Barkley

Sandra,

There is a Joseph Crawford in Griffiths Valuation for Gortfad. He had plot 36 which was  a 17 acre farm. He also rented an outbuilding on plot 37. Today that’s off the B96 road north out of Portglenone. However he appears to have been married to Ellen Crawford (ie maiden name Crawford) born c 1829.   Died 1898. Not to Eliza Barkley. So perhaps there were 2 Joseph Crawfords in Gortfad, or perhaps there’s a mistake over what became of Eliza Barkley?

See: https://civilrecords.irishgenealogy.ie/churchrecords/images/birth_retur…

This could be Joseph’s death in Gortfad in 1901:

https://civilrecords.irishgenealogy.ie/churchrecords/images/deaths_returns/deaths_1901/05713/4611762.pdf

Joseph married in 1856. Neither he nor his bride had been married before:

https://civilrecords.irishgenealogy.ie/churchrecords/images/marriage_re…

Joseph and 3 sons in 1901:

http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1901/Antrim/Lisnagarran/Gortfad/940412/

Family in 1911:

http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1911/Antrim/Lisnagarran/Gortfad/123748/

Probate abstracts:

Probate of the Will of Joseph Crawford late of Gortfad County Antrim Farmer who died 28 September 1901 granted at Belfast to Robert J. Crawford and William M.Speers Farmers.

Above will can be read on-line on the PRONI wills site. It mentions sons James & Thomas and daughter Agnes Robinson. Robert Crawford of Lisrodden was one of the executors, so is presumably relate din some way. That family is buried in Portglenone Church of Ireland graveyard.

Crawford John Barclay of Gortfad county Antrim farm labourer died 6 January 1938 Administration Belfast 18 May to Thomas Crawford farm labourer. Effects £38 14s. 8d.

Crawford James of Gortfad Portglenone county Antrim farmer died 28 January 1957 Administration Belfast 20 March to Robert John Crawford milk roundsman. Effects £336 4s.

Both the above died intestate. Their probate files should be in PRONI (in paper format) and can be viewed there free. They should details their next of kin.

I am also struggling to find much on Hugh Barkley married to Elizabeth. Griffiths does have a Hugh Bartley senior on plot 8 in Killycoogan a 21 acre farm and Hugh Bartley junior on plot 9a which was a 27 acre farm. Both are deleted in 1870 and replaced by James Bartley. James is deleted from plot 8 in 1890 but remains on plot 9. By 1894 it’s John Bartley.

Judging by the 1901 census, James had retired and given the farm to John:

http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1901/Antrim/Lisnagarran/Killycoogan/940504/

http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1901/Antrim/Lisnagarran/Killycoogan/940505/

3 households there in 1911:

http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1911/Antrim/Lisnagarran/Killycoogan/

Letters of Administration of the personal estate of Joseph Barkley late of Killycoogan in the County of Antrim Farmer a Bachelor deceased who died 10 January 1865 at same place were granted at Belfast to John Barkley Senior of Kilcoogan (Portglenone) aforesaid Farmer a Brother and one of the next of kin of said deceased.

Letters of Administration of the personal estate of Robert John Barkley late of Killycoogan County Antrim Farmer who died 29 April 1896 were granted at Belfast to Sarah Barkley of Killycoogan the Widow

Barkley John of Killycoogan county Antrim farmer died 1 April 1923 Probate Belfast 13 May to Wilson McKeown and John Nevin farmers. Effects £99 10s.

Barkley Matthew of Killycoogan county Antrim farmer died 21 September 1934 Probate Belfast 18 October to Jeanette Barkley the widow and John Gordon Barkley farmer. Effects £221 2s.

I cannot find deaths for either of the Hughs in Killycoogan in Griffiths nor for a wife Elizabeth. This grave in Aughnahoy Old graveyard seems to related to the Killycoogan family:

In loving memory of John Barkley, died 30th March 1923. James Barkley, son … 28th July 1922 Matthew Barkley, son … 21st Sept. 1934 Maggie Barkley, daughter … 18th March 1946. Mary Jane Barkley, … 19th Nov. 1946. Jeannette R Barkley, … 11th July 1964. Wife of Matthew Barkley. Tessa, wife of J G Barkley, ... 11th May 1968.

There are also Barkley graves in Portglenone Church of Ireland but I can’t link any directly to this family.

Thank you so much for this information.  I will look at all the references you provided.

After considering everything, hopefully, I will look for other information.

Thank you very much for all your work.

Regards,

Sandra Rousseau

Sandra,

Glad to have helped. If you have any questions do come back. I live near Portglenone and so if you want any local information or photos I might be able to help.

