18th Century
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1798: “The Rebels Are Gone to Glenmore”
Every month old newspapers are added to the various historical online newspaper services. Thus, every couple of months we perform generic searches among the added newspapers to try to find new information regarding Glenmore. Today, we feature 3 articles. The oldest is an article from June 1798 where a person in Waterford wrote to an English newspaper describing his understanding of the Battle of Ross and that the rebels “had gone to Glenmore.” The second found article provides the date when Glenmore parish was given land to build St. James and the final article concerns a Glenmore woman who died in 1826 at the age of 100.
Rebels to Glenmore
The Kentish Weekly Post or Canterbury Journal (Tues. 12 June 1798, p. 4) published the following article:
“Of this engagement the following is the account given in a private letter brought by the Waterford mail which arrived this morning. WATERFORD, June 6. I promised to give you of the battle—a dreadful battle indeed for Ireland! It commenced yesterday morning at four o’clock, and ended at seven. The rebels began the attack. They engaged the King’s troops with hellish fury, and the rebels were alternatively in possession of Ross. About 3,000 of the later are killed; but we do not know what number of our troops and officers have fallen. The town of Ross is almost burnt to ashes. If we had 2,000 more troops not a rebel would have been left; but 2,000 men were not enough for 20,000. All the Ross people are come to here. The ladies are gone to England. The rebels are gone to Glenmore and the communication with Ross by land we fear is cut off. All here is consternation! Our yeomanry behaved wonderfully.”
“New Ross, the theatre of the engagement here mentioned, is a market town in the county of Wexford, and is situated near the confluence of the rivers Nore and Barrow. It is on of the Staple ports for exporting wool. It has a barrack for a troop of horse, and is strongly defended on the Kilkenny side by the river, which is not fordable, but over which there is a ferry. It is situated 15 miles west of Wexford , and 67 southwest of Dublin.”
For further information on Glenmore in 1798 see our post of 22 February 2020. For further information on Gaffney’s Mill see our post of 6 April 2025.
Land Given for the Glenmore Church
Just five years after the 1798 Rebellion the Earl of Bessborough gave an acre of land to the Parish of Glenmore to build the Catholic Church of St. James. Danny Dowling (1927-2021) often remarked that the Earl must have been a kind man because he did not in any apparent way punish the family of William Gaffney (c. 1762-1798) the executed Glenmore miller and leader of the local United Irishmen.
Prior to the building of St. James’s Church there was a church hidden in Hanrahan’s field across from the present creamery. See our post of 16 November 2018 for a brief history of St. James’s which was consecrated 1813.
“The Earl of Bessborough has very liberally granted an acre of land in the parish of Glenmore, in the County of Kilkenny, to erect a chapel on, for the Divine Worship and adoration of the Author of All Good, for which his Lordship has received the sincere thanks of the Rev. Dr. Malley, P.P. and the Roman Catholic gentlemen, farmers, and inhabitants of the parish” (Saunders’s News-Letter, Thur. 27 Oct. 1803).
We believe this gift was from the third Earl of Bessborough, Frederick Ponsonby (1758-1844). He inherited the Bessborough title and lands upon the death of his father, William Ponsonby, the second Earl of Bessborough, in 1793. For further details regarding Frederick Ponsonby, his wife, Lady Henrietta Spencer and their daughter Lady Caroline Lamb’s scandalous affair with Lord Byron, see Marjorie Bloy, A Web of English History website.
The Death of Mrs. Kennedy of Rathinure, Glenmore
Mrs. Kennedy’s death in April 1826 was published in a Dublin and a London newspaper.
“At Rathnure (sic), Parish of Glenmore, County of Kilkenny, Mrs. Kennedy, aged 100 years. She retained her faculties unimpaired to the last moment of her existence; she was remarkable for her cheerful and charitable disposition, which endeared her alike to the young and the old” (Dublin Morning Register, Thurs. 27 April 1826, p. 4). A shortened death notice was published in Baldwin’s London Weekly Journal (Sat. 6 May 1826, p. 1) giving her date of death as 22 April 1826.
Unfortunately the combined Slieverue/Glenmore parish death records ceased long before 1826. Although a local newspaper probably reported this death and other newspapers then carried the story, we were unable to locate the original local article. Perhaps we will learn more about this lady as more historical newspapers are digitalized.
