Memery Family

My great grandmothers were Memerys, and were sisters. Both were daughters of a William Memery who it seems was the first Memery in the migration, although there is no actually record of his re-location to Dublin. Irish Geneological records show only one Memery before this time who may not have been resident (an Anne Memery a sponsor to a birth in Cork) (ie was a sponsor on a birth record, not an actual birth, marriage or death). Later, in 1845, a Margaret Memery married a J. Daisy in Cork, but may or may not have been resident in Ireland before marriage. A Mary Memery died in 1879, but I cannot link her to other family members. The only Memerys in the 1901 census records are in Ringsend, Dublin.

The key link between Devon and Dublin seems to be this  William Richard Memery, born in 1816, baptised in St Mary’s Brixham, to James and Mary Memery. James is listed as a Mariner. 

With the help of the Brixham Heritage Museum, I have been able to trace this William Memery back to 1633; 

In 1633 Henry Memory was born in Staverton, Devon. Twenty years later he married Grace Weeks. They had a son, Nicholas Memory in 1655. Nicholas married Brigid Hamlin in 1675 and they gave birth to William Memory in 1698 (This is based on BHM searches but looks odd, may be another generation in between). William Memory married Mary Taylor in 1719 and they had a son William Memory in 1720. This William Memory married Dorothy Goodyear, also of Dittisham, Devon. They may have a number of children; Elizabeth in 1742, Anne in 1745,  William in 1748, John in 1750, another William in 1753 and a Susanna in 1756. These names reappear for several generations. The second William (the first likely to have died as a child) married Elizabeth Hawkins, daughter of John Hawkins and Elizabeth Blampy (see below). They may have had five children; William in 1785, Elizabeth in 1787, James in 1791 (see below), John in 1793 and Mary in 1795, who also died in 1795. William either married Eleanor Naylor, and they may have had 8 children ( Based on information from a My Heritage match)  or married Janes Eales ( Supplied by Robert Dodd). James married Mary (?) and Mary seemed to have had only one son, William Richard Memery in 1816. His birth can be seen from the records below.  Other sources report Mary as being Mary Terry, born 1794 in Devon, but her marriage took place in 1829 so I suspect this in incorrect.

James is recorded in FindMyPast (FMP) as a Mariner. 

There is a William Memery in the British Merchant Navy Records, born in Brixham c. 1815. He is listed for voyages in 1838 and again in 1845 and 46. The 1838 record refers to Dublin although it is not clear if this is the ship name or Port name.

It is very likely that this same William Richard Memery was one of the Torbay Fisherman, who were recruited to Dublin Port between 1818 and 1830, as documented by Edmund Symes, and is the person from whom the subsequent Memery families in Ireland are descended. Although certainty is not possible, the evidence to support this contention is strong. 

In the Irish Shipping records, there is a record of a trawler (The Harriet) owned by a William Memery, born 1815 in Brixham, registered in Dublin. This ship went down at sea in August 1864, all hands saved.

There is also record of a William Memery born 1815 serving time in Kilmainham Jail for assault on a Mr James Dunne in 1843. He is described as Protestant and as married, and a Fisherman. So far I cannot find any other William Memerys in Dublin at this time, and so am assuming this rogue was our ancestor. This William, as can be seen was 5’8’’, had hazel eyes and dark hair.

It is not easy to decipher what happened from the Court Report below, but involved an incident in Howth Harbour involving boats ropes and a hatchet.

A William Memery is listed (in the Irish Independent newspaper) as ‘missing’ from the Royal Marine Brigade in 1859, following a Battle at the forts on the Peiho River, which was part of the British/French action during the Opium wars. This could be another William Memery in Ireland at the time but we cannot be rule out our William Memery, who was about 43 at this time but who would have subsequently reappeared.

A William Memery died in December 1879, aged 63 in Dublin South (Donnybrook, Pembroke, Ringsend. He left a will, naming his widow, Susan Memory, as primary beneficiary and also his son, William Memery, Master Mariner, as secondary beneficiary. He lived at Cambridge Road, Ringsend. This William is definitely an ancestor, and very probably the William Richard Memery who was born 1816 in Brixham.

We do not know very much about William Richard Memery. David Gray suggests that he was, at the time of his death, a man of some means. It could be that some of his estate was in craft. The fact that the address in Cambridge Road is consistent from his death in 1879, and through his son Robert’s marriage in 1887 to when Susan died in 1891 suggests they owned the house. Ringsend was far from wealthy and all these houses were close to the docks as no one would have had any means of transport. However the consistency contrasts with other parts of the family where there was a lot of address changes. David reckons his Irish estate in terms of personal property would be worth around £88k today. He was also of course not beyond acting in a violent way, probably not unusual in a working man in Dublin at this time. David Gray’ s thoughts on this are that his sentence was handed down by a ‘Baron’ of the court, that is I think equivalent to a proper Crown Court/High Court judge today. As David points out, William would have come across as English to the court, and if there was any prejudice in favour of English/protestant people in the Irish courts at that time, William’s actions seem enough to override it. The victim’s compensation of £10 which William pays is worth around £1,625 today. However we know little else about him, and less about his wife, Susan. However from the Irish Church and Civil Records, there is evidence that a William and Susan Memery had at least five children.

The mystery of Susan

It has not been possible to confirm Susan’s name before marriage as searches across many sites, on my part and also David Gray’s efforts, have not yielded a marriage certificate, or much else to go on. Therefore it very hard to find out anything about her. There are three possibilities – Creese, Winter or Bartlett.  Bartlett is the least likley.

Creese?

Three children are recorded in the Irish Geneology database to William Memery and Susan and some others that are likely to be their children (more detail below). A Robert Creese Memery identifies a William Memery, Fisherman of Cambridge Road as his father on his marriage certificate (1887). He was born c. 1862, although there is no birth recorded in the Irish or UK genelogy records, this age is evident from both the 1901 and 1911 census, and he is listed as being born in Ireland.  William and Susan both are late of Cambridge Road in the Wills Calendar. I am assuming Robert Creese Memery was the son of William and Susan Memery, but cannot verify this.

