Windsor Cary-Elwes is Uncle Charlie’s father, and Aunt Dede’s [Edythe Roper Parkington] father in law.
CAPTAIN WINDSOR CARY-ELWES.
Brompton Oratory
We regret to record the death on Tuesday in last week of Capt. Windsor Cary-Elwes. Born in 1839 he joined the Scots Guards in 1856 and shortly after was received into the Church. [He was the first of his family to be received into the church in 1857] He married in 1862, Augusta C. L. Law (who survives him), daughter, of the Hon. William Towry Law, by whom he had a family of four sons and two daughters. Of his sons the eldest, Dom Luke, O.S.B., is a monk at Fort Augustus ; the second, Cuthbert, is a Jesuit now on the mission in British Guiana. The Requiem was celebrated at the Brompton Oratory by the Very Rev. Canon Dudley Cary-Elwes,( a cousin) assisted by the Rev. H. S. Bowden. The interment, at which Father Driscoll, S.J. officiated, assisted by Dom Luke Cary-Elwes, was at Mortlake. Amongst those present were Mrs. Windsor Cary-Elwes, Mr. and Mrs. Charles Cary-Elwes, Mr. Wilfrid Cary-Elwes (grandson), Mrs. Edward Chisholm (daughter), Miss Edith Elwes (sister), the Misses Law (sisters-in-law), Mr. and Mrs. Ernest Law, Mr. and the Hon. Mrs. Algernon Law, Major and Mrs. Adrian Law, (all brothers in law, and their wives) Mr. Ernest Chapman, Theodosia Countess of Cottenham, the Hon. Mrs. A. Fraser, Mrs. Edward Walsh, Mr. Gervase Elwes, Mr. Rudolph Elwes, (cousins) Sir Roper and Lady Parkington, (Charles Cary-Elwes’ parents in law) Lieut. General G. Moncrieff, C.B., Col. McGuire and others. Amongst the many flowers sent was a lovely wreath from the officers of the Scots Guards.—R.I.P.
The above text was found on p.28, 22nd April 1916, in “The Tablet: The International Catholic News Weekly.” Reproduced with kind permission of the Publisher. The Tablet can be found at http://www.thetablet.co.uk .
Grevel House, Chipping Campden
CAPTAIN W. C. CARY-ELWES.
Captain Windsor Charles Cary-Elwes, late Scots Guards, of Grevel House, Campden, Glos., who died on April 3, at 3 York Place, W., aged 76 years, has left unsettled estate of the value of £8,287 14s. 11d., the whole of which he leaves in trust for his wife and children.
The above text was found on p.26, 22nd July 1916, in “The Tablet: The International Catholic News Weekly.” Reproduced with kind permission of the Publisher. The Tablet can be found at http://www.thetablet.co.uk .
ST. AUSTIN’S, WIMBLEDON : A GENEROUS OFFER.—A bazaar in aid of St. Austin’s, Wimbledon Park, for the new church, was opened on Wednesday, by Miss Hood, daughter of Sir Joseph Hood, Bart., M.P., at the Welcome Hall, Wimbledon. Colonel Sir Roper Parkington, who, unfortunately, was prevented by illness from attending, requested that his speech should be read, in which he said : ” Since I have taken a house in this parish I have been deeply interested in the building of the new church of St. Austin’s at Wimbledon Park. When I arrived I went to the present temporary church, but I found that there was no proper seating accommodation. I was convinced that a new church was much needed, and I promised Father Rector to give £500 [a present day value of almost £ 150,000] as soon as the new church was begun. At the request of Father O’Gorman, our district priest, I undertook to lay the foundation-stone of St. Austin’s. I was encouraged to do this because my old and much esteemed friend, Father Bernard Vaughan, promised to speak on the occasion. I regret that he has not lived to add this good work to a life of good work for God’s glory. I earnestly appeal to you, the Catholics of Wimbledon, to come generously forward to-day to assist in collecting such a sum of money as may enable Father Rector to start the building of St. Austin’s without delay. I am looking forward to the day when I shall be able to take sittings in the new church for myself and my wife, Lady Parkington, who, as a member of the altar society and sodality, has taken the greatest interest in the parish and in the building of our new church.”
The above text was found on p.30, 16th December 1922 in “The Tablet: The International Catholic News Weekly.” Reproduced with kind permission of the Publisher. The Tablet can be found at http://www.thetablet.co.uk .
The starting point for an interest in the Bishop of Emmaus was that he was the principal celebrant at Aunt Edythe and Uncle Charles (Cary-Elwes)’s wedding in 1897. But pretty rapidly, the more one looks at the Stanleys, it becomes clear that they are from the look of it absolutely bonkers in a very English upper-class way.