Please send any corrections and further information to glenmore.history@gmail.com
Dr. Kathleen Moore Walsh
Early Glenmore Death Records
Danny Dowling (1927-2021) often expressed how lucky we were that Fr. Stephen Lower (c. 1727-1799) became the Parish Priest of Slieverue and began keeping records of his flock. Prior to 1846 Glenmore was not a separate parish as it was part of the Parish of Slieverue. The early combined Slieverue/Glenmore parish began recording deaths in December 1766. Below we have reviewed three years of death records. Unfortunately, none of the early parish death records recorded the age of the deceased. Thus we do not know how many adults and children are reflected in the death records. After Glenmore became a parish in its own right there are no death records. See our post of 11 November 2020 for further information regarding Fr. Lower.
The National Library of Ireland has digitalized the old parish records. The early combined Slieverue/Glenmore parish records are available on line. The earliest death records cover December 1766 to 21 February 1778 (Microfilm 05031/01). Deaths from 8 March 1778 to 28 November 1799 are also available (Microfilm 05031/02). After November 1799 there are no further parish death records available on line for Slieverue/Glenmore.
The First Deaths Recorded in December 1766
The very first death recorded in the parish records was on the 4th of December 1766. Unfortunately, due to what appears to be an ink stain all that is visible is James Ha… The second entry does not have a legible date, but John Burke at Trinneree is visible. The other three deaths do not indicate where the deceased resided, but their names are James Mylott, Mary Hacked and Anastasia Costelly.
Deaths Recorded in 1767
Of the three years reviewed 1767 is the most complete. Deaths are recorded for ten months in 1767. There were no deaths recorded in October or December of that year. More localities where the decedent resided are included. For example, on 3 June 1767, [Entry 33] Honour Welsch died at “Boher Bee” (which my resident Irish speaker translated as the Yellow Road). In November 1767, two places of residence are provided. On 10 November 1767, [Entry 45] John Welsh of “Ballycroan” died. Almost a week later on the 16th James (last name not legible) [Entry 46] of “Boherbee ” died. Entry 47 provides the townland of Weatherstown [Glenmore] but failed to list the name of the deceased.
John Welsh of Ballycroan [Entry 45] appears to be the first entry with enough details for us to determine that he was from what would become the parish of Glenmore.
Names recorded in 1767 with no townland or road include: [Entry 34] Catherine Rigby; [Entry 35] Margaret Grant; [Entry 16] Honour Culleton; [Entry 17] William Irish; and [Entry 40] John Haberlin. Within the death records the last name of Welsh is very common.
Deaths Recorded in 1768
The deaths recorded from January to June 1768 are not available on line. From the available on-line records that commence in June 1768 (with entry 76) we know that 28 deaths were recorded in the first 5 months of 1768. Entry numbers 48-75 are missing. Commencing in June 1768 most entries record the residence of the deceased. Of the 21 deaths recorded in 1768 from 15 June to the end of the year, 12 of the decedents were from what would become Glenmore (or 57% of the entries).
June 1768
Entry 76—15 June 1768, died Sylvester Welsh inhabitant of Councelor’s Road
Entry 77—20 June 1768, died at Kilbride, Catherine Welsh [Glenmore]
July 1768
Entry 78—6 July 1768, died at Aughmore, Martin Kelly
August 1768
Entry 79—4 August died at Coolneleen, Catherine Doherty [Glenmore]
Entry 80—10 August 1768, an unnamed person died at Balleneraha [Glenmore]
Entry 81—29 August died at Ballingile, Joane O’Mara
Entry 82—31 August, died at Ballerobin, Mary Burke
September 1768
Entry 83—9 September 1768, died at Gragnekill, Catherine Kehow [Glenmore]
Entry 84—23 September died at Davidstown, James Murphy [Glenmore]
Entry 85—25 September 1768, died at Newrath, Margerit Conway
October 1768
Entry 86—15 October 1768 died Patrick Forastal at Ballinlammy [Glenmore]
November 1768
Entry 87—unknown date November 1768, died at Roachestown, John O’Bryan [Glenmore]
Entry 88—unknown date November 1768, died at Abby, Patrick Lawless
Entry 89—unknown date November 1768, died at Nockbrack, Edw. Fitzgerald [Glenmore]