Creese could be Susan’s maiden name, as naming a child with the Mother’s maiden name was common practice at this time, but this is only a working hypothesis. It is likely that Susan came from Brixham or at least Devon as Susan is a name the crops up repeatedly in the Brixham families, who intermarried. There were definitely Creeses in both Brixham and in Ringsend in the 1800s, and the latter appear to be part of the Torbay migration.

Cliff Gempton in Brixham, thinks William’s wife was Susanna Creese, b. 1808, Brixham, daughter of Robert Creese and Prudence Bone, who married in 1796 (entry 124 below). Prudence and Robert also had a daughter, Mary, born 1796 (Supplied by another person searching for records, and also by Cliff Gempton. The 1841 UK census records Prudence and Mary Creese, aged 60 and 40 respectively. A Prudence Creese died in 1850 in Brixham. A Mary Creese died in 1854 in Brixham. But I am not convinced this is our Susan.

If William’s wife was Susanna Creese born 1808, she would have been 54 when Robert was born (and 33 when Betsy was born, 45 when Susan was born, with two others between Susan and Robert). This seems unlikely. It could be that it was a second marriage for her, which would explain her first child in this marriage at aged 33, but not the problem of her still giving birth at age 53. Giving birth at 53 years is unusual enough nowadays, but given the mortality rates and impact of poverty on maternal health over a century ago, it is very unlikely. I have found reference to Susanna Creese, daughter of Prudence, having a son John Simmonds in Scotland in 1833. If this is correct, it will rule out Susanna Creese b. 1801 as William’s wife.

It could be that Robert Creese Memery’s father, William Memery, was a different branch of the Memery family. However there were very few Memery’s in Dublin at this time. The next William is William Richard’s son, b. 1846. But it is unlikely that Robert Creese Memery was this 2nd William’s son, as he did not marry (Rebecca Winter) until 1866. 

It could be that Robert Creese Memery was actually an illegitimate son of Mary-Anne, William and Susan’s eldest daughter, who would have been 19 at the time, and incorporated into her parents family although whether this practice was common is not known. 

If this Robert Creese Memery is the son of William and Susan, I think Susan must have been born earliest 1821. Are there any other possible ‘Susan Creese’s?

A Christopher Creese married a Mary Kiddell in 1786 in Brixham. They had 9 children (Charity, Mary, Christopher, Fanny, Susan, Robert, Betsy, William, Thomas). The daughter Susan was born in 1795 so cannot be our Susan. Either of the 4 sons and could feasibly had a daughter born in and around 1820 (or any of the daughters could have had illegitimate daughter). Interestingly, one daughter, Charity, married a Richard Winter in 1809 and had 4 children; Mary, Christopher, Richard and a daughter Susan Creese Winter 1819. The Brixham Heritage team belive that this Susan Creese Winter died unmarried in 1844 and with no children, which would rule her out. Of the four sons, Christopher married a Susanna Collings in 1815 but appears to have had no children. Robert married Mary Richards and appears to have had 3 sons, Thomas is not recorded as having children and William who married Rebecca Blacker in 1831 had 9 children, none of which were called Susan. 

Back to Dublin and there is a William Creese, born around 1835 in Dublin, who married Elizabeth Yeo in 1863, and was the sexton in St Matthews parish. They lived there with 14 children (only 5 of which survived; Thamsen married in 1894, Frances married in 1903, Martha married in 1909, Mary Anne married in 1917 ). He was also involved in seafaring as we can see from his notice in The Freeman’s Journal in 1889. William died  ? and Elizabeth in 1929.

This William was the son of a Robert Creese, a Mariner. This may be a son of Robert Creese and Mary Richards, born in 1823. In the Irish records there is also a Stephen Creese, son of Robert Creese who married Harriet Blackmore in 1877, Eliza Creese, daughter of Robert Creese who married James Pullen in 1861 and MaryAnne Pierce Creese, b1840 in Ringsend, daughter of Robert Creese. Harriet died in 1921. We could assume all the same family? These are all Torbay names. 

There is  death of a Mary Crees in Ringsend in 1892 with an estimated age of 99. She is the widow of a fisherman. Could this be Mary, born Richards? But this brings us no closer to Susan’s identity.

Winter? 

Susan Hodgins, born Memery, was a child of William and Susan’s (possibly 7^th child). She gives father William Memery on her marriage certificate. She married James Hodgins and since I am told that my Grandparents were 1^st cousins, this makes her the sister of MaryAnne Memery. Susan is listed in the 1901 census as being born in Devon in 1853. I have found a Susan Memery, born in 1853 in Totnes, Devon, with mother’s maiden name, Winter.

This is strongest evidence that Susan’s maiden name was Winter, based on the assumption that this is Susan Memery who later married James Hodgins. Another connection with Winter is that Susan and James Hodgins’s daughter, Mary, who married William Stewart, named her daughter Susan Winter Stewart. A third connection is that Evan Roe, also researching the Gray and Memery families told me that Chrisopher born in 1851 was Christopher Winter Memery. Also worth noting Peter remembers being told that Susie Stewart researched the Winter family, so she too, was on this trail…

Also the Winter name is connected to Creese, as a Richard Winter (a mariner) married Charity Creese in 1809, mentioned above (daughter of Christopher Crese and Mary Kiddle) . He must have been born ca. 1790 ? They had a daughter Susan Creese Winter born in 1819, as recorded in FMP. I was told by the Brixham Family History project, that Susan Cresse Winter died unmarried in 1844. A death is recorded in FMP in 1844 for a Susan Winter but no other information. Yet based on the searching David and I have undertaken, it may be that this information is incorrect, making Susan Creese Winter, daughter of Richard Winter and Charity Creese, the most likely candidate for our G G Grandmother.

There was also a Susan Winter, listed as born 1820, in Devon, in the 1841 UK census. She is living with a Richard and Ann Winter both aged 70, with an Anna Maria Wilson, aged 7. One might assume she is minding this child.

