Person Page 154

In the marriage settlement William was said to be from Ballykillcaven [sic, but Hibernian Magazine spells it Kilcaven] in Queen’s County, documenting a connection between Templeraney where he was born, and Queen's County. A search in Irish Townlands reveals that Ballykilcavan was in Curraclone parish, near Athy. William and Sarah had no family.

For further information see the citations below.^2,3

For further information see the citations below.^1,2

For further information see the citations below.^1,2

For further information see the citations below.^1,2

She was the daughter of Thomas Chaytor of Dublin.

For further information see the citations below.^2,3

She was from Mount Pleasant in County Carlow at the time of her marriage; Hibernian Magazine index says of "co. Carlow, in St Andrew's St". Buried in Garrett family plot, Fenagh Parish, Carlow: “Here lieth the Remains of Mrs. Sarah Meredith relict of the late William Meredith of Templerainey Esq. County Wicklow and daughter of the late Thos Garrett Janeville Esq. who depd. this life the 11th day of Augst. 1822 in the 64th year of her age.”.²

For further information see the citations below.^3,4

He was an Anglo-Irish clergyman, Doctor of Divinity, Fellow of Trinity College, Dublin, and a mathematician. He is best remembered for his association with the poet Charles Wolfe and as the subject of a ghost story related in True Irish Ghost Stories and Memorials to the Dead.

He served as rector of Ardtrea, Diocese of Armagh, County Tyrone, Ireland. His entry in "Alumni Dublinensis" (1863) notes that he entered TCD 2 May 1791, age 16; son of Ralph, Pragmaticus (solicitor); born Dublin; Sch 1793, BA 1795, Fellow 1805, MA est 1805, BD 1811, DD est 1812. [died 27 Apr 1819].

The date of death in this entry appears to be incorrect, as several sources give 2 May 1819, including his death announcement in Freemans Journal and the monumental inscription in Ardtrea Church.⁵

William attended Trinity College in 1798, completing the BA in 1800. He never married. His will was dated 17 Sep 1818. William's family did not inherit his estate, and contested the will. The report of one of those suits notes: "... the deceased died on Sunday, the 20th of the same month [September], of a typhus fever, which became alarming on the Monday before; he died a bachelor, leaving a mother, brother and one sister, Mrs. Allen."

John Meredith was a Dublin solicitor at the time his sons John Cooke and William Rice entered Trinity College in 1825 and 1829.

For further information see the citations below.²

Ralph was a Captain in Her Majesty's 6th Foot. He took part in the Peninsular War.

For further information see the citations below.^2,3

He was recorded as a slave owner in 1817 in St Vincent, jointly with a Benjamin Halloway, and then solely in various registers from 1822 to 1834.

He was said to be an army officer when his sons enrolled in Trinity College in 1855 and 1857. A biography of his son Ralph indicates he was the Staff Officer of Pensions. He was made Captain on 1 October 1850.
The Griffiths has a Boyle Meredith listed in the townland of Duntahane, Fermoy parish, County Cork--assume this is the same man.

Tombstone inscription online :
"In Memory of | BOYLE MEREDITH | Captain Unattached | Late of | The 13th (Prince Albert’s) Light Infantry | who died at Bray 3rd March 1873 | aged 84 | “Lord, now lettest Thou | thy servant depart in peace” | St. Luke 2. 29"

His middle name of Roche was given on his son George Vincent’s marriage certificate.^4,5

For further information see the citations below.²

For further information see the citations below.³

For further information see the citations below.^1,2

Thomas was granted 100 acres of land in Kilkenny township, Montcalm county, Lower Canada (Quebec), 19 November 1832 (p. 282, Letters Patent, Book M). He graduated in medicine from McGill University (Montreal, Canada) in 1842 and then returned to Ireland. Thomas never married.

For further information see the citations below.^2,3

For further information see the citations below.¹

For further information see the citations below.¹

For further information see the citations below.³

For further information see the citations below.^2,3

For further information see the citations below.³

For further information see the citations below.¹

For further information see the citations below.^1,3

John enrolled in Trinity College 7 November 1825, at the age of 16. He completed the BA in 1830 (Alumni Dublinensis).

