Early English Greenhams
Greenham is an ancient but relatively rare locational surname based on two villages, one near Newbury in Berkshire (famous for Greenham Common) and the other in Somerset. Both villages are listed in the Domesday Book (completed 1086) as Greneham and Gryndham respectively. Ralph de Greneham is recorded in the Hundred Rolls of Suffok in 1275 but Ralph de Gryndham is listed seven years earlier in the Assize Rolls of Somerset in 1268.
An armorial bearings (coat of arms) was in use by the Greenham family in 1282.
Elizabethan Greenhams
1. The famous English puritan preacher Richard Greenham was probably from humble origins and so may have been called after the village from which he came because when he entered Pembroke Hall, Cambridge (founded 1347) on 27 May 1559 he did so without father or mother or genealogy. Prior to his departure for London, Richard ministered at Dry-Drayton three miles from Cambridge without great success – the generality of his parish remained ignorant and obstinate - leading to the verse:
Greenham had pastures green
but sheep full lean.
He married a widow who had four children but was not blessed with any of his own.
2. Henry Smith was appointed lecturer at St. Clement Danes in London in 1587 on the recommendation of Henry Greenham (with whom he had been studying) and other godly clergy.
3. The earliest Greenham entry in the genealogy site Genes Reunited is John Greenham, b. England, 1570.
1. THE FIRST IRISH GREENHAMS
Gentry, Landowners, Lawyer, Army Officer
More than one-third... of the Bishops who ruled the Irish Church... were Englishmen, who came over as clerical adventurers or Viceroy’s chaplains to seek their fortunes, and generally they found, especially since the Revolution, a mine of wealth, with which many a poor family was made rich... a large proportion of the Irish nobility and gentry have ecclesiastical blood flowing in their veins (James Godkin – Ireland and her Churches (1867).)
Cambridge, Church and Land
Roger Dodd (or Dod), D.D., an Englishman, Dean of Salop, was a Fellow of Pembroke Hall, Cambridge. Under a royal letter dated 13 Nov 1605 [James I] he became Bishop of Meath and a member of the Privy Council of Ireland but died at his residence Ardbraccan, Co. Meath, 27 Jul 1608 and was buried there. He was pre-deceased by his wife Margaret who was buried at Epping, Essex, 31 Aug 1604. Consequently, his co-heirs were his daughters:
- Abigail Dodd, wife of Thomas Moigne (Or Moygne), Fellow of Peterhouse, Cambridge, Dean of St. Patrick’s Cathedral, Dublin, Bishop of Kilmore [Co. Cavan], and
- Margaret Dodd wife of John Greenham, Esq., of Dublin and Tonnagh, County Cavan, a lawyer and local land-holder who was of Emanuell Colledge [Cambridge]… a principall Attorney, and sayd to be an honest man and truly religious.
It is interesting that John Greenham is very much linked with Bishops of the established church unlike the puritans, such as Richard Greenham, who opposed the idea of Bishops. A prospective post-graduate student for the ministry, Greenham was taught by Alexander Richardson at Barking or Basildon, Essex who specialised in Ramist logic and rhetoric (Godly Clergy in Early Stuart England, Tom Webster, CambridgeUniversity Press, 2003.). He entered King’s Inns, Dublin as an attorney Nov 1612 (King’s Inns Admission Papers 1607-1867.)
On 4th Jul 1629 a re-grant was made to John Greenham of Dublin (Rev. George Hill The Conquest of Ireland, A Special Census of Northern Ireland, Pynnars Survey of Land Holders (abt. 1877)), his heirs and assigns, forever, of the middle proportion of Tonnagh [Co. Cavan], containing 1606 acres in the barony of Loughtee (The Barony of Loughtee, Loghtee or de Loughty was one of 5 Baronies reserved for English settlers rather than Scottish settlers or Church land – The Plantation of Ulster, Philip Robinson, Gill & Macmillan, Dublin 1984.); to be held as of the castle of Dublin, in free and common socage. The premises were to be created into a manor, to be called the manor of Tonnagh, with liberty to create tenures, and hold 600 acres in demesne, and to impark 450 acres; to hold court baron and court leet; with liberty of free warren; pursuant to the conditions of the plantation. This property had originally been held by William Snow or Snowe who never came, and then by Mr. Peter Ameas of Devon, a good specimen, who built a howse of stone and bad lyme.. with a little round on the backside of the howse for a stair case (Robinson).
