Three mysterious Francis JACKSONs.

Starting in the Elizabethan era, dozens of JACKSON families from England and Scotland started settling in Ireland and putting down lasting roots with more frequency than they had done previously. By the mid-1600s, members of their families had settled in nearly every county in Ireland. Many of these far flung families may have been related, but the early paper trails were not unlike the breadcrumbs in Hansel and Gretel. As the saying goes: There they were, gone.

To make up for all these lost breadcrumbs, we need to get inventive. Sometimes, tracking the images of signatures and family seals can help. SEE: JACKSON Crests. 

The crests used by JACKSONs included many variations: three mullets (stars), suns, pheons (a conventional heraldic representation of the head of a javelin, dart, or arrow pointed downward with two long barbs engrailed on the inner edge), an arm holding a battle axe, greyhounds, goats, bucks, horses, bears, lions, jackdaws, magpies, eagles, cocks (the bird version), falcons, Cornish choughs, and cormorants. The ones that are of most interest to me recently have been the ones which had included birds, specifically variations on ducks, and more specifically sheldrakes.

The above seals on a 1685 lease – which included the image of a duck - involved three Francis JACKSONs (one deceased). Its purpose was to transfer the rights to Moghan, Parish Donaghmore, Barony Dungannon Middle, Co. Tyrone from one Francis to another:

1.      Francis JACKSON, deceased before 1685, father of the Francis JACKSON, the elder.

2.      Francis JACKSON, the elder. His signature is quite shaky, so I suspect that he was infirm, possibly quite elderly in 1685. He was not described as a father of Francis JACKSON the younger.

3.      Francis JACKSON, the younger. He was likely related to Francis JACKSON the elder – but not a son of his (or else he would have been described as such). He was most likely a cousin or a nephew.

It may be a clue that Francis JACKSON the elder used double “ff” at the start of Ffrancis and an “f” in lieu of an “s” in his version of Jackfon while Francis JACKSON the younger did not.

Since this lease concerned lands of Barony Dungannon Middle, Co. Tyrone, it also makes sense to track the Yorkshire JACKSONs who had family/business connections to CHICHESTERs. Sir Arthur Chichester had close connections to some of the JACKSONs of Edderthorpe and had been one of the adventurers who had been awarded in Tyrone – including Dungannon Middle - and to act as undertakers, on the understanding that they would undertake the risk of developing the land, by planting English-friendly settlements. Their tactics included dislodging the previous Irish landlords, in this case the Gaelic O’NEILs, by burning crops on the lands which they had long leased to locals, and killing the eldest sons of their tenant farmers, tactics intended to break down family and community cohesion.

In spite of these brutal tactics, some of the local Irish remained, and later even intermarried with the newcomers. A century later, one of the descendants of the Gaelic O’NEILs, Anne O’NEIL (1737-1781) of Shane’s Castle, married Richard JACKSON (abt 1730-1739), one of the Coleraine JACKSONs. Some of the descendants of the earliest CHICHESTERs also married into these early O’NEILs. By the mid-1800s there was even a William CHICHESTER who changed his name to O’NEIL in order to succeed to the estates of his cousin John Bruce Richard O'Neill, 3rd Viscount O'Neill,. SEE: WIKI: Baron William O’NEIL.

Irish history is nothing if not complicated.

The  JACKSONs of Edderthorpe were likely related (somehow) to the JACKSONs of Kirkby Lonsdale, Westmorland and Coleraine, Londonderry. Both have ducks in their seals and both had used similar naming patterns for their children’s forenames.  I have yet to conclude which of the Francis JACKSONs mentioned in the 1685 lease belonged to which family tree, but the following resources have shed at least some light NOTE: Seals that were used by another dominant Ulster JACKSON family - the Jacksons of Co. Down - included three mullets (ie. stars), not ducks.:

·         Family Trees

·         Irish Court Records

·         London Guilds

·         Probates

·         Early maps – including the Down Survey

·         Hearth Money Rolls

CONCLUSION. There is a crack, a crack in everything. That’s how the light gets in. [Leonard Cohen]. While exploring all sorts of cracks and crannies, I sometimes felt a bit like “doubting Thomas”, the believer who needed to poke his finger in - deeply -before he could totally cast out doubt. The consequences of my own finger-poking is - of course - much less important than his, but it has helped me to get to the limits of what I can believe, which is that I strongly suspect that the three Francis JACKSONs in this lease were related – somehow - to one or both of the JACKSONs of Edderthorpe and the JACKSONs of Kirkby Lonsdale, Westmorland and Coleraine, Londonderry. Although I am leaning towards both, I must leave it to my readers to judge.

FAMILY TREES: Since I have 47 Francis JACKSONs connected to Ireland in the early days of English/Sottish settlements, starting with families with crests or seals that included ducks seemed to be a good way to winnow down the options.

JACKSONs of Edderthorpe. This family tree includes JACKSONs with familial ties to Sir Arthur Chichester (1563-1625). Since he had no surviving male issue, his lands and titles were passed to a nephew and eventually inherited by Arthur Chichester, 2nd Earl of Donegall (?-1678) the eldest son of Lady Mary JONES and Lieutenant Colonel John CHICHESTER (1609–1647), of Dungannon, County Tyrone. Their family crest includes three sheldrakes, the same kind of bird that appears in the crests of Francis JACKSON the elder and Francis JACKSON the younger. There is a Francis JACKSON (1610-1668), of Hooton-Paynell, Co. York, England, included in this tree, and he could be a fit with the Francis JACKSON deceased in the lease. He seems to have had no surviving male children, and if this is so, then his assets would likely have passed to a near relation, likely another Francis JACKSON. The pertinent details of the various JACKSON-CHICHESTER connections include: ·         Lady Lucy TINDALL (1609-) née JACKSON, daughter of Sir John JACKSON (1570-1623) and Elizabeth SAVILLE (1576-1610) was a sister of the Francis JACKSON (1610-1668) of Co. York. She had two children: Lady Lucy TINDALL (?-bef 1693) and Bradwardine TINDALL. ·         Her daughter Lady Lucy TINDALL (?-bef 1693) married 1stly Sir John JACKSON (abt 1631- aft 1673) of Hickleton (grandson of JACKSON-SAVILLE), and their only son was Sir Bradwardine JACKSON (abt 1670-btw 1727-1739) [although this Sir John also had several children (at least two of them died young) with his 1st wife Katherine BOOTHE]. ·         Lady Lucy TINDALL (?-bef 1693) married 2ndly Sir William JOPSON and their daughter Countess of Londonderry Lucy JOPSON (1665-1724) was therefore a half sister of Sir Bradwardine JACKSON. ·         In 1686 Countess of Londonderry Lucy JOPSON (1665-1724) married Sir Robert RIDGEWAY,(1656-1713) Earl of Londonderry, and they had a daughter Lucy RIDGEWAY (aft 1686-1736) who married Arthur CHICHESTER (1695-1757) in 1686. NOTE: These relationships – distant as they appear - were close enough that Bradwardine JACKSON became party to several CHICHESTER leases in Ulster. It is also worth noting that Bradwardine JACKSON also held lands in Co. Donegal in the same Barony as Beresford JACKSON (one of the Coleraine JACKSONs). SEE: Jackson holdings in Co. Donegal. There is a reference to Sir John JACKSON of Edderthorpe in: Students Admitted to the Upper Chamber 1571-1625.

Sticking with families whose crests include three sheldrakes, the JACKSONs of Kirkby Lonsdale, Westmorland and Coleraine, Londonderry - who also used three sheldrakes - had settled in Coleraine in the mid-1600s. Given this geographic proximity of Ulster land grants to JACKSONs, here are two possibilities for the Francis JACKSONs who may have signed and sealed this lease:

·         Francis JACKSON (abt 1607-aft 1634), son of William JACKSON (1575-1626) of Kirkby Lonsdale and Mary SLATER. NOTE: He was born close to the same time as Francis JACKSON (1610-1668), of Hooton-Paynell, Co. York, England, so if it is one of them, it cannot be the other. ·         Rev Francis JACKSON (1632-1670), son of Richard JACKSON (1602-1688). He died before this lease was signed and since he had only just married in 1665, any children that he had would have been too young to be the Francis JACKSON the elder, although he might have been Francis JACKSON deceased. Seemingly, he had no children.

IRISH COURT RECORDS: Mentions of Francis JACKSON in Indexes to Irish Court Records. The following records are the most pertinent. NOTE: Just as in the 1685 lease, two of them refer to Francis JACKSON the elder (or the senior) & Francis JACKSON the younger. The Francis JACKSON who married Dorcas GREEN is a possibility for the Francis JACKSON the younger, and the social class seems similar.

