HTML Transcription © F.Coakley , 2006
(from MM GL 730 / LDS 0106396 )
[Alice Ledwick a spinster died, intestate, in 1779 - the Sumner General applied for executorship on the grounds that she was of illegitimate birth - this was opposed by her somewhat distant relations - the following is a transcript of the evidence - as the microfilm is very dark and the papers tightly bound, the edge of some pages are unreadable. Nearest claimed relations were John Harrison + wife Ellinor, Henry Gawne + wife Margt of Arbory; and Robert Quillin of Douglas who are the plaintiffs in the following case re legitimacy of Alice Ledwicke - defendants were James Parr & Ceasar Parr of Peel, Thos Arthur Corlett + Elizabeth Corlett his mother-
Mrs Jane Stevenson aged eighty nine yrs or there- abouts sworn & examd deposeth & saith that she perfectly knew & was well acquainted with Joney Fargher daughter of Fargher of Skybright that sd Joney marry'd one Hignet & lived in Castletown by whom she had two daughters, that one of these sd daughters was marry'd to one ^Rich^ Quillin of Kk Arbory by whom she had two children Robt & ^only ? was^ John Quillin who marry'd one Oates by whom she had two sons - Robt & John that John is dead & Robt the only child alive & plaintiff in this issue - that the sd Richd Quillin died & his sd wife afterwds marry'd one Richd Clague of Ball adah in Kk Arbory aforesd by whom she had only one daughter who married John Harrison of Cordeman - but can't say how many children she had by sd Harrison - that she well knew Alice Ledwick commonly called Alice Joney late of Castletown decd - that the other daughter of sd Hignet & Joney Fargher went to Dublin lived sometime there & came afterwds to this island with the above Alice Ledwick her daughter - that sd dept never heard she had any other child but the above mentioned Alice Ledwick - that she came to the Island as the wid: of one Ledwick & marry'd Capt Redfern & afterwards died in childbed - that she [next page] that she never heard till of late any mention [] sd Alice Ledwick's being a bastard - or an [ille]= gitimate child - that she was too young at the [] to be personally acquainted with sd Alice Ledwick [] mother but well remembered that there was such a [] woman - being cross exam'd on the part of [] deffts saith that she did not know wether sd Alice [][ Mothr was marry'd to Ledwick or not - that she [] not know whether sd Alice Ledwick was her daughter or not [] but that she came to the Island wth her & was reputed as such & reared or brought up by her [] mother the sd Joney Fargher as her grand daughter [] that she believes she might haveaboutth[ree] years old or thereabouts at the time when Alice came to the Island with her sd Mother signed Jane Stevenson Thomas Redfern of Castletown sworn & exam[] deposeth & saith that he knew Alice Ledwick [] Castletown - that he knew the sd Alice Ledwick g[rand] mother called Joney Fargher otherwise called Joney Highnet & aunty Joney that sd deponent's father told him that he was marry'd to sd Alice Ledwick['s] mother daugher of the [] Fargher aforesd who, as she told him, his sd fa[] that she was marry'd in Ireland & was the wid: of one Led= wick that as he apprehends that she was received at his father's house, as the lawful daughter of [] sd father's wife & grand daughter of sd Joney F[] that sd Alice Ledwick went to Ireland to service & [upon] her return to the Island was recd & lived with her [] grand mother the sd Joney Fargher ^otherwise Highnet^ as her lawful [] daughter [next page] grand daughter that Elinor the wife of John Harrison & Margt the wife of Henry Gawne plaintiffs in their cause were daughters of John Harrison of Cordeman & Elinor Clague who was daughter of Richd Clague of Ball= adah & one Quillin als Highnet his wife, that the sd Richd Clague's wife was grand mother to the sd plaintiffs & was aunt of the sd Alice Ledwick deceas'd, that he was well acquainted with sd Richard Clague & his sd wife, [that he had often seen sd Alice Ledwick at Balladah aforesd] Cross exam'd on the part of the deffts saith that he is about seventy years of age - that he had heard children in the town calling sd Alice Ledwick a bastard & that her mother was never marry'd to sd Ledwick that this he heard about forty years ago & that sd depont was the son of a second ventor of hiss father Thos Redfern after the death of sd Alice Ledwick's mother Taken by me - John Moore signed Thos Redfern At Kk Arbory May 4 1779 Further depositions taken in the foregoing cause viz at the suit of the petrs Mary Harrison of Balla Cundry in Kk Arbory aged 85 yrs or thereabouts sworn & examd deposeth & saith - that she knew & was well acquainted with Joney Hignet als Fargher of Castletown commonly called Aunty Joney that sd Aunty Joney had a daughter called Cath whom she, the dept, well knew, that sd daughter Cath was marry'd to one Quillin in Kk Arbory by whom she had a son called John & after wards to Richd Clague of Balladah in sd parish by whom she had only one daughter called Ellinor Clague who was marry'd to John Harrison of Cordeman that Elin the wife of John Harrison & Margt the wife of Henry Gawn the paintiffs in this cause are daughters of the sd Elinor Clague & John Harrison her husband [next page] That none of sd Elinor Clague's Children are living but Elinor Harrison & Margt Gawn wives of the before mentioned Plaintiffs - [] Alice one of the daughters of the sd Joney Fargher [] to Dublin & some time afterwrds came to the Island the wid of one Ledwick as