 10 Nov 1867, & bapt Dunluce, Co Antrim, 5 Jan 1868; worked for some years in Ceylon; at Seacourt, Bangor, Co Down, 1907; Director, Sirocco Engineering Works, Belfast, 1911; died at Glenbank, Bangor, 31 Jul 1933; married 15 Jan 1903, Clara May DAVIDSON (b Belfast, 13 May 1875, daughter of Sir Samuel Cleland DAVIDSON, founder of the Sirocco Engineering Works); she died at Belfast, 7 Apr 1950; with issue (Doreen May MAGUIRE, b Bangor, 1903, unmarr; Richard Frederick MAGUIRE, b Bangor 26 Jul 1907, marr 1938 Elizabeth Brice SMYTH, to Phoenix, Arizona, & died there 7 Feb 1955; Edward Davidson MAGUIRE, b 1909, marr Sarah F.M. HARRISON).
vi. Mary (Emily) MAGUIRE, born Dunluce, 20 Ar 1869; living with her father, 1911, aged 41, unmarried.
vii. Kathleen Henrietta MAGUIRE, born Dunluce, 6 Oct 1870; housekeeper to her brother Frederick in Ceylon; at Repton House, Riding Mill, Hexham, Northumberland, 1911 Census, aged 40, with her husband; married at St James's, Piccadilly, London, 15 Sep 1910, Capt Joseph STRAKER, of Earls Colne, Essex.
viii. Charles James Kinahan MAGUIRE, born 31 Mar 1872, & bapt Dunluce, 12 May; with his married SCOTT cousin, at Hove, Sussex, 1891 Census; Captain, 1st Battalion Royal Sussex Regiment, Boer War; killed-in-action at the Battle of Diamond Hill, Pretoria, 12 Jun 1900; unmarried; a "costly" memorial window was erected at Bangor Church in his memory.
ix. Eva Marion MAGUIRE, born Ballinderry Rectory, 12 Aug 1873; Royal University, Belfast; M.A. with Gold Medal in Modern Languages; worked tirelessly for most of her life for Elise SANDES in her Soldiers Homes, firstly at Quetta, India (1898-1902); at the Curragh Camp; at Athlone West, Co Westmeath (1911 Census); & at Ballykinler, Co Down (after the 1922 partition of Ireland); took over as Head of the Homes after Elise SANDES died in 1934; worked closely with the U.S. Military Brass in World War 2, including Dwight D. EISENHOWER; O.B.E.; died at Ballykinler, 27 Oct 1967, & buried, with full Military Honours, at Tyrella Cemetery; unmarried.
x. Muriel Alice May MAGUIRE, born Co Antrim, ca 1877; worked for a time with her sister Eva in the Miss Sandes Homes; published her book "Eva Maguire of the Sandes Soldiers Homes" in 1945; died 11 Mar 1973; married at the Abbey Church, Bangor, 10 Jun 1913, Rev James QUINN (born 9 Oct 1878, son of Joseph QUINN & Rebecca BOYCE); Curate of Knockaney, 1904; Curate of Bangor, 1906; Rector of St Michael's, Belfast, 1913; Incumbent of St Jude's, Ballynafeigh, Belfast, 1924; Chancellor of Down Cathedral; retired 1956; died 8 May 1964, & buried Knotty Ash Cemetery, Rostrevor; with issue (Joseph Edward Gough QUINN, b 1914, unmarr; James Charles Frederick QUINN, b 1919, marr Hannah GWYNN).

14. Henry MAGUIRE, (pictured above); born 5 Feb 1824, & bapt 21 Feb; Collector of Public Monies, 9 Peter Place, 1846-53; Collector of Taxes, Paving Board, 1848; Rate Collector, Office of the Collector-General of Rates, 1856; at Rathgar Cottage, Rathgar, 1862-63; 27 Garville Ave, Rathgar, 1864-65; 36 Cullenswood Ave, Ranelagh, 1867; 27 Garville Ave, Rathgar, 1864-85; 74 Grosvenor St, Rathmines, 1893-98; Kenilworth Rd, Rathgar, 1901 & 1911 Censuses; died at 30 Kenilworth Rd, 15 Nov 1911, aged 86, Engineer, & buried at Mount Jerome Cemetery [Section 230, Plot 8082]; married at St Peter's (C.of I.), Dublin, 5 Jul 1861, Emily JONES (daughter of William JONES of Cambridge Terrace, Rathgar) [see image at http://churchrecords.irishgenealogy.ie/reels/d-45-3-14-109.pdf ]; she died at 27 Ormonde Rd, Rathmines, 15 Mar 1890; with issue:
i. Henry MAGUIRE, born 1861; died at 27 Garville Ave, Rathgar, 14 Jan 1877, aged 16.
ii. Emily MAGUIRE, born 1862; died 27 Garville Ave, 8 Apr 1874, aged 11 years 6 months.
iii. Frederick William MAGUIRE, born Garville Ave, 13 Jan 1864; Ironmonger, 8 Desmond Terrace, 1893; 121 Tritonvlle Terrace, Sandymount, 1898-1902; at 6 Claremont Terrace, Rathmines, 1911 Census; died 1950; married Dublin North, 16 Aug 1887, Fannie Theresa EARLS; issue (Lyndon Frederick MAGUIRE, b 1891; Irene Laura MAGUIRE, b 1895, marr Herbert NIBLOCK; Norman Earls MAGUIRE, b 1898, marr Ethel POWDERLY; Vera Noel MAGUIRE, b 1900, marr Gerald CLARKE; Eva Constance MAGUIRE, b 1902, marr Cecil DICKSON; & Edna Kathleen MAGUIRE, b 1902, marr George Percy Garfield CRAWFORD).
iv. Herbert MAGUIRE, born Rathfarnham, 25 Mar 1865; Commission Agent, with his father, 1901 & 1911 Censuses; died 1938; possibly married in 1936.
v. Ethel Mary MAGUIRE, born 36 Cullenswood Ave, 8 Oct 1866; with father, 1901 & 1911 Censuses, unmarried, & housekeeper; probably died 29 Oct 1918, & buried in the family plot at Mount Jerome Cemetery.
vi. Eily MAGUIRE, born 11 Leinster Rd West, 26 Sep 1868; died 5 Bloomfield Ave, 21 Jun 1887, aged 18, & buried in the family plot, Mount Jerome Cemetery. vii. Ada Georgina MAGUIRE, born 27 Garville Ave, 17 Jun 1870; died 25 Aug 1870, & buried in her JONES grandparents' plot, Mount Jerome Cemetery; an infant.
viii. Hedley Vickers MAGUIRE, born 5 Sep 1871; aged 30, Clerk, with father, 1901; Commercial Traveller, Drugs, at 16 Rathgar Ave, Rathmines, 1911 Census, with wife & 2 ch'n; married at Trinity Church, Rathmines, 29 Aug 1902, Gertrude Emily JAMES (daughter of the late Henry JAMES of Rathdowney); she died 10 Nov 1927; with issue (Eric MAGUIRE, b 1903; Ena Kathleen MAGUIRE, b 1906; & Hedley Vickers MAGUIRE, b & d 1920).
ix. Eveline Maude MAGUIRE, born 15 Sep 1874; died 28 Ormonde Rd, 20 Feb 1889, aged 14, & buried Mount Jerome Cemetery.
x. Muriel Marrable MAGUIRE, born Dublin, 24 Mar 1876; died 30 Jun 1889, & buried in the family plot, Mount Jerome Cemetery.
xi. Edgar MAGUIRE, born Dublin South, 1878; with his father, 1911 Census, aged 33 & "Retired from the Army."

15. Robert MAGUIRE (2), (pictured above); born 3 Mar 1826, & bapt 17 Apr; B.A., Trinity College, Dublin, 1847; Principal of the Church Mission College, Ballinasloe, Co Galway, 1847; Church of Ireland Clergyman, 1849; Curate of St Nicholas's, Cork, 1849; Clerical Secretary, Islington Protestant Institute, 1852; Rector of St James's, Clerkenwell, Apr 1857; at 39 Myddleton Square, Clerkenwell, 1861 & 1871 Censuses; Rector of St Olave's, Southwark, Jun 1875; not found in England in 1881 Census records, perhaps visiting Ireland; died at 6 Lesmure Rd, Eastbourne, 3 Sep 1890, & buried in his family grave at Highgate Cemetery; marr 1stly, at St Nicholas' (C.of I.), Cork, 24 Apr 1851, Ephraimina ADAMS (daughter of Ephraim ADAMS & Anna TRANSKOWSKI); she died at 3 Clermont Villas, Richmond, 13 Jun 1864, aged 37; issue:
i. Anna Maria MAGUIRE, born Islington, 1853; with her parents, 1861 & 1871.
ii. Ephraimina Adams MAGUIRE, born Islington, 1856; died Burton-upon-Trent, 1907; married 1stly, at St Olave's Southwark, 5 Oct 1888, her cousin William Andrew MAGUIRE (son of her uncle Joseph MAGUIRE - see above); with issue, not surviving (see above also); he died in 1892; she married 2ndly, at St Stephen's, Wandsworth, 19 Aug 1896, Rev Thomas George STRONG, a widower; possible additional issue (Effie Louise STRONG, b 1897).
iii. Mary Esther MAGUIRE, born 24 Lonsdale St, Islington, 28 Apr 1857; died Clerkenwell, 1859; a child.
iv. Dorothea Letitia MAGUIRE, born 39 Myddleton Sq, 2 May 1858; Scool Teacher, aged 32, unmarried, with sister & brother-in-law, 1891; aged 52, Own Means, Kensington, 1911 Census.
v. Robert Ephraim MAGUIRE, born 39 Myddleton Sq, 16 Mar 1861; with parents, 1861 & 1871 Censuses; the only surviving issue not named in his father's will, 1890; went to Australia; died Sydney Hospital, 26 Jul 1915, late of Queensland; unmarried.
Robert marr 2ndly, at London, 5 Aug 1869, Margaret Mary DEACON (daughter of Edward Erastus DEACON, Barrister-at-Law); she was at Croydon, Msx, 1901 Census, aged 67, with 2 children; further issue:
vi. Margaret Mary Deacon MAGUIRE, born 39 Myddleton Sq, 14 Aug 1870; named in her father's will, 1890.
vii. Gertrude Owen MAGUIRE, born 39 Myddleton Sq, 2 Jun 1872; aged 28, with her mother, 1901 Census, unmarried; a Patient at Heigham Hall, Old Palace Rd, Norwich, 1911 Census.
viii. Edith Frances MAGUIRE, born 39 Myddleton Sq, 19 Feb 1874; died at St Olave's Rectory, 26 Sep 1877, aged 3.
ix. Francis Edward MAGUIRE, born St Olave's Rectory, 14 Nov 1876; Chartered Accountant, with mother, 1901 Census; of 22 Montague Gardens, Wallington, Surrey, 1909 (grave transfer, Highgate Cemetery Burial Register), & in 1911 Census, aged 34, Assistant Secretary, with wife Ada (aged 36, born Hulton, Cranwick, Yorks); died 1971; marr Bromley, Kent, Dec quarter 1908, Ada Gertrude PUDSEY; issue included two daughters. [The MAGUIRE Coat-of-Arms in the top light of a Memorial window erected by Rev Robert MAGUIRE in the Church of St James's, Clerkenwell, May 1867, to mark the 10th anniversary of his induction as incumbent - as portrayed on the http://www.middlesex-heraldry.org.uk/ web-site.]

16. Georgina MAGUIRE, born 3 Aug 1828, & bapt 8 Aug; died Mar 1865, & buried Vicar's Bawn, 30 Mar, aged 36; unmarried.

SOME SPECULATION ABOUT WILLIAM'S EARLIER MAGUIRE ANCESTRY.

Inevitably there is interest in the ancestry of William's great-grandfather, Capt Bryan McConnagher MAGUIRE (1648-1724), said to have been native to Lisnaskea in County Fermanagh. All we have from William's diary is that his great-grandfather, "...being a junior descendant from the great Stem, had his sword for his fortune." Which suggests that he had no idea as to the identity of this great-grandfather; but that he was aware that he had next to no chance of inheriting MAGUIRE property or title.
[The brass insert in the top of the MAGUIRE obelisk in the Vicar's bawn, depicting the Arms of MAGUIRE of Fermanagh - "Vert, a white horse fully caparisoned (Gules), thereon a Knight in complete armour, on his helmet a plume of ostrich feathers, his right hand brandishing a sword, all ppr."]

But William availed himself of a family Coat-of-Arms (pictured above), which he used to adorn the memorial obelisk he had erected in the Vicar's Bawn. There is no evidence in the Genealogical Office in Dublin (the lineal successor to the Office of the Chief Herald in Ireland) that he sought any approval to use the Arms; nor do I suspect that the bronze caster needed any particular authority before proceeding with the manufacture of the plaque.

William almost certainly would have "rubbed shoulders" with staff of the Chief Herald's Office while they were preparing escutcheons for adornment of Cathedral choir stalls of members of the Order of St Patrick's, so had ample opportunity to make enquiries as to protocols concerning useage of these Arms. And William impressed the same Arms on the wax seal to the bottle containing his explanatory messages which he placed in Dean SWIFT's coffin in 1835, presumably by the use of a signet ring, made for that purpose. William probably had the ring made for his own use, as his being the youngest son would have meant his father's (if he had one) would instead have gone to the eldest surviving son Thomas. In this case, William may have needed to persuade the jeweller that he had a claim to the Arms (they are most often used to authenticate signatures on property deeds, as the "seal" part of "sign and seal"). But, if it was a family heirloom, it would be fascinating to discover where it is now located, assess it for age from maker's marks, & see if it may have belonged to his great-grandfather before him. And William replicated the arms in his diary, which showed the Arms identical to the brass insert, with the exception of th horse's left fore-leg (splayed forward), and included the Ducal Stag as Crest (without Ducal coronet), and a Motto, in what appears to be celtic style lettering, & which I deciphered as "Creorvis Romad" - which does not make sense.

His middle name may have been a corruption of Cuconnaght, & that may have been used by him or others, as a patronymic, to distinguish him from another or other Bryan MAGUIREs of his age. Which is not entirely convincing, as the other Bryan MAGUIRE he is most likely to have been confused with was Bryan (ca 1665-1712) of Tempo, whose father was in fact Cuconnaght (see below). But it was probably instead a patronymic of Cnogher alias Conchobhair.

There is a hint of his being connected to the Tempo MAGUIRE family (see J.G. SIMMS's 1979 paper, "The Williamite War in South Ulster," published in the Clogher Journal). Even suggestions that Bryan may have been shunned by his family, & his details perhaps "removed" from family pedigrees does not help, as it only increases the speculative nature of any further interest in, or "claim" upon that illustrious lineage.

However, there is published pedigree which does record, for about the right generation, a Bryan MAGUIRE who was the son of Connacher MAGUIRE. This is Pedigree No 572 of the "Geinealaighe Fearmanch" (G.F.), as published by the Irish Manuscripts Commission in "Analecta Hibernica," No 3, Sep 1931, at page 101.

And it records a direct descent from Eamuinn na Cuile, the 8th MAGUIRE Chief of Fermanagh, through his only legitimate son Giolla Padruicc MAGUIRE, all as follows, with expanded detail from other sources, including the Annals of the Four Masters & the Annals of Ulster.

DESCENT OF THE MAGUIRE FAMILY OF KNOCKNINNY, CO FERMANAGH.

DONN CARRACH; the first MAGUIRE Chief of Fermanagh, 1264-1302; son of Domnhail who was son of Giolla Iosa; father of:

FLAITHBEARTAGH (Flaherty) MAGUIRE; 2nd Chief of Fermanagh, 1302-1327; father of:

RORY EINIGH (the Generous) MAGUIRE; 3rd Chief of Fermanagh, 1327-1338; father of:

AODH RUADH (Red Hugh) MAGUIRE; 4th Chief of Fermanagh, 1338-1363; father of:

PHILIP NA TUAIGHE (Battleaxe) MAGUIRE; 5th Chief of Fermanagh, 1363-1393; father of:

THOMAS MOR MAGUIRE (Giolla Dubh or Black Lad); 6th Chief of Fermanagh, 1395-1430; died 1430; some sources suggest he married Margaret O'NEIL (daughter of Conn O'NEIL, Chief of Tyrone), with issue 7 sons, including 2nd son Philip (Tanist of the Clan, & progenitor of the Tempo MAGUIREs - see below), and his eldest son:

THOMAS OGE MAGUIRE; 7th Chief of Fermanagh, 1430-1471; by Juliana CAMPBELL, the father of Conchubar Mor MAGUIRE (the 10th Chief, 1503-27), & of his eldest son:

EAMONN MAGUIRE; the 8th Chief of Fermanagh, 1471-86; lost territory & prestige to raids by O'NEILL & O'DONNELL, 1483; his chiefship was further savaged by internal feuding, & in particular by the fratricidal assassination of his only legitimate son Giolla-Phadraig, 1484; relinquished the Chiefship in 1486, fearing his illegitimate sons would also murder his only legitimate grandson Phelimidh Dubh, then only a child; last of the chiefs from the senior branch of MAGUIREs based at Knockninny &/or Lisnaskea; died 1488 [Annals of the Four Masters]; father of:

GIOLLA-PHADRAIG MAGUIRE, the only legitimate son amongst the 14 sons that Eamonn had; his father preserved for him the Barony of Cuile (Coole) & Cnoch Ninnie (Knockninny) for his posterity, before abdicating the Chiefship in favour of his nephew & Giolla-Phadraig's cousin, Sean MAGUIRE (the 9th Chief of Fermanagh, 1486-1503); slain at the altar of the Church of Achadh-Urchair (Aghalurcher), 13 Sep 1484, by five of his half-brothers - Don, John, Edmond, Art Carrach & Hugh MAGUIRE; father of:

PHELIMIDH DUBH MAGUIRE; (Phelimy Duffe); died 1533 [Annals of Ulster]; father of:

SEAIN MAGUIRE of Knockninny; father of: BRYAN MAGUIRE of Knockninny; "...appears in a fiant of 1592 [Fiants of Elizabeth, No 5716] as a follower of Hugh MAGUIRE, 'chief of his name,' but it is clear that Brian mac Seain was a relatively minor figure" [Bernadette CUNNINGHAM & Raymond GILLESPIE, "The Purposes of Patronage: Brian MAGUIRE of Knockninny and his Manuscripts," Clogher Record, Vol. XIII, No.1, 1988, p.40].

BRYAN was father of:
1. Fheidhlime MAGUIRE (his issue recorded in Pedigree G.F. 542, "Analecta Hibernica").
2. Aodh Ruaidh MAGUIRE (ditto Pedigree G.F. 543).
3. Conchonacht MAGUIRE (ditto Pedigree G.F. 544).
4. Concobhair Mhodortha (alias Connor or Cnocher) MAGUIRE. See next.

CNOGHER MODARTHA MAGUIRE of Knockninny; the "Melancholy" or perhaps "Courtly"; identified as Concobhair mhodortha in "Geinealaighe Fearmanach" Pedigrees G.F. 549 & 572 ("Analecta Hibernica"); "...in 1629, Conor mac Brian, almost certainly Brian's father who was usually known as Conor Modartha mac Brian, held a one year lease from [Lord James] BALFOUR of 109 acres of the Townland of Drumquillia in the Barony of Coole; by 1634 he held the lands of Tomnefernoge at 4 pounds 5 shilings per annum from BALFOUR on an annual lease; and by 1636 he had progressed yet further to the 'great tate' of Chime at 12 pounds, 2 muttons and 12 hens per annum. In 1641 he, and his son Turlogh, one of Brian's three brothers, merited the title 'gentlemen' in a list of the inhabitants of the parish of Kinawley in the barony of Knockninny" [CUNNINGHAM & GILLESPIE, "The Purpose of Patronage," Op.Cit., pp. 40-41]. John DOLAN recorded that, by the early eighteenth century, Connor Modartha had refurbished the chapel of Callowhill (about 2.5 miles from Knockninny Hill) in the parish of Kinawley, for use as a burial ground for the family.

[Ruins of Knockninny House; photo taken in Nov 2010.]

Cnocher was buried in Callowhill Churchyard (near Derrylin, Co Fermanagh), Feb 1691 - the Monumental Inscription, bearing Arms which feature, as one among several items, the armour-clad Knight on horseback (as illustrated on our William MAGUIRE's Obelisk in Vicar's Bawn of St Patrick's Cathedral), now largely illegible, appears on a stone built into the exterior of the front wall of the church, now ruined, on the right-hand side of the entrance doorway.
It has been transcribed as - "This monument was erected by Brien MAGUIRE for his beloved father Knogher Modoerre MAGUIRE and his posterity, who lieth hereunder, and dyed in February..."

Cnocher was father of:
1. Toirdhealbhach MAGUIRE (his issue recorded in Pedigree 550, "Analecta Hibernica").
2. Eamonn MAGUIRE. 3. Rughraoi MAGUIRE (ditto, Pedigree 569); & 4. BRYAN MAGUIRE. See next.

BRYAN McCONACHER MAGUIRE of Knockninny; an Army Captain, who, after the Williamite wars, was a patron of literature & manuscript collector, responsible for marshalling resources which led to the preparation of six surviving composite manuscripts at Knockninny between 1712 & 1721, in which "the principal subject categories... are historical & genealogical material, legendary tales, lives of saints and devotional tracts" [CUNNINGHAM & GILLESPIE, "The Purposes of Patronage," Op. Cit., p.42]; described by one of the scribes, Michael O'CLERY, as a "...man of the greatest honour, learning & patriotism, who collected all the best chronicles in Ireland to Cocninne, where he entertained the most learned Irish Scholars, whilst they collated the books of the Cluanmacnois, the Collections of O'Duvegan, the Book of Udri, the Book of the O'Cleri's, written in the reign of Maolsechlan the Great, who died in 1022, the Book of the O'Duigenan's, commonly called of Glendaloch, and the Book of Congabhla, with several others" ["Biblioteca Stowensis: A descriptive catalogue of the manuscripts in the Stowe Library" by Rev Charles O'CONNOR, D.D., for the British Museum's Department of Manuscripts, 1818, Vol.1, page 143, in a note to Fol. 7 of Irish Mss No 31].

---------------------------------------------

Bryan MAGUIRE of Knockninny, Gent, was named as grantee in a Deed of Lease dated 19 Mar 1719 (Memorial Number 15239, Deeds Registry, Henrietta St, Dublin), from Edmond Morton PLEYDELL of Millburne St Andrew, Wiltshire (possibly in error for Dorset), concerning the "Territory of Doobally... in the Barony of Tullagho and County Cavan," measuring 24 cartrons, for a term of 31 years, at a rental of 150 pounds sterling per annum, to be paid half yearly; this deed and the memorial of it were witnessed by Brian MAGUIRE of the City of Dublin, Woollen Draper, although his relationship to Bryan of Knockninny, if any, is not stated. This property was the subject of another Deed of Mortgage, dated 2 Dec 1726, in which Bryan's eldest son Edmund MAGUIRE mortgaged the estate to James SANDERSON of Castledown, Co Dublin, for the sum of 1,200 pounds, citing the earlier 1719 deed of his now deceased father, as well as two other deeds of his mother, Mary MAGUIRE, dated 31 Mar 1725, & mentioning his own brother Cornelius MAGUIRE; Edmund's eldest son is identified as Connell MAGUIRE, named in another deed dated 1 Jul 1726 (Mem No 35198), & in which his agent is named as Ross MAGUIRE.

------------------------------------

BRYAN was father (but perhaps not by Mary LLOYD) of:
1. Eamonn (Edmond) MAGUIRE; father of Connall MAGUIRE & Lucas MAGUIRE [G.F. 573].
2. Peattar (Peter) MAGUIRE.
3. Conchobar (Cornelius) Modartha MAGUIRE.

IS BRIAN MAGUIRE OF KNOCKNINNY THE ANCESTOR OF OUR WILLIAM MAGUIRE OF DUBLIN?

Brian is identified by Rev Patrick MULLIGAN, in his "Early History of Fermanagh" [an edited version of John DOLAN's Manuscript History of Fermanagh, published in the Clogher Record, Vol. II, No. 1, 1957, p. 62], as the Jacobite Captain involved in the prisoner exchange at Crom Castle in 1689, who also heads the William MAGUIRE of Dublin pedigree. However, there appear to be some evidentiary difficulties in verifying this "assumption" with entire satisfaction.
The coincidence of Bryan's death, apparently shortly before 1725, and of his widow's name being Mary, is very notable. However, nowhere in the "Fermanagh Genealogies" in Analecta Hibernica is there a pedigree recording a son of Bryan named John MAGUIRE - and nowhere is there a Bryan of near age with a brother identifed as a Priest (or "brathir").
And it does appear from other evidence that Bryan's eldest brother Turlough was of age at the beginning of the 1641 Rebellion (& recorded as a gentleman), & so born in or before 1620; which makes a birth for Bryan in 1648 a bit problematic - although not impossible, especially if Cnocher had made a second marriage (the Fermanagh Genealogies in "Analecta Hibernica" do not name wives or daughters; nor are there anywhere recorded any event dates).
In addition, there is some small difficulty in reconciling the activities of the Jacobite Army Captain at Crom with the prolific patronage of Catholic Arts & Letters, & for which Bryan of Knockninny is renowned - not that the two are necessarily mutually exclusive.
My own feeling on the matter is summed up by the expression - where there is smoke, there is fire; but that the connection is, as Scottish juries are wont to hand down in judgement, not proven - at least not yet.

THE FAMILY OF MAGUIRE OF TEMPO.

Some sources have suggested a possible origin for the prisoner at Crom from the Tempo branch of the MAGUIRE family, some considerable detail of which we find in the writings of Dr W. (Bill) MAGUIRE in his "Heydays and Fairdays and not so good old days." The lineage of this branch is summarised as follows:
THOMAS MOR MAGUIRE (An Giolla Dubh); 6th MAGUIRE Chief of Fermanagh, 1395; died 1430; married Margaret O'NEIL (daughter of Conn O'NEIL, Chief of Tyrone), with issue 7 sons, including the 2nd son:
Philip MAGUIRE; Tanist of the Clan MAGUIRE of Fermanagh; died 1470; he had issue 3 sons - second son Sean MAGUIRE, the 9th Chief of Fermanagh (1486-1503); & third son Tirlough MAGUIRE. The eldest son was:
Brian MAGUIRE of Tempo; his grandson was:
Cuconnaght (the Coarb) MAGUIRE; 11th Chief of the Fermanagh MAGUIRE's, 1527; died 1537; marr Siobhan O'NEIL (daughter of Sean O'NEIL); issue - an eldest son Sean MAGUIRE (the 13th Chief; died 1566); second son Brian MAGUIRE (Abbott of Lisgool); third son Cormac MAGUIRE (alian in 1539); fifth son Donncadh MAGUIRE (died 1562); & 6th son Domnhall MAGUIRE; he also had a 4th son:
Cuconnaght Oge MAGUIRE; 14th Chief, 1566; died 17 Jan 1589; married 1stly, Nuala O'DOMNHALL (daughter of Magnus O'DOMNHALL), by whom he had issue - an eldest son Hugh MAGUIRE, the 15th Chief (killed by Warham ST LEGER near Cork, Mar 1600); Cuconnaght married 2ndly, Margaret O'NEIL (daughter of Sean O'NEIL), by whom he had further issue - second son Cuconnaght MAGUIRE, who contested the 16th Chiefship, but fled to Europe with the "Flight of the Earls" in 1607, & died in Genoa in 1608); fourth son Tirlough MAGUIRE; & fifth son Sean Baccach MAGUIRE; he also had a third son:
Brian MAGUIRE; granted the Manor of Inseloghagease, near Loch Eyes, by James I, & one of the first grantees to settle on his estate; by 1611 he had built a substantial residence there, surrounded by a fortified bawn; also of Tempodessel & Tullyweel, Co Fermanagh; probably regranted those 90 Townlands by Patent of Charles I, 1639; at his death he was the last remaining Irish landowner in Co Fermanagh; died at Tullyweel, 24 Apr 1655; married Susanna O'CONNOR (daughter of Calvagh O'CONNER of Balintober, Co Roscommon); issue an only son:
Hugh MAGUIRE; of Tempo, Co Fermanagh; killed in 1650, "fighting the English"; married Mary O'REILLY (daughter of the Chief of Breffney); he had by her a son and heir (without any mention of younger children, ? presumed none):
Cuconnacht Mor MAGUIRE; born Eniskillen, ca 1645-50; Sheriff of Co Fermanagh under King James II; mortgaged large parts of his estate to raise a Regiment for the service of his Catholic King; killed at the Battle of Aughrim, 23 Jul 1691, when it is said that a clansman removed his head in a sack & returned it to Fermanagh for burial in the family vault on Devenish Island, Lough Erne; his Fermanagh estates were confiscated by the new King William's government; married Mary MAGENNIS (daughter of Ever MAGENNIS of Castlewellan, Co Down); with issue:
1. Bryan MAGUIRE, born ca 1665-66; restored the confiscated estates of his late father, 1702, arguing that his father only held a life interest in them; died at Tullyweel, 13 Oct 1712; married Bridget NUGENT (daughter of James NUGENT of Coolamber, Co Longford), using her dowry to pay off debts on the estate; she died in 1754, aged 77, having had issue four or five sons - Cuconnaght MAGUIRE (died 1739, unmarried); Brian MAGUIRE (not listed on most pedigrees, and in the one he is, recorded as "nothing is known of him"); Robert MAGUIRE of Tempo (conformed to Protestantism in 1739 to preserve the estates; died in 1778; marr in 1741, Elizabeth McDermott ROE; s.p.); Hugh MAGUIRE (an Army Colonel; died 1766; marr 1745, as her "imprisoning" husband, the Lady Dowager CATHCART, whom he kept locked up in a room at Tempo for over 20 years); & Philip MAGUIRE (died in Dublin, 1789, having had, by Frances MORRES, a son & heir Hugh MAGUIRE of Tempo).
2. Hugh MAGUIRE, born 1668.
3. Stephen MAGUIRE, born 1670. _____________________________________________________________
William MAGUIRE is my gtx3 grandfather.