“Muster Rolls” were lists of men and arms available to defend plantations from the dispossessed Irish – in this case the O’Reilly clan. The 1630 Muster Rolls of Barony de Loughty County Cavan shows that Mr. Amis & Mr. Greenham - undertakers of 1500 acres, their Men & Arms were:
Name
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Arms
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Name
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Arms
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Name
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Arms
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William Dowkes
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Sword & Pike
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George Whittakers
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Sword & Snaplance
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James Williams
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No Arms
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Henry Callendyn
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Sword & Pike
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Edward Hawy
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No Arms
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William Johnston
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"
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John Sympson
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Sword & Musket
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Edward Samcock
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Pike Only
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George Evance
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Sword & Pike
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9 men / 5 Swords / 4 Pike / 1 Musket
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It is clear from the surnames of the tennants that these were English/Welsh settlers and not Scottish.
A few days after the first re-grant, on 13th Jul 1629 John Greenham with his widowed sister-in-law Mrs. Abigail Moigne (nee Dodd) ) (It has been suggested in the Ulster Journal of Archeology (1948) that John Greenham married his sister-in-law but I think this is a mis-reading of the situation) received a grant of 1500 acres of land in County Cavan which had been previously been “planted” in 1608-1610 as part of the Plantation of Ulster but not taken up by the “undertakers” consisting of the great proportion of Lisreagh, to be called the manor of Moigne Hall, with all manorial rights, and subject to the terms for renewal of grants. The 1630 Muster Rolls of Barony de Loughty County Cavan shows that Mr. Moynes Esq. (The variant spellings are not surprising nor is the mis-use of the male title) - undertaker of 1500 acres, his Men & Arms were:
28 men / 4 Swords / 1 Pike / 1 Musket / 3 Coll. / 1 Snaplance
This proved to be inadequate to defend Mrs. Moigne as we shall see.
On 21st Jun 1630 a further re-grant was made jointly to Edward Hatton, Archdeacon of Ardagh [Co. Monaghan], and John Greenham of a small proportion of Dowrosse [Co. Fermanagh] in the barony or precinct of Lurge and CoolmcKeran... containing 1000 acres with free fishing in the lake of Lough Erne... The lands were created into a manor to be called the manor of Hunningstowne...
John Greenham’s name may have been attached to the re-grants of Moigne and Hunningstowne for legal reasons – he was a lawyer after all – although his name pops up in a 19th century document relating to the sale of Moigne land.
Edward Hatton was admitted to Pembroke Hall, Cambridge in 1585. He held two parishes in the Diocese of Meath. Two advowsons of the vicarages of these parishes were granted by Bishop Moigne to his brother-in-lawJohn Greenham gent. for the use of his wife and children. These became the subject of a dispute with Moigne’s successor – the new Bishop of Kilmore William Bedell, a fellow of Emmanuel College, Cambridge, who had translated the Book of Common Prayer into Italian while at Venice, former Provost of Trinity College, Dublin, etc., when Greenham presents into one of them a young Glasgow educated deacon by the name of Wm. Bayly (or Baily) who seems to have been a trouble maker, whose Holy Orders were questioned and whose standard of Latin caused much merryment (Bedell later excommunicated Bayly for his intrusion on Mr. King (one of the translators of the Bible into Irish). There was reconciliation between Bedell and Bayly and Dr. William Bayly, (D.D. Oxford) as he was later described, was consecrated Bishop of Clonfert and Kilmaduagh in 1644 by the famous Archbishop James Ussher following Bedell’s death – his initial appointment to succeed Bedell at Kilmore having been revoked. Bayly died in 1664 and was buried in the cathedral at Clonfert).
