Laurence Butler's death notice in ‘The Sydney Gazette’ in December 1820, and his gravestone stating his age as 70 years, indicates a birth circa 1750. However, there are no records of Laurence Butler’s birth in Co. Wexford. Checking the Catholic Parish Records for Wexford Town (the only parish dating back that far) between 1745-1760 found no records of the birth/baptism of Laurence Butler, although there are gaps in the records held for Wexford Town. Nor are there any records of his wife Catherine Butler’s death c.1815-1817, or records of any births or baptisms of children to Laurence and Catherine Butler. At the time of the Rebellion, Laurence was living in Ferns, however Ferns RC Parish records did not begin until 1810 and Enniscorthy Parish baptism and marriage records began in 1794
Catholic Parish Priests in Ferns in the 18th Century
During this period of the Penal Laws, the building that served as a Catholic mass house for Ferns and probably made of mud daub and thatch, was located at Newtown which is about half a mile up Upper Main Street, Ferns.
There were several known parish priests in the Ferns area during the 18th century. According to RC parish records (NLI, RC Parish Records, Microfilm 04254/09), two lists of parish priests of St Aidens/Eden's Ferns have the following information, however, the period before Rev. Cassin's appointment in 1762 appears to be uncertain, particularly the years of service in the period of the Penal laws and the subsequent undercover lifestyles of priests who were banned from performing Catholic Rites in their community, and risked outlawry and banishment by doing so.
Also, information from Christopher Power in his book ‘A History of Ferns’ (Wexford self-pub. 2010); and, Rev. John Gahan, ‘The Secular Priests of the Diocese of Ferns Covering the Years 1640 to 2000 [containing lists of priests who served in each parish, with short biographical notes]’ (pub. France, 2001) have the following:
In 1728, Rev. Daniel Doyle, parish priest of Ferns and Kilbride, secured an agreement from the local Ferns landlord, Richard Donovan, to have a 'mass rock', provided it was outside of Ferns and he would not allow any popish priest to live in Ferns village, so they built it two miles south at Crory. He served until September 1739.
Rev. Nicholas Lovelock was a student at the Irish College at Salamanca, and when he returned, an old barn at Newtown was acquired as a mass station (about half a mile outside Ferns village). He served about 1738.
Rev. Michael Cannon then became parish priest of St Aidens Ferns in about 1738 until about 1741, and was accused of trying to enlist men to fight for Bonnie Prince Charlie in the Jacobite uprising of 1745. This probably was the end of his tenure.
Rev. McKeon was appointed about 1753 and died 1760. The records of Cannon and McKeon appear to be uncertain, particularly dates of service.
Notably there appears to have been a gap between Rev. Cannon in 1745 and the appointment of Rev. McKeon in 1753, which is the period in which Laurence Butler was born, if born in the Ferns area.
Rev. Dr. Andrew Cassin became parish priest from 1762 to 1786, living at Effernogue and carrying out his pastoral duties from the Catholic mass house at Newtown (according to Power). Rebel leader Fr John Murphy was educated in a hedge school by Dr Cassin who had a great influence on him. As seminaries were forbidden by the penal laws, students for the priesthood were ordained before they went to study at colleges in continental Europe. John Murphy was ordained by Bishop Sweetman before leaving to study at a Dominican college in Seville in 1780, returning to be appointed Parish Priest of nearby Boolavogue.
Dr. Cassin was succeeded in 1786 by his nephew Rev. Edward Redmond (Ned) who has been previously described for his role in the rebellion, and had been appointed as Curate (at Newtown chapel) in 1777 (also famous for his role in rescuing a drowning Napoleon in France during his student years).
The chapel at Newtown was burned down by yeomen on the 18 November 1798. Local Catholics rebuilt the chapel in 1824 despite the local landlord doing all in his power to prevent it. It was only about 100 metres from the house of the ‘Butlers of Newtown, Ferns’- see Chapter 23 of this blog.
Baptisms in other counties
Catholic baptism records in County Wexford for parishes outside Wexford Town do not exist pre-1800 (Enniscorthy 1794), and in fact, Catholic records pre-1800 are rare in Ireland due to restrictions placed on the activities of the Catholic church through the Penal laws.
However, three Catholic parish baptism records in other counties do exist for a Laurence Butler b.c.1749-50, that cannot be discounted, but also cannot be positively attributed to Laurence, and in fact, are unlikely:
1.Killenaule RC Parish, Tipperary
(note, RC baptism records for Killenaule Parish start in 1743, so,
unknown if there were earlier issue)
Parents: John
Butler and
Joanna Mackay
-Laurence Butler, bap. 10 June 1749
-Michael Butler, bap. June 1743
-Maria/Mary Butler, bap. 9 Oct 1744
-? Tobias Butler, bap Killenaule 1750- unknown parents- unreadable
record
(May be related to John Butler of
Ballinakill, Queens Co. died 1771, who left a Will (Butler
Testamentary Records, BTR 231), whose estate included land at Killenaule
held from Edmund Butler- see details later in this blog).
There is no evidence of a link with our Laurence Butler.
2.Diocese
of Dublin, St Catherine’s RC:
A) Laurence and
James Butler, bap. 11 Aug 1749 to Thomas and Elinor Butler,
sponsor James Butler (probably the James named as father in the
following record, indicating a close relationship, possibly brothers.) Either
Laurence and James were twins, or the parents brought them to Dublin from
elsewhere to baptize their two sons, in which case they were possibly older.
B) Laurance Butler, bap.1 Nov 1750 to James and
Mary Butler,
sponsors John Fitzgerald and Francis Cosgrave
James
and Mary Butler, had the following children baptised at St Catherine’s,
indicating residence in Dublin:
1.Mary,
bap. 18 Sept 1748
2.Rebecca,
bap. 26 Nov 1749
3.Laurance,
bap. 1 Nov 1750
4.James,
bap. 12 April 1752 (NB. another record has birth place ‘Eustace Street
Presbyterian Dublin’?)
5.Marian,
bap. 2 May 1756.
As the name Laurence was chosen by both James and Thomas Butler for their eldest sons, it may indicate their father was also named Laurence. However, as these paternal names in the Dublin records, viz. James and Thomas, are not featured in Laurence’s Australian male descendants, it is unlikely these records relate to him.
The name of ‘Laurence’
The name of Laurence appears to have been a fairly common name in other Wexford families at that time, and in the preceding centuries. As there are few records of the name Laurence in the Butler families of County Wexford, mostly in Wexford Town (see details later), it is also possible that Laurence's name came from his maternal grandfather.
Records for Butlers in Ireland named Laurence pre-1800 are few
and far between as this was not a common Butler name in Ireland, although this appears to have changed
in the mid to late 1800s when quite a few Butlers of that name appear in Co.
Wexford, both north and south, as well as in Counties Kilkenny and Tipperary.
NB. There are no Butlers named ‘Laurence’ in the Butler Testamentary Records, collected by Fr W. Clare
Michael Hayes’ relationship with Laurence Butler in
Wexford and in Sydney
Michael Hayes’ letters (that were preserved) were written in 1799, 1802, 1812, 1814, 1816, 1817, 1818 and 1825. He mentioned Laurence to various members of his family, (viz. his stepmother, sister Mary, brothers Richard and Patrick), in 1802, 1812, 1814 and 1817, which appears to indicate that Laurence and his wife Catherine were well known to the Hayes family. Notably, Michael did not refer to Laurence in his letter of 1818, after the death of his Irish wife Catherine and subsequent marriage to Ann Roberts. This would seem to imply that Michael’s Wexford family’s particular interest was in Catherine Butler, rather than Laurence.
Michael’s father Richard
Hayes was a maltster and grocer in Wexford Town.
After the death of Michael’s mother when he was a young teenager, Richard Hayes remarried to Mary Broe in 1782, whom Michael
addressed as “Dearest Mother” in his letters. The three siblings to whom he wrote, Mary, Patrick and Richard
Hayes were children of Richard and wife Mary Broe, and Michael obviously had a very close relationship with them,
despite a large age gap of 15-20 years between them.
Michael, born in 1767,
was 17 years younger than Laurence.
It is possible the close link between the Hayes family and the Butlers was through the Broe family, which will be explained further on.
In the letters, Michael wrote:
Written
2 November 1802, to sister Mary Hayes:
“Inform Catherine Butler that her husband is
perfectly well. He is employed under Government. His trade is very good but
where sobriety is attached.”
Written shortly after Laurence’s arrival on 30th
October- this reference to Laurence is a postscript on the end of the letter
and was probably written well after the date on the letterhead which was only
three days after Laurence’s arrival in Sydney, for Hayes to have made such a
comment about Laurence’s trade being good.
It
also implied that Laurence was tending to drink to excess, probably to drown
his sorrows at this dramatic change to his life.
The
important reveal is the name of Laurence’s wife- Catherine.
Written 25 Nov 1812, to brother Richard Hayes:
“Inform Lau Butler’s
wife that I made an application to him to forward some money. His reply was he
could not now, but at another time he would send her £20 or more. He has five
men employed but is badly paid. He is not yet free. Remember me to her.”
This was the period when
payment was made by barter and Promissory Notes, a form of IOU that could be
traded. Trading and collecting payment on Promissory Notes, was obviously
difficult. With so many customers paying with Promissory Notes, it would have been
difficult converting those into sterling through the government office to send
back home.
Laurence was ‘not yet free’ as he did not receive his Conditional Pardon until the following year, on 25th January 1813, but, even then, he was unable to return to Ireland. The comment referring to Laurence’s wife Catherine, “Remember me to her” indicates she was well known to Michael before the Rebellion.
Written 20 May 1814, to brother Patrick Hayes:
“Inform them that L.
Butler is well; he has a family. I done all in my power to make him send
support to his wife in Wexford. He might if he was well disposed.”
The comment “Inform them that L. Butler is well; he has a family”, is obviously not directed to his wife, but does indicate that the Hayes family were in contact with Laurence’s Butler family. That also implies that his family lived close by, probably in Wexford Town or nearabout.
Written
4 April 1817, to his mother, Mary Broe (viz. stepmother):
“Laurence
Butler I frequently urged to send Ten or twenty pounds to his wife. He shuffles
off by excuses. He is certainly encumbered with debts. He has three children by
his housekeeper.”
In 1817, Laurence’s application for a special marriage licence in Sydney on 30th June stated that he was a "widower", so it is probable he had just received word that Catherine had died, applying for a special licence and marrying ‘his housekeeper’ Ann Roberts a day later on 1st July, on the same day they baptised their daughter who was born 1st June. Michael Hayes had written home in April 1817 and mentioned urging Laurence to send money to Catherine again, so they didn’t know of her death then. Letters from Wexford would have taken 4-6 months, if it was a direct route, and must have arrived between April and 30 June.
As it would appear from the letters that Michael Hayes’ family knew Catherine Butler and had contact with her, it indicates that Catherine no longer resided in Ferns. Ferns suffered great destruction during and after the rebellion, and as their house was possibly confiscated following his conviction, destroyed during the rampage, or it was leased, and Catherine having lost her provider, she may have moved to Wexford Town where Michael Hayes’s family also resided. As she would have been aged in her fifties or sixties, she possibly resided with one of their children, or with family until her death in late 1816 to early 1817.
