The Ancestors of Barbara Brabazon
Her Family Heritage
All Family History stories begin with a Front
cover and finish with an End Cover.
It is what is in between on the pages of life,
that is the most interesting part.
Researching early Families of England, Ireland, Wales and Scotland,
reveals so many intermarriages between Royalty, the Aristocracy, Landed Gentry,
all marriages made for one purpose, to increase the land holdings of each family.
Perhaps it took a few centuries for marriages
with feeling to develop! Quite often
different lineages cross paths, with many ancestors being found on both
maternal and paternal lineages.
Such is the case with the Brabazon Lineage.
Like many others, they crossed from England,
during the time of King Charles I or King James I, and led a battalion of
soldiers, to fight in the Irish Confederate Wars. Lands were confiscated, and distributed to
the English.
When Barbara Brabazon married Anthony William
Durnford, she became a great aunt, however, many centuries prior through her
family relationships with the Montagus, she is also a cousin.
Barbara
Brabazon Ancestors and Descendants
GGGGGG Sir
William Brabazon and Elizabeth de Clifford
GGGGG Sir
Edward Brabazon 1st Lord Ardee and Mary Smythe
GGGG Sir
William Brabazon and Jane Bingley
GGG Sir
Edward Brabazon and Mary Chambre
GG Chambres
Earl of Meath and Juliane Chaworth
G.parents Sir
Edward Brabazon 7th Earl and Martha Collins
Parents
Hon William Brabazon MP and Catherine Gifford
Her children
1. 1. William-John Moore 1780 – 1866
2.
2. John-Arthur Moore 1791- 1860
3.
3. Charles Henry Moore 1798 – 1870
4.
Edward
William Durnford 1803 – 1889
5.
George
Arthur Durnford 1804 – 1856
6.
Catherine
Jemima Durnford 1806 – 1820
7.
Arthur
Gifford Durnford 1809 –
1886
8.
Harriet
Barbara Durnford 1810 – 1885
There may have been another child with John
Moore, who died very young.
Her grandchildren
John-Arthur
Moore
2.1 William Richard Moore 1857
2.2 John Arthur Henry Moore 1828-1908
2.3 Adolphus Warburton Moore 1841-1887
2.4 Major Martin James Moore 1843-1924
2.5
Charles 2.5 CharlesWilliam Moore 1844-1898
2.6
Francis Stewart Moore 2.6 Frances Stewart Moore 1845-1895
Charles Henry
Moore
3.1 Ellen Frideswide Moore 1837-1916
3.2 Caroline Radcliff Moore 1838-1921
3.3 Elizabeth Marsden Moore 1840-1937
3.4 Maria Louisa Moore 1842-1896
Edward William Durnford
1.1 Anthony William Durnford 1830 – 1879
1.2 Edward Congreve Langley Durnford 1832 – 1927
1.3 Annabella Barbara Durnford 1834 – 1885
1.4 Catherine Jemima Durnford 1836 – 1904
1.5 Arthur George Durnford 1838 –
1912
1.6 Harriet Marie Boetler Durnford 1840 – 1916
Arthur Gifford Durnford
4.1. Anthony Oates Durnford 1842-1843
4.2 Marian Durnford 1842-
4.3 James Poole Oates Durnford 1845-1919
4.4 Sophia Bestard Durnford 1846-1903
4.5. Georgiana Harriet Pellew Durnford
1848-1935
4.6 Katrine Brabazon Durnford 1849-1849
4.7 Barbara Brabazon Durnford 1849-1850
4.8 Madeline Durnford 1850-1851
4.9 Lucy Isaacson Durnford 1854-1939
4.10 Kathleen Brabazon Durnford 1857- 1913
4.11 Mabel Montague Bockett Durnford 1859-1864
4.12 Julia Maude Durnford 1860-1879
4.13 Arthur Gifford Durnford 1864-1864
Harriet Barbara Durnford
5.1
Anthony William King 1831-
5.2 Arthur Chales Alpin King 1833-1835
5.3 Barbara Catherine King 1835-
5.4 Pauline D'Estrade King 1839-1911
5.5 Florence Harriet Barbara King 1840-1900
5.6 Edward William Durnford King 1842-
5.7 Louisa Alice King 1843-1883
5.8 Charles Gerard King 1845-1920
5.9 Georgina Metcalfe King 1850-1921
From
the Brabazon Family History Blog
According to tradition Jacques le Brabancon[1] came to England from
Normandy with William the Conqueror in 1066 and fought at the Battle of
Hastings, possibly as the leader of a troop of mercenaries, and for this was
rewarded with large tracts of land. However, although the Brabancon name
appears in the Battle Abbey Roll there is no record of any Brabazon
land-holding in England in the Domesday Book, 1086. So far the earliest
record of the name found otherwise in England is Thomas le Brabazun who
witnessed a document sometime between 1175 and 1188, in York.
Perhaps Jacques was given land in Normandy rather than England. Two Brabancons are recorded there in the Exchequer Rolls of 1198, paying money into the Treasury. Thomas Brabencon was in Falaise and Roger de Brabancon was in the Forest of Roumare, near Rouen in Caux Thomas of Falaise could be the Thomas who witnessed a document in York between 1175 and 1188, and also a charter in Lincolnshire cir 1200.
In 1199 John succeeded Richard as King of England and Duke of Normandy. By 1204 he had lost Normandy to Philip of France. The nobles of Normandy had to submit to Phillip or go elsewhere. It could be at this stage that a Brabazon moved to England and settled there.
