Early Evanson of Dunmanway, Durrus (Four Mile Water), West Cork from late 17th century narrative,


Ref: Notes Evanson Narrative

Short pamphlet loaned to me by my sister Jan regarding the Evanson family history and reproduced here as follows:

‘A Short Narrative of the Evanson Family’ reprinted 1913 (possibly written by EA Hardy, 1877)

The Ancestor of the Evanson Families, now in Ireland was Lieutenant Nathaniel Evanson, who came from England at the restoration of Charles 2nd, with a Patent from that king, of Castle Donovan and a large tract of land belonging to it of 2,400 acres; he settled there and married Susana O’Doherty, a widow with one son. Susana was the grand daughter to Edward King, Bishop of Elphin, (Sir Gilbert King is the present representative of this family): and his wife Grace Sampson, (daughter of Rev Nathaniel Sampson, Prebendary of St Pauls and niece of Latimer) their issue were two sons, Charles and Thomas and a daughter. Those married into the Beamish family. Thomas’ issue was Edward, who settled in Antigua; no living issue, but his sister had in the Beamish line and at present in the Townsend’s –Grace Stewart of Clonakilty, is one of them. Charles married a daughter of Colonel Arnap by whom he had issue, Nathaniel, Arthur, Susanna and Grace. Grace married Joseph Armitage of Glounmacarney, near Dunmanway, which he mortgaged for 200 pounds and a white horse. Arthur came by accidental death. Nathaniel married Martha Alleyn daughter of Edward Alleyn of Ballyduvane; their issue, Charles, Alleyn, Nathaniel, Richard, Martha and Susanna. Charles married in Antigua, a Widow Knight, by whom he had Nathaniel and Martha. Alleyn second son of Martha Alleyn, married also in Antigua, Susanna Ceely; she was near cousin to Sir W. Young, governor of Antigua and was connected with the Montague’s and Nibbs family. (Miss Ceely ’s niece married a Mr Gordon). Nathaniel died unmarried. Richard married Miss Harris whose mother was Miss Beamish. Martha married Abraham Ducket, of Hervey. Susana married John Harmman of Lahavir, near Bantry. Alleyn Fitzherbert, Lord St Helens, Lord Viscount Molesworth and the Browns of Coolcower, were all related to Nathaniel Evanson’s wife, whose maiden name was Alleyn. Charles Evanson who was married to Susana Arnap was married secondly to Mary Martel and they had five daughters – one married Mr White, one married Mr (Thomas) Shaw, one married (Elizabeth) Dr Litton and one married Mr Brooke, one daughter died unmarried. The first Nathaniel mortgaged the Castle Donovan Estate, and settled at Four Mile Water, rebuilding the Old Court, now again in ruins. The present Nathaniel has the patent which always remained in the family. ( Nathaniel died unmarried. The patent now in the possession of his sister Mrs Furlonge , 1877) Colonel Arnap whose wife was Percy, owned the Dunmanway Estate. He mortgaged it to Chancellor Cox. His son, Captain Arnap, it is certain would have redeemed it, but dying suddenly after breakfast at the Chancellor’s on his return from England, strong suspicion of his being poisoned was and still is told, as a gentleman at the breakfast table said the Chancellor bid a servant hand a particular cup of chocolate to Mr Arnap; after drinking it he soon expired. The first Mrs Evanson had sisters, one married the O’Shaughnessy (whose daughter married the O’Donovan, ancestor of the late General O’Donovan); and another married Mr Butler (the family of the Duke of Ormond); and another married Mr J Warren. A short memoir (now in that of mine EA Hardy, 1877) of Bishop King, in needlework, by Susana Beamish, his descendant, taken from history, is in the possession of Mrs C Evanson, of Ronayne’s Court and the same at Mr Busteed’s, Ballinrea, worked by another female descendant., Elizabeth Evanson afterwards, Litton. Sir William Young, Governor of Antigua, and near cousin to Mrs Alleyn Evanson, settled in England, and became a member of Parliament. Thomas Shaw and Mary Evanson’s issue was John (grandfather to the late Mr Justice Willes) married to Isabella Allen; their issue, Elizabeth married Thomas Busteed of Ballinrea, leaving issue. Mrs Hawes, sister to Susana Beamish were daughters of Nathaniel Beamish, called after the Evanson name, and Mrs Townsend’s mother was one of the same Beamish’es. Nathaniel son of Alleyn Evanson and Susana Ceely, married Mary Townsend, daughter of H. Baldwin and Catherine Morris; a numerous issue. Charles, his brother married Harriette Allen, daughter of W. Allen and E. Aldworth, daughter of William Boyle Aldworth, of Newmarket. Four Mile Water.