However in contradiction to Brixham FHP, MyHeritage site gives that this Susan Creese Winter, born 1819, ‘married’ a William Wilson, aged 50, and they had a daughter Anna, in 1834, in Totnes, Devon. This would have been when Susan was 14 or 15, if it is correct. Although we have not found a marriage record.

The only marriage record for William Wilson is to a Maria Sumner in 1830. There is christening record saying Anna Maria was born in 1832 in Southampton and her mother was Maria Wilson. This Anna Maria is in the same census also with her putative father William Wilson, in Southampton. 

Why putative? It does appear that she had a daughter with William, after he married Maria Sumner. It might not mean anything, except that when Anna marries in 1859 (in FMP), she is recorded as Anna Maria Winter Wilson and born in 1834. And My Heritage gives her mother as Susan Creese Winter.

There are three different birth years given for Anna Maria Wilson. So is not clear what has happened here. It is possible that Anna Maria was the daughter of Susan Creese Winter and William Wilson, but who subsequently was incorporated into William Wilson’s family with sister Jane and William’s wife Maria (William had married Maria Sumner in 1830). William Wilson and daughter Anna Maria are in the UK 1851 census, all in Southhampton. Susan doesn’t appear in any later census record. This could be the case if Susan died, consistent with the Family Project saying a Susan Winter died in 1844. However there is no death record, nor grave for Susan Creese Winter aged 25 in or around 1844. And given we cannot find any recorded death or grave for Susan, it could be that this Susan Creese Winter, left England (census taken 6th June) and travelled to Ireland in 1841, where she gave birth to her first child (8th July 1841) with William Richard Memery. But of course there is no evidence of this. It is entirely speculative. But she does seem the most likely candidate for our GG Grandmother.

There were people of the name Winter in Ringsend, c. 1830-1850, and one, Richard, was a fisherman. He died, aged 68 in 1847 so was born c. 1779. Could be Richard Winter who married Charity Creese, and Susan Creese Winter’s father.  A Betsy Winter, daughter of Richard Winter married Thomas Weldrick in Ringsend in 1845, clearly linking the Winter name to the Torbays (Weldrick). She appears to be Richard and Charity’s daughter, linking this family to the Torbay migration. Ancestry gives Charity Winter’s death as 1855 in Brixham. However there was also Charity Winter who died in Ringsend in 1838, aged 51 – so born 1787. Same as Susan Creese Winter’s mother. The date match is interesting. And finally a Richard Winter and wife Mary Jane have a child in Dublin 1845, parish St Marks  – and named her Charity. But no marriage record in Irish geneology . Perhaps this could be Richard, brother of Susan Creese Winter who was born in 1813 according to Ancestry.

The Winter family names re appears when two of William and Susan’s sons marry sisters, Mary and Rebecca Winter from Waterford. But I don’t know if they are connected. The Winter family in Waterford were from Dorset.

Bartlett? 

Susan died in 1891, late of Cambridge Road, leaving a will naming a William Bennet Bartlett, York Terrace Ringsend as the primary executor. The Bartletts were also part of the Brixham migration, but otherwise I cannot connect them to the Memerys. WBB could be her brother, or her brother-in-law?

There here are several William Bennet Bartletts. The one who was born in 1823 and died aged aged 78 in 1901, at York Terrace Ringsend, daughter Lavina present (may in fact be Daughter in law) may be the benefactor. He is in 1901 census, married to Maria who was born in England. She is not in the 1911 census. This WBB married Mary Nickles in 1846, and they had sons, WBB (b. 1858, d. 1885), possibly Samuel,  Herbert, who married Elizabeth Davey, sister of Grace Davey who married Abraham Memery (see later pages), daughters Jane, Grace, and possibly Henrietta. Name pattern implies Bartletts were Torbays. WBB’s parents were Samuel and Sophia Bartlett and he was born in Ireland, so they were likely to been one of the early migrant families. Could Susan have been an older sister ? If she was born around 1820, it would fit. There is one birth for a Susan Bartlett in 1820 in Devon, but I cannot connect her to us in any way. There are no births in the Irish records for a Susan Bartlett around 1820. But there is no connection other than her will. She is not listed as witness on any of the marriage or birth records in the Bartlett family. 

There are over 400 James + Elizabeth marriages in Devon between 1805 and 1815, but no Creeses or Bartletts, so that has not provided a fruitful avenue of enquiry. 

For the moment I am going with Susan being Susan Creese Winter, before she had child Betsey with William Richard Memery c. 1841

William and Susan

As noted above, three children are recorded in the Irish Geneology database to William Memery and Susan; Betsey, William and Mary Anne. He is described in each record as a Fisherman. Betsy was born in 1841 but died in 1843, aged 1 yr 6 months. Mary Anne Memery, born in 1843 was my great grandmother. William was born to William and Susan in 1846. Two further children can identified; Susan (b. 1853) who named William Memery as her father on her Certificate of marriage to James Hodgins and as I know my G Grandmothers were sisters, this has to be the same William, and therefore my other great grandmother. There may have been a Rachel, born 1860, but this is uncertain. There is a Robert Creese Memery (b. 1861) who also identifies a William Memery, Fisherman, of Cambridge Road as his father on his marriage certificate, and his own address is Cambridge Road. Robert was married in 1887, so if this was William, born 1816, and died 1879, he is not noted as deceased. Unsure if this is significant. I am assuming Robert Creese Memery was the son of William and Susan Memery.

Five children would be a small family at this time, and I would assume therefore there were more children. Not all children may have been born in Dublin. Susan Hodgins, born Memery, in the 1901 census is listed as being born in Devon, for example. It is odd that none are in the civil records but this could be due to a reluctance to register the children in Ireland, perhaps a mistrust of the Irish system as a migrant mind-set, or other social reasons.

It is likely they had a son James, b.1847, although I cannot find a birth record. James was crew on the ‘Harriet’ with William (b.1816) and William, (b. 1846). William the son married Rebecca Winter of Waterford and her sister married a James Memery. (There is also a James Memery born 1837 in Churston, Devon England and in the merchant navy. Both he and James b. 1847 are Mariners and are listed as crew in the Irish Shipping Records. James b. 1837 appears to be a grandson of William Memery who married Eleanor Naylor, and therefore our William Richard’s nephew. James, b. 1837, is listed in the 1901 census as married and as Sea Captain, at sea at the time. He is probably the James Memery, b. 1837 in Churston, in the UK census for 1881, then living in Liverpool, with 6 children.)

