1. We have clear evidence of the marriage of Elizabeth Speedy to David Johnston Jnr in 1869. On the marriage certificate his father is named as David Johnston Snr and his place of residence is given as Ballymatoskerty. We have a probate document (PRONI) for the will of David Johnston Snr late of Taylorstown who died 26 Oct 1916 with probate granted to Robert Speedy and David Johnston (farmers). We have proof that David Johnston Jnr (b 1848) was in possession of land (21 acres) at Ballymatoskerty, Toomebridge in 1928 (Belfast Gazette listings relating to the N Ireland Land Act and Baron O'Neill). David Johnston (of Ballymatoskerty) and Mrs David Johnston (of Taylorstown) signed the Ulster Covenant in 1928 in the Orange Hall Taylorstown. This David Johnston could be Elizabeth’s husband (David Johnston Snr having died in 1916) but equally it might be her son who was born in 1874. Who is this Mrs David Johnston? There is a suggestion made by various family researchers that David and Elizabeth moved to England at some stage and it is certainly interesting that I have been unable to find civil registration records in Ireland for their death. In the Belfast Gazette (see above) we can find David Johnston renting 11 acres in Annaghmore, Toomebridge in 1928 (in addition to the land at Ballymatoskerty mentioned above) and Mary Jane Johnston (Widow) renting 8 acres in the same place. I wonder whether these people are the same two people who signed the Covenant. Elizabeth’s son David (aged around 54 in 1928) might have taken his widowed and very elderly grandmother along to the Orange Hall to register her opposition to Home Rule. On the other hand, they might have been Elizabeth's son and his wife but if that is the case why would they give different addresses?
2. Griffiths Valn clearly shows that in 1862 Rev William Denham was the tenant of Rev W O'Neill at property No 6 (marked on Valuation map sheet 49) in Artresnahan which corresponds to the current Clover Hill farm. In Griffiths this is described as "house, offices and land" of 25 acres. At the same date a Thomas Speedy was renting from Rev Hugh McIntyre a house in Craigmore township and a Henry Speedy was renting from Rev O'Neill a property ( "house, offices and land" of 9 acres) in Drummaul township. This must have been Henry Snr as Henry Jnr would only have been nine in 1862. We know from numerous ulster directories (eg 1896 Ulster Towns Dir) that Henry Jnr was a farmer living at Clover Hill in Randalstown at the end of the nineteenth century. His father died in 1872 when Henry would have been nineteen. We know that William Denham died on the 14th of July, 1883. There are a two entries for Rev Denham in Ulster Directory showing his address as Clover Hill, Randalstown. The earlier of these is 1877 and the second is in 1880. It should be possible to pin down precisiely when Henry took over the tenancy of property No 6 (presumably from Rev Denham) by referring to the valuers revision note books at PRONI (VAL/12/A/1/7 - 10). The associated maps would be VAL/12/D/1/49 A - C. In the meantime it is reasonable to assume that Henry took on the property on Mr Denham’s death in 1883.
We have clear entries in the 1901 and 1911 Census returns for Henry's presence at Artresnahan. Thompson and Margaret are both shown in the 1901 form but by 1911 Margaret had died and Thompson had emigrated to Canada.
It is clear from the Belfast Gazette entries that by 1927/8 Henry had expanded his land holdings beyond the Clover Hill farm at Artresnahan. Twenty one acres were rented (along with Richard James Craig and George Pearson) in Feehogue. Forty nine acres (two plots) were held in Drummaul townland. Seventy eight acres (four plots) were held in Artresnahan. Presumably Henry had acquired the tenancy of adjoining land to Clover Hill to expand it from 25 acres to 78 acres.
3. The entry in the Griffiths Valuation for Thomas Speedy is intriguing. There is a death registered (at Ballymena) in 1883 for a Thomas Speedy who was apparently born in 1799. He died in Ballymena Workhouse. His occupation is given as "labourer" and he was a widower at the time of his death. Are these two records referring to the same man? A separate question is this - what relationship was he (or were they) to Henry Snr?!