The earliest record of a Brabazon landholder found in England was John Brabesun who held sixteen acres in Norfolk in 1206, but he may well have had more. Perhaps it was his son Adam who had land in East Betchworth in Surrey. Traditionally Adam son of John le Brabazun follows Jacques in the lineages, but he is unlikely to have had any descendants. If a tenant died without heirs his land returned to his lord, in this case the Earl of Surrey, who sold Adam’s land.
About this time, the name in its various forms appeared in several English counties, perhaps indicating more than one original ancestor. Of those found, some witnessed documents where land was given to the church. Some were landowners and others were money lenders. One seems to have been murdered.
The following is a list of those found so far, up to 1268, the date when Roger le Brabazon was first recorded in Mowsley, Leicestershire. From that time on the Leicestershire families have been reasonably well recorded.
1175-1188. Thoma (Thomas) le Brabazun was a witness to the confirmation of a gift to the Hospital of St Peter York. Thomas Hay confirmed the gift of a mill in North Cave which had been given to the hospital by his father Roger Hay, also the profits from four carucates of land that he held ‘which owe suit and ought to grind at that mill and give multure’ .A carucate was the amount of land that could be ploughed by a team of eight oxen in a season, approximately 120 fiscal acres. Traditionally twenty sheaves of corn from every plough in the diocese of York were given to the hospital, which was built to house the poor folk of St Peter’s York
cir 1200. Thoma le Brabacum witnessed a charter where Robert son of William son of Gerard of Spaldington confirmed a gift to Ormsby Priory, of several lands and waterways, in and around Spaldington, Lincolnshire
Perhaps Jacques was given land in Normandy rather than England. Two Brabancons are recorded there in the Exchequer Rolls of 1198, paying money into the Treasury. Thomas Brabencon was in Falaise and Roger de Brabancon was in the Forest of Roumare, near Rouen in Caux Thomas of Falaise could be the Thomas who witnessed a document in York between 1175 and 1188, and also a charter in Lincolnshire cir 1200.
In 1199 John succeeded Richard as King of England and Duke of Normandy. By 1204 he had lost Normandy to Philip of France. The nobles of Normandy had to submit to Phillip or go elsewhere. It could be at this stage that a Brabazon moved to England and settled there.
The earliest record of a Brabazon landholder found in England was John Brabesun who held sixteen acres in Norfolk in 1206, but he may well have had more. Perhaps it was his son Adam who had land in East Betchworth in Surrey. Traditionally Adam son of John le Brabazun follows Jacques in the lineages, but he is unlikely to have had any descendants. If a tenant died without heirs his land returned to his lord, in this case the Earl of Surrey, who sold Adam’s land.
About this time, the name in its various forms appeared in several English counties, perhaps indicating more than one original ancestor. Of those found, some witnessed documents where land was given to the church. Some were landowners and others were money lenders. One seems to have been murdered.
The following is a list of those found so far, up to 1268, the date when Roger le Brabazon was first recorded in Mowsley, Leicestershire. From that time on the Leicestershire families have been reasonably well recorded.
1175-1188. Thoma (Thomas) le Brabazun was a witness to the confirmation of a gift to the Hospital of St Peter York. Thomas Hay confirmed the gift of a mill in North Cave which had been given to the hospital by his father Roger Hay, also the profits from four carucates of land that he held ‘which owe suit and ought to grind at that mill and give multure’ .A carucate was the amount of land that could be ploughed by a team of eight oxen in a season, approximately 120 fiscal acres. Traditionally twenty sheaves of corn from every plough in the diocese of York were given to the hospital, which was built to house the poor folk of St Peter’s York
cir 1200. Thoma le Brabacum witnessed a charter where Robert son of William son of Gerard of Spaldington confirmed a gift to Ormsby Priory, of several lands and waterways, in and around Spaldington, Lincolnshire
1206. John Brabesun was a sub-tenant holding
sixteen acres of land in Stanford Norfolk by homage and services, from William
son of Peter (who was a tenant of Lord Richard). The services were sixteen
pence and two plough-services when summoned and one man for three days in autumn
for food for William, and two hens and half a carcase of mutton and a
half-penny at Christmas (5).
This seems to be just land that John
cultivated. There’s no mention of a house, so he could have lived nearby.
1206. Walter Brabezun was in court in Hertfordshire. He seemed to be representing a client (6).
1207. Hugo Br͂tbacon (Bratbacon) paid half a mark fine in Southampton (7).
1215-1220, Kent. William Brabacum, Brabacun Brabazun or brabazin and his brother Radulfo (Ralph) witnessed documents in Canterbury, relating to the Priory of St Gregory and the Convent of Canterbury Cathedral Priory (8).
1216-1272. John le Brabancon held lands in Nottingham under Henry III (9).
1219-22. Reginald Brabacun owed money to Robert of Castle Carrock, Northumberland (10).
1219-25. William de Warrene, Earl of Surrey, granted a virgate of land (about 30 acres) in East Betchworth Surrey to Thomas son of Ralph Niger, by charter. The land was previously held by Adam son of John le Brabazun (11). William de Warenne was also overlord to many lands in Norfolk, including part of Stanford, Wimbotsham, Methwold and Aylmerton, below.
1225-6. Robertus Le Brabicun was one of the people named in a claim of a property at Wimbotsham, Norfolk (12). He could be the son of John Brabesun of Stanford..
1230, 9 May. Simon Brabacun, a bailiff or faithful citizen associated with Portsmouth (13).
1232. Matilda daughter of Reginald attorned Roberto Brabacun, regarding twenty acres of land and half a messuage in Melewud (Methwold) Norfolk (14). This seems to be the same Robert as above because others are named in both documents. Attorn means to agree to be tenant to a new owner or landlord. A messuage was a house, gardens, orchard etc and the land on which they were situated.
