Margaret Brew, 19th century Kilrush authoress

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pwaldron
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Margaret Brew, 19th century Kilrush authoress

Post by pwaldron » Fri Mar 08, 2013 1:28 am

The reference to a `gifted authoress' in this death notice in Senan Scanlan's collection, from the Clare Journal of 15 Jan 1846, begged to be investigated further:
Death: On Sunday evening at Kilrush in the 65th year of his age William Brew Esq.--- He was for many years Postmaster of that town. -- Father of the gifted authoress resident in that locality. ---
(The CJ of 19 Jan 1846 carried a correction:
Our statement of the age of the late Mr. Wm. Brew of Kilrush was erroneously stated at 65 ,it should have been 62.)

According to Introduction to the Post Offices of County Clare, Ireland (1989), by John Mackey and Tony Cassidy (p.24), William Brew had succeeded Austin Clossey as postmaster only in 1843. He was succeeded by Mrs Michael Brew (1846) and then Michael Brew (1847-1853).

The authoress's name was Margaret W Brew.

She is listed (p.39) in The poets of Ireland; a biographical and bibliographical dictionary of Irish writers of English verse (1912) by David James O'Donoghue at
http://archive.org/details/cu31924029566530 :
BREW, MISS M. W. — Wrote verse for Irish Monthly during recent years,
and was the author of two Irish novels, "The Burtons of Dunroe,"
London, 1880, and "Chronicles of Castle Cloyne," London, 1885. Died
a few years ago.
This was the second edition of a book published twenty years earlier, leaving some ambiguity as to her year of death.

She is also listed (p.41) in Ireland in fiction; a guide to Irish novels, tales, romances, and folk-lore (1919) by Stephen James Meredith Brown, at
http://archive.org/details/irelandinfiction00browuoft :
BREW, Margaret W.
A Co. Clare lady, who wrote much for the IRISH MONTHLY
and other Irish periodicals. Brew and Burton are well-known Clare names.

246 THE BURTONS OF DUNROE. Three Vols. Pp. 934. (Tinsley). 1880.

Scene: Munster c. 1810, also Dublin and (in third vol.) Spain, when the hero,
William Burton, takes part in the Peninsula War. Robert marries beneath him,
and is disinherited by disappointed father, who has meant him for his cousin
Isabella. Rose, Robert's wife, dies. Robert goes to the wars, and returns covered
with glory to marry Isabel and settle down in respectable prosperity. Conventional
and a little dull. Much brogue as comic relief to the prevailing appeal to the
tender feelings. Catholic in tone.

247 CHRONICLES OF CASTLE CLOYNE. Three Vols. (Chapman & Hall).
1886.

Highly praised by the TIMES, the STANDARD, ithe MORNING POST, the SCOTSMAN,
&c., &c. The IRISH MONTHLY says: "It is an excellent Irish tale, full of truth
and sympathy, without any harsh caricaturing on the one hand, or any patronising
sentimentality on the other. The heroine, Oonagh M'Dermott, the Dillons, Pat
Flanagan, and Father Rafferty are the principal personages, all excellent portraits
in their way; and some of the minor characters are very happily drawn. The
conversation of the humbler people is full of wit and common sense; and the
changes of the story give room for pathos sometimes as a contrast to the humour
which predominates. Miss Brew understands well the Irish heart and language;
and altogether her "Pictures of Munster Life" (for this is the second title of the
tale) is one of the most satisfactory additions to the store of Irish fiction from
Castle Rackrent to Marcella Grace." Pictures of the Famine, a country wedding,
a wake, etc.


She is not listed at
http://www.ricorso.net/rx/az-data/authors/b/index.htm

Both of Margaret Brew's novels were republished by Garland in 1979.

On 7 Aug 1996, in a talk at the Yeats Summer School, Dr Margaret Kelleher of the Mater Dei Institute mentioned The Chronicles of Castle Cloyne among a number of now-forgotten novels which took the Famine as their subject, and noted that Margaret Brew `was concerned with the sufferings of landlords.' (See Irish Times, 8 Aug 1996.)

