Halpins of Wicklow - Part 3

[BillW]

Of some interest, Tavern?!  I can't contemplate how many buttons this pushes. 
But first, are there any other instances of this family in the records?  Who would have written 'south of the Halpin enclosure'?  And possibly most telling - Dr James Henry Halpin, the senior male Halpin remaining in Wicklow, arranged this burial place adjacent to the rest of the family.  Was this William's father Nicholas a brother of James, George (and William)?
Your post has sent me back to re-reading all of the posts of this series.  First of all, didn't we all do well?  I recommend this exercise to all.
And then we have to consider the implications of this find.  Were these the last of the family to change their name from Halfpenny to Halpin?  (As an aside, may I ask how does the name Halfpenny sound in Irish parlance?  Is it the same as English and Australian - pronounced Hayp'ny?)
Cheers, Bill

[tavern]

Hi Bill,
In answer to some of your queries on the last posting:

The following inscription is on a very small headstone beside the Halpin enclosure :

Wm Hapny Died 27 Aug 1762 aged 55?

I checked this in the Church burial records and it states “27th August 1762 William Halfpenny” No other information. This grave is also “south of the Halpin enclosure” and would have been there before the Halpin graves.

As to who wrote “south of the Halpin enclosure” based on the handwriting was most likely The Rev.P.B.Johnson, the officiating clergy.

Another name mentioned on the burial record of this William Halpin was “funeral arranged by Frank Rooke.” There was a Francis Rooke living also at the Glebe in Wicklow in the 1911 census. Dr.James H. Halpin also died in 1916 the same year as this William.
We pronounce Halfpenny both ways but mostly "Hayp'ny".

Hope this helps,
Regards,
Tavern

[BillW]

Going back over earlier posts in this series, I have attempted, below, to bring together strands relating to the earlier Halpin and Halfpenny families and connections, to be read in conjunction with Tavern’s posts of the last few days.

P1.   Portarlington Halpin family – service in Royal Navy very much to be checked, but a maritime heritage seems to be indicated.  I speculated that they originated in a more maritime County, like Wicklow (or Louth).
James, Margaret and George Halpin’s mother Elizabeth, 75 at death in 1814, indicated birth about 1735, gives an indication for her husband John Halfpenny's birth.

P2.   Ray produces photocopies of original notes for Portarlington family’s entry in Burke’s.
1)   Nicholas William Halpin, officer in Royal Navy, later Headmaster Portarlington.
2)   Nicholas (Halpin), officer in Royal Navy, later Headmaster Portarlington.  [Is one of these confused with the other?]
3)   Children.  Susanna; William Henry (lived at Portarlington) m. Marianne Crosswaite (sic) Jan. 1787 St Thomas.  [NB St Thomas's was George Halpin’s parish.]

P3.   Magazine entry: death of Mrs Mary Ann Halpin of Portarlington June or July 1785.  [Wife of one of the above?]

P4.   Portarlington Schoolmasters:  1784-1791 Mr Halpin, English grammar school.
8th September 1808.  Death of Mrs WH Halpin.  [Presumably Marianne Cross(th)waite.]

P9.   Fanny Halpin’s 1858 statement the Bridge Hotel is “kept by members of the same family who kept it a century ago...”
Reminder that William Halpin, paymaster and father of Rev Robert Crawford Halpin, born c. 1777, repeatedly declares he was born in Wicklow.

P12.   Reminder of “Halpin’s Bridge Hotel Established AD 1765”.
Wicklow COI records
•   James son of John and Elizabeth Halfpenny baptised 22 Oct 1780
•   Margaret dau of John and Elizabeth Halfpenny baptised 28 Apr 1782
Rev Robert Crawford Halpin travels from Dublin to Wicklow 1862 to conduct with Rev Henry Rooke the funeral of Margaret Halpin, sister of James, George, and, surely confirmed by this, William.
Tavern also reports Wicklow COI 1700s Halfpenny baptisms by parent/s Thomas 1741; William 1741; William and Elizabeth 1755, 1759; Thomas and Margaret 1756; Thomas and Susanna 1764, 1765; William and Margaret 1792, 1795.
Maeve (Julia) first asks who was the William Halpin in the 1901 Census, single, aged 70 living in Bond Street Wicklow.

