The

Gethings

Of

Crane

County

‘Two hundred years in a ’

April 2014

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The Gethings family were associated with the Wexford townland of Crane for about two hundred years.

Crane

The townland of Crane lies in the civil parish of Clone in the of Scarawalsh in the county of Wexford. Four miles to the south-west is the market town of . Between Crane and the banks of the is the townland of Solsborough, formerly the demesne of a house of the same name. Solsborough House was named for its occupants – a long series of Solomon Richards. Arriving with Cromwell and receiving grants of land after the conquest, they were variously high sheriffs of the county, clergy and soldiers.

Crane is derived from an Corrán meaning a crescent or curve – possibly derived from a bend in a road or river. Over the years the name varied until standardized as Crane by the Ordnance Survey mapmakers in the early Nineteenth Century. Earlier versions included Crane Afsilla (possibly incorporating the word for willow – seileach), Crone and Cran.

The townland contains about 425 acres of land of mixed quality, ranging from to good grazing and arable land. and deposits existed in places. A small seemingly un-named stream (though some sources call it the Tinnacurry) runs through the townland on its way to the River Slaney. This stream is crossed by an old stone bridge known as Crane Bridge built in the 1840s to replace an earlier structure.

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Figure 1 St Paul's Church

On the border between Solsborough and Crane stands St Paul’s Church of , the parish church of Clone. Around it is a small graveyard. This building also acted as an estate church for Solsborough House. It was built in 1833. The rector was Solomon Richards of Solsborough itself. It replaced an older church and graveyard near Ferns.

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Figure 2 Crane and Solsborough in 1837. Solsborough demesne is very wooded. Crane is bisected by a road from which another road branches north to cross the stream at Crane Bridge.

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Gethings

The first reference to Gethings in Crane was a will proven in 1707 of one “Lancelot Githings of Crane”. Later wills show Martha Gethings, a widow, in 1729 “of Crone” and in 1747, Thomas Gethings “of Crane”. The Wallop family of Hampshire, later the Earls of Portsmouth, were granted extensive lands in County Wexford including the town of Enniscorthy in the time of Queen Elizabeth. The Civil Survey of Wexford in 1654 describes ‘Carrane’ (Crane) as being ‘the inheritance of Sr Hennry Walloppe Protestant’ since before 1640. Of its 140 acres, 130 were considered arable. “The soyle with improvement will yield Rye & Oates.”

Papers from the Portsmouth Estate provide detail on the following leases: Tenant James Gethings from 1761 for 31 years or own life – now – 52 [indicating that he was born in 1709] Part of Crane Afsilla – Consisting of a large old ffarm House and outbuildings, very sufficient for the whole ffarm, but going much out of Repair, and 127 a 3 r 5 p of Land [127 acres 3 roods 5 ] part of which is very high and other part very Boggy coarse Ground, the land near the house is very good, it is let out to the following under-tenants- (Observations – This was a Capital Farm House whilst Mr Gethings resided in it and he should be required not to suffer it to go to decay, being at present Occupied by a poor undertenant who neglects it very much – A very good Orchard and many Trees Planted- Very fine Marle on this Estate – The Connors are very industrious poor people and improved their Land – but their Buildings are old and [very] bad -) To Andrew and Martin Bryan – The Farm House & a Cabbin with 25 a 3 r 5 p of Land at 13/6 pa - £33.7.0 [this sum does not add up – perhaps this rent was paid twice a year on the ‘gale days’] To James Connor and others of his Family One house and 3 poor old cabins with 87 acres of Land at 12/6 p acre - £54.7.0 [total] £87.14.0 Tenant – Thomas & James Gethings from 1761 for 31 years or the Life of Thomas – now aged 59 [indicating that he was born in 1702] Residue of Crane Afsilla – consisting of a good small Farm House built by the Tenant & 45 a 2 r 39 p of Land, 24 acres of which are let to James Gethings’ Farm, and for which he pays the whole Rent of £20.16.9 – so that only 21 acres go with this House (Observations – Very good Marle – Very few Trees Planted)

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Ferns Census of 1776

The Church of Ireland Diocese of Ferns conducted a census of members in the three parishes of Ferns, Kilbride and Clone as of May 16 1776. Arranged in family groups, the individuals ages were stated in ten year increments. The listing for the townland of Tomsolough (now Tomsallagh) which is adjacent to Crane shows Thomas Gethins aged 50 to 60 years (so born between 1716 and 1726) and children Thomas, James, Lancelot and Martha – all born between 1756 and 1766. The challenge is that none of these individual’s ages can be reconciled with other documented birthdates from the earlier or later sources. I assume a close linkage with the Crane Gethings but will need further documentation to confirm this.

Carlow

The Church of Ireland parish records for Carlow Town and Tullow are available on-line. There are records of Gethings in both which, I believe, are connected to the Gethings from Crane. Francis Gethings (1731-1814) was a doctor in Tullow. He was memorialized in St Columba’s church in Tullow. He had two sons; Arthur, who was an apothecary in Street, Carlow Town; and Lancelot. It is the coincidence of this unusual name also being held by the Lancelot who died at Crane about 1707 and the later Lancelot that suggests a connection. Possibly Francis was a grandson of this original Lancelot. Lancelot of Tullow married Mary Anne Brewster about 1786. They had five children: Anne, Elizabeth, Meloria, Francis and Lancelot (born in 1796).

In 1798, the Tullow cavalry counted Lancelot Gethins and Lancelot junior among their members. As the 1796-born Lancelot could not be in the militia aged two, this shows another generation with a Lancelot Gethings.

