Halpins of Co. Wicklow, Portarlington and Dublin City - Part 2

[J.M. Flannery]

Thought you all might like to see the following I knew I had it in ony of my many cardboard 'filing' spaces, at last have located it. I researched it 8th April 1997.


L.E.C. Rentals Wicklow Town: Drumkay Parish.  N.A.I. Vol 38. No 30.
Co of Wicklow Rental & Particulars. Researched by JMF 8th April 1997

Town of Wicklow and also on the Murrough of Wicklow: Held under leases for unexpired terms of lives and years, and of years, to be Sold by Auction, in four lots By the Commissioners for the Sale of Incumbered Estates in Ireland:  At their Court, 14 Henrietta St., in the City of Dublin.
ON Friday the 15th day of February 1856 at the Hour of 12.O’Clock Noon.

Descriptive Particulars and Conditions of Sale.
Lot No 1:
A Capital walled-in-yard, also a Quay for Vessels of large tonnage to come alongside, offering every facility for loading with copper sulphur ores, etc., for the storage of which, this Yard would be most valuable. There is on it a slated store, in the south-east-corner, next to the river, and fronting the quay.

There is also a Coast Guard Station of this Lot, in thorough repair, and let for £12. per annum. This Lot would be an eligible investment for mining Companies or Ship owners, as the proposed improvement for deeping (sic) the river of Wicklow to eight feet at low water (which is now rapidly progressing, will extend opposite the entire front of this plot, which is also within a short distance of the terminus of the Dublin and Wicklow Railway.
Valuation for Yard & Store ... ...   ...   ...   ...   £15. Per annum
Valuation for Coast Guard Station ..   ...   ...   £12. Per annum

THE PROPERTY OF THE LATE
JAMES HALPIN
Lot no 1.

Held under lease bearing the date the 24th day of June 1823, made between the Portrieve, Burgesses, and Commonalty of the Borough of Wicklow, of the one part, and James Halpin, of the Town of Wicklow, Innkeeper, of the other part, of all that plot of ground situated on the Murrough of Wicklow, and in the Corporation of Wicklow aforesaid, bounded on the north by the road leading to the Old Bar, on the East by a road or passage leading to the river, and Mr George David Ronan’s holding, on the South by the River of Wicklow, and on the West by the unoccupied piece of ground between said plot and Mr. Solomon William’s holding from said Corporation, containing, from North to South, 80 feet, from East to West, 68 feet or thereabouts, to hold from the 29th day of September 1822, for the lives of Eliza Halpin, Eaton Cotter Halpin, and George Halpin, or for the term of 99 years from the date of said lease, whichever should be the longest last, at the yearly rent of 16/=, and 8/= duties, both late currency, and payable 25th March and 29th September.

Julia

[BillW]

Excellent, Julia.
1.  Do you think the latter describes the site of the Bridge Tavern?
2.  What is a Murrough (as opposed to a burough and town)?
Bill.

[halpinr]

Hi Ray,

came across this on google dates might be useful

Rathdown Civil Registration District or Poor Law Union
Ireland
Birth Register Indices - Reference extracts (Vital Records
http://www.from-ireland.net/extrs/p/r/rathdobirths1.htm

Surname & Name Year Quarter
Halpin Agnes 1869
Halpin Bridget 1873
Halpin Catherine 1873
Halpin Edward Laurence 1876
Halpin George 1871
Halpin Jeremiah 1877
Halpin John 1873
Halpin Lucy 1884
Halpin Mary 1875
Halpin Mary Anne 1869
Halpin Patrick Joseph 1877
Halpin Sarah Anne 1877
Halpin Teresa 1885
Halpin Thomas 1884
Halpin William 1885

Rgs Robert

[BillW]

"To John & Benj. HOPKINS, and John HALPIN, jun.  To repair 73 perches (about 400 yards) from Tinnahaly to Carlow, between the widow Hopkins's haggard and a thorn bush on Lau. FALLON's (probably TALLON) ditch on Stratnakelly, £14/12/-."

[Source: Accounts, Presented to the House of Commons. Presentments Passed by Grand Juries of Ireland. County of Wicklow. Spring Assizes 1807 p.443]

Stranakelly is in SW Wicklow, probably about 25 miles from Wicklow Town by road.  The name John Halpin junior is enticing but possibly not related.  From reading the pages surrounding, I get the impression that, for smaller contracts like this, payments were made to locals to repair/build the road near their own property.

Bill.

[Shanachai]