September 6th, 1831

The first of the Evanson’s who came to Ireland with a Patent of Castle Donovan from Charles 2nd of 2,400 acres, was Lieutenant Nathaniel Evanson; he married Susan O’Doherty, a widow with one son, whose maiden name was Blackburn; she was grand daughter of Edward King, Bishop of Elphin. Charles was his son, Nathaniel his son, Alleyn his son, Nathaniel the 3rd his son. The original patent is still in possession of a member of the family. O’Doherty connected with the Coopers of Sligo. Four Mile Water Lands were purchased by Judge Bernard, ancestor of the Earl of Bandon. By the connection with the Ormond family the Evanson’s lost many thousand pounds, lent by one of them to Ormond, for the Crown in Queen Anne’s reign. Copied from a Memorandum written by Mrs ? illegible.

Royal Institution

Cork 22nd August 1874

My Dear Sir,

I beg to thank you very sincerely for the perusal of the Evanson Paper, as well as the narrative and Tabular Pedigree of the family. I have been much interested with the historical connection of the family; the names of most of them are quite familiar to me. Should an opportunity at any time present itself, I shall not fail to congratulate Mrs Pope Gray on her very distinguished ancestry. It is now time for me to be able, with some degree of confidence, to pronounce an opinion on such subjects.

Believe me, my dear Sir,

Most truly yours,

Richard Caulfield, LLD

Pope Gray Esq,

Douglas, Cork

Famine in Durrus, West Cork 1846-7


Famine 1846-47
Soup house in Beamish’s farm at Ardogeena One very charitable person Mrs. O’Donovan beggared herself in the process. A great number of ‘cabhlachts’ and ruined houses in the townlands of Drishane and Cashelane are believed to have contained large families pre-famine. It was said in every thirty acres of land no less then eight families inhabited it. They all died of hunger; some were said to die by the fences, in a field just on the boundary of Drishane and Cashelane owned by the Hegarty family (1938) about one and a quarter of a mile from Dunbeacon school it is said that about 40 persons died there and were eaten by dogs. Most of the people were buried en masse and the burial grounds are still to be seen at Cashelane. There is a field called ‘the Cill Field’ which is believed to contain about two thousand people. Cart loads of corpses were carried there.
Mr. E Driscoll (1938) was told by his mother that in black 47 people walked to Ballydehob where the local depot for Indian meal was. One day as Mrs. Driscoll was returning from town she was met by a horse pulling a cart of dead bodies which were picked up from the wayside. She compared the bodies to ‘fir scolls’ (scolbs, long thin pegs of wood used to pin down thatch) at sight; they were later cast into a pit in Stuaic graveyard without distinction

In 1845, in Louisiana, USA, the Priests were exhorting the Immigrant Irish to forsake the grog halls of New Orleans and go up the Mississippi. like the Germans to claim the free land


In 1845, in Louisiana, USA, the Priests were exhorting the Immigrant Irish to forsake the grog halls of New Orleans and go up the Mississippi. like the Germans to claim the free land.

The Irish Emigration of the mid 19th century was part of a pattern fromNorthern Europe Scotland and Germany being huge exporters of people.

In Louisiana worthy immigrants could claim up to 200 acres in the Mid West. The priests were concerned about the moral welfare of their flock and felt their future prosperity would be guaranteed in the countryside.

In retrospect the Irish were fortunate in they largely ignored the Priest’s advice and like the Jews settled in the cities. Over generations they climbed out of the slums availing of education often provided by Irish Religious Orders (eaten bread is soon forgotten) made their way into the upper echelons of US Society. A mirror image of the Jews. In the meantime the poor Germans continue to eke out a living on wind swept prairies!

Canon Shinkwin was talking to the older people in Borlin (Bantry, West Cork), in Irish around 1903 and asking them to speak Irish to the small children at night with a view towards arresting the decline of the language. There were 4 million Irish speakers pre famine in 1840 and in 1900 probably at least 10 million worldwide whose parents had been Irish speakers, Borlin Bull Irish Civil War..