Entry 90—unknown date November 1768, died at Ballycrone, Elizabeth Walsh [Glenmore]
Entry 91—17 November 1768, died at Corrigneglouneey, Anistice Welsh [Glenmore]
Entry 92—25 November 1768, died at Ballerobbin, Edm. Phelan
Entry 93—26 November 1768, died at Flemingstown, Ellener Lahy [Glenmore]
Entry 94—28 November 1768, died at Attatemore, Mary Denn
December 1768
Entry 95—2 December 1768 died at Nicholastown, Edm. Murphy
Entry 96—27 December 1768 died at Corrigenurre, Nicholas Henebry [Glenmore]
Death Chart: 1766-1768
| Year | No. Months Recorded | No. Entries | Start & Ending Entry Nos. | No. of Males | No. of Females | No. of Unidentified | Total Deaths Recorded |
| 1766 | 1(Dec) | 5 | 1-5 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 5 |
| 1767 | 10 | 42 | 6-47 | 18 | 23 | 1 | 42 |
| 1768 | 7 | 21 | 76 -96 | 10 | 10 | 1 | 21 |
| TOTAL | 18 mos. | 68 entries | Missing entries 48-75 | 31 males | 35 females | 2 unknown | 68 [+28]= [96] |
Interestingly, for the same years there were 26 months of baptisms recorded with a total of 318 infants baptized. Based solely on the entries recorded and the missing entry numbers, there were 96 deaths recorded in the first three years of the combined Slieverue/Glenmore Parish records. Thus, there were over 2/3’s more baptisms recorded than deaths recorded. See our post of 10 June 2023 “Early Glenmore Baptismal Records.”
The featured drawing above of an Irish Wake is courtesy of the Digital Public Library of America. It was published in Harper’s Weekly of 15 March 1873 (vol.17, p. 204). Michael Angelo Woolf, American, 1837–1899, Harper & Bros., New York, New York, USA. Retrieved from the Digital Public Library of America <http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/kq4fb38612a-76df-4755-9e4f-34722cd7b165>.
Please send any corrections or additional information to glenmore.history@gmail.com
Dr. Kathleen Moore Walsh
From Danny’s Files: 1771 Marriage Examples
Danny Dowling (1927-2021) poured over old newspapers collecting information regarding Glenmore or her people. Often he also copied articles of nearby villages or towns and sometimes he just copied articles he found interesting or humorous. Last week we came across a file with just two 1771 newspaper articles. Both of these articles appeared in Ramsey’s Waterford Chronical and are interesting and humorous.
Mourning Periods for Widows Before Remarriage
The first article appeared in the 3 May 1771 edition and indirectly queried the mourning period of a widow before remarrying. Due to the detail provided in the short article it appears that 48 hours was not considered a respectable mourning period for the new widow to wait before remarriage.
“Married last Tuesday in St. Patrick’s Church, by the Rev. Mr. Moore, Mr. Collins and the Widow Roach. (Mr. Luke Roach, her first husband died suddenly in Carrick last Sunday, as mentioned in our last) and was just interred when she was joined in wedlock to her present husband.“
In the Victorian era (1837-1901) widows were expected to wear black clothing and observe a period of mourning of at least one year. For further information see, WeChronical webpage, “Exploring Victorian Social Expectations for Widows: Mourning Periods and Remarriage.”
May-December Marriage
This second short article highlights a 50 year age difference between the bride and groom. It was published 26 July 1771. The wedding below took place at Milltown, Co. Kilkenny. There are several Milltown townlands in Kilkenny, but the names Kavanagh and Culbert are not common in what was to become the Parish of Glenmore in the 1840’s. Therefore, it is not likely that the Milltown mentioned in the article is Milltown, Glenmore.
“Married a few days ago at Milltown, County of Kilkenny, Mr. Hugh Kavanagh, aged 66 to the agreeable Miss Culbert, aged 16.”
It goes without saying that if Miss Culbert was not agreeable there would have been no marriage between the parties. Today, May-December marriages still are commented on in the press particularly if one of the parties is a celebrity. For a 19th century perspective on these type of marriages, see Mimi Mathews, “The Perils of May-December Marriages in the Nineteenth Century,” which contains excerpts and commentary regarding The Midwife’s Guide (1840), a widely read sex manual in 19th century England, and also containing a discussion of May-December marriages.
Please send any corrections or additional information to glenmore.history@gmail.com .