·         Index to Chancery Pleadings 1665-1659 o   p130a ffrancis JACKSON Gent v Sir Arthur CHICHESTER and James DOWDALL. Bill 13 Nov 1663 both on 26 Mar 1664 [?] 12 May 1664. ·         Index to Chancery Pleadings 1677-1682. o   206a Sarah SHORTE v Francis JACKSON & Dorcas his wife Bill 23 Dec 1680 no ans. NOTE: Francis JACKSON & Dorcas GREEN married 12 February 1676.  Betham Abstracts: Francis JACKSON of City of Dublin Gent & Dora [Dorcas] GREENE of the same widow dated 12 February 1676. He died abt 1680. Betham Abstracts:. Francis JACKSON of St. Patricks Close Gent 10 Dec 1680 18 June 1686 Wife Dorcas [GREENE] Daughter Jeane Son Nicholas. SEE: ROD: 2-44-250 Jan 11, 1708 are somehow connected to this family. Dorcas GREEN married Francis JACKSON in 1676, and the will of Francis JACKSON, a clothier, was probated in 1696. SOURCE: NA Ireland. Green Mss/III/I/p43. Doc # 27960. I suspect that Francis JACKSON (?-abt 1696) was related to Michael JACKSON the clothier of nearby Pimlico. The land was described as: all those houses tanyards, backside gardens, backhouses, stables & Appurtenances held by George BLACKHALL on the south side of the Upper Comb in the Liberties of Thomas Court & Donore, Dublin,  containing breadth in the front 93 ft or thereabouts, in the rere.. and in depth to Mutton Lane of 312 ft… during natural lives of Dorcus JACKSON, wife of the late Francis JACKSON & Jane her daughter, wife of the said George [BLACKHALL] & Mary JACKSON grand daughter to the said Francis JACKSON. A map drawn in 1749 shows a portion of that parcel owned by a person named Vicars, possibly a son (William VICARS) of the Joyce JACKSON, daughter of Robert & Joyce, who married Jeremiah VICARS. None of the land is still held by JACKSONs. SEE: JACKSONs of Crooked Staff. ·         Index Exchequer Bills 1634-76 o   200b Francis JACKSON v Robert HAMILTON & John HAMILTON Bill 6 Dec 1675 ans 7 Feb 1675 o   233a James RICHARDSON v Francis JACKSON, Robert HAMILTON John HAMILTON & Robert Mother Bill 15 Feb 1675 sevl ans etc. ·         Index Exchequer Bills 1676-80 o   115a  John HAMILTON v Francis JACKSON senior & Francis JACKSON junior Bill May 1678 Rep 20 Nov 1678 o   Index Exchequer Bills 1684-85 o   186b  Francis JACKSON the elder & Francis JACKSON the younger v Edward JONES Thomas PARLER & James MOORE Bill 17 Aug 1685 No Ans ·         Index Exchequer Bills 1684-85. o   61b  Robert HAMILTON & John HAMILTON gents v Francis JACKSON, James RICHARDSON, John READ & Robert MADDER. Bill 3 Nov 1684 No Ans.

 

LONDON GUILDS: London Rolls. These are the most pertinent ones from the London Guilds.

·         1627 -Jackson, Francis. Event Details-Master: William GORE. Bond Value: Mary Jackson and Richard Jackson of same £300. Father: William JACKSON, deceased, mercer - Kirby Lonsdale, Westm, Westmorland. Apprentice: Francis JACKSON. o   NOTE: William JACKSON (1575-1626) was the father of both Rev. Richard JACKSON (1602-1681) and Francis JACKSON. (1607-aft 1634) SEE: JACKSONs of Kirkby Lonsdale, Westmorland and Coleraine, Londonderry-Drapers' -Apprenticeship -New apprentice. This Francis JACKSON is a possibility for the Francis JACKSON deceased in the 1685 lease. ·         1634 -Jackson, Francis (Male). Occupation not stated, Location unknown. Event Details-Master: William GEERE, silkman - Cheapside; Westmorland, Notes: unclear if same as person ID 580 NOTE: likely GORE? New Freeman: Francis JACKSON. Father: William JACKSON, deceased, mercer - Kirby Lonsdale, Westm, Westmorland-Drapers' -Freedom -New freeman -Co Draper. o   NOTE: He is a possibility for Francis JACKSON deceased in the lease. ·         1655 -Jackson, Francis. Event Details-Master: Richard FALLOWFIELD. Father: Francis JACKSON, deceased, Leeds, Yorks, Yorkshire. Notes: Alderman.  Apprentice: Francis JACKSON. Drapers apprentice. o   NOTE: Francis sr.’s daughter Elizabeth married Dr. George NEALE. George, the father, was M.D. of Leeds, and married Eliz., daughter of Francis Jackson, alderman of Leeds. The son seems to have followed his father's steps and practised medicine at Doncaster for 50 years. SOURCE: Biographical Register of Christ’s College. It is possible that Francis sr. was a brother of Rev. Richard JACKSON of Kirkby Lonsdale. It is also possible that he was one of the Edderthorpe family. ·         1656 -Jackson, Francis Event Details-Master:  Francis JACKSON. Father: Francis JACKSON, Citizen and  Co Goldsmith, London. Apprentice: Robert JACKSON-Goldsmiths' -Apprenticeship -Father of apprentice -Citizen and Co Goldsmith

In a 2015 blog post - The Twenty Children of Rev Richard JACKSON, I commented on their Guild associations:

There is one more intriguing aspect to their success which I still have to nail down. This is their connection to John Jackson, a goldsmith who was Oliver Cromwell’s Treasurer (goldsmiths were the precursors to banks, and wars could not be fought without their support). We do know that at least one of Rev Richard’s sons, also a John Jackson, was apprenticed as a goldsmith, but he was too young to be that goldsmith. Also, the father of that John Jackson was – you guessed it – another John Jackson. … I can’t help but note that when you consider all the toweling, sheeting, canvas, and straw mattresses that Cromwell was requisitioning for hospitals in Ireland, let alone all the cloth needed to kit out the men in his Model Army, it is no wonder that the Jacksons of the Clothworkers Guild would have benefitted from their association with the Jacksons in the Goldsmiths Guild.

One aspect of the London Guilds worth bearing in mind is that it wasn’t just anyone who could earn the right to sign up for an apprenticeship. Most of the time, the backing of a father, brother, or uncle was needed. This increases the likelihood that the success of the Jackson sons and daughters who settled in Ireland rested, at least in part, on a close family connection to Oliver Cromwell’s Treasurer.

So far, I have been unable to find documents proving that John JACKSON was treasurer other than some intriguing references in :  The Politics of the Army: 1647-1660 by Derek B. Massarella,1977. The chosen excerpt is lengthy because I have a hunch that the inclusion of the names of several men -known in Ireland in this era - might be useful to others.

The field officers around Saffron Walden had been instructed to attend the meeting, and on 21 and 22 March they met with the commissioners. The convention was well attended with forty- five officers, including Fairfax present on the first day and fifty- two on the second. The officers decided not to commit themselves one way or the other to the commissioners about the Irish service but said that, whether they engaged or not personally: “they shall in their severall places be ready to further and advance it amongst those under their respective commands." There were four questions about which they were uneasy and which they wanted to have resolved : who was to command the Irish expedition, details of the forces that were to remain in England, so that those not staying in England would not be withheld from engaging for Ireland by expect- ing to stay in England, what arrangements had been made for pay and maintenance for those going to Ireland, and what was to be done about pay arrears and about indemnity for actions committed during the war. A group of officers dissented from these votes. Colonel Harley# Colonel Fortescue, Colonel Butler, Lt. Col. Jackson, Major Fincher, Captain Farre and Captain Nevill from the first and the same group together with Colonel Rich, Major Duckett, Captain O'Hara, Captain Audley and Captain Young from the second. With the exception of Colonel Rich, a future adherent of the Fifth Monarchists and opponent of the Protectorate, and Captain Lewis Audley, the future elected officer of Fairfax’s foot regiment, these officers adhered to the group willing to serve in Ireland on parliament's terms. Thus the first split in the officer corps in 1647 was between those willing to serve on parliament's terms, "undertakers” and those with varying degrees of reservations. … Captain Levis Audley continued to favour the Irish service until at least April 1647 when it is alleged that Audley had said "such and such ingaged for Ireland's affairs were not worthy to wipe his horse's tayle".  p13-14 o   NOTE: This Lt. Col. Jackson was Thomas JACKSON. SOURCE; Fairfax’s army. SEE: 1680 Thomas JACKSON’s will (on my website – mentions his brother John JACKSON) ) and Thomas and Samuel JACKSON-pewterers (one of my blog-posts). For more background see my JACKSONs of Derbyshire family tree – a tree which includes a Francis JACKSON b: 21 Nov 1609. This family tree also includes the JACKSONs of Santry, Co. Dublin.

