Thomas Meredith FTCD (1777–1819) was an
Anglo-Irish
Anglo-Irish people () denotes an ethnic, social and religious grouping who are mostly the descendants and successors of the English Protestant Ascendancy in Ireland. They mostly belong to the Anglican Church of Ireland, which was the establis ...
clergyman,
Doctor of Divinity
A Doctor of Divinity (D.D. or DDiv; la, Doctor Divinitatis) is the holder of an advanced academic degree in divinity.
In the United Kingdom, it is considered an advanced doctoral degree. At the University of Oxford, doctors of divinity are ran ...
,
Fellow
A fellow is a concept whose exact meaning depends on context.
In learned or professional societies, it refers to a privileged member who is specially elected in recognition of their work and achievements.
Within the context of higher education ...
of
Trinity College, Dublin
, name_Latin = Collegium Sanctae et Individuae Trinitatis Reginae Elizabethae juxta Dublin
, motto = ''Perpetuis futuris temporibus duraturam'' (Latin)
, motto_lang = la
, motto_English = It will last i ...
, and a distinguished mathematician who gave his findings before the
Royal Irish Academy
The Royal Irish Academy (RIA; ga, Acadamh Ríoga na hÉireann), based in Dublin, is an academic body that promotes study in the sciences, humanities and social sciences. It is Ireland's premier List of Irish learned societies, learned socie ...
in
Dublin
Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of th ...
. He is best remembered for his association with the poet
Charles Wolfe
Charles Wolfe (14 December 1791 – 21 February 1823) was an Irish poet, chiefly remembered for "The Burial of Sir John Moore after Corunna" which achieved popularity in 19th century poetry anthologies.
Family
Born at Blackhall, County Kilda ...
and as the subject of a ghost story related in ''True Irish Ghost Stories'' and ''Memorials to the Dead''.
Background
Born at Templerany House,
Co. Wicklow
County Wicklow ( ; ga, Contae Chill Mhantáin ) is a county in Ireland. The last of the traditional 32 counties, having been formed as late as 1606, it is part of the Eastern and Midland Region and the province of Leinster. It is bordered by t ...
, he was the eldest son of Ralph Meredith (1748–1799),
Attorney
Attorney may refer to:
* Lawyer
** Attorney at law, in some jurisdictions
* Attorney, one who has power of attorney
* ''The Attorney'', a 2013 South Korean film
See also
* Attorney general, the principal legal officer of (or advisor to) a gove ...
Exchequer
In the civil service of the United Kingdom, His Majesty’s Exchequer, or just the Exchequer, is the accounting process of central government and the government's ''current account'' (i.e., money held from taxation and other government reven ...
and
Justice of the Peace
A justice of the peace (JP) is a judicial officer of a lower or ''puisne'' court, elected or appointed by means of a commission ( letters patent) to keep the peace. In past centuries the term commissioner of the peace was often used with the sa ...
for
County Dublin
"Action to match our speech"
, image_map = Island_of_Ireland_location_map_Dublin.svg
, map_alt = map showing County Dublin as a small area of darker green on the east coast within the lighter green background of ...
; and his wife Martha (1752–1834), daughter of Thomas Chaytor (1728–1797) of Charlemont Place,
Dublin
Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of th ...
; the owner of extensive lands in
County Clare
County Clare ( ga, Contae an Chláir) is a county in Ireland, in the Southern Region and the province of Munster, bordered on the west by the Atlantic Ocean. Clare County Council is the local authority. The county had a population of 118,817 ...
. Meredith's father, a member of the
Royal Dublin Society
The Royal Dublin Society (RDS) ( ga, Cumann Ríoga Bhaile Átha Cliath) is an Irish philanthropic organisation and members club which was founded as the 'Dublin Society' on 25 June 1731 with the aim to see Ireland thrive culturally and economi ...
, had chosen a legal career in
Dublin
Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of th ...
and passed the management of Templerany (where his family had made their home since the late seventeenth century) to his younger brother, William Meredith (1752–1791), who lived there with his wife, Sarah Garrett (1758–1822) of Janeville
Mount Pleasant House Co. Carlow
County Carlow ( ; ga, Contae Cheatharlach) is a county located in the South-East Region of Ireland, within the province of Leinster. Carlow is the second smallest and the third least populous of Ireland's 32 traditional counties. Carlow Cou ...
; niece of
John Cole, 1st Baron Mountflorence
John Cole, 1st Baron Mountflorence (13 October 1709 – 30 November 1767) was an Irish peer and politician.
Born in Dublin, he was the son of John Cole, Member of Parliament for Enniskillen. In 1726 he was admitted to Trinity College Dublin,''Al ...
, of
Florence Court
Florence Court is a large 18th-century house and estate located 8 miles south-west of Enniskillen, County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland. It is set in the foothills of Cuilcagh Mountain. The nearby village is distinguished by the one-word name Flo ...