A Lancelot Gethings was buried at Tullow in 1805 but was this the father or the son? Or another Lancelot entirely?

Additionally, a Thomas Gethins’ will was administered 1723. His residence was Lumclone near Bagnelstown, .

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Tithes

Tithes in the Irish context were land taxes applied to all land occupiers and owners for the benefit of the established Church of Ireland. This was a cause of great resentment to Dissenters and Catholics forced to support financially a church that was not theirs. Ultimately, during the 1830s, a ‘’ occurred where many refused to pay. Finally the government stepped in and created a subvention for the Church of Ireland and the tithes were removed. Against this backdrop, all rural areas were surveyed by local committees to document and value the land holdings for taxation purposes. The so-called Tithe Applotment Books for Crane in 1825 show James Gethings (or Gethins) holding 23 acres 3 rood and 27 perches. (His neighbours include Death, Roberts, Warren, Murphy and Doyle – all names associated with the family over the years.)

Figure 3 Tithe Applotment Book for Crane 1825

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The Third Earl

The 3rd Earl of Portsmouth, John Wallop (1767 – 1853), could have been the progenitor of the phrase ‘mad as a March hare’. Considered a lunatic from an early age, his habits included executing with an axe and obsessively attending any and all funerals.

His condition was such that his estate was run for him by a group of trustees. His heir apparent was his younger brother Newton. Newton connived to arrange a marriage between John and Grace Norton, the sister of one of the trustees. Newton believed that as she was 47 years old, the marriage was unlikely to produce an heir. However when Grace died in 1813, another trustee arranged for the Earl to marry his daughter, Mary Anne Hanson. She had three children; however they were as a result of an adulterous relationship. Portsmouth family members fought this arrangement and succeeded in having the Earl declared insane, the marriage annulled in 1828 and the children declared ‘bastards’. (When the Earl died in 1853, Newton succeeded to the title – but lived only another 12 months.)

The reason any of this is important is that in 1829 the trustees felt the need to carry out a complete audit of the Portsmouth estates. From these records we get another glimpse at the occupants of Crane.

Townland of 'Clansilla'

Samuel Death and Richard Warren 24a 12r 11p

James Gethings 73a 16r 11p

James Gethings 23a 1r 6 1/2p

Thomas Gethings and James Gethings 18a 18r 0p

Thomas Pounden and Miles Doyle 30a 14r 9p

So there had been some changes in the four years since the Tithe Applotment. The Gethings brothers had increased their holdings.

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Griffith’s Valuation

The next major set of property records are those from Griffith’s Valuation for Wexford conducted in 1853. James Gethins (sic) holds “House, offices and lands” of 40 acres.

Some of his neighbours are familiar names – Murphy and Death.

Figure 4 Griffith's Valuation sheet for Crane

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Figure 5 Griffith's Valuation accompanying map

Note that on the sheet James Gethings’ 40 acres of land is cross-referenced to plot 5 on the map. Bridget Doyle has two holdings of 17 and 6 acres, referenced as plots 6a and 6b respectively.

However, in cross checking with the map, I believe these plot numbers have been transposed.

Plot 6 is a single holding – no ‘a’ and ‘b’ subdivisions and containing about 40 acres when compared with other holdings nearby. Plot 5 is divided into two sections, each much smaller and looking to be about the size of the Doyle holdings.

Therefore plot 6 is the Gethings’ land cornered on Crane Bridge and containing farmhouse, orchards and fields. The Doyle plots are 5a and 5b.

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Twenty First Century

An aerial shot from Google Maps shows a contemporary view of the location. Comparison with the older map indicates the farmhouse to be in the woodlands in the middle-right of the shot. What appear to be outbuildings stand to the right of the woods in this view. The roads runs past to the left and the well- wooded course of the stream run across the bottom.

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The End

Thomas Gethings died at Crane (Crane Sillagh on the death certificate) in 1890. After 9 years in Australia, he had returned in 1863 to inherit the farm when his father James died the following year.

Figure 6 Death Certificate Thomas Gethings

Thomas’ widow Margaret died in 1892. Their eldest son, Edwin Jackson (Ned) Gethings was married and farming at Killoughram on the other side of Enniscorthy. The next son, Thomas Herbert, did not farm instead working as a shopkeeper, gardener and carpenter. After a family dispute, he and his third wife Mary Kate Wheelock moved to Greystones in . The daughters married in Wexford or Wicklow. Frances married Solomon Walker in 1880 and moved to Greystones. Mary Jane married Robert LaCombre, a carpenter from Portarlington in 1878. Margaret married Alfred Binnions, a farmer from Kilann, County Wexford. Marianne Gethings married her cousin Clinton Binions, also of Kilann.

So after about 200 years, the Gethings had left Crane.

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Postscripts

Throughout much of the times the Gethings were in Crane, they shared the townland with neighbours and there were marriages between the extended families.

Thomas Gethings married Fanny Roberts about 1780. Dorethea Gething married James Mooney in 1810. Sophia Pounder married John Death about 1825. Ruth Pounder married William Roberts about 1827. Their son John Pounder Roberts, in Australia in 1859, married Frances Mooney, daughter of Dorothea Gethings and James Mooney. Ned Gethings married Mary Jane Warren in 1888 On April 22 1912, Denys Corbett Wilson ended his flight, the first across the , by crash landing in a field in Crane. This later marker commemorates the event.

Figure 7 Denys Corbett Wilson marker in Crane

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