Richard Quinn, Born 1841, Castlewellan, Down

Robyn,

Here’s a link to Richard & Mary’s marriage on 1st May 1870 in Downpatrick chapel:

https://civilrecords.irishgenealogy.ie/churchrecords/images/marriage_returns/marriages_1870/11382/8178882.pdf

John Quinn was a witness. A brother perhaps? The 2 fathers are named, one alive the other dead. Both were labourers (always tricky to trace).

Statutory birth registration didn’t start in Ireland till 1864 and the RC parish records for Kilmegan don’t start till 1859 so if that’s where the couple came c 1841 from you won’t find any trace of their births or baptism.

I had a look for other possible marriages for Richard’s siblings. There was a Richard Quinn farmer in LInsacreagh who had children named John & Elizabeth who married on 20.2.1868 and 6.2.1869 respectively. However he was a farmer in Lisnacreagh, Rostrevor, 15 miles from Castlewellan, and so a different family I think.

Death registration only started in Ireland in 1864. I searched the statutory deaths for 1864 to 1870 for Richard Quinn in Downpatrick registration area (which includes Castlewellan). There was just 1 adult death, for a Richard who died 28.11.1866 aged 62. That year’s deaths aren’t available to view on-line free yet. You can view the original certificate on-line on the GRONI website, using the “search registrations” option:

https://geni.nidirect.gov.uk

You will need to open an account and buy some credits. It costs £2.50 (sterling) to a view a certificate.

Of course if he died before 1864 there won’t be a death certificate, and since most RC churches didn’t keep burial records there may not be any trace of his burial, unless he had a gravestone. (Not many labourers could afford a gravestone).

I searched Griffiths Valuation for Richard Quinn living in Kilmegan in 1863. None was listed. That could be because he was dead or alternatively because, as a labourer, his house may have been of too low a value to be listed.  Or he might have been lodging with a relative. There was an Alexander Quinn farming 19 acres and a Hugh Quinn farming 8 acres. Both properties were close together near Castlewellan (on the modern Bann Rd).  I have no way of saying whether they were relations of Richard’s. But they might have been.

http://www.askaboutireland.ie/griffith-valuation/index.xml?action=nameSearch

There was a regular cargo boat service from Dundrum, near Castlewellan, over to Whitehaven, Workington and other adjacent ports in Cumberland. (About 90 miles). The main cargo was coal and agricultural produce but it also took passengers. The fares were quite low.  So many people from that part of Co. Down ended up working in Cumberland.

Amazing information!  

Thank you so much

My great-great-grandfather was John  Quinn from Castlewellan he was born abt 1810 and left in the late 1840's early 1850's,he had a daughter Elizabeth and a son James Quinn possibly daughter Mary and son Michael, he was a farmer in Ireland and also in Troy (Lansingburgh), NY but also wrote many articles for agricultural periodicals, he went back to Castlewellan to claim land his brother was holding for him, but when he got there his brother was dead and the land was given to someone else, then John died on the way back in Nov or Dec of 1964, the chart I uploaded also contains Elizabeth Quinn who married Lawrence Murnin who was from Moyad in KIlcoo