. Thomas Meredith was a grandson of th
John Meredith (1711–1786) of Templerany who c.1750 had two portraits (one large, one small) painted with his
whippet
The Whippet is a dog breed of medium size. It is a sighthound breed that originated in England, descended from the Greyhound. Whippets today still strongly resemble a smaller Greyhound. Part of the hound group, Whippets have relatively few ...
by
William Hoare
William Hoare of Bath (c. 1707 – 12 December 1792) was a British portraitist, painter and printmaker. From c. 1740 to 1759, he was the leading Oil painting, oil portraitist at Bath, Somerset, until Thomas Gainsborough arrived in the town. ...
at
Bath
Bath may refer to:
* Bathing, immersion in a fluid
** Bathtub, a large open container for water, in which a person may wash their body
** Public bathing, a public place where people bathe
* Thermae, ancient Roman public bathing facilities
Plac ...
.
Career
From his childhood home in Dublin on Harcourt Street, he was tutored by a relative, Samuel Crumpe, a first cousin of the better known
Dr Samuel Crumpe. Meredith's father signed him into
Trinity College, Dublin
, name_Latin = Collegium Sanctae et Individuae Trinitatis Reginae Elizabethae juxta Dublin
, motto = ''Perpetuis futuris temporibus duraturam'' (Latin)
, motto_lang = la
, motto_English = It will last i ...
, as a
pensioner
A pensioner is a person who receives a pension, most commonly because of retirement from the workforce. This is a term typically used in the United Kingdom (along with OAP, initialism of old-age pensioner), Ireland and Australia where someone of p ...
in 1791 (spelling his name 'Meredyth'). Two years later, in 1793, he was elected a scholar of the college, and in 1795 he graduated with a BA degree. Following university he spent the next few years managing his property in counties
Wicklow
Wicklow ( ; ga, Cill Mhantáin , meaning 'church of the toothless one'; non, Víkingaló) is the county town of County Wicklow in Ireland. It is located south of Dublin on the east coast of the island. According to the 2016 census, it has ...
,
Wexford
Wexford () is the county town of County Wexford, Ireland. Wexford lies on the south side of Wexford Harbour, the estuary of the River Slaney near the southeastern corner of the island of Ireland. The town is linked to Dublin by the M11/N11 N ...
and
Dublin
Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of th ...
, but using his spare time to work on new mathematical theories. In 1805, he took his
M.A.
A Master of Arts ( la, Magister Artium or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA, M.A., AM, or A.M.) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Tho ...
and in the same year was elected a
Fellow
A fellow is a concept whose exact meaning depends on context.
In learned or professional societies, it refers to a privileged member who is specially elected in recognition of their work and achievements.
Within the context of higher education ...
of Trinity College, where he is remembered as a distinguished mathematician and according to the biography of
Charles Dickinson was, "reckoned by many as the best lecturer and tutor of his time in college". At his Dublin home, 1
Fitzwilliam Square
Fitzwilliam Square ( ga, Cearnóg Mhic Liam) is a Georgian garden square in the south of central Dublin, Ireland. It was the last of the five Georgian squares in Dublin to be built, and is the smallest.
The middle of the square is composed of a ...
, he kept a collection of books and maps.
In 1842, an article was written for the ''
Dublin University Magazine
The ''Dublin University Magazine'' was an independent literary cultural and political magazine published in Dublin from 1833 to 1882. It started out as a magazine of political commentary but increasingly became devoted to literature. The magazine ...
'' by Mrs Meredith's cousin, Robert Perceval Graves (brother of
Charles Graves). It celebrated the achievements of Graves' friend Sir
William Rowan Hamilton
Sir William Rowan Hamilton Doctor of Law, LL.D, Doctor of Civil Law, DCL, Royal Irish Academy, MRIA, Royal Astronomical Society#Fellow, FRAS (3/4 August 1805 – 2 September 1865) was an Irish mathematician, astronomer, and physicist. He was the ...
, stating that Thomas Meredith was astonished by Hamilton's extraordinary intellectual abilities: "We well remember to have heard, long before we ever saw our friend, of Dr Meredith… a man of great learning and ability, reporting with expressions of astonishment, that he had examined in the country a child of six or seven, who read, translated and understood
Hebrew
Hebrew (; ; ) is a Northwest Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Historically, it is one of the spoken languages of the Israelites and their longest-surviving descendants, the Jews and Samaritans. It was largely preserved ...
better than many candidates for fellowship; this child was young Hamilton".
In 1811, Meredith took a
Bachelor of Divinity
In Western universities, a Bachelor of Divinity or Baccalaureate in Divinity (BD or BDiv; la, Baccalaureus Divinitatis) is a postgraduate academic degree awarded for a course taken in the study of divinity or related disciplines, such as theology ...
degree, and the following year he was awarded as a
Doctor of Divinity
A Doctor of Divinity (D.D. or DDiv; la, Doctor Divinitatis) is the holder of an advanced academic degree in divinity.