William Bayly’s brother Major Bayly commanded the standing foot company of Scotts that lay at Cavan before the wars which is probably where William Bayly met his patron John Greenham. The Baylys had been driven out of Scotland by the Covenanters.
John Greenham died and was buried from St. Michan’s (St. Michan’s is on the north side of the Liffey and is famous for the mummified corpses in its crypt). Dublin on 25 Apr 1637. John was succeeded by his son Thomas Greenham who was then of age and unmarried. A Thomas Greeneham (probably the same person but note spelling) made a caveat to his will in 1642 - see Dublin Original Wills below.
List of Cambridge Graduates
Name
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College
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Occupation
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Richard Greenham
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Pembroke Hall - ent. 27 May 1559
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Preacher
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Roger Dodd
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Pembroke Hall - matric. 1575, Fellow 1581, D.D. 1594
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Bishop of Meath
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Thomas Moigne
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Peterhouse – Fellow 1587
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Dean of St. Patrick’s Cathedral, Dublin, Bishop of Kilmore & Ardagh
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John Greenham
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Emmanuel - ent. 1584 at earliest
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Lawyer, Landowner
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Edward Hatton
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Pembroke Hall - ent. 1585
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Archdeacon of Ardagh
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William Bedell
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Emmanuel - Fellow 1593
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Bishop of Kilmore & Ardagh
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Source: Alumni Cantabrigienses
What became of the great estates?
Tonnagh
Little is known of the manor of Tonnagh other than that the land was poor and there was difficulty getting English settlers to live there. Thomas Greenham succeeded his father.
Moigne Hall
Thomas Moigne died 1628/9 and was buried in St. Patrick’s Cathedral, Dublin of which he was Dean in commendam (1608-1625) as well as being Bishop of Kilmore & Ardagh. His son
was Captain Roger Moigne who was married to Dorothy who gave a deposition on 5th March 1642 that her husband was slain on his way to Drogheda the previous year and that all of their property to the value of £1,613 was taken. And further this Deponent Dorothy Moigne says that Hugh Boy O’Reilly aforesaid at the robbing and despoiling of her said house, said that the Deponent's husband and the undertakers of her said house had enjoyed wrongfully the said Lands too long, and that it was now full time for them to regain the possession and the arrears of rent of the said lands during the undertakers possession.
Roger and Dorothy's daughter and heir Dorchas Moigne married Samuel Towneley of Moigne Hall but a Captain Nicholas Moore seems to have been living there sometime after 1649.
Many planters had to flee for their lives from Co. Cavan and Co. Fermanagh during the insurrection of 1641 – many of these sought the protection of Bishop Bedell who, because of his devotion to the Irish language and the Irish poor, was initially preserved from the surrounding desolation [being] the only Englishman in all of the county of Cavan who was permitted to stay under his own roof... When Mrs. [Abigail] Moigne, that was his predecessor’s widow, a venerable matron, came hither in the habit of the poorest beggar, (where she had lived many years in great state many years before) [with others];
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...he could not look at them with dry eyes, but brought them all the clothes he had in the world... (IRELAND AND HER CHURCH, Richard Murray, D.D., 1845, p.260)
Perhaps Thomas Greenham was one of those others who sought help from Bishop Bedell (Bedell acted as an intermediary between the rebels and Dublin Castle but was later captured by the rebels and taken prisoner to the castle of Lough-Oughter which was only a tower in a lake with no windows or doors where he caught a cold and the ague. Having been exchanged for Irish prisoners, he died shortly afterwards on 7th February, 1642.)
Image: Wikipedia
It is possible that, in all the turmoil of the seventeenth century, the Greenhams and the related family of Moigne gave up or lost all their lands or worse. It has been alleged that between 4,000 and 12,000 Protestants were massacred in the 1641 insurrection – many dying of starvation, exposure and disease (Trinity College, Dublin is to release on-line in 2010 about 19,000 pages of depositions by English and Scottish settlers relating to the 1641 insurrection – perhaps more information will then come to light on the fate of these families). Many just gave up their lands and returned to England. Male survivors often joined the military.