Date unknown but probably early to mid 13th century. Suffolk, Grant by Richard le Brab . . . . of . . . . ., to John son of Richard de Suber [i], of land in . . . . . . ., in the field called 'Cleylond.' Witnesses:—Warin the clerk of Suberi, and others (15). (The document is damaged). This could possibly be another of the Norfolk Brabazon family. A field called Cleylond was near Attleborough in Norfolk. Warin the clerk and Richard of Sudbury were associated with St Bartholemew's Priory, Sudbury, in the early part of the 13th century so this could be a gift of land to the priory.
1241. John Brebanzon or Brabecun and his wife Cecilia had a free-holding in Barton Oxfordshire. They accused others in court of causing them a nuisance by knocking down a fence and destroying a dike (16). Between 1247 and 1261 they were back in court several times (17). In 1278 Walter Brabesun, who was probably their son and heir, was a free tenant with a virgate of land in Little Barton (18).
1246, 22 January at Westminster. Brabacun Bonecuntre, citizen and merchant of Siena was given the ‘power to stay in the realm and carry on his merchandise as he did in times past’, ‘notwithstanding the king’s former mandate that transalpine merchants should leave the realm of England’. He and his associates lent 1,000l. to the king (19). Many later records mention James Brabazon and others, money lenders, described as merchants of the society of the sons of Bonsygnor of Siena, or similar.
1206. Walter Brabezun was in court in Hertfordshire. He seemed to be representing a client (6).
1207. Hugo Br͂tbacon (Bratbacon) paid half a mark fine in Southampton (7).
1215-1220, Kent. William Brabacum, Brabacun Brabazun or brabazin and his brother Radulfo (Ralph) witnessed documents in Canterbury, relating to the Priory of St Gregory and the Convent of Canterbury Cathedral Priory (8).
1216-1272. John le Brabancon held lands in Nottingham under Henry III (9).
1219-22. Reginald Brabacun owed money to Robert of Castle Carrock, Northumberland (10).
1219-25. William de Warrene, Earl of Surrey, granted a virgate of land (about 30 acres) in East Betchworth Surrey to Thomas son of Ralph Niger, by charter. The land was previously held by Adam son of John le Brabazun (11). William de Warenne was also overlord to many lands in Norfolk, including part of Stanford, Wimbotsham, Methwold and Aylmerton, below.
1225-6. Robertus Le Brabicun was one of the people named in a claim of a property at Wimbotsham, Norfolk (12). He could be the son of John Brabesun of Stanford..
1230, 9 May. Simon Brabacun, a bailiff or faithful citizen associated with Portsmouth (13).
1232. Matilda daughter of Reginald attorned Roberto Brabacun, regarding twenty acres of land and half a messuage in Melewud (Methwold) Norfolk (14). This seems to be the same Robert as above because others are named in both documents. Attorn means to agree to be tenant to a new owner or landlord. A messuage was a house, gardens, orchard etc and the land on which they were situated.
Date unknown but probably early to mid 13th century. Suffolk, Grant by Richard le Brab . . . . of . . . . ., to John son of Richard de Suber [i], of land in . . . . . . ., in the field called 'Cleylond.' Witnesses:—Warin the clerk of Suberi, and others (15). (The document is damaged). This could possibly be another of the Norfolk Brabazon family. A field called Cleylond was near Attleborough in Norfolk. Warin the clerk and Richard of Sudbury were associated with St Bartholemew's Priory, Sudbury, in the early part of the 13th century so this could be a gift of land to the priory.
1241. John Brebanzon or Brabecun and his wife Cecilia had a free-holding in Barton Oxfordshire. They accused others in court of causing them a nuisance by knocking down a fence and destroying a dike (16). Between 1247 and 1261 they were back in court several times (17). In 1278 Walter Brabesun, who was probably their son and heir, was a free tenant with a virgate of land in Little Barton (18).
1246, 22 January at Westminster. Brabacun Bonecuntre, citizen and merchant of Siena was given the ‘power to stay in the realm and carry on his merchandise as he did in times past’, ‘notwithstanding the king’s former mandate that transalpine merchants should leave the realm of England’. He and his associates lent 1,000l. to the king (19). Many later records mention James Brabazon and others, money lenders, described as merchants of the society of the sons of Bonsygnor of Siena, or similar.
1249-50. William Brabazun living in Aylmerton,
Kent, was fined half a mark for not attending an inquest on the death by
drowning, of a neighbour’s child. Neither the boy’s mother nor her neighbours
came to the inquest. Aylmerton and other villages were fined for burying the
boy without reporting his death to the coroner (20).
Mid 13th Century, Kent. Richard brabezun, brabacun, de brabansun etc. witnessed charters between landholders in Mongeham and the prior and convent of Canterbury Cathedral Priory (21).
1265, 14 November at Westminster. Richard Chase of Little Budun was pardoned for the death of Thomas Brabecun (22). This is probably Little Bowden, now in Leicestershire, but then in Northamptonshire.
1265, 22 November at Westminster. Richard Chace was pardoned for the death of Gilbert Mayn and of any consequent outlawry. ‘The like to Thomas Brabacun for the same death’ (23). Did Richard kill Thomas after he and Thomas had killed Gilbert? A Thomas Brabazon, who is said to have married an heiress of Mowsley, follows Adam in the traditional lineages. Could this be the same Thomas, or his son ?