A Mary Memery was born and died in Monkstown in 1849, as found in RootsIreland. She could be a child of William and Susan, as Margaret Memery in Cork is the only other Memery in Ireland I can find at that time (and she was RC) but no further information.

Two Christopher Memerys are recorded in the Irish parish records, St Matthews parish; one born in 1850 listed as buried in 1851, aged 1 yr 2 months, but no information on parents, and also a Christopher died in 1856, a child, no information on parents either.  These could be sons of William and Susan as, so far, no other Dublin-based Memerys have emerged in searches for this time. 

A death listed in Irish Geneology for a Mary Memery of Cambridge Road in 1897, aged 40, not married and described as a net maker. The date was 3^rd July. There is a Martha recorded as present at William Richard’s death in 1879 and is later listed in Wills Calendar as a spinster who lived at Cambridge Road Ringsend, and who died in the workhouse on 3^rd July 1897, so we can assume Mary and Martha were one the same.  She was probably a daughter of William and Susan but I cannot find a birth record. Interestingly she left a 183 pounds in her will, which would indicate she was not in the workhouse due to destitution. Perhaps mental ill-health.

There is a Henry Memery, aged 19, who crewed with William Richard (b.1846), so therefore born around 1859. Henry was also listed as being in the Merchant Navy, and died in 1878. His address is given as 14 Cambridge Road and present at his death was Susan Memery of the same address. There is no further information on Henry. He could be a son of William and Susan.

There may also have been a Rachel Memery, born 1860 and married Samuel Edwards. She died aged 28 in 1888. However I cannot link her to William and Susan.

I cannot find a gravestone for either William or Susan.

Details Family of (likely) William (b. 1816) and Susan Memery

William Richard Memery, born 1846, the eldest son, married Rebecca Winter from Dunmore East Waterford, in 1866. Her father was Capt. Samuel Winter. Samuel Winter was originally from Portland, Dorset, possibly son of an Abraham Winter and Lucy Rodd. Samuel is listed in the Irish Shipping records, Master of ship the ‘Catherine’, in 1876.

Samuel married three times, the first time to Jane James, the second to Rebecca Comden, Rebecca’s mother and the third to a Margaret Whitty of Wexford, originally from Devon. Margaret died about ten years after marrying Samuel and it seems Rebecca had to care to a family of five siblings. Mary was born to Margaret in 1849 and she subsequently married William’s brother James c. 1869. (see below). It is possible one of the other sibling was sent to a Magdalen laundry, but I don’t have any verification of this.  There are five other siblings on Ancestry (Morgan/Hampton tree). A Samuel Winter of Dunmore East is listed in the Irish records, marrying a Jemima Harper in 1852. He appears to be Rebecca and Mary’s brother.  

William Richard was a Master Mariner. He crewed on the Harriet with William Memery, Master (b. 1816) his father. He appeared to have a long sea-faring career. There are 46 William Memery entries in the Shipping Agreement & Crew Lists 1860-1921. The following ships were registered to him; JJY, Mary Jane, Naomi, Ondine, Audine, and the Ambrosine. The Ambrosine was built in Brixham but sold in 1901. These are listed in the record provided by Cliff Gempton, on p. 48 below. He crewed with a James Memery, a Robert Memery and a Henry Memery (all brothers I am assuming). The image below is of the ‘Naomi’, recording a voyage in 1878, for which James Hodgins his brother-in law was crew (see Hodgins family chapter). 

Rebecca Winter Memery died in 1879 at 38 years. William Richard subsequently married an Elizabeth Martin in 1880 and they are listed as living in Thorncastle St., Ringsend in the 1901 census. This Elizabeth died in 1904. He then married Isabella, listed in 1911 census as having been married to a William Memery, ex-Fisherman, aged 65, for 5 years. This appears to be the marriage listed in Irish Geneology  between William Memery and Isabella Jackson in 1905. 

Headstone of William Richard Memery, b. 1846 and two references to him in Irish Newspapers
	Freemans Journal 13th May 1910

Family of William Richard Memery (b.1846) and Rebecca Winter

It seems William & Rebecca had 6 children; 

Rebecca b. 1867, 

James (Jem) b.1869, 

Samuel b.1871, 

William Richard b. 1873, 

Abraham b.1876.

Henry b. 1878 

Rebecca married Robert Rowden in 1887, and they had a son, Robert.  Robert the father drowned and his body was found in Dublin Bay in 1890. The post on Ringsend Fishermen facebook below, possibly published in the Freeman’s Journal shows how awful this could be. The Hudson may well be Hodgins, as suggested in another reference (see Hodgins family).

The child Robert died of measles in 1893 and is buried with his grandfather, recorded on the headstone above. Rebecca subsequently married Joseph Butler, a coastguard in Donegal. There is reference to Joseph Butler on the Coastguards website. The photo below (found on MYHeritage) is Rebecca with Joseph Butler. They had two children James in 1902 and Elizabeth in 1904.

Henry  was born in December 1878, while they lived at 13 Thorncastle Street. A Henry Memery died at 5 months of age in May 1879 at 44 Thorncastle Street which could be this Henry but I am not certain.

I can find no further trace of William Richard ( Information supplied by Pauline King, Stillorgan), except that he was born in 1873. There was a William Memery, aged 18, confirmed in St Matthews in 1892. This may be him? There was a William Richard Memery, born 1873, crewing on the Ambrosine in 1900. MyHeritage has a record of a William Memery born 1873 to William and Rebecca, who married Violet King from Grimsby, and had two children, Violet Aileen and Lily Irene. Could be William. Perhaps he moved to Grimsby? Brixham fishermen had links with Grimsby.

Samuel married Brigid Purcell in 1893 and they apparently had 10 children, 7 listed in the 1911 census ;

William, b.1896   d. 1914

Rebecca, b. 1898, married Michael Dalton in 1938. She was born in Galway, St Augustine street. 

