-49-
One of the Good Irish Letters of Maria Hollingsworth-Hollingsworth
-Continued-
ried or not! My son billy is only 3l and has four in family. The weather
is nice and mild today and all my care keep well. Hope you all keep
the same. My,hands get stiff and please excuse writing and hope you will
make it out. With all best wishes for the coming year.
Minnie Hollingsworth
P.S. I met Mr Baynham at my niece's house on Friday evening last and I
gave him all that I knew so he said that he would look (at) all backward
records in the old book in old Kilbride church. He is rector there now as
well as Castlemacadam, Avoca (Co. Wicklow-Ed.).
Notes: Minnie (Maria) (Hollingsworth) Hollingsworth died Fri May, ll, 1973,
at the age of 80 years, 1 month and 3 days, having been born on Sat April
8, 1893 at Hollyfort, Gorey, Co. Wexford, Ireland, daughter of Edward and
Maria (Lawrence) Hollingsworth. (See her daughter Dorothy Murphy's letter
in HR March, 1990, page 7.) At the time she wrote this 1964 letter Minnie
was tending a herd of over fifty cattle! Getting one of her letters was a
sure-fire thrill. You can see why. R.I.P.
One More Ballycanew Record
I never thought I'd see another record on my home parish for my surname.
The Irish Genealoigist, kindly given to me by Correspondent Frank Phillips
of Ealing, London (not a Hollingsworth kinsman) issue of 1990 (only one
number per year is issued) Vol. 8, No. 1, has an article describing the
Schedules of the Clergy Relief Fund, 1831, Tax Defaulters and Their Occu-
pations, by Suzanne C. Hartwick. She had come across these records during
her study of the Tithe Wars of Ireland, ca 1830. They were formerly kept
at the State Paper Office in Dublin Castle. Thank God: never transferred
to the Public Record Office wbere they surely would have perished in 1922.
But now, they have been transferred to the new branch of the National Ar-
chives of Ireland - formerly the Public Record Office. (Let us pray.)
I ordered photocopy, according to Suzanne's lists, for several parishes
of interest to me, including Ballycanew. After the usual false start,
(money returned, etc.) the material was mailed from Dublin 15 Apr and ar-
rived on 30 May 1991. Sent sea-mail, though I asked for Air Mail.
Only one of our family was a tithe-defaulter:
Parish of Ba11icanew (sic) County of Wexford Diocese of Ferns
(Third name on page)
Samuel Hollingsworth, abode Ballcanew, amount or estimated Value of the
Tithes so due and in arrear from each of the aforesaid Persons £ 2.19.0d.
The Names of the Lands, by their commonly received Denomination, whereout
such Arrears of Tithes are due and payable, with the Amount or Value due
out of each of those Lands respectivly: Ballicanew, £ 2.19.0d. The Name
of the Townland or Half Townland and Parish in which such Lands lie:
Parish of Ballicanew, Townland of Ballicanew, Barony of Gorey. (END)
This list for the parish contains 4 names, which I deduce to be most-
ly Roman Catholics - if a name can reveal a person's re1igion, Donely,
Whelan, Byrne, Cavanagh, Keogho, Roche, Garney, Brenan, Doyle, Dempsey and
otbers. These are mostly Gaelic surnames. Besides the Roman Catholics were
predominately the tithe-defaulters, because they objected rightly to being
tithed (taxed) to support the Protestant Church of Ireland! This then, is
a valuable document for obtaining lists of names aside from the Tithe Ap-
plotment Books, for which Ballycanew is dated 1833. Due to the multipli-
city of Samuels, I can't say which one this Samuel Hollingsworth is! But I
very truly doubt that he was not a Protestant or a Wesleyan.
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