A childhood residence - "Pine Ridge" a.k.a. No 32 Alice St, Harris Park

2010-05-31T19:39:00.000-07:00

The "old house" at No 32 Alice St in the late 1950's, taken from the northern end of the tennis court looking in a west sou'westerly direction, from a point somewhere in or very near the present day swimming pool for No 34 (the units on the battle-axed block north of the units on No 32).

The house once known as "Pine Ridge" no longer exists, falling victim to the developer's demolition team, about 1970; although they were thoughtful enough to retrieve the old bricks, clean them up, & enable their re-use, in the balconies of the block of units which were built on the site.

As my family grew up in the house we knew as 32 Alice St, we formed an opinion that it was built many years ago, imagining the convict hands that made the sandstock bricks, & the long drive that went from the front door, through a wind-break of sentinel pines which gave it it's earlier name, down to Alfred Street, not far from Elizabeth Farmhouse, the original Rose Hill home to the family of John MacARTHUR.
But the bricks were not convict made, although possibly "replicas" of full size, and the house itself appears to have been built around the year 1888, & almost certainly by &/or for the Rev J.R. BLOMFIELD, Rector of All Saints (C.of E.), Parramatta. And the "driveway" only ever existed in our imaginations.
Although why the architect chose to site the house "sideways" to Alice St, rather than facing it, remains unknown - perhaps the view to the north, across Claycliff Creek & the unseen head-waters of the Parramatta River, to the horizon hill-crest that is Pennant Hills Rd & the complex of buildings we knew as the Burnside Homes, was too good to consign to the back yard.

John Roe BLOMFIELD was born in Maitland in Oct 1827, 3rd son of Thomas Valentine BLOMFIELD (of Dagwell, Suffolk; 48th Regiment; arrived N.S.W. 1817) & Christiana BROOKS, heir to her father's estate at Denham Court.
John was ordained into the Church of England at Newcastle, & served as Rector at Morpeth, Raymond Terrace, Burwood & then Mulgoa, before arriving in Parramatta in 1868. He lived firstly at "Endrim," Marsfield, Parramatta, then at Granville. By his first wife, Mary Rachel WOOD, he had issue two sons, Valentine & Harold, both Civil Engineers & Surveyors.
John married twice more, & both wives, Margaret Caroline THORBURN & Frances Harriet CLARKSON, were dead by 1878.

A year after BLOMFIELD's father had arrived in N.S.W. with the 48th Regiment, John MacARTHUR, Agricultural & wool-growing pioneer, received his 1,110 acre Crown Grant at Rose Hill near Parramatta, dated 13 Jan 1818.
By the time his son Edward MacARTHUR had died in 1872, & the estate had passed into the hands of his executors, the MacARTHUR family & their agents had built substantial brick dwellings which comprise the Elizabeth Farmhouse & outbuildings, now a heritage precinct in Alice Street (between Alfred & Arthur Streets), as well as "MacARTHUR's Cottage" on Hassall Street (which we knew in our time there as "Hambledon Cottage"), & NEALE's Cottage, between MacARTHUR's Cottage & Claycliff Creek (which had become a concrete lined drain we knew as "the canal" & which we, as youngsters, would explore at our peril, entirely contrary to parental orders).

In 1882, the executors sold the whole MacARTHUR estate for 50,000 pounds to Septimus Alfred STEPHENS, a Sydney Solicitor & Public Notary. It was his intention to sub-divide the property & sell the portions, which he began with a sale "on the ground" on Sat 13 Feb 1883, in accordance with a subdivision which was lodged with the Land Titles Office as Deposited Plan (D.P.) 1249.
Part of the MILLS & PILE poster advertising the sale of blocks on Alice St, 1883 - "Pine Ridge" would be built 5 years later, across Lots 1 & 2 , the two Lots on the left-hand side of the four highlighted in red.

It is apparent that John Roe BLOMFIELD purchased four alotments, probably at this first sale, or at one of the two subsequent sales later in the same year - these were Lots 1 to 4 inclusive, Section A, being the four lots on the western boundary of the MacARTHUR Estate, on the north side of the proposed Alice Street alignment, & on the south side of Claycliff Creek, with an area of 2 acres, 1 rood and 21.75 perches.
The remaining Lots to the east were purchased by Alexander GRAY (Lots 5-8), Claudius Beresford CAIRNES (Lots 9-11), & Archibald SAYERS (Lot 12, on the corner of Alice & Alfred Streets). The subdivision was made in accordance with the "Parramatta Rood" which determined that all Lots were 66 feet wide or more, & over 165 feet deep; it is apparent that the final building blocks did not all conform to that plan, as there was one additional alotment, & several existing blocks are less than 66 ft wide.

Evidence of this 1883 transaction is contained in Parramatta Council Rate Assessment Books for Anderson Ward [Parramatta City Library], where J.R. BLOOMFIELD was assessed for Unenclosed (or Vacant) Land, from 1883 (valued at 20 pounds per annum & rated at 1 pound) to 1888 (45 pounds - at 2 pounds 5 shillings p.a.); in 1889, he was assessed for the first time for property now described as "Brick House," valued at 75 pounds p.a. (council rate of 3 pounds 7/6, with a water rate of 2 pounds 10/8, & a gas rate of 16/10). "Pine Ridge" had arrived.

Formal proof of the transaction was not registered until 6 Mar 1888, as Instrument of Transfer No. 132271, Register Book Volume 696, Folio 242 [Lands Titles Office, Sydney].

John Roe BLOMFIELD was in residence at Pine Ridge when he wrote to his elder son, Valentine, on 15 Apr 1888; he died in the house a fortnight later, on 1 May, leaving his two sons as executors of his estate.
The elder son, Valentine BLOMFIELD, was assessed for rates on the property in 1891 (1890 Rate Book not available) as the occupant; his younger brother Harold was likewise assessed for the years 1892 & 1893, also as occupant; & in 1894, 1895 & 1896, Harold was recorded as the non-resident owner.

During his time in residence, Harold Arthur BLOMFIELD had, by his wife Ada Elfreda KIDSER, a 2nd daughter, Beatrice, who was born at Pine Ridge on 28 Feb 1890; it is highly likely that the next three children, Mildred (1891), Cecil (1892) & Vera (1893), were also born there, prior to the family moving to Moss Vale, where son Bernard,was born in 1894.

After they had moved on, Edward EBSWORTH, a fellow Surveyor, took up residence there, with his wife, Emily Ada BEATTY, and a daughter who had been born in neighbouring Weston St in Jun 1889. He was assessed for rates as occupant in 1894, 1895 & 1896; his 2nd daughter Elsie was probably born there in 1894.

Part of the Lands Department Parramatta Detail Map of 1895, showing "Pine Ridge" as it was originally built, before the dining room was added & the verandahs altered & enlarged [Frame 5, Ser 4, 811/1301/1, Mitchell Library].

Valentine & Harold BLOMFIELD, officially possessed of their late father's Pine Ridge property in January 1897 [Instrument of Transfer No B 411037, Land Titles Office], sold it to Mary Jane LITTLE, wife of Thomas Davies LITTLE of Parramatta, on 9 February 1897"...for her own separate use" [Instrument of Transfer No 261248, Lands Title Office].

Thomas Davies LITTLE was a Parramatta local who worked his way up the journalistic ladder to become joint-proprietor of the Cumberland Argus, from its inception in 1893. He was born on the north-western corner of the MACARTHUR Estate, probably at BYRNES' Mill near Queen's Wharf, on the Parramatta River near George Street, in 1857, shortly after his parents, Eleazar & Margaret, had arrived from England via India. His career path took him briefly to Sydney, then Newcastle (working on the "Pilot" newspaper), & a short spell in the N.Z. Government Printer's office in Wellington.
In 1894, his wife, Mary Jane, was executrix to the estate of Margaret LITTLE of Parramatta, Widow, who was probably her husband's mother, and it was perhaps money from this source that eventually enabled "Pine Ridge" to be purchased, & why Mary Jane had it "for her separate use." It is likely that Max LITTLE was born & died there in Nov 1897, & that their youngest son, Jack, was born there in 1898. It is almost certain that his wife's "sole use" expired with her in 1916, again almost certainly at "Pine Ridge."
And it is also possible that it was during LITTLE's occupancy that some alterations were made to enlarge the living quarters of the house.

By the time we had taken occupancy in 1953, a large dining room had been constructed at the western end of the hall, by the erection of a wall across the centre of the rear courtyard, in which wall there was a fireplace between two sets of french doors which now opened onto a much reduced rear courtyard. There had also been two alterations to the external verandahs - the centre section of the eastern verandah was enlarged, just outside the front door, and the whole of the northern verandah was doubled in width. In addition, a weatherboard room was constructed at the western end of the widened northern verandah, & the western end of that verandah was glazed above the handrails.

A "side" view of No 32 Alice St, taken from Good Street, looking due north.

Thomas Davies LITTLE died at "Pine Ridge" in Aug 1923. His children Millie Weedon LITTLE & Jack LITTLE were confirmed in possession, probably as the executors, by 13 Feb 1824, & on 20 Jun of the same year, had disposed of it to their brother Allan Weedon LITTLE, who was, like his father, a Journalist.
On 23 Dec 1925, Alan Weedon LITTLE sold "Pine Ridge" to Linus Joseph EGAN, of Katoomba, Builder.
It may well instead have been EGAN the Builder who made the alterations, but he appears not to have lived in the house.

EGAN sold the property to Frederick William TODHUNTER, Solicitor, by Instrument of Transfer No B 411037, dated 24 Feb 1927 [Register Book Vol.3973, Fol.44, Land Titles Office], although the size of it had decreased, now comprising Lot 2 and majority parts only of Lots 1 & 3, measuring 1 acre, 2 roods & 28.5 perches.

His grandfather, William TODHUNTER, was convicted in London of embezzlement, & transported to N.S.W on the ship Morley in Apr 1817; he prospered, & in 1828 was employed as a Commercial Clerk; by 1845, he was a freeholder in Bent St, Sydney, having married into the influential COX family (his sister-in-law was the wife of William Charles WENTWORTH).
His 2 son was Henry Marron TODHUNTER, b 1840; he became Manager of the Parramatta Branch of the A.J.S Bank (and with whom Rev Henry Robert PIGOTT did banking business); died at Ashfield, 1921; marr Wagga Wagga, 1863, Emily Clara THOMSON, with issue 9 children all born Mudgee, including 2nd but elder survivng son Frederick William, b 1871.

Frederick TODHUNTER practised as a Solicitor in Sydney, until he opened his own business in Parramatta in 1904; he was Solicitor to the subdivision of the old HARRIS Estate, including Experiment Farm Cottage (James RUSE's subdivision), all to the west of Good St & "Pine Ridge", which was first billed for sale on 13 Aug 1921. This subdivision did appear to proceed exactly in accordance with the deposited plan.
And it was not until after this later subdivision had been established that the Postal authorities settled upon the number 32 Alice Street for the "Pine Ridge" residence - it first appeared as such in Sand's Postal Directory of 1930.
Frederick married in Parramatta, 1905, Bessie PURCHASE; after her early death in 1912, he married her sister Mona Marie; he had issue by both sisters, and both families were recorded as residing at "Pine Ridge" in Electoral Rolls for 1930 & 1938.

Frederick died at "Pine Ridge" on 4 Nov 1942; the property was transferred to his executors by Application by Transmision No D 40702 dated 30 Aug 1945; there was a caveat, withdrawn 20 Feb 1953, probably associated with his granting his widow life use of the property; she died in Parramatta in 1952, probably also at "Pine Ridge."

On 23 Jan 1953, Henry Robert PIGOTT, Schoolmaster, purchased No 32 Alice Street from Frederick Stuart TODHUNTER & the Union Trustee Co of Aust Ltd, executors of the late Frederick William TODHUNTER.

I was aged not quite 4 when I arrived at "Pine Ridge." My earliest memory is being "walked" down the path between the hedges near the "front" gate close to the tennis court; I was probably being carried, as I recall seeing the verandah corner over the hedge top, with a number of collapsed trestle tables leaning against the outside wall of what, for us, became the sitting room.
It was home for the next 15 years, and holds many memories. A new sister arrived in 1954, to make up the gang of seven. We had the luxury of space, & rather tended to keep to ourselves, although we did have a somewhat "spiky" relationship with the FOGGs in Number 40, just across the SAAD's paddock; but we were rounded up once a week & ferried into the Presbyterian Community that was St Andrew's Church (Sunday School, Fellowships & Congregation, in that order), beside Parramatta Hospital & backing onto the occasionally submerged wier across the Parramatta River which led to The King's School.
And for us 5 boys, that became, when old enough, our school - it was where our father "retired" to after relinquishing, for health reasons, the Headmastership of Brisbane Grammar School, shortly before we moved to Parramatta; for him it was a return to the scene of his first teaching position, between 1923 & 1936.

No vital events actually took place in the house during our time there; but it was the last residence of our grandmother, Maggie PIGOTT, who died in Parramatta Hospital in 1960.

Few improvements were made to the house during our time, which suggests that Dad had never intended living there for ever, & that plans for re-development may have been in his mind from early on; and several of the exterior "improvements" he may even have actively resisted.
In the kitchen, the old cast-iron Metter's "Kooka" gas stove was replaced by a much more modern version, although the thick brick chimney brest of an even earlier version was left untouched; and a new double bowl stainless steel sink replaced the old pink terrazzo slab over the enamelled cast-iron. The original green paling front fence was eventually replaced with a lower ranch style railing one; and the verandah balustrades, at least on those sides that did not have too great a drop, were removed to show cleaner lines to the Alice Street frontage.
And at some point in time, we acquired a brand new "Hill's Hoist" rotary clothes line, to replace the old lines on post & see-saw cross-pieces. But these were before the days of modern washing machines, & Mum had to make do with the gas-fired copper boiler, & the mangle wringer washing machine (well, at least it was electric).

For many years, waste product from the Camellia plant of Hardie's Asbestos Products was used to fill in the "hill" at the back of No 32 and of neighbouring No 30 (occupied by Marge BERRY & her two adult sons) down to Claycliff creek; the trucks delivered it all up Ruse St for many years, to the residents' evident unhappiness. Dad's recreation was to top dress it all when completed.

The only other major development was the construction of a block of 6 flats on the tennis court, to designs of local Architect Jonathan ERBY, & which were built about 1960-61. In gray brick, with natural timber trim, black bathrooms, a flat roof & an innovative external concrete circular staircase to the 1st floor, they may have been intended to provide an independent income for mum after dad died. But they have not survived, & were demolished to make way for the present school building associated with the Maronite Catholic Church (adorned with a statue of the B.V. Mary) which stands on the adjoining property, which was in our time a market garden farmed by a Lebanese migrant family named SAAD.

THIS BLOG IS A WORK-IN-PROGRESS. TO BE CONTINUED.

I lived in this house from Feb 1953 through to Aug 1968.

Ellen LYNCH, widow of William WOOD, & of William THOMSON; hanged as a murderess.

2010-03-08T20:30:00.000-08:00

Ellen LYNCH, a native of County Cork, arrived in N.S.W. on 6 Apr 1858, on board the ship Joshua, aged 11, with her widowed mother Mary LYNCH (daughter of Michael & Ellen MURPHY, both deceased), & younger sister Mary. Her mother's birthplace was recorded as Dromtariffe, County Cork (as was that of herself & her sister, although some evidence suggests they may have been born instead in Ballyvourney, Co Cork); her parents were recorded as Thomas & Mary LYNCH, father deceased & mother on board ship; their religion was Roman Catholic; & none could Read or Write.

Ellen was hanged in Boggo Road Gaol, Brisbane, on 13 Jun 1887, aged 41. She had been tried in Townsville, on 17 May 1887, for the murder of her 2nd husband, William THOMSON, at Port Douglas, eight months earlier, on 13 Sep 1886, along with her accomplice, a British Marines deserter named John HARRISON, who was hanged shortly after her.

"Ellen strenuously denied her guilt upon the gallows, and insisted that her innocence would be established. She was a very talkative woman, of a cheerful temperament. Had led a rough, hard life in the northern part of Queensland and had probably learned to attach little value to life. Not a bad dispositioned woman, very temperate in her habits. Capable and industrious. Died instantaneously."
[Unsigned remarks attached to a police dossier, recording her arrival details, personal details, physical description, charge & sentence, & a formal portrait photograph, reproduced above, taken 17 May 1887.]

ELLEN'S EARLY YEARS.

Ellen's parents, Thomas LYNCH & Mary MURPHY, were married in Dromtariffe, R.C., 27 Apr 1833; Mary was of Racool (probably Rathcoole). Details of the marriage were not recorded in the transcript of the Dromtariff R.C. Register published by Albert Eugene O'CASEY in his "O'Keif, Coshe Mang, etc"; but they were recorded in the on-line transcript at the http://www.irishgenealogy.ie/ web-site.

Ellen was recorded, in the passenger list compiled by the N.S.W. Immigration Board on her arrival in Sydney in 1858, presumably on information supplied by her mother, as being aged 11 years, which indicates her birth between Apr 1846 & Apr 1847. Her age at death was 41, & was probably recorded on her own information, although her Police file did contain details of the 1858 Joshua arrival, which indicates a birth between Jun 1845 & Jun 1846. Taken together, we might confidently speculate that she was born sometime during the period April to June 1846.
Ellen also recorded her age at her 2 marriages, & when she informed the births of 2 of her 5 children in N.S.W., but as she appears to have been not yet 16 at her first marriage, it is not surprising that she "elevated" her age in these registrations, indicating an earlier but unlikely birth in early 1843.

Ellen's baptism is not recorded in available transcriptions of the Dromtariff R.C. baptismal Register for the years Jan 1841 to Dec 1848.
But, on 19 Dec 1836, there was baptised there, Joanna LYNCH, daur of Thomas LYNCH & Mary MURPHY, of Buolimore, sponsored by W'm RIORDAN & Hanorah MURPHY. This appears certain to be an elder sister to Ellen.
Further, on 16 Feb 1841, Mary's sister, Hanora MURPHY of Buolimore, married John HEFFERNAN (see below); from this, it is clear that the MURPHY family was, for a time, associated with the Townland of Buolimore alias Boolymore, Bolemore or Bolimore, just south of the River Blackwater, in the Barony of Duhallow, County Cork.

Twenty kilometres to the south-west, at Ballyvourney, about 15 km W.N.W. of Macroom on the road to Kilkenny, Thomas LYNCH and Mary MURPHY had a son John baptised R.C., 10 Oct 1844; if the same couple (and we have no other evidence as yet of another with the same names), we have yet another sibling for Ellen.
Further, Thomas LYNCH & Mary MURPHY had another child bapt at Ballyvourney, Dec 1841 (name & day unreadable; sponsors Con HEALY Ellen L...); & a Timy LYNCH (probably in error for Thos) & Mary MURPHY had a child bapt Ballyvourney in Apr 1849 (all other details unreadable except for 1st sponsor, Michael LYNCH), which may just have been Ellen's younger sister Mary - once again, there were no other mentions of a Mary MURPHY spouse named Tim LYNCH. Most entries for 1846, Ellen's probable birth year, appear to have since gone missing.

It may indicate the direction Thomas LYNCH was heading after he left Dromtariff, & before his death; but it is in the opposite direction from Mallow, where Ellen had a notion she was born.
But there may be another explanation - Ballyvourney is defnitely a LYNCH family stronghold; there were 8 families of the name recorded at Ballymakeery Townland alone (Griffith's Valuation returns, ca 1852), including Thomas LYNCH, occupying 78 acres. Ballyvourney may have been the native place of Ellen's father.

After arriving in Sydney, Ellen & her sister apparently went with their mother Mary to live with their aunt & her sister, the same Honora HEFFERNAN alias MURPHY mentioned above, together with her husband John & family, at Gurrunda, County Argyle, near Goulburn.

No trace has yet been found in N.S.W. of the death of Ellen's mother Mary (living 1861, & perhaps still living in 1887), but Ellen's aunt, Hanorah HEFFERNAN alias MURPHY, died at Goulburn, 1 Feb 1866, aged 47, Reg'd#4143, parents named Patrick & Ellen (Ellen's maternal MURPHY grandparents - except that Mary LYNCH had, in 1858, recorded her father instead as Michael MURPHY).
Hanorah's husband John HEFFERNAN, a native of Kanturk, Co Cork, died at Gurrunda on 11 Apr 1878 #5922, parents John & Elizabeth (both died in Goulburn, John on 1 Jun 1865, aged 85, & Elizabeth on 2 Jun 1859, aged 65, & both buried in the Old Goulburn Burial Ground in Mortis St; their daughter-in-law Hanora was buried in the same grave).

John & Honorah's children, Ellen's cousins, included John HEFFERNAN (bt Dromtariffe, Feb 1842; aged 6 on arrival in N.S.W. on the ship Hyderabad, 19 Feb 1848), Patrick (bt Dromtariffe, Oct 1846; aged 1, ditto), William (b Gurrunda, 24 Apr 1849), Jeremiah (b Gurrunda Creek, 29 Jun 1851), Denis (b Gurrunda, 8 Feb 1853; died Gurrunda, 11 Jun 1878), Ellen Mary (b Gurrunda, 18 Jan 185; died Laggan, 21 Apr 1893; married Goulburn, 23 Apr 1879, John Thomas NAUGHTON; issue), Elizabeth (b Goulburn, 1859 #7542) & Honorah (b Goulburn, 1861 #7494; died there 1861 #2994).

By the time of her first marriage, Ellen was a servant, living at Gurrunda, Co Argyle, about 30 km W.N.W. of Goulburn.

ELLEN'S FIRST MARRIAGE.

Her husband was William WOOD, a Labourer, also of Gurrunda, & the marriage was consecrated in St Saviour's, Goulburn, on 23 Jul 1862, according to the Rites of the Church of England. Ellen was aged 19, & consent was given by her mother Mary LYNCH, who so endorsed the certificate. Ellen's father was named on the registration as Thomas LYNCH, Labourer, and her mother as Mary MURPHY. Ellen's birthplace was recorded as County Cork, in Ireland; this was clarified in a later statutory registration as Mallow. William & Ellen, as well as her mother Mary, all unable to write, made their "X" marks.

William was born at Baulkham Hills, 17 Nov 1826, son of John WOOD, a former convict (born Lancs ca 1796; transported on the ship Ocean, arrived 5 Feb 1816; buried St John's, Parramatta, 27 Jun 1832), by his wife (marr St Matthew's, Windsor, 5 May 1823) Maria KENTWELL (born Toongabbie, ca 1806, daughter of two other former convicts, William KENTWELL, transported on the ship Admiral Barrington, arr Oct 1791, & his wife Elizabeth MORRIS, later THOMPKINS, transported on the ship Mary Ann, arr Jul 1791).
William's baptism, at Castle Hill on 28 Jan 1827, was recorded on page 1 of the Picton Register of similar date, but does not appear in the N.S.W. pre-registration indexes to church registers.
His mother, Maria WOOD alias KENTWELL, married twice more before her death at Baulkham Hills on 1 Sep 1881 - 2ndly at St John's, Parramatta, 17 Mar 1834, to John GREENWOOD (by whom 6 more children) - & 3rdly in the same church, 6 Mar 1854, to widower Samuel BALDWIN (he died in 1904, without out further issue by her).
William was sib to:
1. Elizabeth WOOD, born Baulkham Hills, 1824; died Castle Hill, 1896; marr Parramatta, 1840, John Williams FOSTER of Castle Hill, with issue an only son.
2. John WOOD, born Baulkham Hills, 1829; no further particulars.
3. Mary Ann WOOD, born Baulkham Hills, 1830; died Castle Hill, 1904; marr Castle Hill, 1850, James CRANE, with issue.
4.Eliza WOOD, born Dural, 1833; died Granville, 1894; marr Parramatta, 1855, Charles CLARK, with issue.

ELLEN'S FIRST FAMILY.

Ellen followed William around the southern highlands & slopes, as he worked variously at labouring, boundary riding, farming & stone cutting. She had 5 children by him, the 5th after William had died, their birthplaces showing the growing family's progress through the region:

1. Victoria WOODS, born Winderadeen, Lake George, 24 May 1863 (her father a Labourer); as Victoria Jane, she died at Wagga Wagga, on 22 Aug 1867, aged 4, of Scarlet Fever (father a Fencer), & was buried at Wagga Wagga Cemetery, without a Minister in attendance.

2. John WOOD, born Currawang, near Collector, 28 Aug 1865 (father a Labourer); probably sent south by his mother soon after her 2nd marriage in Port Douglas; later known as John Reginald WOOD, & raised by his paternal aunt Elizabeth FOSTER alias WOOD at Southleigh, Castle Hill; Orchardist in Castle Hill, & then Secretary to the Tamworth Agricultural Society & Caretaker of the Tamworth Showground; marr at Castle Hill, 1894, Effie Giles PIGOTT (born Maradana, Colombo, Ceylon, 8 Nov 1870, daur of Rev Henry Robert PIGOTT, Baptist Missionary, & later Anglican Curate at Castle Hill, by Ellen GILES - they emigrated to N.S.W. in 1890 - see separate blog on this site, posted June 2009, & entitled "A Missionary in Ceylon: Henry Robert PIGOTT"); with issue.

3. Ellen WOOD, born Wagga Wagga, 21 Jul 1867 (father a Fencer); later known as Ella Evelena; enrolled at Port Douglas Primary School, 9 May 1881, aged 13 years & 10 months, in 1st Class, leaing Jun 1881; remained with her mother, & spent the 9 years prior to her marriage "working" for Billy THOMSON; her marriage took place in St Andrew's (C.of E.), Port Douglas, on 13 Sep 1886, to John George ROBBINS, a farmer residing on the Mowbray River, near Port Douglas; Billy THOMSON had "planned" for her to marry his brother Tom, & was much enraged when he learnt of her plans to marry ROBBINS, whom he banned from visiting his estate; in his rage he threw a lighted kerosene lamp at Evey; they had issue, including Ellen's first known grandchild, born 4 months after the execution.

4. William WOOD, born at Yaven Yaven Creek, near Gundagai, 3 Dec 1869 (father a Farmer); enrolled at Port Douglas Primary School, 3 Mar 1884, aged 14 years & 2 months, 1st Class, leaving Aug 1884, returning Mar 1885, & leaving Apr 1885; "driven away" by his step-father, but remained in North Queensland; returned "home" to the Mossman River 5 weeks after his step-father's death, & about a week before his mther made her visit to Townsville just prior to her arrest; referred to by his mother in her statement to the court, after her conviction, as "...working on the roads as a bullock driver" & had "...drawn all his money from the Savings Bank - 10 pounds - to help her get off"; he died in Queensland in 1929 (Reg'n No 3896), both parents named in full in the index.

5. Jane WOOD, born Gurrunda, Co Argyle, 21 Jan 1872 (father a Stone Mason, deceased; mother resident Adelong); probably later known as Jenny; "abused" by her step-father, ca 1880-81, when Mr James POWER, Clerk of the Port Douglas Court, "...took her for charity."

ELLEN BECOMES A WIDOW FOR THE FIRST TIME.

William WOOD, late of Yaven Yaven Creek, near Adelong, died in Gundagai on 21 May 1871. His N.S.W. descendants believed that he died as the result of an accident, but this cannot yet be confirmed, as his death was either not registered, or if it was, the registation has become lost. Family lore recorded that Ellen also died as the result of an accident, but clearly not the same "accident"!
The date of his death was recorded in an affidavit of his widow Ellen, contained in his Probate File, Supreme Court Probate Registry of N.S.W. This file also cited the existence of a will, dated 15 May 1871, which was copied into the file, & in which he appointed Ellen as sole executrix. She was bequeathed his whole estate, with a rider that "...I do hope in case she marries again she will see that the property thus bequeathed is settled on the children she now has."
And given that William "signed" his will 6 days before his death, the "accident" which killed him clearly did not result in his instant death - it would appear that he "had time" to put his affairs in order.
A further affidavit on the Probate Registry file was signed by Richard Wickstead PERKINS, of Gundagai, Solicitor, & Elizabeth RANKIN, also of Gundagai, in which they deponed that they were both present with William WOOD when they signed as witnesses the paper annexed as William's Last Will & testament, testifying that they saw him "affixing his signature thereto" - although William could not sign his name, his "X" mark would have stood as the legal equivalent.
Ellen was granted probate on 19 Jul 1871, goods sworn at 100 pounds.