Brigid, b.1900

Elizabeth b.1902

May, b. 1904

Josephine, b. 1906

Mathilda, 1908 

Samuel, b. 1909

Henry b. 1914 Henry died as a prem. at 7 months. 

Isabella  b. 1915

Brigid Purcell was born in Galway in 1879. Their son William was born in Dublin in 1896 although they lived in Galway for some time prior to that. Both Rebecca and Brigid were born in Galway, although by 1901 they had returned to Dublin and lived at 145 Thorncastle Street. She and the children are  listed as Roman Catholic in the 1901 census. In 1902 they are living in Irishtown Road and Elizabeth is born.  

Ten years later, in the 1911 census she is living in 25 Pembroke Cottages, with 4 more children and all are listed as C of I. Elizabeth is not in this census. Michael and Mary Purcell are living there also, listed as Brigid’s brother and sister in law. In 1914  they lived at Pigeon House Road. Samuel the father is not in either census. He may have been at sea. He is listed as the rate payer for 25 Pembroke Cottages in 1913.

 In 1918, Elizabeth died of pneumonia, aged 16. A post on ‘Roots Chat’ reports that Mathilda went to live with her Aunt, Mary Purcell in Fleetwood in 1925. In the UK 1939 Register a Mathilda Memery is listed living with a Mary Wright in Fleetwood and also a Samuel Memery, b. 1909. This may be her brother? There is a death recorded for Mathilda Memery in Lancashire in 1949.

A Brigid Memery who was recorded in the Dublin Workhouse Admissions & Discharge in 1915, and this was probably Samuel’s (b.1871) wife. Brigid Memery died in 1958, aged 79, at 24 Tritonville Road. Her daughter Josephine was present. Josephine died in 1983, at the same address. 

Samuel appears in the Irish Shipping and Crew Agreements listings, as owner and Skipper of a trawler named the Shamrock, which was engaged in fishing in Galway bay, during the years 1896 – 1900. Samuel’s address is either Augustine Street or Middle Street Galway. He also crewed with his brother James on the Neptune.

Samuel could be the Samuel who was owed four day’s pay from the Dublin Stream Trawling Co. as reported in the Evening Herald in 1913.

When I was visiting Aunt Agnes in the 1970s, often as we passed the first house in The Square, Irishtown, she would point out that that was Bridie Memery, our cousin’s house. I only saw Bridie a few times. She was tall and straight, a little stern-faced and white hair piled up on her head. She looked a little like Gran Hodgins. I think this could have been Samuel and Brigid’s daughter, born in 1900.

Samuel Memery Shipping Record and Report in Irish Newspapers

Jem married Annie Andrews in 1891. Jem is listed in the Irish Mariners database, as are six of his sons.  Jem crewed on many ships and is listed frequently in the Irish and UK Shipping crew lists, including the S S Kilkenny, the Cork and the Neptune. Jem and Annie had 10 children in all, listed below.  The first, William was born in Dublin, and the next three in Galway, when Jem must have been working on Galway trawlers. The Irish Shipping records log several monthly reports for the Neptune, fishing in Galway between 1896 and 1897, with James Memery as Skipper. Also The Inspector of Fisheries Report of 1889 notes the following

There were twelve applications received from thirteen persons for £6,340 ; and two loans to two persons to the amount of £640 were recommended. One was for £590 towards building a new first class trawler, the “Neptune” tonnage, 49 ‘92, owner, James Memery. Amount issued £1,240. 

By 1901 they had returned to Irishtown and were living in Seapoint Terrace with five sons and members of Annie’s family. James may be at sea. In 1906 he was mate on the Belfast Steamer, as noted on Frances’s birth record. By 1911 there are four more children.  Samuel was born and died before the 1901 census. Jem was 2nd Mate on the S.S Louth in 1915. This may be his Certificate for First Mate, 2 years later. Of course he may have been the Captain Memery who brought the Louth safely to shore in 1894, although I’m unsure if Captaincy was likely at the age of 24. Jem was in the Merchant Navy and served in WWI and received a medal. It seems most of the family moved to Liverpool, as many can be found in the UK 1939 registers. He died in 1945 and Annie died in 1956, both in Liverpool. The pictures below are of Jem and Annie and Annie in later life, kindly supplied by Alison Little/Moyra.

Jem and Annie’s 10 children; 

William Winter, b. 1893. William was a merchant seaman. His voyages are listed in the Irish Mariners databases as

1920-02-03 Ramore Head ON 99114 of Belfast (Heyn, G)
1920-10-01 Polbain ON 137688 of London (Holt, A/Coast Lines 1920)
1920-11-01 Killoran (SV) ON 111283 of Glasgow (Browne, J)

William worked on the White Star Liners  to US and Australia ( information from Alison Little/Moyra, descendant of Annie Andrews). William was the William Memery reported in the newspaper in 1910 for leaving the vessel SS Belfast with others when the Captain refused to take on a recommendation from a union official. This is collaborated by the UK 1915 crew lists. William married Maud Cooke in 1914. A death is recorded for a baby, father William W Memery in 1928. The address is 23 Bath Avenue, Irishtown. His Merchant seaman’s card notes his rating – possibly quarter master – on the ship Ramore Head. Alison, provided the following description of William from her Uncle’s memoirs;

Bill, the eldest son, was then mainly on the White Star liners, and his voyages were to America, and to Australia on those round the world. How thrilled I was (he’d be about fifteen years older than me) by his calm descriptions of his early rounding Cape Horn by sail. 