General area.

https://www.google.ie/maps/@51.8158977,-9.4084035,12z?hl=en

Canon Shinkwin was talking to the older people in Borlin (Bantry, West Cork, in Irish around 1903 and asking them to speak Irish to the small children at night with a view towards arresting the decline of the language. There were 4 million Irish speakers pre famine in 1840 and in 1900 probably at least 10 million worldwide whose parents had been Irish speakers.

In some ways people continued to speak Irish but through the medium of the English language. To some extent that is still true. The rhythms of language appear normal but to non Irish English speakers appears strange exotic and sometimes puzzling. The language lives in hidden in placenames, field names in half forgotten phrase which exist in the collective unconscious.

In the Irish Civil War one of the Cronin family from Borlin was a Free State Officer and was known as ‘The Borlin Bull’

https://durrushistory.wordpress.com/2011/10/08/decline-of-the-irish-language-muintervara-19th-century/

DEAN MICHAEL SHINKWIN PP VG

Deceased

Parish Of Birth

Kilmurry

Colleges Attended

St. Patrick’s College, Maynooth Co Kildare, Ireland

Details Of Ordination

Ursuline Convent Chapel, Blackrock, Cork

4/2/1859

Appointments

St. Patricks (Lower Rd.) PP : 27/2/1906 – 12/9/1923

Chaplain, Military Prison/Cork : 1906 – 1908

Bantry PP : 12/1879 – 27/2/1906

Glounthaune PP : 1878 – 12/1879

South Parish CC : 1869 – 1878

Bandon CC : 1867 – 1869

Bantry CC : 1859 – 1867

Notes

He was one of three brothers – Canon Joseph Shinkwin, P.P., Bandon and Canon Thomas Shinkwin P.P., Glanmire, who ministered in the Diocese.

Appointed Canon of the Cathedral Chapter in 1878.

Appointed Vicar Forane (V.F.) of the Bantry Deanery in 1880.

Appointed Vicar General of the Diocese in 27/2/1906.

Appointed Dean of the Diocese in 8/6/1906

Date Of Death

12/9/1923

Place Of Death

Parochial House, St. Patrick’s, Lower Glanmire Road, Cork

Place Of Burial

St. Finbarr’s Cemetery, Cork

Obituary

The celebrant of the Solemn Requiem Mass was, Very Rev. Canon Roche, P.P., Glanmire, deacon was Fr. Richard Barrett, C.C., Cathedral; sub-deacon was, Fr. Richard Barrett, Chaplain, Clifton, and master of ceremonies was, Fr. Thomas A. Murray, C.C., St. Patricks.

died aged 92.

His brother James was a Barrister and Coroner who died young:

died  1895 James Henry Shinkwin Barrister 1870 Coroner West Riding 1894 KIlbrogan House. Strong political nationalist  number of brother priests.  Probate to widow £211 Magistrates at the funeral J. C. Allman, Bandon, P. Buckley, Cork, James Daly, Mawbeg House, Bandon, M. Dennehy, Innishannon, T. Dwyer, Cobh,  T. Foley, Bandon, M. Healy, Coachford, John P. Howard, Crookstown, C.J. Harold, Mallow,  B. O’Leary, Bantry, D. J. Riordan, Ballincollig, 

Canon Shinkwin was talking to the older people in Borlin (Bantry, West Cork, in Irish around 1903 and asking them to speak Irish to the small children at night with a view towards arresting the decline of the language. There were 4 million Irish speakers pre famine in 1840 and in 1900 probably at least 10 million worldwide whose parents had been Irish speakers.

In some ways people continued to speak Irish but through the medium of the English language. To some extent that is still true. The rhythms of language appear normal but to non Irish English speakers appears strange exotic and sometimes puzzling. The language lives in hidden in placenames, field names in half forgotten phrase which exist in the collective unconscious.

\

..