If this was Henry Snr's brother there is a big gap (18 years) between them. Could Thomas have been the father of Henry? It is possible but unlikely. He could quite easily be a cousin.
I have found two other people who are candidates to be close relatives of Henry and/or Thomas.
The death at the age of 70 of Eliza Speedy was recorded at Ballymena in 1888 giving a year of birth of circa 1818. Eliza was a servant and was a widow at her death. She (like Thomas) died in the Ballymena Workhouse.
The death at the age of 78 of Eliza Jane Speedy was recorded at Ballymena in 1900 giving a year of birth of circa 1822. She died at Taylorstown. This place name crops up in relation to Elizabeth Speedie and David Johnston (see note 1 above). Eliza Jane was a spinner of yarn and a spinster.
Other Possible Ancestors
1
James Spedy. The County Tyrone Hearth Money Roll for 1666 (Barony of Dungannon) shows a resident of Killune in Ballyclog Parish named James Spedy.
2
John Spedy. A 1775 Dissenters Petition was signed by a John Spedy of Dungannon Barony. These petitions were sent to the government in London by Presbyterians complaining about discriminatory legislation in favour of the established Anglican minority in Ulster.
3
John Speide. There is a 1639 will recorded in the Connor diocese (which includes Antrim) made by a John Speide of Enver (now called Inver). In his Topographical Dictionery of Ireland, Samuel Lewis describes Inver thus:
“Inver, a parish, in the barony of Lower Belfast, county of Antrim, and province of Ulster, adjoining the post-town of Larne, and containing 953 inhabitants. This parish is situated on the Larne water, and on the shore of Larne Lough, and is bounded on the east by the sea. It is said to have been at a very early period the site of a priory, of which the only remains are the present parish church. During the disturbances of 1798, many of the insurgents made their escape to this place after their defeat in the battle of Antrim. It comprises, according to the Ordnance survey, 1773 statute acres, which are generally in a state of profitable cultivation; there is neither bog nor waste land. “
4
Matthew Speedy (73rd Foot). On the 10th December 1817 a Matthew Speedy was discharged on medical grounds from the army. Matthew was from Stewartstown a few miles to the north east of Dungannon. He had served a total of 10 years and 69 days with the 73rd Foot and was 35 years of age. He was a weaver by trade and was five feet seven inches in height with fair hair and grey eyes. His medical problem was “contraction of the left knee” and he received treatment at Royal Chelsea Hospital. The officer commanding the regiment is stated to be General George Harris. The final part of his service (1814 – 17) was in the East Indies. Note that Ballyclog (see James Spedy above) is near to Stewartstown.
5
Ensign Thomas Spedy (34th Foot)
In the government archives there is the following entry in the Treasury Books:
“Aug 10 1714:
Warrant signed by 20 Lords of the Privy Council dated at his Majesty's Court at St. James's to Charles, Duke of Shrewsbury, as Lord Lieutenant of Ireland or his Deputy to place on the Establishment of Ireland (for the usual half pay allowance as made to Officers of other like disbanded Regiments or Troops) the following lists of Officers of Regiments or Troops disbanded or reduced as follows, “it being usual to allow half pay to the Officers of disbanded Regiments till they are otherwise provided for”: the same to commence from the respective days of being disbanded or reduced.
[There follows a long list of disbanded officers including …]
Col. Thomas Chudleigh's Regiment of Foot at their reducing the 24 Nov 1713.
Staff Officers: Mervin Perry, chaplain; William Paxton, adjutant; Peter Gacoon, surgeon.
Captains: Col. Thomas Chudleigh; Lieut. Col. Richard Cole;Major Geo. Purdon; Captains Chr. Harrison, William Akie, Thomas Garth, James Paynter, Robert Hays, Robert Parsons, Mich. Cole.
Lieutenants: Capt. Lieut. Hugh Plucknett; Lieutenants Walter Yarde, John Mowbery, Timothy White, James Ducas, John Blacker, William Hays, John Lovell, Henry Meggs, (and for the Grenadiers’ Company) William Hamilton and William Waattson.