ELLEN HEADS NORTH TO QUEENSLAND.

Ellen took her surviving four children north, although I expect the youngest child was given a chance to grow a little at Gurrunda, where she was born, and presumably where Ellen's relations were still living.

Ellen travelled about as far north as it was possible to go without leaving the Australian mainland, & ended up in Cooktown, probably following the allure of quick riches in gold.
Alluvial gold was first discovered at the Palmer River on 29 Jun 1873, although a rough track to it from Cooktown was not completed until 14 Nov, same year. The Palmer River rises at the confluence of Prospect & Campbell Creeks, about 70 km west of Cape Tribulation & about 80 south-west of Cooktown; it flows westerly towards the Gulf of Carpentaria, until it joins the Mitchell River near "Healey's Yard"; it is not clear from current maps exactly where the goldfields on it were located.
And there, "...immediately after the opening of the Palmer goldfield," she became acquainted with Mr J.W. KNIGHT, who later had his letter to the Editor of the Brisbane Courier published on Wed 6 Jun 1887, in which he said that Ellen:
"...administered to many sick miners and others whom fever had prostrated, and not infrequently death came to, all gratuitously; and at a time when that woman maintained herself and her children by wash-tub toil. Years later, when she married the man for whom she is to hang, her position in life was improved, and she went to reside at Port Douglas. At that place, she took no small part in pioneering that section of the colony. Innumerable are wayfarers who have had the good fortune to pull up at Mrs THOMPSON's; not only were their appetites set at rest, but the ration bags were not forgotten, all without charge."

The field only prospered briefly - alluvial mining began to wane after 1875, and by the early 1880's, the end of the Palmer era was at hand, brought about by financial difficulties and more easily tapped discoveries elsewhere. Many Chinese miners became established there, and some early racial conflicts arose between them & European prospectors.
Ellen was there, in KNIGHT's words, "...at a time when white women were easily counted on one's hands without duplication."

ELLEN "RETIRES" TO PORT DOUGLAS.

The exact time that Ellen "retired" to Port Douglas is unclear. She was almost certainly there by the time her illegitimate daughter Ellen was conceived, ca Feb 1879; and quite possibly a year or so earlier, if another child, whose existence was implied when she acknowledged 6 children as still living (in her statement to the court after her conviction), was the William WOOD born in Qld, 18 Jan 1878 #4958, father un-named, mother Ellen WOOD. If this was our Ellen, it would have made him the 5th born of her 6 children still living at the time of her sentencing. However, the birth appears to have taken place in Brisbane, which suggests it was not Ellen's; so perhaps, under the stress of her circumstances, Ellen may have inadvertently included her deceased first born daughter among that number. However, a number of references were made to another son named Bob, & Robert W. WOOD was enrolled at Port Douglas State School, 31 Jul 1883, aged 7 years & 0 months, res Mossman, parent a Farmer, C.of E., 1st Class, leaving May 1884.

Ellen's acknowledged illegitimate daughter Helen alias Ellen was born at Mossman River on 9 Nov 1879. The father was not identified in the registration, and Ellen informed her own name as Ellen formerly LYNCH, aged 34 years, born Mallow, Co Cork, certifiying it in writing with her "X' mark. The birth was not registered in Cooktown until 30 Jan 1880, but the information had been received within the prescribed time by the Assistant Registrar in Port Douglas.
The man Ellen was shortly to marry, William THOMSON, believed he was the father (and Helen was named as his issue on his death registration), but it appears that that honour may instead have been that of a local and married J.P., Richard Owen JONES, who may have "facilitated" the THOMSON marriage in order to secure a home for his daughter & her mother.
Ellen THOMPSON was enrolled at Port Douglas Primary School, 2 Aug 1886, aged 6 years 0 months; married with issue.

ELLEN TAKES A SECOND HUSBAND.

That marriage, Ellen's second, took place at Mossman River on 3 Nov 1880, & was performed by Albert Cornelius MOSLEY, according to the rites of the Church of England (the second time the Irish Catholic Ellen had been married outside her birth religion). Her parents were identified as Thomas LYNCH, Farmer, & Mary MURPHY, her age 36, & her birthplace Mallow, Co Cork.
Her 2nd husband was William (Billy) THOMSON (most later reports spelt this in error as the English THOMPSON), a Farmer & a Bachelor, aged 57, born Wilson Town, Lanarkshire, son of Richard THOMSON, Farmer, & Rabena DEAN (Richard THOMSON married Robina DEANS at Barony, Lanarks, 28 Aug 1814, but their son William's baptism is not recorded in the I.G.I.).

Billy THOMSON had made the first application for a Selection on the south bank of the Mossman River, right at it's mouth, in 1877. As a late marrying bachelor aged 57, it is perhaps understandable that he was apparently ill-at-ease with his "instant" family of Ellen's WOOD children, & according to Ellen, by the time of his death this "...wretched old man had driven all her children from her, one by one, and had abused them and called them names."
By that time, it was apparent that the marriage was, or had become, one of convenience only, as Ellen had made arrangements that involved them living in separate buildings on the selection.
When John HARRISON, a young British Naval Rating, a deserter from H.M.'s ship Myrmidon, & with a wife he had acquired in Townsville and shortly after left there, arrived on the scene, his developing "relationship-of-ease" with Ellen became an increasing source of aggravation to Billy.

On 7 Jul 1884, the Queensland Governor (Sir Anthony MUSGRAVE) accompanied by the Premier (Mr GRIFFITH), made a brief official visit to Port Douglas. Disembaking onto a decorated wharf, they were met by the Police Magistrate, Major FANNING, several senior Police Officers, & Mr J.W. KNIGHT (who had known Ellen on the Palmer River earlier, & whom Ellen would later appoint as co-guardian of her children). The official party drove 3 miles along the beach, on the hard sand, before turning into the scrub & returning by the road. Horses were provided for those citizens who wishe to follow them - Ellen took up the offer, & recalled the event in her later letter to the Governor seeking mercy.

ELLEN BECOMES A WIDOW, AGAIN.

While the exact particulars will perhaps never be fully known, the situation came to a head on 22 Oct 1886, when Billy was "found" with a bullet hole to the head, & died shortly afterwards, around 10.00 p.m. A Magisterial Enquiry was held at Port Douglas 6 days later, & Major M.P.B. FANNING, P.M., found that Billy had died by his own hand, on the evidence of Ellen & John HARRISON, supported by the report of the examining doctor (William Lane MARLEY, Gov't Medical Officer, Port Douglas) that there had been only one shot, causing two wounds, an entry & exit wound, sufficient to cause death.

[Image of Billy's grave, as it appears on the Port Douglas Courthouse Museum web-site.]

But after the burial, Ellen asked HARRISON to move into her house, & the gossip mill began to rumble. Several Chinese gardeners, near neighbours, both asserted that they had heard two shots on the night of the death.
This new "evidence" convinced the Police that it could not have been a case of suicide, and consequently Ellen & HARRISON were arrested, 6 Jan 1887, on the Steamer Glanworth, on a voyage back to Port Douglas from Townsville, after a return rail journey to Charters Towers, to "...see a lawyer."
It is highly likely that Ellen was seeking legal advice concerning the changes to Billy's will; her going to Charters Towers to do that reflects the lack of trust she was now feeling towards her earlier advisers closer to home, in particular Richard JONES. It is now known that her sister Mary may well having been living there as well.
[The S.S. Glanworth, on which Ellen THOMSON & John HARRISON were arrested, 6 Jan 1887.]

Billy's body was then exhumed, on 10 Jan 1887, and a second medical examination, conducted by the same doctor, found a bullet (or a large part of one) still lodged in the brain, which it was then concluded had probably been fired into the hole left by the earlier bullet.
Ellen & HARRISON were formally charged with murder, & FANNING committed them to stand trial in Townsville in April.

They were brought under escort to Townsville, 6 Feb 1887, probably on the Steamer "Rockton."
On the voyage, Ellen made a lengthy statement explaining the circumstances of her husband's death, as she saw them, which she maintained was by suicide. Her statement was taken down in writing by another passenger, who read it back to her, after which Ellen "took possession" of the transcript.

THE ACCOMPLICE HARRISON.

John HARRISON was born in England, ca 1859-60; he was, apparently, a Marine in the Royal Navy (his Naval record has not yet been sighted); the trial transcript published in the Brisbane Courier on 13 May 1887 named him John Oxley HARRISON, but it appears this was in error, & his middle name was instead George.

[Image of John HARRISON, as it appears on the Port Douglas Courthouse Museum web-site.]

John G. HARRISON was enumerated in the 1881 Census, Naval Ships, H.M.S. Alexandra, aged 20, Able Seaman, born Houghton-le-Spring, Co Durham. The location of the ship is not revealed, but it may already have arrived at it's station in Malta, or was on the way.

John George HARRISON, born West Rainton, Co Durham, 3 Jul 1859 (Reg'd Houghton-le-Spring, Sep qtr 1859, Vol.10a, p.344), probably son of Thomas HARRISON & Mary Ann JOHNSON; Thomas was enumerated at Hewarth, Durham, 1871, with John G. (recorded O. in the index) aged 11, a Scholar, & four younger children, Frances, Thomas, Frederick & William - except that his wife was Margaret!
The 1861 Census returns do not offer an enumeration exactly consistent with all the foregoing details, but there was another John HARRISON, aged 2 (born Tow Law, Co Durham), who was enumerated at West Rounton, Yorkshire, with his mother Margaret HARRISON (aged 23) & her parents William & Mary SNARY (aged 58 & 60); his mother Margaret SNARY had married a John HARRISON at Northallerton, Sep qtr 1857; John (Jr) was further enumerated in 1871 at Wolsingham, Durham, aged 12 (b Tow Law), a Domestic Servant in the house of a George ELLIOTT & his family.

The H.M.S. Alexandra served as flagship of the Mediterranean Fleet, & was present at the bombardment of Alexandria, 1882, during which campaign the Marines serving on her went ashore & saw action at Kassassin & Tel-el-Kebir.

By 1885, HARRISON was serving on the R.N. Survey vessel H.M.S. Myrmidon, & sailed with her to Australian waters, perhaps joining her company in Malta for the remainder of her voyage (which had originated in Sheerness via Gibraltar) through the Suez to Colombo, Singapore, Batavia & Port Darwin, joining the Australian Station on 5 Mar 1885. She spent some time near Timor.

She conducted surveys of Darwin Harbour for 5 weeks, & was docked in harbour at Port Darwin, Aug & Sep 1885. HARRISON played for the Myrmidon XI at Palmerston Oval when it was thrashed by a local team, Aug 1885, scoring 10 of their 30 runs, & taking 2 wickets for 50, from 70 balls, in the Palmerston innings of 184. He also raced at an Athletics Sports at the Palmerston Oval on 5 Sep 1885, being beaten in two separate 100 yards sprints, but coming back to win, with another Myrmidon sailor named SPICER, the Siamese race.

In a report dated 22 Sep 1885, at Cooktown, the Myrmidon was at or near "Somerset," a homestead just a few kilometres south-east of the tip of Cape York, just above Newcastle Bay. She arrived in Townsville, on a voyage from Thursday Island, on 27 Sep.

The Brisbane Courier of 25 Sep 1885 reported that she was due to complete the survey of the Barrier Reef in three weeks time, whence she would proceed to Sydney, & thence to Bass's Strait to finish surveying in those waters.
The ship returned to the Barrier Reef in 1886, & her work is commemorated by the naming of Myrmidon Reef, about 125 km north-east of Townsville & due east of Cardwell, at the outer end of Magnetic Passage.

However, this further survey work was conducted without John HARRISON's assistance. On 28 Sep 1885, the day after her first arrival in Townsville, John G. HARRISON deserted the ship & his Naval post. A notice was published in the Queensland Police Gazette of Sat 24 Oct, Vol.22 (p.260), describing John George HARRISON as 5 ft 8 in high, ruddy complexion, brown hair, blue eyes, & notifying a reward of 3 pounds for his arrest. A further notice, published on 9 Dec (p.363), added these additional details - a native of Houghton, aged 25 years, 5 ft 6.5 in in height, an athlete & runner of considerable ability and will probably be found where athletic sports are being held, & has relatives in Townsville.

On 9 Dec 1885, John George HARRISON married Selina JOHNSTON, probably in Townsville.

HARRISON eventually went north to the Daintree, & by 1 Sep 1886, had arrived at Port Douglas, & was recorded in the trial, on the evidence of Patrick MORAN, as having been "snagging" on the Mossman River up to a week before the murder, and it appears that two weeks before, HARRISON had made a statement to MORAN about Ellen telling him "...that if THOMSON were gone, the property would belong to her."

ELLEN IS TRIED FOR MURDER.

The trial took place in Townsville Circuit Court, 3 May 1887. The presiding judge was Mr Justice Pope Alexander COOPER, of the North Queensland Circuit; Virgil POWER, Crown Prosecutor, led the prosecution case; & Jacob LEU, a Swiss Lawyer who had completed his articles in Brisbane, was accredited to the Supreme Court in 1882, & was partner of a Law Firm in Townsville, led the case for the defence.

...

ON DEATH ROW.

Ellen & HARRISON were among 15 prisoners from the north, sent from Townsville to Brisbane on the steamer S.S. Birksgate, 12 May 1887.

[The S.S. BIRKSGATE, on which Ellen & HARRISON were transferred to Brisbane, 12 May 1887.]

THIS BLOG IS A WORK IN PROGRESS. TO BE CONTINUED...

Ellen was the mother-in-law of my great-aunt, Effie Giles WOOD alias PIGOTT, who did not arrive in Australia until 1890, & so never knew her husband's mother.

James ADAM, M.A.; Apostle of the Saddle.

2009-05-06T19:44:00.000-07:00

At celebrations held in 1908 to mark his Ministerial Jubilee, James ADAM recalled:
"...a quiet student room at 47 Bristo St, Edinburgh, occupied by me. I had come to the end of my eight years university curriculum. My examination before the Presbytery had come to an end, and I had obtained license to preach the gospels. On taking up the 'Saturday Evening Post & Scottish Record,' my attention was arrested by an earnest application of the Colonial Committee of the Church of Scotland for a minister to labour in Carcoar and its surroundings. I offered myself for the post, and was set apart for the work by the Edinburgh Presbytery."

The Edinburgh Presbytery ordained James ADAM, M.A., on Wed 1 Dec 1858, as Minister for the Parish of Canowindra, N.S.W.
After farewelling what was left of his "family," James went to Liverpool, & on 6 Dec 1858, he embarked in the Chief Cabin of the S.S. Ocean Chief, a Black Ball Line vessel, of 1400 tons, bound for Melbourne.

James had left his native Scotland, never to return.

THE ORIGINS OF JAMES ADAM.

The exact circumstances of James ADAM's birth are proving difficult to determine with certainty. He was born on 4 June, the date inscribed on his gravestone in Blayney Cemetery - it seems reasonable to assume his family celebrated his birthday on that date. Family lore indicates that he believed that he was born in Coupar Angus, a town in Forfarshire, on the border with Perthshire. And James grew up believing that his father was James ADAM, Stonemason, & a native of Glamis in Forfarshire (born in Milton in the Glen of Ogilvy, son of John ADAM & Jean ANDERSON, and baptised at Glamis Church, 28 Jul 1805).

Milton in the Glen of Ogilvy, Parish of Glamis, about 4 km south of the village of Glamis. Photo taken in 1992.

But there is no record of a birth or baptism of a James ADAM in the Coupar Angus Parish Register. What is there is a record of the marriage of his alleged father, James ADAM, Mason, to Margaret THOMSON, on 6 Nov 1831, after proclamation of Banns 3 times in church.
And if these were James's parents, & he was born, as indicated in a number of sources, in either of the years 1830 or 1831, then he was clearly illegitimate.

As to the year of his birth, we have the following indications:
1. It was recorded as 1830 on his gravestone in Blayney Cemetery.
2. The fly-leaf dedication to the Pulpit Bible in Blayney church gives it as 1831.
3. His entry in "Fasti Ecclesiae Scoticanae" records the year as 1835.
Official records are scant, but James was enumerated in the Scottish Census returns for both 1841 (aged 9) & 1851 (aged 19), which are neither infallible, but are remarkably consistent, and if correct, indicate a birth between Jun 1831 & Mar 1832.
But when James registered his own marriage, and subsequently registered the births of his 4 children, he recorded his various ages, which taken together indicate that he believed he was born at some time between 9 Apr and 13 Jul 1833.
And as this is the only information about his age from his own hand, I am inclined to accept that 4 Jun 1833 was the date on which he was led to believe that he was born.

Another difficulty arises over the identity of his parents, & in particular his mother. James informed his father's death at Dundee in 1857, but was unable, despite undoubted requests from the Registrar, to name his father's late spouse - the space for her name was left blank.
In 1858, James & his "brother" John erected a standing stone in Glamis Churchyard, & on it is recorded, among other details, the name of "their mother, Margaret THOMSON"- undoubtedly she of the 1831 marriage in Coupar Angus.
But, by 1865, when James registered his own marriage in Sydney, he recorded his mother as Margaret PATON; and my grandmother, James's sole surviving daughter, Margaret Paton ADAM, was told that she was named for her paternal grandmother.
Curiously, his brother John, when he was married in Dundee in 1865, named his mother as Margaret THOMSON - which suggests that they were perhaps not born of the same mother.

The ADAM stone in Glamis Churchyard.

It remains a possibility that James was not the son of James ADAM, Mason, & Margaret THOMSON, but was raised by them as if he was; & if so, the question arises as to who his parents actually were.
And it was of no help at all that the "mother" died on 25 Jul 1835, as indicated on the Glamis gravestone; nor that her burial was not recorded on that date in the Parish Register - although there was another burial, exactly 12 months later, for "Marg. McADAM or Wid. THOMSON, a travelling beggar, died Glammis 25 Jul 1836, said to be a native of Girvan in Ayrshire " - and this one has surprising similarities to the supposed wife of the Stonemason!
Not that the Girvan Parish Register is any help either! There was a Margaret THOMSON, bt Girvan, 2 Apr 1807, daur of Archibald THOMSON & Margaret DRYNAN, but she was 3 years younger than the Glamis burial. However, there was a Susan THOMSON living in Milton, Glen of Ogilvy, Glamis Parish, in 1841, aged 61, & there was another THOMSON family connected with Coupar Angus, both of which might more conceivably be the source of James Sr's wife Margaret.

But there was a baptism of possible interest. In Perth, where we know from Census returns that James's "brother" John was born, we find the following baptism, recorded in the Pomarium West Parish Register, Perth:
"8th September 1834, was born James ADAMS, lawful son to James ADAMS, Mason in the said Parish, & Margaret THOMSON his spouse, & baptised the 14th day of Sept in the said year, by the Rev John NEWLANDS, Minister, United Church."

Considering all of the above information, it seems plausible that this may instead have been the "brother" John's baptism, & that after his parents took in, as a son, another & older James ADAM already used to being called James, they then began calling the younger boy John.

EARLY LIFE.

James's early education probably took place in Glamis. In 1841, he was enumerated in the household of his "grandmother" Jean ADAM (aged 60+), with his "brother" John (aged 7), & his "aunt" Ann ADAM (aged 25+). In a later Census he would no doubt have been recorded as a Scholar, and his exact relationship to Jean ADAM would also have been stated - but this was 1841.
His "father" was absent, and as it would appear certain, off making a living by plying his trade as a Stone mason; and later employment on Railway building projects suggests that was a likely source of employment for him from early on.

On 14 Jan 1848, according to an entry in a dairy James kept at this time of his life, he began to work for his father as a Mason's Assistant, & in particular on the job his father was then engaged in, at or near Maxwellheugh, Roxburghshire. The diary records much detail of work completed, probably by his father, with his help, and of the rates of pay, calculated at 4d per hour (and a half-penny less after 9 Nov 1848).
The Diary also recorded that James went up to Edinburgh on 5 Oct 1849, to commence matriculation studies at the Normal Institute in Johnstone Terrace. It was a residential Training College under control of the Education Committee of the Church of Scotland. The entry age was strictly 18 years, so James would have to have been born before Oct 1831 to have gained entry, unless he gave wrong information.
James visited his family in Dundee for Christmas; and was back with his father during the summer holidays, from 11 Jul to 3 Sep 1850, working at or near Heiton, & on the Roxburgh Bridge.

James was enumerated at the Normal Institute, Tolbooth, Edinburgh, in the 1851 Census, aged 19, Student, b Coupar Angus, Perthshire.
And in the same Census, his father was enumerated back at the family home, in Milton, Glen of Ogilvy, aged 45, Widower, Stonemason, b Glamis, with son John (aged 16, Handloom Weaver) & unmarried sister Ann (aged 41, Linen Handloom Weaver). James's grandmother, Jean ANDERSON, had died on 20 Mar 1846, aged 72.
Shortly after, James went up to his family in Dundee for the summer holidays, from 10 Jul to 15 Sep 1851. He was by now, or soon after, to enter Edinburgh University, and was awarded his B.A. on 21 Apr 1855. He received his M.A. on 19 Apr 1856. Books presented to him record his prizes - First Prize in Mathematics, Apr 1854; First Prize in Hebrew, Apr 1856. He was also awarded prizes in Metaphysics, Philosophy & Bible Criticism.

In 1854, James commenced work as Night Chaplain in the Night Asylum for Homeless Men, in Old Fishmarket Close; after 4 & a half years service, he received, on 2 Dec 1858, a presentation from the Lord Provost of Edinburgh, acknowledging his efforts there.

By 1856, his father James Sr had left his trade & followed his younger brother Thomas ADAM's lead into the Spirits Dealing trade, at 123 Hawkhill, Dundee. He was to die there on 23 Oct 1857, of Influenza, disease of chest, aged 53, son of John ADAM, dec'd, & Jane ANDERSON, dec'd, the death informed by James ADAM, Son.
And within a year, his uncle Thomas had died of the D.T.'s, shortly after his first grandchild was born & his younger daughter had married. James's aunt Ann died in 1864.

Which brings us to James sitting in that student's room in Bristo St in 1858. Why did an intelligent man with an M.A. degree from one of Britain's elite universities turn his back on his native land, where he might reasonably have expected to enjoyed a "stellar" career in the Church of Scotland? We may never know, but it might be speculated that a combination of factors impacted on that decision:

1. He may have learnt something about his origins that gave him pause to think. It seems reasonable to assume that he believed James ADAM Sr, the Mason, was his father (although he may not have been, but almost certainly related, perhaps instead his biological uncle). That he was unable to name his father's spouse when he informed his father's death, clearly suggests that James's biological mother was not that spouse. He appears to have discovered the spouse name by the time he & his "brother" erected the stone on the family grave in Glamis Churchyard in 1858 - Margaret THOMSON. And by the time he was to marry in 1865, he then "knew" further that his mother was not her, but instead Margaret PATON. I expect his father's death resulted in his finding out a few of these home truths, from somebody, & some of which may have been uncomfortable for him to deal with.

2. James had spent 4 years as chaplain to the Edinburgh Night Asylum for Homeless Men, & would have observed first hand the ravages of alcohol. He must also have begun to see serious indications of decline in his own uncle, Thomas ADAM, who would, within a year or so, be dead from the D.T.'s.

Whatever the reasons, Scotland's loss became the Upper Lachlan District's gain, & James ADAM, M.A., headed off to the other side of the world, taking permanent leave of what was left of his family - his "brother" John, aged 23; his aunt Ann (aged 49, & now living at 123 Hawkhill, Dundee, where she continued her late brother's Spirits dealership); his uncle Thomas (aged 51, a Spirits Dealer at 227 Hawkhill, Dundee) with aunt Agnes & cousins Jean (27) & Agnes (22); & perhaps even an illegitimate sister or cousin, Elizabeth ADAM (23).

JAMES GOES TO AUSTRALIA.

The Ocean Chief arrived in Melbourne on 25 Feb 1859, "...after a safe & pleasant voyage from Liverpool" of 80 days. James was to spend 6 days there, preaching his 1st Australian sermon, before concluding his sea travels on the Coastal Steamer Wonga Wonga, disembarking in Sydney on 5 Mar 1859. After preaching his 2nd sermon, probably in St Andrew's, Kent St, Sydney, he made the slow coach journey over the Blue Mountains, probably from the then Railway terminus at Parramatta, "...to the hospitable Manse of St Stephen's, Bathurst," where he was welcomed by Rev James Brotherston LAUGHTON on 11 Mar.

After receiving his first lessons in horsemanship, James accompanied LAUGHTON to the centre of his new "charge" at Carcoar, & in the Court House there, he preached his first sermon in his own parish, in the evening of Wed 23 Mar.

The "Apostle of the Saddle" had arrived.

Two weeks later, he celebrated his 1st marriage in the District (he was registered to do so by the N.S.W. Registrar-General on 28 Mar); and on 22 May, he conducted his first sad funeral, that of James SLOAN, whose homestead, "Glenlogan," on the Lachlan River near Cowra, was James's first "permanent" residence. He was formally inducted into his charge, at Carcoar, on 3 Sep 1859. And on the next day, James convened a public meeting in Carcoar to take steps towards the building of a Presbyterian Church there. So began the extensive building career of James, Apostle of the Saddle.

About 10 months after SLOAN's death, James moved to nearby "Warwick" homestead, about 8 miles out of Cowra on the Forbes Road.

And in May 1860, the foundation stone for St James's Church, Carcoar, was layed, although it would not open for Divine Service until 2 Feb 1862. Funds had been raised towards a church before James arrived in N.S.W., & further subscriptions were added to the sum, including an amount of 2 pounds from his future father-in-law, Thomas SPENCE, a Sydney Builder. The main cause for delay was the weather, & brick supplies.
St James's Presbyterian Church in Carcoar.

In the meantime, James was busy. The foundation stone to his 2nd church, St Peter's, Cowra, was laid on 20 Sep 1860, & which was brought to a quicker conclusion, being opened for service on Sabbath, 24 Nov 1861. In quick succession, the foundations of his 3rd church, St John's, Orange, was laid a week after St Peter's, on 27 Sep 1860; it was opened 8 weeks earlier on 29 Sep 1861. And on 3 Jul 1861, it was the turn of his 4th church, St Paul's, Blayney, & it was in turn opened on Sabbath, 13 Apr 1862.

Not satisfied with founding the four pillar churches in his extensive Parish, James looked further afield. A number of his parishioners had joined the rush to the newly discovered Lachlan Goldfields, and by the time Rev John Dunmore LANG visited there in May 1862, the population had risen to 25,000. But LANG was a Presbyterian a very different type to James ADAM, & was motivated by a deep mistrust of & vehement opposition to Government funding for religious organisations; & even more so than the breakaway faction known as The Free Church of Scotland, whose original "disruption" of 1843 had a lot to do with the sufferings of crofters & their families as they were displaced by their Lairds, with implicit support of their Established Church Ministers.

James was of the Established Church of Scotland, & when he arrived in Forbes, the new town a-building on the Lachlan Goldfields, & held a meeting of Presbyterians on 12 May 1862, little did he realise what troubles lay ahead. A number of resolutions were agreed to, subscriptions were raised, & tenders for the building of a church were invited, closing 22 May 1862. On that day, a Committee of Management meeting was addressed, probably in James ADAM's absence, by Rev Hugh SEABORN, who was, it turns out, of the Free Church persuasion. But James seems to have been unaware of how things were developing.

On 9 Jun 1862, two supporters of the Free Church in general, & LANG's faction in particular, wrote a letter to LANG, advising him of the progress of fundraising at the Lachlan Diggings, which letter stung LANG into action. He wrote to the Editor of the Lachlan Observer, which published his letter on 14 Jun 1862, informing readers that one of his ministers was on his way to preside over the Presbyterians of Forbes, in the person of Rev Robert KERR, and in the interests of the Presbyterian Church with no connection to the State. KERR arrived, & advertised his intention to hold his 1st service on Sun 6 July. Meetings of subscribers were called, and, once again in James ADAM's absence, the numbers moved further towards the LANG factional position.

When James did finally arrive in Forbes on 19 July, things began to turn nasty. KERR wrote to LANG on 22 Jul, advising him of:
"...troubles & annoyances from some quarters from which I believe they [the committee] desire to be saved - not that they had any doubt as to their right, but because of the grasping dispositions of some who would lay their hands on what they have no right to, as Mr ADAM is now trying to do."

KERR went on to say that the subscribers were:
"...unanimous & decided against having anything to do with him or his party."

KERR wrote again to LANG on 26 Jul, stating that:
"...Mr ADAM has been here from Saturday 19th to Wednesday last, and made a strong effort to lay his hands on the whole, though he has done nothing and paid nothing towards the building, & cannot show the slightest claim to it... He had the boldness & presumption to go to the Court here with the matter, & also battled the Committee at two different meetings, Monday & Tuesday evenings last. But I understand they handled him pretty well, & were firm, decided & unanimous..."

LANG's supporters had won the moment, & their church was opened in early August, the services being postponed by bad weather. James was to write later, after Church Union had been achieved in 1865, that:
"...Forbes, in its palmy days, presented a very painful spectacle. There was almost daily litigation about claims being jumped; but it was quite a new thing to have a church jumped, and that had been done at Forbes. Eventually the difficulty was got over - the church was blown down."