The following biographical notes were in his family Bible:
1809: John Cooke Meredith natus May 9th
1819: Sept. 5th sent to Hamilton's school
1823: Jan. 13 sent to Behane school
1825: November 7th Entered Trinity College and obtained 13th place from 109 Candidates
1827: A. C. Meredith Obit. August 10th [identity of this person not known: smh]; appears to say age 16y, 1m, 10 d--perhaps a sibling?
1828: November 12th entered a student at King's Inns. Entrance [pounds] 46, 5, 4.
1829: Feby 16th to July 1st Recd. 21 lessons in shorthand
1829: Aug. 10th B[essie?] Meredith Obit [also unknown]
1829: December 10th weighed 10 stone 7 lbs
1830: Graduated on February 23rd as a Bachelor of Arts, having obtained 12 examinations
1830: May 3rd sailed from Kingston for England
1830: July 6th returned to Dublin
1831: February 14th weighed 11 stone 2 lbs
1831: April 30th sailed for Liverpool
1831: May 4th admitted a member of Gray's Inn office 33-7-6
1831: June 25th admitted a member of the Eccentric Club Marz Building
1831: June 30th prosecuted A. Hyde
1831: July 3rd sailed for Dublin
1831: July 16th my father and mother sailed for Liverpool

The following is an excerpt from the obituary for his son, published in the London Free Press, 29 October 1945:
[Meredith] was a family name well known in this city almost since its beginning, and for many years, as the result of the attainments of the group of brothers, one of the most prominent in the Dominion. The Merediths, originally Welsh, entered Ireland about 1600. John Cook Meredith, father of Thomas G. Meredith and his seven brothers and four sisters, was early in his life seized with the wander-spirit of youth. Although the son of a Dublin solicitor and a graduate of Trinity College, Dublin, he elected a backwoods farm near what is now Glanworth as the arena in which he would work out his future. He crossed the Atlantic in 1834.
Subsequently he was deputy collector of customs at Port Stanley, became market clerk here when London was a town of 5,000 and in 1847 became clerk of the Division Court of Middlesex, a position he held until his death, a victim of the Victoria disaster on the Thames River. He was married to Miss Sarah Pegler.
A major source of information on the family of John W C Meredith was: Clarke, B. F. (1978). Case studies of the London elite. Unpublished M.A. Thesis, University of Western Ontario.

For further information see the citations below.^3,4

He was called to the bar in 1840 and established a law practice in Dublin. The Dublin City Directories of 1850 lists him at 10 Rutland Street. In 1864, 1878 and 1880 he was listed at 39 Summer Hill. He was a member of the Law Society of Ireland and the Solicitor's Benevolent Association.

His obituary appeared in the Belfast News-Letter of 22 October 1888 (pg. 5) as follows:
“Mr William Rice Meredith, a highly esteemed member of the solicitors’ profession, died on Saturday in Dublin. His advanced age and declining health induced him to retire some few years ago from the active practice of his profession, and his business, which was at one time considerable, devolved upon his son. He conducted in his time several cases of great public interest, notably the litigation on behalf of Rev. Mr. O’Keefe against Cardinal Cullen and Bishop Walsh. Mr. Meredith was a man esteemed for his integrity and principle, and he has left his good name as a heritage to his sons, three of whom are well known in legal circles, and one in particular as a leading member of the junior bar.”

He wrote a letter to Sir William Betham, the Ulster King of Arms, which gives an interesting insight into what the Meredith family knew about their ancestry and what they conjectured. The letter included a sketch showing that the family believed they were descended from John the brother of Richard Meredith the Bishop of Leighlin. The transcription of the letter (which has one or two illegible phrases) is as follows:

