Linda, Thank you very much for the pointer.
I'd come across a smattering of the resources individually before.
However, your post lead me easily in to reading more widely.
This resulted in a connection breakthrough!
A long sought goal - a link between "Glenavy and Guernsey".
I was reading about the history of the cathedral in Lisburn. Then I saw the name "Saumarez DuBOURDIEU". His unusual first name rang a bell. It is the surname of a long-established Guernsey family. [They produced a famous admiral during the Napoleonic wars.]
Saumarez DuBOURDIEU was pastor of the Hugenot church in Lisburn for 45 years until it closed. When I read that he subsequently became the incumbent at Glenavy CoI (St. Aidan's) during 1780-1812, I got excited!
Ref:
http://www.lisburn.com/books/Cathedral/cathedral-1.htmlRef:
http://www.lisburn.com/books/Glenavy_past_present/glenavy_past-2.html#VICARS He appears to have been 95 years old when he died, and to have ministered for a total of 77 years - amazing! Guess the spirit of "Les Evangeliques" might have run strong in him! Ref:
www.calvinus.com Slight fly in the ointment, O'Hart's Pedigrees apparently has SD at Annahilt, Co. Down. ]
I got even more excited when I read also that Saumarez DuBOURDIEU had been christened in the London of the early 18thC.
Many Hugenots had escaped France to settle in the East end of London (particularly Spitalfields), this forced "emigration" being especially heavy in the reign of Queen Anne.
[Saumarez's grandfather James had been murdered in the pogroms of 1684, so Saumarez's father Jean Armand had to be smuggled out of the country as a baby strapped to his mother's back. They joined Saumarez's great-grandfather Isaac, exiled fom Montpelier in 1682 at the age of 85 to London.]
However, I knew from my brother's research, that this marine-commercial & banking end of London was also home to several large international trading families originating from Guernsey, some of whom were so successful and influential that they were elected Mayor of the City.
Could it be ...?
A few hours of firtling around the Internet threw up a present-day DuBOURDIEU family historian contact. He quickly confirmed that Saumarez DuBOURDIEU had been named at his christening in 1717 for his godfather ...
... a Mr. De SAUMAREZ, a Bailiff of Guernsey!
["Monsieur Le Baillif" was the principal operational judicial officer of the Royal Court (known as "The Greffe") in Guernsey's capital St. Peter Port.]
This De SAUMAREZ godfather can't have been a casual aquaintance, so the DuBOURDIEU family must be associated with the island of Guernsey somehow.
[Perhaps they escaped through the Channel Islands and were ferried over to London by the De SAUMAREZs 30 years earlier ...]
For my research this means:
During a central period of the WHITTLE family's existence at Glenavy (and possibly in Lisburn earlier, if my initial post comes up trumps!) there was a key figure with Guernsey associations preaching to them every Sunday.
... and no doubt reminiscing a bit about it afterwards in the Glebe house, whilst supping a few sherries in the company of his vestrymen / wardens, James WHITTLE (d. 1801) and subsequently his youngest son Stafford Gorman WHITTLE (d.1861), both of Thistleborough, Ballyshannaghill, Camlin.
[This family had extensive trading links in linen, cotton, woolens, corn,
tobacco, flour, alcohol, etc. so were well known to the international mariner community.]
Cracking stuff. It is good to chat! Many many thanks once again. John
