Inhabitants

One of the most interesting aspects is the vast numbers of surnames the Town Book provides - those who participated in the meetings, who became officers of the Corporation, who were granted freedom of the borough, grazed their cattle on the Commons, found themselves in court for debt or as Court Officers, were disfranchised or whipped for bad behaviour, were granted land within the Corporation, or received donations from the town charities from the hands of the local magnate, Lanesborough. Between 1657 and 1693 a large proportion of inhabitants appear to have been active in local affairs and had their names recorded. After the Williamite Wars participation was not encouraged and later still, after 1760, the affairs of the town were concentrated in the hands of a small clique. The largest fund of names is in the Grazing Lists which were compiled each year with occasional breaks, between 1686 and 1834. I have catalogued practically all the names in surname, year and comment format in Microsoft Excel enabling surname sorts of many types including one yielding a Provost List. In addition, names from other sources such as the Muster Rolls, the depositions, and relevant CSPI's have been catalogued. An attempt is in progress to plot the population growth in the Belturbet area. It will be published here when complete

The first name in the manuscript is that of Richard West, Deputy Provost in 1657.who authorized a set of bye-laws in that year. A few of the many of interest and approximate date of first appearance include Auchinson (1686) French (1660), Stanford (1695), Jones (1671), Armstrong (1706), Story (1708), Madden (1660), Holmes (1668), Allen (1700), Cox (1680), Heacock (1700), Harris (1671), Ibbitts (1715), Brown (1660), Bloxholme (or Bloxum) (1666), Dunn (1673), Reynolds (1660), Phillips (1660), Bignall, Dawson (1666), Morton (1736), Myerhouse (1671), Miller (1686), Wilkinson (1660), Reilly (1736), Sheridan (1703), Johnson (1672). Some of these surnames continue to survive in an environment very much different from that of their ancestors.

The French family first appeared in the Town Book in an entry dated April 1660 when Matthew French was one of 12 who disfranchised John Hawkins, a burgess of the Town for ‘using disgraceful . . . and distasteful language. . . to the disparagement of the Provost’ Richard French was a merchant in Belturbet during the early 1600's. He married twice, having one son Robert by his first wife and three children, Richard, Matthew (born circa 1617) and Mary by his second.

Matthew married Elinor in 1644 and had four children: Elinor, Richard, Matthew (Jun.) Daniel and Mary. Matthew (Senior) the burgess referred to above and his sons Richard, Matthew and Daniel each played active parts in the affairs of the corporation over the next fifty years.

Matthew Junior was attainted by James Parliament as Matthew French Junior, late of the city of Dublin '. . . who absented himself from this Kingdom . . . ' His (Matthew Jun.) widow, Mary, on November 10, 1710 filed a bill in Court of Chancery against the family of her brother in law. Mrs. French said that " the late warrr or rebellion in this kingdom becoming terrible to the Protestants" Matthew French, his wife and family and Thomas Howard, ( brother in law) "were for their safety forced to fly for England where they continued until this Kingdom was afterwards reduced to the obedience of the Crown and the kingdom of England". After this, they began their journey from London homeward, but the said Matthew French falling sick, he dyed at Chester . . ."Much of Matthew French's property was destroyed by the Irish in his absence, he having been obnoxious to them "for his having supplied the garrison at Londonderry and Inniskillen with powder and ball against the Irish". (condensed from Some account of the family of French of Belturbet, Ulster Journal of Archaeology Vol. VIII No 4 October 1902 )

Matthew French Sen. was Provost in September 1687 and signed an order empowering him to present to Matthew French Jun. and others the deeds for the Town and authority to insert in them certain clauses, presumably a legal manoeuvre to keep the town and its privileges out of control of King James II Daniel French was High Sherriff of county Cavan in 1690. According to the Some Account referenced above he also was attainted by King James. There are no other entries in the record between this one and 1693 two years after the Treaty of Limerick.

The Town Book indicates that Daniel French and Richard had both returned to Belturbet by 1693, and on the authority of Daniel French, Provost, .Mrs. Mary French, widow ,was given eight pounds nine shillings and five pence by the Corporation of Belturbet, by which Mary French was “ . . . upon payment of the same to take her discharge in full upon an order dated this Eight of April 1687 entered in this book “ (BC/1 p116 ?). The order referred to is not found in the Book. The payment is thought to have been in repayment of a Corporation debt to the French family dating back to costs for Charter renewal

Daniel French was Provost in 1701/02 and died in February 1702. Richard was also active in Belturbet affairs at this time Then the French name disappeared from active participation in Belturbet affairs. The line did not disappear, however; as it merged with the Nixons who continued to occupy influential positions in the town and county until the mid 1850.

The name Potter first appears in the Town Book in an indenture dated May 1699 under which Baldwin Potter agreed to take William Flemming of Cornegary (?) as an apprentice to be taught the ‘science, trade and craft of clockmaker’ including the craft of ‘smith’ (silversmith). Potter may have been a soldier in the Williamite army and may have learned these trades while serving there. He was probably between 27 and 33 at this time and he went on to become an important figure in Corporation activities, taking on various responsibilities, and being paid liberally out of the Corporation coffers for his efforts.

