Morpeth Roll

spuncy · 14-03-2013 3:01pm #1

A piece on the news reminded me that the Morpeth Roll had been transcribed by Ancestry. I've tried searching for some of the names in my tree, but it's a needle in a haystack, even with the more unusual names (I started with James Murphy, d'oh!)

Anyone else have any luck finding the signature of their ancestors?

Ponster · 14-03-2013 3:22pm

The link for those who have Ancestry accounts.

About Ireland, Lord Viscount Morpeth's Testimonial Roll, 1841

When George Howard (Lord Viscount Morpeth) left his post as Chief Secretary for Ireland, he was presented with a remarkable parting gift for an Englishman: a 420-meter roll of parchment signed by close to 160,000 people. The signers came from all over Ireland and from all levels of society, and some included their address or residence.
The 1841 date of the roll is particularly significant because it predates the beginning of the Great Famine in 1845 and because most 19th-century Irish census records have been destroyed.
Residence location and street information is available on the images for a small percentage of the records. These details have been keyed and can be searched in the Keyword field.
If not post any names here and I'll give them a searching....

For those who don't have access just reply to this thread and I'll give it a searching. Though you had better have a pretty distinct name though. There are 260 John Murphys !

pinkypinky · 14-03-2013 4:41pm

I'll have a stab for anyone with the surname Ure please.

spuncy · 14-03-2013 5:59pm

Did a search for Ure but only found 1 possible match: Patt Ur. No indication whereabouts Patt is from - I went back a few pages on the images but nothing about the location.

I wonder could the surrounding names be used to attempt to get a geographic fix on where a particular page or part of a page was signed? Maybe In conjunction with the Tithe Applotments, or other sources (maybe Griffith's?). That could be painstaking with common names, but if there were some unique names in an area, it could yield results.

Not sure if that would work, though, as I don't know how the roll was signed. Was it signed in some big towns and anybody who was in town that day would sign, or was it sent out to some parishes and signatures clustered like that?

L1011 · 14-03-2013 7:01pm

Found nothing of use. So few locations on it and I also doubt that my ancestors in general would have been too quick to sign a testimonial roll for a British Lord...

Two names on it that are *probably* relations but I already knew they were alive then.

The idea about trying to tie it to Griffiths/Tithes is a good one but likely beyond the realms of possibility.

CeannRua · 14-03-2013 8:44pm

pinkypinky wrote: »

I'll have a stab for anyone with the surname Ure please.

There are two people on the index called John Ewer and Patt Ewers if this could be the same name? I couldn't see Patt on the actual image. There is someone called Patt with an indecipherable surname because it's in a fold in the page but maybe I missed him.

ifconfig · 14-03-2013 9:44pm

I found my 3rd great grandfather (in a Louth parish section).
I know from parish records that he was born in 1795 , he appears in 1833 Tithe Applotment listings and in the 1854 Griffith Valuations so this record is another piece of evidence.
I also see male cousins as his mother's surname was quite distinct.
I've not found a civil death record so I can possibly conclude that he probably passed away before 1864.

I'm just starting to read about this document on the Maynooth History Dept site.
Were the signatories more or less exclusively Roman Catholics and taken from parishes ?

Hermy · 15-03-2013 11:24am

Any Pelly's on that list?

ifconfig · 15-03-2013 1:07pm

There is a Hugh Pelly listed.

It is hard to determine the parish/location but from going back a page prior to the entry it may be Clontibret/Monaghan but I cannot be certain.

There are no other individuals digitised with the same surname "Pelly"
Some Pail,Paile, O'Peill, Palles, Pallis coming up via the "fuzzy"/phonetic search.

What part of the country was your ancestor living in in the 1840s ?

Hermy · 15-03-2013 1:33pm

Thanks ifconfig,

The Pelly's that interest me were from East Galway (Loughrea, Portumna, Ballinasloe).
See here for a quick overview.

montgo · 15-03-2013 5:50pm

Hi, I am looking for Blackburn, John/Matthew/Thomas or William in either Limerick or Tipp. Massey & Dawson were the landlords. Thanks,

Jackobyte · 15-03-2013 5:55pm

Ponster wrote: »

The link for those who have Ancestry accounts.