And James ADAM had the "last laugh" - the moneys he had collected remained under his control, & was probably the object of a further visit to Forbes to withdraw the sum of nearly 80 pounds & remove it to Cowra - although he nearly lost the lot to Bushrangers.
William R. GLASSON relates the details in his "Musings in My Saddle" [Epworth Pres, London, 1937]:
"Rounding a bend of the road, Mr ADAM found, apparently waiting for him, five tall, rough looking & ill-dressed men, each carrying fireams, their horses tethered nearby. Without any hesitation, Mr ADAM advanced towards them and then dismounted. The glove was removed from his hand as usual, and lifting his hat, he warmly shook hands with each one. He then asked if they lived in the neighbourhood, he would like to visit their homes and give to their children some religious instruction. He was told none of them lived thereabouts. He asked further if they were in regular employment? Again the answer was in the negative. With evident and increased sympathy, Mr ADAM observed that work was hard to find and usually hard in itself when obtained, but if they had faith in God & in themselves, He would open them a way to honourable employment. After further inquiry into their circumstances and needs, it being obvious that his sole desire was to help them, Mr ADAM stated that he must now proceed upon his journey, he was far from home & his horse was slow, but before parting he would esteem it a great privelege to be allowed to pray with them. The five bushrangers, following his example, removed their hats and bowed their heads, and standing in the roadway, that little company united in worship. In a few words of compassionate entreaty, Mr ADAM sought for all present the guiding and protecting mercy of God, with His forgiveness for all that He saw in each to be amiss . Then raising his right and he pronounced the benediction. Mr ADAM once more shook hands with each one, his hat and glove were replaced, & remounting his horse, with a final courteous & friendly bow to the five men, he slowly rode away."

Nice one, Mr ADAM! Having survived his confrontation with the LANG faction in Forbes, he wasn't going to put out by a group of armed bushrangers, even if they were the Ben HALL gang.

And GLASSON gives the last word, from information given by James's widow Bessie, related to her many years later by one of the men after he was released for a long prison term:
"The armed but ill-clad men in silence watched him go, till a turn in the road hid the venerable rider from sight... When Mr ADAM had disappeared, the strange silence was broken, & Ben HALL spoke - 'If any man interferes with Parson ADAM, if any man dares to lay a hand on parson ADAM, I'll put a bullet through him'."

James was aged about 30; Ben HALL was to die a violent death in May 1865.

A portrait of James ADAM, aged about 30. The photo was presented to the Ferguson Memorial Library by Annie NEASMITH of Blayney. It was taken at DALTON's Royal Photographic Gallery, 320 George St, Sydney. DALTON was listed at this address in Sydney Postal Directories in 1863 & 1864 only.

JAMES CONCENTRATES HIS EFFORTS AROUND THE CARCOAR AREA.

In Oct 1862, a meeting was held in the Carcoar Church, which resolved that the district in which James ADAM worked was too large; that Orange & Blayney both desired more regular services, & were able to promise amounts necessary for a stipend; and to build a Manse in Carcoar, the most central place.

So began yet another round of fund-raising & building arrangements; a contract was signed on 28 Jan 1863, & the new residence was completed by the end of 1864, at a cost exceeding 670 pounds.

A family group at the Manse in Blayney, about 1900. Rev James ADAM is seated; his wife Bessie (centre) is probably nursing a PIGOTT grandchild, perhaps Robbie (b May 1899), unless the bespectacled boy in the front is young Jim (b Oct 1902) & the baby Elsa (b Aug 1906); their daughter Maggie sits on the left, with her husband Harry PIGOTT standing behind. The older girl, with doll, remains unidentified.

The Illustrated Address presented to James ADAM on the occasion of his Ministerial Jubilee, 1908.

THIS BLOG IS A WORK-IN-PROGRESS. TO BE CONTINUED.

In Memoriam - 3 Feb 1942 - Peter GORRIE, M.D., Surgeon, British Merchant Steamship "Madura".

2009-04-25T18:06:00.000-07:00

"Five planes sighted approaching from the westward.
"Planes attacked three times. Ship opened fire with 12 pounder but planes too high. First two attacks near-misses with about 4 bombs, & third attack one bomb direct hit on after-part starboard side, Bridge deck through dispensary, with three near misses. Fire started in after-part over Engine Room in way of dispensary, medical locker & Surgeon's cabin. Vessel subsequently found to be making water in No 4 starboard bilge. Many of the crew taking shelter in the Alleyway received injuries & shock. The Surgeon, 2nd Steward, Iceman, Coal Trimmer & Deck Bhandary's Mate were killed. Fire under control by 2000 hours. All wounded removed to Music Room & given first aid treatment. Fire extinguished by 2030 hours & no 4 bilge kept down by pumping. Fourteen members of the crew subsequently found to be seriously wounded, & Vessel proceeded towards Palembang. Wireless messages dispatched as follows:-
"First - AAA - at 1749.
"Second - AAA (On Fire) - at 1803.
"Third - coded to Singapore - at 2030."
[A typed attachment to the ship's log for 3 Feb 1942, S.S. Madura, a ship of the British-India Steam Navigation Company, London, from Archives of the Department of Transport, Registry of Shipping & Seamen, Cardiff.]

The same log recorded further details:
"5.55 pm, 3 Feb 1942, At Sea - This day the ship received extensive damage through enemy bombing, but was able to proceed. Among casualties were 5 killed:
"P. GORRIE, Surgeon, No 23 in the Agreement;
"G.H. LACK, 2nd Steward, No 42 in the Agreement;
"Abu TAHER, Deck Bhandary's mate, No 31 in the Asiatic Agreement;
"Durbash ALEE, Iceman, No 68 in the Asiatic Agreement; &
"Motia RAHMAN, Coaltrimmer, No 82 in the Asiatic Agreement."

The Madura had sailed from Singapore at daybreak that morning, & had probably just crossed the Equator, en route to Tanjong Priok, the port of the city then known as Batavia.
She altered course for Palembang, Sumatra, to disembark the casualties into hospital.
Their dead were buried at sea next morning, probably somewhere between Bangka Island & the mouth of the Musi River on mainland Sumatra.

Once again, the ship's log recorded the details:
"7.05 am, 4 Feb 1942, At Sea - This day the bodies of Dr P. GORRIE, Surgeon, & of G.H. LACK, 2nd Steward, were committed to the deep. Also this day the bodies of Abu TAHER..., of Durbash ALEE..., & of Motia RAHMAN... were committed to the deep."

A more detailed account of the "encounter" was given by the Madura's Assistant Pursar, Jack BRADSTREET:
"Though an outwardly calm & peaceful day, we steamed in constant expectations of attack. Plenty of wreckage was seen & several distress messages were received by the Radio Officers during the day... Yet we went through the day unmolested, & were beginning to have more faith in our luck than was good for us when, about 6 o'clock in the evening, in Dempu Strait, five bombing planes were seen approaching from the west, where the sun was already low towards the sea.
"The guns were manned & in a minute or so we could see the yellow discs marking the planes' wings. They came in at a fair height, about 5,000 ft, far beyond the reach of our 12-pounder anti-aircraft shells, the fuses of which had been set at only about half that range by the D.E.M.S. authorities who supplied them. Accordingly, we held our fire & waited for the attack. The first bombs were misses near the poop, four great splashes which drenched the gun's team and incensed them into action. As the bombers turned for another run-in from the sun, we opened rapid fire & kept it up for the rest of the encounter...
"They came no lower, & having failed with another four bombs to hit us, turned & came a third time from the west. This time they scored a direct hit on the after-part of the bridge deck accommodation, just below where the previous bomb landed in Singapore. But this time it was a heavy bomb...
"The scene of the impact was grim; the bomb had pierced two decks & exploded in the storeroom, completely destroying, on its way, the Surgeon's cabin & dispensary with the medical stores, but luckily just failing to penetrate the engine-room. Five of the ship's company were dead, or died almost at once, among them Dr GORRIE & George LACK, the Second Steward. Thirteen were badly injured...
"None of the passengers was injured & they all behaved magnificently throughout. We were now especially grateful to have them with us, particularly the women who, with the Surgeon killed & practically no medical supplies for such a task, immediately set about administering First Aid to the wounded, working through the night until they had done all they could for the sufferers.
"The ship's Officers & crew were meanwhile fighting fires which had broken out in various parts of the wrecked accomodation, & in saving what food could be extracted from the storeroom & freezer. The fires were not very extensive, & were all under control by eight o'clock."
[Jack BRADSTREET, cited by Hilary SAUNDERS in his book "Valiant Voyaging," Faber & Faber, London, 1948.]

Peter GORRIE was aged 60. He was survived by his 2nd wife Effie (formerly BAIRD) of Linlithgow; his elder son Lt Bob GORRIE, 2/14th Field Regiment, 2nd A.I.F. (then stationed at Knight Cliffs, Darwin - see his separate entry on this blog-page); & his two daughters, Betty PIGOTT of Adelaide, & Jan GORRIE in London. Peter's first wife, Janet Howatson (formerly YOUNG), had died in Adelaide in 1936; & his younger son, F/O Peter GORRIE Jr, had just been killed-in-action at Kema Bay, near Menado, North Celebes Island, three weeks earlier (see also his separate entry on this blog-page).

[Peter GORRIE, M.D., in an earlier conflict, as Temp Lt, R.A.M.C., 1915-16.]

Peter GORRIE Sr had witnessed the horrors of war before, when, 27 years earlier, he had taken 12 months "sabbatical" from his Medical Practice in Peterborough, South Australia, & enlisted as a Temporary Lieutenant with the R.A.M.C.; between Sep 1915 & Apr 1916 he saw service on hospital ships in the Mediterranean & in a hospital or hospitals on Malta, treating the wounded taken off Gallipoli - he is even recorded as having set foot on the Peninsula at Suvla Bay.

Peter GORRIE's name is inscribed on the Memorial to Merchant Seamen, Tower Hill, London - Madura, Panel 66 (pictured above); it is also recorded in the Merchant Seamen's Memorial Book in Edinburgh Castle; & on the Honour Roll at Edinburgh University (pictured below).

= = = = = = = = = = = = LEST WE FORGET = = = = = = = = = = = =

PETER GORRIE'S EARLY LIFE IN EDINBURGH.

Peter GORRIE was born at 12 Rosehall Terrace, Edinburgh, 7 Aug 1881, the first born child of Daniel GORRIE, a Pharmaceutical Chemist, & Janet Bisset MACLAGAN, both originally from Perth, Perthshire.

[Rosehall Terrace, Dalkieth Road, Newington, Edinburgh, where Peter was born.]

Peter was enumerated with his father Daniel GORRIE, at 2 Cameron Terrace, Newington, in the 1891 Census, while his mother & two younger sisters were away visiting her MACLAGAN family in Perth. Peter was educated at George Watson's School, Edinburgh, 1889-98; & then went to Edinburgh University, where he studied Medicine. In the 1901 Census, he was enumerated at 3 Cameron Park, Newington, aged 19, Apprentice Chemist, Worker, with his widowed mother Janet, & 4 younger siblings. He was registered as a Chemist & Druggist by the Pharmacy Society of G.B., Edinburgh, 2 Jul 1908, a qualification that would serve him well in South Australia, where circumstances often meant he had to dispense his own prescriptions for his patients. He had been awarded the University Medal for Practical Chemistry in 1904.

Peter graduated M.B, Ch. B. (Edinburgh), in 1908; he was registered as a Medical Practitioner by the Scottish Branch of the General Medical Council, 28 Jul 1908.
The length of time that elapsed between Peter leaving school and his graduating in Medicine indicates that he suspended full-time studies & worked for a living. This is confirmed by his 1901 Census enumeration, & was probably made necessary by his father's early death, in 1898, from a heart attack. It may well have been by an arrangement with his late father's business partner, who bought Daniel GORRIE's interest in the dispensing business in Minto St after his death; it is probably how Peter qualified as a practicising Pharmacist.

Peter worked for 6 months with Frank DAWSON, M.D., as his Assistant in General Practice, in Corbridge, Northumberland, from Sep 1908; he was for 6 months Resident Surgeon, Essex County Hospital, Colchester, from Apr 1909; six months as House Surgeon, Cancer Hospital, Fulham Rd, London, from Sep 1909; & a further six months as House Surgeon, Temperance Hosptal, Hampstead Rd, London.
Testimonials from these four employers assisted Peter's further qualification as M.D., Edinburgh University, in Oct 1910.

At some stage of this part of his professional life, Peter saw service in the Merchant Navy, on the S.S. Priam, a ship of the Blue Funnel Line.
[The S.S. Priam.]

Details of this engagement (mentioned, with a discharge date of 1910, on his signing on the crew of the S.S. Madura in 1940) have not yet been forthcoming, and, as details of his voyage or voyages to Australia are likewise unforthcoming, it remains possible, even likely, that the two are connected.

Peter was given a set of three volumes of Shakespeare's works, inscribed "to Peter GORRIE, 15 Jun 1911"; they were from his sisters, Belle, Beth & Mary, & probably marked his departure from Edinburgh.

PETER GOES TO AUSTRALIA.

Details of his voyage (or yoyages) to Australia have yet to be discovered; he clearly did not arrive as a regular passenger, & probably instead "slipped under the radar" of imigration officials by working his passage as a ship's surgeon, or at least assisting one, in an arrangement that may well have gone un-recorded by the Shipping Line as well. It was probably on board a vessel of the Blue Funnel Line, with whom he had previously served, & with whom his fiancee was to travel in the following year. He may even have completed part of the voyage on the S.S. Priam, despite the different date (1910) for his service on that ship on his Merchant Service Agreement of 1940.
Peter may have landed in Sydney, where a Conference of the British Medical Association was being held in September; but by October, he was in South Australia.

Peter was registered as a "...legally qualified Medical practitioner in & for the State of South Australia" at a meeting of the S.A. Medical Board in Adelaide, 12 Oct 1911.

He may have earlier visited Cummins, where he would shortly take up employment - a report in the West Coast Recorder of 12 Jul 1911 stated that several doctors had visited Cummins with a view to settling there. He may also have attended some of the Sessions of the 9th Australasian Medical Congress held in Sydney in Sep 1911, where advice on job prospects would undoubtedly have been forthcoming for a man of Peter's qualifications.
Peter was recorded in the S.A. Government Gazette of 4 Jan 1912 as a Registered Medical Practitioner at Cummins.
He was cited by Wendy TRELOAR, in her "Cummins, Its People & History," as:
"... the first recorded resident Doctor in 1911. He lived in the Hotel... for some months. He was a tall, slight man, definitely not a horseman, & it was amusing to see him trying to get the horse away from the stables - the horse would go out one gate & come back through the other..."

Peter relocated from Cummins to nearby Port Elliston, on the west coast of the Eyre Peninsula, in early May 1912. This was undoubtedly connected with the arrival in Adelaide, from Scotland, of his fiancee, Janet Howatson YOUNG, on the S.S. Aeneas (Blue Funnel Line), & their marriage 2 days later, on 15 Apr 1912, in the North Adelaide residence of Dr George DAVIDSON, Presbyterian Minister. There was also a small hospital in Elliston - Peter was not unique in finding it professionally unsatisfactory to be obliged, when necessary, to refer his patients on for the lack of one - he moved again later, citing a lack of a hospital as the reason.

When Peter moved to Petersburg (later Peterborough) in May 1913, after one of the resident doctors there had moved to Broken Hill Hospital, moves were under way towards the building of a hospital there, although a World War was destined to delay that during Peter's time there, & this delay would see him move yet again, 5 years later, to Port Augusta.

But in Peterborough he seemed settled; he purchased several properties in the town; made house visits up to 16 miles away on horseback, with afternoon consultations in town; was Officer of Health for the District; & he added to his young family - first-born Robert Maclagan (born in Elliston, 21 Jan 1913) was joined in Peterborough by Elizabeth Nancy (born 26 June 1914), & later by Peter Creighton (born 6 Jun 1918).

[The GORRIE family - Peter & Janet, with Bob & Betty - Peterborough, 1915.]

Peter also took 12 months leave of absence, which necessitated a "Locum Tenens" to be arranged by the Medical Board to provide for the patients in his practice. This he did in order to respond to urgent requests from Australian & British Military authorities for Medical men to deal with the vast numbers of casualties being taken of the Gallipoli Peninsula.

PETER GOES TO WAR.

He embarked in Adelaide on the R.M.S. Omrah on 14 May 1915, the same date as his enlistment, on a Temporary Commission, as Lieutenant, Royal Army Medical Corps.
Janet & the 2 young children stayed behind, shortly to visit & stay with her married sister Janey MACKIE in India.

Peter arrived in England on 20 Jun, & after brief "home" visits to Edinburgh, went into camp at Aldershot. His younger brother Robert, then a junior officer in the 2/3 Scottish Horse, visited him at Aldershot, & was amazed by his brother's access to officer luxuries - a roofed cabin, & hot water!

On 29 Sep 1915, Peter embarked on H.M. Hospital Ship Panama, bound for Malta. His exact movements beyond this date are uncertain, but we know from his own report that he was aboard an Australian Troopship, H.M.A.T. Wiltshire, off the coast of Crete (probably about Jan 1916), and that he returned to Southampton on 8 Apr 1916. There is a suggestion from family sources that he actually visited the Gallipoli Peninsula - circumstances would have made this highly unlikely unless he was attached to a Battalion serving there, which it appears that he probably was not; although the impact of the medical injuries he had to deal with on board ship probably amounted to the same thing. And a press report of his going to Broken Hill on his return to Australia did mention that he had served in Malta, & at Suvla Bay.

[Temp Lt Peter GORRIE, R.A.M.C., with an unidentified colleague, 1915-1916.]

After a further family visit to Edinburgh, Peter embarked on the S.S. Basra, 22 May 1916, bound for India; on 16 July, his brother Bob received news from him in Karachi, although unsure of whether Peter still held his Army Commission; & by the end of June he was in Colombo, where he joined his wife Janet, & young children Bob & Betty (the 1st words her father heard her utter there were in Hindustani), for the voyage back to Adelaide on the R.M.S. Kaiser-I-Hind.

PETER RETURNS TO SOUTH AUSTRALIA.

The family disembarked in Adelaide on 19 Jul 1916, & Peter returned to his practice in Peterborough, although not immediately - he spent 6 weeks in the Broken Hill & District Hospital, while the Surgeon Superintendant, Dr M. BIRKS, was on leave in Sydney (it was BIRKS's departure from Petersburg in 1913 that created the opportunity for Peter to move there).
His experiences in the Mediterranean saw him begin to take a keen interest in the welfare of returned servicemen, & he probably aided in establishing a branch of the Returned Soldiers & Sailors Association in Aug 1918.

But the lack of a hospital in Peterborough once again began to rankle , & Peter made arrangements with Dr Leonard J. PELLEW in Port Augusta, who had re-engaged to serve overseas in the Army, for taking over his practice there. PELLEW had enlisted in the R.A.M.C. in 1915, 2 days before Peter did, & sailed to England on the same boat - he & his family had also returned to Adelaide from that earlier tour of duty on the same ship as Peter & his family in Jul 1916. The transfer arrangements were finalised on 18 Oct 1918. When the Armistice was announced shortly after, Dr PELLEW stated that, whilst he now was no longer going overseas, his agreements with Dr GORRIE had to be honoured.

PETER GOES TO PORT AUGUSTA.

Apart from taking on PELLEW's General Practice, Peter immersed himself in the life of Port Augusta. He became Medical Officer for both the Hospital, & the Railways Department, Hon. Surgeon for the Jockey Club, Committee Member of the Institute, Member of the Auto Club, & visited remote Aboriginal Communities & the local Gaol to supervise innoculations & deal with other health issues. He was deeply involved with the local response to the threat rising from the Great Influenza Pandemic, supervising arrangements at the isolation camp established on the Transcontinental Railway about 17 miles from town, although they were not needed.

Peter also maintained his close interest in the welfare of the Returned Men. He addressed a banquet organised in their honour to mark the Peace Celebrations held in July 1919, & there delivered a short speech, the only recorded one by him that I have found:
"...and then followed a scene which onlookers describe as the most impressive they had ever witnessed. Dr GORRIE proposed the toast of "Fallen Comrades" & referred to the sacrifices the country had made in the recent great war by the loss of the flower of her manhood. He pointed out that no great object was attained without self-sacrifice & strenuous effort, & this great war had been no exception. He alluded to the promising intellectual, athletic, noble comrades who had laid down their lives that their country might live, & how incomprehensible that those who, at this time of reconstruction, would be of the most value as citizens, had been called to make the supreme sacrifice. It was up to those present to cherish the memory of those worthy comrades, to play the game and become valued members of society, so that the sacrifices that had been made by Fallen Comrades would not be in vain. Those present then rose & drank in silence the toast to their Fallen Comrades; after a pause of half-a-minute, they softly & solemnly sang 'For they were jolly good fellows'."
[Report of "The Peace Celebrations in Port Augusta," The Transcontinental, 25 Jul 1919.]

He was also instrumental in establishing the Soldier's Club in Port Augusta in Jul 1920, when "Dr GORRIE... promised to hand over interesting wall decorations to the club."

But family pressures came to bear, & by Jul 1923, Peter decided to move from Port Augusta to Mount Lofty. A fourth child, Janet Howatson Jr, had been born on 1 May 1922, & the eldest son Bob was now aged 9; perhaps Janet wanted to be nearer better schools for the children's education; or perhaps Janet just wanted to be nearer the city herself. Either way, Peter stated publicly, and rather bluntly, that he "had no desire to leave... but was compelled for family reasons."

His farewell from Port Augusta on 23 Jul 1923 was well reported - Mayor CHINNERY referred to his "splendid service," & presented him with a wallet of notes & an address from the Municipalities, R.S.& S.I.L., Hospital, Institute & Racing Club, which noted:
"Dear Sir, - Your departure from our midst is an event which your fellow townsmen & residents of the district cannot allow to pass without an expression of sincere regret. During the past 4 years & 8 months you have, by gratuitous service as health officer to the several municipal bodies, placed the citizens under a deep obligation. Your occupancy of the position as medical officer of the Port Augusta Hospital, of Government departments of the State & Commonwealth, Friendly Societies & Racing Club, has been a fine record of skill & devotion, & in the private branch of your profession you have won the regard & esteem of your clientele. Your support to the Port Augusta sub-branch of the R.S. & S.I. League, your practical sympthy, not only for those who suffer from war injuries, but for every charitable object, your interest in the Institute & other societies have merited the high esteem of the community. The many friends you leave behind you unite in the sincere wish that, with Mrs GORRIE & family, you may enjoy added prosperity, health & continued happiness."
[Report of the "Departure of P. GORRIE, Esq, M.D. - Public Farewell," The Transcontinental.]

THE GORRIES MOVE TO MOUNT LOFTY.

Despite the injunctions of his Port Augusta friend's, Peter's life after moving to Mount Lofty appears to have begun to lose its edge.

He purchased the practice of Dr Sydney Letts DAWKINS, & along with it, the large mansion still known as St Anne's, in Avenue Rd, with a rear entrance onto Orly Rd where he established his surgery & dispensary.

Peter also purchased the lease of lot 8, Druids Avenue, where the old Hospital operated; & during his time in Mount Lofty, he was instrumental in the establishment of the Community Hospital which still operates from the original site on Milan Crescent, the only Hospital in Australia still under community ownership.

He was also, despite never "having experienced the pangs & pleasures of golf before," an inaugural Director of the Mt Lofty Golf Club (along with Dudley C. TURNER of Thorpe, & J. Fred DOWNER of Glenalta), 1 Apr 1925.

And his private practice flourished, with many memories of his sterling efforts on behalf of the genuinely ill (although he apparently suffered fools less than gladly), & his constant attention to difficult cases - his rural colleagues placed a very high value on his diagnostic skills, & would often travel miles to seek his views on their own difficult cases.

[Loading up for a trip into the country, Peter supervises Janet at St Anne's, Mt Lofty.]

He also maintained contact with his Port Augusta acquaintances, & often visited his BRODIE friends at Nonning & Yardea stations.

[Peter GORRIE in the Bush, in a favourite pose.]

But for Peter, something had gone missing, & in Jan 1930, a very close friend, Thorburn Brailesford ROBERTSON, died aged 45, four years Peter's junior. He was Professor of Biochemistry at Adelaide University, & his mother lived in Milan Crescent (Peter knew her as "Brown Grannie" & she was renowned for her home-brewed beer). Peter may even have first met up with his "...pal ROBERTSON" in London in Sep 1915. In 1932, ROBERTSON's wife (Jane STIRLING, daur of "White Grannie") published her late husband's "A Note Book," which related an account of his visit to Dr PAVLOV's laboratory in St Petersburg in 1914, & of his numerous experiences with premonitions. It was "dedicated to his friend Peter GORRIE, M.D."

Thereafter, Peter's abilities, although professionally never publicly questioned, began to show signs of suffering from an increasing dependence on alcohol.

There are some recollections of Peter among old Mount Loftians, which celebrate his craft, & reflect his complex character. Some of these were collected by the Mt Lofty District Historical Society, & are to be found in the Stirling Library:
"...the irrascible Dr GORRIE... (his) rough & ready advice.."
[Bob RICHARDSON, Mt Lofty House.]
"...a bluff Scotsman who came here from Port Augusta. He enjoyed a reputation as a fine surgeon & diagnostician, but many tales are also told of his bluntness. The best story told of him is of the old fellow who lay dying, then opened one eye & remarked: 'I know I am not in heaven - I can still see you, Doctor!'..."
[Mrs Joan DEANS, Nursing Sister.]
"There was a Private Hospial on Druid's Ave, & he walked the Avenue of a night time, almost all night, working out what he could do to save him. And he did - and he was one of the first. It was history at the time..."
[Mrs Mary PEPPER, about her husband, in 1978.]
"Dr GORRIE... took to the whiskey... of course they used to have a life; there was only one Doctor, & he'd be called out at all hours. He told one story... driving along, it was misty & rainy, & (he was very Scottish, Dr GORRIE) this woman was trudging along, so he stopped & offered her a lift. She put her head through the window & said to him: 'Are you a respectable man?' He said: 'No!' and drove off."
[David ROBERTSON, Milan Terrace.]
"...they separated, Dr & Mrs GORRIE. And there were two factions - split the town down the middle - those that were for the Doctor & those that were for Janet. It got to a point, as kids, when you'd go over to play with - well to see kids - that I'd be glared at, at home, because it happened to be the son of somebody who was supporting the Doctor instead of... It got really quite tense."
[David ROBERTSON again.]

By Oct 1933, Peter had sold St Anne's to his successor, Dr Arthur REID, and had left his family in Mt Lofty. He sailed from Adelaide, 28 Oct 1933, on the S.S. Ballarat (P.& O. Steam Navigation Coy), bound for London; arr there 4 Dec, intending to stay at 7 Priestfield Rd, Edinburgh.

Peter stayed with his family at 7 Priestfield Rd, at least for a while.

He did make one return trip to Australia, perhaps to sort out some unresolved financial affairs, & to see if he could make a new start with Janet & the children. Details of this voyage are likewise undiscovered, & he may well have secured passage by working as an assistant to a ship's surgeon, again.

His daughter Betty, then in Melbourne, recalled that he visited her on the way to Adelaide, and calculated that that was in late 1934, which is consistent with information that he was hospitalised in Adelaide in Feb 1935.

His wife Janet's response to his desire to get his life back in order was telling, as she confided in a letter to her sister in India, dated 18 Mar 1935:
"I tried to get him to go back to Scotland again, or in fact anywhere away from Adelaide, but he decided to make another start in Adelaide... he would ruin this venture. Now he is NOT supposed to come here, there is nothing he wants more. He takes me & Janet out for runs on Saturday afternoons. He knows that this is the last opportunity & chance of coming back to his family..."

Janet had been advised to seek a legal separation so that she would not be liable for Peter's debts; on his ability to sort out his problems, including his professional disabilities due to an increasing dependence on alcohol, she wrote:
"...he may be able to overcome the weakness, but I hae ma doots."

He made his final departure from Adelaide on 22 Feb 1936, sailing on the S.S. Barrabool (P.& O. S.N. Coy); arr London 28 Mar, destination again 7 Priestfield Rd, Edinburgh.

PETER RETURNS TO SCOTLAND.

Peter's family believed that he worked in General Practice in Linlithgow, but there is no record of him in Linlithgow Directories. In 1997, Peter's cousin, Gordon MACLAGAN, wrote that Peter "...had retired (came to see us at Petts Wood) & when the war broke out, volunteered as a ship's surgeon."

But in between, we have, from his son Peter Jr's R.A.A.F. Service Record, an undated address for his father Peter at East Fortune Base Hospital, Drem (in East Lothian), sometime after Feb 1940.

And Peter did enlist in the Merchant Service; on 12 Dec 1940, he signed on the crew of the S.S. Madura, then in Glasgow, as Ship's Surgeon.

But that wasn't until 2 days after his 2nd marriage. Janet, his 1st & estranged wife, had died in Adelaide in Jun 1936. On 23 Nov 1940, at St Ninian's Church, Linlithgow, Peter married Agnes Euphemia (Effie) BAIRD. She lived at Elinor Cottage, Linlithgow, with her mother; it is possible that Peter was boarding there with the family. Peter was aged 56; Effie, a spinster, was 36.