P15.   Tavern shows that Frederick was George’s son (and thus confirming how he was James’ nephew) and involves Robert (Crawford) Halpin, Clerk, as a party to deeds subsequent to George’s death in 1854.
Report of the 1st March 1859 burial of Frederick where, again, Rev Robert Crawford Halpin travelled down from Dublin to officiate with Rev Henry Rooke.
A childhood story from Marie Kent about (George’s daughter) Louisa going to a Wicklow dance while ill, ignoring her doctor father and dying of peritonitis. [This was in 1831, too early for any of her cousins to yet be doctors.]
1835, death of Richard Halpin, Howth.

P16.   Tavern reports again, of Richard Halpin of North Strand, Bricklayer, admitted a Freeman of the City of Dublin as a member of the Guild of Bricklayers by Grace Especial Easter 1800.  He represented the Guild on the Common Council of Dublin in 1811 and 1814.
1810, Richard Halpin receives the most number of votes at election of the Common Council of the Corpn of Bricklayers and Plasterers, or Guild of St Bartholomew.
HCPP reports show
1820   James Halpin to Corpn of Bricklayers by Birth
1830   James Halpin and Richard Halpin voting members of Corpn of Bricklayers and Carpenters.  Brownriggs, Cotters, Eatons, a Crossthwaite and Gore, George Halpin, George Halpin jnr, William Halpin all Freemen of Corpn of Carpenters &c of the City of Dublin entitled to vote at election of Members for said City.

[BillW]

Further to the above, I have now (at last) taken the step of formally adding William Halpin as a brother of George, James and Margaret, all as children of John and Elizabeth Halfpenny and adding a tree chart amended to show this.  It runs to 2 x Landscape pages.
Knowing that their mother Elizabeth was already in her late 30s or 40 when these four were born, it is to be expected that they had earlier siblings.  We have seen that only the last two, James and Margaret, are recorded in the Wicklow baptism registers.  So, if William and George were baptised elsewhere, so could have any number of others been baptised elsewhere.  A strong candidate is Richard, Freeman of Dublin, who was admitted to the Guild of Bricklayers 'by Grace Especial' which, in some reports, is a euphemism for 'by Birth'.  If this, it would imply that his/their father (or uncle?) was an earlier Guild member.
Additionally there is the tenuous possibility that John Halfpenny was a brother or cousin of Nicholas Halpin, whose principal male descendants were named Nicholas John.  It should even be taken into consideration that the Wicklow family, over and over, called family by their middle names and thus John Halfpenny may well have been baptised (somewhere) William John Halfpenny, for example.
And, did John Halfpenny have brother Nicholas (or a son Nicholas, thus a brother of our lot) who was the father of William Halpin, noted recently as buried adjacent to the Halpin plot?
We need to keep an eye out, especially, for naval/maritime and legal records involving any of the alternative names above.

[Shanachai]

Excellent summary, Bill.  And, as usual, the tree chart is invaluable.  Much appreciated.

[BillW]

If our resident family treasure, Marie Kent, was delighted to receive more relatives when George's family was added previously, this further increases her gain (and of course I receive Marie and the dwindling number of the Wicklow family).  Should Marie be mystified that these families were not discussed (in her hearing) within her Wicklow families, that could be because these families were always resident in Dublin and further afield since the very early 1800s, half a century before her grandparents were born.
The year her grandparents married, Rev Robert Crawford Halpin died, in London where that whole William Halpin family seems to have lived since the 1860s.  Also, it seems that there may be NO descendants of that family.
There remained family of George Halpin jnr in Dublin, Co Kildare and possibly elsewhere but they possibly had no knowledge of or connection with the Wicklow family.  George jnr's wife, Julia Villiers, widowed for 20 years, was by all reports haughty and domineering.  It is entirely conceivable that her children had no interaction with, or possibly even knowledge of or interest in, the Wicklow family.  I do, however, find it hard to believe that the young Wicklow doctors would not have had contact during their studies in Dublin.  Marie's great grandfather, Dr George Halbert Halpin, would have had extensive contact with George jnr's sister Louisa until he was about 10 and Louisa died in Wicklow.  I suspect that Louisa may even have been a sort of governess to the young children in the Bridge Hotel living quarters.
Also, one might have thought that the split of Frederick from the Dublin family, the disputation about Frederick leaving his estate to daughters of James' family and his burial in the family Wicklow plot might have rated mentions down the generations.

