Barr family - Donnybrook, Dublin

[shanew147]

interesting address ... listed at 6 James's St East in 1848 is a name very familiar to Irish Researchers :

  General Valuation Office
   Richard Griffth esq., commisioner
    res. 2 Fitzwilliam place


Shane

[EileenBlacklock]

That IS interesting. This is where you find the listing

http://churchrecords.irishgenealogy.ie/churchrecords/details/c62f250306634?name=john++barr&name2=&location=dublin&dd=&mm=&yy=1845&type=&diocese=&parish=&century=&decade=&sort=&pageSize=10&submit=Search

Do you know what the building is like?

[shanew147]

I've attached extract of an 1848 map showing the location of James's St East, below. It's located between Mount St and Baggot street and quite close to the Grand Canal. I would think quite a well-to-do area at the time..

I am not sure what the houses were like in 1845, but they were turned into tenements soon after. If they remained the same structurally then you could work out some details of the buildings from the 1911 census building returns (form B1)- see : James's St East

p.s. you can view the full 1848 map here : http://www.rootschat.com/links/07gy/


Shane

[EileenBlacklock]

Thank you so much, Shane. I think I will see if I can see it now on Google earth too.

Andrew was living with his family at 108 Baggot Street in Dublin when two of his daughters were baptised - Maria Catherine Barr in 1847 and Ruth Isabella in 1853 so they stayed in the area. We were told that they were quite wealthy and that he was made a Freeman of the city of Dublin which turned out to be wishful thinking however.

[shanew147]

that Baggot street address in 1848 is interesting also... Mr. Griffith again... was there some connection ?

  108 and 109 Baggot St (lower)
      General Valuation Office, Rd. Griffith esq., commsr.
   
  the building is at the junction with Lad Lane



Shane

[EileenBlacklock]

You could well be onto something here but I have not seen a connection so far. As you know, I can't get back any further than Andrew at the moment. Here are the links so you can see them

http://churchrecords.irishgenealogy.ie/churchrecords/details/24505c0336244?name=ruth+barr&name2=&location=&dd=&mm=&yy=&type=&diocese=&parish=&century=&decade=&sort=&pageSize=10&submit=Search

Name   RUTH ISABELLA BARR
Date of Birth   20 October 1853
Address   108 LOWER BAGGOT ST
Father   ANDREW BARR
Mother   ELIZABETH
Further details in the record
Father Occupation   Rope Maker

the next one for Maria has a different occupation for the father but I sort of thought it just an error in transcription unless you think differently?

http://churchrecords.irishgenealogy.ie/churchrecords/details/db61bd0313210?name=maria+barr&name2=&location=&dd=&mm=&yy=1847&type=&diocese=&parish=&century=&decade=&sort=&pageSize=10&submit=Search

Name   MARIA CATHERINE BARR
Date of Birth   1 December 1847
Address   108 BAGGOT ST
Father   ANDREW BARR
Mother   ELIZA
Further details in the record
Father Occupation   Professekor

Professekor might be a badly transcribed entry from profession -cordage which I think is another name for ropemaking.

Curiouser and curiouser as Alice would say!! As if my appetite wasn't whetted enough, you have to point out this weird connection. Maybe I need to look up something about this Mr Griffith?

[shanew147]

I think they sometimes have used ropes, or possibly more accurately heavy strings, for measuring properties for Land Valuations etc ... maybe that was the connection ?



Shane

[EileenBlacklock]

That could certainly explain the perceived importance of Andrew by his descendants.

I am now running around from website to website trying to make sense of it all but your reply does make a lot of sense. Maybe he worked for Griffith?

The family rumour that he had been made a Freeman of the City was clearly just a rumour but as they say, there is no smoke without fire. This would have seemed an important job to his family and certainly Richard Griffith would have have had a very high profile.

[shanew147]

It seems likely that with dates and addresses in common with Valuation offices  that there could be some connection.. especially as usually the address on baptisms would be where the family lived.

Richard Griffith was knighted, presumably in connection with his Valuation work, even before it was completed. He's shown in Thom's 1863 as :

  Sir Richard Griffith bart., LL.D. chairman of the board of public works,
   chief boundary surveyor under the Act 17 Vic c 17 and
     commissioner of the Government valuations of Ireland
   res. 2 Fitzwilliam place , office 2 Ely Place
 
just two Barr/Barre entries that year - the same details as 1848

 
Shane