Monday 23 August 2010

Cantwell memorials: Old Kilbride cemetery, Arklow, County Wicklow


Back in April I did a few postings from the Wicklow marriage register entries sent in by Wendy Rutter. Tracy Keenan Lloyd recognised a family link between these Fitzhenrys and a Dr. William Heath who not only was a witness at these marriages, but had married one Sibella Fitzhenry in 1834. Tracy is a descendant of a branch of this Heath family who emigrated to the US in 1886.

So I was really chuffed to find that Mr Cantwell had recorded the graveyard where this Fitzhenry - Heath family were buried.
There's a fair few memorials, and these will go over several postings. Here's the updated map to indicate this graveyard and here's a link showing the outstanding memorial in the cemetery - the Howard Mausoleum.

This first William and Sibbella Fitzhenry pairing are who I believe are the parents of the Sibella who married William Heath.
We know that a widowed William Fitzhenry of Arklow then married a Mary Jenkinson, spinster, at Rathdrum parish church on 15 May 1845. I believe this is the couple on the second gravestone. Same William, two wives.

As usual, the text and line breaks are per Cantwell's transcription:

Two headstones next to each other a) left and b) right.
a)
Erected by William Fitzhenry
in memory of his beloved wife Sibbella
Who departed this life July 21st 1832
aged 52 years
(there's a prayer here which Cantwell has not transcribed)
Also his daughter Elizabeth Fitzhenry
died December the 19th 1826 aged 5 years
Also in memory of their son
William Fitzhenry
Who departed this life the 7th of January 1843
aged 23 years
Also in memory of their son
Robert Edward Fitzhenry
who departed this life the 31st December 1847 aged 35 years
Also the above William Fitzhenry who died
Musing in his Saviour 22nd October 1859
Aged 71 years

b)
Erected in memory
of the children of William and Mary Fitzhenry
of Arklow
Mary Jane who departed this life the
11th December 1849
aged 2 years and 7 months
Robert Edward
who departed this life the
6th April 1854 aged 4 years and 7 months
also of the above named Mary Fitzhenry
who departed this life the 16th January
1890 aged 79 years

So from these gravestones and our previous knowledge of this family we have:
William Fitzhenry (shopkeeper of Arklow) 1788 - 22 Oct 1858
Married first
Sibbella (maiden name unknown) 1780 -21 July 1832
Their children who we know of:
Sibella (birth date unknown but before 1813 to have her married in 1834 to Dr William Heath)
Robert Edward (1812 - 31 December 1847)
William (1820 - 7 Jan 1843)
Elizabeth (1821 - 19 Dec 1826) on this gravestone
Elizabeth (born bet 1827 and 1832) who married Samuel Plummer in 1860, after the death of her father.

William then married
Mary Jenkinson (1811 - 16 January 1890). He was about 56 when they married in 1845, and she was 33.
Their children that we know of:
Mary Jane (May 1847 - 11 December 1849)
Robert Edward (Oct 1849 - 6 April 1854). William's son Robert Edward by his first wife had died 2 years previously.
And also at least one other child, William Henry who has the following marriage entry at St Brides C of I Church in Dublin.

Marriage of WM HENRY FITZHENRY of ARKLOW and PATIENCE WARREN of GEORGES STREET on 28 April 1885
WM HENRY FITZHENRY of Arklow, bachelor of full age
father William Fitzhenry, shopkeeper
PATIENCE WARREN of Georges Street, spinster of full age
Father John Warren, farmer
Witnesses: William Hall and Frances S Cooper

The first son named William (born to Sibbella) died in 1843, so this William (born to Mary) would not have been born before this date.
His father William died in 1859, so this William would have been born no later than 1860.
Patience died in 1894 aged 48. This gives her age at marriage as 38 or 39 and her year of birth 1846.
It's likely she would have been the same age or younger than William Henry, so I'm guessing that he would have been born in the mid 1840s.


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