RootsChat.Com

It’s not gossip, Priests were educated as the powers that Be didn’t want further uprisings since the one in the late 1600’s but it was difficult for poorer people to get that education due to costs and lack of facilities. I have saw the post before of a catholic being educated in an COI Trinity College, it appears to be a rare occurrence. The problem lies further back to the 1600’s and into the late 1700’s whereby atrocious laws existed.

I have no preference for either religion and I don’t  know all  the ins and outs of what went on but it is true RC in the main at that time were kept down by law and although these laws were later repealed it took years on end to sort things out properly. Poorer Presbyterians also faced problems with being educated.

Here are a few examples of such facts and laws which caused impact into the 1800’s

* no doubt this one applied to all children regardless of religion *  -  If you were a child in the early nineteenth century you were not able to go to a national school paid for by the government because they did not exist until the 1830's. Large numbers of children still went to school in the 1800's but in most cases they had to pay to attend so if you were poor or had a big family it would have been unlikely all children from a poor family if any  were able to attend school at that time. Perhaps even being only able to afford educating one child.
* Exclusion of Catholics from most public offices (since 1607), Presbyterians were also barred from public office from 1707.
* Ban on intermarriage with Protestants; repealed 1778
* Exclusion from the legal professions and the judiciary; repealed (respectively) 1793 and 1829
**** Bar to Catholics and Protestant Dissenters entering Trinity College Dublin; repealed 1793.****
*** On a death by a Catholic, his legatee could benefit by conversion to the Church of Ireland; ***
*** Popery Act – Catholic inheritances of land were to be equally subdivided between all an owner's sons with the exception that if the eldest son and heir converted to Protestantism that he would become the one and only tenant of estate and portions for other children not to exceed one third of the estate. This "Gavelkind" system had previously been abolished by 1600.***
* Ban on converting from Protestantism to Roman Catholicism on pain of Praemunire: forfeiting all property estates and legacy to the monarch of the time and remaining in prison at the monarch's pleasure. In addition, forfeiting the monarch's protection. No injury however atrocious could have any action brought against it or any reparation for such.
*** Ban on Catholics inheriting Protestant land***
* Prohibition on Catholics owning a horse valued at over £5 (to keep horses suitable for military activity out of the majority's hands)
* Roman Catholic lay priests had to register to preach under the Registration Act 1704, but seminary priests and Bishops were not able to do so until 1778
* When allowed, new Catholic churches were to be built from wood, not stone, and away from main roads.
* 'No person of the popish religion shall publicly or in private houses teach school, or instruct youth in learning within this realm' upon pain of twenty pounds fine and three months in prison for every such offence. Repealed in 1782.[8]
* Any and all rewards not paid by the crown for alerting authorities of offences to be levied upon the Catholic populace within parish and county

Sorry this is detracting from Audley again but I’m trying to point out why there was a possible disinheriting/disowning of William Bestal who was probably born between 1800-1840, perhaps even born earlier and more than likely related to Audley as both from Rathdrum.

Strangely enough the Bestall ancestors I have found so far appear to have been quite poor but out of that poorness and with some of the family struggling to obtain higher education due to costs, sacrifices were made and we have currently well educated family members some of which are surgeons, one of which who carries out the most complex and dangerous type of surgery you can get. So although there has been episodes of non education, the brains still clearly exist

I’m not posting on this thread again as enough has been said and has detracted from minimac Original post

Aghadowey, there is a separate page which I started. Unfortunately it didn’t get any further back, hallmark and dathai did manage to find some answers for me with regards to going forward  1890’- 1960 and it was great.

Unfortunately I’m still stuck with what and other members of my family are looking for re going back in time, we have searched many records and are getting absolutely no where. A lot of marriage records pre 1860 can’t be viewed yet, nor deaths- only the name but no details. My recent response was a reply to someone who innocently posted on this page the other day who is new to this site just like me way back.

I can modify my recent posts to show no text apart from a dot or I can ask the moderator to remove them completely if you want but that will leave hallmark, yourself, dathai with replies to posts which I will have removed resulting in it looking odd.  I have no problem modifying or removing them but need to know quickly as I believe after a certain point modifying cant be done, therefore if I modify  the recent ones it would be best if the three of you did the same.

It’s clear there’s no direct line link to Audley or William Law but they could be cousins (particularly with William Law also from Wicklow) and it appears Audley had relatives in Dublin. Someone at one point said they could see a connection but I’ve ruled it out myself as their mothers are different. In 2007 I hadn’t a clue how to start a new post but afterwards figured it out and was hoping someone who was posting here had some info at the time.
 
Unfortunately that brick wall still exists after 15 years of looking.

I’ve found some details of what could be a connection to my line in the 1600’s In Wicklow but because there are gaps I’m unable to link for definite. Therefore I’m now checking England and Wales in case the family were moving about but thats a very big task as so many Bestalls in many different towns in England. Difficult to pick which one (needle in a haystack). 

With such an unusual name and 99% appear to be mainly in Wicklow and Tyrone there’s got to be a connection (common ancestor) somewhere

Apologies for posting on this page in 2007 but I thought it would be rude not to respond to someone just starting out.

I’ve had the scoring out checked and the consensus of opinion that came back was that his baptism name was initially recorded as Valentine and changed to Wm (William). A bit odd but I’ve seen that happening on other records (not helped by the slight creasing on the page)

Thanks hallmark, I can only presume William Law x2 and Audley Bestall were related in some way to my William Bestal/Bestall. Probably a common ancestor somewhere.