I’ve researched the Limerick Frewen line but with no emphasis on those in Dublin. I would place a bet that your family is not from Tipperary and probably has its roots in one of the ‘later’ generations from Co. Limerick. The Tipp line was uniformly RC, while the Limerick branch converted over the 1700’s, usually on marriage
The clues are in the Christian names. The original Frewen in Ireland settled in Castleconnell in the 1650’s. Frewen Family researchers believe that he was Thomas, and that his older brother Joseph was the ‘Captain Frewen’ killed at the siege of Kilkenny. (Whitelock’s Memorials). By the end of the 1600’s the eldest male descendant, named Joseph, had lands in the townlands of Cloon, Lacka and Gardenhill among others which on his death went to his eldest son, Thomas (all those townlands are around Castleconnell - see Memorial extract — Nick Reddan’s Registry of Deeds Index Project Memorial No: 13074 describing the transfer of land owned by Joseph Frewen deceased by his relict & sole executrix Sarah, to their son Thomas Frewen.) Sarah was a daughter of Samuel Eames.
This Thomas attended TCD 1708 – 11 (he’s listed in Alumni Dublinensis) and is the Rev. Thomas Frewen (1688 - 1750) of Castleconnell who married a Mary/Maria Spring. Among their children were Joseph, William and Eames Frewen. The latter had a son Frederick. He was one of the very few Frewens named Frederick and none of that name occur in the Tipperary branch. William married in Dublin (Marriage Lists for 1754: - William Frewen, Gentleman, married Phebe Davis on 16th May). It is not known if he remained in Dublin or if he was William the landholder of Shewer, near Newport, Co Tipp., who also had a younger son and at least one grandson named William (about whom I know little). That land had to be sold and the descendant (c1830-1860) George, took his family (including a son William) to NYC.
The 1700’s saw the beginning of the downward spiral of the wealth of the Castleconnell Frewens. By the early 1800’s the wealthier branches of the family also were beset by land problems (title, unpaid rents and violence associated with rent collection). Younger sons had to ‘make their own way’. Several were in the legal and medical professions. By the late 1700’s there were dozens of Frewens named William, Thomas and John with varying degrees of wealth/poverty, some were Established Church, others – like some of the descendants of Eames Frewen, Roman Catholics. It is impossible to differentiate them with certainty as the records do not exist.
By the first half of the 1800’s those named William Frewen included a prominent Limerick solicitor and another who was transported for life to Australia. William the solicitor and his brother Thomas (a doctor) had ‘a large number of natural children’ according to George Dartnell (1788 – 1862) who married Dr. Thomas’ only legitimate heir, a daughter, Rose. However a son was named in newspaper reports as William. (Waterford Mail of 30th August 1834 with an extract from the Limerick Herald – ‘The Late Doctor Frewen - The sudden death of this gentleman in Dublin under melancholy and peculiar circumstances [he was undergoing bankruptcy proceedings] has caused the deepest affliction in his family. It is affirmed that the manner of concealment both of his death and burial, for many days, from his friends, and in particular from his son, Mr. William Frewen, whom he had desired to meet him at the Bank of Ireland on the day of his decease, but who was left in ignorance of his misfortune, together with some other strange and afflictive reasons, have filled them with the direct alarm at such mystery.’)
William the Solicitor (1756 – 1837) also had a son William Samuel by his wife Anne McCallister. However, his death notice (Freemans Journal 11 August 1837) makes no mention of wife or offspring. The brothers William Solicitor and Thomas MD had to have been Church of Ireland, but Thomas’ son William could have been either CoI or RC as he probably was raised by his mother and took her religion.
I’ve no proof, nor have I ever researched it but always had a slight suspicion that the Doctor's son William was the ‘founder’ of the family that lived in what is now Dublin 8, and is the William Frewen mentioned as witness in the courtcase as a "collector" to the Evening Mail "since it commenced”. (case is covered in the Dublin Evening Post of 28 April 1827).
Of course I could be entirely wrong, but you have some clues above.
Regards,
Bob Frewen