According to the Catholic Who’s Who 1908.The Right Rev. the Hon. Algernon C. Stanley was born in 1843, the fourth son of 2nd Lord Stanley of Alderley; [he was also the great uncle of Clementine Churchill, and a great great uncle to the Mitfords]. He was educated at Harrow, Rugby, and Trinity College, Cambridge (M.A.); formerly Anglican incumbent of Holy Cross Church, N.W (1); having become a Catholic, he studied in Rome, where he was ordained; nominated Dom(estic). Prel(ate). to Leo XIII and Protonotary Apostolic; attached to St James’s, Spanish Place, 1883-93, subsequently settling in Rome for a further ten years. After his consecration there he returned to London for a year as Bishop-Auxiliary to Cardinal Vaughan; but since 1904 he has again been resident in the Eternal City. The Bishop is a nephew of Dean Stanley, the famous Broad Churchman, to whom Disraeli wittily remarked ” No dogmas, no Deans ” [ I have absolutely no idea why this is the vaguest bit witty]; and of Miss Mary Stanley, a convert to the Catholic Church, who devoted her life to the love and service of the poor. Of the Bishop’s brothers, the late Lord Stanley became a Mohammedan,
Alderley Park
[Henry Edward John Stanley, 3rd Baron Stanley of Alderley he converted to Islam In 1862 and may have adopted the name Abdul Rahman. Lord Stanley was the first Muslim member of the House of Lords, inheriting his titles in 1869 upon the death of his father As a Muslim, he apparently ordered the closure of all public houses on his estate in Nether Alderley, south of Alderley Edge. He died and was buried on two of the most auspicious dates in the Muslim calendar, 21 and 25 Ramadan (11 and 15 December 1903 respectively).
Liverpool Mosque c.1890
He was buried according to Muslim rites in unconsecrated ground in the garden of the Dower House on his family’s estate, Alderley Park, at Nether Alderley, Cheshire. The chief mourner at his burial was the First Secretary to the Ottoman Embassy in London. Islamic prayers were recited over his grave by the embassy’s Imam. A Janaza service in memory of the deceased was held at the Liverpool Mosque,]
Edward Lyulph Stanley
and the present peer is the great opponent of Catholic education. [the present peer: Edward Lyulph Stanley, 4th Baron Sheffield, 4th Baron Stanley of Alderley and 3rd Baron Eddisbury PC (1839 – 1925) was an English peer. He was appointed a Privy Counsellor in 1910.]
The Bishop is, moreover, the uncle of Earl Russell, whose quarrel with Christian marriage-laws is well known. [His sister Katharine was the mother of Bertrand Russell.] The talents of the Stanleys are conspicuous, and the vagaries from which various members of the family have not been saved by their wits, lend a further interest to the recurrence of one of their number to the ancient ways of orthodoxy. During his former residence in Rome Mgr Stanley acted now and again as ” Vatican correspondent “of The Times.
THE RIGHT REV. BISHOP STANLEY: A cablegram from Rome on Monday brought the widely-regretted news of the death that morning of the Right Rev. and Hon. Algernon Charles Stanley, titular Bishop of Emmaus, who with the exception of a short period spent at Westminster as Auxiliary to Cardinal Vaughan towards the close of his Eminence’s life, had lived in the Eternal City since 1893. There he was a familiar figure, welcomed for his social qualities and an engaging personality, and in another connection revered by the mendicants and other recipients of his generous bounty. A prelate of the old school, typically English, the Bishop will be greatly missed in the circles where he had his friends and found his recreation ; but to the younger generation of Catholics in this country he was hardly more than a name.
Accademia Ecclesiastica
Bishop Stanley was born on September 16, 1843, the fourth son of the second Lord Stanley of Alderley, and was educated at Harrow, Rugby, and Trinity College, Cambridge; at the University he took his M.A. degree. Electing for Anglican Orders as a career, he was ordained and served curacies at Kidderminster, West Bromwich, and St. Mary’s, Soho, and afterwards became incumbent at Holy Cross, St. Pancras. About this time Catholic teaching attracted his interest and ultimately won his submission, and in 1879 he was received. into the Church by Cardinal Manning. Conversion brought with it a desire for the priesthood. Mr. Stanley was commended by the Cardinal to the Accademia Ecclesiastica in Rome, where he made his studies. He was ordained in 1880 and was later attached for ten years (1883-93) to old St. James’s, Spanish Place, W. A similar period—really the beginning of what was to be henceforth a practically lifelong residence—was then spent in Rome, where Father Stanley was named a Domestic Prelate and Protonotary Apostolic by Pope Leo XIII. Early in 1903 the continued ill-health of Cardinal Vaughan, whose death took place in June of that year, called for help in the episcopal work of the Westminster diocese, and Monsignor Stanley was appointed Auxiliary. His consecration took place on March 15 at St. Gregory’s on the Coelian, and the new Auxiliary was in London not long afterwards. The Cardinal was near his end ; and although after his Eminence’s death Bishop Stanley remained in the Archdiocese for some months, his heart was with Rome and he sought and found opportunity to return there. In 1907 he was named by Pope Pius X. Bishop-Assistant at the Pontifical Throne. Since 1911 he had been Consultor to the Consistorial Congregation, and in 1919 he was made a Canon of St. Peter’s. During his earlier period in Rome he had some years’ experience as a newspaper writer. He acted as Vatican correspondent of The Times, and later for the Daily Telegraph.