There is only one Margaret W Brew in Ireland, Civil Registration Deaths Index, 1864-1958:

Name: Margaret W Brew
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1822
Date of Registration: Jan-Feb-Mar 1894
Death Age: 72
Registration district: Mountmellick
Death Country: Ireland
Volume: 3
Page: 419
FHL Film Number: 101598

There are several other possible matches without the middle initial.

Does anyone out there know anything else about her?

Lucille
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Re: Margaret Brew, 19th century Kilrush authoress

Post by Lucille » Fri Mar 08, 2013 11:22 am

Paddy

The books you mention are in the NLI - there may be some biographical information in them, though i think the library usually remove the dust jackets. I'll have a look next week

Lucille

mcreed
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Re: Margaret Brew, 19th century Kilrush authoress

Post by mcreed » Fri Mar 08, 2013 12:00 pm

I wonder is she the 'Mrs Brew', author of "Letters by Mrs.Brew,of Ennis,Ireland,and by The Rev.H.Price,of Needwood parsonage,England : Relative To an Atrocious Charge Brought by The Former Against The Latter / Mrs.Brew and Rev.H.Price" published in 1836.

On the offchance I searched the Clare Library catalogue and discovered it at
http://opac.clarelibrary.ie/search/a?SE ... rchscope=1

pwaldron
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Re: Margaret Brew, 19th century Kilrush authoress

Post by pwaldron » Fri Mar 08, 2013 1:36 pm

Thanks Lucille and mcreed for the extra information. Miss Brew's books (1979 reprints) are also in TCD Library, from which I hope I'll be able to borrow them. The Mrs Brew item will be worth a read next time I'm in Ennis!

longlocks
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Re: Margaret Brew, 19th century Kilrush authoress

Post by longlocks » Fri Mar 08, 2013 2:22 pm

Regarding your comment

"She is not listed at
http://www.ricorso.net/rx/az-data/authors/b/index.htm"

Yes, she is!

There is just a typo on the page and her entry is run together with that of
Bress, Charles (Sir).

The link to her page is:
http://www.ricorso.net/rx/az-data/autho ... M/life.htm

longlocks
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Re: Margaret Brew, 19th century Kilrush authoress

Post by longlocks » Fri Mar 08, 2013 5:37 pm

Are you aware of the connection between Mary Studdert wife of Thomas Gibson and William Brew of Leadmore House, Kilrush?

Her obit was published in the Irish American Weekly (New York, NY); Sat 11 Jun 1887; Page 5. See http://tinyurl.com/aqbjjlt

Mrs. T. Gibson is Mary Studdert daughter of Thomas Studdert Esq of Danganelly House, Cooraclare and SISTER of the Elizabeth "Eliza" Studdert who married William Brew of Leadmore House, Kilrush. William Brew and Elizabeth "Eliza" Studdert had at least two sons, the second of which was Thomas Studdert Brew who married on 19 Nov 1885 to Alice Julian Wren in St. Georges CofI Church in Dublin. "King's Inns Admission Papers" state: "Thomas Studdert Brew, Second son of William, Leadmore House, Kilrush, County and Eliza Studdert; under 22, educated at Ennis College, affidavit Jonas Studdert, uncle, Easter Term, 1862".

The son P. W. Gibson mentioned in Mrs. Gibson's obit is none other than Patrick William Gibson who eventually became Mayor of Jersey City NJ in 1882 and who I gather from your facebook post at

http://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_f ... 4346277514 ended up buried in Burmuda?