For those who don't have access just reply to this thread and I'll give it a searching. Though you had better have a pretty distinct name though. There are 260 John Murphys !

Surname is Beegan if someone wouldn't mind having a go. We are few and far between so probably won't be there anyway.

Ponster · 15-03-2013 6:16pm

Jackobyte wrote: »

Surname is Beegan if someone wouldn't mind having a go. We are few and far between so probably won't be there anyway.

Augustine Beegan
Luke Beegan
Martin Beegan
Michael Beegan
Patt Bagan
James Begain
Owen Began
Wilm Began
Patt Beggan
Michael Beggen

ifconfig · 15-03-2013 6:35pm

beat me to it Ponster

Beegan is a name I came across quite recently in doing research.
I've been researching the "Little" surname.
Some are Scottish, some indigenous Irish and there are other origins.
The indigenous Littles came from South Fermanagh/Monaghan/Cavan and originally bore the surname O'Beagain/O'Beacain.
The Scottish Little/Lyttles tended to be planted in Ulster and have a different origin from Dumfries/Galloway, etc.

Some other corruptions of the name arose, such as Beaghan.
One notable Beaghan was apparently awarded land in Connaught having ceased lands in Monaghan/Ballybay.
Some theories suggest that Biggins in Cong/Neale/Ballinrobe/Mayo are part of that bloodline.
I noticed that there are Beegans in South Co Galway, south of Ballinasloe.
Any idea/lore on the origin of the Beegan surname , in your case ?
There were people with the surname Small in the same general area when I researched the 19th century census data speculatively suggesting a possible anglicisation of some branches of the family.

ifconfig · 15-03-2013 6:44pm

montgo wrote: »

Hi, I am looking for Blackburn, John/Matthew/Thomas or William in either Limerick or Tipp. Massey & Dawson were the landlords. Thanks,

Found 2 John Blackburns and several Matthew Blackburn entries.
Location/parish details not clear.
I wonder if Maynooth History dept have a parish location index to accompany the digitised document to show the grouping of locations on page ranges.

Some sets of pages have something like a post-it at boundaries showing the location/parish.

There are entries for Charles Blackburn where it is indicated clearly as Dunboyne/Clonee.
There are several Christopher Blackburn entries (again location unclear).
Some Blackburns are digitised as Blackburne.

Jackobyte · 15-03-2013 6:48pm

ifconfig wrote: »

beat me to it Ponster

Beegan is a name I came across quite recently in doing research.
I've been researching the "Little" surname.
Some are Scottish, some indigenous Irish and there are other origins.
The indigenous Littles came from South Fermanagh/Monaghan/Cavan and originally bore the surname O'Beagain/O'Beacain.
The Scottish Little/Lyttles tended to be planted in Ulster and have a different origin from Dumfries/Galloway, etc.

Some other corruptions of the name arose, such as Beaghan.
One notable Beaghan was apparently awarded land in Connaught having ceased lands in Monaghan/Ballybay.
Some theories suggest that Biggins in Cong/Neale/Ballinrobe/Mayo are part of that bloodline.
I noticed that there are Beegans in South Co Galway, south of Ballinasloe.
Any idea/lore on the origin of the Beegan surname , in your case ?
There were people with the surname Small in the same general area when I researched the 19th century census data speculatively suggesting a possible anglicisation of some branches of the family.

Don't really know where we branched off from the other Beaghan's, Behan's, etc., though having searched some of the resources, the name was limited solely to the Galway region during the 1860's IIRC, before expanding to Limerick (my locality) by 1901.

Ponster wrote: »

Augustine Beegan
Luke Beegan
Martin Beegan
Michael Beegan

3 with the exact spelling. Interesting. I'm assuming Galway region, since that is where this distinct spelling seems to originate.

montgo · 15-03-2013 7:42pm

ifconfig wrote: »

Found 2 John Blackburns and several Matthew Blackburn entries.
Location/parish details not clear.
I wonder if Maynooth History dept have a parish location index to accompany the digitised document to show the grouping of locations on page ranges.