In the United Kingdom, it is considered an advanced doctoral degree. At the University of Oxford, doctors of divinity are ran ...
. He retired his fellowship in 1813 to take the living of Ardtrea,
Co. Tyrone, which was open exclusively to those who had held fellowships at Trinity College. The
parish tithes amounted to £738 a year, but in addition to this the rector of Ardtrea also held
stewardship
Stewardship is an ethical value that embodies the responsible planning and management of resources. The concepts of stewardship can be applied to the environment and nature, economics, health, property, information, theology, cultural resources e ...
over the manor of Ardtrea, making the living a particularly valuable one. Ardtrea House, the
Rectory
A clergy house is the residence, or former residence, of one or more priests or ministers of religion. Residences of this type can have a variety of names, such as manse, parsonage, rectory or vicarage.
Function
A clergy house is typically ow ...
or
Glebe
Glebe (; also known as church furlong, rectory manor or parson's close(s))McGurk 1970, p. 17 is an area of land within an ecclesiastical parish used to support a parish priest. The land may be owned by the church, or its profits may be reserved ...
house where he took up residence with his family, was described as "a large and handsome house built of hewn
freestone" with a small
Palladian-style Gate Lodge
A gatekeeper's lodge or gate lodge is a small, often decorative building, situated at the entrance to the estate of a mansion or country house. Originally intended as the office and accommodation for a gatekeeper who was employed by the landown ...
at the foot of the
driveway
A driveway (also called ''drive'' in UK English) is a type of private road for local access to one or a small group of structures, and is owned and maintained by an individual or group.
Driveways rarely have traffic lights, but some that bear ...
. Meredith was remembered at Ardtrea for never turning a man away from his door, always having a
silver coin
Silver coins are considered the oldest mass-produced form of coinage. Silver has been used as a coinage metal since the times of the Greeks; their silver drachmas were popular trade coins. The ancient Persians used silver coins between 612–330 ...
for those who came to him in need.
He was Rector of Ardtrea for six years, until his untimely death in 1819 at the age of forty two. His father-in-law,
Richard Graves
Richard Graves (4 May 1715 – 23 November 1804) was an English cleric, poet, and novelist. He is remembered especially for his picaresque novel ''The Spiritual Quixote'' (1773).
Early life
Graves was born at Mickleton Manor, Mickleton, Glouce ...
, wrote, "...and now another apparently most calamitous visitation presents itself, in the sudden death of my beloved and excellent son-in-law, by
apoplexy
Apoplexy () is rupture of an internal organ and the accompanying symptoms. The term formerly referred to what is now called a stroke. Nowadays, health care professionals do not use the term, but instead specify the anatomic location of the bleedi ...
, a disorder of which of all men he seemed least liable." The
Freeman's Journal of Dublin reported, "Learned, amiable, and unassuming, Thomas Meredith was unfeignedly respected and sincerely beloved by his numerous acquaintance and friends, all of whom deeply deplore his premature departure. He has left behind him an amiable and disconsolate widow and a family of seven children, most of whom are yet too young to feel the irreparable loss which they have sustained". He was succeeded at Ardtrea by the
orientalist,
Edward Hincks
Edward Hincks (19 August 1792 – 3 December 1866) was an Irish clergyman, best remembered as an Assyriologist and one of the decipherers of Mesopotamian cuneiform. He was one of the three men known as the "holy trinity of cuneiform", with S ...
.
Charles Wolfe
The poet,
Charles Wolfe
Charles Wolfe (14 December 1791 – 21 February 1823) was an Irish poet, chiefly remembered for "The Burial of Sir John Moore after Corunna" which achieved popularity in 19th century poetry anthologies.
Family
Born at Blackhall, County Kilda ...
, was much attached to, and a great admirer of Thomas Meredith. He was the
Curate
A curate () is a person who is invested with the ''care'' or ''cure'' (''cura'') ''of souls'' of a parish. In this sense, "curate" means a parish priest; but in English-speaking countries the term ''curate'' is commonly used to describe clergy w ...
of nearby
Donaghmore, County Tyrone
Donaghmore (pronounced , Irish: ''Domhnach Mór'' (great church)) is a village, townland and civil parish in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland, about five kilometres (3 mi) northwest of Dungannon. In the 2011 Census it had a population ...
and a frequent guest of the Merediths at Ardtrea. Chiefly remembered today for his poem ''The Burial of Sir John Moore after Corunna'', brought to the attention of the public by
Lord Byron
George Gordon Byron, 6th Baron Byron (22 January 1788 – 19 April 1824), known simply as Lord Byron, was an English romantic poet and Peerage of the United Kingdom, peer. He was one of the leading figures of the Romantic movement, and h ...