Indeed, during the whole period of the interim Council army officers were very active in government administration, much more than they had ever been before. For example, on 30 April Colonels Thomlinson and Grosvenor, Lt. Colonels Francis White and Salmon together with Maximillian Beard, Sir John Wollaston and John Greensmith were instructed by the Council of State to consider a committee to examine the whole question of public accountability for the nation's finances, a long-standing grievance of both army and Levellers. On 11 May Colonel Goffe and Lt. Colonel Kelsey, Major Haynes, Captains Blackwell and Deane, Richard Hutchinson and John Jackson were appointed to report on public finance. Colonel John Reynolds, (a politically active figure in 1647-1648) and Colonel John Clarke were requested to advise Lambert and other Council members about Ireland. Other officers had already been appointed to the committee for Irish and Scottish affairs. The administrative activity of the officers during these months covered a wide spectrum of government business, ranging from such important matters as public finance and questions of law and order to such relatively minor matters as the transporting of Deane's body to London, a task entrusted to the hands of Richt Salmon and Kelsey. Deane was killed on 2 June in a sea battle against the Dutch. However the key step, of securing the financial future of the army, was not left to the Council of State but was made by an order in the name of the Captain General and his Council of Officers for the continuance of the monthly assessment, a case of the piper calling the tune. The army may have found itself landed with a hot potato on 20 April, one which it was anxious to pass on to some other authority as quickly as possible, but the officers showed no reluctance to play a full and diligent part in government between May and July. Such administrative activity besides helping to give an appearance that the army was actually doing something about reforms, in contrast with the Rump could prove a chastening experience. It could illustrate to the officers the practical difficulties in the way of introducing reform, as opposed to the luxury of just sitting back and demanding them. It could also keep them busy with less time to think only about politics. p 321

Obviously, there were John JACKSONs serving on both sides of the political divide of the day. SEE: Queens College Cambridge records:  John Jackson, M.A. Ejected in 1650.

·         NOTE: During the 1640s and 1650s, Parliament purged universities that supported King Charles I. Fellows and Presidents at both Queens' (Cambridge) and Queen's (Oxford) were jailed or ejected from their posts for refusing to swear allegiance to Parliament or backing the Royalist cause (e.g., funding the King's war chest by melting down college silver).]

With the push and pull of JACKSONs in opposing directions, it is hard to say how much the outcomes of the mid-1600s political turmoil were shaped by JACKSONs, and also what the impact of all this disruption might have had on their families. While systems tend to shape the individual, individuals also shape institutions. The latter kinds of impacts can be more subtle to track, while the impacts on families can be even harder to track.

PROBATES: JACKSON Probates held at the UK National Archives. 

·         See also my Blog Post: Goldsmiths, Jacksons, London, Ireland & some ongoing mysteries for how some of the London Guild members may connect.

·          #10 & #12 are of special interest with respect to the 1685 lease:

·         Clothworkers of St. Swithins and also surnames – POINTZ, PHIPPS, CROFTON, RICHARD - names found in Ireland in the 1600s - are worth sticking a pin in.

1.      1574 October 31 The will of Francis JACKSON, a goldsmith in London. NAMES: Francis JACKSON & wife Anne; Richard JACKSON; John JACKSON; John WILIS[?]; Robert JACKSON; Barthomew ?; Mr. BURTON; Nicholas LAYFIELD. Robert COOP. PLACES: St. Foster's parish; Burton in Kendal; NOTE: Burton-in-Kendal is a village and civil parish on the extreme southern edge of Cumbria, England. Historically within the county of Westmorland, 2.      1601 Will of Richard Jackson, Merchant Tailor of Saint Thomas the Apostle, City of London. Prerogative Court of Canterbury and related Probate Jurisdictions: Will Registers. Name of Register: Woodhall Quire Numbers: 39 - 89. Will of Richard Jackson, Merchant Tailor of Saint Thomas the Apostle, City of London. NOTE: Includes mention of brother Francis JACKSON. 3.      1626 Apr 20 Will of William JACKSON of Kirkby Lonsdale, Westmorland. This William JACKSON was the father of Rev. Richard JACKSON (1602-1681) of Kirkby Lonsdale. This son gave this William at least 20 grandchildren, many of whom settled in Ireland. NAMES: William JACKSON; Frances or Francis JACKSON (?); Nicholas BORRETT; Jane BORRETT née WILSON; Mary JACKSON née SLATER; Francis JACKSON; Christopher GRIDDARD (or GILDARD); John JACKSON; Henry RICCI[?]GY; Wilson?; Agnes JACKSON;  Thomazen TINDALL (?);  Christopher GOUGH; Edward WILSON; William [BERKERS? HERBERT?]; John SPENCER; John [JAXON?]; James SMYTH; Anne TRAYNER(?); PLACES: Kirkby Lonsdale; Underly Hall; Nether Levens Hall; SEE: JACKSONs of Kirkby Lonsdale, Westmorland and Coleraine, Londonderry. 4.      1655 Will of William Jackson, Woollen Draper of Gainsborough, Lincolnshire . Prerogative Court of Canterbury and related Probate Jurisdictions: Will Registers. Name of Register: Aylett Quire Numbers: 426 - 475. Will of William Jackson, Woollen Draper of Gainsborough, Lincolnshire. Has a son Francis JACKSON. 5.      1658 Will of Francis Jackson of Warley in Holderness, Yorkshire Prerogative Court of Canterbury and related Probate Jurisdictions: Will Registers. Name of Register: Wootton Quire Numbers: 524 - 574. Will of Francis Jackson of Warley in Holderness, Yorkshire. 6.      1663 Will of Nicholas Jackson. Prerogative Court of Canterbury and related Probate Jurisdictions: Will Registers. Name of Register: Juxon Quire Numbers: 1 - 51. Will of Nicholas Jackson. Mother: Anne JACKSON. After her decease to Francis JACKSON 7.      1665 Will of Andrew Jackson, Merchant of London. Prerogative Court of Canterbury and related Probate Jurisdictions: Will Registers. Name of Register: Hyde Quire Numbers: 108 - 162. Will of Andrew Jackson, Merchant of London.  Merchant of London but also from Collingway, Branton, Co. Northamptonshire. Francis JACKSON her children 8.      1672 January 17 Will of Agnes JACKSON widow of Rev. Francis JACKSON NAMES: Agnes JACKSON née WHITTRIGGE; Rev. Francis JACKSON (deceased); Alan PRICKITT aka Alan PRICKETT; John HADWEN; Stephen WHITTRIGGE; Henry WASHINGTON; Elizabeth PRICKETT née WHITTRIGGE; Christopher BATEMAN; Mrs. DUCKETT; Richard DUCKETT; George (?)AFE; Robert BANNISTER.. PLACES: Kirkby Kendal; Warton; Watland; Hutton; Kirkby Lonsdale. SEE: JACKSONs of Kirkby Lonsdale, Westmorland and Coleraine, Londonderry. 9.      1675 Will of Bartholomew Jackson, Yeoman of Tatsfield, Surrey. Prerogative Court of Canterbury and related Probate Jurisdictions: Will Registers. Name of Register: Dycer Quire Numbers: 52 - 105. Will of Bartholomew Jackson, Yeoman of Tatsfield, Surrey. Youngest son Richard JACKSON. Daughter Anne JACKSON. Daughter Sarah JACKSON. Sons John & Bartholomew JACKSON joint executors. NOTE: In 1616 a Bartholomew JACKSON held a lease in Co. Cavan See: JACKSONs of Co. Cavan and Version 2. The name Bartholomew JACKSON is infrequent, so it may be of interest that a Bartholomew JACKSON was baptised at St. John’s Dublin in August 24, 1648, a son of Francis JACKSON and Elizabeth HARRISON. 10.  Will of Christian Jackson, Widow of London. Prerogative Court of Canterbury and related Probate Jurisdictions: Will Registers. Name of Register: Box Quire Numbers: 225 - 265. Will of Christian Jackson, Widow of London. Cousin Mary LAND daughter of Walter LAND. Her brother John LAND. Cousin Sarah POINTZ widow. Mary ELY wife of Richard ELY. Luke WHITE who was formerly an apprentice to my late husband. Cousin Katherine, wife of Francis JACKSON the younger Citizen and Clothworker of London NOTE: His father was likely Francis JACKSON of Sweethins Lane, London, Citizen & Clothworker. SOURCE: London Rolls. 11.  Will of Thomas Jackson of Duddington, Northamptonshire Prerogative Court of Canterbury and related Probate Jurisdictions: Will Registers. Name of Register: Irby Quire Numbers: 85 - 124. Will of Thomas Jackson of Duddington, Northamptonshire. Son Christopher JACKSON. Son Jeremiah JACKSON (under age); Son John JACKSON (under age 16); Daughter Mary JACKSON; Son Francis JACKSON; Land in Duddington, Northampton; Son Francis JACKSON executor. Will dated 3 Feb 1692. SEE: JACKSONs of Duddington and and Fanningstown, Co. Limerick 12.  1697 Will of Francis Jackson, Clothworker of Saint Swithin, City of London. Prerogative Court of Canterbury and related Probate Jurisdictions: Will Registers. Name of Register: Pyne Quire Numbers: 45 - 88. Will of Francis Jackson, Clothworker of Saint Swithin, City of London. 1693 Feb 20 Francis JACKSON the elder, brother George JACKSON of Co. York. Son Francis JACKSON was willed the St. Swithin’s house. Daughters Mary DUGDALE, Martha PHIPPS (may be a grand-daughter), Sarah VIRGIN & Elizabeth CROFTON. Daughter-in-law Rebecca JACKSON widow of his late son David JACKSON. Grandchildren: Joshua JACKSON, Martha PHIPPS, Elizabeth RICHARD, Mary CROFTON (Highlighted names of interest with respect to connections to Ireland.)