Significantly,
Laurence is the only one of Michael’s Wexford friends whom he regularly
up-dated the family on.
However, the tone of Michael’s comments about Laurence, to his siblings and his stepmother, were quite personal and somewhat critical, indicating a very close relationship between the two families, or even a possible blood relationship. If he was just an acquaintance, his family would not have been interested in Laurence’s personal life in the colony, and nor would Michael have casually gossiped about him and been critical of him for not supporting his wife financially, especially 15 years after Laurence had been transported.
And, of all his acquaintances in Sydney, including several from Wexford (such as Miles Leary, William Davis or James Dempsey) , in his Will of 1820, Laurence chose Michael as his first witness, his long-term neighbour and friend John Connell as his second witness, and another convict and teacher from Wexford Town named Isaac Woods as the third. As, traditionally, witnesses to Wills are often relatives, it is another indication of a close relationship between Michael and Laurence.
The Broe link
One wonders if there was a close family link between the Butlers, the Hayes and the Broes, which could explain the close relationship between Michael Hayes’ family in Wexford and Laurence Butler’s family in Wexford, as evidenced by the intimate references to Laurence’s family in Michael’s letters.
This link between the Broe family and a Butler family in Wexford Town is sourced from the Catholic Parish Records of Wexford Town, which began in 1671, but there are many gaps in the records between 1671 and 1835.
David
Broe (b.1725) sponsored the child of Richard
Butler (b.1729 to Walter Butler of Wexford Town) and Mary
Kelly.
Walter
Butler sponsored the baptism of David
Broe’s daughter Margaret in 1775.
Mary
Butler witnessed Elizabeth Broe’s marriage to Henry Hughes (1785) and her first child’s baptism (1786)- probably ‘Mary’ (b.1760) dau. of
Richard Butler.
Elizabeth’s
marriage was also sponsored by Richard Hayes and her first
child’s baptism by Michael Hayes.
David
Broe also had a daughter named Catherine Broe, born 1761, sister to Mary Broe, Michael Hayes’ stepmother who was born in 1756.
Could this Catherine Broe be Laurence’s wife named Catherine?
This connection would certainly explain why Michael was frequently pressing Laurence to send money to his wife and telling his family that he had done so, which would be of little interest to them unless they were related. And the reason why Michael, who was considerably younger than Laurence, was chosen as the first witness to his Will. If this relationship was a casual one between the Hayes family and Laurence, why would Michael’s family be remotely interested in Laurence’s personal life and family in Sydney for fifteen years, and the financial position of his wife Catherine?
The Broe family's links with the Wexford Town Butlers
David
Broe, b.1725 Wexford Town, and his daughter Elizabeth,
appear to have had a close relationship with a group of Butlers living in
Wexford Town. Although there are no records of a baptism of a Laurence Butler
c.1750 in Wexford Town, this line of Butlers date back to the mid-to-late
1600’s and feature the name 'Laurence'. Richard Butler (linked with David Broe above) was the son of
Walter Butler.
Walter Butler b.1700 had brothers, Laurence Butler b.1708, Patrick Butler b.1704 and William Butler b.1698, in Wexford Town, sons of John Butler and Mary Furlong.
Walter
Butler had sons, John b.1725 and Richard b.1729. He also appears to have
sponsored David Broe’s daughter Margaret’s baptism, as well as brother
Laurence Butler’s son John.
Walter
Butler’s brother Laurence and his wife witnessed Walter’s son John’s marriage
and sponsored two of his children; Laurence and his wife also sponsored two of
Richard Butler’s children, along with David Broe.
So,
these families were closely connected.
Laurence
Butler (b.1708) only had one recorded son, John in 1733, sponsored by brother
Walter Butler- no other records found.
Laurence
also sponsored a baptism along with his brother Patrick Butler in 1749- no
other records of this Patrick, so he may have lived outside Wexford Town.
The Butlers of Wexford Town- Catholic Parish Records 1687 to 1787
We can look at the Catholic Parish records for Butlers in Wexford Town.
The
only Catholic Parish in County Wexford that held records during the 18th
century and earlier, is the Parish of Wexford (Town) which started in 1671,
with several gaps in the records. There are no death records.
Enniscorthy RC records begin in 1794 and Ferns in 1810, too late for our purposes.
Baptisms Wexford Town: 1671-1685; 13 Dec 1686 to Jan 1689; 13 Jan 1694 to
19 Mar 1710;
Notably,
no baptisms recorded between 1710 and 1722.
Feb 1722 to Aug 1787 (baptisms unrecorded Aug 1736 to Sept 1737 due to priest appointment changeover gap); 1815 to 1838 (NB. a long gap in the pre-rebellion to post-rebellion years, viz. 1787 to 1815)
Marriages: 1671-1685; April 1724-Dec 1822 (with some gaps)
These baptism and marriage records were probably performed at the church of the Franciscan Friary, the only church in Wexford to remain open during the penal times of the 18th century. (https://www.franciscans.ie/our-friaries/former-friaries/leinster/wexford-wexford-town/ )
Originally founded in 1265, the friary was suppressed
during the Reformation in the 16th century when the friars went into
hiding. They built a thatched chapel in 1620 in High Street, but seven members
were killed during the Cromwellian invasion. The community returned in 1660 and
the chapel re-opened in 1673. A new church was built on the old medieval site
in 1690. The present friary was built in 1803, the church closing in 1987 due
to the discovery of dry-rot.
The rebuilding of churches that had been abandoned and fallen into ruin and construction of new churches in Wexford did not get underway until the mid-19th century, sometime after the passing of the Roman Catholic Relief Act 1829 when Catholics won some freedom of religion under British rule.
It is thought that Michael Hayes was most likely educated by the Franciscan priests in Wexford Town. In his letters, he asked to be remembered to the old friars there and held them in high esteem as educators, describing his younger brothers as having received a ‘liberal education’ there. Therefore, no doubt this friary was the source of the education of many of Wexford’s prosperous families.
The following are baptism and marriage (and sponsorship) records
of Butlers from this parish- notably, the names of Laurence, Walter and Patrick
feature.
A
genealogical summary of the above relevant records, with possibly relevant
Butlers:
Richard Butler- 1673
John Butler- 1686, 1690, 1703
George Butler- 1700
Walter Butler- 1705 (sponsor to John Stafford and Anglas Butler's child)
Thomas Butler- 1708
BAPTISMS OF BUTLERS 1687 TO 1710
Catharin Butler b.1687 to Thomas
Butler and Margaret
Gillegan (? sister to John Butler’s first wife, Mary Gilligan)
James Butler b.1709
illeg. to Catherine Butler and ‘James’ unknown (Catherine probably dau. of Thomas Butler, above)
JOHN BUTLER
m.1. Mary
Gilligan (issue unknown)- sister to Thomas Butler’s wife?
m.2 Mary
Furlong c.1696
Issue
1. William
b.1696; m. Mary Roe- issue John b.1730- only child recorded
(William sponsor to a baptism in 1727)
2. Mary b.1699
3. Walter b.1700 m. Mary Welsh (see
below)
4. Nicholas
b.1701 (no further records)
5. Patrick b.1704 (witness to a marriage
in 1749 with Laurence Butler; no further records)
6. Sara b.1706 (m. John Furlong)
7. Laurence b.1708 m. Catherine Welsh (probable sister
of Mary Welsh who married brother Walter) (see below)
NB.
NO RECORDS BETWEEN 1710 & 1722 (Probably due to the new Penal Laws)
Generation 2
WALTER BUTLER b.1700 (s/o John
Butler & Mary Furlong)
m. Mary Welsh
Issue:
1.John b.1725 (m.1751 Mary Devereux)
2.Richard b.1729 (m.1755 Mary Kelly)
3.Mary b.1730 (m.1751 Patrick Connick)
4.Catherine b/d.1731
5.Catherine b.1734
Sponsor to baptisms:
Walter Butler:
1730 (with Catherine Welsh, [future wife of Laurence]- sponsor for dau. of
sister Sara Butler and John Furlong);1733 (with Mary Roe [wife of brother
William Butler]- for son of Lau. Butler & Cath Welsh); 1733; 1736; 1741
(for Eleanor Butler & J. Herring);
Mary Welsh (wife): 1727
(for James Cleary and Catherine Butler); 1759 (with Lau Butler- for dau. of
her son John Butler and Mary Devereux)
LAURENCE BUTLER b.1708
(s/o John Butler & Mary Furlong)-
m. Catarine
Welsh/Walsh
issue: 1.John b.1733 (sponsor Walter Butler
and Mary Roe, wife of William Butler)
(? Other children
baptised elsewhere?)
Sponsors to Baptisms:
Laurence Butler- in 1734; 1736; 1744; 1750 (for
Devereux); 1751; 1753 (with wife Catherine Welsh); 1758; 1759 (with Mary Welsh,
wife of Walter Butler); 1759; 1760
Catherine Welsh/Walsh (wife)- 1730
(with Walter Butler- for Jn Furlong & Sara Butler); 1750 (with Richard
Butler-
for Devereux); 1751 (for dau. of John Butler and Mary Devereux); 1753 (with husband Lau
Butler); 1756 for dau. of Richard Butler & Mary Kelly)
Witness to Marriages:
Laurence Butler- in 1749 (with Patrick Butler his
brother); 1751 (with William Devereux
for marriage of John Butler to Mary
Devereux); 1751 (for marr. of Mary Butler to Patrick
Connick); 1760 (with Catherine Butler)- probably Mary and Catherine were
daughters of Walter Butler; and in 1764
Generation 3
JOHN BUTLER (1st
son of Walter Butler and Mary Welsh)
m.1751 Mary
Devereux (witnesses Laurence Butler and William Devereux)
Issue:
1.Mary b/d.1751
(sponsor Laurence Butler’s wife Catherine Welsh)
2.Walter
b/d.1753 (sponsor, brother Richard Butler b.1729)
3.Margaret
b.1755 (sponsor Cath Butler, John’s sister)
4.Walter
b.1758
5.Mary
b.1759 (sponsor Laurence Butler and Mary Welsh [wife of Walter Butler])
RICHARD BUTLER (2nd son of Walter Butler and Mary Welsh)
m. 1755 Mary
Kelly
Issue:
1.Margaret
b.1756 (sponsor Cath.
Welsh, wife of Laurence Butler)
2.Walter
b.1758 (sponsor Laurence Butler)
3.Mary
b.1760 (sponsor Mary
Devereux, wife of brother John)
4.James
b.1762 (sponsor David Broe [see before])
5.Mary
b.1764
6.Eleanor
b.1767
Conclusion to the above
From the above baptism and marriage records, one can see the strong links between brothers Walter Butler and Laurence Butler, both sons of John Butler and Mary Furlong, and whose wives were probably sisters named Welsh. They are also closely connected with the third generation of John Butler and Richard Butler, as seen by their chosen sponsors and witnesses.
Whether David Broe was connected to this family of Butlers by marriage, or was just a close friend chosen to sponsor Richard Butler’s child, and in return, two Butlers sponsoring Broe baptisms and a marriage, will remain unresolved.