1268, 21 November. An inquisition found that Roger Brabazon was holding a carucate of land in Mowsley, Leicestershire from Hugh Gobion by knight’s service - the service of one knight to the chief lord in time of war at his own expense for forty days (24). The inquisition was held to find out what properties were owned by Hugh Gobion. Roger could have held his land before this date. He could have held other lands in Mowsley belonging to other lords. He was the son of William and Amice Brabazon and later became Chief Justice of England.
Many thanks to John Lacey who discovered and passed on records.
For more information, see here
References:-
1. Stapleton, Thomas, Magni Rotuli Scaccarii Normanniae sub Regibus Angliae, Vol 2, p.406 & p. 445.
2. Farrar, William, Early Yorkshire Charters, Vol 2, p.419, Chartulary of St Leonard’s York, Rawl Ms B 455, f.213.
3. British History Online.
4. Stenton F M (ed) Transcripts of Charters Relating to the Gilbertine Houses of Sixle, Ormsby Catley, Bullington, and Alvingham by Sixles, Linc. Rec. Soc. Vol 18, 1922, p.64.
5. Pipe Roll Society Vol LXX, New Series Vol 1 XXXII, 1954, Feet of Fines, Case 154, file 25 No 322.
6. Curia Regis Roll 42, membrane 19.
7. Hardy, Sir Thomas Duffus, Rotuli de oblatis et finibus in Turri Londinensi asservati, tempore regis Johannes, p. 451, Pledges to Roger son of Adam, sheriff of Southampton.
8. Woodcock, Audrey M, Cartulary of the Priory of St Gregory,Canterbury; Canterbury Cathedral Archives, Grants, in pure and perpetual alms CCA-DCc-ChAnt/I/84 and CCA-DCc-ChAnt/L/357.
9. Brown, Cornelius, History of Newark-on-Trent; being the life story of an ancient town, p.180.
10. Fine Roll 3 Hen III and Fine Roll, 6 Hen III.
11. British History Online; Manning and Bray, History of Surrey, Vol 2, p.209, quoting from a deed in private hands.
12. Curia Regis Rolls Hen III, Vol 12, p. 137, No 680, Trinity term 9 Hen III..
13. Calendar of Patent Rolls, Hen III, Vol 2, p.370.
14. Calendar of Close Rolls, Hen III, 1231-1234, p.149.
15. A Descriptive Catalogue of Ancient Deeds, Vol 4, p.21, A.6295.
16. Fine Roll C 60/45, membrane 14, 32 Hen III.
17. Jobson, Adrian. The Oxfordshire Eyre Roll of 1261, PHD Thesis, Kings College London, 2005, E372/105 r.12d m.1r.11 m.2.
18. Rotuli Hundredorum, 7 Ed I, Vol 2, Com' Oxon' Hund' de Wooton' Parva Bartona, p.853.
19. Calendar of Patent Rolls, Hen III, Vol 3, p.470-1.
20. Rye, Walter, The Norfolk Antiquity Miscellany, Crown Plea Roll Norfolk, 34 Hen III, Mem.16 d, North Erpingham Hundred, PRO Mem 41/1.
21. Canterbury Cathedral Archives, Grants CCA-DCc-ChAnt/M/48,49,51,52,53,54,55,56,57,59, 60,62,63,64,66,67,68,69,70,72,
22. Calendar of Patent Rolls, Hen III, Vol 5, p.505. C66/84 membrane 44.
23. Calendar of Patent Rolls, Hen III, Vol 5, p.509. C66/84 membrane 42.
24. Calendar of Inquisitions Miscellaneous, Vol 1, p.122.
The Duchy of Brabant
The Duchy of Brabant was a State of the Holy Roman Empire established in 1183. It developed
from the Landgraviate
of Brabant and
formed the heart of the historic Low Countries, part of the Burgundian
Netherlands from
1430 and of the Habsburg
Netherlands from
1482, until it was partitioned after the Dutch revolt.
Present-day North Brabant (Staats-Brabant) was ceded to the Generality Lands of the Dutch Republic according to the 1648 Peace of
Westphalia, while the
reduced duchy remained part of the Southern
Netherlands until
it was conquered by French
Revolutionary forces
in 1794. Today all the duchy's former territories, apart from exclaves, are in Belgium except for the Dutch province of North Brabant.
The region's
name is first recorded as the Carolingian shire pagus Bracbatensis,
located between the rivers Scheldt and Dijle,
from braec "marshy" and bant "region".[citation needed] Upon
the 843 Treaty of
Verdun it was part
of Lotharingia within short-lived Middle Francia, and was ceded to East Francia according to the 880 Treaty of
Ribemont.
In
earlier Roman times, the Nervii, a Belgic tribe, lived in the same area.
They were incorporated into the Roman province of Belgica, and considered to have both Celtic and Germanic cultural links. At the end of the Roman period the region
was conquered by the Germanic Franks.
Counts of Leuven
In 959 the
East Frankish king Otto I of
Germany elevated
Count Godfrey of Jülich to the rank of duke of Lower
Lorraine. In 962 the
duchy became an integral part of the Holy Roman Empire, where Godfrey's successors of the
ducal Ardennes-Verdun
dynasty also ruled
over the Gau of Brabant. Here, the counts
of Leuven rose to power, when about 1000
Count Lambert I
the Bearded married Gerberga, the daughter of Duke Charles of Lower
Lorraine, and acquired
the County of Brussels. About 1024 southernmost Brabant fell to Count Reginar V of Mons (Bergen, later Hainaut), and Imperial lands up to the Schelde river in the west came under the rule of the French Counts Baldwin V
of Flanders by
1059. Upon the death of Count Palatine Herman II of Lotharingia in
1085, Emperor Henry IV assigned his fief between
the Dender and Zenne rivers
as the Landgraviate
of Brabant to
Count Henry III
of Leuven and
Brussels.
