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Hi
I am related to Catherine Cavanagh who married John Merrin. I have been in contact with Felicity Bent a great great grandaughter of John and Catherine. I have enjoyed reading all your posts on John Merrin because I always wondered what had happened to Catherine during her life.

Catherine arrived in Australia with her brother John in 1857 on board the "Glen Isla'. She actually came with her 3 other cousins Thoman Doran Sinnott born 1835 my great grandfather, his sister Elizabeth born 1837 and older sister Bridget born 1833. All born in Clonee in the old Parish of Kilcomb now Ferns in Camolin Wexford Ireland.
 
John and Catherine's parents were Peter Cavanagh and Mary born Murphy in Clonee and they were sponsored by Moses Sinnett and his wife Ellen born Murphy the sister of Mary Murphy. Moses Sinnett was the uncle of Thomas, Elizabeth and Bridget. Moses being the brother of John Sinnott the father of Thomas. Elizabeth and Bridget Sinnott, so related by the marriage of the 2 Murphy sisters.

All 5 of the young people were sponsored by their uncle Moses Sinnett who had quite a thriving sheep farm at Kirkconnell. Moses and Ellen had arrived in 1840 and worked quite hard first as a blacksmith who had been sponsored by A.B. Smith and sons of Bathurst then in the 1843 Moses is working as a shepherd on 3 sheep stations owned and managed by the Irving family and Co. Finally by 1853 Moses is able to purchase his own property at Kirkconnell and today it can be found as the old administrative building as part of the Kirkconnell Correctional Centre.

From Moses farm and with his support Thomas married in 1868 my great grandmother Elizabeth Mary Minehan. Bridget married Murty D'Arcy a police officer with a very interesting life in the police force, Elizabeth married Richard Shumack a son of a wealthy landowner in Bathurst. As for John I cannot find out much about his life or future.

I have quite a comprehensive family history of Moses and Ellen and Thomas, Elizabeth and Bridget if it is of more interest than what I have provided. Felicity, "Feliss" has some of these details that I provided her with in 2023 so hopefully my small contribution has added to the picture of their lives.

Sue Alderton born Synnott

Hi

Is there anyone out there in Ballaghkeen who might know the location of the castle at Ballyfarnoge. In my family history notes there is a mention of a Walter Sinnott building the Castle at Ballyfarnoge Ballaghkeen in 1286.I do not know if this is just fictional or the family actually did build a castle at Ballyfarnoge as I cannot find any documented material to support this statement. I do know that the family settled up in this area in the 13th century but were continually at war with the local population losing lands having their castles or fortified residences burnt out retreating south moving back rebuilding etc continually until the 1600s then finally losing all their lands to Cromwellians.

I do realise that there would not be any castle there at present but maybe the ruins of one or that someone might know where the original was located if there was a castle built here at all. Please any help would be invaluable. I am putting this note in the surname section as well, as some Sinnott may have some useful information thanks

Sue nee Synnott

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I have spent hours and hours going through every entry for the online Doomesday Somerset entries for any mention of a "Sinnott" (I have used every variation of the name) that was granted lands in Somerset as "reward" for his services under William the Conqueror in his "Invasion of England" in 1066.

Family history has the Sinnot family as coming to England from France in 1066 and being granted lands in Somerset and Lincolnshire but I cannot find any entry to substantiate this claim. If anyone has any knowledge of a Synad, Synache, Synath, Synet, Sinnett, Sinnott, Synot, Synnot or any concoction of the name receiving or paying knight's fees for a parcel of land in Somerset could they please let me know I would much appreciate this lead.

The OE spelling of the name appears in the Doomesday but not for Lincolnshire or Somerset and like all teutonic families there appears to have been a migration in ancient times of people bearing the name "Sigenod or Sionoid" but as I said they were here pre 1066 and are not related to my family line.

Please any help would be great,

Sue

Thanks for the reply. I have been on the track of my family name for the last 3 years and only got a renewed spurt just recently when a family member asked for some info. I have used every spelling that one could think of to search out the family name, even reverting back to the spelling of their family crest the swan "cygnet" as a source, because it sounds so much like Synot.

I have all these unverified satements and I am a stickler for confirmation I cannot go on undocumented family history statements I would like to ferret out the truth. I do realise in situations like family history a lot of the information we have is heresay and sometimes you just have to go with it.

So thanks for the interest I have used that one already and it comes up with lands in Dorset but the information that has been handed down to me is that the family "de Synot" were given lands in Somerset and Lincolshire so I will continue down this track until I have exhausted this avenue and then maybe just accept that they got it wrong or the name was not mentioned in a way that would be recogniseable today. The grant may have been made through the liege lord that the Synots were bound to.

Sue

Thanks for the information. I will give it a go. I am in Australia so I cannot visit the library and I did not want to purchase Phillimore's work if the family does not even appear in the document.

Sue