The funeral requiem was sung on Thursday in the chapel of the English College.—R.I.P.
The above text was found on p.14, 28th April 1928 in “The Tablet: The International Catholic News Weekly.” Reproduced with kind permission of the Publisher. The Tablet can be found at http://www.thetablet.co.uk .
THE RIGHT REV. BISHOP STANLEY: The Right Rev. the Hon. Algernon Charles Stanley, titular Bishop of Emmaus, a former Rome Correspondent of The Tablet, who died in Rome on April 23 last, left estate in his own disposition of the value of £84,815, with net personalty £84,734. [ a present day value of £24,910,000] He left £1,000 to St. Joseph’s Missionary College, Mill Hill, London, N.W.; £1,000 to the Rt. Rev. Monsignor Cronin, of Oscott College, Birmingham; £500 to the Convent of the Good Shepherd, East Finchley, N.; £500 to the Convent of the Sisters of Charity, Lower Seymour Street, W. £250 to the Little Sisters of the Poor, St. Pietro in Vincoli, Rome; £250 each to the Rt. Rev. Monsignor John Prior, the Rt. Rev. Bernard Ward, Bishop of Brentwood, the Rt. Rev. Joseph Butt, Bishop of Cambysopolis, the Rt. Rev. Monsignor Arthur Hinsley, of the English College, Rome, and the Rev. Herbert Loughton, of St. Andrews, N.B.; £100 each for Masses to the Rector for the time being of the English College, Rome, and the Rt. Rev. Monsignor John Prior; his robes, vestments and sacred vessels (not otherwise bequeathed) to the English College, Rome; his picture of St. Charles Borromeo to the Chapter of St. Mary Major’s, Rome; his picture of St. James’s Church, Spanish Place, W., and a large chalice and paten (and £100 for Masses) to the Rector for the time being of St. James’s Church, Spanish Place, W.;
Arthur Stanley
to his nephew the Hon. Arthur Stanley to devolve as heirlooms to follow the title of Lord Sheffield,and to be retained in the Library at Alderley the large folio Pontificale Romanum in four volumes (given to him by Pope Leo XIII on his consecration as Bishop), the Cross also given to him by Pope Leo XIII, and the Cross given to him by his brother Lyulph; to Viscount Halifax, ” who gave it to me,” his Crucifix on stand by Meyer; to his servant Luigi Campanelli £200, certain furniture and jewellery and a life interest in a trust fund of £3,750 with remainder to his residuary estate; to his servant Maria Pierluca, if still in his service, £300 and certain furniture. He also left £11,000 to his nephew the Hon. Oliver Hugh Stanley, £3,000 to his niece Lady Maude Whyte, £2,000 to his nephew Admiral William Goodenough, and £1,000 to his wife, £1,000 each to Lady Blanche Hozier and Frances Seymour, £250 each to his nephew the Hon. Geoffrey Howard and Herbert Leo John Bliss; and subject to numerous other legacies.
The residue of the property he left to the Right Rev. Joseph Butt, Bishop of Cambysopolis, and the Right Rev. Monsignor John Barry, Vicar-General of the Diocese of Shrewsbury, upon trust for the foundation of new Catholic missions in the dioceses of Westminster and of Shrewsbury, stating ” I request my residuary trustees to remember that my radical intention in making this bequest is that as many new missions as possible shall be from time to time assisted to be founded in the places where they shall be most needed for the saving of souls, and the glory of God, and the interests of the Catholic Religion.”
[By contrast] His Eminence Cardinal Patrick O’Donnell, Archbishop of Armagh, who died on October 22 last, left personal estate in his own disposition of the gross value of £4,057 [ a present day value of £1,193,000]; this is left to the Right Rev. Monsignor Michael Quinn, the Right Rev. Patrick Segrave, and the Rev. Eugene O’Callaghan, to be disposed of as they may see fit.
The above text was found on p.13, 28th July 1928 in “The Tablet: The International Catholic News Weekly.” Reproduced with kind permission of the Publisher. The Tablet can be found at http://www.thetablet.co.uk .
This one makes me smile for lots of different reasons. It’s ever so slightly pompous, and smug, how could any event being attended by “the Rouge Dragon, Mr. Everard Green” not be? It’s also got quite a lot of the family in it, though strictly speaking only really two, Great Grandpa (OB), and Uncle Frank at this point in the year. Uncle Wilfrid (Parker) and Charlotte Purssell are married nine days later by Father (later Cardinal) Gasquet, Great Granny and Grandpa OB are married in the October, and then finally Agnes marries Edmund Bellord in January 1899.