I'm inclined to think that John Halpin jnr is the son of John Halpin of Portarlington and Custom House (the chap stung by the live-in Dublin prostitute I told you about a few weeks back).  John Halpin snr retired to Portarlington in about 1800, on an excellent annual pension. 
     John snr's position in Custom House, and other positions like those of tidewaiter and landwaiter, were invented by the British administration for the relatives of members of Grattan's Parliament (situated in Dublin, which ended in 1800).  The Irish Parliament voted itself out of existence in response to the Rebellion of 1798.  Many Irish Parliamentarians were reluctant to support the idea of a 'Union' with Britain, but substantial numbers agreed to it when the right bribe was offered (money, land, well-paid public appointments, etc).  So it is very likely that the Halpins of Portarlington were closely related to a member of Grattan's Parliament, someone who sold his support for the Union in return for substantial favours.  This probably accounts for the presence of so many Halpins at Custom House, working in a professional capacity on the Dublin docks - their positions being rewards of gratitude for political support. 
     I wonder which member of Grattan's Parliament the Halpins were related to?  I once stumbled across a Halpin-Greville or Grenville, who was supposed to be the first Irish born member of Grattan's Parliament, but my memory of the reference is very hazy and I've never been able to recover the attribution or to confirm it.  Sorry about that.  By the way - I believe there was a Greville (a Major?) living in Cavan town at the time of Dr. Charles Halpins presence there.
     Something else to consider - the Rev. Nicholas John Halpin was born in Portarlington.  Clearly, he acquired his father's Christian name, but did he also acquire his 'uncle' John's first name too?  Which would mean John Halpin snr and Nicholas Halpin schoolmaster were brothers. 
     Another thing to think about:  over a year ago I drew your attention to the announcement of the death in India of a John Halpin, Orientalist and Surveyor/Engineer.  That announcement was recorded in Cavan Town's local newspaper, The Anglo-Celt.  I'm away from my desk at the moment so I can't give you guys the exact date of the announcement, but it coincided with Dr. Charles Halpin's presence in Cavan town, and I speculated that it was made for Dr. Halpin's benefit, which probably meant the two men were related.  Sadly, I've never been able to find out any more about John Halpin, our Indian Orientalist.  But if my suspicions are right, then it seems likely he was the son of John Halpin snr, of Portarlington and Custom House.  In other words - he is the John Halpin jnr in Bill's posting above, and at some point after 1807 he took up a good position out in India, where he died (he may be Diane's John).  Naturally, if he is the son of John Halpin snr, then that would make him first cousin to Dr. Charles Halpin of Cavan town, and it would explain why his death was announced in the Anglo-Celt (and in no other newspaper, as far as I can tell).

PS - I have a few weeks work - the first in 9mnths, god help me.  The work's miles from anywhere, which is why I've been off air for a while.  Just ducked into town today for a few hours, and saw the recent activity.  Everyone's been pretty busy and there's much to absorb.  Will have results of an examination of the Parish Registers for Wicklow for you next time I get in touch.  Am off out to the sticks for another two weeks (at the most).  All the best, R.   

[BillW]

Ray, are you saying here that Nicholas John Halpin was a son of Old Nick Halpin, schoolmaster?  According to our only documented account, the Burke's entry, he was the son of William Henry and the grandson of Nick.  Otherwise I have had John as a possible undeclared brother of William Henry but no problem with his being his uncle.  In line with your thesis, we have seen recently, from Diane, that William Henry seems to have had a sort of sinecure in the Military Account Office about 1815.

Welcome back and good news.

Bill.

[Shanachai]

Sorry Bill - got myself mixed up.  Too hasty with the reply.  In a bit of a rush.  I should have put John down as a cousin of William Henry Halpin, who was father of the Rev. N J halpin. That would make John an uncle of the Reverend and his brother Charles Halpin, MD.  Perhaps I should go away and think more clearly about this.

[BillW]

Re Halpin Greville, to which Ray referred.

First there is publicly available research at the site http://familytreemaker.genealogy.com/users/h/e/y/Max-Heywood/WEBSITE-0001/UHP-0850.html.  Here the will of Henry Halpin Greville (1785-1837) refers to property at Kilmainham Co Dublin that he inherited from his father John Halpin Greville (d.1829 London).

John Halpin Greville's parents are shown as John Greville and Hannah Halpin, married 1740 Dublin.  Apparently nothing was known at the time about Hannah Halpin's family but her name being joined to her husband's seems to suggest some family substance.  I wonder what we can find out?

Her husband, John Greville, is shown as born 1710 at Carrickmines and died 1757 in Ballycreagh, both Co Dublin, and that he had land at Carrickmines known as Newmarshes Farm.  (Could this be Kilmainham or is that elsewhere?)

It seems to me that these are people whom our Halpins would have known.

Second, Greville is an English aristocratic name (Earls of Warwick, I think) who would have moved in the same circles as the Villiers (Earls of Clarendon and Jersey).  I do not know, of course, but these Dublin Grevilles may have been minor relatives.

But this reminds me of a much earlier mention here about George Villiers, 4th Earl of Clarendon (1800-1870), a most impressive man dedicated to public service, who had the prime ministership offered to him more than once but declined on principle.  In, so far vainly, searching for an Irish connection between the Greville and Villiers families, I noticed that for nearly 10 years in the 1820s he was a Commissioner for Customs, including Ireland.  He spent a lot of time in Ireland, later as Lord Lieutenant at a time that included the Great Famine.

I, of course, am interested in any Villiers connections because Julia Villiers (1815-1889, parents unknown, wife of George Halpin, jun.) is one of my ancestors.  Here is this most prominent of Villiers a Commissioner of Customs in Ireland at about the time of the Nicholas Halpin family being at the Customs and George Halpin senior at the height of his achievements at the Port of Dublin and elsewhere.  (I am not suggesting parentage.  For one thing, the dates don't fit and I don't think he was in Ireland in 1815 - although she was not necessarily born in Ireland.)

Bill

[kenneth cooke]

From Register of Kilkenny School 1685-1800 by T.U.Sadleir:
HALFPENNY PADGET, 13 years, Aug. 31 1696, (son of Nicholas of Queens Co.)

He is obviously the same one who entered TCD in 1698, aged 16. (see old forum P.18)  Kilkenny School actually seems to have been in Kilkenny.

From 'Dalton (family) Data Bank, re convicts in Australia:
Thomas Halfpenny. Trial 5/4/1840. Convicts daughter, Rose Halfpenny granted a free passage to NSW. His niece, Rose Dalton, also seeks free passage. They reside in Kingscourt, Co. Cavan. (But in the index it says T.H. of Naas, Kildare)