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Ireland (Historical Counties) => Ireland => Wexford => Topic started by: nbrome on Thursday 27 August 09 07:24 BST (UK)
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Doing some research for my husband's family name: Gainsforth and all variations.
His American branch came from Wexford and I found a reference on the net to a Thomas Gainsforth who was piked to death along with 96 others on Wexford Bridge in the Rising of 1798.
Does anyone know anything about this? I wonder how reliable this info is. Are the names recorded somewhere?
(I got the info from an Ancestry Freepage).
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Two possible mentions that I can see
From Wikipedia : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wexford_Rebellion the section is 'Final Phase'
'... taken about 90 suspected government loyalists to the Wexford Bridge..' It then goes on to mention a summary trial and executions.
the second mention in rebellion notes of a bridge is at the battle of Vinegar Hill. again from Wikipedia : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Vinegar_Hill section is captioned 'Attack on Enniscorthy'
This bridge was between the primary battle at Vinegar Hill and the town of Enniscorthy and was the location of fierce fighting.
I'm sure there are more details on the web and in books on the 1798 Rebellion.
There is a list of of people claiming losses of property, & livestock - but I dont believe any casualties are included in that. There may could of course be other sources out there somewhere..
I'll have a quick look in the books I have on this subject and let you know of any further details.
Shane
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Hellow,you can find a large amount of information on the rebellion at the National Library of Ireland,Dublin,they have in the region of 400 book on the subject,one that may be of use to your search is a book by P.A.Donohue
1798 Rebellion Brave Rebels All:Wexford,Wicklow,Carlow,Kildare: the call number is IR94107D13.
good luck,Diarmuid.
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You'll find an account here:
http://oll.libertyfund.org/?option=com_staticxt&staticfile=show.php%3Ftitle=2045&chapter=145702&layout=html&Itemid=27
No mention of any victim names however.
Dara
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Found him!
Listed as Thomas Ganford, Page 357.
http://www.rootschat.com/links/06z6/
Sorry about the long link.
Dara.
Moderator's Note: link now shrunk. Use 'shrink link' found at bottom of every page to shorten very long links.
Added: Thank you aghadowey, I hadn't noticed that before.
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that's a great find! well done
Shane
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A little bit more here though the person mentioned has a different name.
There are some sources at the end of the article.
Anne
http://www.rootschat.com/links/06z9/
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Wow! It's taken me half an hour just to GLANCE at what you all came up with. It still has to be studied. Many thanks to you all, but especially to Oaks and Acorns who came up with a name. Did you notice that it appears again further down as father, son and nephew?
It's a whole new field of study. Don't know if I'll be able to link it all in.
Going backwards I've got Thomas Gainsforth born Wexford 1832 (died Nebraska, this is our family), son of Richard Gainsforth and Sarah Daily - this is taken from LDS IGI.
Looks like the name Richard was repeated. But the surname is not common so maybe I'm in with a chance!
Once again, a thousand thanks.
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Thank you nbrome. Your message prompted me to go search for a list of participants and casualties/victims of the 1798 Rebellion. I have been half-heartedly searching for a few years and today I just got lucky.
Happy days.
Dara.
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As follow-up to this thread I sent an e-mail to the archivist at the House of Commons to try and track down the affidavits mentioned in the book above - "Such affidavits were numerically registered in the archives of the house of commons".
Rather than trying to paraphrase the reply I will give it to you verbatim –
“The reference you have found is most interesting. Unfortunately I have not been able to find any information in the Archives about it. The original historic records of the House of Commons were almost all destroyed in 1834 in the fire which burnt down the old Houses of Parliament; the only items to survive were the House of Commons Journals (the minute book of proceedings). I fear the original register of affidavits mentioned here will have simply have been burned in the fire.
I have looked in the Journal indexes for around 1798, and also searched House of Commons Parliamentary Papers (printed Commons papers such as reports and accounts) but have been unable to find any mention of them there. I am sorry to give you this disappointing answer.”
It puts our fire in the Four Courts into a different perspective.
Dara.
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Anyway, it's nice to know someone actually took the time to look pretty thoroughly.
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Doing some research for my husband's family name: Gainsforth and all variations.
His American branch came from Wexford and I found a reference on the net to a Thomas Gainsforth who was piked to death along with 96 others on Wexford Bridge in the Rising of 1798.
Does anyone know anything about this? I wonder how reliable this info is. Are the names recorded somewhere?
(I got the info from an Ancestry Freepage).
The book you want is Sir Richard Musgrave's History of the 1798 Rebellion which lists the 'loyalist' victims names of most major incidents and if my memory serves me right his account of the pikings at Wexford Bridge has a list of names. The book originally appeared in 1799/1800 but was reprinted in 1995 and is still available in the USA. Roundtower Books - Indiana. It is a massive tome and well worth having - biased but full of information.