I also really like the weird quirk that has this dinner happening about a mile and a half away from the Roper Parkington’s Silver Wedding celebration in Bond Street. So both family events happening the same day, but neither yet connected.
And even better, also attending was the current Olympic Gold Medalist for both the Men’s Singles, and Doubles at Tennis, John Pius Boland who was Irish.
Holborn Restaurant c.1900
The Downside Annual Dinner took place this year on Tuesday last, the 21st inst., in the Gordon Room at the Holborn Restaurant. The Very Rev. F. A. Gasquet, D.D., 0.S.B.., occupied the chair. Among those present were the Bishop of Newport, the Right Rev. Mgr. John Vaughan, the Very Rev. H. E. Ford, Prior of Downside, the Right Rev. Abbot Snow, O.S.B., and the Revv. T. L. Almond, H. N. Birt, V. Corney, Wilfrid Corney, Gilbert Dolan, F. M. Fulton, 0. Langdale, and E. Mostyn, Sir Walter Smythe, Bart., Sir Roland Blennerhassett, Bart., Sir John Talbot Power, Bart., the Rouge Dragon, Mr. Everard Green, and Messrs. I. A. Baillon, E. J. Bellord, H. Behan, C. Berington, P. T. Blackwell, George Blount, P. J. Boland, H. Campbell, T. B. Corney, W. FitzGibbon, A. Ford, T. B. Fulton, E. Gape, J. S. Gradwell, L. Green, E. G. Hansom, E. J. Harting, W. S. Jackson, A. A. Kelly, F. B. Kindersley, A. J. Mitford, E. O’Bryen, W. S. Page, Watson Parker, F. W. Purssell, C. G. Rose, A. W. Sells, E. E. Ware, E. Willett, and E. G. Stillwell, the Hon. Secretary.
After the toasts of the Pope and the Queen had been proposed by the Chairman and duly honoured, Sir Walter Smythe, Bart., gave the toast of Alma Mater, coupled with the name of the Prior of Downside.
In reply the Prior spoke of the very satisfactory condition of the school and of the great progress it was making in its work, and of its many recent successes. Of “Old Gregorians” they had also reason to be proud ; they were not a very large body numerically, but still they got through a good deal of work. There was every reason to be proud of the work accomplished at the house in Ormond-street, though that was only in its inception. Then again at Cambridge University Father Butler had greatly distinguished himself, and his work there was so appreciated by the authorities that it alone was considered sufficient reason to confer a degree of distinction upon him without further examinations. Father Kuypers had also distinguished himself there, and had been awarded the prize for Hebrew. Then at Westminster, where was now being raised the new Cathedral, they were to build up a new house and there carry on the great work of the Order. His earnest wish was that they might all live to see these great works accomplished.
Downside
Mr. George Blount then gave the toast of ” The Visitors “ coupled with the name of the Bishop of Newport who, in reply, said that although he was not an “Old Gregorian” yet he was a very old friend of Downside, and some of his dearest memories were connected with that place, and it was his greatest pride and satisfaction to hear of successful work achieved by “Old Gregorians” whether as Churchmen or as laymen. They were all proud of the work being carried out at Great Ormond-street, at Cambridge University and elsewhere, but their thoughts were mostly turned to Downside itself, the parent stem. There was a great fight before Catholics in these days in the matter of education, and the clergy looked to the laity for assistance. The laity of St. Gregory’s were the crutches which upheld the ancient walls of Downside, and every member present would remember his association with and his duty towards that place.
Cardinal Gasquet
The Right Rev. Mgr. Vaughan then proposed the toast of “The Chairman” He said it was a special privilege to propose this toast. His memory went back with pleasure to the old days in the study and in the playground when both the Chairman and himself were at Downside together. Father Gasquet had distinguished himself greatly. His name was known not to old Downside boys only but to all Catholics in England. He had heard him praised on all sides. His books were of the utmost importance to their non-Catholic brethren. He was an example for them all to follow. He therefore now asked those present to drink the health of the chairman and to wish him health and many years of life in which he might continue his labours.
Father Gasquet in reply said it was a pleasure to know his work was appreciated. Anything he had done had been done for the sake of Alma Mater.
The proceedings closed with a vote of thanks to the Hon. Secretary. During the evening selections were given by handbell ringers and glee singers. [which sounds grim beyond belief]
The above text was found on p.27, 25th June 1898 in “The Tablet: The International Catholic News Weekly.” Reproduced with kind permission of the Publisher. The Tablet can be found at http://www.thetablet.co.uk .