It is unusual that Laurence Butler (b.1708) has only one recorded child by his wife Catherine Welsh in the Parish Registers born in 1733. It poses the question as to why- was she damaged giving birth and unable to carry further children? Or, were further children baptised outside Wexford Town in neighbouring parishes, the records of which have not survived? However, as Laurence was sponsoring several baptisms up until 1764 and his wife until 1753 suggests they lived locally. It is also notable that there would be a long gap between the birth of their first son in 1733, and a possible birth in 1750.
There is also the strong possibility that our Laurence could be the son or grandson of Walter and Laurence’s brother Patrick b.1704, given the name of our Laurence’s third son. Laurence and Patrick witnessed a wedding together in 1749, but no further records of Patrick, so possibly left Wexford Town to live elsewhere in the county, maybe in one of the adjoining parishes where the records have not survived.
All pure speculation, but given
Laurence’s close relationship with Michael Hayes and his family,
possibly through Catherine Broe, and the obviously close relationship
between Michael’s stepmother Mary Broe, and her father and two sisters
relationship with this particular family of Butlers in Wexford Town, the
possibility must remain that this line of Butlers may be Laurence’s ancestry.
Taking into account that our Laurence named his first son Walter, his second son Laurence, his third son George Patrick (George probably after wife Ann’s father, so possibly Patrick after his own father or close relation), presumably the names were chosen because of family significance.
From these relationships, although purely speculation, one could come to the conclusion that Laurence most likely originated from Wexford Town, and married Catherine Broe, and then was employed to do the carpentry and cabinetry for the Bishop’s Palace in Ferns that began building in 1785, and built a business there using local timber.
Irish Naming Traditions
The
Irish favoured a precise convention for naming their children from the late
1700’s onwards. Whether Laurence followed this tradition is speculation. It
also depended on whether he had sons by his Irish wife Catherine. It also depended on whether residents of County
Wexford had adopted the recent naming tradition.
But
even before this tradition became established, Catholics did choose names in
honour of close relatives for their children.
Irish
Naming Traditions:
1st son named after the
paternal grandfather (his father's father);
2nd son after the maternal
grandfather (his mother's father);
3rd son after his father;
4th son after his eldest
paternal uncle (his father's eldest brother)
1st
daughter named after the maternal grandmother (her mother's mother);
2nd
daughter after the paternal grandmother (her father's mother);
3rd
daughter after her mother;
4th
daughter after her mother's eldest sister; and so on in that order.
As Laurence
probably had children by his Irish wife Catherine, his children, possibly born in Ferns, may have
descendants who lived and possibly continued to live in Co. Wexford, and
possibly in the vicinity of Ferns or Enniscorthy. However, if he originally
lived and married in or near Wexford Town, his children may have returned to
that town or its vicinity, to live.
The difficulty is establishing which Butler family living in Wexford Town in that period of time could possibly be his family. As there is no record of Laurence’s birth/baptism, establishing his ancestry is, once again, speculation. All we can use are the names he chose for his children in Sydney, taking note of the Irish naming system, and taking into account, he may have had sons in Wexford with Catherine.
In 1810,
there was a notice in the ‘Sydney
Gazette’ for Laurence to
collect a letter from the Post Master. This may have been from his family. (The letter was one of a number of letters for Wexford rebels (John Brenan and William Davis), carried on the convict ship ‘Canada’, bringing 122 female prisoners from England.)
The significance of Laurence's chosen names for his children in determining Laurence’s ancestry
As Irish families chose names that related closely to their family ancestry, we must look at Laurence’s choice of the name ‘Walter’ for his eldest Australian son, ‘Laurence’ for his second son, and 'George Patrick' for his third son, and whether it is a strong clue to Laurence’s Wexford ancestry.
As Laurence’s first two sons had different mothers, the traditional Irish naming pattern may have been changed, or not followed. Laurence’s first de-facto, Mary Ann Fowles was the probable mother of Walter, and Laurence’s wife Ann Roberts was the mother of Laurence Jnr and George Patrick, and two daughters, Mary Ann and Elizabeth.
His first
son, by Mary Ann Fowles, was named ‘Walter’- whether that name was
chosen by Laurence, and was of significance to his family, or whether he was
named after Mary Ann’s father, is unknown.
His
children by Ann Roberts were named:
1.Laurence-
after himself or maybe his father
2.George Patrick- this child had two baptism records- the first, he was just named Patrick on 15 March 1815 on the day he was born, possibly not expected to live, baptised by Rev. Cowper; in the second baptism, 2 April 1815, he was given two names, George Patrick.
He is the only son to receive two names. The name George may have been after Ann Robert’s father, although the name ‘George’ is also found in Wexford Butlers.
The name Patrick (a name particularly associated with Ireland, due
to St Patrick, Patron Saint of Ireland) could be just named in honour of St
Patrick, or, could be the name of Laurence’s father, or another close relative.
Example:
Laurence’s son Walter named his second son Thomas Laurence after his wife’s father Thomas and Walter’s father Laurence, combining
the two names.
The two
daughters were named:
1.Mary
Ann - Ann, after her mother Ann Roberts, Mary possibly after Laurence’s mother or sister (possibly the Mary Butler featured in the Broe baptism records), or Ann Robert’s
mother;
2.Elizabeth
- also possibly after Laurence or Ann’s mother.
Ferns Castle (Photo credit- Instagram/ @fireyfox)
In 1553, when the Catholic Queen Mary’s marriage alliance with Prince Philip of Spain was being arranged and negotiated, Mountgarret was appointed as an ambassador to Spain, and he and his nephew Thomas 10th Earl of Ormond received rich rewards for their services to the Queen. Ormond would go on to become one of Queen Elizabeth’s closest confidents.
Each
generation of this Butler family played a prominent role in the politics of the
county and the country, in particular during the Catholic Confederation
Rebellion of the 1640’s.
The Butlers of Munphin in the northern Barony of Scarawalsh in Co. Wexford, a Mountgarret line, came to prominence during the extraordinary and tumultuous times of the mid seventeenth to early eighteenth centuries, when Britain and Ireland experienced civil war and rebellion, the regicide of Charles I, the reign of six monarchs, the interregnum of Cromwell, and the end of the reign of the House of Stuart, all in the space of seventy years. It was a time when Britain was heavily involved in wars on its own soil and on the Continent. Loyalties and alliances changed quickly with each change of monarch. Those who remained loyal to one political faction soon found themselves ostracized from the political power base, arrested, thrown in the Tower, or living in exile. The turmoil experienced was largely due to the intolerance of Protestants towards Roman Catholics and their fear of the resurgence of Popery, and this was particularly felt in the predominantly Catholic Ireland. The defeat of Catholic James II in 1691 at the Battle of the Boyne in Ireland resulted in the exile of tens of thousands of Irish Catholic men who gained fame in the armies of Europe as the Irish Brigade renowned for their courageous fighting abilities. They fought in the service of France and Spain, or in the Imperial army of the Holy Roman Emperor during the Continental wars of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. Successive monarchs and their parliaments introduced a series of repressive Penal Acts designed to crush Catholics by removing their rights, their land holdings, and all political power remaining in the hands of Catholics in Ireland. This was the period in history that witnessed the emergence of the ‘Jacobites’, supporters of James II and his son’s hereditary and ‘divine right’ to the throne of England, Scotland and Ireland, and their incessant plotting to achieve that aim. Following the death of James II in 1701, the Jacobites within England, Scotland and Ireland, collaborating with the exiled supporters on the Continent, persevered with their objective of returning the Stuart heirs back to their rightful place, to no avail. After several attempts, Charles Stuart (Bonnie Prince Charlie) led a rising in 1745 which was soundly defeated at the Battle of Culloden. In the coming decades the Irish Jacobite societies were absorbed into the Society of United Irishmen.
This family of Butlers living in County Wexford in particular is a prime example of the vagaries of living during this period, with the rise to prominence in the late 17th century of the Catholic patriarch, Col. Walter Butler Senior, his subsequent fall due to his faithful loyalty to his religion and his Catholic king, the consequences of those loyalties on the life of his only son and heir Walter Junior, and the family’s disappearance into obscurity within three generations.
Walter Butler of Munphin, in the Barony of Scarawalsh, County Wexford, Ireland, was a descendant of Richard Butler 1st Viscount Mountgarrett’s second son Pierce Butler of Kayer and Moneyhore, Co. Wexford:
Walter Butler of Munphin (c.1643-1717), son of Pierce Butler of Kayer and Moneyhore II (c.1600- c.1652), son of Edward Butler of Kayer and Moneyhore (1577-1628), son of Pierce Butler of Kayer/Cloghnageragh I (c.1535-1599), second son of Richard Butler 1st Viscount Mountgarret (c.1500-1571), second son of Piers 8th Earl of Ormond (c.1466-1539).
This Butler branch first settled in County Wexford when Richard Butler (cr. Viscount Mountgarret in 1550) was appointed constable of Ferns Castle in County Wexford in 1538. Apart from large grants of land in County Wexford around New Ross including Mountgarret Castle, Richard was granted the lands, near Enniscorthy, of the ‘Fassagh-Bentrie’ (Bantry): Davidstown to Glynn which included the manor of ‘Cloghnageragh’ or Kayer (now Wilton), which he presented to his second son Pierce in 1563 on the occasion of his marriage to Margaret, daughter of Sir Nicholas Devereux, one of the most distinguished men in County Wexford. Devereux’s son and heir, Nicholas, married Pierce Butler’s sister. Devereux and Mountgarret had joined in a commission of martial law for the territories of Fassagh-Bentrie and Le-Moroes country in northern Wexford.
On inheriting the lands of Kayer, Pierce Butler’s son and heir Edward rebuilt and restored the ancient castle and added a mansion house to it in 1599. He married Catherine Masterson, daughter and heiress of Sir Richard Masterson, Seneschal of Wexford and Constable of Ferns Castle (son and heir of the previous Seneschal of Wexford and Constable of Ferns Castle, the infamous Thomas Masterson, a Protestant planter from England, d.1590). Edward succeeded in increasing the extent of the Butler holdings by granting mortgages to the Irish landowners in ‘the Duffry’ in the Barony of Scarawalsh and foreclosing when they were unable to redeem the mortgages. Regarded as one of the principal citizens of Co. Wexford, Edward was described as ‘of Kayer and Moneyhore in the barony of Bantry Co. Wexford’. In 1628, these properties became the inheritance of Edward’s eldest son named Pierce. The ‘Visitation of Wexford’ in 1618 recorded the “Butlers of Clonekeragh, Barons of the Kaire Co. Wexford” as having the same Arms and Crest as the house of Ormonde.
Edward Butler’s son and heir Pierce Butler II of Kayer and Moneyhore played a key role during the Catholic Confederate Rebellion of 1641-1649 organised by disaffected Catholic landowners who formed an alternative government to the established English appointed Government in Dublin. A general assembly was formed at Kilkenny on 24 October 1642 with representatives from each of the four provinces of Leinster, Ulster, Munster and Connacht. The first elected president was the elderly and highly respected Richard Butler 3rd Viscount Mountgarrett, cousin to Pierce Butler of Kayer. Although continuing to recognise Charles I as head of state, they claimed the right to implement policies on matters directly affecting them, such as taxation, land ownership, and the right to be treated equally before the law irrespective of their Christian denomination.