Arthur, b. 1896 Arthur, according to Alison, was chief steward on the Liverpool-Dublin line, and married Marguerite (?). He crewed on the Saltom, listed in UK 1915 shipping records, but also is listed in the Irish Mariners (Merchant Seamen) Database as follows;

01 Jul 1919 Hildebrand, ON131329, of Liverpool (Booth SS Co) 

01 Jul 1920 Venice, ON135909, of W. Hartlepool (Furness, Withy & Co) 

01 Jun 1921 Akabo, ON115268, of Liverpool (Elder Dempster) 

01 Aug 1921 Politician, ON110533, of Liverpool (Harrison, T & J)

There are two photos of Arthur, as a boy and later in a formal pose.  By 1939 he was living in Birkenhead, Liverpool and 2^nd Mate on the ‘Pacific Coast’. There were three women in the house with him, a Marguerite Memery born 1899, probably his wife and Ann, born 1933 probably their daughter. There is also an Anne, born 1865, and this must be his mother. The pictures of Arthur below, young and old were supplied by Alison Moyra. 

Frederick, b. 1898 was born in Galway, St Nicholas St. This is small street off the docks. When I walk down it it gives me a spooky sense of history. Later, when they lived in Dublin, Frederick and his brother Robert were arrested for stealing from a Yacht at the ages of 14 and 12 respectively. However neither seemed to continue a life of crime. Frederick has a Merchant seaman’s card where he is listed as a Fireman. He married Hannah Wooton in 1922. He died in 1981, having lived in Liverpool. They had at least one son, Frederick Thomas Memery, born in 1923.

James, b. 1894 James crewed on the Alpha aged 17. James married Mary (Maisie) McAuley in 1916. Mary was born in 1894, in Cushendun NI. They had 10 children: James Memery b & d 1918, Patrick (Paddy) Memery, Liam Redmond Memery, Robert Emmet Memery, Daniel (Danny) Memery, Arthur Brendan (Glory) Memery, James Memery b 1920 and 3 other children. James died on April 18 1972, at age 77 in 24 Croydon Park Avenue, Marino, Dublin, Ireland. They are probably the Memery’s I found in recent years; Daniel Memery, Junior Berthing Master at East Wall, lived at Griffith Drive in Finglas 1952 and James Memery, Docker, from Ballygall in Finglas, convicted of stealing in 1954. 

The first picture below is entitled ‘James Memry First mate 1917’ – provided by Colin Jarvis. I think it is James, b 1894 – who would have been about 22 at that time. 

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This picture below is of James Memery, poster boy (literally) for in exhibition about Ringsend Seamen in WWI, Dublin City Libraries. 

A J Memery is noted as a member of an Executive of the Irish Free State Pilot’s Assc in 1937 and a James Memery given as a member of a Committee of the Assc. in 1940, investigating the effects of the War on Irish Harbours. He is pictured in the Irish Press in 1934 as pilot of the ‘Glencree’. 

Samuel, (possibly b. 1899, in Galway, died 10 months later)

Robert Victor, b. 1901 (born in Galway) Robert Victor is listed on this Merchant seaman card as a Pantry boy in 1918. He presumably graduated to greater things, working the B & I line. He died in 1972. He lived and worked in Liverpool, married to Margaret (?). They had a daughter called Margaret who married Leslie Gilvan in 1952. The pictures  below was given to me by Colin Jarvis.  One is called Bob Memery and the other Robert Victor. 

John Edward, b. 1902. He is listed on his Merchant Seaman’s card as a deck boy. His voyages are listed as;

1918-10-01 Toloa ON 141874 of Glasgow (United Fruit Co)
1919-08-01 Toloa ON 141874 of Glasgow (United Fruit Co)
1920-04-01 Germanic/Pengelly(1920) ON 121011 of Cardiff (/Swan & Wood)

He married Lucy Boileu in 1927. He lived in Marino at this time. He could be the J Memery mentioned in the Irish Independent in 1932 as a member of the Marino Tontine Society. The picture is “John’s wedding day”. Rebecca Memery his sister is third in from the left.

Henry b. 1905. Henry, according to Alison Moyra, was the only one who did not go to sea. He is listed in 1913 as lodger with William Memery his grandfather, at 11 Thorncastle Street. Alison also notes he married Marguerite Cousins in Liverpool in 1931 and died three years later. The address here is Gordon Street, close to where we lived for a while (Somerset Street).

Frances, b. 1906. May have married Walter Broad in 1941, in Birkenhead in Liverpool. She is listed in the 1939 register as domestic servant to the Wilson family in Birkenhead. This is corroborated in Colin Jarvis’s Tree.

Rebecca, b. 1908.  Married John Jarvis, and died in Exeter in 1995. Their son Colin has helpfully provided several Memery pictures for this chapter. 

This picture (supplied by Alison Moyra) is of Frances and Rebecca and three of the boys, probably William, James and Arthur.  

Navy cards of the ‘Memery boys’

An Abraham Winter Memory was born in 1878 and confirmed in St Matthews Church in 1892 aged 17, presumably son of William Richard and Rebecca Winter.  Abraham  crewed with his father, William, on the Ambrosine in 1896 as 3^rd hand and 1897 as 2^nd hand, while the trawler was working in Galway. By 1889 they had returned to Dublin fishing grounds. By 1899 he crewed on the Lady Olive, and in 1909 was Master of the Lady Martin. David Gray observes – she was quite an old vessel, built in 1888, but was presumably a step up from his previous 1878-built vessel, the Lady Olive, which was B and I’s last iron (as against steel) built ship. These are large cross-channel ferry boats as shown below.

Abraham married Grace Davey in 1899 and they had at least six children; Walter b.1900, Rebecca b.1903, Ernest, b. 1909, William Edward, b. 1908. Abraham, b. 1911 and John Davey, b. 1913. Two Daveys died in  WW1, as listed on the war memorial in St Matthews Church. They may have been Grace’s brothers. Abraham and Grace lived at Bayview Irishtown in the 1911 census, with one son William Edward. Walter, Rebecca and Ernest all died before they reached three years of age. Walter is buried with his grandfather, William Richard. The people present at the deaths were listed as Elizabeth Bartlett , Aunt and ? Bartlett, Uncle. Bartlett is another Torbay name. Bartlett also appears in the will of Susan, Abraham’s grandmother (William Bennett Bartlett). It seems the Barlett connection is through the Daveys. Rebecca’s death record has an Uncle H (?) Bartlett present at death.  