Is the authoress Margaret W. Brew possibly the daughter of Elizabeth "Eliza" Studdert and William Brew of Leadmore House? Sister to Thomas Studdert Brew who married Alice Julian Wren and first cousin to Patrick William Gibson former Jersey City Mayor buried down in Burmuda? Something's off here though - seems as though I am missing a generation or something??
Attachments
gibson_t_mrs_1887_obit.jpg
Obituary of Mary Studdert, daughter of Thomas Studdert [Studdart?] Esq of Danganelly House, Cooraclare, SISTER of the late Mrs. William Brew of Leadmore House, WIFE of Thomas Gibson, Mother of: Thomas James Gibson, P. W. Gibson (agent for Guion Steamers NYC), M. S. Gibson (Chairman Kilrush Board of Guardians), and Mrs. Michael Hynes (of Kilrush).
gibson_t_mrs_1887_obit.jpg (185.75 KiB) Viewed 46238 times

pwaldron
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Re: Margaret Brew, 19th century Kilrush authoress

Post by pwaldron » Fri Mar 08, 2013 6:17 pm

Thanks for all that, Kathy.

The authoress's father William Brew died in 1846 in the 62nd year of his age; Eliza Studdert's husband William Brew(s) died in 1885 aged 79 (see
http://www.clarelibrary.ie/eolas/coclar ... ptions.htm ) so they were of different generations. I don't know the parents of either William, so I wont speculate as to how they might have been related.

Rev. Richard Brew, Rector of Tulla, suggested by ricorso.net as Margaret's father, did not marry until 3 May 1832 (in Kilrush, to Maria Parkinson of Broomhill). So could we have two different Brew authoresses? A gap of 34 years between the reference to an authoress in an 1846 obituary and the publication of Margaret's first documented novel in 1880 is strange.

Rev. Richard's children, four sons, are listed at
http://brew.clients.ch/RichardClare.htm
I suspect that he also had daughters who are omitted from that pedigree.

I very much doubt the suggestion reported at ricorso.net that the authoress was Catholic from birth, even if her sympathies in later life may have lain in that direction. Her sister Honora (also daughter of William the Kilrush postmaster) was married (to a fellow Brew, her father's successor as postmaster) in Kilrush Church of Ireland in 1847.

longlocks
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Re: Margaret Brew, 19th century Kilrush authoress

Post by longlocks » Sat Mar 09, 2013 3:10 pm

A gap of 34 years between the reference to an authoress in an 1846 obituary and the publication of Margaret's first documented novel in 1880 is strange
My thinking exactly! Something's not 'kosher' here.

Also that one reference from 1912 saying that she'd died just a few years ago doesn't 'jive' with that 1894 death record that you located. 18 years isn't a "few" in my mind. Having said that though if that reference is correct she ought to be in the 1901 census somewhere!

I'll dig around some more and see what I can find; I love a mystery :wink:

pwaldron
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Re: Margaret Brew, 19th century Kilrush authoress

Post by pwaldron » Sun Mar 10, 2013 1:39 am

Thanks to JSTOR, a few bits and pieces from The Irish Monthly:

Our Silver Jubilee Index
The Irish Monthly , Vol. 27, No. 315 (Sep., 1899), pp. 499-500
Published by: Irish Jesuit Province
Article Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/20499494
This index "has been
furnished to certain libraries which were known to possess and
maintain a complete set of the annual volumes of The Irish
Monthly since the year 1873."
"We wish to commemorate with gratitude those amongst our
friends and helpers who have passed away from this mortal life,
during the twenty-five years represented in this index. In
the list of contributors- R.I.P. may be written after the follow-
ing names which we take in order as they happen first to occur in
the Index. We give in many instances the date of birth and
death.
... Margaret Brew; ... [one of very few without dates!]

Also mentions in:

Spectres of the Famine
Chris Morash
The Irish Review (1986-), No. 17/18 (Winter, 1995), pp. 74-79
"when describing a
character suffering from starvation in her 1885 Famine novel, The
Chronicles of Castle Cloyne, Margaret Brew writes: 'his body, which had
been a powerful one, was so destitute of flesh, so gaunt and bony, that
it was nothing but an animated skeleton'."