Two Butlers from County Wexford were listed as members of the House of Commons, including on the “General assembly members with parliamentary experience” list, and on the list of “General assembly members with legal training”:
‘Piers Butler of Moneyhore, and Thomas Butler’
(Ref:Micheál O’Siochrú, Confederate Ireland 1642-1649, (Four Courts Press1999), 256-258 (Assembly lists- Bodlein, Carte. Mss 70 ff. 64-85)
Historian Philip Hore also gave a list of those from County Wexford who took the ‘Oath as Members of the Catholic Confederation of Kilkenny’ on 24 October 1642 including ‘Pierce Butler of Cayer and Thomas Butler of Ballinakill’ (several townlands named as such in Wexford).
(Ref: Philip Hore (ed), History of the Town and County of Wexford, (Elliot Stock, 62, Paternoster Row, E.C., London, 1900-1911; reprint 1978)- 6 volumes- (Compiled principally from the State Papers, The Public Records, and MSS. of the late Herbert F. Hore, Esq., of Pole Hore, in that County,v.5, 257 (taken from “one of the Rolls of the Confederation”.); Oath of Association: to be true to the King and the Roman Catholic religion and defend the country against all opposers.)
Numerous accusations were made in an inquest by several deponents against Pierce’s actions in County Wexford during this period.(Trinity College Dublin, 1641 Depositions, MS 818; Trinity College 1641 Depositions Project online: https://1641.tcd.ie/ )
From the beginning of the Confederacy, “Colonel Pierce Butler of Clough (ie. Clogh-na-Kayer) did contribute his person and the utmost of his ability in promoting the war against the English”. He held a seat in the General Assembly of the Confederate Parliament in Kilkenny from 1642, and sat on the Supreme Council for a season during 1646-47 when, as part of the more extreme clerical faction that briefly came into power, he was a signatory to several letters and orders issued by the Supreme Council to General Preston and other commanders. He was also a member of the Wexford County Council, Commissioner of Civil Causes, and Commissioner of Disposal of English and Protestant Estates in Co. Wexford, acting as commander-in-chief of the Wexford rebel forces fighting against the Protestant forces led by their Protestant relative, the Duke of Ormonde.
The Confederate and the Royalist armies combined forces against Cromwell’s invasion following the regicide of King Charles I, led by the Protestant Duke of Ormonde supported by his Catholic Butler relatives. After their defeat by Cromwell’s Army in 1649-50, Cromwell then introduced an Act whereby all lands held by Catholic landowners in the eastern provinces who supported the Confederacy were confiscated and assigned to Cromwellian adventurers and soldiers, while a policy of transplantation ‘across the Shannon’ to Connaught was implemented. According to Pierce’s son Edward, “Pierce, in 1652 refused to take back his estate from the Usurper on condition of acknowledging his authority, although lands were ordered to him by an ineffectual order ‘commonly called an intent’ by the Usurper.” (Calendar of State Papers Relating to Ireland (CSPI), Chas II, 1660-1662, p.263 and p.179 (SP Dom. Signet Office IV. 480-482)
However, by early 1653, Pierce Butler was either killed or died. Edward was given the order to transplant to Connaught on 17 December 1653 following an inquisition in February. The decree specified how many of his family and tenants were to transplant and what few possessions, stock and goods the transplantee could take (Philip Hore (ed), History of the Town and County of Wexford, (1910, reprint 1978), v.6, 502):
Edward Butler of Clough (Kayer), 17 Dec 1653, no. of persons 49 (a comparatively high number), 14 acres of Winter corn, 27 acres of Summer corn, 6 cows, 4 garron, 83 sheep, 2 goats, 38 swine.
Date of inquisition 14 Feb 1653.
In 1661, after the restoration of Charles II, Edward had a certificate from the King directing the Lords Justices to restore the estates which his father had owned in 1641, however, he had little benefit from these orders only reclaiming a small part of their former lands, at Moneyhore and Davidstown, only for his lifetime, not inheritable by his son Pierce. (Ref: CSPI, Chas II, 1660-1662, pp.263, 179 (SP Dom. Signet Office IV. 480-482); MS. Carte 33 fol 395- 11 May 1664 (Bodleian Library, Oxford))
Although Edward Butler succeeded in reclaiming a small portion of his inheritance, Walter Butler and his two other brothers, James and John, and his sister Katherine were deprived of their inheritances from their father Pierce Butler.
A petition to King Charles c.1664 by “Katherine fitzHenry alias Butler, James, John, and Walter, the younger children of Pierce Butler of Moneyhore Co. Wexford, deceased,” (CSPI, v. 22 (1625-1670)- P. ¾ Endd. S.P. Ireland, 346, 57) described their dire situation:
“Pierce Butler died in the Usurper’s time having lost his estate by the said Usurper. Pierce Butler’s eldest son Edward was certified as loyal by the Duke of Ormonde at the restoration, etc. Edward then petitioned the Lord Lieutenant to direct a hearing of the claim aforesaid and the Commissioners were ready to grant the petition, but they were occupied with other cases in the last days of their sittings and the petitioners’ claim was never heard. They are consequently in great poverty and the said estate possessed all by a very inconsiderable company of Anabaptists and Quakers, etc. It is contrary to all the rules of Christianity (that) petitioners should lose their estate without being heard, and they believe it is not your Majesty’s intention that they should be indirectly shuffled out of their right.”
Walter
Butler (Senior) married on 1 May 1668, Eleanor Lady Galmoy, the widow of Edward
Butler 2nd
Viscount Galmoy who died
intestate shortly after 24 October 1667. She was the daughter of Sir Nicholas
White of Leixlip Co. Kildare.
Eleanor,
born circa 1633, was about a decade older than her husband Walter. They had
only one child together, their son and heir also named Walter (Junior) born in
1674 (d.1725).
Lord
and Lady Galmoy had three issue: Pierce Butler 3rd
Viscount Galmoy (b.1652),
Richard Butler (b.1659), and
Margaret Butler, step-children to Walter Butler Snr, and (half) siblings to
Walter Butler Jnr.
Colonel
Walter Butler Snr, born between 1641 and 1645, played a significant role in the
Jacobite War of 1689-1691 in Ireland, the struggle for the crown between
Catholic James II and his Protestant son-in-law and daughter, William of Orange
and Mary who were offered the crown as joint sovereigns after King James was
deposed in 1688.
Irish Catholics flocked to support James who promised to reinstate their rights to religious freedom, complete legislative independence for Ireland, and full cancellation of the Cromwellian land resettlement. Gaining the support of his cousin the Catholic French King Louis XIV, early in 1689 James led a combined Franco/Irish army to gain control of Ireland and launch his bid to win back the English crown. Protestant garrisons in the northern provinces were placed under siege.
The Irish ‘Patriot Parliament’, the name given to the Irish Parliament called by James II in May 1689, declared the English Parliament incompetent to pass laws for Ireland. Walter Butler represented the County of Wexford as the Member of Parliament in this parliament. In 1690, Colonel Walter Butler was appointed Governor of the town and castle of Wexford, Lord Lieutenant and supervisor of the counties of Wexford, Carlow and Queen’s County.
William III and his army landed in Ireland in June 1690 to join his troops that had arrived the year before to relieve the Siege of Derry. William and James met at the Boyne on 1st /11th July, where their two armies fought a desperate battle with well-known results. James fled back to exile in France, his army continuing the fight for another year, being once again defeated at Aughrim in July 1691 (7,000 killed), and finally surrendering on 3 October 1691 under terms at Limerick.
The Treaty of Limerick was drafted (on the Jacobite side) by Walter’s close friend Sir Toby Butler (James II’s Solicitor-General). Walter’s stepson Lord Galmoy, as one of James II’s army commanders, was a signatory to the document.
Walter’s reputation in the Protestant community in Ireland appears to have been influenced by his stepson Lord Galmoy’s infamy as a cruel and heartless adversary during the Williamite war.
Myths were spread to heighten the fears of ordinary Protestant people against powerful local Catholic gentry, thereby justifying the curtailing of Catholic rights. One such myth was related in a 19th century publication, ‘The Book of Modern Irish Anecdotes: Humour, Wit, and Wisdom’ (Patrick Kennedy (ed), The Book of Modern Irish Anecdotes: Humour, Wit and Wisdom, London & New York, bef. 1872, 15 (digital version created by National Library of Scotland-http://digital.nls.uk/82549071, Accessed 20/4/14):
“Many were the acts of courtesy, mercy,
and forbearance exercised by the chiefs on both sides during the continuance of
the Williamite war. Some acts of a contrary character are on record, and among
the names distinguished for cruelty stands out distinctly that of the Jacobite
Lord Galmoy. In the north-west of Wexford, a tradition prevails that a brother
(sic) of this nobleman, Sir Walter Butler, owned the estate around Munfin
House, by the Slaney bank, about four miles below Bunclody. He was as unfeeling
as his brother (viz. stepson), and the following detestable act of his is still
related.
A poor woman and her son, a child of eight or nine years, were passing along the road near the fine old manor house just named, and the lad could not be kept from searching among the bushes and shrubs of the fence for birds’ nests, or some other things so attractive to boyish fancies. His mother being delayed longer than was agreeable to her, cried out, “Come along, you young thief! Maybe Sir Walter Butler will see you, and hang you up.” – “Very properly remarked,” said the unfeeling master, showing his face from behind one of the large trees. “If he is a thief, hanging is the only cure for him.”- “Oh, Sir, honey!” cried the affrighted mother, “I was only joking; the child is as honest as the sun.”- “So you say now to get him off, but that is not your real opinion; he was committing trespass on my property, and hanged he must be,” and unless the tradition is a lying one, hanged the poor child was, despite the despair and piercing shrieks of the wretched woman.”
In fact, Walter Butler claimed in a petition for a licence for his son to return to Ireland, that “by his own care and unwearied diligence he had preserved the Protestant Subjects of this Kingdom from being ruined in those distracted times”
After the defeat of James II and his Irish supporters at the Battle of the Boyne in 1690 and finally at Limerick in 1691, Walter Butler Senior was “adjudged within the Articles of the Treaty of Limerick”, whereby he qualified for amnesty under the terms of the treaty and was permitted to remain in Ireland, but to do so he must have taken the Oath of Allegiance under the terms of those Articles. However, his stepson Lord Galmoy, as one of James II’s commanders, was exiled to France under the terms of the treaty, and placed under attainder in Ireland, with all his vast estates confiscated under the Forfeiture Act. Galmoy would be appointed Gentleman of the Bedchamber to James II in exile in France, and would marry the illegitimate daughter of James II and Arabella Churchill. He fought for France, with his own Irish regiment, and rose to the rank of General. (Ref: Barbara Butler, The Final Chapter in the House of Galmoy, Journal of the Butler Society 2015-2016, v.5, No.4, 686-768)
Following the Forfeitures Act, Walter fought valiantly but unsuccessfully for compensation for the loss of Galmoy’s estates to the Crown, by petitioning the Irish and English parliaments. These estates had been signed over to Walter by Deed and he complained of being encumbered by debts.
Walter Butler
Senior of Munphin died 28 September 1717, aged in his
mid-seventies. His Will, dated the day before his demise, and probated on 13
November 1717, named his son and daughter-in-law as “Colonel Walter, and Mary”.