William Edward married an Ita Barret in 1944, with Maybury’s as witnesses,

Abraham served with the navy during WW1. He died in 1928, at his home in Sandymount avenue, where his war service is noted along with the fact that he was appointed the Governor of Cyprus. He died at 51 years of age. I could not find anything more about this ‘Governership’ and neither could David Gray. David suggests that it might have been an error on the part of the newspaper, in actuality he was a ‘Naval Transport Officer’ stationed at Alexandria from 1915-1918.

Present at his death was an Ernest (?) Bartlett.  Judging by his headstone, and the move to Sandymount, he was prosperous at this stage. 

The memorial (below) records Abraham Memery and many other Torbays, and a William Hodgins, as it appears in Ringsend Methodist Church. 

Interesting to see that two Blackmores were on the Helga, the ship that was used by the British during the War, gunned Liberty Hall during the Rising but was purchased by the Irish Free State in 1923, and with ordinance removed became part of the Coastguard service, as the Muirchu. Dad was on its final voyage in 1947 when it went down off the coast of Waterford, on its way to the Hammond Lane Scrapyard. That’s another story!

James Memery (probably the second son of William and Susan) married Mary Winter in 1869. A witness is John Gray, which suggests him to be MaryAnne Memory’s brother. She was a sister of Rebecca Winter, which would makes these two branches of the family double cousins. Mary was born in Co Waterford. His father is named as William Memery on the certificate, so this is most likley to be our William. John Gray is a witness, who may be the John Gray who married MaryAnne in 1865.

He was crew on the ‘Harriet’ with William (b.1816) and William, (b. 1846), and on the Ambrosine  in 1901. (He is not to be confused with James Memery born in Churston, Devon, in 1837, who also crewed on many of the Irish Ships).

In 1901 James and Mary lived at 122 Thorncastle street, with three children; Mary, Rebecca and James Samuel. Mary Memery, born Winter, died in 1905, at age 53. A James Memery of 56 Thorncastle Street did jury duty in 1910, which could be this James Memery. A James Memery, aged 63, is listed in the 1911 census as a widower, living with Rebecca, (aged 28) with three children Edward, Annie and George aged 6, 5 and 1.  It seems based on grave notes below, James died aged 70. 

It seems James and Mary had 8 children; 

Susan b.1876, married John Andrews in 1892, from 56 Thorncastle Street, brother of Annie who married his cousin James (Jem). Their first child Arthur Andrews died young and was buried with James and Mary his grandparents. They had three further children, two surviving, Frances and John and lived at 4 Cambridge Street in 1901 and 1911. A Susan, married to John Andrews died in New York, 1973, born in Ringsend in 1876. 

William Henry b. 1872, died within one year

James b. 1873, died in 1875, as per the gravestone of Mary and James.

Mary b. 1875,  Mary married John Ince in 1902. They lived at Green Street and had two children, Mary and Henry, in 1911.

Richard Winter b.1877, died in 1885 aged 8. 

Margaret Winter b. 1880. Margaret is listed in the 1901 census as a servant to the Cambell family, unmarried. In 1903 Margaret  married Samuel Dunwoody. They had at least 6 children; 

Mabel, b.1904, Mary b. 1905, Anne b. 1906, James, b.1907, William b. 1909 and Samuel b. 1915.

Rebecca b.1883. Rebecca Memery married a Samuel Payne in November 1904.  They had a daughter, Annie in 1906 and Mary in 1908 and a son George in 1910. There is  birth (Edward) to a Rebecca Memery recorded in October 1904, with no maiden name or father recorded. There is also a record in the workhouse of a Rebecca Memery, pregnant, in 1904. 

Edward married a Margaret Nolan in 1943 living at Pembroke Cottages in Ringsend. George married Alice Gahan. 

Through MyHeritage I have found that Samuel Payne was born in Essex and was a fisherman on the “Lord Charles Beresford’. His parents were George and Eleanor, Eleanor from Galway. He died in 1915 in the Richmond Asylym.

James Samuel b. 1885. James Samuel Memery is listed in the Irish Mariners database. A James, aged 23, son of James, married Mary or Rebecca McLaughlin in 1909. This may be them in the image below. She was catholic and so in the 1911 census James was working in Cork and is listed as Catholic. He died in 1948 and there is a memorial in St Patrick’s Church Ringsend to him, placed there by his wife. It appears he died following an accident when he struck his hand on a wheel. He was also a seafarer. Their daughter Susan, married William Fay in 1941. A tree on Ancestry (martin) gives then 11 children.

The picture below, supplied by Alison Moyra, may be William Samuel.

Robert Creese Memery married Susanna Rowden in 1887. Rowden is another Torbay name. Susanna’s brother Robert married Rebecca Memery, Robert’s neice. There is an entry on Ancestry that puts Susannas mother as a Rachel Gray. But I cannot verify this. They had  at least 7 children; 

Henry, b. 1888, a shoemaker in 1911 census

Rachel, b. 1889 

Georgina, b. 1891, a dressmaker in 1911 census. She died aged 77 in St Brendan’s Hospital. 

William, b. 1893. William Richard was listed in the Irish Mariners database as an able seaman.

I think this William married Elizabeth Tyrell  in 1916. An Elizabeth, daughter-in-law is present at Robert’s death, address Stella gardens. This may be the Elizabeth Memery who died in 1959, aged 68, with an address in Stella gardens. She had a child Hilda in 1917, who died in 1923. Also may have been a son, Herbert.

Walter, b. 1901

Susan b.1902, Susan died in 1919 of TB.

Robert Rowden b.1895. A Robert Memery is listed in 1911 census as aged 15, in 10 Seafield Road Clontarf. This is a residential setting of some sort.  So he was born 1896 or so, so is probably Robert Rowden Memery.  He is a pupil, and all pupils were CoI. This looks like the following; 

The Hibernian Marine School, founded in 1776, catered for the schooling of orphans and children of seafaring men … In 1904 the school moved to Seafield Road in Clontarf. 