, Wolfe was also the author of the inscription on Meredith's memorial at the Church of Ardtrea and a previously unpublished
epitaph
An epitaph (; ) is a short text honoring a deceased person. Strictly speaking, it refers to text that is inscribed on a tombstone or plaque, but it may also be used in a figurative sense. Some epitaphs are specified by the person themselves be ...
for his tomb. The memorial is made of black and white
marble
Marble is a metamorphic rock composed of recrystallized carbonate minerals, most commonly calcite or Dolomite (mineral), dolomite. Marble is typically not Foliation (geology), foliated (layered), although there are exceptions. In geology, the ...
and is surmounted by the Meredith
family crest
A crest is a component of a heraldic display, consisting of the device borne on top of the helm. Originating in the decorative sculptures worn by knights in tournaments and, to a lesser extent, battles, crests became solely pictorial after t ...
and
coat of arms
A coat of arms is a heraldry, heraldic communication design, visual design on an escutcheon (heraldry), escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the latter two being outer garments). The coat of arms on an escutcheon forms the central ele ...
:
Sacred to the memory of THOMAS MEREDITH D.D., Formerly Fellow of Trinity College Dublin, And 6 years Rector of this Parish. A man who gave to learning a beauty not its own, And threw over Science and Literature the lustre of the Gospel And the sweet influence of Christianity. The talents which he clothed in humility And his silent and unobtrusive benevolence Were unable to escape the respect and admiration of society: But those who witnessed him in the bosom of his family And shared the treasures of his conversation Seldom failed to find the ways of wisdom more pleasant than before And to discover fresh loveliness in that Gospel Upon which his hopes and his ministry were founded He was summoned from a family of which he was the support and delight And from the flock to which he was eminently endeared On 2nd May 1819 in the 42nd year of his age By a sudden and awful visitation but he knew That his Redeemer lived. ‘Erected by his Sons’.
Charles Wolfe
Charles Wolfe (14 December 1791 – 21 February 1823) was an Irish poet, chiefly remembered for "The Burial of Sir John Moore after Corunna" which achieved popularity in 19th century poetry anthologies.
Family
Born at Blackhall, County Kilda ...
wrote a poem for Meredith, meant as a second
epitaph
An epitaph (; ) is a short text honoring a deceased person. Strictly speaking, it refers to text that is inscribed on a tombstone or plaque, but it may also be used in a figurative sense. Some epitaphs are specified by the person themselves be ...
intended for the tomb itself:
In 1817, Wolfe wrote a letter demonstrating how he valued Meredith’s friendship,
I am surrounded by grandees, who count their income by thousands, and by clergymen innumerable; however, I have kept out of their reach; I have preferred my turf-fire, my books, and the memory of the friends I have left, to all the society that Tyrone can furnish… with one bright exception. At Meredith’s I am indeed every way at home; I am at home in friendship and hospitality, in science and literature, in our common friends and acquaintance, and in topics of religion.
In a brief memoir to Charles Wolfe's life, published in 1842, The Ven. John A. Russell (Archdeacon of Clogher), introduces Meredith as follows,
The following letter (quoted below) gives an affecting account of the death of a valued friend, to whom he (Wolfe) had lately become particularly attached, the Rev. Dr Meredith, formerly a fellow of Trinity College, Dublin, and then rector of Ardtrea. He was esteemed one of the most distinguished scholars in the university to which he belonged. His genius for mathematical acquirements especially, was universally allowed to be of the first order; and his qualifications as a public examiner and lecturer were so eminent, as to render his early retirement from the duties of a fellowship a serious loss to the college. Of our author's talents he entertained the highest opinion; and his congeniality of disposition soon led him to appreciate fully the still higher qualities of his heart.
The letter was headed ‘Castle Caulfield, 4 May 1819’, where Wolfe was presumably staying, and it expresses his anguish at Meredith’s death as well as the deep respect he held for his friend,
My Dear... I am just come from the house of mourning! Last night I helped to lay poor Meredith in his coffin, and followed him this morning to his grave. The visitation was truly awful. Last Tuesday (this day week) he was struck to the ground by a fit of apoplexy, and from that moment until the hour of his death, on Sunday evening, he never articulated. I did not hear of his danger until Sunday evening, and yesterday morning I ran ten miles 6 km like a madman, and was only in time to see his dead body. It will be a cruel and bitter thought to me for many a day, that I had not one farewell from him, while he was on the brink of the world. Oh… one of my heart-strings is broken ! The only way I have of describing my attachment to that man, is by telling you, that next to you and Dickinson, he was the person in whose society I took the greatest delight. A visit to Ardtrea was often in prospect to sustain me in many of my cheerless labours. My gems are falling away; But I do hope and trust, it is because 'God is making up his jewels'. Dr Meredith was a man of a truly Christian temper of mind. We used naturally to fall upon religious subjects; And I now revert, with peculiar gratification, to the cordiality with which we took sweet counsel together upon these topics. You know that he was possessed of the first and most distinguishing characteristic of a Christian disposition, humility. He preached the Sunday before for _, and the surmon was unusually solemn and impressive, and in the true spirit of the Gospel. Indeed, from several circumstances, he seems to have had some strange presentiments of what was to happen. His air and look some time before his dissolution had, as _ told me, an expression of the most awful and profound devotion.
