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Hi folks....got some spare time to digging back into the family tree....we've hit a wall in our search but have some tantalizing information with lots of circumstantial evidence but no documents or confirmation. Then up your site popped up on Facebook.

Our earliest fully documented and known Harvey is John Harvey, b. Feb. 10, 1816 in Edinburgh Scotland, one of five kids born to Margret Sharpe and William Beauchamp Begnall Harvey. b. Ireland date unknown.

This is interesting because of two things.

1) The name. The story of BB Harvey, the United Irish Rebellion and his execution at Wexford is well known. A little research very quickly led us to that story. We were shocked because we thought the family was from Scotland and linked to the Keith Clan....apparently not.

The name Beauchamp (distorted as Beecham the literal pronunciation) appears twice more in our tree among family members in India so we think there's a strong sentimental connection but it has been lost over time. 

2) The dates. Death certificates turn up two WBB Harveys, one in Westminster d 1838 (we know the family did end up in London) having been born 1792 in Ireland . The other death certificate is for 1832 in Edinburgh b 1782 possibly Dublin.

The circumstantial is that we know BB Harvey executed June 28 1798 at Wexford bridge was married a year before his death to perhaps to Judith Steevens of Arklow or to Judith Dockrell, they are both listed, but had no children by them.

There is however, more than a suggestion that he had a long time lover, or mistress who bore him one or possibly two sons and it's likely she was a Catholic and he a protestant this inter marriage may not have been on the cards, BB's father being a minister of the church and all that..

It may even be a first marriage. There is a noted marriage to Elizabeth Smith of  Mayglass, County Wexford, Ireland who is said to have borne two children, James Harvey and William Harvey, but no dates were given.

Of note also is that “an act of attainder against Harvey's estate received royal assent on 6 October 1798 but was not effected.” (Meaning the crown was trying to take the lands back for sins against the King). The lands were instead leased to Harvey's brother James who received their formal regrant in 1810 before their ultimate restoration to his older brother, John.”

We also have some information that "a deed of Beauchamp of May 15, 1797 left 4000 lbs (sic) to his son William, his mother Elizabeth Smith and his brother James. In addition William was left 1000 lbs (sic) by Beauchamp's brother James.”

 

The names and the range of birthday dates add up. Also WBB Harvey named his other son James....not huge but a small clue.

So, that's all we have to work on. No Parish to start poking around in and no leads we can find from here in Canada....thus the shout out on the Net. I was raised in England before coming to Canada and we've often talked about planning a trip to Ireland since I've never been and it would be a great excuse to go poking about some records and taking in the sights.....

Any help, leads, advice....greatly appreciated.....

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ian Harvey

Thursday 26th Dec 2013, 03:05AM

Message Board Replies

  • From "Cantwells Memorials of the Dead" (Wexford)

    Mayglass cemetery;

    Family burial ground of Joseph Harvey, Wellington Cottage Wexford.

    Beacuchamp Bagenal Harvey, Bargy Castle, Commander of Insurgents, beheaded on Wexford Bridge 1798.

    John Harvey Esq. Mt. Pleasant; 15/8/1784 (80)

    John Harvey; Bargey Castle; 4/6/1834 (76)

    Mary Harvey, eldest dtr of John Harvey of Mt Pleasant, 24/2/1794 (7)

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    Jack Mc Donald

    Friday 27th Dec 2013, 08:02PM
  • Rathaspeck cemetery; Wexford.

    Martha Harvey, wife of Rev. James Harvey, Killiane Castle, and daughter of John Beacuchamp, Ballyloughlane Co. Carlow, for many years in Parliament in Old Leighlin Carlow, 23/12/1760 (66)

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    Jack Mc Donald

    Friday 27th Dec 2013, 08:09PM
  • Houses of Wexford. ( David Rowe and Eithne Scallan) ISBN 0 946538 46 8

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    Bargy Castle Tomhaggard. Townland-Bargy

    In the seventeenth William Ivory sold this premises to the Harveys, who retained the property for some 300 years.

