Richard Steele of Kyle, Co. Wexford

[SMJW]

Looking for family of Richard Steele b 1773 and his sister Lydia Margaret Steele b 1770 said to have been from Kyle in Co.Wexford. He emigrated to Grenada in the West Indies and she married a John Dacre which their children modified to Deaker. I am curious about this place Kyle as there seem to be two townlands with the same name. I have also found a Richard Steele died at Kyle House in Queens Co. in 1835 and wonder if this is a coincidence. I have read that the Kyle Estate in Wexford was famous for experimental `modern`farming and had several cottages on it that were rented out. Any information on Kyle or Steele Family of Wexford would be welcome.

The only Steele I have found in conjunction with Wexford are Arthur Loftus Steele of Barrow House Roos, Co. Wexford a Lt.Coll in the Indian Army who married Olivia Goddall Pigott of Slevoy Castle Co.Wexford in 1872. The wedding was in Dublin at St. Anne COI. His father was Thomas William Steele a Colonel in the Indian Army, her father was George Pigott a Captain in the Wexford Militia. The Loftus name in Wexford is interesting as there are a few posts about the family.

I believe the family were COI, a number of the children of Lydia Margaret seem to have been Methodists and  several children of Richard Steele were baptized Methodist in Grenada.

Cheers, Susan

[dathai]

The ''Index of Prerogative wills by Sir Arthur Vicars'' shows
1782 Richard Steele ,Newhouse,Queens
1733 Samuel Steele,Kilegorthrean,Queens Co,farmer.

searching for Kilegorthrean suggests,Killgorfraine Kilgurtrian, or Kylgortrayn.

[gaffy]

Looking for family of Richard Steele b 1773 and his sister Lydia Margaret Steele b 1770 said to have been from Kyle in Co.Wexford.

What is that based on?

You're pushing back beyond what is easily available in Irish genealogy, but I find it unusual that there are so few references to "Steele" in Wexford. Especially going forward in sources such as tithe applotment records, Griffiths Valuation, and BMDs on free / commercial websites. 

Which would suggest that if members of the Steele family were there, it was temporary.

There are indeed two townlands called Kyle in County Wexford, but they are well apart (one in the Civil Parish of Meelnagh, quite near the east coast, the other in the Civil Parish of Templeshanbo, well to the west on the County Carlow border).

Regarding the reference to Richard Steele who "died at Kyle House in Queens Co. in 1835", I know that the wife of Richard William Steele (son of John) of Kyle House, Queens County had a child in 1841, maybe the Richard that died was an earlier child, but Queens County / County Laois is a good distance away, so not sure... why the connection?

[SMJW]

Hi There, Thanks for following up - the info I have is mainly from 2 sources: a family bible descended from one of the daughters of Lydia Margaret Steele which notes her brother Richard went to the West Indies and was a member of the legislature in Grenada- not exactly true but I did pick up his train and he was important in the colony. The bible is believed to be in the hands of someone descended from the female lines - the Baskin lines possibly. Lydia Margaret`s daughters: Alice m George Hipwell of Newtownbarry, Maria m William Houghton Baskin of Dublin, Margaret m William Thomas Doyle of Enniscorthy and Lydia m William Clendinnen of Newtownbarry and Hacketstown Carlow. I heard about the bible from a Clendinnen descendent in Australia (they also have a branch in Canada) and after trying hard we can not find who has it now so can not scan and share it.  There is also some notes from an Oliver Baskin 1795 in Australia which also refer to Lydia Margaret. The sons of Lydia Margaret changed their name to Deaker.
the main source for Richard Steele is his will which was transcribed from LDS microfilm by Jim Smith on his amazing blog - Jim is related through a Mary Ann Smith marrying George Steele in Grenada (a son of the Irish Richard).
Anyway, no reason to think there is any connection to the Steele`s of Kyle House Queens Co. the Kyle name may be a coincidence except that Lydia Margaret Steele`s husband John Dacre was said to have been a silk weaver in Montrath Queens - there is rumour that they may have moved to Wexford after the marriage.
We have so little info that we can not connect to any of the big Steele clans (Queens, Rathbride, Rathdowny, Dublin, Antrim...) but that is the beauty of the chase. I believe Lydia Margaret Steele Dacre lived with a daughter who married a Methodist preacher with a Carlow area circuit. When she died she was buried in in Hacketstown Carlow or maybe St.Mary`s Bunclody I forget. There is no evidence of the marriage of John Dacre or his people - it is a name I have not come across anywhere in my search of Ireland or France for that matter. The Steele`s of Grenada and some of the Deaker descendants seem to have been Anglican with a Methodist bent but these clues do not lead anywhere. I intend to go to Grenada at some point and see if I can pick up the trail of Richard Steele`s business dealings and see if they can lead me back to family connections in Ireland. We do also have Scottish names popping up Aberdeen, MacDonald, Malcolm etc not surprising with a name like Steele, but these too are inconclusive.
Cheers, Susan