The annual general meeting of the Catholic Union was held on the afternoon of Friday, the 28th ult., in the Hall, 114, Mount Street, W, the Duke of Norfolk, president, being in the chair. There was a good attendance of members. The annual report was read by the Secretary, and, in moving its adoption, the Duke of Norfolk dwelt on the various topics dealt with in it, and especially urged the members of the Union to attend in as large numbers as possible the forthcoming Catholic Congress at Norwich. The adoption of the report was seconded by Mr. Hornyold, who observed that, in addition to the matters mentioned in it, important confidential business had been transacted which it was not desirable to set forth.
Henry Fitzalan Howard 15th Duke of Norfolk
After some remarks by Sir Westby Perceval, Sir J. Roper Parkington, the Mayor of Barrow-in-Furness, and Mr. Stuart Coats, the President observed that, from the first, the Union had been careful not to trench upon the spheres of other Catholic organisations while desiring to work in harmony with them, and stated that the Council would at any time welcome suggestions from members for increasing and extending the usefulness of the Society. Mr E.T. Agius drew attention to the Eucharistic Congress to be held at Malta next year, and hoped that an English Committee would be formed in aid of it. The proceedings closed with a vote thanking the Earl of Denbigh and Sir John Knill for their services as treasurers during the past year and re-electing them, and with a similar vote in respect of the auditors, Mr. F. Harwood Lescher and Mr. A. M. Colgan.
The above text was found on p.13, 6th July 1912 in “The Tablet: The International Catholic News Weekly.” Reproduced with kind permission of the Publisher. The Tablet can be found at http://www.thetablet.co.uk .
This time it’s a GG Grandpa, and a 1st cousin (by marriage) 3 times removed..
The marriage of Professor S. Cassar, M.D., with Inez, eldest daughter of Mr. and Mrs. E. T. Agius, of Belsize Grove, Hampstead, London, took place at the Church of St. Ignatius of the Jesuits’ College, Valetta, Malta, on Tuesday the 23rd ult. The Rev. Father Ambrose Agius, 0.S.B., uncle of the bride, celebrated the Nuptial Mass and officiated, assisted by the Very Rev. Father Kenny, Rector of the College, and an appropriate address was delivered by Father Agius. The Holy Father sent a special Blessing to the couple on an illuminated parchment scroll, signed by Cardinal Rampolla. The bride, who was given away by her father, wore a gown of rich white satin, with a train from the shoulders of white striped brocade, lined with satin and chiffon, adorned with ruches of soft silk—some beautiful Honiton lace was arranged fichu-fashion on bodice, and caught up at the side with a bunch of real orange blossoms. Her veil was composed of net, edged with lace, while her jewels were pearls and diamond-stars, given by the bridegroom, together with a lovely bouquet of white roses and orange blossoms.
There were four bridesmaids—Miss Marie Agius, sister of the bride, and the Misses Muscat, Mifsud and Cassar, cousins of the bride. They wore white muslin and lace with pink fringed sashes, white chiffon picture bats, and pink roses to match. They carried baskets of pink geraniums which, with gold bangles, were presented by the bridegroom. The sister of the bride, Miss Marie Agius, was picturesquely dressed in pink Oriental satin and hat to match. The bridegroom was attended by Mr. Joseph L. Galizia, M.D. After the ceremony, a reception was held by Mr. and Mrs. Ed. T. Agius at ” Capua Palace,” Sliema, kindly lent by Marchese A. Mattei, LL.D., the guests numbering over 300.
At St. James’s Church, Spanish Place. W., on Tuesday morning, the marriage took place of MR. CHARLES EDWARD CARY-ELWES, third son of Captain Windsor Cary-Elwes (late Scots Guards), of Blackmore, Worcestershire, and MISS EDYTHE ISABEL PARKINGTON, second daughter of Major Roper Parkington, 6, Devonshire Place, W. The Bishop of Emmaus officiated, assisted by the Rev. Mgr. Barry, V.G., and the Rev. Dudley Cary-Elwes, cousin of the bridegroom. The bride’s father gave her away, and Mr. Guy Chetwynd, cousin of the bridegroom, was best man. There were four bridesmaids—Miss Irene Cary Parkington (sister of the bride), Miss Edith Cary-Elwes (sister of the bridegroom), Lady Mary Pepys (cousin of the bridegroom), and Miss Maria de Frietas Branco. Miss Dagmar Bennett, Miss Eileen Bennett were train-bearers, and Master Brian Hunt acted as page. The bride wore a dress of ivory white satin, the bodice being trimmed with pearl lace and small sprays of orange blossom, a full Court train of brocade of handsome floral design hanging from both shoulders. Her embroidered tulle veil covered orange sprays, and was fastened with a diamond star, the gift of the bridegroom. A reception was given by Mrs. J. Roper Parkington at 6, Devonshire-place, after the ceremony, and was largely attended.
The above text was found on p.28, 27th November 1897 in “The Tablet: The International Catholic News Weekly.” Reproduced with kind permission of the Publisher. The Tablet can be found at http://www.thetablet.co.uk .