I corresponded a few years ago with an elderly "Black Bitch" in Linlithgow, who had actually attended the wedding - Effie, proudly carrying her little white lap-dog, had been their Sunday School Teacher.

PETER GOES TO SEA.

Peter's first "outing" on the Madura was a return voyage to Bombay, departing Greenock on 24 Dec, via Birkenhead, Freetown, Capetown & Mombasa. In port at Bombay, 18 Mar until 8 Apr 1941, she arrived back in Glasgow on 13 Jun, again stopping at Mombasa, Capetown & Freetown.

The 2nd voyage was a return run to New York, 30 Jun - 21 Jul 1941, delivering a consignment of 1 million pounds worth of Johnny Walker whiskey, which caused the stevedores untold "problems" during unloading, resulting in "accidental" breakages, & thereafter increasing drunkenness on the dock!

On the return voyage, the Madura joined a convoy of more than 70 ships, with Naval escort, leaving Halifax on 5 Aug 1941, & was host to the Convoy Commodore for the passage. In mid ocean, the convoy gave an ecstatic reception to a British battleship which sailed through the convoy ranks. The guest-of-honour on H.M.S. Prince of Wales was Prime Minister Winston CHURCHILL, returning from his "Atlantic Meeting" with President ROOSEVELT. He was so chuffed by the experience that he ordered the helmsman on the Prince of Wales to go round and "review" the convoy a second time.

The third & final voyage saw them depart Glasgow on 5 Sep 1942, for New York. Three days out of Halifax, their convoy was scattered by U-boats, & the Madura proceeded into Halifax unescorted. Events in the Far East were developing rapidly, & the ship was ordered to embark troops & war materiel for ports beyond New York, principally & ultimately Singapore. Some cargo was unloaded at Bermuda (13 Oct); water tanks were replenished at Jamaica (19 Oct); a Company of Cameron Highlanders was disembarked at St Anna, Curacao (22 Oct) to guard the massive Dutch Oil Refinery there; two days with shore leave in Pernambuko, Brazil (3-5 Nov); Capetown (22-23 Nov); & in Mombasa (6 Dec), embarking passengers, including newspaper reporters heading for the Japanese "War Zone." On the next stage of their voyage news was received of the bombing of Pearl Harbor, & America's entry into the war; arriving Colombo, 17 Dec, further progress to Singapore was delayed due to military uncertainty & troopship movements. They spent Christmas in Colombo; finally being cleared on Boxing Day, but to head to Tanjong Priok, port of Batavia, where they were again held up, from 4 - 11 Jan 1942, as a result of more troopship movements, this time Australian, & carrying large numbers of ill-fated Army recruits into Singapore for its eleventh-hour & futile defence.

The Madura made its final run into Singapore, arriving 14 Jan. Several attempts to unload deck cargo in Singapore were frustrated, firstly by Japanese bombing raids, & then by the shortage of wharf labour after the raids. In one raid, several crew of the Madura were wounded by a direct hit, but which did not cause a lot of damage to the ship. The cargo was unloaded, but, while awaiting further cargo for loading, the Captain (John BEATTY) ordered the ship away from the dockside & out into the harbour, so as to more easily take evasive action to protect his ship from any further enemy bombardment.

[The Madura, in the middle distance, dockside in Singapore Harbour, late Jan 1942.]

Jack BRADSTREET tells the rest of the story:
"The Madura, empty & battered, was sent out into Keppel Harbor to await cargo for India. We waited three days, by which time Allied troops had retreated back on Singapore, & quitting the mainland, had blown up the causeway. Capt BEATTY was quick to realise that our promised cargo was in all probability lost in the chaos which now reigned ashore. He accordingly made representations to the Naval authorities, with the result that, on the evening of 2nd February, we went alongside once more, took on board about 200 passengers (about two-thirds Chinese & the rest Europeans) for passage to Java, & sailed next morning."
[Hilary SAUNDERS, "Valiant Voyaging," Faber & Faber, London, 1948.]

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

And so, at 7.00am on Tuesday 3 Feb 1942 (& 12 days before Singapore was surrendered into Japanese military control), the final leg of Peter GORRIE's last voyage began.

[Details of Peter's death, not all correct, are recorded on the family monument, Newington Cemetery, Edinburgh.]
__________________________________________________________________

Peter GORRIE was my grandfather.

In Memoriam - 12 Mar 1945 - Lieut Robert Maclagan GORRIE, SX210, 2/14th Field Regiment, 2nd A.I.F.

2009-04-24T19:33:00.001-07:00

"KALAI. 12 Mar 1945: Infantry during the day changed around a little. The hard worn 'C' Coy was withdrawn & 'B' Coy moved through 'D' Coy on Perry's Knoll, & commenced patrol east. The end of the day found them a few hundred yards east of 'D' Coy. They had a hard day without very much opposition, and at no stage were quite sure where they were.
"The weather closed down in the afternoon and visibility was restricted to a few yards. The rain was torrential and persisted from early afternoon until late evening.
"During the morning an Air Strike was carried out by RAAF Beauforts on the suspected mortar position. The target was indicated by smoke shells from our guns. In spite of this strike at 1100h the mortar continued to engage 'D' Coy position. During this mortaring Lt GORRIE was killed by a splinter. He had almost reached Lt SLATER's O.P. as relief when this unfortunate incident occurred. Lt GORRIE was an original member of this unit and his death has been keenly felt by both officers and men."
[Unit War Diary, 2/14th Field Regiment, 8th Division, 2nd A.I.F., Research Section of the Australian War Memorial, Canberra.]

The location was the Waitavolo Plateau, New Britain, on the north side of Wide Bay, & just across the Wulwut River, north of the Kalai Plantation, where the 2/14th guns were emplaced.

Bob GORRIE's body was brought down by Bdr FREEMAN & a party of men from 'D' Coy of the 19th Infantry Bn, & buried by a detachment of the 14/32nd Infantry Bn, between the Mevelo & Wulwut Rivers, at 1630h the same day (Waitavolo - Grid Ref 1:25000, 611519).

His sister, Betty PIGOTT, still in Adelaide, was to receive her 3rd major piece of personal bad news of the war, in a letter written by Bob's widow, Judy GORRIE formerly THOMPSON (Betty's close friend from their days at the Invergowrie Homecrafts Hostel in Hawthorn):
"What can I say - we are both feeling too much at present to think straight... I had been feeling worried about Bob as I've heard nothing from him for 10 days, the last letter being written on 25th Feb..."
And again, a few days later:
"Rod NICHOL wrote to me and also to his mother, and she came to see me this afternoon. It appears that Rod had been up the front and being relieved, spoke to Bob at his staging camp on the night of the 11th. The following morning, Bob went up & soon after he arrived, was hit by a mortar bomb & killed instantaneously, so thank goodness he didn't suffer. Rod says they got the news by lunchtime, so it was all very quick. He also said that Bob was well, but very quiet, so it looks as though he had some idea of what was ahead of him..."

Bob was aged 32, & was survived by his widow Judy (later Mrs MORLEY), & by their daughter Alison Janet (Jan) GORRIE (later SMITH), whom Bob had never seen.
His remains were re-interred, firstly in Tol War Cemetery (grave No CA13), & finally in the Rabaul War Cemetery, Bitapaka, (Plot E, Row B, Grave 15).

Siblings Bob, Betty & Peter GORRIE, in Adelaide, 1941.

For Betty PIGOTT, the news was hard - she had now lost the three men-folk of her family - her younger brother Pete was shot down & killed over Kema Bay, North Celebes Island, in January 1942 (see his separate blog on this blog-page), just a couple of weeks before their father, Dr Peter GORRIE, was killed at his action-station, the Surgery of the British Merchant Ship "Madura," in Dempu Strait, off the coast of Sumatra.

With Bob, in Rabaul War Cemetery, Bitapaka, also lie the remains of his Regimental Comrades who fell at Waitavolo:
VX53536, Lance Bombardier R.A. BOSTOCK; SX10416, Lance Sergeant D.G. MATTHEWS; QX26019, Gunner R.D. O'CONNOR; NX58632, Lieutenant J.G.A. ROACHE; & VX25782, Gunner D.K. RUTHERFORD.

Detail from 2nd World War Cloister, Australian War Memorial, Canberra.

Detail from the Adelaide War memorial, North Terrace.

- - - - - - - - - - - LEST WE FORGET - - - - - - - - - -

SOME PHOTOGRAPHS OF BOB GORRIE & SOME FRIENDS, 2/14th FIELD REGIMENT.

"No 4. Tom again. Is it the enemy or a PUB!"

Not annotated.

Not annotated.

__________________________________________________________________

BOB's EARLY LIFE.

Robert Maclagan (Bob) GORRIE was born in Port Elliston, South Australia, 21 Jan 1913, first born child of Peter GORRIE, M.D., & Janet Howatson YOUNG. His parents, both from Scotland, had been in Australia only a couple of years. He was named for his father's younger brother, who had himsef been named for his & Peter's maternal grandfather, Robert MACLAGAN, Station Master of Perth General Station.

Bob was only 6 months old when his parents moved to Petersburg, and 2 and a half when his mother took him & sister Betty to stay with their aunt in India while their father went to war.
He was five and a half when his family moved to Port Augusta, & began his formal education at the State School there. He was nearly 10 when the move to Mount Lofty was made, & it is possible that his parents thoughts had turned to his further education, which was completed at Scotch College, Mitcham.
Bob went to work as a Jackeroo, beginning at Yardea, a McTAGGART property managed by Jim BRODIE, a good friend of the GORRIE family from Peter's days in Port Augusta. Bob was enrolled there as Station Hand in Electoral Rolls from 1933 until 1936, although his sister Jan PAY recalled that he may have gone there as early as 1929, aged 16.

From Yardea, Bob went to Canonbar Station, near Nyngan, in N.S.W.

BOB ENLISTS IN THE 2ND A.I.F.

When war broke out, he was at Cunumulla, in Qld, & immediately returned to Adelaide to enlist. Had the queue at the Recruitment Office been handled from the front, Bob's service number might have been lower. As it was, to his indignation, it was processed from the rear, & Bob was enlisted at Keswick on 20 Oct 1939 for service in the 2nd A.I.F. as SX 210.

His 1st posting was as a Driver, with the rank of Gunner, 2/3rd Field Regiment, with H.Q. in Gramp's Wine Pavilion, Adelaide Showgrounds, Wayville, & initial camp established by 7 Nov at Woodside.

The Regiment, joined with its W.A. contingent, marched through Adelaide on 11 Dec & were entrained for Holsworthy Camp, Liverpool. Whilst training for war, the Regiment were called upon to fight bushfires, & to help control riots at Cental Station, perhaps associated with a looming national coal strike. Bivouacs were held in the area between Windsor & Penrith (when a flag from the Log Cabin Hotel was souvenired). Gunner Bob was promoted Lance Bombardier, 8 Apr, & Bombardier, 22 Apr. On 4 May, the Regiment was marched out, & embarked on H.M.T. X1, otherwise know as the Queen Mary, for service in Europe.

BOB LEAVES THE 2/13TH FIELD REGIMENT.

But Bob had been detached & sent to an A.I.F. Special Field Artillery Course, conducted at the School of Artillery, Holsworthy. He did not sail with his Regiment, nor was he ever re-joined with it overseas.

Instead he was posted to Sydney Showgrounds as an instructor, & there was part of 9 Troop, 3rd Battery, 1st Field Training Regiment; on 5 Jul he was promoted Sergeant. On 23 Sep he was marched out to Victoria, & posted to 2/2nd Field Training Regt, firstly at Geelong, then, from 11 Nov, at Colac.

On 2 Nov 1940, Bob, on a brief spell of Leave, & probably in-between Regimental postings again, married in the Presbyterian Church in Castlemaine, Judy THOMPSON, a great friend of Bob's sister Betty, whom Bob notified by telegram:

"DECIDED LAST NIGHT. MARRIED SUNDOWN TODAY. ARRIVE ADELAIDE TUESDAY. LEAVE WEDNESDAY."

BOB JOINS THE NEW 2/14TH FIELD REGIMENT.

Bob was recruited into the newly created 2/14th Field Regiment, formed as the third Artillery Regiment of the 8th Division, although within 3 months, with the losses on Ambon, Rabaul & Timor, & the surrender in Singapore, they remained the sole major combat unit of the 8th Division still on the Australian Order of Battle.

The 2/14th was jointly recruited in Victoria (27th Battery) & S.A. (28th Battery); its first commander was Lt Col Jan (God) SEWELL, & his 2-I.C. was Maj R.B. (Wimpy) HONE; Battery Commanders G.H. CRAWFORD & Arthur RYLAH reported for duty at Keswick 17 Nov, & by 25 Nov, they had established the Regiment at Woodside Camp. Bob probably joined them there on 28 Nov.

The Regiment was ordered to concentrate at Puckapunyal, & travelled there in two stages - 186 personnel travelled by road convoy, departing Woodside on 21 Feb, the remainder going by train.

Bob was promoted to W.O.II (Acting) on 15 Jan 1941. He was apparently then in the 28th Battery.

BOB GOES TO DARWIN.

On 15 Jul 1941, the Regiment proceeded by train to Darwin, where they had been posted to replace the 2/13th Field Regt. No 2 Special Train left Wayville Siding, & arrived at Alice Springs on the 18th; convoyed to Larrimah (22 Jul); & then by train to Winnellie (23 Jul).

Originaly based at Winnellie, the Regiment constructed new quarters at Knight Cliffs (now Nightcliff), & were in residence by the onset of the wet season. Christmas dinner, comprising turkey, pork, vegetables, & plum pudding, was judged as "excellent."

"Darwin, 1941."

On 12 Jan 1942, Bob's younger brother Peter was posted missing-in-action, presumed killed, at Kema Bay, North Celebes Islands. Bob & Peter had met up very briefly on one occasion when Peter was flying through Darwin Airport. Bob was informed of the death by his Major, Wimpy HONE, who gave him an eye-witness account of F/O Bill WHYTE.

And on 19 Feb 1942, the war finally arrived in Australia, when the Japanese first dropped bombs on Australian soil.
The 2/14th Regimental War Diary recorded the event as follows:
"0950 - Air Raid Alarms. Enemy planes & our own fighters seen in 'Dog Fight' off Nightcliff. No advice of the Raid from any other sources than our own spotters. RAAF was immediately advised, & from what could be gathered they had no knowledge of the raid.
"1030 - All Clear.
"1205 - Air raid Alarm. Enemy Bombers, 53 in number, at a considerable height. No advice from other sources than our own."

"Darwin, 1941."

As a result, the Regiment was placed on Battle Stations; moved to Knuckey's Lagoon (18 Mar); moved further inland to Coomallie Creek (end of Apr); & back to Darwin Fortress by 25 May. During this time, Major HONE took over command of the Regiment, & Bob was transferred to 27th Battery, C Troop. By 2 Jun, Bob had been commissioned as Lieutenant. And in August he spent some time in hospital, severally recorded with Cellulitis, & with Dengue Fever.

BOB GOES SOUTH AGAIN.

Bob left Darwin to attend Serial 1 Refresher Course for officers, Field Artillery, Holsworthy, from 7 Dec 1942 until 16 Jan 1943. While there, the rest of the Regiment were moved to Sydney, via Adelaide River, Mataranka, Mt Isa, Townsville & Brisbane. They marched into camp at Loftus, 9 & 10 Feb 1943. After 24 days Regimental Leave, they went into "hardening training" in preparation for active service overseas. This involved bivouacs in the Royal National Park, Wattamolla & Scarborough areas, & a 19-day exercise over a much wider area, & as far afield as Mittagong, Kangaroo Valley & Nowra. On 14 Oct 1943, in distant Melbourne, Bob's wife Judy was delivered of their only child, Alison Janet (Jan) GORRIE.
On the same day, the Regiment, including Bob, was marched out of Loftus Camp, & travelled to Brisbane & North Queensland, to undertake jungle training prior to embarkation on overseas service. Part of the Regiment remained at Kalinga, near Brisbane, & then moved to Redland Bay to conduct range practice & barge landings, & back to Kalinga, then Yeerongabilly prior to embarkation. The other part went to Cairns, & sailed for Lae on the Bonteko on 12 Nov.

Bob GORRIE in camp in 1944.

BOB GOES ON OVERSEAS SERVICE.

Bob appears to have been in Brisbane, & that part of the Regiment embarked on the U.S.S. Stephen Girard on 2 Jan 1944; in Townsville Harbour (5-10 Jan); Milne Bay (13 Jan); & Buna (14 Jan); they proceeded directly to Finschafen, & were assembled at Scarlet Beach.
On 25 Jan, the Regiment was transferred to Kelanoa; from there, they conducted "clearing" operations of the area up the coast, "mopping up" as the Japanese retreated northwards. They were operating around Kosit, Gabutamon, Malalamia, Yagomi, & Wotan.
On 20 Apr, 27 Battery was moved through Finschafen to Saidor on the S.S. Tradut; & then onto Madang; The rest of the Regiment went straight to Madang on the S.S. Edward Baker, arr 7 May. Here they were to remain in camp until Jan 1945.

"Bob and W.O. II PARR. Taken at river bridge at Alexishafen, Oct 1944."

"Left to Right. Bob, Harry TRINNICK, Dick CLEMENTS. Taken outside Officer's Mess, Alexishafen, Nov 1944."

BOB GOES TO NEW BRITAIN - HIS LAST SEA VOYAGE.

On 16 Jan 1945, the Regiment was embarked on the U.S.S. Jubal Early for transfer to Jacquinot Bay, New Britain. Some strong Japanese resistance had been mounted at the north end of Henry Reid Bay, & the 2/14th got their first whiff of real engagement ahead of them, as they pushed northward up the coast, with the 6th Brigade, & units of the 14/32nd Infantry Battalion. They had secured Kiep by 29 Jan, & Kalai by 17 Feb.

"No 5. Mid-day rest. Tom in rear." Probably in the Officer's Mess, Kalai Plantation.

And here, at Kalai, where the 2/14th guns were set up, they focussed their attentions on the Waitavolo Plateau, just north of the Wulwut River. At the top, in dug-outs in the hillside, were lodged Japanese mortars, manned by enough soldiers & ammunition to stall the advance of the Australians, & so cover the rearguard of the retreating Japanese Army.
On 27 Feb, Generals STURDEE & RAMSAY gave orders for the Waitovolo-Tol area to be taken & secured. By 5 Mar, the assault force, comprising units of the 19th & the 14/32nd Infantry Battalions, was on the northern edge of Wide Bay, ready to cross the Wulwut River. There followed a week of heavy fighting, immediately east of the Wulwut, & around hills named for fallen Australian Field Officers (Capt KATH, Capt YOUNG & Lt PERRY), with Artillery support of the Regiments 27th & 28th Batteries, joined on 10 Mar by the 64th Battery.

Gavin LONG, in his volume of the Official War History, "The Final Campaigns," paints the picture:
"...the direction of artillery fire was extremely difficult as the observation officers were working in dense rain forest, the fall of shot was rarely visible, and the guns had often to be registered by sound. On the other hand the narrow tracks had all been registered by the many Japanese mortars in the Waitavolo fortress area. The main role of the guns was now to silence these mortars - a difficult task as soon as it became evident that they were sheltered in caves where artillery fire became dangerous.
"It was difficult for the engineers to maintain communications with the forward infantry. After rain, the Wulwut River became a swift torrent...
"In an effort to silence the mortars which were bringing down a galling fire, the 2/14th Field Regiment sent 460 rounds over, searching an area 400 yards in depth, & eventually silenced the mortars, although only for the day. On 12th March heavy mortars (the Japanese had improvised mortars to fire 150 mm shells) rained 60 bombs on Perry's [Knoll] & Young's [Hill], killing four (footnote; including Lieut R.M. GORRIE of the 2/14th Field Regt) & wounding nine, including Lt FAUL, & temporarily disabling 12 others with bomb blast. It was a day of torrential rain which reduced visibilty to a few yards."
________________________________________________________________________________
Bob GORRIE was my uncle.

In Memoriam - 12 Jan 1942 - F/O Peter C. GORRIE, 407168, 2 Squadron, R.A.A.F.

2009-04-24T18:22:00.000-07:00

"...I'll start on Saturday - the squadron went out but didn't have any luck so returned again on the Sunday, & made a raid on Menado, & Peter was the only one to score - he got two direct hits on a light cruiser & blew the stern damn near off it; & after all the bombing was over, they formed up to return & were attacked by Jap fighters.
"The other 2 planes in the squadron dived down to sea level, but Peter stayed up & gave fight, & got a Jap plane, & probably a second. They then returned to their base; and when returning on the Monday morning when they ran into half a dozen of the latest Jap fighters, who were lying in wait for them.
"The others dived, but Peter went straight into them, thinking he could drop his load onto the target before they got him (that is his mates' opinion). Anyway, he downed another fighter before they sent him out of control into the sea. It is reckoned by F/O WHYTE who saw it, that the impact of plane & sea would have killed all the crew instantaneously. WHYTE said it was pure guts that sent Peter down; he didn't know what fear meant; a ten-to-one chance of coming out of it. What is left of the squadron seem to think a hell of a lot of young Pete's actions, & speak very highly of him.
"It's a hell of a blow, old thing, but at least we are very lucky to be able to hear so much of what did happen..."
[Robert Maclagan (Bob) GORRIE, SX210, Sgt, 2/14th Field Regt, in camp at Knight Cliffs, Darwin, in a letter to his & his brother Peter's sister, Betty PIGOTT in Adelaide.]

The date was Monday 12 January 1942; the location was Kema Bay, near Menado, on the northern tip of the North Celebes Islands (Sulawesi), where an enemy fleet was landing Japanese troops in large numbers.

There may have been some minor exaggerations in the story ("official" records later suggested there were only 4 or at most 5 Japanese "Zero" fighters), with some padding to soften the blow of the news back home (Peter would almost certainly have been aware, within an instant of spotting the "Zeros", that their chances of survival were very much less than one-in-ten, & sealed his own fate absolutely by drawing the enemy fighters off, & giving the rest of the flight a better chance of getting away).

But the recipient found it difficult to accept the finality of the result, and often said in later life that she spent the next 3 years waiting for her younger brother to walk through the door, perhaps, she thought hopefully, having escaped to some island refuge.

Peter Creighton (Pete) GORRIE was 23 years of age.

His "mates" in the R.A.A.F., at the highest level, and in the absence of any formal written records of the action (Forward Base records were destroyed on evacuation ahead of Japanese advances, & H.Q. records for the period were destroyed in the first enemy bombing raids on Darwin a month later), had to settle for commemorating his valour, & contribution to the war effort, by naming an aerodrome in his honour - No 14 Aircraft Repair Depot (including N0 55 Operational base, No 18 Replenishing Center, No 9 Stores Depot, & No 8 Transport & Movements Office), located just off the Stewart Highway & very near the Rail-head at Larrimah, N.T., was named "Gorrie."

Peter was flying a Lockheed Hudson (Model B14S, Mark I) bomber, serial No A16-12. With him on that last flight from their base at Namlea aerodrome, Burus Island, were his crew of three - the 2nd Pilot, Sgt Wesley Leonard MORGAN (No 408112), and 2 Wireless Air-gunners, Sgt John Edward FARRINGTON (No 17633) & Sgt Keith Richard Theodore McCRACKEN (No 406219).

In the same engagement, one other 2 Sqn Hudson from Namlea was lost - A16-46, with Pilot F/L Parker HODGE, P/O E.D.G. HOWARD & Sgts H.W. SHORE & J. MAWDESLY, was observed on the water burning, with a long smoke trail. Only one crew-man, P/O HOWARD, survived, & was repatriated at war's end, after imprisonment by the Japanese.
Two other Hudson aircraft making up the flight that day were from 13 Sqn based at Laha, on Ambon Island, & both were also lost - A16-7 crashed into Rangowenko, & four bodies were recovered from the wreckage & buried by villagers in their cemetery, including Pilot F/L G. SATTLER, & Sgts J.G. GOODE, R.A.D. HUNTER & M.R. HODGSON; & A16-67, which was never located, with its crew posted missing presumed lost - 1st Pilot F/L Arthur R. BARTON, 2nd Pilot F/O S.W. CLIFFORD, & Sgts B.S. GATES & J.L. MILLS.
The fifth aircraft returned to base, piloted by Flight Lt Rob CUMING, who filed the mission report as Wing Commander. But, he was to die within a week, so unable to confirm the casualty reports for official purposes.

There is also evidence, despite the lack of official records, that two other 13 Sqn Hudsons flew to Menado that morning - one piloted by P/O DUNNE & the other by Ron CORNFOOT, both of whom, judging by their published reminiscences, survived the action.

As a result of the losses on this mission, A.C.H. Halong, H.Q. for operations in the N.E.I. area, decided to discontinue further long-range attacks on distantly & strongly held targets.

Peter's name is recorded on the Ambon Memorial:
"GORRIE, Flying Off'r Peter Creighton, 407168, Royal Australian Air Force, 12th January 1942, aged 23, son of Dr Peter GORRIE & Janet Howatson GORRIE. Column 8."

Detail from the 2nd World War Cloister, Australian War Memorial, Canberra.

Detail from the Adelaide War Memorial, North Terrace.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * LEST WE FORGET * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

PETER's EARLY LIFE.

Peter Creighton GORRIE was born in Peterborough, 6 Jun 1918, younger son of Peter GORRIE, M.D., & Janet Howatson YOUNG.
He was only 5 months old when his family moved to Port Augusta, & then aged 5 when they moved again, to Mount Lofty.
Educated firstly at Wykeham School, Belair, Peter was awarded the Form B Speeches Prize, 1930.
In 1931 he moved to Scotch College, Mitcham; he passed his Intermediate Certificate in 1934, with a credit in Physics. In the following year he won 1st Prize in the Senior Neat Dive at the Swimming Sports. His headmaster, N.M.G. GRATTON, wrote this testimonial:
"He is a boy of more than average mental capacity... He has also taken a keen interest in the various outdoor activities of the school; he is a member of the 1st XVIII & 2nd XI. He is a boy of irreproachable character & gentlemanly demeanour; he is unfailingly courteous, conscientious & painstaking, & has developed into a particularly fine type of young man."

But his schooling was probably cut short by family circumstances (his father had left the family & gone back to Scotland, & his mother may have had some difficulty making ends meet), so he gained employment, & continued night studies.
Peter's 1st job was with Bennett & Fisher, Livestock Salesmen & Wool Brokers, of Currie St, Adelaide, where he started on 29 Aug 1935.
After 11 months, he left them & joined Angove's Ltd, Wine Growers & Distillers of Rectified Spirit & Brandy, in Renmark.
Peter passed the Intermediate Examination of the Federal Institute of Accountants, Melbourne, 30 Nov 1938.
On 7 Nov 1939, he was appointed Provisional Lieutenant, Active Citizen's Military Force, & attached to the 48th Battalion.
He served with Angove's until 10 Feb 1940, when he went briefly to Messrs COLE & WOODHAM, Renmark. He was a member of Renmark Golf, Tennis & Cricket clubs.
In mid 1940, he sold his possessions, broke off his engagement to Norrie HIGGINS, farewelled his friend Gilbert ROACH, went for a very brief skiing holiday at Mt Hotham, & then went to war.

PETER ENLISTS IN THE AIR FORCE.

On 20 Jul 1940, Peter enlisted in the R.A.A.F. "...for the duration of the war plus an additional 12 months," at 5 Recruit Centre, Adelaide. as A.C.II, No 407168.

Peter GORRIE, standing in front of his early "wings," an Avro Anson aircraft, probably at Point Cook.

He was posted to 1 Initial Training School, Somers, 21 Jul; promoted L.A.C., 16 Sep; posted to 1 Elementary Flying Training School, Parafield, 19 Sep; & to 1 Service Flying School, Point Cook, 18 Nov 1940. Peter learned to fly in Tiger Moth, Gipsy Moth & Anson aircraft; he was promoted Corporal, 9 Dec; & completed the Inter-Squadron Training Course No 4, 9 Jan 1941.

Peter GORRIE in the backyard of his sister Betty PIGOTT's house in Adelaide, 1940.

Peter was Commissioned as Pilot Officer, R.A.A.F., 11 Mar 1941, & 6 days later was posted to 2 Squadron, Laverton, on flying duties. These duties involved patrols over a wide area, covering identification of Merchant Shipping, cover for military convoys, enemy submarine searches, as far afield as Mount Gambier, Mallacoota, & Tasmanian waters.

The controls of Hudson A16-12. Photo attributed to "Murray LAWSON via Ken HUTCHISON" [reproduced in Stewart WILSON's "Anson, Hudson & Sunderland in Australian Service," Aerospace Publications, Canberra, 1992, p.90].

The Squadron had been equipped with twin-engined Lockheed Hudson Bombers from Jun 1940, & it was in these that Peter now saw service. They were of American manufacture, so were delivered without armaments (the U.S. was then still neutral), but were retro-fitted with British "Boulton & Paul" gun turrets (to R.A.F. standards) & Browning machine guns.
Pilots had to treat the Hudson with respect - they were inclined to stall relatively easily (several did, with loss of crews - one crashed in Canberra in Aug 1940, killing a number of Senior Military Personnel & Government Ministers, including James FAIRBAIRN, the Air Minister, in whose honour the Canberra Air Base is named).