The Oxford Companion to Irish Literature by Robert Welch; Bruce Stewart
Review by: Michael McAteer
The Irish Review (1986-), No. 19 (Spring - Summer, 1996), pp. 129-132
"entries appear for a number of women writers
of the nineteenth-century whose work has received little attention including
... Margaret Brew"


Canonicity: The Literature of Nineteenth-Century Ireland
James H. Murphy
New Hibernia Review / Iris Éireannach Nua, Vol. 7, No. 2 (Summer, 2003), pp. 45-54
"Between the Famine and the end of the century,
some fourteen novels and a hundred poems were written about the Famine in
English. Three approaches can be discerned which see the Famine in terms of
apocalypse, of progress, and of claiming the dead. De Vere's "Ireland in 1851" is
an example of the first. Trollope's Castle Richmond (1860), Annie Keary's Castle
Daly (1875) and Margaret Brew's The Chronicles of Castle (1885) are instances of
the second. John Mitchel's writings illustrate the third."
Last edited by pwaldron on Sun Mar 24, 2013 6:15 pm, edited 1 time in total.

longlocks
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Re: Margaret Brew, 19th century Kilrush authoress

Post by longlocks » Tue Mar 12, 2013 6:19 pm

Some possible siblings of "Margaret Brew, 19th century Kilrush authoress"?

Came across two obits for women who were both daughters of a William Brew, Esq. of Kilrush, namely a Mrs. Barry D. Gibbons and her sister Elizabeth Cornelia Brew. It would seem that their father William could possibly be of the right age to be the SAME William Brew, postmaster, Kilrush, who died in 1846 at age 62; therefore born c1784.

First the obit for Elizabeth Cornelia BREW:

Irish American Weekly (New York, NY); Sat 16 Sep 1876, Page 7 states:
DIED ... BREW -- August 24, at the residence of her sister, Mrs. Barry D. Gibbons, 5 Sorrento terrace, Dalkey. Elizabeth Cornelia, youngest daughter of the late William Brew, Esq., Kilrush, county Clare.
Barry D. Gibbons is Barry Duncan Gibbons (c1797-1862), the Irish Architect who is buried at Glasnevin Cemetery Dublin.
"Sacred to the memory of | BARRY DUNCAN GIBBONS, Esqr. | Engineer in Chief | to
the Board of Works, Ireland | He died 24th Octr. 1862, aged 65 years | He was
good wise and noble | in thought and act, a good husband | and a warm hearted
and sincere friend | his hand ever open to the poor | his assistance ever ready
for the lowly | May the Lord have mercy on his soul. Amen | Erected by his
affectionate Widow | in faith in gratitude and undying love."
And next for Mrs. Anne Gibbons obit:

Irish American Weekly (New York, NY); Sat 28 Oct 1899; Page: 2 states:
DIED: GIBBONS -- October 11, at her residence, Sorrento terrace, Dalkey, Anne, widow of the late Barry Duncan Gibbons, Engineer-in-Chief, Board of Works, Ireland, and late of Connaught place, Kingstown.
So both Elizabeth Cornelia and Anne Gibbons were the daughters of a William Brew, Esq. of Kilrush.

Here are their Civil Registration Death Records:

Ireland, Civil Registration Deaths Index, 1864-1958
Name: Elizabeth Cornelia Brew
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1822
Date of Registration: 1876
Death Age: 54
Registration district: Rathdown
Death Country: Ireland
Volume: 12
Page: 619
FHL Film Number: 101588

and

Ireland, Civil Registration Deaths Index, 1864-1958
Name: Anne Gibbons
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1809
Date of Registration: Oct-Nov-Dec 1899
Death Age: 90
Registration district: Rathdown
Death Country: Ireland
Volume: 2
Page: 762
FHL Film Number: 101600

So, Anne born c1809 and Elizabeth Cornelia born c1822 - 13 years between these two siblings, rather a lot but not terribly uncommon for large Irish families of the time. Estimating a generation of 25 years between Anne and her father William would give us an approximate birth year of 1784, which FITs to a tee the birth year for the postmaster William Brew who died in 1846 in Kilrush at age 62.