The cousin thing is Charles and Guy (later Sir Guy Chetwynd, [1874–1935] ) and Lady Mary are all third cousins. They share a great, great, grandfather in Henry Paget (1744 – 1812) the 1st Earl of Uxbridge, and the father of the first Marquess of Anglesey.
Also quite amusingly, Charles and Edythe’s eldest daughter Lilian (1902 -2000) married Maj. Hon. Arthur Michael Cosmo Bertie ( 1886 – 1957). on 7 May 1949 as her second husband. She was the widow of Lt Cdr Frank Dayrell Montague Crackanthorpe RN. It was a second marriage for both. His sister was Winston Churchill’s sister in law, though by the time of their marriage both Jack Churchill, and Lady Gwendoline were dead.
Lady Gwendoline Theresa Mary Bertie (1885–1941). married John Churchill (1880-1947), in 1908. He was the son of Lord Randolph Churchill and Jennie Jerome, and younger brother of Winston Churchill. She was the mother of Clarissa Churchill (b. 1920), who married Anthony Eden. Arthur Bertie’s son, and Lilian’s step-son became the 14th Earl of Lindsey and 9th Earl of Abingdon in 1963; and their nephew Fra’ Andrew William Ninian Bertie,(b. 15 May 1929; d. 7 Feb 2008) was elected in 1988 His Most Eminent Highness, the 78th Prince and Grand Master of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta. Prior to his election, he had taught modern languages at Worth in Sussex.
John Roche was a mystery right from the start, and remains so. But it’s probably time to put together some bits of the jigsaw. He’s a great, great, great, great, great grandfather to the youngest generation.
Aghada Hall
We know a few documented bits; from the “Barrymore Records” [1902] he “amassed great wealth during the French wars, and built Aghada House.” Aghada Hall was, apparently, a large Georgian house designed by the Cork architectAbraham Hargrave (1755-1808); though it seems to be “a comfortable gentleman’s residence rather than a vast mansion.”It was completed in 1808. John Roche was also responsible for building the Aghada National School in 1819. The house remained in the family until 1853.
He seems to have made quite significant efforts to establish some sort of Roche dynasty to maintain the family name, and the house that he had built for himself. From Henry Hewitt O’Bryen and Mary Roche’s marriage settlement of 1807, we know that John Roche had at least one child, Mary, and can speculate, probably, a son called John. The two trustees of the settlement are “John Roche the younger, and Stephen Laurence O’Brien,” but by the time John Roche [senior] drew up his will in January 1826, there is no reference to John Roche the younger, and we can probably conclude he had died. It would be likely that family members were the trustees of the settlement, and also likely that John Roche the younger, and Stephen Laurence O’Brien, were the brothers of the bride and groom respectively.
There were three significant beneficiaries of John Roche’s will of 1826, with a later codicil. They were his nephews James Joseph Roche, and William Roche; they seem to be cousins rather than brothers. The third main beneficiary was John Roche’s eldest grandson, John Roche O’Bryen. The total estate amounted to about £ 30,000 when John Roche died in 1829, the modern day equivalent of £45,000,000.
The house and land was left to James, and his male heirs, first of all, and then William, who also inherited £ 10,000, “in case of his not coming into possession of the estate by the means before-mentioned,I leave him£6,000″ plus John’s grand-daughter, Jane O’Brien’s ……£4,000 £4 per cent. stock ;” . Jane O’Bryen, John Roche’s granddaughter was married to his nephew William Roche, and their daughter Pauline Roche inherited their share as a one year old orphan. The final third was John Roche O’Bryen’s £ 10,000, presumably in the expectation that a male Roche heir would inherit the house and land.
John Roche O’Bryen, and Jane O’Bryen were Catholic. All their five remaining younger siblings were Church of Ireland. JROB and Jane/William Roche are the only O’Bryen beneficiaries of John Roche’s estate. The O’Bryen siblings seem to be John Roche’s only grandchildren.
John Roche also left a series of £ 100 legacies (present-day £ 150,000) to various sisters, and nephews and nieces, and “To the parish of Aghada, I leave the school-house, and £20 ( £ 30,000) a-year for its support, and also the chapel and priest’s houseI leave to the parish rent-free for ever, as long as they shall be used for such qualified purposes ; the five slate houses I built in the village, I leave to five of the poorest families rent free ; to David Coughlan I leave the house he now lives in during his life ; to my servant, James Tracy I leave the house his wife now lives in;and to my wife’s servant, Mary Ahearne, otherwise Finne, her house rent-free during their lives ; and to each of those three, viz.,David Coughlan, James Tracy, and Mary Ahearne,otherwise Finne, I leave £10 (£15,000) a-year during their lives :”
So working from the above, we know that John Roche [c.1755 – 1829] is the father of Mary Roche, [1780 – 1852] who married Henry Hewitt O’Bryen (1780 – 1836) in Nov 1807; and the grandfather of John Roche O’Bryen, Jane Roche (nee O’Bryen), and their siblings, Hewitt O’Bryen, Robert Hewitt O’Bryen, Henry Hewitt O’Bryen Junior, Stephen Hewitt O’Bryen, and Mary O’Bryen . At the same time, he is both the great-grandfather, and great uncle of Pauline Roche. Pauline Roche’s mother is John Roche’s grand-daughter Jane O’Bryen, and her father is his nephew William Roche.
