« Reply #2 on: Saturday 29 September 18 13:40 BST (UK) »
Thanks for this post greenpaula. That is interesting children could be betrothed. Although I suppose marriages could take place much earlier then. It was actually James Father, also a James who I believe originally came from Ireland. Some census record that my ancestor James was born in Ireland.
James and Elizabeth's first child was baptised in 1847 so this will be twelve years before their marriage. Sorry I got confused with counting. James had a sister Ann. She was baptised at an Anglican Church at Chatton in 1834 so I know they were over here by then. In her baptism I remember her Father (my Great x 3 bloodline ancestor) was described as a 'Travelling besom maker from Lockgilley, Ireland'. I think this would have really referred to Loughgilley in Ireland. An older son who died as a baby I believe is the one (Joseph Conroy) who is buried at St Andrew in Hartburn, Northumberland. In the register James (Snr) is described as a poor Irish traveller.
I don't know why they kept changing between RC and Anglican Churches as I have found.
Elizabeth has sometimes shown as having been born in Edinburgh, Scotland on the census.
All James and Elizabeth's children except one was baptised as Conroy. My ancestors appear to have an alias 'Gilroy' whether by accident or design. This was mentioned in a newspaper. One of their sons John was baptised as Gilroy.
Conroy, Fitzpatrick, Watson, Miller, Davis/Davies, Brown, Senior, Dodds, Grieveson, Gamesby, Simpson, Rose, Gilboy, Malloy, Dalton, Young, Saint, Anderson, Allen, McKetterick, McCabe, Drummond, Parkinson, Armstrong, McCarroll, Innes, Marshall, Atkinson, Glendinning, Fenwick, Bonner