About one
hundred years later, in 1183/1184, Emperor Frederick I Barbarossa formally established the Duchy of Brabant and created the
hereditary title of duke of Brabant in favour of Henry I
of Brabant, son of
Count Godfrey III of Leuven. Although the original county was still quite small - and
limited to the territory between the Dender and Zenne rivers, situated to the
west of Brussels - from the 13th century onwards its name came to apply to the
entire territory under control of the dukes.
In 1190,
after the death of Godfrey III, Henry I also became Duke of Lower Lotharingia.
By that time the title had lost most of its territorial authority. According to
protocol, all his successors were thereafter called Dukes of Brabant and Lower
Lotharingia (often called Duke of Lothier).
After
the Battle of
Worringen in 1288,
the dukes of Brabant also acquired the Duchy of Limburg and the lands of Overmaas (trans-Meuse). In 1354 Duke John
III of Brabant granted
a Joyous
Entry (charter of
liberty) to the subjects of Brabant.
Burgundian and
Habsburg Netherlands
In 1430 the
Duchies of Lower Lotharingia, Brabant and Limburg were inherited by Philip the Good of Burgundy and became part of the Burgundian
Netherlands.
In 1477 the
Duchy of Brabant became part of the House of Habsburg as part of the dowry of Mary of Burgundy. At that time the Duchy extended from Luttre, south of Nivelles to 's Hertogenbosch, with Leuven as the capital city. The subsequent history of Brabant is
part of the history of the Habsburg Seventeen
Provinces.
Early
Brabazon History
By following the records of The Peerage, the Brabazon
Lineage can be followed from their research.
Thomas
Le Brabazon married Amelia Mounsley
Their son Sir
Roger le Brabazon m Beatrix de Bissett, daughter of Warine de Bassington
and Albreda Bysett
Their son Mathew
le Brabazon married a Sarah, and their son was
Sir
William Brabazon 1264 – 1326. He married Joan Trussell b 1272
daughter of Sir William Trussell 1226 of Maston Trussell and his wife Rose
Pantiuf.
Their son was Thomas Brabazon of Eastwell Leicestershire
His son was John Brabazon who was killed at the Battle of Bosworth Field. 1485.
He married Maud Jervis the daughter of Nicholas Jervis.
His son Nicholas
Brabazon married the daughter of Howberk
Their son was John Brabazon 1474 from Eatwell married unknown Chaworth
Their son Sir
William Brabazon 1500 – 1552 Carrickfergus m Elizabeth de Clifford 1525 –
1581
She was the daughter of Nicholas de Clifford
and Maria Harper
Nicholas de Clifford descended from the Army of
Sir William the Conqueror, 1066
The Earls
of Meath
Earl of
Meath is a title
in the Peerage
of Ireland created
in 1627 and held by the head of the Brabazon family. This family descends
from Sir Edward Brabazon, who represented County Wicklow in the Irish
House of Commons and
served as High
Sheriff of Staffordshire in
1606. In 1616 he was raised to the Peerage of Ireland as Baron Ardee.
He was
succeeded by his eldest son, the second Baron. In 1627 he was created Earl
of Meath in the Peerage of Ireland, with remainder to his younger
brother the Hon. Sir Anthony Brabazon. Lord Meath was succeeded by his son, the
second Earl. His grandson, the fourth Earl, served as Lord-Lieutenant
of Dublin and
of Kildare.
He died
childless and was succeeded by his younger brother, the fifth Earl. He was also
Lord-Lieutenant of Dublin. Lord Meath married the Hon. Juliana, daughter of
Patrick Chaworth, 3rd and last Viscount Chaworth (see the Viscount Chaworth).
On his death
the titles passed to his eldest son, the sixth Earl. He served as
Lord-Lieutenant of Dublin and County Kildare. He died childless and was
succeeded by his younger brother, the seventh Earl. His grandson, the ninth
Earl, was killed in a duel in 1797.
He was
succeeded by his younger brother, the tenth Earl. He served as Lord-Lieutenant
of Dublin from 1831 to 1851. In 1831 the Chaworth title held by his ancestors
was revived when he was created Baron Chaworth, of Eaton Hall in
the County of Hereford, in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. This title gave him and his
descendants an automatic seat in the House of Lords. His son, the eleventh Earl, sat as MP for Dublin County from 1830 to 1832, and from 1837 to 1841, and was
also Lord-Lieutenant of County Wicklow from 1869 to 1887.
He was
succeeded by his son, the twelfth Earl. He was a politician and philanthropist.
His son, the thirteenth Earl, was a Brigadier-General in the Grenadier Guards and the Irish Guards. As of 2014 the titles are held by the latter's
grandson, the fifteenth Earl, who succeeded his father in 1998.
The Hon.
William Brabazon, of Tara House in County Meath, younger son of the seventh
Earl, was the father of Barbara, who married John Moore.
Their
grandson John Arthur Henry Moore assumed the additional surname of Brabazon and
was the father of the aviation pioneer and Conservative politician John Moore-Brabazon, 1st Baron Brabazon of Tara. The family seat is Kilruddery House, near Bray, County Wicklow.