Hunningstowne
On 13th August 1629, Edward Hatton, a good teacher of the word of God, had a further re-grant to be known as the manor of Knockballymore but died in September 1630 (or 1632). The Muster Rolls of County Fermanagh for 1631 shows:
Hatton, Edward, Archdeacon of Ardagh 1000 acres (Cloucare or Knockballymore), 44 men.
His daughter Martha Hatton married a James Slack, Clerk and Parson of Inishkeane, Fermanagh (d. Dublin 1634). Edward’s widow Anne Hatton received £40 per year settlement of a land dispute. Edward was succeeded by his son James Hatton who died in April 1637 and was succeeded by his son and heir Edward Hatton.
i. Family of Roger Dodd
First Siege of Drogheda
Sir Felim O’Neill (It has been suggested that the signatory on IRA communications “P. O’Neill” is based on Felim or Phelim O’Neill.) of Kinard had remained in Ireland after the Flight of the Earls (1607) and led the Irish rebellion of 1641 in Ulster. However, he failed to take Drogheda from the Royalists who supportedCharles I and who were led by Sir Henry Tichborne who described Lieutenant Greenham as “a resolute commander” who on Feb. 11. [1641] ... sallied out with a Party of Horse and Foot, routed 60 of the Enemy, and took a Lieutenant, an Ensign, and other Prisoners. But now the Town was brought to great Extremity, Horse-flesh, Dogs and Cats being excellent Food; but on the 14th of Feb. in a Sally, with much hazard, they recovered 80 Cows, and 200 Sheep of the Enemy, and at the same time came in by Sea a plentiful Relief for three Months.
Greenham Coat of Arms
Sir Richard St. George, the Ulster King of Arms in Ireland granted armorial bearings to the nameholders in 1661. This blazon depicts a barry of ten red and silver, on a red chief, three gold cinque-foils.
I think it likely that the granting of a coat of arms was a reward for Lieutenant Greenham for his efforts during the rebellion. It also suggests that he survived and remained in Ireland.
The original records have been either mislaid or lost.
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Shield or escutcheon Greenham
(Irish) coat of arms
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The Forty-Nine Officers
Following the Act of Settlement passed by the Irish Parliament in 1662 and a further Act of Explanation in 1665, a list ((Inrolments of the Adjudications in favour of the (a.d. 1649) Officers (formerly denominated “The ’49 Lots”)) was drawn up of arrears due to commissioned officers who served Charles I (executed 30 Jan 1649) or Charles II in Ireland prior to 5th Jun 1649. The list includes: Greenham, Henry. This is likely to be the same person as Lieutenant Greenham above. These officers received land grants (in the Census of Ireland, circa 1659 (Seamus Pender, Stationery Office, Dublin (1939).)), "Henry Grenham, gent", has lands at Clonmore, Ballycommon parish, Barony of Geshell, King’s County (Co. Offaly) with 9 English and 23 Irish tenants and secondly at Cappicoo with 4 English and 11 Irish).
2. DESCENDANTS OR NEW SETTLERS?
Guildmen, Mariners, Property Owners, Army Officer
Guild Members
- Thomas Greenham (Listed in the Calendar of Ancient Records of Dublin (vol.8 p.472, J. Dollard, 1901 ed.)), shoemaker was made a Freeman of Dublin at Easter, 1713. - see Dublin Original Wills (1895) below
- John Greenham (Calendar of Ancient Records), shearman [no date available].