“Instructions on behalf of the Descendants of the late Ralph Meredith for making out the Pedigree of this family.
For Sir William Betham, Ulster King of Arms
William R Meredith. 31 Upper Dorset Street
Instructions for making out the Pedigree of the descendants of Ralph Meredith late of the City of Dublin Notary Public deceased.
The tradition of the family with respect to this pedigree, is, that there were 3 brothers natives of Wales, of whom one was a Bishop, another a General and the third the youngest a private Gentleman, that this youngest brother formed an imprudent match with a Miss Lamb in consequence of which he incurred the displeasure of his family and that to avoid their constant reproaches he came over to Ireland with his Lady and settled in the County of Wicklow upon the property of the Howards. The earliest record, that, indisputably, refers to their pedigree which the family have been able to discover, is the Will of Mathias Meredith, the Grandfather of said Ralph Meredith, who it appears was a farmer in the County of Wicklow in Ireland under the Howards of the lands of Templeraney and Carrisole(?), his Will was made and proved in the year 1729 in the Consistory Court of Dublin. From the contents of this orthography [--unclear--] it would seem that he was not a man of education, the only real property mentioned in it is a lease which he had of the lands of Templeraney and Carricole(?), he left 3 sons, Mathias Edward and John, the two first died without issue, the last was the father of said Ralph Meredith. From the time of Mathias down to the present, the pedigree is sufficiently known, but antecedent to Mathias, it is involved in complete obscurity. It is conjectured that the Bishop of Leighlin and Ferns who died in 1597 was one of the 3 brothers, the reasons which the family assign to this, are in the first place, that, so far as they have been able to ascertain, this gentleman was the only one of his name who was a Bishop. secondly that they have always heard that they were connected with the families of Sir Henry Meredyth and Sir Joshua Meredith who are [--unclear--] descendants of the Bishop of Leighlin and Ferns. It Must be observed however that the tradition of the family does not say that the Bishop the brother of their ancestor ever came over to Ireland. It appears that the Bishop of Leighlin and Ferns had a brother of the name of John Meredith who resided in Ireland, the Will of the latter was proved in the Consistory Court of Dublin in the year 1596. In it he expressly calls the Bishop of Leighlin & Ferns his brother, and he appoints him overseer of his Will, the Will is now so mutilated that it is very difficult to read it, but sufficient of it remains to show that this John Meredith was not possessed of much property. Two children are mentioned in the Will, John and Maria. The history of both these where they lived or died or whether or not they left any issue is involved in utter obscurity. It is conjectured however that his son John Meredith was one of the lineal ancestors of Mathias Meredith. It may not be amiss to observe here that the proving of the will of John Meredith in the Consistory Court of Dublin was not in-consistent with his having possessed property in the County of Wicklow, because the lands of Templeraney and Carricole(?) are in the Diocese of Dublin. There is no mention however of these lands in his Will, so far as it can now be said. The Will of the Bishop of Leighlin and Ferns the [unclear] have not seen, it is not improbable but it may throw some light on the history of John & Maria, his nephew and niece. Sir Wlliam Betham will have the goodness to look into this view, It appears from the Registry of the Ulster office that John Meredith brother of Bishop Meredith was buried in the burial place of the latter on the 26th of December 1596. The Register of burials in Patrick’s Cathedral has been examined but there is no entry in it of the burial of John & Maria or of any descendants of John Meredith the Bishop’s brother. It would appear that with the exception of John Meredith and Sir Amos Meredith, none of the descendants of the Bishop were buried in his burial place. [--section crossed out--] no information can be obtained from it. The Register of the Parish of Rathdrum was also destroyed at the same period. Sir William Betham will have the goodness to try and make out the pedigree and commissions of the [--unclear--] family. The adjoined sketch of their pedigrees is drawn in accordance with their conjectures as above stated.“

Subsequently, an entry appears in the Miscellaneous Search Notes of Genealogical Office Manuscript no. 815, which appears to refer to the claims made in this letter, and concludes that there is no evidence of the descent from John Meredith the Bishop of Leighlin’s brother. A partial transcription of the entry follows:

“The Pedigree of the family of Meredith was registered in Vol, XX pp. 64.65.  It is undated but the fees were paid 7 June 1842.   It purports to deduce the descent from John Meredith son of Robert ap Grono and brother of Richard Bishop of Leighlin. This John Meredith brother of the Bishop was buried in St Patricks Cathedral 26 Dec 1596 as appears from his Funeral Entry where his Arms are recorded:- Gules on a Chevron between three Goats heads erased [?] Or, as many trefoils of the last [?] – the same Arms as those recorded for the Bishop.  From his will dated 24 Dec 1596 he appears to have had a wife named Tomasine, an only son John his executor and an only daughter Mary. Nothing further is known of these children. But according to the Pedigree, John the son is represented as the father of three sons John Edward and Thomas of St Peters Parish Dublin of whom Edward of Bow Lane (buried at St Peters 26 Dec 1696 100 years after his grandfathers death) is said to have had five wives, and by the 2nd of these Ruth who was buried at St Peters 25 Nov 1671 had two sons Matthias Thomas and Margaret [—].    It is evident from the rough draft of the Pedigree in the Office that there is no proof whatsoever that John Meredith executor of his father’s will in 1596 was ever married or left issue.   . . . . . The pedigree appears to be correct from Mathias Meredith of Templerany down, but there is no evidence that Mathias was the son of Edward Meredith of Bow Lane, his name does not occur in the Register of St Peters Church.  It would also seem that there were two persons named Edward Meredith in St Peters Parish.”.^5,6

Her marriage certificate names her father as Edward Standish. Isabella Agnes Standish was adopted by her Aunt Catherine Carew nee Ryan, wife of John Edward Lincoln Carew, who was the son of Rev. Walter and Jane Carew of Grenada, West Indies.

Inscription in Mount Jerome cemetery:
ERECTED
by
her fondly loved
and adopted child
ISABELLA A. MEREDITH
to the memory
of her beloved aunt
CATHERINE
widow of the late
JOHN Fd LINCOLN CAREW Esq.
she died Sept. 22 1869
aged 71 years
she magnified that saviour
whom she loved and trusted
both by her life and by her death
CATHERINE C. MEREDITH
Nov. 25th 1870
ADELAIDE G. MEREDITH
died Feb. 12th 1902
Daughters of
WILLIAM RICE
and
ISABELLA AGNES MEREDITH.^4,5