    Beacuchamp Bagenal Harvey was a leader in the rebellion of 1798 when historic meetings took place here at Bargy Castle.

    By 1811 it was shown as the the residence of James Harvey and in 1878 John Harvey controlled an estate of 1,323 acres at Bargy.

    Sold in 1947.

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    Jack Mc Donald

    Friday 27th Dec 2013, 08:18PM
  • Thank you so much for the background info. It's useful to add some details but what we're really looking for is a strategy to connect our William Beauchamp Baganel Harvey with Beauchamp Bagnell Harvey of the Bargy Castle Harveys. 

    If we can make that connection the rest of it seems fairly easy by comparison! (He said without the slightest hint of irony LOL)

    Where could we start to look for details about Elizabeth Smith and her sons William and James Harvey and what became of them. What was the fate of children born out of wedlock in those days?

    Are the wills proven in Dublin available or can they be searched on line and ordered?

    THe nature of the parish system would seem to present a myriad of hurdles in terms of searching. Is there a way to narrow down a search of birth records and deaths (though clearly we know what happened to poor BB Harvey.)

    Indeed we've found quite a bit of material on the Harveys of Bargy Castle.

    There was also a bit of cousins marrying cousins so they weren't just kissing cousins apparently.

    Rev. William Harvey was mayor of Wexford in 1753 Will proved in Dublin 1765 succeeded by third son (by wife Susanna) Francis Harvey who also became a Reverend and though he was the third son, ended up inheriting because his father disinherited the first two sons (Ambrose and John)

    The inheriting son, Rev Francis Harvey  married Martha, the eldest daughter of Rev. James Harvey of Killilane Castle (apparently his wife was also called Martha and is buried at Rathaspeck cemetery from the information just furnished. Her father appears to have been John Beauchamp which is worth following up since it seems to link the name Beauchamp (good Norman-french name) to the tree)

    They bore:

    Beauchamp Bagenal Harvey

    James

    Susannah

    Martha who married Gregory Byrne but had no kids

    Julia

    Francis, John, William and James are very common names in our tree and strangely enough so is Beauchamp Bagenal.

    There were a couple of John Harveys who were either MPs or Councillors at a time in Wexford over difference generations and it is one of these John Harvey's who inherits the estate or what's left of it from James Harvey, the brother of Beauchamp Bagnel Harvey who of course was executed.

    James, the story goes, was living in London and didn't spend a lot of time at Bargy. He died without children, his will was proved in Dublin and he passed the estate on to Col. Robert Harvey, his cousin.

    Col Harvey was dead at that point however so the lapsed legacy fell to his heir, his brother John Harvey, a barrister and MP from Mount Pleasant.

    He restored much of the castle before it was sold and eventually it ended up with the De Burghs.

    So again thanks for all this stuff and I am in your debt. I hope to add more to this story if I can make that connection as I said. The dates are close, the names are correct and the fact that Beauchamp Baganel Harvey survived as a middle name in our family and used three or four times ....It's not like they named their kids Tom, Dick and Harry. Beauchamp Baganel is a formidable moniker and would have been applied with purpose. I'm guessing its to honour a man who stood up for basic human rights and paid the ultimate price. Maybe I'm romanticizing a bit but we all love a good story.

    Just to add some spice to this, there's another William Beauchamp Baganel Harvey, born in Dublin in 1819 about the same time our William BB Harvey the older was having his brood of five kids in Edinburgh. He became an engineer and died in Calcutt in 1859.

    We have an 1881 census that the two families knew each other and lived in the same house in London at one time. So there's a connection there. But the mystery remains. 

    Was the William Beauchamp Bagenal Harvey who sired my great grand dad times six in 1816 in Edinburgh the illegitimate son of BB Harvey the rebel leader. Is so what happened to him and his brother James? And how does the other William Beauchamp Bagenal Harvey, the engineer born in Dublin who died in India, fit in to this story?