William Brabazon, 1st Earl of Meath (1580–1651)
Edward Brabazon,
2nd Earl of Meath (1610–1675)
William Brabazon,
3rd Earl of Meath (1635–1685)
Edward Brabazon,
4th Earl of Meath (1638–1707)
Chambre Brabazon, 5th Earl of Meath (1645–1715)
Chaworth Brabazon, 6th Earl of Meath (1686–1763)
Edward Brabazon, 7th Earl of Meath (1691–1772)
Anthony Brabazon,
8th Earl of Meath (1721–1790)
William Brabazon, 9th Earl of Meath (1769–1797)
John Chambre Brabazon, 10th Earl of Meath (1772–1851)
William Brabazon, 11th Earl of Meath (1803–1887)
Reginald Brabazon, 12th Earl of Meath (1841–1929)
Reginald Le Normand Brabazon, 13th Earl of Meath (1869–1949)
Baron Brabazon of Tara,
of Sandwich in the County
of Kent, is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom.
It was created on 27 April 1942 for the aviation pioneer and Conservative politician John Moore-Brabazon Moore-Brabazon
was a descendant through a female line of Edward Brabazon, 7th Earl
of Meath. His father Major John Arthur Henry Moore had
assumed the additional surname of Brabazon in 1866 by Royal Licence.
As of 2017 the title is held by the first
Baron's grandson, the third Baron, who succeeded his father in 1974. He is also
a Conservative politician and one of the ninety elected hereditary
peers that remain in the House
of Lords after the passing of the House of Lords Act 1999.
Ponsonby family of Ireland in
connection with Brabazons
The
connection of the Ponsonby family to Ireland originated in the 17th century
when John Ponsonby of Haile Hall, Cumberland, served there under Oliver
Cromwell and was knighted for his services, obtaining the estate of Kildalton
in Co. Kilkenny. He became Member of Parliament for Kilkenny, and held a number
of public appointments. He was twice married. His second wife was Elizabeth
Folliott; and in 1662, in honour of her, he changed the name of his estate from
Kildalton to Bessie Borough, or Bessborough. By his second wife he had two sons
and a daughter.
Sir John
Ponsonby's second son was William Ponsonby (1657 - 1724), who distinguished
himself in the service of King William III at the siege of Londonderry. Like
his father he was Member of Parliament for Kilkenny and he was also a Privy
Councillor. He was created Baron Bessborough in 1721, and Viscount Duncannon of
Duncannon, Co. Wexford, in 1722. In 1739 his eldest son, Brabazon Ponsonby, was
created Earl of Bessborough in the Peerage of Ireland.
Brabazon
died in 1758 and his eldest son, William, inherited the earldom, whilst his
second son, John, inherited the estate of Bishopscourt in Co. Kildare. John was
elected MP for Newton, Co. Down, in 1739 and in 1743 he married Lady Elizabeth
Cavendish, second daughter of William 3rd Duke of Devonshire. In 1739 his elder
brother William, 2nd Earl of Bessborough, had married Lady Caroline Cavendish,
the Duke’s eldest daughter. John was made Privy Councillor in 1748, and elected
Speaker of the Irish House of Commons in 1756.
William
Brabazon Ponsonby (1744-1806), the eldest son of John and Lady Elizabeth,
followed his father into politics, serving as MP from 1764 to 1805 and as
Postmaster General in 1784. In the latter year he was called to the Privy
Council, where he was amongst those who, in 1789 during the King's second
attack of madness, proposed to the Prince of Wales that he should become Regent
of Ireland in place of the Lord Lieutenant, Lord Buckingham. But the Regency
question lapsed on the recovery of the King; and William, being unwilling to
co-operate with the Lord Lieutenant, was dismissed from office. In 1769 he
married Louisa Molesworth and in 1806 he was created 1st Baron Ponsonby of
Imokilly, Co. Cork. The couple had six children together. William died in 1806
and in 1823 his widow, Lady Louisa Ponsonby married William, 4th Earl
Fitzwilliam, as his second wife.
The
eldest son of William and Louisa was John Ponsonby, the Ambassador (1770-1855).
He was an MP between 1793 and 1802, but took no active part and quit Parliament
for the diplomatic service. He was Minister Plenipotentiary at Buenos Aires,
1826-1828, and at Rio de Janeiro, 1828-1830. At Buenos Aires he negotiated the
recognition by Great Britain of the independence of Uruguay. He was Envoy
Extraordinary at brussels, 1839-1831; Envoy at Naples, 1832; Ambassador at
Constantinople from 1832 to about 1839. In the latter year he was created
Viscount Ponsonby of Imokilly, Co. Cork. He married in 1803 Lady Francis
Villiers, daughter of 4th Earl and Countess of Jersey. They had no children.
The
second son of William and Louisa, Major General William Ponsonby (1772-1815),
obtained command of the 5th Inniskilling Dragoon Guards in 1803, and commanded
the regiment during most of the Peninsular War. In 1812, during the battle of
Salamanca, he assumed command of the cavalry brigade in Spain after Le Marchant
had been mortally wounded. He commanded with success and was promoted
Major-General at the end of the battle. The next year he captured the baggage
train of Joseph Bonaparte at the battle of Vitoria. In 1815, William Ponsonby
was knighted; and when the allied army was being assembled in the Low Countries
he took command of the Union Brigade The Royals, the Scots Greys and the
Inniskillings. He was killed at the Battle of Waterloo leading the famous
charge of the Union Brigade. He had married in 1807 Georgiana Fitzroy, daughter
of Charles, 1st Baron Southampton. There were five children: four daughters and
a son, William, who was born after his father's death, and who inherited the
Barony of Ponsonby on the death of his uncle John Ponsonby without issue in
1855.