Peter GORRIE, 4th from the left, with 2 Squadron colleagues, beside a Hudson Bomber from "A" Flight, at Laverton Airbase, Point Cook, about Oct 1941. The others, from left-to-right, are identified [in Australian War Memorial Print No P o964/05/05] as Robert LAW-SMITH, Jock WEBB, John RYLAND, our Peter GORRIE, Jim HARPER & Bill WHITE.

PETER GOES TO WAR.

By agreements with the Dutch Government, Australia decided to establish forward operating bases in the Netherlands East Indies.

In Sep 1941, "A" Flight, 2 Squadron, comprising 4 Hudsons, flew to Darwin (under their control, 26 Sep t0 3 Oct), & then on to various sites "...to make thorough studies of their deployment bases" at Halong, Laha, Namlea & Koepang, conducting searches as they went. They returned to Laverton on 6 Oct, via Cloncurry, Townsville, Archerfield & Richmond. On this mission, Peter co-piloted Hudson A16-18 with Flight/Lt HEMSWORTH, with A16-6 (Sqn.Ldr Frank HEADLAM), A16-12 (F/Os Robert LAW-SMITH & Kim BONYTHON), & A16-80 (Fl/Lt CUMING & P/O TAYLOR). It was the third aircraft, A16-12, in which Peter flying when he was killed 3 months later.

Two 2 Sqn Hudsons in "camera" formation. The pilot bears a passing resemblance to Peter GORRIE. Photo attributed to Neil MacKENZIE [& reproduced in Stewart WILSON's "Anson, Hudson..." as cited above, p.112].

The Australian War Cabinet approved the despatch of advance parties to these forward bases in early Dec 1941. Four days later, two flights from 13 Sqn left Darwin for Laha (Ambon Is), & one flight from 2 Sqn arrived at Koepang (East Timor), from Laverton via Darwin, under the command of Flt-Lt Rob CUMING.

And as they flew north, America was being bombed into the war at Pearl Harbour. On 7 Dec, the Koepang Hudsons bombed a Japanese pearling "mother" ship, the Nanyo Maru (suspected to have been a disguised radio ship), & damaged it sufficiently for it be beached & abandoned. The Squadron had drawn it's first blood.

Peter probably arrived a little later, as his service file records that he was posted "Overseas on Active Service Department" on 11 Dec. The Squadron was fully assembled at Penfui Base, 4 miles east of Koepang, by 12 Dec.
Peter wrote from Penfui to his sister Betty in Adelaide, his location concealed to pass the censor:
"...Everything is still O.K. here and am enjoying life very much - no more close shaves so far, and the little yellow chaps are not too troublesome YET! Although it won't be long now.
Am still keeping pretty fit, and haven't caught any of the local tropical troubles. Only one catch - I burnt a couple of fingers rather badly, and they have been fairly painful for several days, but are clean enough now, and healing O.K.
"Have still no word of Bob, but believe he is still in Darwin. Have written several times so shall probably get some word when this rotten mail arrangement settles down. I believe they are sending our mail overland instead of airmail. So would be grateful for some Aust 3d stamps, if you could oblige."

He was still at Penfui at Christmas, when he wrote again to his sister:
"Hope I am not too late to wish you a happy Xmas - but the mails are a bit uncertain up here so will make it retrospective!
"Things are much the same here, plenty of flying, and I have opened my account in action - got angry and laid a couple of eggs - unable to report the result on paper, but target must have a BEAUTIFUL HEADACHE and how! Am hoping for a bit more of it...
"The weather here is not unbearable as yet, and I have collected a very decent tan from waist up. We strip to shorts & shoes for flying, as the temperature in the cockpit remains at a steady 40-43 degrees (ask Robert what that is in Fahrenheit); anyway its plenty, especially without much draught. We are rationed to a bottle of beer a day, which is better than most active service stations. However I don't know how long the supply will last.
"The hours are fairly long. Today, for instance - up at 3.45am, 5 hours flying before lunch and 'stand-by' near aircraft till 6.00pm, then supper, shower & bed. Still only odd days we get half a day off, and on 2 occasions have managed to get a very enjoyable swim (about the only form of exercise we are able to get), even then you sweat in the water!"

Peter was transferred from Penfui to Namlea Base on Burus Island in early January. This move, of four Hudsons from Koepang, was necessitated by a Japanese raid on Babo Base in Dutch New Guinea, when three 13 Sqn Hudsons were sent over from Laha (Ambon Is), & were replaced by three from Namlea.
From this time, the two Squadrons operated effectively as one.

From Namlea, Peter wrote the last letter that his sister Betty received from him:
"I am at a different spot now (since my last note) and it has proved to be better in many ways. The weather has been very pleasant for this part of the world, and I am pretty fit, apart from having the hell scared out of me at various odd intervals. I often wondered what it would be like to deliberately fly into the fire of about a dozen machine guns - well now I have a pretty fair idea! Not the best for the first quarter of an hour - and it had the effect of leaving me with a very dry mouth and a very firm clutch on the (stick deleted) wheel.
"However, more than that I'm afraid I can't say. It's very hard to write a letter when you can't put any of the local doings in, as apart from that, there is no news. Anyway, I'll keep writing whenever I get the chance & keep you posted as to whether I still have a whole skin or not, & don't take that too seriously as I am a bit fond of the same old hide!!
"You can keep a bottle of Coopers on ice for me if you will, because it is a cheering thought even if I can't get at it! We've been out of beer for some time.
"Incidentally I have one more item I forgot. Xmas was quite an enjoyable event... In the evening we had a very good meal (formal!), some various sorts of wine, & in all a very good time, followed by a sleep in in the morning - so who could ask for more?"

By 2 Jan 1942, increasing Japanese activity in the region had created pessimistic views about the Australian efforts; A.C.H., Halong, wired the Central War Room that plans had been made to destroy fuel & bombs at Namlea & Laha, & to demolish the Operations Room at Laha.
Japanese Flying Boats bombed both bases on 7 Jan.

At about this time, another international incident occurred, as recorded in the 2 Sqn Unit Diary:
"Three Hudson of 2 Sqn were (indec word) to attack a destroyer which had been sighted 300 miles N. of Namlea. It was located, attacked, & partially disabled by a flight from Namlea led by Fl/Lt CUMING. One aircraft was damaged by A.A. fire, but reached base safely. The destroyer was later found to be the U.S.S. Perry (sic) & arrived at Amboina with some casualties. No blame for this incident was held against the attacking flight as the destroyer had been sighted & shadowed by a U.S. Catalina, & A.C.H., Halong, which included a Senior American Naval Officer, had decided on the reports made that the destroyer was hostile, & had ordered the attack."

The U.S.S. Peary (DD226) had earlier been attacked, without injury, by the Japanese. One of the crew later noted their appreciation "...that the Australians were better shots than the enemy!" She was sunk in Darwin Harbour during the first major bombing raid carried out on Australian soil, 19 Feb 1942, with the loss of 91 hands.

On 10 Jan, reconnaissance revealed that a large Japanese fleet (8 Cruisers, 18 Destroyers, 6 Transports & 3 Supply Ships) was bearing down on Minahasa, North Celebes Isalands. Overnight, in poor weather, this fleet divided & began landing troops at Menado & at Kema Bay. The enemy land assault on the Netherlands East Indies had begun.

On that morning, 11 Jan, a flight from Namlea bombed the Japanese landing zones. GILLISON recorded the event in his volume of the Official War History:
"When four Hudson from Namlea bombed another large transport later in the day, without success, they were set upon by Japanese float-planes. The Hudsons gunners scored well in this engagement, two enemy aircraft being shot down in flames. A third was seen to go into a spin from 1,000 ft & was counted a 'probable' and a fourth was seen to alight on the sea apparently damaged. Credit for this action went to the crews piloted by Flt/Lt HODGE & F/O GORRIE, both from No 2 Squadron. From this exciting encounter the Hudsons returned, each with minor damage from enemy gunfire, & one temporarily unserviceable. These crews reported having seen fires burning in the vicinity of Menado & Kema."

The flight, with another from Namlea, returned to Kema Bay the next morning, as GILLISON also described:
"At dawn on the 12th January, the Allied attacks on the enemy forces invading Celebes was resumed. On their way to Menado, five Hudsons from Namlea were intercepted by three enemy float-planes and five Zeros - the first of these Japanese fighters to be reported in the area. The Zero pilots immediately turned the tables on the Hudson crews. In unequal combat, the details of which were never recorded, the aircraft piloted by HODGE & GORRIE were both shot down from between 6,000 & 10,000 ft. Two other Hudsons, piloted by Flt/Lt SATTLER & Flt/Lt BARTON, failed to return & their crews were listed as 'presumed lost.' The only aircraft to return was that piloted by Flt/Lt CUMING, who reported having seen the Hudsons flown by HODGE & GORRIE shot down."
______________________________________________________________________
Peter GORRIE was my uncle.

The Hon. Member for Calare: Henry Robert Maguire PIGOTT, M.H.R.

2008-07-20T22:29:00.000-07:00

Harry PIGOTT's "Official" portrait as M.H.R, published in the Commonwealth Parliamentary Handbook.

Harry PIGOTT made a good impression on his entry into National politics:
"The Censure debate was resumed by Mr PIGOTT, the new representative for Calare. Mr PIGOTT dealt temperately with the various political issues. He is a clear speaker, with a complete knowledge of country interests, has a pleasant manner & clearness of utterance that are both assets for a newcomer."
[The West Macquarie, 30 Sep 1913, citing the Sydney Daily Telegraph.]
His parliamentary career, which began with the General Election of 31 May 1913 (he was defeated in an earlier attempt on the same seat in Apr 1910), was not a stellar one, and is detailed below. He was re-elected in Sep 1914 & May 1917. His defeat in Dec 1919 led to this cable from W.A. WATT, the Treasurer, & for a time Acting Prime Minister:
"Deeply regret your defeat. I feel sure you will take it like a sportsman. Trust that the New Year will be kinder to you and that the future will bring you happiness & prosperity."

Politics intruded upon the second of three stages in Harry's adult life - the first was in banking, from his leaving school in London in 1883, until the closure of his branch of the Australian Joint Stock Bank in Blayney, N.S.W., in 1899; the second was in business in Blayney as a Stock & Station Agent & Auctioneer; & the third was as a Grazier at his property "Cadara" near Tottenham, in Central Western N.S.W.

Harry was born Henry Robert Maguire PIGOTT, in the Colombo suburb of Matakuliyah, Ceylon, on 2 October 1866. His parents were Baptist Missionaries, the Rev Henry Robert PIGOTT (see his separate posting on this blog-site), and his spouse Ellen GILES. Harry was raised in Matakuliyah, with his elder siblings Annie & Frank, & where two younger siblings, Frederick & Norah, were also born; the family moved to another Colombo suburb, Maradana, when Harry was about 4 years of age, living at the principal Baptist Mission House, & where his 3 younger sisters Effie, Mary & Winfred were born.
With his family, he visited his dying grandfather, Rev John Eustace GILES (see his separate posting), in Clapham, London, in 1875, when he & his elder brother Frank were placed in boarding school, at Eltham, School for the Sons of Missionaries, in Blackheath Village, Co Kent, run by an Independent (or Congregationalist) Minister, Rev Edward WAITE, M.A. Harry was enumerated there in the 1881 Census, aged 14, but incorrectly attributed with the birthplace of Ratnapura, which was instead where his parents were then living.

Harry left school in Dec 1882, & was employed from 2 Jan 1883 as a junior bank clerk "...in Mr BERNARD's office with a Mr MOYSEY in a bank near Liverpool Street Station" in London, later identified as the Bank of Australasia. Harry resided, with his brother Frank, at the residence of their mother's widowed step-mother, Mrs Ellen GILES, at 12 Freke Rd, Lavender Hill. When Mrs GILES emigrated to Sydney in Apr 1883, Frank & Harry removed to lodgings at 46 St John's Hill Grove, Wandsworth, where their landlady was a Mrs THOMAS. Harry wrote to his parents on 15 Aug 1883, saying thet he had spoken to the "...Australasian bank people" - he may have been referring to the Australian Joint Stock Bank, his future employers.

In 1884, armed with a letter of introduction from Sir Morton PETO, a Baptist business man, he emigrated to N.S.W., departing London on the R.M.S. Carthage on 8 May, staying a month with his parents in Colombo, & completing his journey with a voyage on the R.M.S. Sutlej, arriving in Sydney on 10 Jul 1884. His father wrote to his mother, probably up in the cooler climate of Nuwera Eliyah, for the sake of her health:
"Harry left by the Sutlej this afternoon about 5.30. I saw the purser and introduced Harry and said he was a gentleman even though he was travelling second class, and told him to make sure he was alright and in a cabin with respectable people... So departed the Banker, in good spirits, waving a hanky all the way."

PETO's letter of recommendation was to the Australian Joint Stock Bank, a fierce competitior of the Bank of N.S.W. Harry served in offices in Burwood (a Sydney suburb), then in Grafton, Cooma, Milton, Wingham, & finally as Manager in the Blayney branch, from Jan 1893.
His start in N.S.W. must have gone well. On 3 Mar 1885, his elder brother Frank, still in London at the Crystal Palace Engineering School, wrote to their parents:
"I knew that Harry would get on all right in Australia. He is very sharp in many ways (takes after his brother) and is bound, if continued with good health, to make a 'Jumbo' at banking. 'Jumbo' here means a big pot. Fancy a rise from 20 pounds to 40 pounds a year. It seems a fine way of getting on."

Harry's entry to Grafton was marked by tragedy - his ship, the Paddle Steamer City of Grafton, was the first vessel to encounter the S.S. Helen Nicoll, which had earlier in the night collided with the S.S. Keilawarra, which sank with the loss of 46 souls, mostly women & children. Harry's ship brought first word of the tragedy ashore, at the Yamba telegraph office, on 9 Dec 1886. While in Grafton, his skills as a swimmer were put into good use during one of the regular floodings of the Clarence River.

Harry aged 21. Photograph taken in 1887 by Falk Instantaneous Portraits, 496 George St, Sydney.

The N.S.W. Electoral Rolls first record Harry in the Electoral Division of Monaro, by right of residence in Cooma, in for the rolls of 1888-89, & 1889-90. The Cooma Express noted, in it's issue of Sat 16 Mar 1889:
"Mr PIGOTT, formerly accountant at the Cooma A.J.S. Bank, is acting manager during Mr SEELEY's indisposition."

Harry's next posting was to the branch at Milton, near Ulladulla, on the N.S.W. South Coast. He was here from Jul 1889 until Apr 1892, and it was here that his parents arrived to stay from Colombo in Jan 1890. Harry's appointment as Manager, at a salary of 200 pounds a year, was approved at a meeting of the full Board of the Bank on 16 Jul 1889; his last Manager's letyter was sent to the Board on 28 Mar 1892. While there, he would walk 5 miles to Yatte Yatte to play tennis. He was enrolled for the Electoral District of Shoalhaven, 1890-91 & 1891-92, by right of residence in Milton.

Harry spent a short time at the branch in Wingham, near Taree. I have been unable to confirm the dates, but it would appear most likely that it was between his departure from Milton in Apr 1892 & his appointment to Blayney in Jan 1893. It was probably during this period that Harry kept bees, & delivered a Lecture on Bees & Beekeeping "...in the School of Art last Tuesday evening." The broadsheet newspaper clipping of the Lecture, which was, unfortunately, undated, but noted the following:
"...at the conclusion of the lecture, Mr NAYLOR moved a vote of thanks to Mr PIGOTT, and to Miss PIGOTT, who had prepared the diagrams... Mr PIGOTT says that in preparing it he was greatly assisted by Dr ALLAN, and also obtained a lot of very valuable information from the book called 'Root's A.B.C. of Bee Culture.' But the bulk of it was obtained from his own observation."
Harry was quoted as saying:
"My brother and myself who go in for none but Italians (bees), are determined to introduce one or two new imported queens into our colonies every year, in order to keep up the strain. We are trying also top convert our neighbours to the Italian."
The mention of his brother, probably his younger brother John, & his sister, clearly suggests that he was probably keeping bees at his father's orchard Kellyville, rather than in Wingham.

Harry was appointed to be Manager of the Blayney branch, at a salary of 225 pounds a year, by letter dated 17 Jan 1893. The letter was addressed to him in Sydney, so he may have spent some time in Head Office after his brief posting in Wingham. He managed the branch until it was closed in 1899, and specifically, from the time of his appointment, at the culmination of a banking crisis in N.S.W., brought about by the high levels of credit being extended on property deeds, corresponding with a major recession in rural Australia. By 17 May 1893, 12 major banks had failed, including the A.J.S. Bank, which closed it's doors on 21 Apr. Most of them restructured, & re-opened, the A.J.S. on 19 Jun 1893. But it, & other banks, immediately began to consolidate & contract their scope of operations; within 3 years, nearly half of their 170 branches in N.S.W. had been closed down.

Harry probably lived in the bank premises, on the corner of Adelaide & Water Streets.

On Tuesday 18 Apr 1899, the Board meeting of the A.J.S. Bank received a Report by the Chief Inspector, respecting the Blayney Branch Inspection:
"The Manager to be severely reprimanded, and cautioned as to his (further - deleted) future conduct."

I can find no explanantion as to why Harry was in trouble, and can only assume that he may perhaps have overstepped the mark as regards conditions for loan approvals. Branch Inspections were usually only carried out as a prelude to closure, so Harry should have been alerted to possible future insecurity of his position with the bank in Blayney. He married in 1898, but rules prohibiting staff on under 200 pounds a year from marrying, on pain of dismissal, clearly no longer applied to him; and another bank rule prohibiting comment on political matters, particularly during election campaigns, may have rankled with Harry, especially during his father's tilt at Sherbrooke in the 1894 General Election, but that was well before 1899. Perhaps, instead, he had already begun to test the waters of his new venture in business in Blayney while the bank was still operating, which may have put him offside with his superiors; or more likely, the negative report spurred him into action to provide for his post-banking career.

Harry advertised his new venture in the Blayney Advocate of 18 Aug 1900:
"H.R.M.PIGOTT, Stock, Station Agent & Auctioneer. Sheep, cattle, horse & general sales held on 1st & 3rd Saturdays every month at 2.30 p.m. Good lines of sheep for private sale always on hand. Cheap properties for sale in Orange, Carcoar, Grenfell, Cowra, Molong & Blayney districts. Correspondence promptly attended to. New Offices at sale yards, Old Mill premises."

By 8 Sep 1898, Harry was able to advertise yet another move to a new office in Adelaide St, no doubt in the south end of the Club House Hotel building, which he occupied for another 30 years. It contained two rooms, an outer & inner office, although neither were very private, so Harry was obliged to hold his more confidential meetings in the back seta of his motor car in the street - but that was later on - in the early days, before the war, he drove a phaeton, drawn by a horse named "Rocket," which was also ridden to local appointments by his office boy.
The glass of the external window was etched with his "shingle":
"H.R.M.PIGOTT - Stock Station Financial Agent - Sworn Valuator under R.P.A. - Agent for A.M.P."

Harry appears to have run the business as sole prorietor. He placed it the hands of a manager, I.J. CLEMENTS, when he was elected to Parliament in 1914. Prior to that, in 1912, he had engaged a junior office boy, named Creel PRICE, who got "the shock of his life" when Harry offered him the Manager's position after CLEMENTS left for Sydney in 1918. Creel was to work with Harry until he retired to "Cadara" in 1932; he then purchased the business, & kept it on until 1949, when he sold to Harry's son-in-law, Paul CUTTS [see Creel's memoirs, "On the Wallaby," published in 1987].
Creel recalled his engagement by Harry in a conversation with Garry REYNOLDS:
"PIGOTT did so well that he approached the local headmaster with the question, 'Who is the smartest boy you have here?' On being told 'Young Creel PRICE' he offered the lad a job, which was taken up..." [See his "King's Colonials: the Story of Blayney & District."]

Creel PRICE standing in the office doorway, part of the Club House Hotel, Adelaide St, Blayney.

Among a number of his registered real estate purchases in the area, one important one was dated 10 May 1900, for "Iona", a brick residence in Clarke St, Blayney, on over 13 acres of land at the end of Albion Lane. This became Harry's principal residence after his marriage, enabling him to remove from temporary arrangements with his parents-in-law at the Manse in Church Street, where his first child was born in 1899. "Iona" was disposed of by Harry's executors in 1950.
Another was the transfer of the Leasehold of "Cadara" on 9 Apr 1929, by an irregular transfer annotated on the Conditional Lease Tenure Cards in the Deeds Office with the letter "R" - probably indicating that the Mortgagors, unhappy with performance of the Mortgagees, made a Request for transfer of the Conditional Lease to Harry PIGOTT, who was probably already a "sleeping partner" with the Leaseholders, George PILE & Robert CLEMENTS, both Blayney men.
Sands Directories record, for the Condobolin Pastures Protection District, the following entries:
1913 - CLEMENTS & PILE; 1914, 1915 - PILE & CLEMENTS, "Candys" & "Condys"; 1916, 1917, 1919, 1920 & 1921 - PILE & PIGOTT, "Candora," "Candara," & "Caudara"; 1922, 1923, 1924 - PIGOTT, H., "Cadara"; 1926, 1927, 1928, 1929, 1930 - PIGOTT, H.R.M., "Cadara"; & 1931 & 1933 - PIGOTT, J.A., "Cadara".
Post Town was Lansdale (1913-15); Trangie (1916-17); Tottenham (1919-21); Blayney (1922-23); & Tottenham (1926-33). Acreage was 10,240 (1913-17); 12,800 (1919-20); 10,240 (1921); 12,020 (1922); 12,084 (1923); 15,260 (1924); & 12,840 (1926-33). Sheep numbers on the station varied from 1,506 in 1915 to 11,709 in 1920, with most years averaging around the 4-5,000 mark.

But Harry's time at "Cadara" did not come until after his career in National politics.

A State Election was held in N.S.W. in 1908. Harry was then Secretary of the Blayney Electoral Liberal League, & wrote several pamphlets for them in reply to he Labor candidate Mr BEEBY, & particularly in reference to Labor's Land Policy which called for Nationalisation. In the following year, Harry first represented Blayney at Farmers & Settlers Conferences; and in 1910, Harry first stood as a Liberal candidate for Calare in the Federal Parliament.
Calare was created in 1906 after a re-distribution, & was won by Labour's Thomas BROWN; in 1909 it comprised polling places at Barmedman, Bimbi, Bogan Gate, Canowindra, Cowra, Cudal, Eugowra, Forbes, Grenfell, Molong, Obley, Parkes, Peak Hill, Temora, trundle, Waroo & West Wellington.

Harry was expected to do reasonably well on his first attempt. The West Macquarie wrote, eleven days before polling, that his chances were regarded:
"...by those who should know, to be very bright, and political campaigners are tipping him to win by several hundred votes. If he is beaten, it will not be for the want of work, ass our Blayneyite has been a trier from the word go."
But the voters thought otherwise, & Harry lost to BROWN by 9,147 votes to 10,561. In the aftermath of his failure, moves were made to draft Harry as a candidate for the State seatof Blayney, but Harry would have none of it, as he wrote to the Telegraph:
"Although I have received numerous requests to come forward, it is not my intention to do so, for the reason that I am determined to hold myself in readiness to again submit my name to the Liberals in the Federal electortae of Calare, three years hence."

By the time Harry made his 2nd attempt on Calare, several alterations had been made to the boundaries - Barmedman, Bimbi, Grenfell, Peak Hill & Temorah had been taken out, & Orange, Stuart Town & Wellington had been added. And this time, in general elections held on 31 May 1913, Harry was successful, improving his own vote by 2,700, polling 11,848 votes to BROWN's 10,911. Joseph COOK formed a new Liberal Government, although Labor still controlled the Senate, a situation which led to the Double Dissolution election of 1914.

Harry delivered his his maiden speech to Parliament, then sitting in Melbourne, on 21 Aug 1913, as part of the Address-in-Reply to the Governor-General's speech, & speaking for 1 hour and 45 minutes. He began:
"I need not say that I am proud to be priveleged to take part in the public debates of this National Assembly, not because of a personal achievement in securing a position in this House, but because my return enables me to assist in restoring responsible government in this great Commonwealth of ours.
"I desire to take advantage of the opportunity to congratulate you, Mr Speaker, upon your elevation to the high office you now fill, and upon the action you have taken in restoring the mace to the table of this House."
Harry went on to refute a claim that the Liberals held their conferences behind closed doors:
"I have personally attended five Liberal Conferences since these conferences were initiated, and I am in a position to give the statement of the ex-Attorney-General a flat contradiction...
"I can only say that I belong to the Liberal Association of N.S.W., and happen to be a member of the council, and I have never seen the doors closed against anyone at a meeting of the party."
Harry also had something to say about the recent coming together of the anti-Labour forces:
"We have been called a fusionist party because Free Traders and Protectionists on this side have agreed to drop their fiscal differences to further the principles of Liberalism. On this ground, our friends opposite are equally Fusionists... The ex-Attorney-General is one of the strongest Free Traders N.S.W. has ever had, whilst the ex-Prime Minister, Mr Andrew FISHER, is a strong Protectionist & the Arch-priest of Protection in Australia."
Harry supported the White Australia Policy, in terms that would be probably today attract charges of racial vilification! And under that banner, he strongly argued for more immigration.
He also argued for the re-introduction of Postal Voting, noting that Labour repealed it because greater advantage accrued to the Liberals from its use; and he vigorously advocated the principle of uneven electorates, citing the advantages of civilisation enjoyed by those in city electorates, and their relative size:
"...a candidate for Parliament could, from an elevated position, make himself heard by the whole constituency with the aid of a megaphone. Contrast Surry Hills with a district like Cobar, in which it would take 3 years to visit every elector, even travelling by motor-car. Those living in the interior are doing the work of the country; they are its brawn, muscle & sinew."
No argument on the last point from the electors of Calare - except those on the Labor side!
He attacked Labor for irregularities in tye appointment of a Union oficial to a senior government post in the Northern RTerritory; praised the new government for taking rural workers out of the Arbitratoion Act; and criticised the former government's Australian Notes Act of 1910, and its effect on the money market:
"I have lived in country districts many years. I have been on the land; have engaged in business pursuits; have been a bank manager for some considerable period, and latterly have carried on business as a stock & station agent. I have to deal with people who buy & sell sheep, and engage in various investments, and I say, without hesitation, that during the whole of my 28 years experience of life in country districts, I have never known the money market to be so stringent as it has been the last 3 years."
He went on to elaborate his point with discussion of gold reserves, & even drew comparison with monetary policy in France just after the Revolution! He gave the Commonwelath Bank a serve, accusing it of being badly governed (by one appointed Governor, rather than a Board), arguing that its policy of cheap loans did not get to needy small land-holders. He also attacked the Graduated Land tax, pointing out that it had led to highly variable valuations of country properties; and he concluded with an attack on the Absentee Land tax, on the grounds that the small net gain (of 20,000 pounds) was offset by the presence of "...the British Fleet riding supreme at sea, serving to protect our interests in every corner of the globe," and that it was driving capital out of the country.

Some things don't change!

Harry was re-elected to Represent Calare for a second term in General Elections held on 5 Sep 1914, increasing his primary vote and his majority over his Labor opponent, this time William JOHNSON. But the Government he supported was defeated, & Andrew FISHER formed a new Labor Government with a comfortable majority.

FISHER wrote to Harry from Melbourne on 23 Sep, 18 days after the Poll:
"Many thanks for your kind letter of the 14th September. I am glad to have your assurance of loyal co-operation in these times of uncertainty. With best wishes."
The first World War had broken out in Europe.

A year later, on 27 Oct 1915, FISHER was succeeded as Labor Leader by William Morris HUGHES. Another year further on, with the defeat of the first Referendum on Conscription, HUGHES was removed from A.L.P. Leadership by the Caucus, & on 14 Nov 1916 formed a new Ministry from among his supporters in the National Labor Party.
He reached an agreement with the Liberal Party on terms for a merger, & a new coalition Ministry was sworn in on 17 Feb 1917.

Under these much changed circumstances, Harry was again returned as M.H.R. for Calare in Elections held on 5 May 1917, eventually maintaining his majority over yet another Labor candidate, Thomas LAVELLE. Calare had altered slightly, with the removal of the Polling Place at Obley.

But the early count wasn't good; Harry received the following telegrams:
Joseph COOK in Sydney - "Glad to see your nose in front all good luck. Waiting anxiously further news."
W.M. HUGHES in Melbourne - "Sincerely hope later returns will ensure your success."
W.A. WATT in Melbourne - "Watching your count with deep interest. Sincerely hope that remaining figures will work out in your favour."

The Nationalists won in a landslide. HUGHES put the Conscription question to a second Referendum, & in Dec 1917, that was again defeated. HUGHES resigned his commission, but as only he could command a majority in Parliament, he formed a new Ministry which was re-sworn on 10 Jan 1918.