[tavern]

Hi BillW,

Congratulations on your summary of what has been gleaned so far and your updated “Family tree”. I agree with the conclusion that William, George and James are related (most likely brothers – I’m still concerned with Frederick leaving everything to his “nieces” and not “cousins”).
 
I would still put a “health warning” as regards the “Halfpenny/Halpeny/Hapny” connection even though much of the research is pointing that way. I believe we need some more definitive evidence.

 As we have not yet found Halpins in Wicklow pre 1799 we are left with three possibilities:

1. Yet to be discovered the earlier “Wicklow Halpins” pre 1799 or
2. They came from elsewhere to Wicklow  or
3. Indeed a name change did occur around the end of the eighteenth century.

Edward MacLysaght (1887 –1986), the foremost authority on Irish surnames, and who was the first Chief Herald of Ireland and administrator of the Genealogical Office, points out in his book ”More Irish Families”  that while “there has been a tendency to abbreviate Halpeny to Halpin. All the best known men of the name have in fact been Leinster men and have all born the surname Halpin not Halpeny.” He gives some examples including  “....and George Halpin, senior (1779-1854), architect and inspector of lighthouses.”

Regards,
Tavern

[BillW]

Yes Tavern, I agree.  But.  From recollection, the term 'nieces' was used in a newspaper report of the Halpin v Halpin case.  Set against this is the memorial reference to Frederick being James' nephew plus the other documentary indications.  In the absence of direct evidence there remains only a balance of probability.  I hope my cautiously arrived at conclusions have been set forth with a healthy degree of tentativeness.
Leinster includes all the locations we have encompassed in these discussions, from Drogheda in Louth to Portarlington in Laois, to Carlow, Kildare, Wexford and Wicklow.  MacLysaght's pronouncement is pretty high handed and elitist, not atypical of a chief herald, and not contemporaneous.  Consider his proposition that Halpin was an old Irish name.  Would that not have been one of a number of reasons for people who had the name Halfpenny to choose to adopt the name Halpin?  It would have been more helpful for him to back up his example of George Halpin with some evidence.  That would have been useful.  In the absence of which, I very much doubt that he had any real knowledge if George's father, or certainly grandfather, had been Halfpenny or Halpin.
We have witnessed most recently the example of William Halpin, mariner, seemingly somehow connected to the Wicklow Halpins and also seemingly the most lingering case of a switch from Halfpenny to Halpin, well into the 1800s.  I agree with the "health warning" but, on the current balance of probabilities....

[tavern]

                                How the death of the above mentioned Wm. Halpin, Mariner, was reported in the Wicklow Newsletter & Arklow Reporter Saturday February 19th 1916.

“With regret we have to chronicle the death of Mr. Halpin, at the advanced age of 87 years, which sad event removes from amongst the inhabitants a member of one of the oldest and most respected generations in Wicklow, and which took place on Wednesday night last. Through life he was a sea-faring man of an adventurous character, and there was hardly a portion of the globe that he had not visited during his long career at sea. Honesty, courtesy, and uprightness characterised his every walk of life and to mark the esteem in which he was held, on the announcement of his death flags on the vessels in the harbour were flown at half-mast, and blinds drawn on private houses, while the shops all over the town were shuttered. Internment took place yesterday (Friday) in the Wicklow Churchyard, a large and representative assemblage being present to pay his remains the last parting tribute of respect.”

Regards,
Tavern