John Roche appears to have two brothers, and two sisters:
Hugh, who is the father of James Joseph Roche and Hugh Roche
Lawrence who is the father of William who married Jane O’Bryen and is the father of Pauline Roche
Ellen m. John Verling and mother of Bartholomew Verling, Dr James Roche Verling, Catherine Ellis (nee Verling), and Ellen Verling Jnr.
Julia m. ? Enery [the surname is unclear from the transcript of John Roche’s will]
At this stage there are only hints, rather than facts, but John Roche (Senior) seems to be part of the merchant class in late C18th Cork, and the family’s marriages appear, at least in part, strategic. Bartholomew Verling,[the non-doctor one] was also a Cork merchant, and the Spanish Consul in Cork. He also seems to have been politically linked to Daniel O’Connell, and slightly ironically, to have been responsible for getting Cobh renamed Queenstown when Queen Victoria visited Ireland in 1849. There is also the mercantile/political connection between John Roche and the Callaghans with James Joseph Roche’s marriage to Catherine Callaghan, where JR provided her marriage settlement fund of £4,000, and left instructions in the codicil to his will that she should receive the money even if the marriage didn’t go ahead. So he really did have a lot of money or was really keen on a deal going through.
Sources:
From www.landedestates.ie What is clear is our Bartholomew Verling isn’t this one “In the 1870s Bartholomew Verling, Springfield Lodge (Oxclose), Newmarket, county Cork, medical doctor owned 883 acres in county Limerick and 110 acres in county Cork. He appears to have acquired his county Limerick estate post Griffith’s Valuation. Bartholomew Verling (1797-1893) was a naval surgeon of Oxclose, Newmarket, county Cork. He was the son of Edward Verling and his wife Anne Ronayne. The Verlings were established at Newmarket by the late 18th century.” http://www.landedestates.ie/LandedEstates/jsp/estate-show.jsp?id=2728 But they are almost certainly relations.
From the Irish Journal of Medical Science, January 1971, Volume 140, Issue 1, pp 30-44 – regarding the Irish doctors who attended Napoleon on St Helena including James Roche Verling. Dr James Roche Verling is the Doctor Verling referred to in John Roche’s will. The source references (Ellen Verling) and her brothers John and Laurence Roche of Aghada as members of the council of Cork. It also refers to James Roche Verling having a brother Bartholomew who was a J.P.
From Roche v O’Brien, and his will, we know that John Roche has two sisters
Julia Enery [though the spelling and therefore the name is unclear], Ellen Verling
And at least four nephews
James Joseph Roche, William Roche, Bartholomew Verling, and Doctor (James Roche) Verling
And at least two nieces
Ellen Verling jnr, and Catherine Ellis (nee Verling)
From Burke’s Landed Gentry 1847 entry we know there is another brother Hugh, who is the father of James Joseph Roche, and Hugh Roche Junior.
Roche Of Aghado
Roche, James Joseph Esq of Aghado House, co Cork b. 12 May, 1794 m in Nov 1821 Catharine youngest dau of the late Daniel Callaghan Esq of Lotabeg in the same county and has issue
Maria Josepha
Emily
Mr Roche, a magistrate for the co. Cork s. his uncle, the late John Roche Esq in March 1829. He and his brother Hugh, an officer in the navy, are sons of Hugh Roche, Esq by Anne, his wife dau. of Daniel McCarthy Esq, a Spanish merchant son of JohnMcCarthy Esq.Seat. Aghado House co. Cork.
We know William Roche is the son of Laurence Roche from“Barrymore Records of the Barrys of County Cork from the Earliest to the Present Time, With Pedigrees. London:” published 1902
“Patrick Barry, of Cork, gentleman, died 1861, having married Mary Anne, daughter of Stephen Murphy, of the city of Cork, draper, and had with an elder son, Stephen Barry, of H. M. Customs, Cork, and a daughter, Kate, who both died unmarried, a younger son, William Henry Barry, of Ballyadam, gentleman, J.P., who was heir to his uncle, Henry Barry, of Ballyadam, and was for many years postmaster of Cork. He married in 1857 Pauline Roche, only child of William Roche, son of Lawrence Roche, whose brother, John Roche, amassed great wealth during the French wars, and built Aghada House. John Roche’s only daughter, married to [Henry Hewitt] O’Brien, of Whitepoint, Queenstown, J.P., left a daughter [Jane O’Bryen], who married her cousin, William Roche, and with her husband died shortly after the birth of their only daughter, Pauline, who was entrusted to the guardianship of her uncle, Dr. O’Brien, of Liverpool [sic], and at marriage had a fortune of £7,000.