MAPS:  JACKSONs in the Down Survey. SEE: Trinity site. NOTE: In a screenshot of an image that I could no longer find on the site, but which I had uploaded in 2023 to Updates to my Memorials of Deeds Pages:

… two William PUREFOYs – cousins of each other – had held leases bracketing land in Clonad in Kings Co. (aka Offaly), land which had been granted to a Francis JACKSON in 1667. Decades later, other JACKSONs lived nearby. … Why did Francis JACKSON stop leasing that land?

·         Co. Mayo Francis JACKSON.  This is the Francis JACKSON who died in 1678 at Enniscoe, Co. Mayo. His family tree is on my site at JACKSONs of Enniscoe & Mayo. Ironically, some of the lands that were forfeited came from the BROWNE side of my family. Francis JACKSON came into his lands in Ireland as a result of serving as a Captain of Dragoons in Cromwell's army, and purchasing extensive landed property in the Barony of Tyrrawley and county of Mayo. He still had it shortly after the Restoration, confirmed to him and his heirs by patent of Charles II. He built a large fortified house at Enniscoe, on the banks of Lough Conn. He d. in 1678, leaving by Elizabeth his wife, a son. SOURCE: Genealogical and Heraldic History of Landed Gentry of Great Britain and Ireland. ·         NOTE: In 1667 a Francis JACKSON was granted the townland of Clonad in Kings Co. This townland was bordered by holdings of two William PUREFOYs. The two William PUREFOYs were cousins. This grant was unusual for a few reasons. Francis JACKSON’s grant was smack in the middle of a cluster of townlands awarded to Col William PUREFOY (1584-1659), and there was no future mention of Francis JACKSON connected to this area. Was there a connection between the two men or their families? MORE work needed.

MISCELLANEOUS BITS:

·         Addenda to Dublin Grant Index. Marriage Licence: 1674: Francis JACKSON to Anne ARUNDELL

·         1669 Hearth Money Rolls for Antrim Ffranc aka Francis JACKSON Ballymoney Town

·         1622 Commission Certificates (Tyrone) [Plantation Survey]

o   ‘Dungannon borough: The names of the English, Scottish and Welsh inhabitants of the said borough’, certified and signed by Provost Francis Caporne, John Meeke and John Perkins, n.d. [12 Aug. 1622],
And first of the provost and brethren, vizt:
Provost: Mr Francis Caporne; 12 burgesses: Captain John Perkins, esq.; John Meek, esq.; John Cornwall, gent.; Joseph Rogers, gent.; Jenkin Griffin, gent.; Edward Barnett, gent.; John Walker, gent.; Thomas Taylor, gent.; Francis Jackson, gent.; George Smith, gent.; Henry Torie, gent.; Patrick Kergan, gent.

·         1670 Hearth Money Roll, Donaghmore Parish

o   396.Edward FOSTER, Patrick HAMILTON, William JACKSON-lisnamonaghan -Iisnamonaghan [Lisnamonaghan, Parish Donaghmore, Barony Dungannon Middle, Co. Tyrone – on the outskirts of Castle Caulfield.

·         Townlands in Tyrone list of lands held in lease by Thomas JACKSON 1743 July 25 Thomas JACKSON Esq., of City of Dublin. Based on the inclusion of Richard GORGES (1708-1778) Esq. of Kilbrew, Co. Meath in this lease, this is probably Thomas JACKSON (1680-1750),  son of William JACKSON and Susan BERESFORD. In 1715, he married Margaret BERESFORD, and they had three children. In 1727, he held a seat in the Irish House of Commons for Coleraine. His sister-in-law, Elizabeth GORGES (d.1747), who married his older brother, William JACKSON, was of Kilbrew, Co. Meath. NOTE: There are three holdings in Dungannon Middle in this lease, including one at Aghnagar [Aghnagar, Parish Donaghmore, Barony Dungannon Middle, Co. Tyrone] Later in Griffiths, since continuity may shed light, there is mention of a James JACKSON at Agharan, Parish Donaghmore, Barony Dungannon Middle which suggests some continuity of the family holdings.

Cows to Crypto - a Parish and a Church

I could just as easily have titled this piece Soup To Nuts but Cows To Crypto came to mind as I reflected on the shifts in what owning land meant in early 1600s Ireland compared to now, especially when it came to the use of land as capital. Long before banks handled mortgages and lines of credit, relatives and close friends were usually the ones who bankrolled short term cash needs by using leases as collateral. These close relationships made it totally unlike today’s version of capitalism.

But first, I want to start with Margaret. Without her, this piece could not have been written.

 

Margaret CONNOR: Page 158 in Coleraine in Georgian Times (by Rev. T.H. Mullin, published in 1977) – now available online.

Monday February 19^th, 2024. I was outside Killowen’s St. John’s Church photographing graves, hoping for connections to JACKSONs and fully expecting that church to be locked, but Margaret Connor and a fellow parishioner – who were subbing in for the regular cleaners - had left a side door slightly ajar. Of course, I peeked in. A year later, I uploaded a post -  JACKSONs and St. John Killowen – which included what I had learned from the fluke of that open door.

While I was inside Killowen church, taking pictures, I mentioned to Margaret that I planned to visit St. Paul’s Church at Articlave the next day and had found how to get a bus to get there. Immediately, Margaret volunteered as my driver. No ifs ands or buts. Two years and change have passed since then, but it has taken me that long to absorb and internalize what I needed to learn.

Like many of my blog pieces, this piece is neither logical nor linear. Consider its form to be more like that of a ghazal, a form of poetry where sentences are linked by intuition and mood. It is also an exploration of what I am in the process of learning, which means that parts of the story may shift, sometimes in small ways. Sometimes in ways of more consequence. Doing it this way it allows me to put a pin in facts that I want to be able to recall (aging brain!) as well as to be able to readily reference.

ARTICLAVE CHURCH AND LAND & JACKSONs. 

With Andrew Kane’s Townland Atlas of Ulster one can visualize the context of neighbouring and/or nearby townlands. I have circled townlands that were always grouped together when they were leased by JACKSONs. Articlave, the townland in the middle, was where JACKSONs donated an acre of land in 1670 for what became St. Paul’s Church. The entire area in the Barony of Coleraine west of Killowen was part of the Clothworkers grants in the early 1600s, and those leases likely involved earlier JACKSONs in the initial leases.

These townlands were often leased as a group by generations of JACKSONs: ·         Ballymadigan [aka Ballymadigan, Parish Dunboe, Barony Coleraine] is the uppermost of the circled townlands. On its northern border is the townland of Downhill - home of HERVYs of Downhill Estate. On its eastern border is Liffolk, home of the HAZLETTs. Both the HERVYs & HAZLETTS were connected to JACKSONs. ·         Drumnequill [aka Drumaquill, Parish Killowen, Barony Coleraine,], This circled townland is north-east of Ringrash More. ·         Donballycarn [it may be Drumballyhagan Clark. Parish Kilcronaghan, Barony of Loughinsholin – NOTE:  this is not near Articlave, but is where the JACKSONs of Tobermore – who are likely related - settled], ·         Ringrashbeg [aka Ringrash Beg, Parish Macosquin, Barony Coleraine] This circled townland is southeast of Articlave. ·         Ringrashmore [aka Ringrash More, Parish Macosquin, Barony Coleraine,] This circled townland is southeast of Articlave. ·         Ardaclave [Articlave Lower (most likely) and Articlave Upper, Parish Dunboe, Barony Coleraine] These two townlands are slightly south-east of Ballymadigan. These two circled townlands are in the upper middle of the map. ·         Upper and Lower Altibrian [Altibrian, Parish Formoyle, Barony Coleraine], Co. Londonderry. This circled townland is southwest of Articlave.

In 1611, the Clothworkers began the construction of a new settlement in the village of Articlave, likely because of the proximity of the river which led to the mill which would be built there. In the Griffith Map of 1859 - Note the Corn Mill slightly south-east of the Church.

