Cashel of Co.Kerry
Very little is known about our Cashel family.
George Cashel was born in 1807 in Co.Kerry.
- References:
- Sources yet to be consulted:
Spelling:
The proper spelling of our family seems to be "Cashel" not "Cashell".
We start with:
-
Edward Cashel,
or Edward George Cashel
[PAT/13, no.2-3],
or George Edward Cashel
[PAT/13, no.6].
He was said to be Catholic.
He married pre-1807 to "Letitia" Blennerhassett.
She was a close relation and probably daughter of
Sir Rowland Blennerhassett, 1st Baronet.
Hence she is descendant of Edward III
and
Aoife MacMurrough
and
Brian Boru.
She was said by my family to be "Letitia".
But this may be an error and she may be identical with
Melisent Blennerhassett, baptised 1768,
daughter of the 1st Baronet.
She was Protestant.
Said to be a runaway marriage.
Edward and her
had issue:
- George Cashel,
born 1807, Co.Kerry.
Since he retired 1 Feb 1867, maybe this was at age 60 and maybe he was born around 1 Feb 1807.
Also written "George Blennerhassett Cashel"
and "George S. Cashel".
See George Cashel's middle name.
He was Catholic. (Though this may only have been through his marriage in 1838.)
The notes of
Pat Lavelle
show the mother of
George Cashel
as a Letitia Blennerhassett.
George Cashel
is normally written with no middle name.
He is "George Cashel" or sometimes "George Cashell".
But he does appear during his life as
"George Blennerhassett Cashel"
and "George S. Cashel".
[PAT/13, no.6]
also
lists him as "George Edward Cashel",
but this is long after his death.
"George Blennerhassett Cashel"
on marriage cert of his son
Blennerhassett Cashel in 1869.
See
full size.
"George S. Cashel"
sponsors the baptism of (his grandson)
Willie Cashel in 1875.
Death notice of "George S. Cashel"
in Irish Times,
Fri 23 June 1882.
Death notice of "George S. Cashel"
in Freeman's Journal,
23 June 1882.
[PAT/13, no.6]
lists him as "George Edward Cashel",
but this is written long after his death.
Real Gaelic descents v. Imaginary Gaelic descents
Some fictional Gaelic genealogy about Cashel from
Pat Lavelle
in
[PAT/4].
She refers to her grandfather
Blennerhassett Cashel.
Pat was fascinated by old Gaelic Ireland, but ironically, she could not see that
Blennerhassett,
not Cashel, or O'Mara, or any other family,
was
the only line that would
give her a
real descent from old Gaelic Ireland.
- The claimed descent of Blennerhassett Cashel from the
Kings of Cashel
is imaginary.
- However, Blennerhassett Cashel descends for real from the Blennerhassett family of Co.Kerry.
- In 2020, after 35 years of research, I proved that he descends
from Henry Blennerhassett of Gortmasherry.
- Henry Blennerhassett's
mother
and grandmother
and great-grandmother
all have proven descents from
Aoife MacMurrough
and
Brian Boru, High King of Ireland.
Every step in their descents are proven.
- It took me 35 years to prove our descent from Brian Boru.
But if Pat's grandfather
had only ignored that old man and
written down who his own grandmother was,
I could have had a descent from Brian Boru my whole life.
There is another link to Irish nationalism:
Rowland Ponsonby Blennerhassett, MP,
the famous Home Rule MP elected in 1872.
According to my
theory
of our descent,
Blennerhassett Cashel was his 2nd cousin.
Pat Lavelle was aware of Rowland Ponsonby Blennerhassett, MP,
and talks about his famous victory for Home Rule in
[PAT/12, p.14-15].
But she does not write down our link to him.
The following are a Cashell (or sometimes Cashel) family of Co.Kerry
(and Co.Tipperary)
who descend from Blennerhassett through a marriage in the 1720s.
This could be connected to the Cashel in our family who married Blennerhassett around 1807.
Or it could be irrelevant.
This could be our family:
-
This could be our family, with a Blennerhassett link in the 1720s.
But there is one issue.
"Blennerhassett" is not a middle name or first name in this family.
Why would "Blennerhassett" suddenly emerge as a middle name in 1807 and a first name in 1848?
This indicates another, later connection to the Blennerhassetts.
-
Perhaps the reason
the 1807
Cashel
and Blennerhassett got together was because they were already connected.
-
This Cashell family are connected to Blennerhassett since the 1720s,
and stayed in touch with their
Blennerhassett relations through the 18th century,
notably with the
Ballyseedy branch.
This would have provided lots of opportunity
for a Cashel to get together with a Blennerhassett.
- 1720s - Marriage of Francis Cashell and Sarah Rowan (mother is Blennerhassett).
- 1751 -
Francis Cashell
appears on the
property at Tralee of
James Yielding,
uncle of Sir Rowland Blennerhassett, 1st Baronet.
- Around 1756 -
Francis Cashell
seems to have served under
Col. John Blennerhassett
(his mother-in-law's 1st cousin)
around 1756.
- 1761 -
George Cashell seems to have witnessed the marriage
of
Agnes Blennerhassett
(his mother's 2nd cousin)
in 1761.
- 1766 -
Francis Cashell
appears on the
property at Tralee of
Frances Blennerhassett (formerly Yielding),
mother of Sir Rowland Blennerhassett, 1st Baronet.
- 1782 -
In the Spring Assizes, 1782, think at Tralee [Hickson]
we find "George Cashell"
and
George Rowan of Castlegregory
and Rowland Blennerhassett all serving together
on the Grand Jury.
- 1798 - There was
another Rowan-Blennerhassett marriage
1798.