Ghost and silver bullet
In regards to the 'sudden and awful visitation' that took his life, referred to on Meredith's memorial at Ardtrea, there are two curious stories told about him shooting at a ghost with a silver bullet. The first appeared in a book called ''Memorials to the Dead'' (published 1903, page 462). In 1924, the Rev. (William) Ernest Richard Scott (born 1874) was the
Rector
Rector (Latin for the member of a vessel's crew who steers) may refer to:
Style or title
*Rector (ecclesiastical), a cleric who functions as an administrative leader in some Christian denominations
*Rector (academia), a senior official in an edu ...
of Ardtrea. Coincidentally, he was married to Adelaide Creed Meredith (1878–1968), sister of
James Creed Meredith
James Creed Meredith, KC (28 November 1875 – 14 August 1942) was an Irish judge who served as a Judge of the Supreme Court from 1937 to 1942 and a Judge of the High Court from 1924 to 1937.
He was best known as a nationalist of the early ...
, and one of Thomas Meredith's great granddaughters. Scott wrote a letter to Lt.-Colonel
Colborne Powell Meredith of
Ottawa
Ottawa (, ; Canadian French: ) is the capital city of Canada. It is located at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River in the southern portion of the province of Ontario. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the core ...
, one of Meredith's grandchildren. The letter is kept at the
National Archives of Canada
Library and Archives Canada (LAC; french: Bibliothèque et Archives Canada) is the federal institution, tasked with acquiring, preserving, and providing accessibility to the documentary heritage of Canada. The national archive and library is th ...
, and is based on the account of Meredith's death as recorded in ''Memorials to the Dead'':
In the parish of Ardtrea, in the County of Tyrone, stands the big rectory in which I took up my abode, with my family, on my appointment to the living in 1914. It is a curious house, with a curious history – a huge, grim, rambling building standing in the midst of forty-five acres of grounds. Erected over a century ago (1805) for a wealthy incumbent (the man who Meredith succeeded), at a time when parochial values were very different from what they are today, the atmosphere of the place seems to be impregnated with that peculiar blend of mystery and superstition which surrounds so many old houses of the kind. The rectory of Ardtrea, however, would appear to have more justification than most for the mixed feelings with which it is regarded by the simple country folk around.
Its very situation lends itself to thoughts of the mysterious. Magnificent beech trees stand upon the lawn (which it is said were planted by the sons of Thomas Meredith), and other forest giants and mournful yews are ringed about the grey old mansion. The long carriage-drive, too, is guarded by a noble avenue of great trees, and thick masses of ivy cluster upon the walls which flank the great wooden door enclosing the courtyard.
If its situation and appearance bears the impress of the unusual, so likewise do its traditions. One of its first inhabitants (the second), Dr Thomas Meredith, a former Fellow of Trinity College Dublin, Rector of Ardtrea for six years, and great-grandfather of my wife, died within its doors in 1819 from a 'sudden and awful visitation', as his tombstone states.
Exactly what this was no one seems to know, but the story runs that a governess employed by Dr Meredith was troubled by a ghost, which took the form of a lady arrayed in white – possibly, averred local tradition, the Virgin Saint Trea, who lived hereabout in the fifth century. This apparition greatly troubled the good doctor, and on the advice of a friend he charged a gun with a solid silver bullet and lay in wait for the midnight visitor. In due course a report (shot) was heard, and next day the Rector lay dying upon the flagged floor of a basement room. From that hour the country-people looked a skant upon the 'haunted' house, and avoided it whenever possible.
The second variation of the event appeared in ''True Irish Ghost Stories'' (published in 1926) by St. John Drelincourt Seymour, a relative of Meredith's wife, under the chapter 'Legendary and Ancestral ghosts'.
Scary Stories – Legendary And Ancestral Ghosts
/ref>
In the Parish Church of Ardtrea, near Cookstown, is a marble monument and inscription in memory of Thomas Meredith, D.D., who had been a Fellow of Trinity College, Dublin, and for six years rector of the parish. He died, according to the words of the inscription, on 2nd May 1819, as a result of "a sudden and awful visitation." A local legend explains this "visitation," by stating that a ghost haunted the rectory, the visits of which had caused his family and servants to leave the house.