THE BACKSTORY of JACKSONs and DUNBOE PARISH 

In the early 1600s, the Guilds of London had carved up Londonderry into parcels of land - referred to as Plantations  - land which had previously been owned by Gaelic Irish chieftains and/or Churches and farmed for generations by Irish families. New maps were made, and these newly formed lots were then leased to merchants belonging to the London Guilds (see JACKSONs in the London Rolls). Mercantile-based capital had begun to supplant the power of the historic land-based capital and power had begun to be wielded within the structures of pseudo-governmental bodies such as the London Guilds, the East India Corporation, and the Hudson’s Bay Corporation. It was this new phenomenon of the power of mercantile capital, backed by the military might of British armies and navies, which laid the ground for the evolution into our current version of capitalism. In Ireland, for various reasons, land continued to be the main way to access ready capital much longer than it did in England.

Can we imagine what it might have been like to live in the pre-modern-capitalism days of the Parish of Dunboe? To gain a feel for how the land was valued one needs to begin with understanding of the significance of cows, both culturally and economically. The etymology of the word for the Parish Dunboe takes us back to the Irish words Dún: meaning "fort," "fortress," or "stronghold", and Bó: meaning cow. Hence: fort of the cow. Such names, and those of other townlands such as Downhill, were linked to an understanding of land-ownership which put the protection of cows, and hence the value(s) of the land, first and foremost.

The story goes that in the reign of King Art, when there was a great famine in the district, a cow named Glasgalvin, which was famed for the amount of milk she produced, was stolen from Ballynascreen and tethered to a rock at Downhill. The cow is said to have saved the lives of everyone in the area by the inexhaustible supply of milk she produced. SOURCE: Harry Caskey. Castlerock and its Anglican Church.

The ghost of the cow-economy has lived on in legends such as The Tain, aka The Cattle Raid of Cooley and survives to this day in the word Ballyboe, the smallest unit of land. Balliboes aka townlands are the smallest legal units within parishes. Parishes are grouped within Baronies, Baronies within Counties, Counties within Provinces, and finally Provinces within Country:
 

The borders of Ballyboes [from the Irish Gaelic baile bó, meaning "cow-land], the unit of land which morphed into the currently known townland boundaries, were based on rent valuations equal to the cost of a cow. [SOURCE: Townland Atlas of Ulster]. p5.

Even as late as 1836, in a lease held by the last of the Coleraine JACKSONs who had owned lands in Articlave, there is mention of grazing for two Cows:
  

ROD: 1836-11-235 February 13, 1834 BTW James KANE of Cortgaven [Gortycavan, Parish Dunboe, Barony Coleraine] in the County of Londonderry farmer of the one part and Elizabeth MAIRS Sister of the said James KANE of GortyCavin aforesaid Widow of the other part whereby the said after renting as therein is rented to the said James KANE did Sell to said Elizabeth MAIRS in her actual possession then being by virtue of a lease for year therein rented and to her heirs and Assigns all that and those that farm in Gortycavin cout 42 1/2a as formerly in the possession of Edward KANE deed with grazing for two Cows on the [Islea?] Hill also all that farm in Fermoyle Contd 166a 1r 19p all that grazing farm in Bratwell [NOTE: Changed Parish Boundaries: Bratwell, Parish Formoyle, Barony Coleraine] 30a situate in the parish of Dunboe Half Barony of Colerain and County of Londonderry To Hold the said lands Tenements Hereditaments and premises with their appurts unto the said Elizabeth MAIRS her heirs and assigns for and during the rest residue and remainder of the term of lives yet to come and unexpired in the original Lease of said premises from Colonel George JACKSON to Francis KANE 22 Apr 1800 WITNESS: James MAIRS of Gorlycavin and Andrew McAFFEE of English Town [Englishtown, Parish Macosquin, Barony Coleraine] in the County of Londonderry farmers Elizabeth MAIRS [SEAL] NOTE: George JACKSON (1766-1840), a 2nd great-grandson of the first JACKSON

The capitalism that followed in the late 1800s featured rapid industrialization, the rise of large-scale monopolies (backstopped by naval power), and a largely unregulated market (with laws that favoured merchants). This became known as industrial capitalism, monopoly capitalism, or Gilded Age capitalism. It was in this era that the head of HSBC for both Hong Kong and London was Thomas JACKSON (1839-1915), an Irishman who had been raised on a farm in Armagh, a son of tenant farmers, and he was also likely related to the Articlave–Coleraine JACKSONs. He and his family usually referred to the HSBC as The old cow. The ghost lived on.

With one foot in the landlord-based agrarian society and one foot in the world of exports enabled by the power of Guilds and Britain’s gunboat capitalism, the early Londonderry JACKSONS of the 1600s would have felt at home connecting cows with economic wealth. What might have surprised them though, would have been the introduction of the separation of Church and State. For them, there was no question that landowners were to support the construction of churches. In turn, the Established churches collected tithes for road construction and such. They did not perceive any conflict of interest here. Even Bishops of the Established Church were landlords.

By the 1770s, change was in the wind, and many of the local landlords faced the reality that their rental income did not cover their operating costs as well as their personal needs for income for them and their relations (doweries for daughters often factored large in this burden which rested on eldest sons). The economic decline of the JACKSONs, and their loss of lands, came about partly because of factors like this, but it was also sped up in the end thanks to the improvident nature of George JACKSON (1766-1840), the last JACKSON to own Articlave. Although his diligent agent Rev. Robert HAZLETT (more on him later) did his best, he could not outpace the downward trajectory of the old land-based economy and young George’s lack of thrift.

ST. PAUL’s – ARTICLAVE, CO. LONDONDERRY
Begun as a bequest of the JACKSONs SEE: JACKSONs of Coleraine

 

St. Paul’s church is about five miles east of Coleraine. The boundaries of the original lease likely followed the main surrounding roads.

 

The initial church was only one half to two thirds of its current height, and ended midway between the last of the two right-hand windows. It also had a thatched roof.

The earliest record connecting the Coleraine JACKSON to St. Paul’s Church is a transcription of the original November 27^th, 1670 lease to build a new church at the Parish of Dunboe. William JACKSON had granted an acre of land in Ardecleve [aka Articlave Lower (Ard an Chléibh) Parish Dunboe, Barony Coleraine], enough to include both a church and a rectory. This agreement was witnessed by William’s younger brother Samuel JACKSON (1641-1706), a merchant and land developer based in Dublin. Copies of this transcription can be seen at the RCB Library in Dublin or at PRONI in Belfast [D683/188].

NOTE: bounded on the west with the street or highway in sd village of Articlave.

PRONI D668/3 and T1075/8 Page 43. Nov. 27. 1670. Wm. Jackson, Coleraine, Co. L'Derry. to Bishop of Derry. 1 acre of Ardacleve Dunboe Par. Co. L'Derry.

 William JACKSON (1628-1688) of Coleraine, as one of the twenty-three children of Rev. Richard JACKSON (1602-1681) of Westmorland, England, was well positioned to snag such a lease. After all, he and his siblings had belonged to several of the Guilds of London including the Clothworker’s Guild, the Guild whose land grants included land in both Killowen across the Bann river from Coleraine, as well as in Articlave in Dunboe. As early as June 1618, when Articlave became formed as a new village, it is quite possible that an earlier generation of this family already had a foothold there. A Francis JACKSON (one of William JACKSON’s uncles) is top of my short list of suspects, while a Joseph, a John and a Thomas JACKSON are other likely possibilities of relations who had already settled here earlier. More work needed. 

MIND THE GAP – AND THANKS TO BRIAN SIMPSON

 As we toured the church, Brian Simpson, the church organist at St. Paul’s Parish of Dunboe, was quick to answer one of my first questions. Why was there a two-decade gap between the granting of the land – 1670 - and the building of the church - 1691?  He had brought with him his copy of Alison A. McCoughan’s: Heath Hearth and Heart: The Story of Dunboe, and had already bookmarked the parts of the story which covered the impact of the grants by the Clothworkers Guild (the guild that William JACKSON had been a member of).
 

[The Clothworkers were] reluctant to embrace the scheme of colonization, but there was no turning back, and after their names had been drawn from a hat, they found that part of their allotted portion included land in the Parish of Dunboe. Not surprisingly the cloth workers were completely ignorant of the newly acquired territory and asked Thomas Raven, the City of London surveyor, to prepare a report.

This early report described the leased site as:

the two Ardacleanes (Articlaves) [as] small towns but are especiall good ground both for Arrable Meadows and pasture …  it is a place very fit for building being seated upon a pretty river, where a Mill may be built and in the midst of a good soyle of land and a dry. …

Subsequently, the Clothworkers built their village there and by 1622:

it consisted of a water mill, 21 thatched houses and cabins, 2 houses with walls of clay and stone, 2 thatched houses with walls of clay and stone, 1 thatched cage-work house, and different scattered cabins.

All in all, it was a modest start for a settlement. Harry Caskey, in his book: Castlerock and its Anglican Church, adds more detail:

When the Clothworkers company built their plantation village at Articlave in 1618-21 the old church became more isolated and was no longer attended by the native Irish Catholics who gathered for the Latin mass wherever else they could. The majority of the earlier settlers were from Galloway and disapproved of the Episcopal system. When the Archdeacon died from wounds received during the 1641 Rising he was not replaced until 1661 and meantime the Presbyterians held the living there from at least 1656.

