RootsChat.Com

Thanks for the reply.

3 Oct 1903 is the date of death for Mary Bryson said to be on the Bryson gravestone in Kilroot graveyard. This is from Gravestone Inscriptions of co. Antrim, vol 2, page 49, from the Ulster Historical Foundation.

I cannot confirm that Samuel Bairds wife was Rosborough but certainly a Samuel Baird of Sallowilly was present at the death of a Jane Baird, farmer's wife, married, age 59 years, on 1st August 1867 at Sallowilly, Cumber. Cause of death was 'Dropsy 12 weeks certified'.

James Ross Irwin was a GP at 4 Irish Street, Whitehaven, Cumbria, and died there in 1890. His widow was at the same address in 1891 and, as Martha A Irwin, in 1901 when she was running a Temperance Hotel.

Martha Ann Baird’s sister was Margaret Baird who married Rev. John Witherow of Gallany after the death of his first wife, Margaret Irwin.

The above sent to me by James Irwin who is researching the Irwins of Ling.

Hi Sue

Found Margaret S Mesney in the 1901 census. She is listed as Mrs Philip Mesney, widow, age 69, born in Guernsey, and this has been incorrectly transcribed in the online files as Thos Philip Mesney. She was in the Rectory, Little Bromley with Pedro S Mesney, her son, who was the curate. Someone has written "Margaret S" in a different hand beside her entry.

This confirms firstly that Peter S Mesney and Pedro S Mesney are one and the same person; and secondly, because the letter I mentioned previously says that Mary Locke Stephens Mesney knew about Pedro Mesney and Philip Mesney and spoke to Philip in 1908/10 (this would be Philip de Q), I think it confirms that our Michael Mesney was related to Philip and Margaret.

Regards

Jeye

Dear Sue

Very many apologies for not looking at this site for 1+ years. Things are clearer. My gg-aunt Margaret S Stephens married a William Michael Locke Mesney. We are pretty sure he was the son of William and Mary Mesney (nee Locke) who married on 2 August 1827 in Wyke Regis, Dorset. William senior was employed by the coastguard service to crew their vessels and he was mate and then master of the coastguard cutter stationed in Carrickfergus from the mid 1840s to 1862 approx. A Robert Locke Mesney born in Westport, Co Mayo, in 1841 was his brother and we presume the Mesney family was stationed there at the time.

William ML Mesney died in 1884 in Bootle, England. We think that after her death our Margaret Mesney went to Alderney to her husband's relatives. Her daughter visited the island about 1908 and when she was being helped down the gangplank the harbour master said to her "If I didn’t know that it was impossible I [would have] thought you were Maggie Mesney". She took a photograph of the Mesney house in Huret St and wrote a note on the back to say that she would have called if they had been poor but because they owned half the island she did not intrude. If she had only rapped the door we would know if Margaret Serane Mesney was still living.

Philip Mesney (1830 – c1890) is recorded in the 1841 census at Huret Street aged 11. His parents were Peter Mesney, age 35 and of independent means, and Mary, age 40, also of independent means. He had two sisters, Harriet, age 10, and Lydia, age 8. On the night of the 1861 census he and a son,  John B Mesney, age 4, were boarding in St Peter Port, Guernsey. He was married and occupation was magistrate of Alderney. Subsequent censuses also record him as a magistrate, and in 1881 he was additionally described as a general dealer.

Margaret Serane Mesney (1832 – ) was born in St Peter’s Port, Guernsey. Her father was Pierre Serane Barbenson and her mother Susanne de Quetteville. She appears in the 1861 and 1871 censuses as wife, and in the 1891 census as widow. She is not in the 1901 census and no Mesney is recorded in Huret Street but there are two blank entries for Huret Street on the census website so the house might simply have been empty that night or she might have died. She is known to have had eight children: John Barbenson Mesney, Peter S Mesney, Philip de Q Mesney, Arthur BLP Mesney, Stephen O Mesney, Henry WG Mesney, Giffard de J Mesney, and Margaret Barbenson Mesney.

There was a Pedro Serane Mesney, a clergyman. I wondered if he really was Peter S Mesney.

The 1841 census records a Michael (b1776) and Sarah Mesney (b1781) in Braye St. He had retired from the Revenue Service and this made me wonder if he might be the father of our Michael senior. I also wondered if he might be the father of Peter Mesney hence making Philip and Michael ML first cousins and explaining why they took our Margaret Mesney in. I have no actual evidence that these were the correct Mesney relatives. Philip's death before 1890 might well explain why our Margaret Mesney emigrated to the USA as we know from her death certificate that she entered the country about 1890.

With best wishes

Jeye