Humphrys genealogy

Genealogy research by Mark Humphrys.


My ancestors - Spring - Contents


Capt. Thomas Spring



Killagha Abbey.
Photo 2012. See full size. From here.
See more photos.



Capt. Thomas Spring (see here).
His family were from Lavenham, Suffolk.
He served as Captain in army of Elizabeth I in Ireland.
He was granted land in Co.Kerry. Settled in Ireland.
He served with distinction for the Crown against the rebels during the Desmond Rebellions.

He mar post-1580 to Annabel Browne [or Annabella, a widow, of Co.Limerick].
Her father (killed 1580) was an ally of the rebel Earl of Desmond.

Constable of Castlemaine:
Spring was made Constable of Castlemaine (stronghold between Killorglin and Tralee), Co.Kerry. Castlemaine was an Earl of Desmond castle, seized by the crown.
Page 132 of [Rowan, 1846] says he was made Constable of Castlemaine by patent dated 24 Jan 1584.
[King, 1931] says that Spring was Constable of Castlemaine in 1586.

Granted Killagha:
On 12 Dec 1588 he was granted the estates of Killagha Abbey (or Killagh Abbey or Kilcolman Abbey), near Milltown, Co.Kerry.
He was High Sheriff of Kerry in 1592.
[King, 1931] says he had a grant in 1596 of church lands at Killagha and in Iveragh.
He died 1597.
[Visitation of Suffolk] says he was "slain in Ireland".
Capt. Thomas and Annabel had issue:


  1. Thomas Spring,
    born post-1580, probably 1580s, definitely pre-1597.
    He mar Margaret Fen.
    He was made Constable of Castlemaine by Sir William St. Leger (Lord President of Munster 1627-1642), who also commissioned Spring as a Captain to command a company at Castlemaine in the Rebellion of 1641.
    Thomas and Margaret had issue:


    1. Thomas Spring,
      of Killaclohane.
      We take him as the Thomas Spring who had two sons who married Blennerhassetts.
      [Burkes Landed Gentry, 1879] and other pedigrees have these two sons as sons of Thomas Spring and Margaret Fen.
      But the dates seem unlikely - a father born maybe 1580s and his son alive in 1733.
      [Spring and Spring, 2000, p.6] suggests this intervening generation and this tree makes more sense.


  2. Alice Spring [or Alison],
    mar Col. James Ryeves and had issue.




Extract from "Old Kerry Records" by Hickson, re-published on 2 May 1908.
Refers to a 1588 letter referring to "Tom Spring" of Kilcolman.
(todo) See Spring in [MacCarthy, 1867].



"Captain Spring" arrests Florence MacCarthy in 1588 for a marriage alliance that angered the crown.
Spring imprisons MacCarthy in Castlemaine.
Extract from "Old Kerry Records" by Hickson, re-published on 9 May 1908.



Killagha Abbey ruin (to NW) and the new Kilcolman Abbey (to SE) on 1829 to 1842 map.
See modern satellite view.



Castlemaine, Co.Kerry, on 1829 to 1842 map.
The castle once stood on the bridge. It was destroyed in 1652.
Nothing remains today. See street view.


  



Donation Drive

Please donate to support this site. I have spent a great deal of time and money on this research. Research involves travel and many expenses. Some research "things to do" are not done for years, because I do not have the money to do them.
Please Donate Here to support the ongoing research and to keep this website free.

Help       Conventions       Abbreviations       How to read the trees

Privacy policy       Adoption policy       Image re-use policy       New 250 G VPS server.