Ensigns: Nicholas Phillpott, Hen. Sturke, Thomas Parker, Thomas Kittson,
Thomas Spedy, Martin Skip, Thomas Price, Ben Beale, Roger Stearne.”
From: 'Warrant Books: August 1714, 1-14', Calendar of Treasury Books, Volume 29: 1714-1715 (1957), pp. 40-56.
The Regiment in question is the 34th Regiment of Foot. An 1875 book entitled 'A historical account of the services of the 34th & 55th regiments' by G Noakes has an account of the activity of Thomas’s regiment at around this time:
“During the year 1711, the regiment took part in the siege of Bouchain, which capitulated in September, and in 1712 encamped at Cateau-Cambresis, and covered the siege of Quesnoy ; but on a suspension of arms withdrew to Ghent, from whence, on the 4th August, it was detached with other corps to Dunkirk, which had been delivered into the hands of the English as a pledge of the sincerity of the French, who had solicited peace. Here it was stationed until the peace of Utrecht, when it returned to England, and in consequence of a great reduction in the army, was ordered to be disbanded and the officers placed upon half-pay. This reduction included all the regiments from the 30th to the 39th ; in fact, all which had been raised after the peace of Ryswick in 1697, except the 28th and 29th Regiments.
On the 1st August, 1714, Queen Anne died, and the Elector of Hanover ascended the throne as George I. He, however, was not suffered to enjoy it long in quietness. Some of the Pretender's friends commenced agitating on his behalf, and the Earl of Mar went so far as to raise the standard of rebellion. The king thereupon augmented his forces by re- storing several of the reduced regiments and in the summer of 1715 the 34th was restored to its old place in the army, under its former commander, Colonel Thomas Chudleigh, but remained in England until 1717, when it was moved over to Ireland, where it was quartered until the early part of 1719.
Although the rebellion in Scotland had so signally failed, Spain continued to sympathize with the Pretender, and despatched six thousand men to aid his cause in the north ; but the expedition was scattered by a storm off Cape Finisterre, and the British Government, by way of reprisal, sent Lord Cobham to the Spanish coast, with which force the 34th embarked in September, 1719, and sailed from the Isle of Wight. The fleet entered Vigo harbour on the 29th, seized seven Spanish ships, and landed the troops the next day, who forced the garrisons of both Vigo and San Sebastian to surrender, and captured a great quantity of arms, ammunition, and stores, most of which had been prepared for the service of the Pretender.
Returning to England, the 34th proceeded to Ireland, where it remained until the beginning of 1727, when it embarked for Gibraltar, then besieged by a Spanish army under the Count de la Torres. Unfortunately, a storm so damaged the transports as to necessitate their return to Plymouth. Only six companies of the 34th reached port, the remainder of the regiment having been lost in the storm ; but shortly after- wards they resumed the voyage, and, in company with the 25th Regiment, arrived at Gibraltar on the 26th March, and were soon followed by other corps.
After a very gallant defence, and the endurance of a tremendous cannonade from the besiegers, they were rewarded by the cessation of hostilities on the part of the Spaniards, who it appears had caused themselves more damage than they had done the garrison, and who now left Gibraltar until a more convenient season. In 1728, on the conclusion of peace, the 34th returned to Ireland, and remained there, " conspicuous for its good conduct in quarters," until the autumn of 1739, when it was ordered to England. “
I managed to find another reference to Thomas in a publication called Notes & Queries (1917). In this Major JH Leslie had reproduced lists of officers serving with various regiments in 1740.
Here we discover that Thomas received his first commission as an ensign on 1 Dec 1709, became a lieutenant on 18 July 1718 and by 1731 had risen to the rank of Captain.
Another government document revealed Thomas’s salary in 1715 when still an ensign as £27, 7, 6. For comparison Col. Chudleigh’s pay was £146, 0, 0. Captains at that time were receiving £54, 15, 0.
From: 'Warrant Books: July 1715, 1-5', Calendar of Treasury Books, Volume 29: 1714-1715 (1957), pp. 575-612.