It is worth taking a moment to reflect on the fluidity of faith during these tempestuous decades when the polarization of both faith and government had morphed into bitter conflicts. Some members of Churches of Ireland temporarily aligned as Presbyterian but then switched back to Church of Ireland after the political winds had once again shifted. For example, William JACKSONs father, Rev Richard JACKSON (1602-1681), the Anglican minister of Whittington, Westmorland preached first as an Anglican, then as a Presbyterian, and then went back to preaching and serving as a Church of England minister.   

The gap between the 1670 bequest of land and the 1691 church was partly as a consequence of the swings in people’s loyalties, and the impact of such shifts when it came to both faith and governance:
 

An Act of 1661 allowed all churches to be relocated and a site of 1 Irish acre was granted in Articlave by the Company's agent, Captain Jackson, in 1663, but the poverty of the people and the suppression of Protestant worship under James II in 1685-88 prevented anything being done. On their retreat from Derry after the siege in 1689, part of James’ army, under the Earl of Antrim, set fire to and destroyed St. Adanmnan’s church at Downhill. The new Bishop, William King, then pressed ahead with the building of the new church, the present St. Paul’s at Articlave, and it was consecrated on the 2nd June 1691. Two years later a new archdeaconry was built at Liffock (Hazlett House) now owned by the National Trust. Bishop king of Derry was providing houses to encourage the clergy to reside in their parishes and the house was probably built for this purpose. Carbon dating tests on the roof Timbers have shown that the wood was cut in 1691. SOURCE A Seventeenth Century Farmhouse at Liffock, County Londonderry. Desmond McCourt, David Evans and Michael Baillie. Ulster Journal of Archaeology. Third Series, Vol. 35 (1972), pp. 48-56 (11 pages). Published By: Ulster Archaeological Society.

St. Paul’s was finally completed in 1691, three years after the death of William JACKSON (1628-1688), the original donor of the land. The presence of the church has outlasted the presence of the JACKSONs. It seems that their holdings in Articlave were valued more for the revenue stream they produced – a cash cow - not for any real attachment to land and community. They had done their expected duty, until their financial needs had shifted, and then they had decamped.

THE JACKSON-DUNBOE LEASES

As part of my research for this piece, I needed to assemble some lists of deeds to help me to better see both the forest and the trees. Without this, the deluge of detail had obscured too much.

·         A Compilation of notes on Londonderry Co Deeds. This list includes Books 1-899, and includes more than 350 pages of my notes as well as hyperlinks to most townlands. My main focus was on the agreements involving JACKSONs of Kirkby Lonsdale, Westmorland and Coleraine, Londonderry as well as some of their extended family and business partners, and it reveals the scope and the context of the JACKSON intergeneration holdings in Dunboe. NOTE: In a word-search, the word Dunboe cropped up 113 times while the word Articlave was repeated 30 times.

·         Articlave & the JACKSON leases, I have merged deeds research with several PRONI documents including 1780-1802 Correspondence between George JACKSON and Rev Robert HEZLETT. George JACKSON (1766-1840). MP & Businessman was the last of the Coleraine JACKSONs to hold leases to Articlave, Parish Dunboe Reading his correspondence in the context of the family lease reveals the extent of the JACKSON’s practice of leasing and releasing several of their holdings – in effect using the land as their cash cow. In the centuries before banks were like the banks of our times, this was how landowners and tenants often raised capital to meet their short and medium cash flow needs. Financial trust was both local and familial, and the leases were often between members of extended families. 

Even with lists like this, it isn’t easy to tease out the multiple names of fathers, sons and cousins who shared the same forenames - William and Richard being the most epidemic of the forenames used in this family. Because of this, I have kept on repeating their birth and death dates throughout, even though this does become quite cumbersome and repetitive.

The first lease that caught my attention was entered into in 1682 – a decade after the church grant, but a decade before St. Paul’s Church was built. William JACKSON (1628-1688) of Coleraine granted (for 21 years), to Abraham ROWAN of Articlave, yeoman, a lease to lands which included: mills in manor of Clothworkers, Co. Londonderry but significantly the same list of townlands in Dunboe Parish which show up repeatedly. SOURCE: PRONI D1550/147. The ROWAN and JACKSON families had other dealings, so more is to be learned here.
 

NOTE: Abraham ROWAN b. 1655 in Ballykelly, Londonderry, Ireland is included in a WIKI tree. He married a Margaret COCHRANE (1658-) b. Londonderry, and she died in New Hampshire America in 1679. SEE also History of Octorara Church 1720-1870. p45. NOTE: The COCHRAN-JACKSON connection is echoed in future JACKSON leases: ·         ROD: 734-156-500491 Image 357 April 22, 1800. George JACKSON to William COCHRAN … for lives of Anne ALEXANDER sister of George JACKSON & George Jackson COCHRAN [??] son to William COCHRAN aged 2 years ·         ROD: 1834-2-92; Image 179 1834 mentions a George COCHRAN, farmer, and lease for life of Anne ALEXANDER for the townland of Artikeeragh It is likely that the George COCKRAN in the 1834 lease was the 2 year old George Jackson COCHRAN mentioned as a life in the 1800s lease. I have more to learn about both the ROWAN and the COCKRAN family.

It is likely that the shortened lifespan of many JACKSON males sped up the JACKSONs’ loss of these lands. More than once, fathers died before their sons reached maturity.

·         When the 1^st William JACKSON (1628-1688) died at age 60, his eldest son, William JACKSON (1669-1712) was 19 years old. A younger brother, Richard JACKSON (1673-1730) was only 15 years old. NOTE: This brother Richard is also included in leases with another Richard JACKSON which makes discerning one from another even more complicated. I am now reduced to tracking signatures, wherever they exist. The clues in penmanship.

·         When the 2^nd William JACKSON (1669-1712) died at age 43, his son, William JACKSON (1695-1744) was 17 years old.

·         When the 3^rd William JACKSON (1695-1744) died at age 49, his son, Richard JACKSON (btw 1729/31-1789) was only about 14 years old.

·         When this Richard JACKSON (btw 1729/31-1789) died, at about age 60, his last surviving son, George JACKSON (1766-1844), was about 23 years old and could have benefitted from more guidance than he was prepared to accept.

DNA: It may be more than coincidence that there are other branches of JACKSON families which share this reality of male premature death.. For example, many of my Urker JACKSON ancestors died either in their mid-50s or younger. Several years ago, when one of my brothers ended up in intensive care in his early 50s because of a very serious cardiac event, I told him about our genetic history. His surgeon then suggested that DNA was likely a contributing factor. This connection to heart vulnerabilities and DNA may provide another clue to connect the Coleraine JACKSONs to other family lines where a reliable paper trail does not exist.

JACKSONs as Non-resident Landlords: Most of the JACKSONs leasing townlands in Dunboe Parish did not reside in the parish, except possibly temporarily – and even then only in the very early years. Instead, they resided either in Coleraine and/or Dublin. Many of them served multiple terms as MPs to the Irish Parliament. Edith Mary Johnston-Liik’s History of the Irish Parliament, 1692-1800. Commons, Constituencies and Statutes mentions some of the systemic causes of their financial challenges. The first JACKSON MP was Samuel JACKSON (1641-1706), the witness to the lease for the Articlave church lands.

