A bit more Detail

In July 2011 I paid my second visit to PRONI having drawn a blank the year before and checked out the following records without success:

• Presbyterian Church Bellaghy
• Church of Ireland Drummaul Parish
• Hearth Money Roll and Poll Tax records for Co Antrim
• O'Neill rentals for Moneravady Estate including 1826 maps
• Index to pre-1858 wills and administrations
• Taylorstown school records
• Tithe applotment books of 1834 for Drummaul parish

I also got part way through the 1669 HMR for Drummaul Parish but still need to check item T307/2

Checking of the microfilmed records of Grange Presbyterian church produced baptisms of the children of David Johnston and Elizabeth Speedie.

I also found the transcription from the will of Henry Jnr.

So as things stand I still havent discovered further info about the three key people:

Henry Speedie Snr

Thomas Speedie

John Speedie

We know that all three were present in the area in the latter half of the 19th century and yet no trace has been found in the O'Neill etate records of circa 1826, the 1834 tithe books, the pre-1840 freeholder lists or the pre-1858 wills index!

I still need to finish checking the HMR for Drummaul parish of 1669 and various estate records including the 1835 valuation books and maps. If this turns up nothing it would tend to suggest these people having moved to Co Antrim (perhaps from Scotland) some time between 1834 and 1865. We have firm evidence of a Speedy family in the Dungannon area from the 17th century through to the 19th century and there is a possibility of a link with them.

It would be great to discover a will or marriage records relating directly to the three men. Nothing is known about Thomas but we do know that Henry and John were married. I will now take a look at the PRONI marriage license bonds for the diocese of Connor and Dromore which cover the period 1721 to 1845.

Summary of Findings so Far

We have a will in 1639 for a John Speide of Enver (Inver) in Connor diocese (this is near Larne)

We have a James Spedy in the Hearth Money Roll of 1666 in Dungannon barony in Co Tyrone (Ballyclog parish)

We know that a John Spedy of Dungannon barony signed a dissenters petition in 1775

We have no pre-1800 traces of Speedys elsewhere.

We have Matthew Speedy of Tamlough (ie Tamlacht near Dungannon) Co Tyrone discharged from the army in 1816 aged 33.  Matthew's home parish is interesting.  Here is a description of Tamlacht "Tamlaght was erected a parish in 1783, by Primate Robinson, by separating 6 townlands from the parish of Ballyclog, in the barony of Dungannon, and 5.50 from that of Ballinderry, in the barony of Loughinsholin : the Primate also built the church and purchased the glebe with which he endowed it, together with the tithes of the 11.50 townlands. The living is a rectory, in the diocese of Armagh, and in the patronage of the Lord-Primate; the tithes amount to £200."  Note the Ballyclog connection with James Spedy above!

There are no entries for Speedy in the pre-1840 freeholder lists (people entitled to vote) although it must be remembered that your freehold had to be worth at least forty shillings per annum to be entitled to vote.

Apart from the above, the earliest records are entries in Griffiths Valuation for 1862 for Henry and Thomas Speedy in Drummaul Parish, Co Antrim.  Henry in Drummaul townland and Thomas in Craigmore.  There is also a record of a marriage in Ballymena in 1879 of a John Speedy (labourer aged 26) to Margaret Allen in which the groom’s father (labourer) is also called John Speedy.  This man would be of a similar age to Henry Snr.  We have a record of the death of a Thomas Speedie in 1883 at 84 years of age which makes his year of birth 1799. This could be the Thomas at Craigmore.  We do not know the places of birth of Thomas, John or Henry Snr.

The only results for Speedy in the index of wills for 1858 onwards are Henry Speedie (Jnr) in 1929 and Sarah Speedy in 1935.  Henry’s will states that he died 26^th June 1929.  The gross value of his estate was £529-6-9 and estate duty of £34-6-0 was due.  His solicitor was James Craig of Antrim Town.