By 1703 he was a member of the Common Council which advised the Provost and which until 1708 exerted considerable influence on Corporation policy. In 1704 he was paid £4 10s ‘in full for the town clock’ and subsequently an average of about £2 10s for clock maintenance and various odd jobs including engraving the silver tankard – the Horse Race top prize- and keeping the gaol house in repair. In 1704 he was able to claim grazing for four sums (cows) on the Commons; freemen were allowed two sums and occupiers of half a homestead two sums which probably constitutes his eligibility for four. By 1709 he was joint Treasurer of the Corporation with Philip Wilson, not a powerful position but an indication of the Corporation’s trust. In 1711, he paid 1s for highway tax, that is, the tax for a full homestead and by 1722, there were at least five male Potters - Thomas, William, Robert and Baldwin Jun. as well as Baldwin Sen. (The Barnaby referred to in the footnote does not appear in the Town Book). Between them they were eligible to graze 13 sums. William was sworn free in 1720 and within four years was overseer of the highways, a responsible position with authority to collect and spend money. He made the Corporation seal in 1725 for 8s. Baldwin (Sen.) appears to have collected his salary for looking after the town clock until 1732 or 1733.

So far the family had been prospering remarkably with Baldwin (Sen.) being frequently referred to in the records as Mr. Potter, an unusual honour for a technician.

In 1731 the task of caring for the clock was taken over by William and Baldwin (Sen) may have died around 1733, when he would have been about 65 years old

In 1734 a Baldwin Potter was appointed constable, an unpaid entry position but with potential for promotion within the Corporation. It is assumed that this was a son of Baldwin (Sen.) since this is an unlikely appointment for an old man who had served the Corporation for over thirty years. Six months later Baldwin (Jun) was replaced as constable by James Stanford because Potter had ‘departed’ – no other explanation being given.

. In 1737 William was still taking care of the clock, his name appearing in the records until 1742.

Then, in 1756 there is a judgment in court against Baldwin (presumably Jun) for a debt of £1 18s. In the subsequent court he is ‘not to be found within the Corporation’ but a short time later, somehow the debt is paid. But his trouble was not over, as apparently there were other debts and a horse belonging to him was seized and sold.

In 1757, two other suits for debt were brought against him, one by Moore and the other by Nixon. The outcome is not recorded in the surviving records.

The Potter name does not appear again and the background to the decline of the Potters remains a mystery

[1] ‘Baldwin Potter was a respected clockmaker in the Cavan town of Belturbet where he was entrusted with the care of the town’s public clock . . . in 1739 a Barnaby Potter appeared in the county town of Mullingar as a watchmaker . Probably he was a son who had followed his father’s craft’ (A New Anatomy of Ireland, Barnard p 269) However, the name Barnaby Potter does not appear in the Belturbet town Book.

Francis Neville of Belturbet, This note was provided by Dr. Andrew Winnett, London, England, a descendant of Francis Nevill A prominent resident of Belturbet in the early 1700’s was Captain Francis Nevill. He had an unusually varied career and spent the last 17 years of his life in the town. Nevill was born about 1648 but nothing is known of his earliest years. From about 1671 he was closely associated with Ezekiel Hopkins, Bishop of Raphoe, and seems to have been involved with overseeing lands and finances of the Bishopric. Nevill moved to Derry around the same time as Hopkins became Bishop there in 1681, and the Cathedral has records concerning his wife and children during the following decade. He became involved with the government of the city, and was engineer to the Corporation of Londonderry. Nevill played a curious role at the start of the siege of Derry in 1688. He was one of two townsmen who discussed terms with King James II, but he was not admitted back into the besieged city. He was then captured by the King’s forces and taken to Dublin, but he later escaped. He returned to Derry and on 5 December 1689 was sworn a burgess of the city. He became well known during this time for a detailed map he made of Derry at the time of the siege, and in 1692 built a new Town-House for the Corporation. In 1695 Nevill and his family moved to Dungannon, co. Tyrone. In the following years he worked as a surveyor and engineer, and was amongst the first to plan a canal between Lough Neagh and Newry. Nevill’s connection with co. Cavan began in 1709 when he was listed as “Collector of His Majesty’s Revenues” for the district, a position he held until his death. He is first mentioned in the Town Book of Belturbet in 1711, when he is listed in a minute book. He is mentioned regularly after this, and the Book mentions that the town paid for sweeping his road (in 1724 and 1725) and clearing watercourses beside his causeway (1726). Between 1712 and 1713 he wrote extensively to St. George Ashe, Bishop of Clogher, then based in London and a Member of the Royal Society. The letters contain an intriguing mix of observation of natural phenomena, folklore and archaeological discoveries, and some were printed in the Society’s “Transactions”. Between 1713 and 1726 he was involved in land transactions, mostly in Tyrone, but also covering fishing rights in Lough Erne. Francis Nevill’s wife Jeane (or Jane) died on 4 November 1724, and he erected a plaque to her which today is embedded in the outer wall of the Church of Ireland in Belturbet. It may originally have been inside. Nevill’s will is dated May 1726 and was proved in August 1727. In it he mentions that he is to be buried “in the South Cross of Bellturbet church” beside his wife. As well as bequests to his children and grandchildren, he gave three pounds each to the poor of Dungannon and Belturbet. His descendants live to this day, but none in the Belturbet area.

Submission of notes on lives of inhabitants of the town in the time of the corporation is encouraged. Notes will be published if suitable and acknowledged