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« on: Friday 15 September 23 18:56 BST (UK) »
I went into this extensively some years ago, and am still finding out more about this remarkable family. This is my summary of my findings about Mary Park's family: Mary’s father was Thomas Parke of Raheen, County Wicklow. He died in Baltinglass (no date given but probably soon after Mary’s birth in 1762) as a prosperous farmer with a large herd of cattle. He had stood surety for a colleague who ran off with taxes, and Thomas was held to account. As his cattle were being driven off he had a stroke and died before his wife came home to reassure him that Lord Aldborough and his brother Captain Stratford had told her not to worry about it. His wife lived until 98. Mary’s mother was Sarah Boake born in 1712. She married Thomas Parke who was originally of Barranstown in 1731. She was 50 when Mary was born, the last of a big family, and after her father died Mary went to live with her older sister Margery who had married their uncle Ephraim Boake. (This of course was highly irregular, although they were of similar age and more like cousins, and Ephraim was ‘excommunicated’ from his Quaker community because of it). Margery and Ephraim Boake brought up Mary at Boakfield House. Mary’s mother features in John’s reminiscences as the grandmother dressed all in black who died at his family home aged 98.