Some sets of pages have something like a post-it at boundaries showing the location/parish.

There are entries for Charles Blackburn where it is indicated clearly as Dunboyne/Clonee.
There are several Christopher Blackburn entries (again location unclear).
Some Blackburns are digitised as Blackburne.

Many thanks for these records but without the location, it might be impossible to to tie them to my ancestors. Surprising that there are so few with that surname listed.

I'm guessing that if Maynooth library had a location index, it would have been included in the transcription. Still worth checking.

Menas · 16-03-2013 10:24am

Would you mind looking for 'Slowey', 'Sloey' and 'Hoskins'?

Thanks!

Ponster · 16-03-2013 1:16pm

Bernard Slowey
Bernard Slowey
James Slowey
John Slowey
John Slowey
John Slowey
John Slowey
John Slowey
Neal Slowey

Peter Hoskins

Menas · 16-03-2013 2:28pm

Cheers!

chughes · 17-03-2013 9:11am

Is there anyone with the surname Archbold on it, possibly from County Kildare and maybe Athy?

Thanks.

Ponster · 17-03-2013 2:19pm

chughes wrote: »

Is there anyone with the surname Archbold on it, possibly from County Kildare and maybe Athy?

Thanks.

Yes, 31 of them. Have you got a first name (there's usually no way of identifying locations I'm afraid)

chughes · 17-03-2013 5:45pm

Ponster wrote: »

Yes, 31 of them. Have you got a first name (there's usually no way of identifying locations I'm afraid)

The first name is Thomas.

Cheers.

thadiisgirl · 18-03-2013 1:49pm

Hi there

Could anyone please see if there is an Edward Lavin, Carrick on Shannon (Roscommon, not Leitrim)

Thanks

Ponster · 18-03-2013 2:02pm

chughes wrote: »

The first name is Thomas.

Cheers.

Sorry, I'm afraid not.

Bernard Archbold
Edmd Archbold
Edward Archbold
Francis Archbold
George Archbold
James Archbold
John Archbold
Nicholas Archbold
Patrick Archbold
Patt Archbold
Robert Archbold M P
Robert Archbold
William Archbold

Ponster · 18-03-2013 2:03pm

thadiisgirl wrote: »

Hi there

Could anyone please see if there is an Edward Lavin, Carrick on Shannon (Roscommon, not Leitrim)

Thanks

No Edward Lavin, sorry.

thadiisgirl · 18-03-2013 2:38pm

Thanks for looking Ponster.

chughes · 18-03-2013 6:17pm

Thanks Ponster.

Just to clarify, these Archbolds could be anywhere in the country, not just Kildare?

Ponster · 18-03-2013 7:18pm

chughes wrote: »

Thanks Ponster.

Just to clarify, these Archbolds could be anywhere in the country, not just Kildare?

Pretty much so. Some records have a location listed as the person I guess was instructed to add it, but most don't.

I'll take a look at you're lot later and see if there are locations given.

Waitsian · 19-03-2013 4:19pm

Some useful advice I found in a comment section on an article about the Roll (Catharine Green, Journal.ie online):

"One key to the signers’ location is that the pages are often started off by the signatures of the P.P. (parish priest) and curate. If you find your family name on a page the clergy signed, you may pin down a location using Jane Lyons’ site which has a search bar atop it, pulldown menu with an 1836 “parish priest index” http://www.from-ireland.net/ And there is a free, online book for 1839 Catholic directory -

http://books.google.ie/books?id=k-MNAAAAQAAJ&printsec=frontcover&source=gbs_ge_summary_r&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q&f=false

- which can be searched for clergy names/parishes."

Ponster · 19-03-2013 4:40pm

Good advice md9maple

I went back to look at Bernard Archbold and spotted this on the previous page so it looks like it's worth sifting through for clues as you suggested.

Morpeth Roll

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