Greenham Families
ii. Family of Benjamin Greenham
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Benjamin Greenham =
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Unknown
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Weaver |
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mar. bef. 1691
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Joseph Greenham
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bap St. Michan’s 22 Jun 1691
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Benjamin Greenham was probably b. bef. 1670 and may have been a great-grandson of John Greenham (above) given the rarity of the name Greenham and also that both were connected with St. Michan’s Parish or perhaps he was an unconnected new settler who brought his trade of weaving from England. Benjamin was born about 125 years before the birth of James Dyas Greenham who was also described as a “weaver” and, like James, Benjamin was probably a brother in the powerful Corporation of Weavers (otherwise the Weavers’ Guild of the Blessed Virgin Mary, 1446-1840) giving them an entitlement to vote. (Colours: Orange & Blue. A weavers' hall had been built by the Guild in the Lower Coombe in 1682 and by 1745, when the building of a new hall was required, it was a Huguenot, David Digges La Touche, who advanced the £200 needed. The main room of the new hall is described as being fifty-six feet long by twenty-one feet wide, wainscoted, and hung with portraits of kings and notabilities, and included a tapestry of King George II, woven by John van Beaver. The 2nd Weavers’ Hall in the Coombe was opened in 1798 and was the headquarters of the Liberty Rangers (yeomanry). The Hall was demolished in 1965.)
iii. Family of Pierce (or Pircy) and Hestar Greenham
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Pierce Greenham =
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Mrs. Hestar Greenham
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mar. bef. 1690
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_________________________|_________________
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| Thomas Greenham |
Joseph Greenham
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| b. Dublin 30 Aug 1690 |
ch. St Catherine 20 Apr 1698
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| ch. St Catherine 31 Aug 1690 |
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= Mary Confey (or Conley)
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| mar. St Audoen’s 7 Dec 1712 |
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| by Mr. Derry by Publication |
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(St. Catherine’s is south of the Liffey, near the Liberties.)
iv. Family of James and Ann Greenham
James Greenham = Mrs. Ann Greenham estimated mar. bef. 1703
- Ann Greenham ch. St. Catherine’s, Dublin 27 Aug 1703
- Abigail Greenham ch. St. Catherine’s, Dublin 4 Jul 1706
This family was of the same parish of St. Catherine’s, Dublin, as Pierce & Hestar Greenham at about the same time. James, Pierce and Benjamin may have been brothers/cousins.
Burials – St. Catherine’s, Dublin
- Andrew Greenham, bur. 16 Jul 1698
- James Greenham, 5 Nov 1701
- Mary Greenham, 2 Jul 1704
- Peter Greenham, 12 Jan 1711
v. Family of Meredith
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Rice Meredith
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= Elizabeth Unk.
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b. abt. 1660, d. Queen’s Co. 1732
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| 2 children
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bur. St. Bridget’s, Rosenallis, Queen’s Co.
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Thomas Meredith
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= Unknown
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b. abt. 1702, d. Queen’s Co. 2 Dec 1761
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| 8 children
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bur. St. Bridget’s, Rosenallis
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Henry Greenham
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= Rachel Meredith
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mar. bef. 1761
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d. Queen’s Co. 1761
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(prob) |
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Unknown =
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Henry Greenham Jnr.
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| b. bef. 1761
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___________________________________________________|_______________________
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| (prob)
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| Robert Greenham |
Digby Greenham
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Nicholas Greenham
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Thomas Greenham
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b. Moyanna, Stradbally
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b. Moyanna
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b. Moyanna
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b. Moyanna
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| bef. 1790 |
bef. 1790
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17 Dec 1794
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ch. 5 Feb 1798, m. 1829
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| = Unknown |
= Elizabeth Unknown
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= Frances Roberts
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| 4 children born |
11 children born
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b. Stradbally, abt. 1799
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| between 1814-21 |
between 1817-40
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3 children b. bet. 1830-35
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(Henry Greenham may have been a brother of Deborah Greenham and Gibbs Greenham(see below).
Frances Roberts was the youngest of 18 children of Arthur Roberts, b. Stradbally, 1742, d. Stradbally, 1825 m. abt. 1775 Elizabeth Browne, b. Portarlington, 1758, d. Stradbally, 1841. Arthur Roberts, son of Stephen Roberts, was overseer and director of Stradbally Hall owned by the Cosby family.)
Meredith is an ancient and very extensive family with branches in Stradbally, Wicklow and Canada West (Ontario) by the end of the 19th century. John Meredith was buried in St. Patrick’s Cathedral, Dublin, 27 Dec 1596 – as was his brother Bishop Richard Meredith M.A. (Jesus College, Oxford). The Merediths were originally from Carnarvonshire, Wales, the peculiar first name Rice being a variant of Rhys.
vi. Family of Gibbs Greenham
Gibbs Greenham, b. bef. 1760 may have been a son of Henry Greenham & Rachel Meredith and therefore a brother of Henry Greenham Jnr (see previous chart).