[John Nangle]

There is a Kyle Crossroads between Oylgate and Wexford and if we take into account that the time period was long before the publication of the "Towns and Townlands of Ireland"there might have been an area known as Kyle to go with the crossroads.The only Steele in Griffiths Val for Wexford was William E Steele the landlord in the civil parish of Whitechurchglynn which bounds the river Slaney just a short distance from Kyle crossroads

[SMJW]

Thanks very much! I did a lot of sleuthing at one time and found a Kyle Estate in Kilpatrick Parish, Barony of Shelmalier on the mail coach road to Dublin. Kyle was the seat of W.Harvey Esq.  with extensive model gardens by C.G. Harvey and cottages rented out to gentry Broomley by C. Huson; Kyle Cottage by Cpt. Dayrell, Sion Hill by A. Lyster Esq. There was a big house was called Saunderscourt said to be at Crossabeg the Catholic name for the area. The parish was formerly Ardcolme which was broken up in 1829 when parish of Tickillen formed. Kyle village had a penny post, a brewery, a dispensary a constabulary police station so I think at one time it was a bustling town in 1820s-30s. I have looked through cemeteries of Ardcolme but found no Steele`s or Dacre names.
 
http://www.libraryireland.com/topog/K/Kilpatrick-Shelmalier-Wexford.php

Also looked at a Kyle place near Oulart Hill which featured in the uprising at Oulart Hill 1798, read all sorts of accounts and no Steele`s on either side. My ancestor would have been 25 years old so if he had been there he would have probably not been outside the fighting. I suspect he may have emigrated earlier

Anyway the hunt goes on, Susan

[LH]

Hi

No mention of any Steele in the comprehensive book 'Houses of Wexford' which gives information on not alone the houses, but also the associated families.

Cheers

[SMJW]

I did find the addresses in Dublin where some of the children of Lydia Margaret Steele Dacre/Deaker, had the wine shop on Eden Quay William Deaker and William Baskin her son-in-law had the bakery on Abbey St they stayed at the same locations for years as I traced them through the Dublin directories but there was no mention of their mother or father John Dacre. Lydia Steele  she stayed with her daughter in Carlow and maybe the children moved only after marriage.

[Clare Cleare]

T here is mention of Sir Richard Steele in Lewis's Wexford published in 1837,Killinor or kilnener,a parish in the barony of Gorey,it is an impropriate curacy in the diocese of Ferns,the rectory is impropriate in Sir Richard Steele Bart.,the tithes amount to £124.12.3.of which is payable to the impropriator and the remainder to the curate. Regarding your query on the Loftus family ...they lived at Loftus Hall on the Hook peninsula and also at Mount Loftus in Co.K ilkenny.....Loftus Hall is open to  the public...but is in a bad state...it is slowly being restored....they do spooky tours there at Halloween!! Simon Loftus published a book recently  titled 'The Invention Of Memory,an Irish family scrapbook 1560-1934' Its expensive at £30stg.but in hardback....I borrowed mine from the library....a good read... Please forgive mistakes.....I'm computer illiterate!