Humphrys genealogy

Genealogy research by Mark Humphrys.


My ancestors - Blennerhassett - Contents


The claim that the 1st Baronet had a daughter Catherine

See the proof of our Blennerhassett descent.

This suggests our family most likely descends from Sir Rowland Blennerhassett, 1st Baronet.

Our family story was that we descend from a runaway Blennerhassett daughter.
So I am keen to establish if the 1st Baronet had a daughter.
In the past, there were claims that he had a daughter Catherine.
This is clearly an error.

  


The printed histories

The printed family histories such as Debrett's and Burke's at one point showed a Catherine. But this is clearly an error.




The 1st Baronet has no daughter in the entry for Blennerhassett in [Debrett's Baronetage, 1815].
This is on p.1247 of vol.2.
The genealogy has errors ("Harley" for Hurly).



The 1st Baronet has no daughter on p.1178 of vol.2 of [Debrett's Baronetage, 1819].



In [Debrett's Baronetage, 1824], the 1st Baronet is now listed with a daughter Catherine.
From p.1115 of vol.2.

  
 

The 1st Baronet is still listed with a daughter Catherine on p.628 of vol.2 of [Debrett's Baronetage, 1828].

  

19th century printed sources duplicate this

  

Late 19th century on: The printed sources correct this

Starting in the late 19th century, the printed histories seem to have decided this "Catherine" was an error and removed her.

  


Records of Ballingarry

More confusion was caused by a misleading extract from the book Records of Ballingarry.



Catherine Blennerhassett, born 1788, daughter of "Sir R. Blennerhassett".
From Limerick City Library extracts from the book Records of Ballingarry [Hamilton, 1930].
If she really was born 1788, this would be a dau of the 1st Baronet, not the 2nd Baronet (who married 1790).


 
When we look at the original source in [Hamilton, 1930] though, we see the extract is misleading.
The extract makes it look like it is an original baptism entry. But it is not. It is just an extract from a set of family notes in the book. In the original notes, Catherine is discussed as the person who married Rev. Edward Conyers and was born 1788 and died 1869. This context is lost when making the extract of BMD.
So there is no new Catherine. The date 1788 is simply an error.


  
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