Ruddy/Roddy

Co. Louth volunteer contacted 

In Togher parish in 1853 Michael Roddy married Mary Carroll of Sandpit, this is in the Termonfeckin area of Louth.

They had two children Margaret born 8th August 1862 and Lawrence born 2 May 1860 witness is Mary Martin and the address is Baltray, again near Termonfeckin, famous for its links golf course but a tiny hamlet.

It appears a bit odd that they only started having children in 1860 so I looked at baptisms in Togher parish, adjoins Termonfeckin and see there is a huge gap in the baptism records for Togher parish from April 1828 to August 1869 so it is probably in my view there were other children baptised in Togher.

I see your issue with the Carroll on the register, there is a space for the name and I enlarged it to no avail, I know the scanning was done in the 1960s and wonder if it is possible the priest was running out of ink and so it is too light to be scanned (he would be using a pen and ink) or did he intend filling it in later. Her name is included in Margaret’s baptism.

According to McLysaghts Irish Surnames Ruddy is a variant of Roddy and the name is associated with the monastery at Fenagh, Leitrim where they were guardians of the Monastery.

I would not make a big issue of the spelling as the people were often illiterate and the priest or school teacher wrote it as they heard it, I have Carr ancestors as baptised etc but became Kerr as that what was put in the school roll and how they then learned it, also O and U are easily confused when writing in the joined up fashion.

There are two sites here that may interest you, http://www.termonfeckinhistory.ie/index.html and http://jbhall.clahs.ie/

I looked at Griffiths Valuation and see no Roddy in the area, it was printed in 1854 but there is an Anne Ruddy with 3 plots, two in Termonfeckin and one in Dunany, this is close to Togher and wonder if this is Michaels mother.

I wonder if they moved around between the various plots or if he worked of one of the big landowners like Beaulieu House near Baltray (house passed on the female line so name always changing). https://beaulieuhouse.ie/

Land records can be checked but only in person currently but think it is being worked on.

By the way I answered a similar query some time ago, I cannot find it now and it was not Roddy or Ruddy but same movement of people, one of the baptisms also gives an address as Drummin, must be Margaret but I cannot find it on the civil maps.

Good Luck

Pat

Dear Pat,

Thank you so much for your response which I really appreciate.

Kind regards,

Brian.