At the time, Harry was implicated in an "Intrigue" between the Official Labor Party & a "cave" within the Nationalists led by Mr TUDOR. The Western Advocate of 24 Jan 1918 printed the following report:
"Mr PIGOTT held that the HUGHES Government should have resigned & thereby have fulfilled its pledge, & that a ministry should have been formed from other members, but he never at any time contemplated giving the Official Labor Party any chance to secure office, either by discreditable connivance of Nationalists with Tudorites or by any process which would have ended up with an appeal to the country.
"Although Mr PIGOTT's point of view was that the Government should have fulfilled its pledges by resigning & that a Government should have been formed irrespective of the HUGHES Ministry, he was never consulted further by the 'cave.'
"But to his surprise on the last afternoon of the debate he was approached by a prominenet member of the 'cave' who said they had been considering his contention that the Government should have resigned, & had drafted an amendment, which they would ask him to move. As they had already spoken, none of them could move it, so they would ask him. Mr PIGOTT expressed his surprise at being asked to move such an amendment or any amendment half-an-hour before the time fixed for the conclusion of the debate, & declined to do anything until he saw the Government Whip. He was approached by another member of the 'cave' to the same effect & gave the same answer. Failing to persuade Mr PIGOTT, the 'cave' sought Mr Austin CHAPMAN, & it was understood that he would move the amendment.
"Mr PIGOTT then informed Mr Massey GREENE, the Government Whip, of what had happened, & that information was the first intimation the Government had of the amendment. It was to have been sprung on them at a moment's notice & to have taken them by surprise.
"Mr PIGOTT refused to be party to such a method of unseating a Government formed from his own party.
"The statements of the metropolitan papers certainly are assumptions that the 'cave' was in collusion with the Official Labor Party, & there was a certain suggestion that Mr PIGOTT had been in consultation with that party, but Mr PIGOTT never approached them, nor did they approach him, & he never knew of any consultation with the Tudorites, nor of the amendment, nor of the proposal to move it, till the prominent Nationalist informed him they (the 'cave') had been considering his point of view & had drafted an amendment which they would ask him to move.
"Mr PIGOTT, no doubt, saw a certain amount of treachery in the matter & refused to be party to a mean intrigue. No doubt too, he saw what must follow the defeat of the Government, not merely an alection, but the probable succession to office of a party whose loyalty is a negligable quantity, or at best lacks emphasis."
The Sydney Morning Herald had implied Harry had joined the intrigue, & Harry, it appears, may have been forced to undertake a little bit of "damage control."

Harry's absence from the Chamber through illness was noticed by the Speaker (Sir W. Elliot JOHNSON), who wrote to Harry on 6 Apr 1918:
"It was with profound regret I learned today of your illness. I sincerely hope it will not be serious or of long duration, & that your smiling face will soon again be in evidence to illumine the chamber & help dispel the air of gloom which pervades it when some of the more cheerful spirits like yourself are absent. Sincerely Yours."

[The cartoonist LOW's caricature of Harry PIGOTT, published in the Bulletin, 18 Sep 1919.]

Harry's career as sitting member for Calare ended at the General Elections held on 13 Dec 1919, when, standing as an endorsed Nationalist & Farmer's Candidate, he was defeated by his Labor opponent, by a margin of over 1,000 votes.
W.A. WATT telegrammed Harry on 24 Dec:
"Deeply regret your defeat. I feel sure you will take it like a sportsman. Trust that the New Year will be kinder to you & that the future will bring you happiness & prosperity."
Harry did contest the seat again, at the General Election of 16 Dec 1922, but his chances never looked promising. Now held by Labor, it was open to other conservative candidates, & against the sitting member was also to stand a candidate for whom Harry was no match - a General Practitoner in Orange, a twice returned serviceman, with a V.C., Sir Neville HOWSE. He won the seat with 95% of Harry's preferences (although he only needed 35% of them).

[Harry (right), with brother Frank (left), wife Maggie (centre-right) & sister-in-law Cassie, at "Cadara" about 1935.]

[Harry PIGOTT, with his wife Maggie & daughter Elsa.]

[A "family" group at Manly Surf Beach, with Harry standing behind his mother, Ellen (who died in 1926); the two younger women remain unidentified.]

[THIS POST IS A WORK IN PROGRESS - TO BE CONTINUED.]

Henry Robert Maguire PIGOTT was my grandfather.

Joseph LEESE, one of the principal Manchester merchants

2008-07-15T21:55:00.000-07:00

[Joseph LEESE's last residence at 1 Richmond Hill, Bowdon, Cheshire.]

"Good morning Mister Shop! If you will stick to me today, I will stick to you. And again, remember this, my young friend, that the nimble ninepence will always overtake and go beyond the lazy shilling."
The words were of an unknown & elderly gentleman in Burton-upon-Trent, about 1804, addressed to an impressionable young draper just out of his apprenticeship, & who was to remember them with clarity, 60 years later, after he had risen to be one of the principal cotton merchants in the principal city of cotton Merchants, Manchester in Lancashire.
The young draper was Joseph LEESE, and these recollections were published in a major article published in the Manchester City News of 21 & 28 Jan 1865.

Joseph was born in Tutbury, Staffordshire, & baptised in the Parish Church there, 6 Apr 1783. He was named for his father, Joseph LEESE Sr, about whom we know almost nothing, except that, in his son's 2nd marriage registration in 1838, his occupation was recorded as Architect.
We know quite a bit more about the family of his mother, Dorothy HARLOW, who was baptised in Tutbury on 3 May 1752, daughter of John HARLOW of Tutbury, by his wife Hannah BATE of Duffield, Derbyshire.
Dorothy married Joseph LEESE Sr at Tutbury on 20 Jan 1782, after publication of Banns in the same church some 10 months earlier, on 25 Feb & 4 & 11 Mar 1781.
Joseph was their only child to be baptised in Tutbury.

Joseph's maternal grand-father, John HARLOW, was bapt at Tutbury on 27 Mar 1715, son of John HARLOW of Tutbury & Martha PLIMMER of Sudbury; his great-grand-father was bt at Hanbury, 19 Mar 1680, son of John HARLOW, Mason in Tutbury & Hanbury, by Sarah TURNER of Hanbury. The grave where his grand-parents were buried, in Tutbury churchyard, had a monument, now relocated to the perimeter, which records their burial - John HARLOW, died 4 Dec 1766, aged 51; & his wife Martha, died 17 May 1800, aged 73.

[A detail of the HARLOW gravestone in Tutbury Churchyard, Staffordshire.]

The movements & whereabouts of Joseph & Dorothy LEESE after young Joseph's birth in 1783 are not known. Dorothy, as was common practice for first births, appears to have returned to her mother's parish for the birth of her first child.
A Joseph LEESE was buried in the Churchyard of St Filumena's Church, Caverswell, 1820s.
The Stafford Advertiser records the death of a Mrs LEESE on 30 May 1829, perhaps Dorothy; some HARLOW research suggests that they may have spent some time in Turnditch, Derbyshire; & the capability for Joseph Jr to take with him 10,000 pounds in capital to invest in Manchester in 1815 suggests a possibilty of inheritance, perhaps after his father's death - but none of these clues has yet furnished any detail sufficient for corroboration, apart from the last, which may instead have arisen due to a death in his first wife's family (see below).

Joseph was apprenticed to a Draper in Burton-upon-Trent named LATHBURY. Joseph LATHBURY, Linen & Woollen Draper in High St, Burton-on-Trent (1822-23 Directory), may have been the same, or a relation.
Joseph LEESE completed his apprenticeship about 1804, & went into business with Henry HAWKINS, Drapers & Mercers in Burton, which partnership Joseph formally dissolved on 28 Dec 1814, whence he went up to Manchester.

In Manchester, about the beginning of 1815, Joseph, with 10,000 pounds in capital, went into business with Mr WARREN, founding the firm WARREN & LEESE. They were joined by Robert MILLINGTON as a sleeping partner, & by 1821-22, the firm LEESE & MILLINGTON was in business as Calico Manufacturers & Printers, at 16 High St, & Market St, Manchester.
By 1824-25, James KERSHAW & W.R. CALLENDAR had both joined the firm & shown great promise, and Joseph took them on as junior partners when Messrs WARREN & MILLINGTON went out. They operated from premises at 56 High St, Manchester. In 1830-31, at the same address, the firm was styled LEESE, KERSHAW & CALLANDER; by 1833, the firm was at 22 High St.
About 1834, Joseph, having withdrawn from the firm in favour of his son, opened again in business as a Cotton Manufacturer & Spinner, in works at Ainsworth & Bolton, in a firm named LEESE, CUSSONS & THOMPSON, and as an Iron-Founder & Machine Maker at Bury, named LEESE, CUSSONS & DIGGLE. George CUSSONS left both partnerships in late 1836.
In Oct 1837, the firm of LEESE, RYLANDS & THOMPSON, Cotton Spinners & Manufacturers, of Ainsworth, was dissolved.

The particular commercial arrangements throughout his time are not altogether clear, but some clues are evident from the Manchester City News article of 21 Jan 1865:
"After carrying on his concern in Burton-on-Trent ten years, he [Joseph] had by his marvellous energy, princely manners, tact, talent and industry, saved, we understand, ten thousand pounds, which he brought into the concern of WARREN & LEESE, and removed to Manchester, giving up his concern in Burton.
"Mr Joseph LEESE Sr joined Mr WARREN, when the firm became WARREN & LEESE; subsequently Mr Robert MILLINGTON, who had another concern in Manchester, joined them as a sleeping partner, and the firm became WARREN, LEESE & Coy, and it may not be uninteresting to our readers, or out of place, if we state that the entrance of Mr LEESE into the concern was the turning point in the future prospects of the firm.
"About this time, or shortly after, Mr James KERSHAW became an employee at a small salary. He was a man of humble origin, his father being a handloom weaver. But notwithstanding that, like many other men of eminence in arts, science & commerce, he in early life displayed those qualities, physical & mental, that led to his rapid preferment. Quickly following Mr KERSHAW, we believe, Mr W.R. CALLANDER Sr, who had served his time to a respectable draper in Birmingham, and then acted as an assistant, was induced to remove to Manchester, and was employed by Messrs WARREN & LEESE as salesman.
"Circumstances, however, soon arose to bring about the dissolution of the firm. Messrs WARREN & MILLINGTON went out, and Mr LEESE took in Messrs KERSHAW & CALLANDER as junior partners, & the firm became LEESE, KERSHAW & CALLANDER. If we are not mistaken, the warehouse they then occupied was the corner warehouse of High-street & Cannon-street; but as their business rapidly increased, they removed about the year 1825 to the more commodious warehouse in High-street, close to Bridgewater-place.
"Previous to this, however, Mr KERSHAW commenced in the print trade, which, through his energy, so rapidly increased, that the firm determined in 1829 to take the top storey of the adjoining warehouse, and to make such a printroom as, at the time, became the admiration & envy of all who saw it. It is well known that there is no light so admirable for advantageously displaying printed calicoes & other fancy goods as a north light. Accordingly, Messrs LEESE KERSHAW & CALLANDER's printroom was thus constructed; and as it extended from High-street to Birchin-lane, over two warehouses, it was certainly one of the finest print-rooms that then existed, or even now exists, in Manchester; and was admirably adapted for carrying on a very large print trade.
"Mr LEESE took at this time the management of the fustian department, including ticks, nankeens, etc; Mr KERSHAW, assisted by Mr James SIDEBOTTOM as salesman, who was his brother-in-law (they having married sisters of Mr Isaac SLATER, the publisher of that invaluable work, 'SLATER's Manchester Directory'), entirely managed their very large print department; and Mr CALLANDER, assisted by Mr Joseph BERRY as salesman, took the white and grey cloth, and dyed sarsanet and rolled jaconet departments. At this period, viz., 1830-31, the average weekly sales of prints was fully twenty-five thousand pieces, and the annual returns of the concern about a million sterling. This remarkable result was in a great measure owing to Mr LEESE having several years previously introduced into his concern the admirable principle of small profits and quick returns, & acting on the sound & disinterested advice of his venerable Burton mentor, that 'the nimble ninepence will always overtake & go by the lazy shilling'."

Joseph's particular business acumen resulted in the reduction of terms of credit, & put pressure on the shakier or "rotten" accounts, eventually winnowing them out in favour of the "very cream of the customers" of the Manchester trade. This involved altering existing conditions, of a six months bill of credit on purchases, or a 3 months bill with 1.5% for cash at the end of 3 months from the date of invoicing. The firm's new terms were shortened to the 3 months bill with 1.5% for cash in 10 days, excepting those customers with a daily running account & for whom all goods bought up to the 25th of each month should be paid for in cash, or a 3 months bill the last Friday of the following month.

Joseph & his partners work hours were long - 8 a.m till 8 p.m., with an interval of an hour and a quarter for dinner. They were more often than not the first on the premises. Joseph himself left his home at the Polygon at 7 a.m. sharp, on the three market days of the week, & his phaeton was facetiously called the "Polygon Diligence." Customers, especially the country manufacturers, were required to have their goods ready for purchase by 7.00 a.m, & any that weren't open by then were simply by-passed. Joseph made his intentions clear, & he was therefore able, on a regular basis, to complete the on-selling arrangements with the large London firms before 9 a.m.
Joseph bought principally from Mr (later Sir) Elkanah ARMITAGE, from Mr Thomas BARNES of Farnworth (father of the later M.P. for Bolton), & from Thomas WALKER of Stand. He sold largely to the London firms CALDECOTT & POWELL, COOK & GLADSTONE, and STUART & SHARP.

Joseph's attitude is summed up in a conversation he had with Sir Thomas POTTER, which was quoted by the writer of the Manchester City News article of 21 Jan 1865:
"I tell thee what, friend Tom, I wouldn't give thee sixpence for all thou knows, and I'll sell thee all I know for sixpence - the fact is, as your own experience has proved, that if a man wants to get on in Manchester, there's nothing for it but downright hard work, and sticking to it."

During this period, Joseph was directory listed at addresses in Rusholme Rd, Manchester (1819-20); the Polygon, Ardwick (1824-25, 1828-29, 1830); & Greenmount, Harpurhey (1832-33, 1836, 1838, 1840-41). He was also recorded at 5 Tipping Place, Ardwick (1836).
He later resided at Knibb Place, Victoria Park (1843) & at 1 Richmond Hill, Bowdon, Cheshire (1845, 1847, & until his death in 1861).
The move to Green Mount took place when Joseph purchased the Mansion after the death of Robert ANDREW, Esq, who had died ln Jun 1831; having purchased it "lock, stock & barrel," he sold all his own furniture & household goods at the Polygon house, by auction, Nov-Dec 1831.

About 1834, Joseph "retired" from the firm, leaving his son Joseph Jr as a junior partner running the print department. I am not sure what transpired, but the condition placed upon him was probably significant, & may suggest something untoward had occurred - he was bound not to go into any of the same branches of business as his firm had been previously carrying on. This condition certainly acknowledged the formidable rival he would have been to his old firm, had he chosen to do so!
Joseph invested the capital he took out of the firm in new enterprises - he purchased an engineering concern at Bury from Sir Thomas WALKER, the Bury M.P. He also purchased a mill near Bolton, called "Nob End," where he wove fustian; and another at Ainsworth, near Bolton, where spinning & manufacturing were carried on.
The concern at Bury was known as LEESE, CUSSONS & DIGGLES, but did not prosper, & Joseph, realising his error, promptly decided to end his connection, & did so at considerable financial loss. George CUSSONS remained involved with Joseph in the "Ainsworth" Mill concern, along with Joseph's nephew Richard THOMPSON, who had brought in a small capital which he had acquired in working many years in his father's cotton mill in Newcastle-under-Lyme. This firm was known as LEESE, CUSSONS & THOMPSON.
Perhaps because of the experience at Bury, George CUSSONS did not survive long in this partnership, & was replaced by John RYLANDS, who injected considerable capital into it. Joseph & his nephew ultimately left it to RYLANDS' sole ownership & management.

On his "retirement," Joseph dabbled in the stock-broking industry, & his firm, HOUGHLAND & LEESE operated at 51 King St, Manchester - as Stock & Share Brokers; Land, Building & Money Agents; & Agents to the Royal Insurance Fire & Legal Office, & to the Western Life ASssurance Office (1847).
Joseph was ernestly requested by his many friends to enter the newly reconstituted Manchester Corporation as Alderman, & to become the first Mayor, which requests he declined.
He was also urged to stand as a candidate for the Liberals for one of the two new seats in Parliament which were re-instated after the Reform Bill of 1837 (they were lost after the Restoration as 'punishment' for supporting the Parliament against Charles I).
Joseph's response here was typical - after hearing them patiently, he replied:
"I feel much honoured, gentlemen, as well as flattered, by your kindness & confidence, but I cannot entertain the proposal for a minute. I am one of the most unsuitable men alive; besides which, there are plenty of simpletons in St Stephen's without going to add to the number."

But one responsibility which Joseph pursued "very actively" for a number of years, and which came to him unannounced & unsought, was his elevation to the Bench as a County Magistrate for Lancashire. This elevation took place on 14 Apr 1838, many years after that working men's monster meeting of 50,000 people in Aug 1819, called to demand reform in Parliamentary representation, & that came to be known as the Peterloo Massacre, after the then Magistrates sent in the cavalry, resulting in up to 15 dead & over 500 wounded by saber cuts.

Another incident occurred during his time in business. Some serious allegations surfaced concerning the "illegal" copying of printing patterns. Angry law suits were instituted, & injunctions granted by the Court of Chancery. And Joseph's business partner, James KERSHAW, seemed to be at the heart of the issue. KERSHAW was called to give evidence before a Parliamentary committee, which was investigating the claims & drafting legislation for a Copyright Bill - so severe was his cross-examination by the committee members that his health was very seriously affected. His friends later circulated a pamphlet in his defence, arguing that he had been supplied prints by a Thomas DUCKWORTH, of designs which he was unaware had been illegally copied. DUCKWORTH had spent a large amount of money extending his works, & about 1833-34 got into financial difficuklties, & was unable to make repayments. Messrs LEESE, KERSHAW & CALLANDER were heavy creditors, & they proceeded to take over DUCKWORTH's works at Ardwick & Reddish, & ran them themselves.
It is probably the aftermath of this activity that led to Joseph's "withdrawal" from the firm.

Joseph LEESE made two marriages.

The first took place in Wolstanton, in Staffordshire, where in the Parish Church, on 31 Dec 1808, he married, by License, Ann HARRISON, daughter of John HARRISON, Hat Maker of Burton-upon-Trent, by his wife Mary (possibly alias BEALE). The marriage was witnessed by Thomas & Maria THOMPSON. Maria was Ann HARRISON's sister, & marr Thomas THOMPSON at Burton-on-Trent on 26 Aug 1794; it was their son Richard THOMPSON, bapt at Cat St Particular Baptist Church, Burton, on 11 Apr 1806, who went into business later with his uncle Joseph. It was presumably also their daughter Sophia, for whom we do not have birth details, who was Joseph's housekeeper in the 1861 Census, & witness to his will.

John HARRISON, the Burton Hat Maker, made his will on 26 Mar 1792, leaving his estate to his "loving wife Mary" & after her death to his daughters Maria & Ann HARRISON, "share & share alike." Mary did not prove the will in her lifetime, at least not in the Prerogative Court of Canterbury, where Administration was granted, on 26 Aug 1815, to the two residuary legatees, the daughters Maria THOMPSON, wife of Thomas THOMPSON, & Ann LEESE, wife of Joseph LEESE.
This estate included 4 newly built "messuages with appurtenances" on the north side of New St, Burton, about which a Deed of Release dated 1809 was made out to Thos THOMPSON of Newcastle, Cotton Spinner, & Maria his wife, and Jos. LEESE of Burton, Draper, & Ann his wife (co-heiresses of Mary HARRISON, dec'd). [See Item D877/53, T.N.A., at http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/]
The date of this P.C.C. probate, in 1815, certainly corresponds well with Joseph's removal up to Manchester.

Joseph & Ann had the following issue:
1. Mary LEESE, born Burton-on-Trent, 24 Dec 1809; died at Wirral, Cheshire, Sep qtr 1851 [Vol.19, p.5]; married in the Collegiate Church of Christ, Manchester, 29 Mar 1832, Samuel GILES, Merchant in Manchester, with issue (see the separate posting on this blog-site for his brother John Eustace GILES).
2. Anne LEESE, born Burton-on-Trent, 16 May 1812 (her baptism, with that of her siblings, recorded in Dr WILLIAM's Nonconformist Registers for Staffordshire); died Sheffield, 29 Nov 1852; marr at the Collegiate Church, Manchester, 1832, as his 2nd wife, Rev John Eustace GILES, with issue (see his separate posting).
3. Eliza LEESE, born Burton-on-Trent, 13 Nov 1813; at Broughton, Lancs, 1841 Census, with husband & son; at Sutton, Hester, Msx, 1851 Census, Boarder, with husband, 1851 Census; probably died at Brentford, Msx, Jun qtr 1851; marr Collegiate Church, Manchester, 5 May 1836, James Francis WATCHURST, Silk Manufacturer, of the firm NUTTAL, GILES & WATCHURST, Moseley St; with issue - James WATCHURST, born 24 Mar 1837, & bur Bowdon, 27 Mar 1837, aged 3 days; James WATCHURST (II), b Chorlton, Jun qtr 1838, & with his parents, 1841, aged 3; Elizabeth Sophia WATCHURST, b 16 Nov 1840, & bur Bowdon, 27 May 1841, aged 6 months.
4. Joseph LEESE Jr, born Chorlton, Manchester, 13 Feb 1815; Cotton Merchant, of Manchester & Dunham Massey; died at Southport, Lancs, 28 Apr 1906; marr at the Parish Church, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, 23 Aug 1842, Frances Susan SCURR (2nd daur of John SCURR, Merchant of Everton & of Montevideo); with issue:
a. Spencer LEESE, b 1843; Cotton Spinner in Preston; Artist; died 5 Jun 1894; marr Stockport, 1865, Mary Ellen HUDSON, with issue - Joseph LEESE, b Preston, 4 Aug 1866, Analytical Chemist & Musician; Mabel LEESE, b Manchester, 1867; Mary Frances LEESE, b Preston, 1868, & died Ormskirk, 1883; Jessie LEESE, b Preston, 1869; Nora LEESE, b Preston, 1871; Gertrude LEESE, b Preston, 1872; Hilda LEESE, b Preston, 1874; Arnold Spencer LEESE, b Fylde, 1878, Veterinary Surgeon, specialising in Camels, & interned during the war for his Fascist views, died 1956, & married; & John Scurr LEESE, b Ormskirk, 1889, Private, 6th Manchesters, & "vanished forever" at Kinthia, Gallipoli.
b. Joseph Francis LEESE, b 28 Feb 1845; Recorder of Manchester, M.P. for Accrington, & the 1st Baronet of Send Holme; died Guildford, Surrey, 29 Jul 1914; marr 20 Nov 1867, Mary Constance HARGREAVES, with issue - William Hargreaves LEESE, b Guildford, 1868, 2nd Bart, & marr Violet Mary SANDEMAN (& father of Sir Oliver LEESE, the W.W. 2 Army General who had served under MONTGOMERY at Alamein); Vernon Francis LEESE, b Kensington, 1870, & marr Edith Gwendoline STEVENSON; Neville LEESE, b Preston, 1872, & marr Matilda SAUNDERS; Theodore LEESE, b Fylde, 1874; Cecil Mellor LEESE, b Fylde, 1876, & marr Jessie TOURNAY; Constance Alice LEESE, b Kensington, 1878, & marr Lt-Col Sidney R.G. KENDALL; Dorothy Violet LEESE, b Woking, 1883, & marr Leonard RAWLENCE; & Clive LEESE, b Woking, 1885, & marr Dorothy DICKINSON.
c. Frances LEESE, b 1846 & died aged 4 mos.
d. Sarah Elizabeth LEESE, b 1848, & died 1880, aged 32, unmarr.
e. John Scurr LEESE, b 1851, & died aged 14 mos.
f. Ernest LEESE, b Bowdon, 30 Nov 1854; Cotton Spinner & Manufacturer; Stockbroker; died Southport, 15 Nov 1913; marr Salford, 1887, Ethel AGNEW with issue - Ernest Henry LEESE, b Eccles, 1888; & Charles Phillip LEESE, b Eccles, 1889, & died 1947.
g. Walter LEESE, b 1856, & died aged 7 mos.
h. Harriet Katherine LEESE, b ca 1862, marr London, Oct 1899, John Davies WILLIAMS, LL.D.
5. Maria LEESE, born Chorlton, 23 Aug 1816; witnessed her father's 2nd marriage in 1838; died at Bowdon, 31 Aug 1849, aged 33; married at Altringham, Sep qtr 1848, John SANDS, Merchant in London.

Ann LEESE alias HARRISON died at her residence, Greenmount, Harpurhey, near Manchester, on 27 Jan 1837, aged 55 [notice published in WHEELER's Manchester Chronicle, Sat 28 Jan 1837]. Her details are inscribed on Joseph's vault in St Mary's Churchyard, Bowdon, but the Register does not record her burial there; she may have been buried in Manchester General Cemetery, not very far from Harpurhey.

Joseph married 2ndly, at Leeds, on 17 May 1838, Mary OASTLER, widow of William BRACEWELL, of Leeds (she was born at Thirsk, Yorks, 29 Dec 1785, daughter of Robert OASTLER, of Leeds, by Sarah SCURR, & a sister of Richard OASTLER, the Tory Radical known as the "Factory King").
This marriage was not without a little controversy. Joseph & Mary had intended the marriage to be solemnised in the Baptist Church in Leeds by his son-in-law Rev John Eustace GILES. But the law governing Licenses under which Dissenting Ministers could marry had a strict residency requirement, which Joseph could not meet, & so arrangements had to be made at the last minute for the official ceremony to be conducted in the Parish Church. The Tory "Intelligencer" newspaper took great delight in pointing out the irregularity in the Leeds "Mercury" marriage notice, published on Sat 19 May 1838, which failed to observe that they were married in an established church:
"On Thursday... Joseph LEESE, Esq, of Greenmount House, Harpurhey, Manchester, to Mrs BRACEWELL, Sheepscar Cottage, in this town. The religious service associated with this marriage was performed at the Baptist Chapel, South Parade, by the Rev J.E. GILES."

By her, Joseph had no further issue. She died at the residence of her sister (Mrs Ann CADMAN), at Sheepscar, Leeds, on 29 May 1854, aged 68, & was buried at St Mary's Churchyard, Bowdon.

Joseph was enumerated in three English Census returns, as follows:
1841 - at Mount Highe, Broughton, Lancs, aged 55+, Calico Printer; with (2nd wife) Mary LEESE, aged 55+; (son) Joseph LEESE, 25+; (daur) Maria LEESE, 20+; and 3 female servants.
1851 - at 59 Richmond Hill, Bowdon, Cheshire, aged 68, Out of Business, born Tutbury; with (2nd) wife Mary, 65, b Thirsk; daur Mary GILES, 41; grand-daur Maria GILES, aged 15, b Manchester; & Elizabeth WITHNALL, 22, b Manchester, recorded as his adopted daughter.
1861 - at 1 Rose Hill, Bowdon, Cheshire, aged 78, Retired Business; with niece Sophia THOMPSON, 49, Unmarr, Housekeeper.

Joseph was a Baptist, although when he came to that cause is unknown. His children were all christened by the Baptists; he was noted as a considerable benefactor to the Baptist cause with a donation, in 1840, of 50 pounds to the Lancashire & Cheshire Association; he was named in the affairs of the Eccles Baptist Church in 1842, as the nominee of the Lancashire & Cheshire Association to whose care was entrusted the cause of Eccles "...with the understanding that he will close our connection with it in 12 months" [see www.mancuniensis.info/Eccles%20Baptist/CentralFP.htm]; he was also on the Building Committee of that Association; and he was "...one of the financial guarantors of William GILES' school" - William, elder brother of his two GILES sons-in-law, had left Eccles in 1838 to open his school in Ardwick.
Joseph was also named in an undated list of 78 Vice-presidents of the Union & Emancipation Society of Manchester, then operating out of an office at 51 Piccadilly, Manchester, under the aegis of Earl RUSSELL [see http://www.memory.loc.gov/ for "From Slavery to Freedom," The African American Pamphlet Collection, 1842-1909].

Joseph LEESE died at 1 Richmond Hill, Bowdon, on 8 Dec 1861, "...after a long but not painful illness." He was buried in his own vault in St Mary's Churchyard, Bowdon, covered by a large inscribed tabular stone.

[Detail on the tabular stone covering the Joseph LEESE vault in St Mary's Churchyard, Bowdon.]

His will was proved 29 Mar 1862, with effects under 450 pounds; all real & personal estate to his son Joseph LEESE the younger of Bowdon; witnessed Sophia THOMPSON & Mary Leese GILES.