Hello again:

I have two letters from Eliz. and Hugh Barkley to Adam Stewart and his wife, Ann Barkley Stewart (born 1794). One letter is dated June 2, 1839, at Killycogan. The other letter is dated August 20, 1846, at Killcogan. Many names are referenced in the letters. I will attach them here for you. I think you will find them interesting. Regards, Sandra

Sandra,

Thanks for the letters. I have had a look at the letters and have a few comments.

I should have mentioned previously that the earliest Presbyterian church records for the Portglenone area are Portglenone 1st whose records start in 1826 and Portglenone 2nd which start in 1821. I don’t think they are on-line anywhere but there are copies in PRONI. A personal visit is required to view them. Or you could employ a researcher to do that.  Some of the events you have mentioned are too early to feature in those records but perhaps the likes of David Barkley and Eliza Carson’s children’s baptisms might be there. As might be their marriage. If you are unable to go yourself, you could employ a researcher. Researchers in the PRONI area: http://sgni.net

I had another look at Hugh Barkley of Killycoogan. I think he married twice. Here’s what looks like him (a widower) re-marrying in 1859:

https://civilrecords.irishgenealogy.ie/churchrecords/images/marriage_returns/marriages_1859/09563/5467081.pdf

His father was John B, which fits with your information.  Marriage was in Portglenone 1st but tradition was to marry in the bride’s church so it doesn’t mean it was also the Barkley family church. But in this case I think it was (see below).  Evidently 1st wife Elizabeth died pre 1859, and so there will be no death certificate for her. (They only started in 1864). Presbyterians generally didn’t keep burial records and so if she doesn’t have a gravestone (as appears to be the case) there probably won’t be a record in Ireland.

The gravestones suggest there were still Barkleys in Killycoogan in the 1960s. Have you tried finding out if the family is still there today?

Re Sally Barkley, I looked for marriages to a Johnston or Courtney post 1845 but did not find either. Both look to have been in the 1830s or thereabouts, and so might be in the church records referred to above. You will probably know that Sally is a synonym for Sarah so she may well have been baptised Sarah and appear in marriage records etc as Sarah. A bit like Peggy/Margaret or Ann/Nancy.

I have found a census record of a possible Barkley family in Killycoogan in the 1851 census. Though the main part of the census was destroyed in the 1922 fire, some fragments have survived, including extracts used for determining peoples ages when applying for state pensions. So there is an extract of a couple of entries in the 1851 census for Killycoogan.

http://censussearchforms.nationalarchives.ie/search/cs/details.jsp?id=16066

Nancy Ann Barclay applied for a pension in 1921 (when she was 70, the qualifying age). The details record her as saying that she had been living in Killycoogan in 1851. Parents Mathew & Nancy Barclay. The census clerk did not find her or her parents but did find a William Nevin 40, his wife Nancy 35 and their daughter Nancy Barkley 22, who had married Mathew Barkley also of Killycoogan in 1850. There was also a John & Esther Barkley married in 1827 whose son Mathew aged 21 was noted as absent.  Here’s that couple’s 1850 marriage certificate:

https://civilrecords.irishgenealogy.ie/churchrecords/images/marriage_returns/marriages_1850/09382/5398025.pdf

This may be the pension applicant in 1911:

http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1911/Antrim/Ballymena__No__2__Urban__In_34_files_/Clonavon_Terrace/117449/

You may note in passing that the Minister who married them was the Rev William Kennedy McKay. That’s surely the same man who attended John when he died in 1846. So it looks at though your family attended Portglenone 1stchurch (which is still there). That information may help with searching for church records.   Incidentally Portglenone 1st doesn’t have it’s own graveyard which is why they used the Church of Ireland and other graveyards. 

Thanks so very much for your helpful response.

I have been away and am just getting back to this.

Hi, I live in Toronto Canada.

Since you research Barclay from Portglenone, Antrim, you may be interested in the following.

My Leslie forefather was granted a fee farm lease January 1718 from Edmond Francis Stafford of Portglenone, County Antrim. The lease reads, “tenement and farms lately possessed by John Stuart, Innkeeper, and Peter Barclay, Blacksmith of Portglenone”

There is no indication of what happened to John or Peter. Perhaps they were too old to farm, or had passed on. 

Also interested in Rev. Robert Barclay and Rev. William Barclay who baptized my relative March 1705 at Hillsborough, County Down. Unable to find any reference to these Barclays in Church of Ireland records.

Cheers, Darryl Davey

Re the 2 Barclay Ministers, if they were Church of Ireland their career details may be held in the Archbishop’s office in Armagh.

Thank you!