We just updated our last post regarding Bridie Doolan’s Tiny Shop with a 1905 post card which we believe depicts a cottage that stood between where the shop was built and the creamery.
Dr. Kathleen Moore Walsh
From Danny’s Files: Some 18th Century Glenmore Articles & Events
For seven decades Danny Dowling (1927-2021) interviewed local people and recorded their memories and stories. He worked in Waterford and often spent his lunch hour in the Waterford library reading the old Waterford newspapers from microfilm. One of the newspapers he searched was the Waterford Herald. There are only two years available in the Waterford library 1792 and 1793. Very little information was found on this newspaper. It is not known if it only existed for two years or if these are the only editions that survived to be microfilmed.
Below are three articles from the Waterford Herald recorded by Danny in a notebook that is battered and has lost its cover. From the dates of interviews in this battered notebook it was commenced about 1950 when Danny was about 23 years old. The second half of this post concerns some local hedge schools and early teachers Danny also recorded in the same battered little notebook.
Penal Laws
During the late 18th century the Penal Laws were still in place, thus Catholics suffered overt discrimination. Until the mid to late 19th century Catholics had to rely upon hedge schools for education, or secret informal schools, because schools run by Catholic Religious Orders were outlawed.
In the early part of the 19th century Edmund Ignatius Rice (1762-1844) founded two institutes of religious brothers: the Christian Brothers and the Presentation Brothers. Edmund Rice was born in Callan, Co. Kilkenny but spent most of his adult life in Waterford. For several short articles on Edmund Ignatius Rice see, the International Heritage Centres Ltd. webpage.
Numerous schools were established by these Brothers, which were visible and legal. However, in some rural areas the hedge schools continued even after national schools were established commencing in 1831. For an interesting article that outlines the political and social issues during the establishment of the national schools see, John Coolahan, “The Daring First Decade of the Board of National Education, 1831-1841,” Irish Journal of Education (1983) p. 35.
We may also conclude from the impact of the penal laws that the articles below from the 1790’s regarding the sale or leasing of townlands were not meant for the local tenant farmers.
Waterford Herald
Parkstown, Glenmore: Waterford Herald (Sat. 11 May 1793)
Co. of Kilkenny—To be let from the 25th of March 1795, the following land, part of the estate of James Kearney, Esq. The town and lands of Attimore [Slieverue] within 2 ½ miles of the Ferry Slip, good arable and pasture, and a fine situation for building, as it commands a most beautiful and extensive prospect.
Also, Lower Parkstown, [Glenmore] commonly called Parkstown Bog, arable and pasture, and within 3 or 4 miles of the Ferry. For further particulars enquire of James Kearney, Esq., Grantstown, or Richard Kearney, Esq., Waterford. N.B. There is a good flag quarry on the lands of Attimore, fit for flagging the Quay, Streets etc. 4th May 1793.
[We found a death record for a James Kearney of Clogherhead, Clogher, Co. Louth who died 6 February 1792. For further information on the townland of Parkstown, see our post of 11 May 2023.]
Gaul’s Town, Glenmore: The Waterford Herald (Tues. 13 March 1792, p. 1)
COUNTY OF KILKENNY—THE LANDS OF GAUL’S-TOWN, in the County Kilkenny, within two miles of the ferry of Waterford, to be let, or the interest sold, from the 25th of March instant. Proposals will be received by Mr. Shaw, Post Office, and laid before Mr. Gahan, at the Assizes. Waterford, 10th March, 1792.
[For further information regarding the townland of Gaulstown see our post of 8 July 2023.]
Kilmurry, Slieverue: The Waterford Herald (Thu. 10 Jan. 1793, p. 3)
Friday morning John Parker, blacksmith, was found dead in a field near Kilmurry [Slieverue], supposed to have perished the preceding night, through the inclemency of the weather.
Some Local Hedge Schools & Masters
For further information on Glenmore Hedge Schools and Early National Schools see our post of 6 September 2020. Below is an undated entry with no note as to where Danny received this information.
“Paddy Butler, a native of Rahora, [Tullogher] was the last master of the hedge school in Kilbride. He ended his days herding cows for Mullins of Flemingstown. He used often to go on a spree and on one of these occasions when he was missing the Priest announced the following from the altar in Glenmore, ‘Strayed, stolen or gone awhile, Paddy Butler the master from Kilbride.’”