·         1077 JACKSON, Samuel (1641-1706) NOTE: My birth date info. FAMILY/BACKGROUND: Son of Rev Richard Jackson of Westmorland, England. ESTATES/RESIDENCE: Jackson Hall, Colerain, Co. Londonderry. Purchased 180 acres in Co. Dublin from the Commissioners of Forfeited Estates in 1702-3.“This morning Sam. Jackson Esq. died, ‘tis said he was worth £30,000 which he left to his two nephews. About half an hour after, Madam Mitchelburn, sister to the said Jackson, died in the same house. Richard Mitchelburn was married to Mary Jackson, but she was alive in 1725!” NOTE: This report was misleading. Susan BERESFORD (abt 1645-1706) was his sister-in-law, wife of William JACKSON (1628-1688) and she married 2ndly John MITCHELBURN. NOTE: The two nephews were seemingly both based in England; Richard JACKSON (1671-1726), son of Nathaniel JACKSON (1640-1698) and Richard JACKSON (?-bef 1726), son of Rev. Leonard JACKSON. SEE: 1705 December 4 - Will of Samuel JACKSON ·         1078 JACKSON, Thomas (1680-1751) Son of William JACKSON NOTE: and Susan BERESFORD ESTATE/RESIDENCE: Creeghstown, Co. Meath. ·         1079 William JACKSON, (1669-1712).  ESTATES/RESIDENCES: Coleraine, Co. Londonderry. In 1663 Captain William Jackson obtained a lease of the Cloth Workers lands on condition that he paid £100 per annum for the first six years, be at the expense of recovering possession and pay a fine of £1,000 and £100 rent per annum after six years. In 1669 the cloth workers granted a lease for 51 years. This fell in 1720, when a heavy fine for renewal was imposed. The first installment of £750 was paid in 1719. This in turn flowed through to farms left by the Jacksons, and probably aided the heavy immigration to America from this region in the 1720s. Leases were made for long - often very long - periods eg. 3 lives and 31 years, but on their renewal there was usually a substantial increase, which often created hardship for those involved. ·         1076. Rt Hon Richard JACKSON, MP (c.1729-1789) for Coleraine  ESTATES/RESIDENCES: Jackson hall, Colerain, Co. Londonderry. The Jackson family obtained the cloth makers lease post 1662 and built cloth makers Hall in 1668. In 1714-16 the rental was £528, increased to £563 in 1717 in addition there were 8 freeholds at a combined rental of £134 the rental was £1,003 in 1736, excluding the desmesne, and £1,143 in 1746 including it. In 1756 the rental payable to Richard Jackson was £1,212. In 1770 the rental was £2,689 by 1774 Richard Jackson claimed that there was an arrear of £4,792 lbs of which £1,679 lbs was a write-off. In 1769 the cloth workers advertised their manner on a 61 year and three life lease from 1771. Jackson bid $20,000 fine, but was bid up to £28,000. Jackson paid over £10,000 of this as a down payment but as permission for £17,340 to be secured on mortgage at the estate to be behaved off by him over 20 years. By 1772 Jackson was in arrears with rent and interest the rent was £600. In 1775 he asked for £7,764 to be deducted from the agreed fine of £31,308 Jackson's valuation of the street and 1774 was 6085 acres at £2,067 and £1,908 lbs per annum. The clothworkers proportion was in the most northerly part of the barony of Coleraine mainly in and around Coleraine itself extending from the Atlantic southwest to Killowen and in the West as far South as Formoyle. ·         1074 JACKSON, Sir George (1766-1840): MP for Coleraine (more detail beneath) ESTATES/RESIDENCES. Jackson Hall, Coleraine, Co. Londonderry. In 1801, George Jackson calculated his rental at £4,200 from which a chief rent of £600 had to be subtracted. George Jackson was paying £1,800 per annum in interest, so his net income was only £1,803. In 1805 he proposed to raise £15,250 by selling freehold such as Articlave. Eventually he sold his lease to TK Hanington and went to live in the South of England

SEE also: JACKSON representatives in the Irish House of Commons.

A source which fleshes out the personal aspects of the increasing financial vulnerability of George JACKSON (1766-1840) is revealed in letters held at PRONI D668/R/32 1790-1821. Estate papers - Hezlett and Jackson families Co. Derry NOTE: I have included more transcriptions in Articlave JACKSON deeds merged with Rev Robert HAZLETT letters):
 

·         Feb 9, 1785 D668/H/2/5. George JACKSON, Carrickmacross to Rev. Robert HEZLETT, Coleraine. NOTE: In 1785, George’s father, Richard JACKSON (d. 1789) was still alive, as was George’s younger brother Richard JACKSON (1768-1797). At the time, he was staying in Carrickmacross – with whom, I do not know. “… I am necessitated to write to you on a disagreeable subject. I have got myself into a little scrape here by getting some time ago in debt. A person or two to whom I am indebted threaten to tell Carpendale of it. You sir, are the only friend I have to apply to and if you don't relieve me, am undone. 'I want a guinea. No less will do and hardly that. You may get a card and split it and slip the guinea and seal it up and it will come safe.'.'I never can enough thank you by letter but will thank you by word of mouth ...'. PS. 'For God's sake send it or I shall be ruined. Answer this by post and say nothing. ·         April 19, 1785 D668/H/2/7. George JACKSON, Carrickmacross to Rev. Robert HEZLETT, Coleraine. 'I direct this with a feigned hand lest it should be known. Do not, my dear sir, say anything about it. I hoped it was not talked of at Jackson Hall. If it was you are my friend I know ...' ·         July 3, 1799 D668/H/2/41 George is now based in Bristol and writes to the Rev. Robert HEZLETT, Coleraine proposing a way out of his financial mess: the establishment of a private tontine whereby participants contribute to a common fund and receive dividends. As members die, their shares are redistributed among the survivors, increasing the income for remaining participants until the last survivor takes the entire remaining pool.He was hoping to raise £5,000 approx. 'Each subscriber to receive 6% in the first instance with benefit of survivorship so that the last liver would have all the interest though only perhaps a subscriber of £100. No lower sum than £50 to be taken. Thus should I realise a sum to pay off pressing demands, and only pay the same interest. To secure the payment of the annual interest I would lay off so much land, and the subscribers shall have their own receiver appointed, I giving up the lands, by deed. Pray consider this plan for me and you may consult with Mr Knox the attorney about it. In addition to this I think I would sell a townland or two at the extremity of the estate by which means a sum would be procured that would pay off all very urgent creditors ·         November 23, 1801 D668/H/2/163 George is writing from Hamilton Palace Scotland: the last year (which has been a year of continual vexation to me in money matters). NOTE: Hamilton Palace was [possibly] the residence of Mary Jane JACKSON ((abt 1773-1802) a sister of George JACKSON (1766-1840). In 1791 she had married John HAMILTON (O’HARA), son of Charles HAMILTON. SOURCE: Irish Pedigrees or The Origin and Stem of The Irish Nation Vol 1 1915 p.126.

A 1798 document in this PRONI: D668/H/2 collection (photographed on May 4,2018), includes a seal that George used on one of these letters and the motto is psychologically revealing.  
:

Innocentiae secures: Safe from innocence

SOURCE: PRONI  D668/H/2 from my 2018 May 4th files. Also SEE: JACKSON Baronial Arms.

 The more usual family motto, for example the one used by his cousins the Forkhill JACKSONs was Malo mori quam feodori or "I would rather die than be dishonored", a motto which clearly expresses a preference for death over disgrace or compromise. Instead, George chose Innocentiae.  About a century later, when Sir Thomas JACKSON (1837-1915) – who was likely a relation of George’s - was made a baronet, he chose a variant of the Forkhill motto: Aut mors aut Victoria - which translates as: Death or victory.

It was thanks to an email query from a young girl living in Belgium which led me to unearthing – literally -  more about George JACKSON’s later life than would otherwise have been possible. He had died at home at Ezelstraat, Brugge, Belgium, where he lived with his wife Anne Day WOODVILLE (he married into money), but he had also lived in Paris some years earlier and had applied to set up a factory in Antwerp to manufacture glazed pottery. SEE: Email Serendipity.
 

Going by the records in History of the Irish Parliament 1692–1800: Commons, Constituencies and Statutes it seems that George’s politics were somewhat middle of the road – at least for his times and class. In 1791, he voted with Grattan to reduce the influence of the Crown, then in 1793 he voted in favour of the Roman Catholic Relief Act, (that Act only went part of the way towards granting Roman Catholics more rights. It abolished many of the restrictions of the Popery Act 1704 (2 Anne c. 6 (I)) and replaced other restrictions with less onerous ones.) In 1800, in one of his last votes, he voted for Union in the United Kingdom. This vote allowed for free trade and set out financial and judicial structures which favoured the landowner and mercantile class. The importance of cows was probably not even in his rear-view mirror.

 

1074 JACKSON, Sir George: MP for Coleraine Dec 1789 - April 1790. 1790-6 [Escheater of Ulster 5 Febr1796]; Randallstown 1797 - 1800 b. 1770; Died 1846 (NOTE: the birth and death date recorded here is inaccurate.). HONOURS: Cr Bt UK 21 Apr 1813. FAMILY BACKGROUND; Son of Rt. Hon Richard Jackson (1076) and Anne daughter of Charles O'Neill (1588) MARRIED 10 Sept.1814 Anne, dau of William Woodville of Lancaster. CHILDREN d.s.p. EDUCATION; Oxford (Christ Church). CAREER/OCCUPATION; Military; Major General ESTATES/RESIDENCE. Jackson Hall, Coleraine, Co. Londonderry. In 1801, George Jackson calculated his rental at £4,200 from which a chief rent of £600 had to be subtracted. George Jackson was paying £1,800 per annum in interest, so his net income was only £1,803. In 1805 he proposed to raise £15,250 by selling freehold such as Articlave. Eventually he sold his lease to TK Hanington and went to live in the South of England. POLITICAL ACTIVITY; a professional soldier, he was returned by his own interest for Coleraine. He did not attend the 1790-91 session of parliament and had opposed in the 1789-90 one. However he voted for Foster (0805). In 1793 he voted for Knox’s (1180) motion for Catholic emancipation. About 1793 he sold his seat to Lord Waterford (0113); In 1794 Jackson was supporting government. He resigned his seat in 1796 but was brought in for Randallstown at the 1797 election by his uncle, Lord O'Neill (1592). In 1798 he voted against Sir Lawrence Parsons (1636) holding motion for an investigation into the present discontents. He voted for the Union in both 1799 and 1800 and was promoted to a regiment shortly after. DIVISION LISTS: 1791 voted for Grattan’s (0895) motion for reducing the influence of the crown. 1792 voted for Foster (0805) on the election of a speaker. 17931 quoted for Knox’s (1180) motion for Catholic emancipation. 1798 (1) voted against Sir Lawrence Parsons (1636) motion for an investigation into the president discontents. 1800 (1) voted for the union.