Memoirs of the Different Rebellions in Ireland, from the Arrival of the English; also, A Particular Detail of That Which Broke Out the XXIIId of May, MDCCXCVIII; with the History of the Conspiracy which Preceded It and the Characters of the Principal Actors in It. To this Edition is Added, A Concise History of the Reformation of Ireland; and Considerations on the Means of Extending Its Advantages Therein [2nd edn.] (Dublin: Milliken 1801); Strictures upon an Historical Review of the State of Ireland [by Francis Plowden]; Or, a justification of the conduct of the English Governments in that Country, from the Reign of Henry the Second to the Union of Great Britain and Ireland (1804). Reprint Edition: Steven W. Myers and Delores E. McKnight, eds., Memoirs of the Irish Rebellion of 1798 [first edn. 1801], with a forward by David Dickson (Enniscorthy: Duffy Press; Fort Wayne, Indiana: Round Tower Books 1995).
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Thanks for that info.
Is your first book mentioned the same as the book for which Oaks and Acorns put in a link (see earlier post)? The author is the same and there are lots of names there.
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Sorry for the delay in coming back to you. I went to the local library today and checked the book by Sir Richard Musgrave that I referred to above. Page 805 (part of the list of those murdered at Wexford Bridge) shows a Thomas Gainfort of Wexford being one of the victims. Musgrave's history of the rebellion was discredited it the time as it was extremely biased but in recent years it has enjoyed a revival in popularity amongst historians as it is full of very detailed information including lists of names etc.etc. A veritable mine of information for anyone researching the period or looking for family members. Two of my relations are also listed as meeting their end at Wexford Bridge - ethnic cleansing at its worst! Anyway I hope that the information is some help to you. :)
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I came across this CD '1798 Rebellion, Claimants and Surrender' at http://www.ifhs.ie/reviews_cd.html
Thought it might be of use to you.
Dara.
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Thanks for that info.
Er...........has anyone bought this? (Just thought I'd ask!)
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I found a list of names from Musgrave under Irish genealogy projects archives at igp-web.com
I’m sorry I cant post the link it was some time ago
See if you can find it
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Re Piked to death See '1798 Casualty Database" it's on Facebook
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I found a list of names from Musgrave under Irish genealogy projects archives at igp-web.com
I’m sorry I cant post the link it was some time ago
See if you can find it
http://www.igp-web.com/IGPArchives/ire/wexford/xmisc/executed-1798.txt
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it may be of interest a monument to the pikemen of 96 stands on the road into wexford town at a place called barntown it is a representation of a group of pikemen but i do not know who caused it to be erected
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https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Pikemen_1798,_Wexford,_Ireland.JPG
Monuments 1798
http://barntown.ie/three-rocks-monument-1798/
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page 108
Sarah Ganford of Monglass ,husband murdered oh Vinegar Hill,25th June
https://archive.org/stream/memoirsofdiffere00musg#page/108/mode/1up/search/ganford
Colonel Thomas Cloney appears to be Thomas Clooney
use search box top right
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it may be of interest a monument to the pikemen of 96 stands on the road into wexford town at a place called barntown it is a representation of a group of pikemen but i do not know who caused it to be erected
That is far from the best or most notable monument!
The best one by far - the Croppy Boy, AKA the Pikeman, in the Bull Ring, Wexford
https://www.gruene-insel.de/blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/wexford_1798_rebellion.jpg (https://www.gruene-insel.de/blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/wexford_1798_rebellion.jpg)
Main square, Enniscorthy - Fr. Murphy points the way to Vinegar Hill to the Croppy Boy
https://n7.alamy.com/zooms/11a3e51c0ff44296a96491f389e65972/priest-and-a-peasant-holding-pike-and-sword-statue-in-market-square-adbeap.jpg (https://n7.alamy.com/zooms/11a3e51c0ff44296a96491f389e65972/priest-and-a-peasant-holding-pike-and-sword-statue-in-market-square-adbeap.jpg)
New Ross - depicting Mathew Furlong (supposedly a relative).
(https://l7.alamy.com/zooms/36d258930d3042fb951a30df09de75f9/the-croppy-boy-memorial-to-the-1798-rising-at-corner-of-quay-st-and-a0p815.jpg)
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I too have been interested in the 1798 Wexford deaths especially one of John Hatchell. i was lucky to find the document for a claim to recompense that his orphan children made after his death. findmypast has a list called 1798 Claimants and Surrenders. I dont have a sub now. but someone may be able to help. If Gainfort is on it, there may be a claim document for his next of kin.
These papers for my John Hatchell outlined a little of his personal information and of his children's situation. That was really valuable information to get.
If a claim was made fro Gainfort, it may be in the Rebellion Papers which were held in the State Paper Office which is now closed. The papers were transferred to the NAI but not all of them have been indexed. In fact it seems only the most prominent people's records are listed in the index of the Rebellion Papers on the NAI site. I was lucky to have found a journal article with a precise index number for my Hatchell, and I paid an Irish Family History Centre person to look it up for me. It was simple with the number known.
If your Thomas Gainfort's widow or children made such a claim it may be in those Rebellion Papers but how to get it out might be a problem. I could send you my index number - it might be the same box or not.
Your Thomas Gaifnort may be the man married to Margaret Hatchell. Perhaps she was John Hatchell's sister.
It may help you to know that such a resource is possibly hidden away in the NAI.
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Gainforth was my grandmother's maiden name. She came from Trenton, Ontario. There were at one time a number of Gainforths there. You find the name in cemeteries all over the region, and there is still a Gainforth Road.