the Dept [] with a daughter called Alice & afterwrds intermarry'd in the Island [] Redfern of Castletown - that sd depont was well []= quainted with the sd Alice Ledwick daughter of the sd Alice Highnet & that she was received & [] as the lawful granddaughter of the sd Joney [] als Hignet & that she heard that the relations of Alice Ledwick's father in Dublin upon her mother's In[ter] marriage wth sd Redfern with wch they were pleased sent for sd Alice Ledwick to Dublin [] sd Alice Ledwick thereupon went to Dublin & [] return from thence untill grown to woman[] saith that sd Joney Hignett als Faergher, her grand mother had repeatedly wrote & sent to Ireland [] her before the sd Alice Ledwick the sd grand daughter return'd. Saith that sd Alice Ledwick l[] her sd grand mothr until her death after [] return to the Island - that sd dept was very intimate & well acquainted wth sd Joney Fargher [] her family from the childhood of her the dept That she knows Robt Quillin of Douglas the [] in this cause that he is the son of John Q[uillin] who was the son of the sd Cath the daughter of the [] Joney Hignet als Fargher who marry[] Quillin of Kk Arbory as herein before mentioned. Cross examd on the prt of the def[] saith that she only heard that sd Alice Highnet marry'd to one Ledwick in Dublin that she can[] know old sd Alice Ledwick was when she first re[turn] the Island wth her sd mothr. That sd dept kn[ew] sd Alice was sent for to Dublin by her fathr's fam[ily] some of the family of sd Aunty Joney - that she cant [] or recollect whether it was, when sd [] was in Dublin, or before she went but that it may when [] [next page] dept was young or a child when sd Alice Ledwick was sent for by sd Alice's fathers friends That she never heard that sd Alice Ledwick was a bastard or illeg child Mary Harrison her mk Anne Waterson of Castletown sworn & examd deposeth & saith that she knows the plaintiffs in the cause that she knew Alice Ledwick of Castletown late decd that the sd Alice livd in ? the house wth this dept for ten yrs & upwards last past that she dy'd in sd depts house that sd dept heard her sd Alice Ledwick often & several times say that old Mrs Quillin of Castletown & John Harrison of Ballclague & Elinor Harrison wife of John Harrison the plaintiffs in this cause were her nearest relations & next of kin - that old Mrs Quillin of Castletown is dead & that deponent has heard that Robert Quillin of Douglas is his brother that sd John Harrison of Balla Clague is also dead Cross exam'd on the part of the deffts saith that upon her mentioning her nearest relations deponent did not say? her sd Alice Ledwick mention sd Robert Quillin as one of those - that she never heard her mention any of her father's relations that she heard her say that her mothr was marry'd to one Redfern in Castletown but can't say that she mentioned anything with respect to her being marry'd before - that she heard her say that she had been in Ireland at service but cant recollect to have heard her say that she livd wth any of her father's friends - that she heard some loose people in the street say sd Alice was a bastard Anne Waterson her mrk taken by me John Moore Phil Costean sworn & exam'd deposeth & [] that he knew the plaintiffs in this cause that he knew Alice Ledwick late of Castletown [] & was well acquainted with her that sometime [] before her decease he heard her several times [] that Elinr Harrison wife of John Harrison [] in this cause was her nearest of kindred or near[] relation, that she said that if she wd have time [] make her will she'd leave all her effects to sd Elinor H[] as she was her next of kin & wd be bound to sup[] her sd Alice in case she fell into poverty - that [] declared to depont that she designed to go & [] them the sd John Harrison & family & desired [] to send word to them to send an horse for her [] that end Cross exam'd on the part of the De[] that she said she the sd Alice Ledwick was sent for by her fathrs rel[] from the Isle of Man to come to Dublin & that [] Fathr had died when she was three or four yea[rs] that he had heard that she was an illeg child [] persons who were of no consequence (as he app [] did & to whose report he paid no credit [] viz Anny Co-laane & Wm Taggart & other pe[] whom he can't now recollect & that before her death [] Phil Castean his mk
The following outline tree is offered as a guide - the Arbory Register is seriously deficient in this period - the dates for Elinor Clague derived from Feltham's MI.
Mal 1654
Robert Hignett = Joney Faragher
bur Mal 1660 |
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+-------------------------------+-------------+-----------------------------+
| | |
| Mal 1681 | | 1692 1700
William Richard Quillin = Catherine = Richard Clague ? Ledwick = Elizabeth = Thos Redfern =
b Mal 1655 |b Mal 1657 | | ? bapt |
will 1690 | | | d 1692 +--+--------+
| | | | | | |
Onc/Bra 1707 | | Alice Thomas
Kath Oats = John Elinor = John Harrison b c.1686 b 1708
| b c 1700 | d 1779 d 1792
| bur 1733 |
+---------------+ +-----------------+
| | | |
| | Arb 1743 | | ?Arb 1759 [igi has henry Tacon !]
John Robert John Harrison = Ellen Margaret = Henry Gawne
b 1718 | |
bur Bra 1798 +-----+-----+ +-------+----------------+
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| | 1759 1766
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| Any comments, errors
or omissions gratefully received The
Editor HTML Transcription © F.Coakley , 2006 |
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