OTHER FAMILY CONNECTIONS TO ARTICLAVE

1) Rev. William ALEXANDER (1824-1911) was a son of the Venerable Robert ALEXANDER (1788-1840), and a grandson of Anne JACKSON (1766-1837) the wife of Rev Nathaniel ALEXANDER (1760-1840), Bishop of Clontfort. Anne JACKSON, a sister of Sir George JACKSON (1766-1840), was born a mere nine months after George (which adds the impact of birth order as a possible trigger of his insecurities), was – like George - a great-great grand-daughter of William JACKSON (1628-1688), the original donor of the church. As a result, she was mentioned as a life in a number of JACKSON deeds relating to Articlave.

 

Another notable day in the history of St. Paul’s is June 24th, 1848. On that day within these walls five young men stood before the Bishop to be admitted to the Order of the Priesthood. One of the five was destined to occupy in later years, the highest position in the Church of Ireland. Here William Alexander  received his sacred commission as Priest. William Alexander was then a curate attached to Derry Cathedral. In 1867 he was consecrated Bishop of Derry and Raphoe and in 1896 became Primate of all Ireland. In 1850 he married the talented Miss Cecil Frances Humphreys in the old Parish Church of Strabane. Mrs Alexander was a hymn writer of world wide reputation and her hymn (one of many) “There is a green hill far away” is amongst the best known hymns in the Christian world today. SOURCE: St. Paul’s Website.

For more on Rev. William ALEXANDER see the well-written DIB bio of Rev. William ALEXANDER by Linde Lunney (my friend and mentor for more than two decades).
 

The bust of Rev. William ALEXANDER (1824-1911) in the Armagh Library. Photographed 2016.

 

2) HERVEYs of the nearby Downhill Estate. My interest in the HERVEYs connects to some of my long-held interests in the JACKSONs - specifically Rev William JACKSON (1737-1795). I mentioned him for the first time in my blog near the end of a quite unrelated post: Crash Test Dummy.
 

Reverend William JACKSON (1737-1795), the United Irishman who took poison in the dock after he was convicted of treason but before he was sentenced. Was he related in any way to the Henry JACKSON of Ballybay, Co. Monaghan who had fled for his life to America after he was also convicted of his involvement with the United Irishmen? Or was he related to the JACKSONs of Coleraine? Or Antrim? Or Down? Or ….? Would he have met Barbara DONALDSON (1783-1865), the widow of William DONALDSON (1768-1815), a leader of the United Irishman in South Armagh? She was both an aunt and a significant mentor of the young Thomas JACKSON, right up till her death at the age of 82. We have some of their letters.

Rev. William JACKSON - United Irishman. NOTE: I need to find my misplaced source.

 Since proximity matters, and since the estate of Bishop HERVEY was close to lands leased by the JACKSONs of Coleraine, it seems very likely that the HERVEYs of the nearby Downhill Estate may very well have had connections – business and/or family and/or church - to the JACKSON who was the father of the United Irishman Rev. William JACKSON (1737-1795). This father was probably one of the many Richard JACKSONs born in the right time frame, and his professional life as a proctor (an agent, valuator, and debt collector for the Established Church of Ireland) would have been a close fit with the JACKSONs of Coleraine.
It was thanks to the patronage of George HERVEY, 2^nd Earl of Bristol (1721-1755), that the future Irishman Rev. William JACKSON (1737-1795) went to Ireland to serve as HERVEY’s chaplain and private secretary at the time when the earl held the office of Lord Lieutenant (October 1766 to August 1767). I plan to include more detail in a future post, but for now, it helps to know about a variant spelling: HERVEY aka HERVY aka HARVEY:
 

SOURCE: The lives and trials of Archibald Hamilton Rowan, the Rev. William Jackson, the Defenders, William Orr, Peter Finnerty, and other eminent Irishmen. Thomas MacNevin,: p.177-8. NOTE: Harvey family aka HERVY. MacNevin’s source was Walker’s Hiberian Magazine, May, 1795. NLI has a copy.

 As a start, a family tree for the HERVEY family tree is included in Downhill: A scrapbook of people and place (a copy is in the Coleraine library in the reference section):

 

 

When Margaret drove us up to the Downhill HERVEY Estate, I got out and did a quick power walk around the part open to the public. The ruins of their original demesne can be seen in the distance.

 

 

3) HAZLETT.  Margaret Connor insisted that we also make a stop at Hazlett House aka Hezlett House, but it wasn’t until long after that I recognized the importance of knowing about them and the ties that connected HAZLETTs, JACKSONs and Alticlave.

 

Hezlett House – dating back to about 1690.

Earlier in this post, I included above some of the correspondence between Rev. Robert HEZLETT (1740-1821) and George JACKSON (1766-1840) from The Hezlett Papers [PRONI D668]. I have also posted more of the letters on my website: 1780-1802 Correspondence between George JACKSON and Rev Robert HEZLETT. George’s wheeling and dealing with his agent Rev Robert HEZLETT can be even better understood when seen in the context of his many leases. SEE: Articlave JACKSON deeds merged with Rev Robert HAZLETT letters.

Rev. Robert HEZLETT (1740-1821) was a son of Samuel HEZLETT (d before 1747 – of Dunboe) and brother of Isaac HEZLETT (d. Liffock House aka Hazlett House) and George JACKSON (1766-1840). I have also uploaded a draft family tree of the HAZLETTs of Articlave, and have included bits from documents such as those written by Maxwell GIVEN. SEE: PRONI D2096. c.600 documents. These consist mainly of notes and articles prepared by Maxwell Given, the Coleraine antiquarian and genealogist, between c.1900-1914, which relate to his work on the history of the Town and Liberties of Coleraine. NOTE: I also benefitted from several email suggestions from Linde Lunney when assembling this draft tree.

The early HEZLETT family can be placed in Dunboe parish at the same time as the earliest of the JACKSONs, thanks to information about dates which were included in A Seventeenth Century Farmhouse at Liffock, Co. Londonderry by Desmond McCourt, David Evans and Michael Baillie. Ulster Journal of Archaeology vol 35, 1972:

 FINALLY - GRATITUDE

Thanks to Margaret, by whom so many doors were opened – not only that first door which was left ajar at Killowen. The generosity of her time and attention is what has made this blog post even possible. I recommend visiting St. Paul’s Church. ‘Tis a lovely church.

 

St. Paul’s Church, Articlave, Co. Londonderry

 Although this story began with me visiting a church because it was connected to some JACKSONs, it grew to encompass how the prospects, and the opportunities afforded to their ancestors, had been shaped (and are still being shaped) by a mix of culture, politics, religion and economics. They had transitioned from surviving by leveraging capital based on cows and land to needing the kinds of capital that became available after international trade reshaped local economies. By following just this one family, we can track how over the span of several centuries, how we got to where capital now rests on markets shaped by the impacts of crypto, AI, and such - forces beyond the ken of most of us (at least me). To me, this means that we could be seen more like our ancestors, powerless and just along for the ride.

Next on my Research Bucket List is to learn about two more Bishops connected to St. Paul’s:

·         Bishop William KING (1650–1729), son of Presbyterian parents in Co. Antrim – appointed to the see of Derry in 1691, and he was the one to consecrate St. Paul’s Church in 1691. It also intrigues me that Bishop KING As Bishop of Derry, Hervey quickly developed a reputation for being "the most worldly, most eccentric, most talked-about priest in the Church of Ireland. SOURCE: Akenson, Donald Harman (2005). An Irish History of Civilization: Volume I. Granta Book.

·         Bishop Frederick Augustus Hervey (1730-1803), 4th Earl of Bristol and who was appointed Bishop of Londonderry in 1768 (see HERVEY above). What kinds of interactions might these two Bishops have had with JACKSONs in the 1700s? Is it possibly relevant that Jane KING, a daughter of Rev William KING, married Oliver JACKSON (d. 1691), one of the JACKSONs of Sneyd Park, Bristol and then of Enniscoe, Co. Mayo.

 

Clearly, there is still more to learn.

When Margaret dropped me off after our long day – our very long day - of exploring, she refused to receive any money for gas, nor would she accept being taken out for a meal. I told her that she had been my angel that day - totally. No, she said, not an angel, but then she said that she did have faith that she would be in the company of angels once she departed this life. Fair play to that, I say. I hope to get back to Ireland, and to be able to thank her in person.
 

Margaret Connor at Downhill Rock

Downhill Rock – is this where the mythical cow was supposedly tethered? I can’t help but note the milk-like colour of the waves.