Walter had spent many years of his life fighting for justice for his attainted
son Walter Junior and stepson Pierce Lord Galmoy, as well as his own financial
interests which were devastated by the Forfeitures Act and the Penal Laws
introduced following the defeat of James II to crush the influence and
affluence of all Catholics once and for all. What remained of his once
considerable property interests in the counties of Wexford, Kilkenny, and
Carlow, were sold by his executors after his death to pay his debts.
Col. Walter Butler Junior
Following the
defeat of James II and his subsequent flight back to France, Colonel Walter
Butler Senior Governor of Wexford Castle had posted
after him, leaving Captain Kelly in command of the castle.
The 'London Gazette', Monday July 14 1690,
reported:
“The town of Wexford has declared for H.M. (William III) and the manner was thus, Colonel Butler, Lord Lieut. of the whole County, hearing that the late King James was gone by on Wednesday last, he posted after him, and from Duncannon wrote for his (Colonel Butler’s) son to come to him and to follow the late King into France.”
Walter Butler Junior left Ireland for France when he was just 14 or 15 years of age and was thereby outlawed. He would fight in the service of France until at least the peace treaty in September 1697, possibly serving in his brother Lord Galmoy’s regiment in the service of France. His half-brother Col. Richard Butler served in James II’s personal guard at the palace of St Germain-en-Laye, granted by Louis XIV to James II following his exile.
The signing of the treaty of Ryswick in September 1697 ended the ‘Nine Years War’ between France and the Grand Alliance including Britain, with 8000 Irish officers and men dismissed from service. They were unable to return to Ireland due to their attainders, and many were living in a state of poverty.
Chateau
de St. Germain-en-Laye
(With
permission from Archives départementales des Yvelines, France)
Walter and his half-brothers, Galmoy and his brother Richard Butler, were listed as outlawed persons and subject to arrest for treason:
“List
2: A list of the severall persons who stand indicted and outlawed in
the court of king's bench Ireland for high treason by them severally committed
against their majesties King William and Queen Mary in the Kingdom of Ireland
since their happy accession to the crown.
Folio
34v- Co. Wexford- Walter Butler jun. Mountsfin, esq.;
Pierce, Viscount Galway [Galmoy] Grange;
Folio 26- Co. Kilkenny- Peirce Viscount Galmoy Kilkenny City; Richard Butler Lowgrange, esq.
List
3: A list
of the several persons who stand indicted and outlawed for high treason by them
severally committed in parts beyond the seas against his majesty and her
majesty since their accession to the crown.
Folio 68- Co. Wexford- Walter Butler jun. Mountphin, gent.
Folio 67v- Co. Kilkenny- Peirce Viscount Gallmoy; Richard Butler, Lowgrange, esq.”
In 1700, Walter’s father began a campaign to petition for permission for his only son and heir to return to Wexford. His plea fell on deaf ears, and Walter Junior, unable to return to Ireland and unable to support himself on the Continent without employment, claimed he “repaired to his kinsman”, Francis Taaffe, 3rd Earl of Carlingford, who was in the service of the Duke of Lorraine as Chancellor of State and Cabinet, chief minister and commander-in-chief of Lorraine’s army allied with the Imperial Army of the Holy Roman Emperor Leopold I, fighting a renewed war with France in the War of the Spanish Succession that began in November 1701. It is not clear in which year this defection occurred, however Walter’s father stated in a petition dated late 1703, that his son “hath long since quitted France and went to Lorraine to the Earl of Carlingford, his cozen german, etc”. (Carlingford and Walter’s mothers were sisters.) Walter’s change of allegiance was obviously part of a plan to enhance Walter’s chances of having his attainder reversed so he could repair home to Wexford, his aging father desperate for the return of his only son and heir. Walter Senior tried once again to gain his son’s pardon with a second petition written in late 1703, stating that Lord Carlingford had recommended Walter Jnr to Prince Eugene of Savoy, commander of the Imperial Army, who “had given him a troop of Cuirassiers under his own Command where he still continues”, and that he had been “Eminently Serviceable in his said station in the Emperor’s service”.
Cuirassiers in the Imperial Army of the Holy Roman
Emperor
On
4 March 1704, Tory leader Lord Nottingham received a list of Bills dropped by
the Irish Parliament during this session and “notes thereon” included:
“Colonel Butler- having past a severe law
against Popery, they had no mind to encourage anyone bred up in arms in foreign
service to return.”
Despite further appeals to the Queen, subsequent events would suggest they all failed to be passed and Walter would continue in service of the Imperial Army until 1708, returning to Wexford the following year. Early in 1709, the British Parliament, with the Queen’s consent, passed the Amnesty Act by which a general pardon was passed for all correspondence with the Court of Saint-Germain, and, for all past treasonable actions of any kind except treason upon the high seas.
In 1705, Walter married Mary Long, the young
daughter of a very influential English family. Her father was James Long of
Athelhampton House in Dorset and his second brief marriage with Mary Keightley
before his premature death. Mary Keightley was the sister of Sir Thomas
Keightley who was married to Frances Hyde, the youngest sister of Ann Hyde the
first wife of James Duke of York the future King James II, and mother of the
future Queens Mary and Anne. Thomas Keightley was granted important
appointments in Ireland and considerable lands, and was very influential with
the royal family. He would even be called upon to try and personally dissuade
James II from leaving the country after he was deposed, but was unsuccessful. Keightley’s
daughter Catherine would become Lady-in-Waiting to
Queen Mary, her cousin.
The
family tree of the Butlers of Kayer and Munphin,
and their royal links through the Keightley family, and Viscount Galmoy
Col. Walter Butler Senior’s Will dated 27
Sept 1717 named his “Kinsman and Executor, Colonel James Butler of
Garryhundone, Carlow” (of the Cloghgrenan branch of Butlers, second son of
Thomas 3rd Bt., his son Richard became 5th Bt); and Sir
Theobald (Toby) Butler councillor at law (of the Barons of Dunboyne branch of Butlers).
His witnesses included Caesar Colclough (1696-1766,
of Duffrey Hall and Tintern Abbey).
Following the death of Walter Butler Senior, many accumulated debts resulted in the loss of their Munphin estate which had to be sold.
Col. Walter Butler Junior, who had returned to
Wexford and his father’s estate of Munphin in 1709, was then inexplicably arrested in
1721 for treason against the deceased King William during the period after the
Boyne defeat in 1690. He spent a year in Wexford Gaol, with influential friends
fighting for his release.
A petition from Walter stated that he suffered from a “dropsical
Disorder which had attended your Petitioner for some months past and is now
come to such a head that your petitioner’s life is thereby look’d upon to be in
imminent danger.”
A letter written by the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland confirmed his state
of health, describing that “he is now reduced by his long confinement to a
very dangerous state of health”.
The Evening Post, Thursday July 19, 1722:
“Mr. Walter Butler, who was committed in June 1721 to Wexford Gaol in Ireland, for Treason against King William and Queen Mary, is set at Liberty, but to continue in that Kingdom.”
His health so deteriorated while in gaol, when he was released, he died
just three years later, in mid-1725, leaving poor wife Mary with numerous young
children to care for. They had indicated in letters to various
people that they were living in very poor circumstances, having
moved to a small estate at nearby Shroughmore, leased from a long-term family
friend, Caesar Colclough. The Colclough and the Butler families had a close
association, by marriage and friendship for several generations.
(Ref: Inchiquin Papers, Collection List No. 143, Courtesy of the National Library of Ireland: (collection of records relating to the O’Briens of Dromoland Co. Clare), MS45: Letters)
Walter and Mary had at least six children- sons Walter b.1706, and Pierce, and four daughters, the youngest born in 1718, as revealed in an Equity and Exchequer Bill in November 1717.
Three of the daughters were named in letters to members
of their mother’s family, the Long and Keightley families: Unknown daughter (b.1707), Dorothy (b.1708),
Eleanor (Nelly- b.bet.1709-1717), and Margaret (b.1718), who were living at
their father Walter’s cousin (ie. his mother's half-brother's son and heir) Sir Robert Long’s
expense in Paris in 1732. Margaret, unmarried, was living in Dublin by 1755,
and in 1763 joined the Urseline Convent at St Denis in Paris.
(Ref: Letters: Wiltshire and Swindon History Centre Archives, ref: 2943 B-1-47; and the Inchiguin Papers, Collection List No. 143, Courtesy of the National Library of Ireland: (collection of records relating to the O’Briens of Dromoland Co. Clare), MS45: Letters)
The Butlers of Munphin in the Barony of Scarawalsh were severely affected by the Penal Acts, losing their inherited lands and status, the third generation ending up living in a state of poverty, continuing to lease the small property in Shroughmore near Templeshanbo, a few miles south of their former estate of Eldest son Walter Butler III of Shroughmore wrote three letters in 1766 to relative, Sir Robert Long 6th Baronet of Draycott, Witlshire, pleading for financial help, saying, “I am only striving and struggling with perfect necessity as my Poor little charge are very helpless", which appears to indicate he was referring to his offspring (Notably his age was 60 years of age at the time of the letter).
His letters were dated 7 April, 24 June and 26 December 1766.
“Templeshanbo
April 7th 1766
Sir
About eight or ten days ago I received your favour and am most
obliged to you for the pleasure you give me in hearing from you, and at the
same time very much thankful to you for your present, which I never doubted
your kindness and good nature in any shape, nor despaired of the true mark of
your friendship, I hope, Dear Sir, you’ll be assured that I would not in any
measure be troublesome to you, but the perfect necessity I am in.
You are so good
as to be willing to know my situation of life and how I am circumstanced, which
I’ll now let you know,
I live at a place
called Templeshanbo near Enniscorthy in the County of Wexford and have a small
spot of ground of about ten acres at a small rent from a Gent. who is called
Coll (Caesar) Colclough a representative for this County, On which spot I had
but one cow and a horse and a small quantity of tillage and as the generality
of this county the past year was turned for want of hay or grass, I lost both,
and I protest to you Sir, it’s now equally as hard, with most of our
inhabitants, for every article is prodigious dear, I now, Sir Robert, tell you
my condition of life. I am only striving and struggling with perfect
necessity as my Poor little charge are very helpless. But the great
regard and respect that my family formerly had in this country is not quite
forgot yet, for every Gent. in and about this county shew me a little still of
it, by inviting me to their Houses when ere I happen to meet any, and use me
with the utmost civility and respect, and friendly would detain me longer than
I would chuse, I am very often hard set to part them and that is all and the
only satisfaction of life I enjoyed this long time past, until I had the
pleasure and satisfaction of hearing from you. I would answer your Letter before now, but was making an enquiry
how you could most conveniently send me your favour, I have got a Merchant in
New Ross in County of Wexford who desires that any sum paid Mr Robert Nixon Merchant in London, and said
Nixon to Draw on Kenedy Cavanagh Merchant in New Ross in My favour shall be
safely delivered and paid to me, and Messr Dillon and Grieve Merchants in
London, could likewise Draw on Mr Rosseter Merchant in New Ross aforesaid for
any sum in my favour. I only mention those two Gents as perhaps one may be more
convenient to you than the others. You mention in your last to me that you
suppose I am one of the sons of Mrs Butler your father’s half sister which I
assure you I am their only son, and good Sir, if you have any doubt of it, I
humbly beg the favour to let me know of it in your next, that I may have the
pleasure and satisfaction of giving you proper assurance of it,
And am, Sir Robert, your most Humble and Affectionate Servant, Walter
Butler
I will now beg the favour of you to let me know your family, ___
health
Since I began this letter, I had the unwelcome news of Coll. Colclough’s Death in Dublin who was a great friend to me.”