The
third son of William and Louisa was Richard (1772-1853). He was educated at
Trinity College, Dublin and ordained in 1795. In 1828 he was appointed Bishop
of Killaloo, Co. Londonderry, and was translated to Derry in 1831. Later he
also became Bishop of Raphoe when this see was combined with that of Derry as a
result of the Church Temporalities Act of 1833. He married Frances Staples, and
they had a son, William, who became 4th, and last, Baron Ponsonby of Imokilly.
The
fourth son of 1st Baron Ponsonby was George, who married, as his second wife,
Diana Bouverie, and through her obtained the estate of Woolbeding, Co. Sussex.
The fifth son was Frederick, who was unmarried. He lived in the old family
house of Bishopscourt, was Master of the Bishopscourt Hunt, and devoted himself
to country pursuits. But Bishopscourt ran into financial trouble - caused
chiefly be the debts of John, Viscount Ponsonby, and of his brother Richard,
Bishop of Derry and Raphoe, who was a great gambler.
The only
daughter of John, 1st Baron Ponsonby, was Mary Elizabeth (1776-1861). Through
her came the connection with the Grey's of Howick, Northumberland. She was the
youngest of her family and was born in 1776. On 18th November, 1794, she
married Charles Grey, who succeeded his father as 2nd Earl Grey in 1807. There
were eight sons and five daughters of the marriage.
It is
from the daughter of Earl Grey and Lady Mary, Lady Mary Grey (1807-1884) that
the Grey connection to the Wood family, Earls of Halifax, derives. On 30th
July, 1829, Lady Mary Grey married Charles Wood of Hickleton, Co. York, 1st
Viscount of Monk Bretton; and she came into possession of Grey family papers at
the death of her mother, Countess Grey, in 1861. Here sister, Lady Georgina
Grey (1801-1900), likewise became possessed a number of family papers. She
never married, and in November 1884, she gave to her nephew, Charles Wood,
eldest son of Lord and Lady Halifax, the letters of Louisa, Lady Ponsonby,
which are now included in the Halifax archive.
Hon HenryPonsonby m
Frances Brabazon 2nd Great
Aunt
Hon. Henry Ponsonby (1685 – 11 May 1745) was an Irish soldier.
He was the son of William Ponsonby,
1st Viscount Duncannon and
brother of Brabazon Ponsonby,
1st Earl of Bessborough. He married
his cousin Lady Frances Brabazon, daughter of Chambré Brabazon, 5th Earl of Meath, and was father of Chambré Brabazon Ponsonby.
He sat in the Irish House of Commons for Fethard from 1715 to 1727.
In 1727 he was elected for both Clomines and Inistioge, sitting for the latter constituency until his death.
He reached the rank
of Major-General and
was colonel of a Regiment of Foot, (later the 37th Regiment of Foot), from 1735 to his death. He was killed at the Battle of Fontenoy in 1745.
William
Brabazon Ponsonby
William Brabazon Ponsonby, 1st Baron Ponsonby
(of Imokilly), PC
(Ire) (15 September 1744 – 5 November 1806) was a
leading Irish Whig politician,
being a member of the Irish
House of Commons, and, after 1800, of the United Kingdom parliament. Ponsonby was the son of the
Hon. John
Ponsonby, the Speaker of the Irish House of Commons and
Lady Elizabeth Cavendish, daughter of the 3rd Duke of Devonshire. He was invested as
a Privy Counsellor of Ireland in 1784. He served as Joint
Postmaster-General of Ireland (1784–1789).
In 1769
Ponsonby married Louisa Molesworth (1749–1824), 4th daughter of the 3rd Viscount
Molesworth, and his
second wife, Mary Usher. They had five sons, four of whom were men of note and
one daughter.
3.
Richard Ponsonby, became bishop of Killaloe and Kilfenora in
1828, Derry in 1831
and Derry and Raphoe in 1834;
He was the second son of William Ponsonby, who was
created Baron
Ponsonby of Imokilly in 1806, and Hon. Louisa Molesworth. He was the
grandson of politician Hon.
John Ponsonby and great-grandson of the 3rd Duke of Devonshire and
the 1st Earl of Bessborough. Educated
at Kilkenny and Eton, he married
Hon. Georgiana FitzRoy, youngest daughter of Charles
FitzRoy, 1st Baron Southampton
Chambré Brabazon Ponsonby (c.1720 – 20 February 1762) was an Irish Member
of Parliament.
He was the son of
Major-General Henry
Ponsonby by his wife Lady
Frances, daughter of Chambré
Brabazon, 5th Earl of Meath. His
paternal grandfather was William
Ponsonby, 1st Viscount Duncannon and Brabazon
Ponsonby, 1st Earl of Bessborough was
his uncle.
On 28 September 1746 he
married Elizabeth, daughter of Edward Clarke. They had one daughter, Frances,
who married George
Lowther of Kilrue on 28 July
1767.
He married a second time
on 23 October 1752, to Louisa, daughter of Henry Lyons of Belmont. They had one
daughter, Sarah, who lived at Plas Newydd with Eleanor Butler (daughter of Walter
Butler of Kilkenny Castle),
where they were known as the Ladies of
Llangollen.
By his third wife, Mary,
daughter of Sir
William Barker, 3rd Baronet of Kilcooly Abbey,
he was the father of Mary, who married Thomas Barton of Grove House, Fethard, and of Chambré
Brabazon Ponsonby-Barker.
The Ladies of
Llangollen.