- Around 1807 - Our supposed Cashel-Blennerhassett marriage.
- Lakeville, near Killarney, is connected to the
Blennerhassett Baronets branch and the
George Cashell family and the
Blennerhassett of Ballyseedy branch.
-
This Cashell family lived in and near Tralee, Co.Kerry,
and also had an estate at Shallee, N Co.Tipperary.
Our
George Blennerhassett Cashel
was born in Co.Kerry
and settled in Co.Tipperary
(though only because he was sent there by his job in the police,
and he was sent nowhere near Shallee).
- Cashel / Cashell of Listowel, Co.Kerry
are also linked through Bevan to
Cashell / Cashel of Bushfield, Co.Tipperary.
- How did our Cashel become Catholic?
Interestingly,
Jacobie O'Leary Cashel
thought her great-grandfather
Rowan Cashel
was Catholic.
Could Ellen Alton have been Catholic,
and this is where the Catholic line came in,
and then Rowan's brother be the Catholic who married the
Blennerhassett?
Not very likely. See below.
This family could be irrelevant:
-
This family are Protestant.
If Cashel were Protestant,
and Blennerhassett were Protestant,
then how did my Cashels become Catholic?
(Maybe just by George Cashel's marriage in 1838.)
-
Apart from Jacobie O'Leary Cashel,
there is no sign that any of these Cashels are Catholic.
Rowan Cashel's marriage licence 1816
would surely have mentioned it.
-
His sons by different marriages
Rowan Francis Cashel
and Frederick Knipe Cashel
do not look Catholic either.
Their marriages seem to be normal Church of Ireland.
-
Also Rowan's brother
George
seems to inherit Shallee,
and have a son George of Shallee, so this cannot be our line.
Unless there is another brother Edward.
There are also inter-connections of Cashel to Blennerhassett
through Harding and Lawrence:
- 1762 - Samuel Harding, of Silvermines, Co.Tipperary
(where Cashel was from)
was Bondsman, 6 July 1762,
for marriage of
William Lawrence, of Bureskeane, Co.Tipperary
[poss. Borrisokane, far N of Co.Tipperary]
and Mary Harding of Ballymonce, Co.Tipperary [unidentified].
See folio 190,
MS 31883,
Killaloe, Co. Clare, Marriage License Bonds.
- 1807 -
Marriage of
Letitia Blennerhassett to Samuel Harding
of Harding Grove, Co.Limerick.
- 1816 -
Marriage of
Rowan Cashel
to the dau of William Lawrence of Silvermines, Co.Tipperary.
- 1831 -
Marriage of
Henry George Cashel
of Bushfield, Co.Tipperary,
to Christiana Harding
of Rock Lodge, Co.Limerick.
- 1850s - The wife of
Rowan Francis Cashel
has affair with Jonathan Harding,
of Bessborough, Co.Tipperary.
We start this family
with the following.
The Ballynevan area of Co.Clare seems to be the ancestral home:
-
Patrick Cashell,
or Cashel, gentleman.
He was
of "Ballynavin", Co.Clare.
NOT Co.Kerry.
Think this is
Ballynevan,
Kilfinaghta par, SE Co.Clare
(N of
Sixmilebridge,
not far from Co.Limerick border,
Limerick city and Co.Tipperary border)
since this is probably the same family as that of Sixmilebridge below.
Think this is NOT
Ballyknavin,
O'Briensbridge par,
SE Co.Clare
(NW of
O'Briensbridge,
closer to Co.Tipperary border,
across the far side of the River Shannon
from
Shallee area, Co.Tipperary).
Also, it may be coincidence, but Ballynevan is in
the "Mountcashel" area.
Patrick's
will dated 24th Jan 1734.
He died 1734-35.
Will proved 17 Mar 1735
[Index to Irish Wills, vol.3].
Think will burnt in 1922.
Also noted in
[Betham abstracts]
vol.8 p.73,
[NLI] GO Ms 230,
[NLI] microfilm POS 1220 (illegible).
Patrick
had issue:
- Francis Cashell.
- Henry Cashell.
Must be the same as:
-
Patrick Cashell,
"colonus" (farmer),
had issue:
-
Francis Cashell,
born 1697, Sixmilebridge, Kilfinaghta par, Co.Clare,
educ at Mr.Cashin's school, Limerick,
educ TCD,
went up 13th May 1715, age 18,
"Pensioner" (i.e. paid normal fees,
from family of middling means),
BA Spring 1719
[TCD Alumni].
And this is probably the same Francis Cashell that married Rowan,
for three reasons,
(a) the date of birth is about right,
(b) then Patrick
is the great-grandfather of
Rowan Patrick Cashell
and must be the origin of his middle name,
and (c) later, as of 1760, Ballynevan seems to be connected with
Henry Cashell:
-
Francis Cashell,
of Shallee, N Co.Tipperary
[near E Co.Clare and NE Co.Limerick],
married 1720s to
Rowan of Co.Kerry [whose mother was a Blennerhassett],
family lived in both Co.Tipperary and Co.Kerry.
- Connection to Stack:
- Eithne O'Mara thought our Cashels were somehow related to
Stack of Listowel, Co.Kerry.
No evidence for this has been found.
- Connection to Ledwidge:
- There was a story that the poet
Francis Ledwidge
is somehow related to our Cashels.
No evidence for this has been found.
- See Francis Ledwidge: A Life of the Poet,
by
Alice Curtayne, 1972.
- Francis Ledwidge was born 1887, Slane, Co.Meath,
the son of Patrick Ledwidge [born 1840],
a migrant labourer,
and his wife Anne Lynch [born 1850, dau of Nicholas Lynch, of Slane].