(Ref: Wiltshire and Swindon History Centre Archives ref: 2943B/2/8-3 Additional archives of the Long Family of Draycot Cerne, Wiltshire: W. Butler to Sir Robert Long 7/4/1766, 24/6/1766, 26/12/1766; Pierce Butler to Sir James Tylney Long 6/11/1779)
This letter is a classic
example of the sad tale of the state of well-born Catholic families living in
reduced circumstances, brought down by these penal laws in the 18th
century by the Protestant ruling classes in Ireland.
When he received no reply, Walter wrote a further two letters in June and December, again receiving no reply. Unbeknownst to Walter, Sir Robert was very ill and died in February 1767.
A further letter
was written in 1779, from Walter's son named Pierce in London asking
his maternal relative Sir James Tylney Long 7th Bt., (son and heir
of Sir Robert Long 6th Bt) for help in finding a position, writing:
“Honour’d Sir
The countenance
your worthy Father, Sir Robert Long, was pleased to shew my Father Walter
Butler, encouraged me to hope you’ll pardon the liberty I take in addressing
you in this manner.
My
hands, by slavish industry while youth and activity are on my side, keeps me
from real distress, and my honesty and assiduity I trust will obtain me the
best of Characters from my employers. The Favour I have to beg of you Sir is
your interest to help me to some kind of a berth, or place in any Public
Office, Family, Army or Navy, so that it’s above the rank of a common soldier,
sailor or slave.
And
you may be assured that whatever station you would be pleased to recommend me
to, my whole study through life should be to act or pursue such a line as would
be no discredit to my recommender.
I
am, Good Sir, with the most profound respect
Your
most Obedient
And
most Humble Servant
Pierce
Butler
I
live at No 34 Aldgate High Street [London]”
Although already working, by asking his relative for an officer’s rank in the army or navy, and saying “while youth and activity are on my side”, it indicates Pierce was still relatively young, probably in his twenties, viz. born in the early 1750’s.
Col. Walter Butler Junior’s half-brothers, Pierce 3rd Viscount Galmoy and Richard Butler lived out their lives in France in the service of their exiled Stuart kings, James II and James III, and the French kings Louis XIV and XV, Richard dying at Saint Germain-en-Laye in January 1725, aged 65 years, and Pierce Lord Galmoy surviving his military career and living to the grand old age of 89 years, dying in Paris in June 1740. As Galmoy’s only son and heir died in battle, his brother Richard’s son, Col. James Butler, assumed the ‘title’, although the title was extinguished due to Galmoy’s attainder.
This family of Butlers that had played such a prominent role in the history of Wexford since the mid sixteenth century disappeared into obscurity. There are probably many descendants of this family living today who remain oblivious of the extraordinary lives lived by their forebears during this intriguing period of history.
Munphin in the Barony of Scarawalsh, held by Col.
Walter Butler Senior, youngest son of Pierce Butler (II) of Kayer, was about 6 kms east of
Ferns. Col Walter Butler’s descendants lived a further 5 kms east of Munphin at
Sroughmore/Shroughmore in the Parish of Templeshanbo, renting a small property
from Col. Caesar Colclough of Tintern Abbey who died 1766 (mentioned in Walter Butler's letter), and his 5th
son Adam Colclough of Duffry Hall and Shroughmore House.
Map
of Munphin and Shroughmore, west of Ferns
(Shroughmore/Sroughmore-
locality of the Butlers after losing their Munphin estate c.1725)
Griffiths
Valuation map of Munphin (Mountfin) House
NB.
the building shape matches with the house above
map below- marked *
These Wexford Butlers were from a long line of Butlers of the Catholic faith to have suffered land confiscations under centuries of English Protestant rule and the restrictive Penal Laws which ultimately resulted in Laurence's involvement in the disastrous Rebellion.
Whether Laurence descended from this line of Butlers is purely speculative, but should be taken into account when trying to find his forebears, due to the close proximity of Ferns (where Laurence was living in 1798) to the lands occupied by the Munphin Butlers up until the same period in the mid-18th century as Laurence’s unrecorded birth. Plus, the fact that this line featured three generations named Walter.
Timewise, he could have been one of “my Poor little charge who are very helpless” in 1766, viz. the sons, of Walter Butler III of Shroughmore, whose son named Pierce was born in the early 1750’s, and it should be kept in mind that Laurence naming his first Sydney-born son, Walter, was presumably in honour of one of his close relatives. There are no known male descendants of this Wexford line, thereby, there are no matching YDNA tests to prove or disprove this speculation.
Philip H. Hore’s “History
of the Town and County of Wexford” (Vol.6) has the following on the
Butlers of Kayer:
“In this parish is the Castle and beautiful demesne of Wilton by the River Boro. The ancient Castle of Cloghnakayer was built in the fourteenth century. Sir Fulke Furlong, knight, of Horetown, held this Castle and Barony for some time (about 1410), in custody from the Earl of Pembroke. Sir Fulke Denne, Baron of Kayer died in 1497. The Butlers acquired it subsequently, and the large territory called Fassagh Bantry, most part of the Barony of Bantry. Edward Butler, Baron of Kayer, rebuilt and restored the ancient Castle, and added a mansion house to it in 1599. (His son Pierce Butler held 10,000 acres around the seat of Kayer and Moneyhore [in the Civil Survey 1654] until the Cromwellian confiscations in 1653.) Bellaboro, now called Castleboro, was one of their seats, Moneyhore became that of the head of the family in the seventeenth century, and Mountfin, or Munfin, that of the junior branch, of whom Colonel Walter Butler was Lord Lieutenant of this County in 1687.”
In the 1650’s,
County Wexford had a population of 13,680 people, 12,778 in the county and 902
in Wexford Town (Pender’s Census of Ireland 1659)
Lands held by Pierce Butler [II] of Kayer (marked *)
The descendants
of Walter Butler’s elder brothers, Edward Butler of Moneyhore and James
Butler of Clough and Ballinure, and John Butler, all born in the
1630’s to early 1640’s, have not been traced into the
18th century.
Edward Butler of Moneyhore named only his eldest son Pierce in his Will (BTR.70).
According to Lord
Patrick Dunboyne’s Pedigrees, James Butler of Clough and Ballinure had
issue by his wife Mary (d/o John Colclough of Pouldarrig, Wexford):
Richard d.s.p., Piers, Margaret, Elinor (m. a Cavanagh) and Joan.
(Ref: Dunboyne’s refs: Trinity College Dublin [TDC] Mss F.3.23 p.177; Burkes Landed Gentry Ireland, 5th ed. 1976, 255: Colclough; Dunboyne’s Butler Pedigrees, familysearch.org ; BTR= Butler Testamentary Records, collected by Fr Clare, archive.org)
There are records
of Butlers living at Ballinure in the 1823-37 Tithe Applotment Books (viz.
Richard and Michael Butler) and in the 1853 Griffiths Valuation, but it is
unlikely the same family continued farming at Ballinure for nearly 200 years
and more. Ballinure was north of
Enniscorthy, a couple of kms to the west of Marshallstown.
No information
has been found on Pierce Butler’s third
son John Butler.
It’s possible, as the third son, he went into the church.
There were also possible descendants of the first Pierce Butler of Kayer who had a younger son named Thomas Butler who lived in the Ballinure area in the Barony of Scarawalsh, west of Marshalstown, named as a burgess of Enniscorthy 1612.(Calendar State Papers Ireland [CSPI], James I [1603-25], vol. 4, 303 (archive.org)
He, or a son, is
possibly the Thomas Butler (of Ballinakill) who was in the Catholic
Confederation Parliament in the 1640’s.
The Butler
Testamentary Records (viz. BTR, collected by Father W. Clare before the 1922
Dublin Records Office fire.) – the Wills of Edward Butler,
son of Pierce Butler of Kayer (the elder), and Edward Butler,
eldest son of Pierce Butler of Kayer (II) and grandson of Edward Butler of Kaier, and Walter Butler of Monphin:
BTR 69. Edward
Butler,
of Kaier (Wexford).(son of Pierce of Kayer; s/o Richard 1s Viscount
Mountgarrett; father of Pierce Butler of Kayer/g.father of BTR 70 and 305)
Date: 6th September,
1628.
Wife and
Executrix: Catherine Butler alias Maistersoun. (d/o Sir
Richard Masterson of Ferns)
Children: Richard
(Executor); Peirs; Mary, Joan
Witnesses:
Nicholas Doems; James Peirce; John FitzHarries.
BTR 70. Edward
Butler,
of Monyhoare (Wexford). (grandson of BTR 69, son of Piers)
Date: 21st December,
1676. Proved: 6th June, 1677.
First Wife: Jane
Butler alias Bagnall (dau. of Thomas Bagnall).
Second Wife and Executrix: Marie Butler alias Hoare (dau. of Philip Hoare).Children by first wife referred to, but Pierce alone named.
Fathers-in-law:
Thomas Bagnall (of Dunleckney, brother of Walter Bagnall); Philip Hoare.
Brothers and
Executors: Walter Butler of Monphin and Nicholas fitzHenry (married to sister
Katherine Butler).
Place Names:
Templescobie; Cloghass; Ballyguilsory; Davidstown.
Witnesses: Marcus
fitzHenry; Morgan Byrne; Rath Larey.
BTR 305. Walter
Butler, senr., Monphin (Wexford).
Date: 27th September, 1717.
Probate: 13th November, 1717.
Son: Colonel Walter. Daughter-in-law:
Mary.
Grandchildren: mentioned, but not by
name.
Kinsman and Executor: Colonel James
Butler of Garryhundone, Co. Carlow (after his death, Sir Toby Butler of Dublin, solicitor, appointed).
Witnesses: Caesar Colclough; James
Kavanagh; Garrett Redmund; Patrick Cogly; Bryan Kavanagh.
(NB. Caesar Colclough a relative of
James Butler of Garryhundon BTR 253; close relationship over several
generations between the Colclough family and the Butlers)
Ancient Butler tomb in the ruins of St Mary’s, New Ross, Co Wexford:
The tomb of Pierce Butler (the elder) of Kayer (near Enniscorthy) c.1540-1599, second son of Richard Butler 1st Viscount Mountgarrett, was at the medieval Church of St Mary’s, New Ross, and was still intact and in good condition at the end of the 19th century when recorded by Philip Hore. Originally built in 1220, the church was partly demolished in 1811 to make room for the modern Church of Ireland. The burial tombs no longer exist. Pierce was ancestor of the Butlers of Kayer and of Munphin in Co. Wexford.
Philip Hore in his ‘History of the Town and COunty of Wexford’ vol.1, p88, described:
'This
tomb lies attached to the north wall; it is sculptured in relief, and abundant
in curious devices. note1- The alter tomb of P. Butler and his wife is covered
with the most remarkable and beautiful Catholic emblems, the “Heart and rays
surrounding”. Being striking and hardly usual at the time.'