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Gibbs Greenham =
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Unknown
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__________________________________________________|_________________________________
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James Dyas
Greenham
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Richard
Greenham
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Jane
Greenham
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Gibbs
Greenham
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Margaret
Greenham
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all ch. St. Patrick’s, Stradbally
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12 Nov 1781
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25Jan 1784
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26 Mar 1786
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25 Mar 1789
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2 Jul 1793
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| weaver, mill owner |
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| Dublin & Inchaquire |
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| d. abt. 1827 |
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| = 1st Jane E. |
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Hornidge
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| m. 1798 |
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| 5 children bef 1817 |
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| = 2nd Letitia |
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| Barrington |
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b. Stradbally, abt 1789
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m. Greenmount, Dublin 1817
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| d. Dublin 1853, bur. St. Catherine’s |
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| 3 children |
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Unknown Female Lines
There is limited information on these female Greenhams (being mentioned in various family trees, parish records and miscellaneous sources) but they are important in that they show the continuity of the name in Ireland and the gradual increased geographic spread from the 1720’s onwards.
Isabella Greenham, b. Ballycommon, Co. Meath abt. 1721; mar. Matthew White 2 Feb 1742, Meath
Elizabeth Greenham, b. abt. 1727, St. Anne, Dublin; mar. Joseph Barrett 23 Feb 1747, St. Anne, Dublin.
Catherine Greenham (or Greenam), b. abt. 1735 Kilmore & Ardagh Diocese; mar. Gerrard Barry 1756 Kilmore & Ardagh Diocese which takes in parts of many counties including Sligo, Leitrim, Cavan, Monaghan and Armagh.
Harriet Greenham, mar. by License 1758 Diocese of Ossery, Ferns and Leighlin, Leinster Provence William Perry. Harriet was prob. b. abt. 1735.
Kitty Greenham was 2nd wife of William Cassidy a Roman Catholic of Fisherstown, Queen's County formerly of Co. Fermanagh. He died 1770, Fisherstown. Kitty was prob. b. abt. 1745.
Deborah Greenham, mar. 1768 Hercules Doxey who was b. abt. 1732 Ballyroan, Queen’s County; she was bur. 26 Nov 1831, Abbeyleix Parish. This is an early reference to a Greenham in Queen’s Co. (Laois/Leix). Their son James Doxey, b. 1773 prob. Ballyroan, d. 20 Jun 1849 aged 76; mar. Abbeyleix, 3 Jul 1792 Frances Sutliff, b. abt. 1777 of Abbeyleix, dau. of Thomas & Maria/Mary Sutliff of Abbeyleix Parish. Deborah was prob. b. abt. 1745 and may have been a sister of Henry Greenham (see above).
Female Greenham, b. abt. 1752, St. Peter, Dublin
Maria Greenham, bap. St. Andrew’s, Dublin 3 Mar 1767.
Margaret Greenham, mar. John Jones; their son John Jones, b. Inniskillen 8 Apr 1792, d. Stark, Ohio, USA, 3 Jan 1866. Margaret was prob. b. abt. 1770.
Mary Greenham, Meath, departed Dublin, arrived New York on the Ontario 7 Aug 1816. If 21 at emmigration she would have been b. abt. 1795.
Wills and Deeds
Index of Prerogative Wills of Ireland:
[Prerogative = having effects of £5 in two or more dioceses]
- Greenham Edwd., mariner belonging to the Salisbury, date of probate 1637.
- Greenham, John, Dublin, gent. 1744
- Greenham, John, Dublin, silk dyer, 1792 - see Family of Reilly below.
Registry of Deeds
Mortgage taken out by Anthony Greenham, clerk, on 31 Jul 1713 in the Liberties of Thomas Court & Donore, Dublin - if 25 when taking out this mortgage he would have been born in 1688. Anthony entered King’s Inns, Dublin, 26 Nov 1713 as a clerk (King’s Inns Admission Papers 1607-1867).