One further obit that MIGHT help (but that doesn't make a lot of sense to me at this point) is that of Honoria FOLEY, the Aunt of Mrs. Barry Duncan Gibson aka Anne Brew:

Irish American Weekly (New York, NY); Sat 25 Mar 1871; Page 8 states:
DIED. Feb. 23, at the residence of her niece, Mrs. Barry D. Gibbons, 5 Sorrento terrace, Dalkey, Miss Honoria Foley, last surviving child of the late Timothy Foley, Esq., Ballyduff, and Cohee, county Clare aged 84.
Here's what appears to be Honoria Foley's Civil Death Registration:

Ireland, Civil Registration Deaths Index, 1864-1958
Name: Honoria Foley
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1787
Date of Registration: 1871
Death Age: 84
Registration district: Rathdown
Death Country: Ireland
Volume: 2
Page: 833
FHL Film Number: 101585

If Honoria Foley (single and unmarried) was the Aunt of Anne Brew aka Mrs. Barry Duncan Gibson, then Honoria Foley HAS to be a SISTER of Anne and Elizabeth Cornelia Brew's MOTHER, meaning that Anne Brew's mother was a FOLEY and a child of Timothy Foley Esq. of Ballyduff and Cohee, County Clare. Can't however find any marriages between a William Brew of Kilrush and a FOLEY female. Nor even to determine much about Timothy Foley, Esq. of Ballyduff and Cohee.

But thought I'd throw this info out there on the off chance that others might be able to connect the dots.
Attachments
gibbons_anne_1899_obit.jpg
Obituary of Anne Brew, daughter of William Brew, Kilrush, Co Clare, wife of Irish Architect, Barry Duncan Gibson (1797-1862).
gibbons_anne_1899_obit.jpg (134.61 KiB) Viewed 46139 times
brew_elizabeth_cornelia_1876_obit.jpg
Obituary of Elizabeth Cornelia BREW, daughter of William Brew of Kilrush, Co Clare
brew_elizabeth_cornelia_1876_obit.jpg (129.45 KiB) Viewed 46139 times

longlocks
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Re: Margaret Brew, 19th century Kilrush authoress

Post by longlocks » Tue Mar 12, 2013 8:20 pm

Okay, here's something to prove that I'm on the right track:

GENEALOGY OF THE BREW FAMILY
Compiled by Thomas Brew Nolan, Washington, D.C., 1908
It has been submitted by John Brew of Seattle, but is related
to Tom Seigenthaler of Nashville, Tennessee.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Brew family came from England to Ireland, with the Prince of Orange, about the year 1628, taking possession of confiscated land.

THOMAS BREW married Mary O'Dea, of Ireland. Their children were:

WILLIAM married Catharine Foley, of Ireland. His children were:
Mary
Ann, married Mr. Gibbon, of London
George
Honorah, married Michael Brew (a cousin)
Margaret (a distinguished writer)
Eliza

Source: http://brew.clients.ch/ThomClare.htm

So I'm right about Ann[e] being a Brew and having married Barry Duncan Gibbons and there's Elizabeth "Eliza" Cornelia (who died unmarried) and right above that is the reference to Margaret - the distinguished writer.

Whatcha think?

pwaldron
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Re: Margaret Brew, 19th century Kilrush authoress

Post by pwaldron » Tue Mar 12, 2013 8:35 pm

Snap!

Well done, Kathy.

I just found http://brew.clients.ch/ThomClare.htm and when I got here to report I found that you had beaten me by 14 minutes!!!

More to follow ...

\pw

pwaldron
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Re: Margaret Brew, 19th century Kilrush authoress

Post by pwaldron » Tue Mar 12, 2013 10:02 pm

I didn't find the Honoria Foley death notice, so thanks a million for that.