This church of St
Mary’s New Ross, lying in ruins, c.1835 (P. Hore)
The ruins of St
Mary’s Church in New Ross today:
This would appear
to be the destroyed remains of Pierce Butler’s grave-
the preserved piece of the grave on the north wall appears to be part of the
end piece of the tomb as drawn by P. Hore pre-1900 (above):
and in my blog on this family of Butlers of County Wexford: Ancestry of the Butlers of County Wexford
THE SPECULATION ABOUT JOHN
BUTLER OF BALLINAKILL, QUEENS COUNTY
Although I am convinced Laurence Butler originated from Co. Wexford, Lord Patrick Dunboyne in his ‘Happy Families’ file on the Butler Society website, made the suggestion that, as the name ‘Laurence’ was unusual in the Butler family, he may have been the son named in the Will of John Butler of Ballinakill in Queen’s County who died 1771, so it is necessary to explore the evidence for this suggestion.
Unfortunately, there are numerous family trees on various genealogical websites that state that Laurence was definitely the son of this John Butler of Ballinakill, without any evidence for this claim, and furthermore, have a spurious ancestry for this John of Ballinakill going back along the Lords Dunboyne and Ormonde lines that is completely incorrect. This needs to be explained to counteract this myth
Firstly, the Will of John Butler of Ballinakill is the only document for this individual.
Secondly there are no documents that specifically name Laurence Butler’s parents, place of birth, or date of birth.
The
Butler Society of Ireland produced the following information, which has led to
this claim of descent from John of Ballinakill:
Happy
Families file- Q317: BJ3#2-
" Very few Butlers in Ireland were named Lawrence. He may be the Laurence who was the son of the John Butler of Ballinakill, Queen's Co. (d.1771/1772), a typescript abstract of whose Will (BTR 231) happens to be among T. Blake Butler's MSS in the British Library.”
In
part, the Will says:
John Butler of Ballinakill, Queen’s County: the testator, a merchant, leaves to my wife Mary Butler, otherwise Nowlan, otherwise Dillon, and to my children begotten on her, namely John Butler, the ygr., and Meabla Butler, all my goods and lands lying in or near Killanaule, Co Tip., which I had by lease from Oliver Latham and now in possession of James Magrah and Edmond Butler, to my dau., Catherine Phelan, otherwise Butler and to my daus, Alice, Joan, Ann, Patrick and Laurence Butler, children by my former wife, one shilling each."
The
details of the Butler Testamentary Record
BTR
No. 231:
Name: John
Butler of Ballinakill, Queens Co.
Date: 17
April 1771; Probate: 27 April 1772
Wife:
first (mentioned); second, Mary Butler alias Nowlan alias Dillon
Children:
(by first wife), Alice, Joan, Anne, Patrick, Laurence; (by second
wife), John, Meabla (of Meabella); and Catherine, married to Phelan.
Place-names:
Killanaule (Tipperary), Mentioned: Edmond Butler
Executor:
Anthony Gale of Raggetstown, Queens Co.
Witnesses: Richard Buggy, James Fitzgerald
Notably, this Will does not name John’s first wife (the mother of Patrick and Laurence), and there are no other documents that name John’s first wife. This is of importance when reviewing these claims.
A Butler researcher in America, the late Bryant Ormond Butler, wrote a book in 1934 about his ancestor, Patrick Butler, titled ‘The Butler Family of Lebanon, Connecticut- An Account of the Ancestry and Descendants of Patrick Butler and Mercy Bartlett’,[1] and various descendants have taken his information as gospel without checking his sources.
(Ref: Bryant Ormond Butler, The Butler Family of Lebanon, Connecticut- An Account of the Ancestry and Descendants of Patrick Butler and Mercy Bartlett’, (Rutland, VT: Tuttle Co., 1934)- archive.org)
Bryant claimed his ancestor, Patrick Butler, was born circa 1730 and emigrated to America circa 1750, and, without any corroborating evidence, claimed he was the son named in the 1771 Will of John Butler of Ballinakill, Queens Co., indicating John of Ballinakill must have been born c.1700-1705. There are records of this Patrick Butler living in Lebanon, Connecticut in the early 1750’s, but not where he originated from in Ireland. However, looking at the Butler Testamentary Records, Patrick was not a common name within the Butler clan at the time, and, given the timing, he could well have been the son of John Butler of Ballinakill.
It should be noted however that Butler researcher the late Theobald Blake Butler in his letters to Butler historian, the late Patrick Butler 28th Lord Dunboyne, disputed Bryant’s research, stating “proofs of descent he offers are fallacious.” (Letter, 1954 April 20) and “he really never proved his assertion.” (1957 Nov 12). (Ref: Letters of Theobald Blake Butler to Lord Dunboyne, The Butler Society.Lord Patrick Dunboyne also extensively researched the Butlers of Ireland, including his own Dunboyne lines, over many decades, producing pedigrees of all the lines which can be seen on familysearch.org, and which disagree with Bryant Butler's findings about these families’ links with the Dunboyne and Ormond lines.
(Ref: familysearch.org, catalogue; title: Dunboyne pedigrees and family histories ca. 1000-2000, author: Dunboyne, John Fitzwalter, List of family trees: p.6 Garranlea, p.7 Derrycloney
As
stated, Bryant Butler claimed that his first American ancestor Patrick Butler was the son
mentioned in the Will of John Butler of Ballinakill.
He
also states that the researcher of the Butler Wills, Father Wallace Clare,
wrote on the back of John Butler’s Will, “Dunboyne” and “John Butler of Cashel was
the son of John Butler of Ballinakill”, and this appears to be the basis of his
conclusions. This statement is highly questionable.
He quotes various chancery records, deeds and wills to link John of Ballinakill as the son of David Butler of Hemmingstown and Garranlea, Tipperary, a direct descendant of the Dunboyne line.
Using
these records and interpreting them incorrectly, Bryant Butler appears to have
made some unsubstantiated conclusions starting on page 32:
‘John
Butler of Ballinakill and Cashel’.
1) John
Butler was probably
born at Hemmingstown, the home of his parents David and Elizabeth (Judkin)
Butler (also of Garranlea).
2)
He married Catherine Butler, the
daughter of Theobald Butler of Derrycloney….
From
the St John’s Parish Records in Cashel the writer copied the following:
3)Thomas,
the son of John and Catherine Butler was
baptized in St John’s Church, Cashel July 9, 1727.
4)Thomas,
the son of John and Catherine Butler was
buried in the vault in the chancel of St John’s Church, Cashel, July 8, 1732
5)Catherine Butler was
buryed in the vault of the chancel of St John’s Church, Cashel, Feb 20, 1741
6)John
Butler of Cashel was
the son of John Butler of Ballinakill and Cashel.
Bryant incorrectly concluded that the Catherine who was buried in 1741 was the same Catherine who was mother to young Thomas, and was the first wife of John Butler of Ballinakill, despite John Butler’s wife not being named in his Will.
Lord
Dunboyne’s Pedigree No. 149 has this child Thomas as the son of John Butler of Cashel
married in 1718 to Catherine Hickey. John
Butler was eldest son
of Thomas Butler & Ursula
Edwards of Garranlea and Hemmingstown. This same John Butler (quoted by
Bryant Butler as named in various Deeds and Chancery Bills) was elder brother
(not son) of David Butler of Garranlea, and therefore John’s son Thomas was nephew
to David Butler of Garranlea.
John of Cashel died in 1731, the year before his five-year-old son Thomas died.
Dunboyne
Pedigree No. 148 also has a Catherine Butler as the
daughter of Theobald Butler of Derryclooney (d.1717; BTR 282), and dying a spinster in 1741, was buried in St
John’s Church, Cashel. This is the Catherine named as the
wife of John Butler of Ballinakill by Bryant Butler, despite no
evidence.
(Ref: BTR: Butler Testamentary Records, collected by Father Wallace Clair pre-1922 )
Looking
at the records, Catherine was a 2nd cousin
of David Butler of Hemmingstown and Garranlea and of John Butler of Cashel and
Garranlea. Her father Theobald of Derrycloney was 1st cousin to
David and John’s father Thomas of Garranlea (d.1715; BTR 28). David Butler and 2nd
cousin Catherine Butler both
died in 1741 and were probably born circa late 1680’s to early 1690’s, as David
married in 1718 and would have been of age. Catherine Butler and
sister Elizabeth Butler were named, as such, in their father’s Will of 1717
(BTR 282) with no husbands named, indicating they were still spinsters, and of
age, and they became heirs to their father’s estate after their two brothers,
Theobald (d.bef 1716) and James (BTR 11, d.1716) died without issue before
their father’s death. There are no records associating Catherine by marriage,
well after 1717, with the much younger John Butler of Ballinakill (supposed son of David Butler),
and having six children by him.
As to Bryant’s claim that John of Ballinakill was the ‘son of David Butler of Hemmingstown’, according to Lord Dunboyne’s pedigrees, David Butler of Hemmingstown and Garranlea, Co. Tipperary, married Elizabeth Judkin in 1718 (Pedigree No.149; quoting a Cashel marriage Bond). They had several children. Their fourth child named John, must therefore have been born well after 1722 and was therefore too young to have been the same man as John of Ballinakill who supposedly had his son Patrick circa 1725-30.
Chronologically, these stated relationships by Bryant Butler, cannot be correct. Refer to following family tree of the Garranlea/Derrycloney lines, as constructed from the family trees of Lord Patrick Butler Baron Dunboyne.
We can therefore
confidently state that:
(1) John Butler of Ballinakill was not the son of David Butler of
Hemmingstown and Garranlea, Tipperary, and Elizabeth Judkin.
(2) There is no
evidence that John Butler of Ballinakill was married to Catherine Butler, daughter of Theobald Butler of
Derrycloney and considerably older than John.
(3) If Patrick
Butler of Lebanon, Connecticut, was the son of John
Butler of Ballinakill, as
claimed by Bryant O. Butler, Patrick must have been born pre 1730 to have been
in America by 1750, and thereby, his brother Laurence named in the Will of John
Butler of Ballinakill must have been born well before 1740, and
therefore could not be our Laurence, as claimed in numerous online trees. It
would appear, from early 19th century records of probable descendants,
that John’s son named Laurence settled in the Templetouhy and Barnalisheen area
of northern Tipperary, north of Thurles, as suggested by Bryant Butler.
(4) There
is no evidence of John Butler of Ballinakill’s
ancestry or links with the Dunboyne or Ormonde lines; there are no other known
documents of this John apart from his Will.
(5) There
are no autosomal DNA matches between Laurence’s descendant and several claimed descendants
of Patrick Butler (to be expected after 6 generations), or, more
importantly, no Y-DNA matches with claimed direct male descendants of Patrick
Butler
(6) As John Butler of Ballinakill, d.1771, left his estate to his children by his second wife, viz. John and Meabla Butler, they must have been of age to inherit and therefore both born before 1750, thereby discounting our Laurence as a son of John by a first wife, as his gravestone stated he was 70 at his death in 1820, and he himself stated in his petition of February 1810 that he was 59 years of age.
Conclusion about
this theory of descent from John Butler of Ballinakill, Queen’s
County:
Our Laurence
Butler cannot be the son of John Butler of Ballinakill.
Although it is unknown if Laurence was born in the vicinity of Ferns or came from elsewhere in County Wexford or even from another county, evidence would suggest that Laurence Butler was born and bred in County Wexford. The discussion at the beginning of this chapter suggests he may have been born either in Wexford Town or close by.