Robert Rowden Memery was listed as a Merchant seaman in 1915, rating unclear. He crewed on the SS Glengarriff in 1920. His voyages are listed as

1919-05-01 Lodorer/Hollypark (1919) ON 118627 of London 
1919-07-01 Lodorer/Hollypark (1919) ON 118627 of London 
1920-04-01 Scarpa (1918) ON 115157 of Newcastle (Sutherland, B J)
1920-12-01 Elwine Koppen/Thornbury (1920) ON 145013 (Capper Alexander (1920))

In 1901 Robert and Susanna lived in 88 Thorncastle Street. Robert Rowden, aged 68,  was also listed as a male boarder (could be Susanna’s father or uncle), as is a niece, Susan Edwards, aged 15. Susan must be the daughter of Rachel (born Rowden, therefore Susannas’s sister?) and Samuel Edwards, born 1885.  In 1911 census they lived at 11.2 Thorncastle street. Robert is listed in Irish Mariners database. 

There is a Robert Memery listed as lighthousekeeper in the 1911 census, and this may be Robert Creese Memery. He skippered the Christiana, fishing in Galway bay in 1900. Robert died in 1940 in Sea? Ave, Sandymount, and Elizabeth daughter-in-law present. Susanna died in 1920. Robert left money to his daughter Georgina, described as a spinster. I remember the name Georgina Memery from my father but never met her as far as I know. 

Susan Memery married James Hodgins  in 1874. (see pages on Hodgins Family)

Mary Anne Memery married John Gray, and had 13 children, including Mary Anne and Sarah. (see pages on Gray family).

list of Memery owned vessels supplied by Cliff Gempton

Memerys  that I am still unclear about:

1. A James Memery, at sea, aged 64 (b. 1837) in 1901 census. This seems to the James born in 1837 (mentioned p. 14) who was a mariner and on many Irish ships, but was born and died in England

2. There is a James Memery, Grocers assistant, a boarder in a house in North City Dublin, aged 29 (b. 1872) and unmarried in 1901 census. There is also a James Memery who is a Grocer and married Louisa Stokes in 1901. He was born in England. James and Louisa have an address in Ranelagh and later in Clontarf. This is the probably the same James Memery of Ranelagh in the Irish Independent in 1910 who gave a Beer & Spirt Licence to a Herbert Memery. Also could be the James of Ranelagh who did Jury duty in 1910. James and Louisa had two daughters Violet in 1909 and Irene in 1908, and sons James Stanley (1902?)  and Victor (1904?), according to the 1911 census. James’s father is listed as a Master Mariner on the marriage Certificate. A Herbert Memery married Mary Canning in 1910, also with father James Memery, Master Mariner, and witnesses Mary Memery and Ethel Memery. So this appears to be the family of James b. 1837. In the UK census a family is listed in 1881 that includes daughters Ethel, Edith, Emily and Florence and son Herbert. In the UK 1911 census the daughters are still living with father James, retired Master Mariner and mother Mary. His parents were John and Mary. Tempting to think he may be a cousin or nephew of William Richard of 1816!

3. Cliff Gempton supplied a family tree that lists another James Memery, born in 1827. He married a Phyllis Williams and they had 4 daughers, the eldest born in Ireland, Elizabeth, and three others born in Brixham.  Elizabeth married George Foster and they had 13 children. Their grandson, George Memery Foster owned the ‘Vigilance’ which has been rebuilt and still sails from Brixham. There is James Memery, born 1828 in the UK 1841 census, living in Totnes, Devon with a family called Winsor. 

4. A John Henry Memery comes up in the Irish Genealogy searches. He must have been born around 1865 or so. He married a Florence Emily Carter and they had 7 (?) children; John Dacre b.1889, Florence b.1891, Alexander b. 1893, Henry Sheppard b.1984, James Herbert b.1896, John William b. 1897,  and Douglas, b. 1899. John is Master Mariner and their address is North Strand. The children are all baptised in 1897 in the North Strand, all in one record, although all are CoI. However he reappears in the UK 1911 census which shows him as being born in Liverpool and living in Birkenhead/Cheshire, with 5 of his children born in Dublin. So may not be our branch, at least not directly. He could be son of James Memery, b. 1837. Douglas, the son of this John Memery married Jane Tyrell and lived at Ormond Quay, Jane died in 1943 and Douglas in 1955. A William Richard Memery is listed as her brother-in-law on the Death Record but unclear which this is. His address is Stella Gardens – perhaps husband of Elizabeth Tyrell, possibly the  son of Robert Creese and Susanna.

5. In 1911 census there is William Memery, 24 Pembroke cottages living with a family Royle. No information (age, DoB etc) at all is given on him. 

6. On an isolated site I found a William Memery was born in Kilmogany, Kilkenny and died at 3 months, in 1847. No information recorded on parents. This is very interesting as I have found no other Memerys outside Dublin at that time. Also checked – buried in CoI graveyard so it probably wasn’t a workhouse birth. But found on a site I have not used for any other info – so unsure of accuracy.  

7. There is an article in the Evening Herald, in 1931, reporting a dinner held for Dublin Sea  captain RS Memery. This could any of our three Roberts, (Robert Creese, Robert Rowden, Robert Victor) misprinted, or another R Memery altogether. 

8. A Rev. Father  Memery  left Kingston on the Royal Mail Steamer in 1899  

9. A Miss Memery represented the Dublin Rover Scouts at a Tribute to BP in Inchicore, Dublin in 1941. This could be the same Miss Memery who helped at a Charity Dance in Bray in 1932 It could be Rachel or Georgina, daughters of Robert and Susanna or Frances or Rebecca, daughters of Jem and Annie, but I think in fact it was a Sue Memery who donated a flag to 4^th Port. 

10. A Richard Memery was the lighthouse keeper in Poolbeg and in 1962 caught an 8lb monkfish and in 1963 a 40lb angler fish

11. There were Memerys in Co Mayo in 1870; a Robert and his wife Mary, with (possibly) two children Michael and Margaret. Robert died in 1870, at 85 years of age. But no information on how long he lived in Ireland or whether he was C of I or RC. There were no Memerys outside Dublin in the 1901 census. 

12. A Mary Memery died in Monkstown in 1849, a baby 21 days. This could be connected to the family. It could be a child of William and Susan.