Jim Doherty (c.1876-1959) of Forristalstown, Interviewed 14 August 1956
There was a hedge school in Milltown which was situated somewhere around where Jack Murphy’s cottage is now. Jim Doherty remembered the sitting stones to be there. Each pupil had to bring his own stone to sit upon. Old Johnny Rúad Doherty, of Forristalstown went to the hedge school in Milltown. He was a first cousin to the present Jim Doherty’s grandfather.
Jim’s father John was born in 1839, and his father again was Jim. His father again was John and he was brother of “old Yoman.” The present Jim was 80 years, last May (1956).
Shanbough School was built in 1840 with the stones from the old gate lodge at the entrance to the avenue leading to Annaghs Castle and house. This lodge stood at the bottom of Butterbridge Hill and it was demolished for the purpose of providing the stones for the building of the school.
A man called O’Brien lived in Annaghs Lodge as at present and he was schoolmaster in Shanbough. Jim Doherty remembered him and he was kind of cracked and fond of the beer.
Pat Coady of Ballycroney, Glenmore(?)
Lastly, Pat Coady was interviewed by Danny on 2 September 1956 and provided the following. Unfortunately, Danny did not record Pat Coady’s townland, but from other interviews we believe that Pat Coady was from Ballycroney.
Micil Lynch was an old travelling schoolteacher who used to roam this part of the country until his death which was about 60 years ago (ie 1896). He taught children in various homes, and one of the houses in this locality in which he used to teach the local children was Mackey’s of Ballycroney.
He was known as Strong Lynch from the fact that he used to always carry a large bag on his back which contained stones. Under no circumstances would he allow anyone to touch his bag of mystery. On one occasion he and another travelling man called Gorey fought in the chapel in Glenmore during Mass, over Gorey putting his leg against Strong’s bag.
Pat Coady thought that Micil “Strong” Lynch was found dying in some lane locally. [One of our earliest blog posts concerned the men and women who “took to the road” and visited Glenmore. See our post of 9 Nov. 2019.]
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Special thanks to Pat Dowling for digging out more old notebooks. Please send any corrections or additional information to glenmore.history@gmail.com.
The coloured painting of the hedge school is by an unknown artist. The drawing of Annaghs Castle & House is from the Dublin Penny Journal (30 Jan. 1836).
Dr. Kathleen Moore Walsh
Most Popular Glenmore Baby Names in 1768
A reader queried yesterday what were the most popular baby names in the 52 children baptized in 1768 in townlands that later became the Parish of Glenmore. See our post of 10 June 2023 for details concerning the early baptismal records and our Roots page for the 50 baptisms identified as being in townlands that later became the Parish of Glenmore. Hereinafter these townlands are referred to as Glenmore townlands. To view the National Library of Ireland’s digitalized parish register click here.
There were 52 babies in the 50 baptisms in 1768 in Glenmore townlands. The gender breakdown reflects 32 (62%) females and 20 (38%) males. There were 18 different baby names recorded in 1768. Nine were girls’ names and nine were boys’ names.
Girls’ Names
The most popular name was Mary with 10 or 19% of all the babies receiving that name. Among the girls the name Mary comprised 31% of the names for girls. After Mary, second place in girls’ name was a tie between the names Catherin (sic) and Anistice. There were five girls baptized Catherin (15% of girls) and five baptized Anistice (15% of girls). Third place was also a tie with 3 girls each being named Margarit (sic) or Bridgit (sic) (each name reflects 9% of the girls). Two girls each were named Elener (sic) and Honour. Thus, the remaining 2 girls were named either Ellice (sic) or Joane (or 3% of the girls).
Boys’ Names
The most popular boys name was a three way tie. Four baby boys were each named James, Thomas, or Richard (thus each of the 3 names represents 20% of the boys.) The second most common baby boy’s name was tie with Patrick and Michael being used for 2 boys each (or 10% of the boys were named either Patrick or Michael). The remaining four boy’s names tied for third most common. Thus, there was one boy each named Pierce, Dennis, John and Darby which reflects each name represents 5% of the boys’s names.
Glenmore Townlands
The Glenmore townland with the largest number of baptisms in 1768 was Ballinlammy where 7 baptisms took place. Davidstown with 4 recorded baptisms came in second. Glinmore(sic) and Ballefacy (sic) tied for third with three baptisms each.