Registry of Deeds, Dublin – Abstract of Wills
Thomas Reilly d. 17 Feb 1735 owned extensive properties in Dublin including his dwelling house in Pimlico, [near the Liberties, Dublin] two houses fronting Pimlico, also the dye house, back house ground and holding held by lease..., two houses etc. in Earl Street (Mary Kelly living in cellar under one of the houses to enjoy same for life), his house on the Combe ...; his holding in Abbey Street. Mentioned: his daughter Frances Greenham, her present husband. His daughters Rebecca, Jane and Sarah (all under eighteen years and not married). His cousin John Reilly of Michael’s Lane, Dublin gent.,... Witnesses included Nathaniel Shelwell and Solomon Sampson, both of Pimlico, weavers; the Memorial is sealed by his son-in-law John Greenham and witnessed by Saml. Fodger, weaver... The seal used may well have the Greenham coat of arms (see above). John Greenham, silk dyer, was probably named for his father or uncle (see John Greenham, gent.). From this will we can see that John Greenham was very much involved with weavers and dyers. He also seems to have made a very advantageous marriage.
vii. Family of Reilly
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Reilly
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_____________|________________________________________________
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Reilly
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Reilly
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Thomas Reilly =
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Unknown
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John Reilly
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of Pimilco, Dublin, Dyer
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Gent. of Michael’s Lane, Dublin
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d. 17 Feb 1735
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Trustee of Thomas Reilly’s Pimlico
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property (with William Ears)
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_____________________|______________________________________________________________
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Frances Reilly
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= John Greenham
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Rebecca Reilly
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Jane Reilly
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Sarah Reilly
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mar. bef. Feb 1735
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d. 1792, Silk Dyer; Trustee
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under 18 in
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under 18 in
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under 18 in
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of Thomas Reilly’s other
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1735, unmarried
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1735, unmarried
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1735, unmarried
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property (with William
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Kells, weaver)
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Indexes to Irish Wills 1652-1800 Leighlin
Sinking of the Centaur
Image - Wikipedia
- Greenham, Digby, mariner, HMS Centaur, date of probate 1783.
HMS Centaur was a 74-gun third rate ship of the line, formerly the French ship Centaure. She was captured at the Battle of Lagos [Portugal] in 1759. In Sep of 1782, the Centaur was one of the ships escorting prizes back to Britain from Jamaica, when she foundered during a severe gale near the Newfoundland Banks (In action with de Grasse off the Chesapeake on 5 September 1781, between Hood and de Grasse off St. Kitts on 25 Jan 1782 and Rodney and de Grasse at Saintes on 12 Apr 1782). Captain Inglefield, along with eleven of his crew, survived the wreck in one of the ship's pinnaces, arriving at the Azores after 16 days.
Given the date of probate it seems likely that Digby Greenham was lost at sea during the storm.
Dublin Original Wills (1895)
Thomas Greeneham, Dublin, 1642 (caveat) - note spelling - see Cambridge, Church & Land above (final par)
Thomas Greenham, shoemaker, 1725 (intestacy) - see Guild Members above
Thomas Greenham, dyer 1735 (intestacy)
Newspaper Cutting
The Connaught Journal, Galway, Monday, November 17, 1823 gives:
MILITARY PROMOTIONS War-Office, 13th November, 1823 - 3d Royal Veterans Battalion- ...
vice Arthur Greenham, who returns to his former situation on the retired list, as Quarter-master.
Gravestone Inscription
ST. MARY'S CHURCHYARD, ATHLONE, CO. WESTMEATH
Sacred to the memory of Arthur Greenham Esq. who departed this life the 14th of December 1829 aged 56 years who served in his Majesty's Regt. of 13 Lt. Dr. for 26 years as Quartermaster also in the 10th & 3d R.C. v. Bats as Ensign. This stone was erecd. as a small tribute to his Distinguished worth and excellency by his Disconsolate Widow Margaret Greenham alias Stanley. He was an affectionate Husband and tender Father. The memory of the just is blessed.
