Pilkingtons of Gower House, Kilrush

[katrina]

I'm hoping forum readers can suggest some sources to search please.
An old family tree which has been handed down through the family has lots of names, but very few dates & details.
On it there is a Richard Pilkington (dates unknown), son of Thomas Pilkington (1742 - 1817) & Susanna Brew. Richard married Maria Blood, daughter of Neptune, in 1805. I believe he lived at Gower House, Kilrush (according to Hugh Weir's book). However, according to sources listed in www.thepeerage.com (Burkes Irish Family Records), he lived at Roxborough, Co Galway. The tree I have gives the following information on the children of Richard & Maria:
Walter - went to America
Thomas - died unmarried
Frederick - lost in Arctic expedition
Neptune
Edward - went to America
Alfred - killed in an outrage
Richard
Susan
Maria

If the parents married in 1805, I am assuming these children would have all been born between 1805 & 1825-ish. I have been checking various sources to try and identify them further.

I think that the man 'killed in an outrage' is actually Thomas, rather than Alfred. I have come across the following:

Agrarian Conflict in Clare: 1815 - 1831
By Michael MacMahon
The Terry Alts and Escalating Violence
Tithe
When the Catholic Association became a mass movement in the 1820s sectarian tensions became more apparent. Catholics now had a framework for political protest and when O’Connell swept to victory in the by-election of 1828 they knew that, properly organised, they could challenge the establishment. In their new-found confidence the payment of tithe to the Established Church became a serious bone of contention which sometimes fermented to violence. In Mountshannon, for instance, where there was a sizeable Protestant population, attacks on Protestants were frequent. In Kiltoraght parish, near Kilfenora, when the rector, Rev. Mr. Davouren peremptorily distrained the property of some parishioners who had fallen into arrears, a bitter outbreak of sectarian protest ensued. In July, 1829, timber and other materials which the Rev. Davouren had purchased for a new Protestant school were set on fire, and in the following month his parish clerk, Thomas Pilkington, was savagely beaten while bringing home his master’s turf from the bog. He died within a few weeks from his injuries. [36] The Rev. Davouren himself was subjected to harassment and boycott which eventually forced him to leave the district.
Ref [36] Clare Journal 24 August 1829
Above article taken from: http://www.clarelibrary.ie/eolas/coclar ... tes.htm#36

and

18 June 1839
Information given by Tomkins Brew, Police Magistrate, under examination regarding the state of unrest in County Clare.
Sessional Papers of House of Lords. “On the State of Ireland in Respect of Crime”
Google Books
12750. Do you remember the murder of Mr. Pilkington?
Yes; He was a Tithe Proctor, and the Clerk of the Reverend Mr. Davon.
12751. What was the cause of that murder?
He was a Tithe Proctor, and the People on that account did not like him; and they met him and gave him a Beating, of which he died: they fractured his skull.

I have searched irishnewsarchive.com for any reference to this event in 1829, but Clare Journal isn't included in these archives. Can anyone tell me if it is possible to search Clare Journal archives on-line? Or, would there be a record of an inquest anywhere?

Regarding Frederick 'lost in Arctic expedition', again, I have searched for newspaper references without success. I have been reading about any Arctic expeditions in the mid-1800's. There was a William Pilkington on the ill-fated lost Sir John Franklin expedition, but I haven't yet found any specific information which would even indicate if he was Irish or not.

Lastly, any suggestions on where to look for migration to America in this time period?
Thank you for any suggestions on where to look for more on any of the above.
Incidentally, I agree with a recent poster - this forum is very annoying in the way that you can't submit post without re-logging on and losing your post. I've learnt the hard way to copy and paste!

[smcarberry]

Sorry that your sources to date have provided information that seems inconsistent. I suggest that your first priority is to establish the birth dates of the Pilkington children in the 1805-1824 range. If you can't locate the church of their baptisms, then you will likely find mention of their births in one or the other of these compilations:

Author: Rosemary ffolliott - on microfiche, at major libraries including the Clare County Library
"Index to Biographical Notices Collected from Newspapers, Principally Relating to Cork and Kerry, 1756-1827"
"Index to Biographical Notices in the Newspapers of Limerick, Ennis, Clonmel and Waterford, 1758-1821"

These are not mere indexes but rather all the major details of a news item are provided. Unfortunately for births, the item is likely something like "Births --The wife of Thomas Pilkington, of a son, at ___" However, at least that you get a date and a gender. You likely also will see other important events reported for this prominent a family, such as property acquisitions and transfers, deaths, etc. - all good to know when you need to distinguish these people from others of the same surname.

Once you have information as complete as possible on the children, then you are ready to look for the two who reportedly went to North America. I have seen a prospect for Edward in New York.

I don't know where you are located, so I can't suggest more sources. If you are not in Clare or near Chicago (USA), you might try asking the Clare library staff to send a photocopy or scan of the ffolliott section on Pilkington, which shouldn't be more than one or two pages.

Sharon Carberry, USA

[pwaldron]

I have the following in my notes from the Church of Ireland registers of Kilrush (originals in RCB library in Dublin):

Page 28 Christenings 1804
No. 30 March 22nd 1805 baptized by Revd. John Graham, Bridget
a natural daughter of Richard Pilkington of Gower

I have not read the whole register, so it may contain other references.

[katrina]

Thanks for your suggestions Sharon. I am in Australia, & have now contacted Clare Library re the ffolliott index - 14 pages of Pilkington entries, apparently!
I think I may have found 3 of Richard & Maria's children from their deaths in the Civil Registration Index, so I will probably order photocopies of these certificates to see what else comes up.
Then of course there is the 'extra' one that Paddy has thrown into the mix!!