    As always, any ideas, leads, links would be greatly appreciated. It may come down to some old fashioned leg work but it would be better to have a plan of attack rather than just stumbling around in the dark.

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    Ian Harvey

    Friday 27th Dec 2013, 10:59PM
  • My mother is Antoinette Harvey, last Harvey of Bargy Castle. She was born in the bedroom above the front door and now lives in South Africa. I am the last child listed under, Harvey, in Burke's Peerage landed Gentry of Ireland and live in Montclair, New Jersey, USA. I think we're related? I went to visit Bargy about 10 years ago and met the present owner. It is a beautiful place. The owner is a very keen historian on the Harvey family. You should speak with him. Also, facebook is a great way to find people now too. This is a tough website to navigate! Best of luck! Rachael (Harvey) Egan (;

     

     

     

     

    Friday 9th Jan 2015, 03:40AM
  • too funny. My parents lived briefly in Wachung Junction near Montclair in the early 1970s...I stayed in school in England. After that we all moved to Toronto Canada.

     

    And yes, we are probably related.....looks like we're going in September....not sure if the De Burgh family still owns it.
    Because the offspring William and James were born out of wedlock  - she being catholic and he being the son of a protestant minister.....we'll never likely have the trail to confirm the blood line....still it makes a great story to tell around the dinner table!!

     

    Ian Harvey

    Friday 13th Feb 2015, 11:02PM
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    That is amazing, Ian Harvey! There is a wonderful cottage you can rent right next door to the castle.  http://www.tripadvisor.com/VacationRentalReview-g2065496-d2068106-Bagen…;

    I plan on staying there one day myself. My mum tells me that growing up in Bargy castle was pretty drafty, and that much of it was falling apart after the war, but says it was great for games of hide and seek. All my life she has preferred everything to be super modern and new, because she said she had enough of really old things. Evidently the castle was full of old paintings and antiques which they didn't take with them when they left, thinking them worthless. My grandfather went broke building a retirement "hotel" free for old soldiers nearby, and had to sell Bargy. 

    Sad, I would have loved to have lived there! My grandmother Henrietta Harvey lived with us before she died and said that there was an awful snobbery in Wexford when she lived there, with protestants looking down their noses at catholics etc. When I went to visit Bargy, some long time neigbors (hundreds of years) came to call in to see me, and when I complimented the tea cakes that were served some one said in a strong Queen's English accent-  "Oh yaaass, they came from the local bakery, the Irish have become rather good with pastries of late."  I got the feeling she still didn't quite consider herself "Irish", which in her world probably was code for Catholic! (; My mother married a Catholic, and I grew up knowing that my Irish parents were a mixed marriage. Ireland was a crazy place! Good luck with your visit. I'd love to hear about it!

     

     

     

     

     

    Saturday 14th Feb 2015, 02:35AM
  • I have been researching the connection between the Welman family and the Harvey family and at last have the connection. Not much help to the earlier request but I have the link between the Harvey family of Killiane Castle and the Harvey family of Bargy Castle.  My husband is descended from Catherine Harvey who married William Welman one time Mayor of New Ross. Her brother James married Martha Beauchamp and their daughter Martha married Francis Harvey of Bargy, the parents of Bagenal Beauchamp Harvey.  I believe that Ambrose Harvey gt grandfather of Bagenal Harvey and John Harvey father of Catherine may also have been brothers - does anyone know if this is correct. William Welman's eldest son was called Harvey as was his son and grandson, all making connections very complicated so in answer to the first question William is definitely a Harvey name and well as a Welman name.  Keep searchig.  This has taken me 2 years to find the connection! We will visit Ireland again next year and hope to stay at Killiane Castle now a hotel. Jane T

     

     

     

    Jane T

    Monday 6th Nov 2017, 10:06AM

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