These
were the first cousins of Barbara Brabazon
Sarah
Ponsonby (1755 – 9
December 1831) lived with relatives in Woodstock, County
Kilkenny, Ireland. She
was a second cousin of Frederick
Ponsonby, 3rd Earl of Bessborough, and thus a second cousin once
removed of his
daughter Lady Caroline Lamb. She was the daughter of Chambré Brabazon Ponsonby and Louisa Lyons.
Their
families lived 15 miles (25 km) from each other. The two women met in 1768, and
quickly became close. Over the years they formulated a plan for a private rural
retreat. It was their dream to live an unconventional life together.
Rather than
face the possibility of being forced
into unwanted marriages,
they left County Kilkenny together in April 1778. Their families hunted them
down and forcefully tried to make them give up their plans—but in vain. They
moved to Wales with a servant, Mary Caryll, who lived and worked for them without
pay for the rest of her life, and who was buried in the same plot and
memorialized on the same grave marker.
Putting
their plan into motion, they undertook a picturesque tour of the Welsh
countryside, eventually settling in North Wales. Living first in a rented home in the
village of Llangollen, they moved in 1780 to a small cottage just outside the village
they called Plas Newydd or "new mansion".They
proceeded to live according to their self-devised system, though they could
rely on only a modest income from intolerant relatives, and eventually a civil list pension. They "improved" Plas Newydd
in the Gothic style with Welsh oak panelling, pointed
arches, stained glass windows, and an extensive library, in which they received
their many guests. They hired a gardener, a footman and two maids. This led to
significant debt, and they had to rely on the generosity of friends.
They devoted
their time to hosting a range of friends and curious visitors, extensive
correspondence, private studies of literature and languages, and improving
their estate. Over the years they added a circular stone dairy and created a
sumptuous garden. Eleanor kept a diary of their activities. Llangollen people
simply referred to them as "the ladies".
After a
couple of years, their life attracted the interest of the outside world. Their
house became a haven for visitors travelling between Dublin and London,
including writers such as Anna
Seward, Robert
Southey, William Wordsworth, Percy Shelley, Lord
Byron and Sir
Walter Scott, but
also the military leader the Duke of Wellington and the industrialist Josiah
Wedgwood; aristocratic
novelist Caroline Lamb, who was born a Ponsonby, came to visit too. Anne
Lister from
Yorkshire visited the couple, and was possibly inspired by their relationship
to informally marry her own lover. Even travellers from continental Europe had
heard of the couple and came to visit them, for instance Prince Hermann von
Pückler-Muskau, the
German nobleman and landscape designer, wrote admiringly about them.
The ladies
were known throughout Britain, but have been said to have led "a rather
unexciting life". Queen
Charlotte wanted
to see their cottage and persuaded King
George III to
grant them a pension. Eventually their families came to tolerate them.
Butler and
Ponsonby lived together for 50 years. Their books and glassware carried both
sets of initials and their letters were jointly signed. Towards the end of
their lives, they both dressed in black riding
habits and men's
top hats; some visitors thought it was eccentric and outdated – especially the
hair powder – but neighbours thought the clothes were practical for living
outdoors.
Rumours that
they were in a sexual relationship floated around during their lives, and in
1791, a magazine described them and implied that they were in a sexual
relationship. According to Patricia
Hampl, they were
appalled by this idea, and objected to the magazine's characterization to the point
of consulting Edmund Burke over the possibility of suing the magazine for libel.
In sharp
contrast to the writings of their contemporary Anne
Lister, there is
nothing in their extensive correspondence or diaries that indicates a sexual
relationship.[5] Some consider Butler and
Ponsonby's relationship to be a Boston
marriage, or a romantic
relationship between two women who chose to live together and have
"marriage-like relationships".[7] Others conclude that the two had a
non-sexual romantic friendship. Norena Shopland says that modern
attitudes designed to distinguish same-sex relationships from a romantic
friendship indicate they had a sexual relationship. According to Fiona
Brideoake, the description of queer is more appropriate than the
anachronistic and specific label of lesbian, particularly as queerness is a broad
concept and significantly defined by its difference from
typicality. Brideoake also writes that their relationship was celebrated
by other people as a form of mourning the relationships that they could not
form.
Mary Caryll
died on 22 November 1809. Eleanor Butler died on 2 June 1829 at the age of 90.
Sarah Ponsonby died two years later on 9 December 1831, age 76. They are all
buried together at St Collen's Church in Llangollen. Plas Newydd is now a museum run
by Denbighshire County Council.
Butler's
Hill, near Plas Newydd, is named in honour of Eleanor Butler. The Ponsonby Arms
public house, a Grade II listed building on Mill Street in
Llangollen, claims to take its name from Sarah Ponsonby.
Wordsworth wrote a sonnet about them, "To the Lady E.B and
the Hon. Miss P"
Anna Seward wrote about them in her 1796 poem, “Llangollen
Vale”, in which she associates them with "chaste provinciality"
The Ladies appeared in a "thinly-veiled biographical
novel", Chase of the Wild Goose by pioneering female
physician and author, Mary Gordon, originally
published in 1936 by Leonard and Virginia Woolf at the Hogarth Press. The book
was reprinted and retitled The Llangollen Ladies: The Story of Lady
Eleanor Butler and Miss Sarah Ponsonby, Known as the Ladies of Llangollen.
In the late 1800s, Gordon is said to have seen the Ladies'
apparitions at Plas Newydd, which inspired her to learn about their
lives. As Gordon recounts in the final section of the book, "The
Ladies Meet Me," she believed herself to be Butler and Ponsonby's
"spiritual descendant," and hailed them as the feminist progenitors
of the modernist female scholars, professionals, and "friends who prefer
to live together."
Research and compiled by Kristine Herron, Queensland March 2020
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