We regret to announce the death, at Hanch Hall, Litchfield, of Major Edmund Harington Molyneux-Seel, late King’s Liverpool Regt., of Huyton, Lancashire, aged fifty-eight. The elder son of the late Mr. Edmund Molyneux-Seel, of Huyton Hey, Lancs (Chamberlain to Pius IX and Leo XIII), by his marriage with the daughter of the Duke de Losada y Lousada, he was educated at the Oratory School, and entered the Army in 1878. During the South African War he commanded the 1st Battalion of the King’s Liverpool Regt. in the advance through the Northern Transvaal, including the action of Belfast. Major Molyneux-Seel married, in 1894, Clare, youngest daughter of the late Thomas Weld-Blundell, of Ince Blundell, and leaves issue three daughters. His younger brother, Lieut.Colonel Edward H. Molyneux-Seel, D.S.O., was gazetted to a Staff appointment last year ; and his nephew, Captain Louis Molyneux-Seel, Border Regt., was reported ” missing ” last October.
The above text was found on p.21, 14th August 1915 in “The Tablet: The International Catholic News Weekly.” Reproduced with kind permission of the Publisher. The Tablet can be found at http://www.thetablet.co.uk .
The funeral of Captain Lord Petre took place at Thorndon Hall, Essex, on Saturday, where the body had arrived that morning from France. The service took place in the private mortuary chapel. The coffin was covered with the Union Jack, on which lay Lord Petre’s coronet, sword, his Coldstream bearskin, and wreaths of white flowers from his wife, mother, and sisters. A party of non-commissioned officers of the Coldstream Guards, under Lieut. Elwes, were present and acted as bearers. At the entrance to the chapel a large detachment of the Irish Guards were lined up, under the command of Lieut.-Col. the Earl of Kerry. The little chapel was filled with members of the family and outside were grouped the large gathering of tenantry, servants, and friends. The service was a Low Mass of Requiem, celebrated by the Rev. Father C. Kuypers, chaplain to Lord Petre, in presence of the Cardinal Archbishop of Westminster, who gave the absolutions. The music was rendered by some members of the Westminster Cathedral choir. At the conclusion of the Mass, the buglers of the Irish Guards sounded the “Last Post.” The tenantry and friends then entered the chapel and passed in front of the coffin, white flowers being placed round the mass of wreaths by children of the Thorndon Hall School. The coffin was then lowered into the vault. The chief mourners were :—Lady Petre, widow ; Julia Lady Petre, the Hon. Barbara Petre and the Hon. Clare Petre, mother and sisters ; the Hon. John and Lady Margaret Boscawen, father-in-law and mother-in-law ; the Hon. Mary Petre and the Hon. Teresa Petre, cousins ; Lieut.-Col. Oswald Turville Petre, Mr. Lawrence Petre, Mr. Loraine Petre, Lieut. Bernard Petre, Lieut. Jack Petre, and the Rev. Ralph Trafford, cousins ; Mr. and Mrs. Sebastian Petre ; Major and Lady Henry Forbes ; Mr. and the Hon. Mrs. F. Stapleton Bretherton ; Mrs. Van Cutsen ; Mrs. R. Feilding and Miss Bretherton. Among others present were : Canon Norris, Brentwood ; the Rev. R. Grant, chaplain at Ingatestone Hall.
REQUIEM AT WESTMINSTER CATHEDRAL.
Whilst the funeral was taking place at Thorndon a Requiem was celebrated at Westminster Cathedral by Mgr. Howlett. Several of the Cathedral clergy were present in the sanctuary. At the termination of the Mass, at which the music was rendered by the Cathedral choir under the direction of Dr. Terry, the buglers of the Brigade of Guards sounded “The Last Post.” Among those assisting at the Mass were : Audrey Lady Petre, aunt, the Hon. Mrs. Albert Petre, Miss Petre, Mrs. Henry Petre, Lieut. the Earl of Lisburne (representing Major-General Sir Francis Lloyd, commanding the London District), Lady Mary Howard, Colonel Drummond Hay (Coldstream Guards), the Hon. Walter Maxwell, the Hon. J. Maxwell-Scott, Countess de Montholon, Sir Henry Howard, Count and Countess de Torre Diaz, and many others.—R.I.P.
The above text was found on p. 12, 16th October 1915 in “The Tablet: The International Catholic News Weekly.” Reproduced with kind permission of the Publisher. The Tablet can be found at http://www.thetablet.co.uk .