The marriage of William Brew and Cath. Foley is at
http://brew.clients.ch/MLBonds.htm
The year is mistranscribed and should be 1807, which is what appears on p.51 of The Foleys from County Clare, Ireland, by Thomas R. and Harriet E. Foley. They are not able to link Catherine to their main Foley tree.

John Brew in Nashville over on the facebook County Clare Ireland Genealogy group is also a descendant of Thomas Brew and Mary O'Dea and has posted a photograph of their grandson's grave at
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid= ... 4797868984

So we can now be fairly sure that all references to a Brew writer/authoress are to Margaret Brew - but the long span of years still leaves open the possibility that there were two such Margarets!

pwaldron
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Re: Margaret Brew, 19th century Kilrush authoress

Post by pwaldron » Tue Mar 12, 2013 10:32 pm

More from Limerick Leader 1905-2004*
Monday, July 31, 1911
Page: 4:
BrewFoley1.png
BrewFoley1.png (23.6 KiB) Viewed 46122 times
BrewFoley2.png
BrewFoley2.png (23.58 KiB) Viewed 46122 times
There appear to have been two Foley women from Cohee/Cohey married to two Brew men.

According to http://brew.clients.ch/MLBonds.htm, the Thomas Brew/Margaret Foley marriage was in 1840, a generation after the William Brew/Catherine Foley marriage.

Thomas and Margaret's son Thomas Foley Brew was a doctor:
http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/p ... e/1072904/
An earlier Thomas Foley Brew was murdered in 1841:
http://brew.clients.ch/MurderTFBrew.htm

Cohy is a townland in Kilfenora civil parish.

In Griffith's Valuation, 12 Sep 1855, Laurence Foley was either immediate lessor or occupier of the entire townland of Cohy. He was also (10 Mar 1855) occupier of the entire townland of Lisduff in Killinaboy parish. There was nothing more than a herd's house on either townland, so it's not clear where he actually lived.

longlocks
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Re: Margaret Brew, 19th century Kilrush authoress

Post by longlocks » Wed Mar 13, 2013 5:56 pm

According to the 1821 Census of the Parish of Dromcliffe, Co. Clare, Ireland, William Brew and his wife Catherine Foley (daughter of Timothy Foley, Esq. of Ballyduff and Cohee [Cohey, Cohy] Co Clare) were living in a three story house located at 23 Church Street in the town of Ennis, Co Clare.

Apparently William Brew (c1784 - 11 Jan 1846) was by trade a WOOLEN DRAPER. Perhaps this along w/ the info that he held 3 acres in the townland of Lifford (see below) will allow you to differentiate him from all the other William Brew's that I know you've been puzzled by.

QUESTION: Could he have been both the Postmaster AND a Woolen Draper? ]
Wm Brew, aged 36, woollen draper. Holds 3 acres in the townland of Lifford in this parish
Catherine Brew, wife, aged 32
Mary Brew, daughter, aged 13
Anne [?] Brew, daughter, aged 12
Thomas Brew, son, aged 8
Eliza Brew, daughter, aged 4
Margaret Brew, daughter, aged 1
Honora Foley, sister-in-law, aged 28
Joseph Gegan, aged 23, shopman
Charles Carrigy, aged 21, man servant
Mary Keller, aged 22, servant maid
Mary Robinson, aged 25, nurse
James Lowry Esq., aged 60, Capt. 40th Foot, Lodger
Above info is from "Brews in the 1821 Census of the Parish of Dromcliffe, Co. Clare, Ireland"

We know we've got the "right" William Brew here because not only is his 'famous authoress' daughter Margaret in the household, but her mother Catherine's sister Honora FOLEY is also in the house. Should be mentioned here that there is no son here named GEORGE as is mentioned in "The Descendants of Thomas Brew of County Clare"

We'll have to see if we can now track down the right death record for Margaret Brew using that birth year of c1820.
Last edited by longlocks on Thu Mar 14, 2013 11:30 am, edited 1 time in total.

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