The rector had tried to shoot it but failed; then he was told to use a silver bullet; he did so, and next morning was found dead at his hall-door while a hideous object like a devil made horrid noises out of any window the servant man approached. This man was advised by some Roman Catholic neighbours to get the priest, who would "lay" the thing. The priest arrived, and with the help of a jar of whisky the ghost became quite civil, till the last glass in the jar, which the priest was about to empty out for himself, whereupon the ghost or devil made himself as thin and long as a Lough Neagh eel, and slipped himself into the jar to get the last drops. But the priest put the cork into its place and hammered it in, and, making the sign of the Cross on it, he had the evil thing secured. It was buried in the cellar of the rectory, where on some nights it can still be heard calling to be let out.
Family
At Dublin
Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of th ...
on 7 July 1807, Thomas Meredith married Elizabeth Maria (1791–1855), the eldest daughter of Richard Graves
Richard Graves (4 May 1715 – 23 November 1804) was an English cleric, poet, and novelist. He is remembered especially for his picaresque novel ''The Spiritual Quixote'' (1773).
Early life
Graves was born at Mickleton Manor, Mickleton, Glouce ...
, by his wife, Elizabeth Maria (1767–1827), the eldest daughter of the Rev. James Drought (1738–1820) of Ridgemount House, Ballyboy, King's Co. (Co. Offaly
County Offaly (; ga, Contae Uíbh Fhailí) is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Eastern and Midland Region and the province of Leinster. It is named after the ancient Kingdom of Uí Failghe. It was formerly known as King's County, in hono ...
) and Ferbans, County Wicklow
County Wicklow ( ; ga, Contae Chill Mhantáin ) is a county in Ireland. The last of the traditional 32 counties, having been formed as late as 1606, it is part of the Eastern and Midland Region and the province of Leinster. It is bordered by t ...
, a nephew of the 'learned savage', his mother's brother, Theaker Wilder
Theaker Wilder (1717–1778) was an Anglo-Irish academic with expertise in mathematics and Greek. He was the first Regius Professor of Greek,, Regius Professor of Greek Senior Register and Senior Fellow at Trinity College Dublin. He is remembe ...
. Mrs Meredith, sister of Robert James Graves
Robert James Graves, F.R.C.S. (27 March 1796 – 20 March 1853) was an eminent Irish surgeon after whom Graves' disease takes its name. He was President of the Royal College of Physicians of Ireland, Fellow of the Royal Society of London and t ...
, was described as 'a lady of much culture and refinement, and possessed also of great energy and force of character.' They were the parents of seven children, first cousins of John Walsingham Cooke Meredith
*
*
John Walsingham Cooke Meredith (1809–1881) was an Irish–Canadian office holder and businessman, best remembered as the father of the ''Eight London Merediths''. He previously practised as a barrister and was a member of the first Eccentr ...
and Sir James Creed Meredith
Sir James Creed Meredith (17 September 1842 – 23 January 1912) was Deputy Grand Master and Treasurer of the Grand Lodge of Ireland; Chancellor of the Diocese of Limerick; Secretary to the Royal University of Ireland and the National Univers ...
,
* Mary Anne Meredith, "both beautiful and accomplished.. A born actress, she could move her hearers to tears or laughter, and a musician too". She died young in Ireland.
* Rev. Richard Graves Meredith (1810–1871), of Timoleague
Timoleague () is a village in the eastern division of Carbery East in County Cork, Ireland. It is located along Ireland's southern coast between Kinsale and Clonakilty, on the estuary of the Argideen River. Nearby is the village of Courtmacsher ...
, Co. Cork. Tall for his time at 6'4", he was educated at Trinity College, Dublin
, name_Latin = Collegium Sanctae et Individuae Trinitatis Reginae Elizabethae juxta Dublin
, motto = ''Perpetuis futuris temporibus duraturam'' (Latin)
, motto_lang = la
, motto_English = It will last i ...
, and afterwards he lived in London, where he was a close friend of the poet Thomas Campbell Thomas Campbell may refer to:
Arts and entertainment
* Thomas Campbell (poet) (1777–1844), Scottish poet
* Thomas Campbell (sculptor) (1790–1858), Scottish sculptor
* Thomas Campbell (visual artist) (born 1969), California-based visual artist ...
with whom he helped to found the Literary Association of the Friends of Poland
Literary Association of the Friends of Poland is a British organisation of solidarity with Polish people, Poles, founded February 25, 1832 in United Kingdom by the Scottish poet Thomas Campbell (poet), Thomas Campbell and German lawyer Adolphus Bac ...
, of which he was secretary. In 1841, he married Martha, daughter of Thomas Johnston J.P., of Fort Johnston, Co. Monaghan
County Monaghan ( ; ga, Contae Mhuineacháin) is a Counties of Ireland, county in Ireland. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Ulster and is part of Border Region, Border strategic planning area of the Northern and Western Region. I ...
, and Maria, daughter of the Rev. Dr James Hingston (1755–1840) J.P., of Aglish, Co. Cork. In 1850, he married secondly Eleanor Howe, daughter of John Howe, of Glanavirane House, Howe's Strand, High Sheriff of Co. Cork
County Cork ( ga, Contae Chorcaí) is the largest and the southernmost county of Ireland, named after the city of Cork, the state's second-largest city. It is in the province of Munster and the Southern Region. Its largest market towns are ...