Please send any further information or corrections to glenmore.history@gmail.com.
Dr. Kathleen Moore Walsh
Early Glenmore Baptismal Records
After Catholic Emancipation in 1829 the Irish Catholic Church began to re-organise its parish structures to accommodate the increased population. The majority of Irish Catholic Parish registers date from circa 1829 (Fiona Fitzsimons, “Kindred Lines: Catholic Parish Registers,” History of Ireland (March/April 2015) p. 21). Although some city and town parish registers commenced well before 1829 most rural parishes do not. Luckily, Glenmore baptismal records commence in 1766.
The National Library of Ireland has digitalized the old parish records of Ireland. Because Glenmore was part of the Slieverue parish until 1846, the earliest records relating to Glenmore are found in the Slieverue records. The current St. James’s Church in Glenmore Village was built in 1813, but there was a church in the Village before that time and there were several churches in townlands across what would eventually become Glenmore Parish. See, our post of 16 November 2019 for a brief history of early Glenmore churches.
The combined Slieverue/Glenmore parish registers commenced in 1766 primarily due to the efforts of Fr. Stephen Lower (c. 1727-1799). See our post of 11 November 2020 regarding Fr. Lower who served the combined parish for over 30 years. Interestingly he chose to be buried in Kilmakevoge Church ruins (also known locally as Kilivory) which four decades later was in the separated and newly formed Glenmore Parish.
Digitalized Combined Parish Records
The National Library of Ireland has digitalized the early Catholic Parish Records up to about 1880. Only one set of records is found for the separate Glenmore Parish (Microfilm 05022/03) with baptismal records from 28 March 1831 to 11 December 1880. Marriage records span 11 January 1831 to 7 June 1883).
The Glenmore related records prior to 1831 can be found in the combined parish records. Today, we are going to focus on the first three years of Baptismal records found in Microfilm 0503101. To view the digitalized register click here.
The First Recorded Baptisms (Microfilm 05031/01)
The handwriting of 1766 is not too difficult for most entries in this earliest register. Unfortunately, several of the entries over the past 257 years have become obscured due to the register suffering damage.
There are some unusual names in these early records. For example, Valentine Forrestall, the son of Thomas Forrestall and Catherin Murphy was the 14th child recorded on the 26th(?) of December 1766. Spellings of names and places in the earliest parish register are inconsistent. Other spellings are consistent, but are wrong by today’s standards. For example, the word “at” is consistently spelled “att.”
Godparents or sponsors are referred to as “Gossips” in these earliest records. “The word gossip derives from god-sib; god-sibling; or relative of God and originally referred to godparents,” (Clodagh Tait (2003) “Safely Delivered: Childbirth, Gossip-feasts and Churching in Ireland c. 1530-1690,” 30(1) Irish Economic & Social History, p. 17). In some entries witnesses are also recorded.
Most of the records where a place of residence is recorded reflect “baptized at Kilmakevoge,” because a priest after a birth would be summoned to the house. Danny Dowling (1927-2021) stated that in times past babies were baptized as soon as possible at home because of the high infant mortality and the belief that only baptized Catholics could enter heaven. It was believed generally that the souls of unbaptized infants went to limbo. Stillborn babies, or infants that died before baptism, were not buried in church yards. As late as the early 20th century the stillborn and unbaptized infants often were buried near the family home in ditches or little corners of fields called killeens. There are old killeens still found around Glenmore.
Illegitimates, Foundling & Class
Social problems are also reflected in this register. The sixth baptism which took place on the 7th of December 1766 is the first child recorded as being born out of wedlock. “Baptized Edmond Maher; son to John Maher & J? Houlehan, Illegitimate: Gossips; William H?, Catherine Row?” The rest of the entry is obscured by what appears to be ink blotches.
Five baptisms were identified in the 26 months from November 1866 to 31 December 1868 as involving children born out of wedlock. This represents approximately 1.6% of the infants baptized. See, Entry 48 for “Patrick Butler; son of Thomas Butler & Catherine Raiheen?, illegitmate.” See also, Entry 191 on the 18th of Feb. 1768 at “Ballincrea, [Slieverue] of Edmond Daulton, son to John Daulton & Mary Kelly, illegitimate. Gossips: John Macjey and Ellener Conners. Witness: John Maher & Thomas Conners.”