Re the query raised by Jeome Lordan re Canon Shinkwin and the Shinkwin family I forgot that I may be related to the Shinkwins.  Many years ago a brother of my mother,  Seán Carey wrote a memoir in a few jotters of growing up in Blackrock and Ballinure just outside Cork. I transcribed them.  He refers to the family getting various Christmasn items from Shinkwins who had a large grocery shop in Prince St. in Cork and remarked that they are probably relatives.  The Shinkwins come from Kilmurray and Seán thought that his maternal grandmother O’Mahony’s family came from the same area.  Despite extensive searching he could never nail it down. By the way my gedmatch is  ​​ M008562 if that rings any bells.

The Shinkwin family was highly political.  I enclose details of Canon Shinkwin from the Diovcesdn website of his brother, a barrister  in Banon and Corner for West Riding, Co. Cork.  I could not find an obit for Canon Shinkwin but his brother Father Michael Shinkwin died 1922 and the general public listing gives the relations. Quite a number of Crowleys.

The Shinkwins were of a class that has largely gone undetected the  prosperous Catholic large farmers.

I did not find any obit for Canon Shinkwin but his brother Father Michael  Shinkwin died in 1922 and had a large funeral, this would give the family relationships:

1895 Funeral, Bandon James Henry Shinkwin, Barrister and Coroner. 1922 Funeral Canon Michael Shinkwin.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1FdPjTMSWpMSX0UxCP-8keXWben_Avmp6i5qZNB9GfaA/edit

.

..

..

..

Hermitages on the Mizen, Muinter Bháire, Beara Peninsulas and the Island and the Deserts of Sinai, the Middle Eastern influences of the Book of Kells


Hermitages on the Mizen, Muinter Bháire, Beara Peninsulas and the Island and the Deserts of Sinai, the Middle Eastern influences of the Book of Kells.

A little while ago I met  an Iraqi, in Ireland for over 40 years.  . I don’t know whether was Christian or Muslim  but he had a great knowledge of early Irish History. He said that the refuges of the early monks in the isolated peninsulas and island have a common tradition with the hermitages of the Middle Eastern Deserts such as Sinai. Some of the old church sites and graveyards are the locations of these hermitages and indeed they may pre date the coming of Christianity to Ireland.

He then drew attention to the calligraphy of the Book of Kells and other such books and said that the decoration was Middle Eastern in origin. He felt that there were connections between Ireland and the Middle lands at that period.

Peadar Ó hAnnracháin, Gaelic League Organiser, Cois Life, in the Southern Star, Skibbereen, West Cork.


Re Peadar Ó hAnnracháin. Peadar was a wonderful Conradh na Gaeilge organiser throughout a number of counties including Cork and he wrote several books as Gaeilge. He also wrote on the Southern Star as ‘Cois Life’ in the 1940s and 1950s. In that period he worked in the Pigs and Bacon Commission in Dublin.  The column often wandered over long lost history, family relationships and there was a touch of the ‘Seanachaí’ about them.  The daughter of the Gaelic Scholar, landowner and businessman in Ballydehob Thomas Swanton, Crianlarich, gave him her father’s papers.

One of 13 children, 10 of whom survived and the majority emigrated.

In Colasite Chairbhe (owned by Judge Devoy, New York, later Tony O’Reilly, former CEO, Heinz Corporation).

1-IMG_2541
2-IMG_2542
1-IMG_4660
1-IMG_5507

Oileán ‘sea Cléire, Memories of Tráigh Chiaráin, A Cape Clear Sailorman, Lamentation for my Mother, The Fastnet, The Dance, Dánta de Pat the Poet Cotter (John K. Cotter) as ‘An Logainmníocht in Óileán Cléire


Scan 486

Scan 485

Scan 484

Scan 483

Scan 482

Scan 481Oileán ‘sea Cléire, Memories of Tráigh Chiaráin, A Cape Clear Sailorman, Lamentation for my Mother, The Fastnet, The Dance, Dánta de Pat the Poet Cotter (John K. Cotter) as ‘An Logainmníocht in Óileán Cléire.

Dr. Eamonn Lankford has written a number of books about Cape Clear. In this he takes each townland, numbers the fields, gives their names, histories and that of the people. He cites any known source a true work of art and scholarship which will endure and perfect template for other areas.

From Dr. Lankford: Re my : An Logainmníocht in Oileán Cléire- its on sale in An Siopa Leabhar, Conradh na Gaeilge, 6 Harcourt Street or online from myself via PayPal: See http://www.capeclearmuseum.ie or people can email me.