Clearly this is the same Arthur Greenham mentioned in the newpaper cutting. He was b. abt. 1773.
Civil Registration
Deaths:
Mary Greenham, d. Tullamore, Co. Offaly 1864 aged 96, estimated birth year 1768
Digby Greenham, d. Athy, Co. Kildare 1866 aged 88, estimated birth year 1778
Mary Greenham, d. Newtownards, Co. Down 1865 aged 74, estimated birth year 1791
Eliza Greenham, d. Athy, Co. Kildare 1864 aged 66, estimated birth year 1798
Thomas Greenham, d. Athy, Co. Kildare 1868 aged 70, estimated birth year 1798
Census Records
Scotland Census 1840 – Glasgow, Goosedubbs Street
Patrick Greenham, Labourer, b. Ireland abt. 1791.
(also wife and 7 children).
England Census 1841 – Liverpool
Mic Greenham, Shoemaker, b. Ireland abt. 1795
Catherine Greenham, b. Ireland abt. 1795
US Census 1850 - Middletown, Butler County, Ohio
G. Greenham, Farmer, b. Ireland abt. 1791
US Census 1860 – Philadelphia
Patrick Greenham, Shoemaker, b. Ireland, abt. 1795
(also James Greenham, Shoemaker, b. Ireland, abt. 1828).
Canada Census 1861 - Ontario, Fergus
Mar Greenham, b. Ireland abt. 1799, (aged 72), Widow, Episcopalian
(also W. G. Greenham, Printer, b. Ireland abt. 1833, (aged 28), Single, Episcopalian
and Maria Greenham, b. Ireland abt. 1834, (aged 27), Single, Episcopalian)
Canada Census 1871 – Ontario, Fergus
Margaret Greenham, b. Ireland abt. 1793, (aged 78), Widow, Wesleyan Methodist
(also Mariah Greenham, b. Ireland abt. 1819, (aged 52), Unmarried, Wesleyan Methodist)
These are almost certainly the same people listed in 1861 although there are discrepancies of age, spelling etc.
3. CONCLUSION
From all the data given above, I think I have demonstrated that Greenhams lived in Ireland continuously for 200 years from the early 1600’s and it is at least feasible that they may all have descended from the original John Greenham, an Englishman, student of Emmanuel College, Cambridge, prospective student for the church, lawyer and landowner, who had a wife and children and who was living in Ireland in 1612 and probably earlier.
I have opted for a birth year of abt. 1570 given that Emmanuel was founded in 1584, John was probably born at the earliest 1566; and his father-in-law Roger Dodd’s will suggests that John was already married to his daughter in 1608 – if 21 when married he would have been born at the latest bef. 1587. It seems likely to me that John met his future wife Margaret Dodd while he was studying for the church at Barking and while her father had a vicarage at Epping just 14 miles away.
A certain amount of mystery remains – for example why so few of John Greenham’s descendants (if that is what they are) went to university as he did – after all Trinity College in Dublin had obtained its charter in 1592? Instead they seemed to have been drawn to the various trade guilds that existed in Dublin at the time or sought careers in the military or as mariners although Anthony Greenham entered King’s Inns in 1713.
With one exception (the last entry!), a strong adherence to the established church over the 200 year period in question was characteristic - marriage records, baptism and burial records are all consistent in this respect. But again the absence of records is frustrating – the loss of national records due to the fire and explosion at the Four Courts during the early years of the Irish Free State is a constant annoyance! In fairness, more and more information is becoming available especially on the internet without which I could not have located so much data on the Earliest Greenhams in Ireland!
Links:
History of the Dublin Weavers' Guild
(c) 2021 Peter J. Clarke
For other Irish surnames before 1800 see: The Earliest in Ireland
See also index of over 5,000 Free Irish eBooks - History, Biography, Genealogy
From the compiler of Free Irish eBooks:
Clarke's Kingdom of Ireland
An Irish Genealogy Resource, 1542 - 1800
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