Entry 163 on the 15th of November 1767 reflects an abandoned infant. A lot of detail is provided regarding the circumstances. “Baptized Martin Knox who was left on y. 13th at John Hallagans of Drumdowney and found on y. same morning about ten of y. clock, parents not known; Gossips: Michael Nowlan & Nancy White. Witnesses: John Hallegan?; Thomas Cook, James Nowlan & Andrew Shea.
Also reflected are two examples of the upper class being recorded differently. Until the end of 1768 only two entries record honorifics such as Mr., Mrs., Master or Miss. For example, Entry 229, 7th of May 1768 provides, “Baptized att Ballefacy (sic), Richard Welsh, son of James Welsh & Bridgit (sic) Flemmings, of lawful wedlock. Gossips: Master Thomas Welsh & Mrs Nancy Welsh. Witness: Mr. Nicholas Flemming & Mary Inright.”
Likewise, Entry 247, on the 20th of June 1768 records the following for two of the Strange family of Aylwardstown House. “Baptized att Glinmore (sic), Bridgit Coady, daughter to Richard Coady & Ellener O’Sullivan of lawfull wedlock. Gossips: Mr. Peter Strange Jun. & Miss Ally Strange. Witness: Michael O’Sullivan & John O’Sullivan.”
Chart: 1766-1768 Entries
| Year | No. of Months Recorded | No. of Pages | No. of Entries | No. of Infants | Start & Ending Entry No. | No. of Illegitimate Comments | No. of Found-lings |
| 1766 | 2—Nov. & Dec. | 3 | 15 | 15 | 1-15 | 1 (Entry 6) | 0 |
| 1767 | 12 | 19 | 162 | 162 | 16-177 | 1 (Entry 48) | 1 (Entry 163) |
| 1768 | 12 | 14 | 138 | 141 | 178-315 | 3 (Entry 191) (Entry 255) (Entry 256) | 0 |
| 26 months | 36 pages | 315 | 318 | 5 = 1.57% | 1= .3% |
1766 & 1767 Baptisms
The first baptism recorded in the register occurred on the 26th of November 1766. “Baptized by ? Rev. F. Hynes; Mary White; daughter to James White and Mary Walsh; of lawful matrimony. Gossips: Patrick Lahy & Mary Cullin.”
The second baptism recorded was the following day and is of historical interest because it is the first record where Glenmore appears and was written by Fr. Lower. In fact, it appears from the handwriting that Fr. Lower recorded all of the baptisms on the page. “Baptized by me, Stephen Lower, P. Priest of Glanmore, Martin Karny; son to Murtough Karny & Joane Kenedy of lawful wedlock. Gossips: Robert Joyce & Bridget Ryan.”
Unfortunately, without townlands recorded it is difficult to determine how many of the baptisms recorded in 1766 and 1767 were performed in townlands which would later form the Parish of Glenmore.
In October 1767 starting with entry 148 townlands are infrequently recorded. From the handwriting it appears to vary from priest to priest whether it is recorded. The first such entry was for Anistice Nowlan on 1 October 1767. “Baptized att (sic) Haggard; Anistice Nowlan, daughter of Richard Nowlan & Mary Houlihan of lawfull (sic) wedlock. Gossips: Lewis O’ Ryan & Mary Aylward. Witness: Mary Murphy.”
1768 Baptisms
From February 1768 most entries record the place of the baptism. In total 50 baptisms were identified from the records as occurring in Glenmore. There may be more because some entries are impossible to read due to damage to the register. Perhaps the most interesting thing about the 1768 identified Glenmore baptisms is the number of twins recorded. Three sets of twins were baptized in 1768. Entry 208 (twin girls), 212 (boy & girl) and 269 (twin girls).
For a complete list of the 50 identified Glenmore baptisms in 1768 visit our Roots page by clicking here.
Please send any corrections or additional information to glenmore.history@gmail.com.
The featured drawing above is entited “The Baptism of Virginia Dare” courtesy of the New York Public Library. The Miriam and Ira D. Wallach Division of Art, Prints and Photographs: Print Collection, The New York Public Library. “Baptism of Virginia Dare.” New York Public Library Digital Collections. Accessed June 10, 2023. https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/510d47da-fba8-a3d9-e040-e00a18064a99
Dr. Kathleen Moore Walsh