, and his wife Eliza Scott, daughter of Benjamin Scott of Coolmain Castle, Co. Cork, first cousin of Francis Bernard, 1st Earl of Bandon
Francis Bernard, 1st Earl of Bandon (26 November 1755 – 26 November 1830) was an Irish peer and politician.
He was the only son of James Bernard and his wife Esther Smith, daughter of Percy Smith. Between 1778 and 1783, Bernard sat as Memb ...
. One of his daughters married his first cousin, Sir James Creed Meredith
Sir James Creed Meredith (17 September 1842 – 23 January 1912) was Deputy Grand Master and Treasurer of the Grand Lodge of Ireland; Chancellor of the Diocese of Limerick; Secretary to the Royal University of Ireland and the National Univers ...
.
* Chief Justice Sir William Collis Meredith
Sir William Collis Meredith, (23 May 1812 – 26 February 1894) was Chief Justice of the Superior Court of Quebec, Superior Court for the Province of Quebec from 1866 to 1884. In 1844, he was offered but refused the positions of Solicitor General ...
, married Sophia Holmes, granddaughter of William Holmes (Surgeon-General)
William Holmes (1762–1834), Doctor of Medicine, M.D., Justice of the peace, J.P., was Surgeon General (Canada), Surgeon-General to the British Forces in Canada; a magistrate and landowner at Quebec.
Early life
Born at Stewartstown, County Tyron ...
and Colonel James Johnston (1724-1800)
* Harriet Meredith (1813–1906), married William Henry Kittson, brother of Norman Kittson
Norman Wolfred Kittson (March 6, 1814 – May 10, 1888) was one of early Minnesota's most prominent citizens. He was best known as first a fur trader, then a steamboat-line operator and finally a railway entrepreneur and owner of thoroughbre ...
, step grandsons of Alexander Henry the elder
Alexander is a male given name. The most prominent bearer of the name is Alexander the Great, the king of the Ancient Greek kingdom of Macedonia who created one of the largest empires in ancient history.
Variants listed here are Aleksandar, Al ...
* Ralph Henry Howard Meredith (1815–1892), of Port Hope, Ontario
Port Hope is a municipality in Southern Ontario, Canada, approximately east of Toronto and about west of Kingston. It is located at the mouth of the Ganaraska River on the north shore of Lake Ontario, in the west end of Northumberland County. ...
. His daughter married the brother of Colonel Arthur Trefusis Heneage Williams
Lt.-Colonel The Hon. Arthur Trefusis Heneage Williams (June 13, 1837 – July 4, 1885) was a Canadian businessman, farmer and political figure. His statue stands in front of the town hall of Port Hope, Ontario.
Biography
Born at Penryn Pa ...
. His granddaughter, Lorraine Seymour Percy, married Judge James Creed Meredith
James Creed Meredith, KC (28 November 1875 – 14 August 1942) was an Irish judge who served as a Judge of the Supreme Court from 1937 to 1942 and a Judge of the High Court from 1924 to 1937.
He was best known as a nationalist of the early ...
, of Dublin
Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of th ...
, the son of his first cousin.
* Edmund Allen Meredith
Edmund Allen Meredith (7 October 1817 – 2 January 1899) was an Irish lawyer whose career was in public service in Canada. He was Under Secretary of State for Canada; a prison reformer, writer, president of the Literary and Historical Socie ...
(1817–1899), Principal of McGill University
McGill University (french: link=no, Université McGill) is an English-language public research university located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Founded in 1821 by royal charter granted by King George IV,Frost, Stanley Brice. ''McGill Universit ...
, married Frances Jarvis, daughter of William Botsford Jarvis
William Botsford Jarvis (May 4, 1799 – July 26, 1864) was an important member of the Family Compact and Sheriff of the Home District. His estate in what was then York, Upper Canada, gave its name to Rosedale, Toronto. Jarvis Street was nam ...
, of Rosedale, Toronto
Rosedale is a neighbourhood in central Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It was formerly the estate of William Botsford Jarvis, and so named by his wife, granddaughter of William Dummer Powell, for the wild roses that grew there in abundance. It is loca ...
* Thomas L. Meredith (1819–1843), died in Ireland
After Meredith's death, his widow moved their family back to Harcourt Street, Dublin
Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of th ...
. In 1824, but without the approval of her parents, she remarried her mother's widowed cousin, the Rev. (James) Edmund Burton (1776–1850), "who wasted every farthing of his Irish property before having the sense to migrate to Canada". According to Burton's nephew, Captain Sir Richard Francis Burton
Sir Richard Francis Burton (; 19 March 1821 – 20 October 1890) was a British explorer, writer, orientalist scholar,and soldier. He was famed for his travels and explorations in Asia, Africa, and the Americas, as well as his extraordinary kn ...