The article in the Manchester City News 0f 28 Jan 1865 (the 2nd instalment) made some further observations of Joseph's character:
"It is universally admitted that very few men in Manchester have equalled Mr LEESE as a merchant, either in buying or selling. His fine personal appearance, & his intelligent countenace made him a universal favourite with those from whom he bought as well as with those to whom he sold. His prompt judgement & knowledge as to the value of goods, & his decisive off hand manner, led him all but invariably, never to make a second offer in buying, or to take a less price in selling than he had first quoted. Physically very strong, his energies never flagged, nor was his strength apparently ever exhausted, and the writer has often heard him say, he didn't know his own strength, and that the longest day's work was never too long for him.
"His public and private benevolences were almost proverbial, but very unostentatious. Many deserving men have had reason to be thankful for timely pecuniary aid offered at the turning point of their history, in advancing capital to set them up in business, & in solacing them under painful, personal, or family affliction, or bereavement. Out of his own purse he considerably augmented the small salaries of many of the young men in the establishment, unknown to his partners; and if they or their families wanted to go to the sea-side for health, etc, almost invariably a handsome present was made them to help cover expenses.
"The natural consequence of such consideration was a manifestation of the kindliest feeling towards him by all his empolyees, who would have done anything they could for him.
"...and, as he bore his great prosperity without any undue elevation, so also did he bear his heavy reverses of fortune with manly courage & resignation."
_____________________________________________________________________________________

Joseph LEESE was my gt-x-3 grand-father.

Reverend John Eustace GILES, Baptist Minister

2008-07-02T21:45:00.000-07:00

[Photograph courtesy of Susan ANDERSON; annotated on the back - "Rev John Eustace GILES" - Photograph by WHITLOCK, New St, Birmingham (est 1842).]

John Eustace GILES was the 2nd surviving son of Reverend William GILES, Baptist Minister. John was born at Dartmouth, Devonshire, probably in the house built for the GILES family immediately above the Baptist Chapel in Meeting House Lane, a very steep & narrow thoroughfare running straight up the hill behind the town centre.

[A view of the Baptist Chapel in Dartmouth, Devonshire, looking up the hill behind the town.]

The date was 20 Nov 1805, & he was named for an elder brother John who had died shortly before his birth (aged 2), & for his maternal grandfather, Eustace PIKE, who had died in Tavistock a few years earlier, ca 1800.
[A view of Dartmouth; the Baptist Chapel is the building on the left with the hipped slate roof, being touched by the foliage of the tree opposite. The GILES family lived for a time in the house just up-hill of the chapel, with the lamp post in front.]

John's elder siblings were (Mary) Eliza (aged 10), Sarah (aged 8) & William (aged 6). From the pen of (Mary) Eliza, written from memory some 80 years later, we get a fascinating picture of their early lives in Dartmouth, where at least two more siblings joined the family - Martha, & Samuel (he was born in Oct 1809, just before his parents relocated to Lymington in Hampshire).
[See http://www.dartmouth-history.org.uk/content_images/upload/My_Dear_Children.htm ]

Their father, William GILES, was born in Harrowbridge, near Tavistock, on 1 May 1771, son of John GILES of Buckland Monochorum, & Sarah GRAY of Buckfastleigh, all in the south part of County Devon.

[View of the Parish Church of Whitchurch, at Harrowbridge, South Devonshire.]

There was believed to have been a family estate in Totnes, about which (Mary) Eliza wrote:
"My paternal grandfather died many years before my birth. He held an estate in Totnes, Devon, leaving his estate to his eldest son, my father's eldest brother. Their mother, therefore, with her young family, left Totnes and took them to Horrabridge where her own family resided." [Notes by Mary Eliza GODFERY, Belvidere House, Prince's Park, Liverpool, dated 19 Apr 1884, courtesy of her great-grand-daur Mrs S. CLARKE of Sutton Coldfield.]

My research into the family origins suggests that some of (Mary) Eliza's information, as can happen in early family pedigree details, may be a little astray. Her father's elder brother was probably George GILES, bapt at Buckland Monochrum, 28 Aug 1763; her grandparents were almost certainly married at Buckfastleigh, not far from Totnes, on 28 Apr 1760; the grandfather, John GILES, was probably baptised at Buckland Monochorum, 8 Oct 1736, eldest son of George GILES of Buckland Monochorum, by Elizabeth MILLER; & the grandmother, Sarah GRAY, was probably baptised at Buckfastleigh on 3 Sep 1728, daughter of William GRAY of Buckfastleigh (who died there in Dec 1761).

[View of the Parish Church of Buckland Monochorum, south of Tavistock, South Devonshire.]

If all this information is correct, then it appears that it was (Mary) Eliza's grandmother who was from near Totnes, & that she came to "Horrabridge" between Tavistock & Buckland Monochorum (the Parish in which Buckland Abbey was located, & granted by Queen Elizabeth to Sir Frances DRAKE), where the GILES family lived, probably shortly after her marriage, & before she had children.

But, there was a GILES family associated with Bowden, near Totnes, & there may be a link to that family, although such a link is not immediately evident in available pedigrees.
Sir Edward GILES of Bowden, cr Knight at the coronation of James I, & the M.P. for Totnes, died in Dec 1637, aged 72; he had no issue by his wife Mary, widow of Walter NORTHCOTT of Utton, & daur of Edmund DREW of Haire; the family estates at Bowdon were then inherited by his nephew Richard GILES, who died at Totnes in 1648, leaving, by his wife Dorothy CAREW, a third son, John GILES (b ca 1623 & sole executor of his father's will), who may have been the progenitor of the Buckland Monochorum GILES family.

Unless the estates near Totnes were instead those of William GRAY (died 1761). Further research will be necessary to resolve this apparent difficulty.

But to return to William GILES, the father Mary Eliza & John Eustace.
He was educated at the Grammar School in Tavistock, and after what appears to have been a period learning the shoemaker's trade (the baptismal registration of his first child, Mary Eliza, recorded him as cordwainer), saw John WESLEY preach, encountered the ministry of Dr COKE in Tavistock, & was converted to the Methodists by Mr PADDON at the Old Tabernacle in Plymouth.
In Tavistock, William also made the acquaintance of Eustace PIKE, an officer in the Royal Navy (who served, with his only son as a midshipman, on the ship commanded by Prince William, Duke of Clarence, & later King William VI), his wife Elizabeth PHILLIPS (whom he married at St Mary's, Portsea, Hants, on 15 Dec 1758), & his family, including his own future wife Elizabeth PIKE (bt Tavistock on 12 Jan 1765) & her two sisters Mary (later Mrs Richard PARFORD) & Martha (later Mrs George BRYANT).

William was appointed to learn the rudiments of Medicine in order to equip him with useful skills in the expedition being set up by Dr COKE to visit & evangelise the settlement of Freetown in Sierra Leone, in which the largest component of the population was a group of 1,100 black Americans, formerly slaves, who had fought for their freedom alongside the British in the Revolutionary American War of Independance. He travelled to Africa in Feb 1796, with 5 others, & it would appear their wives were to wait until they had settled. Young Mary was at this time left in the care of her PIKE grandparents in Tavistock, since her mother, pending her joining William in Sierra Leone, was being trained in midwifery.
But the conditions were so primitive, & dangerous, that William was forced, perhaps against his will, to return to England, less than 6 months after leaving, & in a voyage that was twice dogged "...by privateers & once exposed to a frightful tornado." During his time way from home, he met up with several Baptists, who convinced him of the efficacy of adult baptism. And on his return to England, he sought out the Baptist Minister at Devonport (now Plymouth) & was there "dipped" by Rev Isiah BIRT.
William was appointed to Dartmouth in Nov 1797, where he was pastor to the chapel previously run by NEWCOMEN of steam engine fame.

His subsequent career is well documented in the pages of the Baptist Manual:
From Dartmouth, he went to Lymington, Hants, Feb 1809, where he was met with some violent opposition, particularly at an outlying village named Beaulieu Rails, & where, in Oct 1817, he established a new congregation.
He next went to Chatham, Kent, where, on 18 Dec 1817, he was ordained pastor of the Particular Baptist Chapel in Clover Lane.
In May 1832, William went to Manchester & Liverpool as a collector for the Baptist Irish Society, & was invited to provide temporary supply at Preston, where he was ordained on 18 Feb 1833. He doubled the size of the Chapel there.
His final appointment was at Ashton-under-Lyne, where he went in 1842; he rejoined two separate factions there, & preached his last sermon in Dec 1845, shortly after which he became terminally ill.
William died at Ashton on 25 Jan 1846, & was buried in an independent burial ground in George St, Patricroft. His wife Elizabeth had pre-deceased him, also at Ashton, on 12 Jul 1844.

William & Elizabeth had issue:
1. Mary Eliza GILES, baptised at the Parish Church of St Eustace, Tavistock, 15 Jan 1795; died Belvidere House, Prince's Park, Liverpool, 30 Apr 1884; marr, perhaps as his 2nd wife, Chatham, 1821, Dr Joseph James GODFREY, of Chatham, then Liverpool; he died at Belvidere House, Prince's PArk, 14 Dec 1864; issue - Eliza Oakes GODFREY, wife of John BAYLISS, Railway Contractor; Mary Lloyd GODFREY, wife of Dommico Guiseppe POGGI; Josephine Charity GODFREY, wife of Dr George Cooper HARRISON; Harriet Eliza GODFREY, wife of George COLE; Samuel Giles GODFREY, Merchant & Insurance Agent in Lancashire, marr Helen THOMSON; Ann Eliza GODFERY, wife of her cousin Samuel GILES; Arthur James GODFREY; & George Brown GODFREY.
2. Sarah GILES, born ca Mar 1796, perhaps at Plymouth; arr New York on the ship Alfred, 26 Sep 1836, with husband Samuel COOPER; enumerated at Des Moines, Polk Co, Iowa, 1880 Census, aged 84, Widow, with son - Eustace COOPER, Real Estate Agent, marr Mary A., with issue - Anna M. COOPER, Eustice Barker COOPER & Grace A. COOPER.
3. William GILES, born Dartmouth, 30 Dec 1798; Baptist Minister & School Master; Charles DICKENS's first schoolmaster; of Chatham, Manchester, Liverpool & Chester; died at Netherleigh House, near Chester, 30 Sep 1856; marr at Chatham, 31 Dec 1821, Harriot Miller WARING; issue - Elizabeth Waring GILES, wife of Samuel Bowes MALKIN; Mary Ann GILES, wife of John HUMPHRIES; William Theophilus GILES; John GILES; Joseph Leese GILES, marr Fanny GILES; Maria GILES; Harriot Emily GILES; Theophilus GILES, marr Rebecca F. SHARMAN; & Theodora GILES, wife of Charles FANNING.
4. Mary GILES, birth details unknown, prob in Dartmouth, ca 1801; mentioned by M. Eliza ca 1804; marr Mr GREY or GRAY.
5. John GILES, b Dartmouth, ca Feb 1803; died there, Mar 1805, aged 2 years & 1 month.
6. John Eustace GILES, b Dartmouth, 20 Apr 1805.
7. Martha GILES, b ca 1805; living with her mother, 1841 Census, aged 30+; died West Derby, Lancs, Dec qtr 1867; marr Shoreditch, London, Dec qtr 1847, Thomas PARKER.
8. Samuel GILES, born Dartmouth, 31 Oct 1809; Cotton Printer in Manchester; died 76 Chorlton Rd, Manchester, 25 Mar 1869; marr 1stly, in Manchester Collegiate Church, 29 Mar 1832, Mary, eldest daughter of Joseph LEESE, Cotton Merchant in Manchester, by Ann HARRISON; issue - Mary Leese GILES; Maria GILES; Samuel GILES Jr, marr twice with issue; Emily Gertrude GILES; Alfred GILES; Ada Leese GILES, wife of Alfred BRAITHWAITE; Kathleen GILES; & Rachel GILES.
Samuel marr 2ndly, Rawcliffe Church, near Goole, 10 Aug 1853, Margaret FLETCHER (eld daur of the late Joseph FLETCHER, Esq, of Rawcliffe); she died at Leeds, 27 Mar 1897; further issue - Edith Fletcher GILES; Elizabeth Margaret Turnbull GILES, wife of Wilson HARTNELL; & Agnes Ellen Scott GILES, wife of Richard Marsden WITHINGTON.

The young John Eustace GILES began his education in Dartmouth, at a Dame School run by a Mrs LAWRENCE, whom John remembered as "...a good-tempered & good old woman"; he travelled with his parents from Dartmouth, aged 4, to Lymington, where he was enrolled in another Dame School, this time run by a Mrs COTTERELL, where, for 2 years, he "...learned nothing but mischief."
And so, his father decided to take his education in hand himself. John developed a propensity for the Greek language of the Old Testaments, but pressure of work meant his father could not long continue with his promising young son, who was then sent to an un-named school in Lymington, where he was among 240 other boys, 90 of them boarders.

John went again with his family when they moved to Chatham, & there his education was continued in his elder brother William's little school, at which one of the star pupils was the young Charles DICKENS, whose parents had a house next to the Baptist Chapel. From Mary Eliza GILES, John's eldest sister, we have the first known "pen-portrait" of the young DICKENS:
"He was a very handsome boy, with long curly hair of a light colour; very amiable and agreeable, and capital company, even then." [Recorded in Thomas HARDY's Biography of DICKENS.]

His training for the Baptist Ministry is detailed in his Memorial published the Baptist Magazine of 1876:
"From Chatham he was sent to Oxford to be under the care of Mr HINTON, father of the late John Howard HINTON, who kept an excellent academy in that classic city, & who used to tell his pupils that three things were essential to the successful accomplishment of their duties, vizt - Understanding, Method, & Despatch. At this school he took a distinguished position.
"Under the hallowed influences of his father's example & preaching, accompanied by the power of the Holy Spirit, he was brought to a decision for Christ. He was baptised by his father at Chatham, 16 Sep 1824, being then between 19 & 20 years old. In the following year, according to an entry found among his papers, on 25th May 1825, he became conscious of a call to the ministry of the gospel, & soon afterwards, entered the academy at Bristol as a student for the ministry. While there he sat under the ministry of the late Robert HALL, & had the privelege of much intercourse with him in private; there also resided at the same time the celebrated essayist John FOSTER, who admitted him to his friendship. He entered college with attainments greater than many possess who leave it; and to those who knew him there gave great promise of great eminence & usefulness to the ministry."

From college John went to Haverfordwest, where he temporarily supplied the pulpit of the Baptist Chapel, but declined their invitation to settle, believing native born pastors better suited the Welsh.
While there, the committee of management of Salter's Hall Chapel, in Oxford Court, off Cannon St, London, was pointed in his direction, & he was invited to preach there for several Sundays. Being warmly received, he was asked to settle among them, & was ordained their Pastor on 16 Sep 1830. He had just survived a serious illness, from which it was thought he may not have recovered.

[An etching of John Eustace GILES, published as a frontis-piece to the Baptist Magazine, Jan 1831, to mark his appointment to Salter's Hall Chapel, Cannon St, London.]

In his 6 years at Salter's Hall, John resided at 9 Lincoln Place, North Rd, & at 1 Lansdowne Place, Holloway.
He also married his 1st wife, Ann Ledyard EVILL - and buried her on 13 Jun 1831 [Dr WILLIAM's Library, London Burials, E/W123, N/S 34]. She amost certainly died as the result of the birth of their only daughter, Ann Ledyard GILES, born 29 May 1831, a week before her mother's death.
While still at Salter's Hall, John married, in Manchester Collegiate Church, on 27 Dec 1832, his 2nd wife Anne LEESE, daur of Joseph LEESE of Manchester, & sister of his sister-in-law Mary, wife of his brother Samuel GILES. By her, the next three children were born in London - John Eustace Jr, William Leese, & Maria.

On 12 Feb 1836, John accepted a pressing offer, made on 1 Feb by the Baptist Congregation at South Parade, Leeds, to become their Pastor, & he was ordained there on 22 May.
Once again, we find a description of his time at Leeds in his Memorial in the Baptist Magazine of 1876:
"...at Leeds, his new sphere... he seemed to blaze forth as a star of the first magnitude. Under his preaching, numerous conversions took place, not only amongst the poor & ignorant, but others occupying high social positions, & of high mental culture. The chapel had to be enlarged, & the church became one of the chief centres of influence in the town of Leeds. On the platform he was equally powerful. The working classes everywhere hailed him as their friend & the defender of their rights. The advocates of religious intolerance & the ecclesiastical supremacy of a sect under the name of the State Church fell back before the vigour of his attacks. He unmasked Sacramentarianism, at that time developing itself under the ministrations of the Vicar; & he defeated him in his attempt to pass a church rate at the vestry meeting, by which the fate of church rates was sealed ever after in Leeds. He exposed the miserable injustice & licentiousness of the socialism of Robert OWEN in three lectures which, by those who heard them, will never be forgotten, & which resulted in the complete collapse of all the schemes of OWEN's supporters to gain a foothold for their principles in Yorkshire. It was mainly through his instrumentality & eloquent pleading that the debts resting upon the Baptist Churches in Yorkshire were cleared off.
"He was at that time one of the foremost promoters of the Anti-State Church Association, & also one of it's most eloquent & effective advocates. On many a platform, too, his voice was heard pleading the cause of foreign missions, & the freedom of the slave. In the battle for the abolition of the Corn Laws & the establishment of Free Trade, he played a prominent part. All the time he kept up his pulpit ministrations amongst his own people & others whom he was frequently called to visit; preaching the gospel with a purity, & simplicity, & eloquence which those who were accustomed to hear him declare made all his people feel that their pastor was a preacher far above the common order, & it is no uncommon thing to hear those who listened to him years ago, speak of his sermons & mention the texts from which he preached, so deeply were they impressed upon their minds. In Leeds, he was all but the idol of his people, & indeed, of the greater part of the townspeople as well."

In Sep 1841, together with Dr ACKWORTH, John visited Germany to plead with the authorities for religious tolerance towards Mr ONCKEN & his Hamburg Baptists; & 2ndly, with Rev H. DOWSON, he visited Denmark to plead to the King of Denmark for religious tolerance there. His congregation in Leeds, fearing they might lose their revered pastor, is on record as having rebuked the Baptist Missionary Society for trying to entice him away from them.

In Jul 1844, John fell ill, & spent nine months in Brighton for his recovery. He resigned his Leeds charge on 3 Aug 1845, & advised his old congregation that he had been invited to settle at Broadmead in Bristol. He received their farewell on 21 Sep, & was presented with a silver inkstand.

During his 9 years at Leeds, four more children were born - Joseph Henry, Ellen, Alfred, & Frederick Goodwin.

In the 1841 Census, the family were enumerated at the corner of Brunswick & North St, Leeds (the 1837 directory listing was at 20 North St), with John, aged 35+, Baptist Minister, his wife Ann, aged 25+, children Ann (10), John (7), William (6), Joseph (4), & Ellen (2), along with Eliza GODFREY (15+, probably his neice), & two Female Servants, Jane MILTHORPE & Jane FOSTER (both aged 20+). By 1982, North Street had disappeared under the M1 motorway.

John was not to last long in Bristol. In his 10 months there, he resided at 17 Ashley Rd, Clifton, where, in Jul 1846, his 9th child Edwin was born. He had just resigned the pastorate there on 11 Jul 1846, & was to return to Yorkshire, where he was ordained as Pastor of the Portmahon Chapel in Sheffield.

The Baptist Magazine of 1876 once again gives us an overview of his time in Sheffield:
"...at Sheffield.. he remained 15 years, during which time he succeeded in clearing off a heavy debt which had long pressed heavily on the church, & to many in that town he became a 'savour of life unto life.'
"In Sheffield, Mr GILES lost is second beloved wife. After some years, he was again married, to the widow of John BLAKE, Esq, Manufacturer of that town, whom none could exceed in devotion to her husband, & especially during his last long & painful illness. By her there was added to his previous family three sons, bright, promising boys, whom their mother in his dying moments he commended into the care of Him who has promised to be 'the husband of the widow, and the father of the fatherless.'
"It was while in Sheffield that he was invited by the Protestants in Scotland to deliver a lecture upon the Church at Rome as a system of priestly power. This lecture made some stir at the time of it's delivery, & was afterwards printed & pretty widely circulated. While at Sheffield, too, he wrote articles for the Eclectic Review, which more than once became the subject of special remark."

In Sheffield, the family lived at 6 St George's Terrace (1849); York Place, Portmahon (1852); York Cottage, Sheffield (1854); & at York Cottage, Whitehouse Lane, Longsett Rd, Nether Hallam (1857).
His second wife, Anne LEESE, died at York Cottage, Nether Hallam, on 30 Nov 1852; she was probably buried with her infant twin children, Arthur (died Nov 1848) & Eliza (died Mar 1851), in Sheffield General Cemetery.
And John married 3rdly, at Portmahon Chapel, 27 Dec 1856, Ellen, widow of John BLAKE, Manufacturer in Sheffield, & daughter of John BARNETT, Coach Proprietor. She bore him 2 sons in Sheffield - Barnett & Arthur.

In Oct 1860, John was farewelled from Portmahon Chapel, after he had responded to an invitation from the Baptist Congregation at Rathmines, County Dublin. His son William Leese GILES had just been appointed to his first charge, at Abbey St, City of Dublin, & may have been instumental in his father's invitation.
In Dublin, John & his family resided at Latour Villa, Upper Rathgar Rd, Rathgar, Co Dublin (1862).
But his Irish sojourn was brief, as the Baptist Magazine of 1876 noted:
"From Sheffield he went to preside over a new church at Rathmines, Dublin, He was not long, however, in finding out that the community was so permeated with the spirit of Plymouth Brethrenism that his hopes of success would be in vain; accordingly, he resigned his charge & came up to London."

While in Dublin, their young son Barnett died, aged 3; and another son Frank was born. Unfortunately, the 1861 Census returns for Dublin do not survive.

John secured an appointment to supply "the endowed chapel on Clapham Common," where he ministered for the last 13 years of his life. The family resided at 1 Wentworth Terrace, Fitzwilliam Rd, Clapham, where, in the 1871 Census, he was enumerated as Baptist Minister, aged 65, with 3rd wife Ellen, aged 46, born Warwick, & sons Arthur (11) & Frank (9), both scholars, & son Edwin (5), with a servant named Mary WHITE.

[Rev John Eustace GILES in later life. Photo in the Colombo PIGOTT family album now in my possession.]

John Eustace GILES died at 37 Fitzwilliam Rd, Clapham, on 24 Jun 1875. The Baptist Magazine of 1876 has the final word, noting that he died:
"...after a long & painfull illness borne with much patience & submission. In his last moments he gave utterance to none of those rapturous expressions of joy & confidence which sometimes we find recorded in books as the last words of some; but his firm hope was in God's mercy, through Christ. He would hear of nothing that he had ever done as supplying any ground for comfort. All he could see in himself, he said, was sin, & his predominant feeling was one of amazement at God's wonderful mercy, & patience, & forbearance. At length he fell asleep without a groan or struggle..."

His remains were buried at West Norwood Cemetery, Norwood Rd, London SE 27, in grave no. 15747, sq. 26. There is no standing monument on the grave, in which he was, as of 2003, the sole burial.

John's will was proved in London on 14 Jul 1875, by his widow Ellen. He made bequests of a silver coffee-pot & cream jug to his daughter Annie PURCELL; Silver tea-pot & sugar basin, & her mother's portrait, to his daughter Ellen PIGOTT; Watch, seals & rings to his eldest son, John Eustace, Jr; Cabinet with polyglot bibles & other contents, to his 2nd son, Wiliam Leese; Encyclopaedia Britannica to his 3rd son Joseph Henry; Large writing desk to his 4th son, Arthur; Butter dish with silver cover, to his 5th son Frederick Goodwin; Treasury bible, to his 6th son Arthur; Bagsten's Comprehensive Bible & Johansen's Dictionary, to his 7th son Frank; & Pulpit presentation Bible, to his 8th son Edwin Barnett.

John Eustace GILES had issue by his 1st wife Anne Ledyard EVILL:
1. Annie Ledyard GILES, born London, 29 May 1831; married at the Baptist Chapel, Gate St, Manchester, 30 Jan 1854, John PURCELL, Gothic Carver, of 93 Red Bank, Manchester; they emigrated to America, & lived in Charlestown, Massachusetts (1870) & New Haven, Connecticut (1880); with issue - John E.W. PURCELL, marr Rose D.; Elizabeth PURCELL; Frederick PURCELL; Henry PURCELL; Arthur PURCELL, marr Lori, with daur Matthie; & William PURCELL.

By his 2nd wife, Anne LEESE, John had further issue:
2. John Eustace GILES, b London, 17 Sep 1833; residing at Wood Villa, Roundtown, Co Dublin, 1862-65; residing at Westcroft St, Droitwich, Worcestershire, 1881 Census; died there, Jun qtr 1893, aged 61.
3. William Leese GILES, b London, 27 Oct 1834; Baptist Minister; Abbey St Chapel, Dublin, 1861-62; Canon St Chapel, Birmingham,1863-72; moved to Greenwich, 1873-78; Minister of Chorley & Cloughfield, Lancs, 1879; went to America, & settled in East Longmeadow, Hampden County (1900), then Cummington, Hampshire County (1910, 1920), both in Massachusetts; died at Cummington, 20 Feb 1922; marr 1stly, London, 7 Aug 1861, Helen ELPHINSTONE (daur of John ELPHINSTONE of Regent St, London, Master Baker); she died at Whalley, Lancs, Dec qtr 1879; issue - Sarah Lilian GILES; Anne Louise GILES, marr Rev Thomas HINCKLEY of Winslow, Bucks, with issue; William Elphinstone GILES, marr Alice Louisa FINLAY, with issue; John Howard GILES, died an infant; Agnes Maude GILES, marr Aaron NEWMAN of New Jersey, with issue; Carolyne Edith GILES; Herbert Noel GILES, marr Lillian, with issue; Helen Constance GILES, marr Ephraim KLOTZ of New York; & Ethel GILES.
William marr 2ndly, Prestwich, Lancs, Jun qtr 1882, Mary Jane BROWN, with further issue - Amy E. GILES, b England, 1883; Frederick A. GILES, b New Jersey, 1889; Arthur S. GILES, b New York, Dec 1890; & Esther L. GILES, b New York, Jul 1893.
4. Maria GILES, b London, ca 1835; died ca 1836, aged 9 months.
5. Joseph Henry GILES, b Leeds, 17 Mar 1837; Medical Practitioner; went to America before 1873; resided in Sutter Creek, Amador County, California (1880, 1900); living Jan 1903, but probably died before 1905; marr Calaveras Co, CA, 23 May 1873, Mary Elizabeth SETTLES; with issue - Mary Lilian GILES, b CA, Feb 1874, marr Joseph Burr FLITCRAFT, with issue; Evie GILES, b Dec 1875, died an infant; Eustace H. GILES, b CA, Dec 1876, marr Lillian FRENCH, with issue; Garfield L. GILES, b CA, Sep 1881, died 1911; & Frederick William GILES, b CA, Jan 1888, marr Edwina E., with issue.
6. Ellen GILES, b North St, Leeds, 21 Mar 1839; married 1862, Henry Robert PIGOTT (see his separate posting on this blog-page), & went with him to Ceylon, then N.S.W.; with issue.
7. Alfred GILES, b Leeds, 11 Jul 1841; living 1875; prob marr Emily, & enumerated with her, 1871 Census, at 49 Male Rd, Nether Hallam, Sheffield, Brewer's Traveller.
8. Frederick Goodwin GILES, b Leeds, 24 Nov 1843; Engraver, 14 King's Place, Nether Hallam, Yorks, 1881 Census, with wife Harriett (aged 32) & daur - Helen Mary Beatrice GILES (7).
9. Edwin GILES, b 17 Ashley St, Clifton, near Bristol, 13 Jul 1846; died at Clapham, Apr 1862, & buried on 16 Apr at Battersea Rise Cemetery, grave #33o, aged 15.
10. Arthur GILES, b Sheffield, 23 Jun 1848, a twin; died 5 Nov 1848, & buried Sheffield General Cemetery, aged 4 months (Grave G18, Reg. 2829).
11. Eliza GILES, b Sheffield, 23 Jun 1848, the other twin; died 8 Mar 1851, & buried with her twin brother, aged 2 years (same grave, Reg. 3576).

By his 3rd wife, Ellen BLAKE alias BARNETT, who as a widow went to N.S.W. with several of her sons, John had further issue:
12. Barnett GILES, b Sheffield, 6 Mar 1858; died at Rathminmes, 18 Oct 1861, & buried Mt Jerome Cemetery, Rathfarnham.
13. Arthur GILES, b Sheffield, 8 Sep 1859; B.A. in Mathematics, Cambridge University; School Master at Furze Hill, The Wick, Hove, Sussex, 1881 Census; emigrated to N.S.W. in 1881, where he taught at Sydney Grammar School, becoming head of the Junior School; died 1939; marr Ann Minna McKELLAR of Bungendore, with issue - John McKellar GILES; Arthur McKellar GILES, 4th Battalion, 1st A.I.F., & killed at Gallipoli; & Marjory McKellar GILES, wife of Wallace CHISHOLM, then of Norman PRENDERGAST.
14. Francis GILES (Frank), b Rathmines, Co Dublin, 28 Jun 1861; Draper's Assistant, Messrs TARN's Establishment, Newington, Surrey, 1881 Census; went to N.S.W with his widowed mother, but later returned to England; Accountant's Clerk, 1901 Census, with cousin Agnes WITHINGTON, at the Rectory, Great Ayton, Yorks.
15. Edwin Barnett GILES, b Clapham, 9 May 1865; went to N.S.W. with his widowed mother, 1883; married Edith Bridson HARDIE, with issue - a son Merton B. GILES.
___________________________________________________________________

John Eustace GILES was my great-great-grandfather.