When Laurence Butler was arrested in Co. Wexford and tried for his role in the 1798 rebellion, he was married to Catherine, lived in County Wexford, and appears to have had a close association with County Wexford and its citizens, known locally as ‘Larry’ as evidenced by his trial, and called ‘Lau’ by his close friend Michael Hayes. He maintained a close friendship with his fellow Wexford rebels in Sydney, particularly Michael Hayes from Wexford Town (who also held a farm at Ballymurn), and William Davis, Miles Leary, and William Gough who were all from this area in the northern half of Wexford, and with later convict arrivals from County Wexford such as Isaac Wood from Wexford Town who witnessed his Will. This would suggest that Laurence was not from another county. There is no evidence of a close association with any rebels from other counties. His trial record states his house was in the small townland of Ferns, eight kms north of Enniscorthy, in the northern area of Co. Wexford known as the Barony of Scarawalsh. It would have been highly unlikely that he would have moved from more prominent counties in the provinces of Leinster and Munster to the sparsely populated, primarily rural, and comparatively isolated area of northern Wexford, living in the very small village of Ferns, to work as a cabinet maker.
As he was recognised as a cabinet maker of high-quality
furniture in Sydney, he was probably supplying furniture to the local gentry in
Wexford, and/or the Protestant Bishop of Ferns who lived at St Edan’s/St.
Aidan’s known as ‘The Palace’. He was possibly employed to do the
carpentry and cabinetry for ‘The Palace’ during its construction.
The building of ‘The Palace’, commenced in 1785 when the
Protestant Bishop W. Cope obtained an Act of Parliament to erect the house from
two bequests made for the erection of an Episcopal palace. It took several
years to complete and was plundered and greatly damaged by rebels in the
Insurrection of 1798. After 1835, it was leased to lay people and then disposed
of. Between 1935 and 1957 it operated as a tannery, before being
demolished due to the state of the structure of the building. The large stable
building survives today.
St Edan’s, known as ‘The Palace’, (marked *), east of Ferns village
(Griffiths Valuation map c 1853)
St Aidan’s stable building and farmyard
This was during the period when the Penal Laws prevented Laurence, as a Catholic, from trading in any of the major towns in Ireland. If Catholic tradesmen wished to trade in a corporate town, they had to pay an annual fee known as quarterage to the corporation. Any who refused to pay this fee/tax or could not afford to pay the fee, was forced to quit his business. This fee would have to be paid in each of the towns in which the tradesman wished to trade. The nearest corporate towns to Ferns were Enniscorthy and Gorey and it is likely Laurence paid this quarterage fee to the Enniscorthy Corporation so he could supply furniture and his carpentry skills to anyone living in the baronies surrounding Enniscorthy, and possibly to the Gorey Corporation. The other major corporate towns in Wexford were New Ross and Wexford Town, and he was possibly barred from trading in either of those larger towns.
On arrival in the Colony of New South Wales in October 1802, Laurence was well treated. He was never assigned as a servant or a farm labourer or sent to the Government farm at Parramatta, as were most convicts on arrival; as a skilled artisan, he began by working in the lumber yard making furniture for the government including the Governor and was assigned to the building of the new church as revealed in his petition for a pardon. His cabinet making skills were also sort by free settlers as he built up his private business during his free hours after his required daily convict duties were completed. Laurence developed a large clientele amongst the most influential settlers and administrators in the colony, several of whom supported his petitions to the Governor for a pardon and for a land grant. This was despite his Irish Catholic heritage which was generally despised in the colony.
A French officer, Francois Peron, from the visiting ship the ‘Geographe’ (in Sydney Cove between June and November 1802), filed a report with the French Ministry of the Navy. In his assessment of the Irish convicts he stated, “The first families of Ireland count their friends and relations upon these coasts of New Holland.”[1] Whether Laurence was included in this reference due to his ‘Butler’ heritage, renown as a powerful and influential family clan in Ireland, is unknown.
(Ref: Anne-Marie Whitaker, Unfinished Revolution, (Darlinghurst NSW: Crossing Press, 1994), 76-77
Laurence was one of 78 very influential settlers, mostly wealthy and powerful free settlers or civil officials, and some successful emancipist businessmen, who petitioned Governor Macquarie and Lord Bathurst in 1817 to change importation rules. The people signing the petition were, in Governor Macquarie's own words, “a great majority of the most respectable Inhabitants of the Colony”. (Historical Records of Australia, Series 1, v.10, 20-22)
His acceptance in this English Protestant society would seem to suggest that Laurence was favoured due to his heritage and ‘social status’ in Ireland. Similarly with his close friend Michael Hayes and several other educated Irish rebels, in particular the Wexford rebels who were from long-established, Anglo-Norman families.
The County
of Wexford, Ireland
Nicholas Furlong in his article ‘Life in Wexford Port 1600-1800’ wrote:
"County Wexford was isolated from the rest of Leinster and Ireland before the arrival of the railway. There were only three comfortable land exits and entries, through mountain terrain, the Scullogue Gap, the Slaney valley at Bunclody, and the Arklow Gap." (Nicholas Furlong, Life in Wexford Port 1600-1800, article in Kevin Whelan [ed.], Wexford History and Society, (Dublin: Geography Publications, 1987), Ch.6, 150)
These ‘Old English’, Irish, and even a few of the earlier
‘New English’ family groups within Wexford intermarried with each other
through the centuries- the Butlers of County Wexford were closely associated
with several long established Wexford families through marriage ties in the
16th, 17th and 18th centuries, in particular, the Kavanagh, Esmonde, Colclough,
FitzHenry, FitzHarries, Masterson, and Devereux families, all of whom
were long established landowners in Wexford, many dating back to Strongbow’s invasion
force in 1169, and others as descendants of English planters in the 16th
century.
County Wexford is completely surrounded by sea or mountains, with only three land exits, through mountain terrain to the neighbouring counties. These exits are at Scullogue Gap in the Blackstairs Mountains, the Slaney River Valley at Bunclody/Newtownbarry and the Arklow Gap into County Wicklow.
The
River Barrow on the western border that separates Wexford from Kilkenny and
Carlow, travels from the Blackstairs Mountains and flows into Waterford Harbour
which separates Wexford from Waterford.
This
topography meant that County Wexford was quite isolated from the rest of
Ireland, before the arrival of the railway. Although Irish was commonly spoken
in the northern baronies, the southern baronies spoke English, but often with
their own unique dialect, Yola, an Anglo-Frisian language which had developed
over the centuries.
1853 Griffiths Valuation map of Ferns
The village of Ferns today, featuring the ruins of Ferns Castle
on Main Street
and The Square
Enniscorthy
in 1837
William H. Maxwell’s History of the Irish Rebellion in 1798, (pub.1845),
126
http://butlerfamilyhistoryaustralia.blogspot.com.au/2012/08/laurence-butler-intro.html
Links to all the chapters in this blog:
The 1798 rebellion
http://butlerfamilyhistoryaustralia.blogspot.com.au/2012/08/laurence-butler-ch1-1798-irish-rebellion.html
Laurence Butler's trial for his role in the Rebellion
http://butlerfamilyhistoryaustralia.blogspot.com.au/2012/08/laurence-butler-ch2-butlers-trial_7.html
Analysis of Butler's trial
http://butlerfamilyhistoryaustralia.blogspot.com.au/2012/08/laurence-butler-ch-3-trial-analysis_7.html
Laurence Butler at the Battle of Tubberneering
http://butlerfamilyhistoryaustralia.blogspot.com.au/2012/08/laurence-butler-ch-4-battle-of-tubberneering.html
Laurence Butler's imprisonment
http://butlerfamilyhistoryaustralia.blogspot.com.au/2012/08/laurence-butler-ch-5-butlers-imprisonment.html
Butler's life and family in Wexford
http://butlerfamilyhistoryaustralia.blogspot.com.au/2012/08/laurence-butler-ch-6-family-and-life-in-wexford.html
Laurence Butler's transportation to Sydney in 1802 on the Atlas 2
http://butlerfamilyhistoryaustralia.blogspot.com.au/2012/08/laurence-butler-ch-7-transportation-to-sydney.html
Conditions on Convict Ships
http://butlerfamilyhistoryaustralia.blogspot.com.au/2012/08/laurence-butler-ch-8-conditions-on-convict-ships.html
Life as a convict in Sydney
http://butlerfamilyhistoryaustralia.blogspot.com.au/2012/08/laurence-butler-ch-9-life-as-convict-in.html
Laurence Butler's property investments in Pitt Street Sydney
http://butlerfamilyhistoryaustralia.blogspot.com.au/2012/08/laurence-butler-ch-10-butlers-property.html
Sydney Town in 1800-1810
http://butlerfamilyhistoryaustralia.blogspot.com.au/2012/08/laurence-butler-ch-11-sydney-town.html
Laurence Butler's petitions to the Governor
http://butlerfamilyhistoryaustralia.blogspot.com.au/2012/08/laurence-butler-ch-12-butlers-petitions.html
Laurence Butler's 100 acre land grant in District of Petersham
http://butlerfamilyhistoryaustralia.blogspot.com.au/2012/08/laurence-butler-ch-13-butlers-land-grant.html
Butler's membership of the Commercial Society of Sydney
http://butlerfamilyhistoryaustralia.blogspot.com.au/2012/08/laurence-butler-ch-14-commercial-society-of-sydney.html
Laurence Butler's court cases
http://butlerfamilyhistoryaustralia.blogspot.com.au/2012/08/laurence-butler-ch-15-court-cases.html
Laurence Butler's business interests in Sydney
http://butlerfamilyhistoryaustralia.blogspot.com.au/2012/08/laurence-butler-ch-16-butlers-business.html
Laurence Butler's cabinet making business
http://butlerfamilyhistoryaustralia.blogspot.com.au/2012/08/laurence-butler-ch-17-cabinetmaking.html
Laurence Butler's property investments in Sydney
http://butlerfamilyhistoryaustralia.blogspot.com.au/2012/08/laurence-butler-ch-18-property-investments.html
Laurence Butler's colonial family
http://butlerfamilyhistoryaustralia.blogspot.com.au/2012/08/laurence-butler-ch-19-butlers-colonial-family.html
Laurence Butler's death in 1820
http://butlerfamilyhistoryaustralia.blogspot.com.au/2012/08/laurence-butler-ch-20-butlers-death.html
Laurence Butler's issue- Walter, Lawrence Junior and Mary Ann
http://butlerfamilyhistoryaustralia.blogspot.com.au/2012/08/laurence-butler-ch-21-butlers-children.html
The Catholic Community of Sydney up until 1820
http://butlerfamilyhistoryaustralia.blogspot.com.au/2012/08/laurence-butler-ch-22-catholic-community-sydney.html
Genealogy- Butler's possible ancestry and possible descendants in Ireland, and BDM records
http://butlerfamilyhistoryaustralia.blogspot.com.au/2012/08/laurence-butler-ch-23-possible-birth.html
Butler's fellow Irish rebels transported to Sydney
http://butlerfamilyhistoryaustralia.blogspot.com.au/2012/08/laurence-butler-ch-24-rebels_12.html
Conclusion about the life of Laurence Butler
http://butlerfamilyhistoryaustralia.blogspot.com.au/2012/08/laurence-butler-ch-25-conclusion.html