, Eliza had originally been his first choice of wife, but she had preferred Thomas Meredith to him. He was the son of the Rev. Edward Burton (b.1747) of Newgarden House, Annaghdown
Annaghdown ( ga, Eanach Dhúin, ) is a civil parish in County Galway, Ireland. It takes its name from ''Eanach Dhúin'', Irish for "the marsh of the fort". It lies around Annaghdown Bay, an inlet of Lough Corrib. Villages in the civil parish inc ...
, Co. Galway
"Righteousness and Justice"
, anthem = ()
, image_map = Island of Ireland location map Galway.svg
, map_caption = Location in Ireland
, area_footnotes =
, area_total_km2 = ...
, by his wife Maria Margaretta Campbell, Eliza Meredith's great aunt. Edmund Burton was also the uncle of Lady Henry William Stisted
Lieutenant-general (United Kingdom), Lieutenant-General Sir Henry William Stisted (5 June 1817 – 10 December 1875), served as the List of lieutenant governors of Ontario#Lieutenant Governors of Ontario, 1867–present, first Lieutenant Go ...
.
Seemingly after Burton had squandered his property in Ireland, at the invitation of the 'Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts
A society is a group of individuals involved in persistent social interaction, or a large social group sharing the same spatial or social territory, typically subject to the same political authority and dominant cultural expectations. Societi ...
', he went to Terrebonne, Quebec
Terrebonne () is an off-island suburb of Montreal, in southwestern Quebec, Canada. It is located in the North Shore region of the Montreal area, north of Laval across the Rivière des Mille-Îles.
This city is divided in three sectors, namely ...
, becoming the county's first Anglican minister. The attraction may have been that with the job he was also granted of land. By the time he returned to Ireland, he had added another to his property, perhaps in an attempt to regain what he had lost in Ireland. After the death of his first wife, he returned home to find a new bride for his ten motherless children. On marrying the widowed Eliza Meredith, he waited until the summer of that year (1824) to return with his new wife and four of her children to his house and farm, 'Burtonville' (where the village of Sainte-Julienne, Quebec
Sainte-Julienne () is a community and municipality in Lanaudière, Quebec, Canada. According to the 2021 Canadian census, the community has a population of 11,173 The Sainte-Julienne Aerodrome is located in Sainte-Julienne.
Education
Commissio ...
is found today), outside the village of Rawdon, Quebec
Rawdon is a municipality located on the Ouareau River in southwestern Quebec, Canada, about 60 kilometres north of Montreal. It is the seat for the Matawinie Regional County Municipality, Regional County Municipality of Matawinie, in the Lanaudiè ...
, which was then a four-day journey north of Montreal
Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-most populous city in Canada and List of towns in Quebec, most populous city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian ...
.
They lived there until 1833 before settling at Cloyne
Cloyne () is a small town to the southeast of Midleton in eastern County Cork. It is also a see city of the Anglican (Church of Ireland) Diocese of Cork, Cloyne and Ross, while also giving its name to a Roman Catholic diocese. St Colman's Cath ...
, Co. Cork
Cork or CORK may refer to:
Materials
* Cork (material), an impermeable buoyant plant product
** Cork (plug), a cylindrical or conical object used to seal a container
***Wine cork
Places Ireland
* Cork (city)
** Metropolitan Cork, also known as G ...
. Eliza 'conveniently' left all the Burton children by her husband's first marriage in Canada, according to them, 'in an unconcerned manner'. By Mr Burton she had a further six children, though it was noted by her son Edmund Allen Meredith
Edmund Allen Meredith (7 October 1817 – 2 January 1899) was an Irish lawyer whose career was in public service in Canada. He was Under Secretary of State for Canada; a prison reformer, writer, president of the Literary and Historical Socie ...
to one of his brothers, that "all the Graves' (underlined) entertain such a decided antipathy to Mr Burton that I do not think they would feel disposed to undertake the charge in anyway of one of his children". However, the Meredith children were said to have taken a great interest in the education and welfare of their younger half brothers and sisters. Thomas Meredith's widow died at 84 Great King Street, Edinburgh
Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian ...
, the home of Major Robert Graves Burton M.D., of the 6th (Inniskilling) Dragoons
The 6th (Inniskilling) Dragoons was a cavalry regiment in the British Army, first raised in 1689 as Sir Albert Cunningham's Regiment of Dragoons. One of the regiment's most notable battles was the Battle of the Boyne in July 1690. It became th ...
, one of her sons by her second marriage, on 31 March 1855.
Notes
{{DEFAULTSORT:Meredith, Thomas
19th-century Irish Anglican priests
Irish mathematicians
Doctors of Divinity
Fellows of Trinity College Dublin
Christian clergy from County Wicklow
1777 births
1819 deaths
Deaths from cerebrovascular disease
Scientists from County Wicklow
19th-century Irish mathematicians