All Things DOWNING/DOWNEY in County Derry

[humph19]

My 3rd great grandmother was Mary Downing, daughter of Stafford Downing and Rose Mulholland.  Mary married Robert Downing, who was likely a cousin.  Mary and Robert had the following children:
1. Eliza Downing m. Edward Downing
2. Esther Downing (died 1885 in Trenton, NJ) m. Charles Delate (died 1863).  Esther and Charles emigrated to Philadelphia, and later to Trenton, New Jersey.  Esther married 2nd Henry Monaghan in 1865.
3. Thomas Downing (died 1907 in Dreenan) m. Mary O'Neill (died 1917 in Dreenan)
4.  James Stafford Downing, my 2nd great grandfather (b. abt. 1839 died 1890 in Trenton, NJ) m. Rosina McShane 1864 in Trenton, NJ
5. John Rodgers Downing (died abt. 1871 in Dreenan)

[M_ONeill]

Hi humph19! I ran across Thomas Downing and Mary O'Neill's wedding when researching the Dreenan O'Neills and their connection with the Downings. Mary was the daughter of a John O'Neill, 'Flax-buyer' of Dreenan, who I believe was the son of a Felix O'Neill. He seemed to be fairly well-off, leaving assets of £191 in 1889 and apparently dying in Broxburn Scotland where his son William O'Neill (one of the executors) was living.

Mary O'Neill's sister Jane married a Patrick 'Mealman' Convery as shown on this site here. There's a Patrick Convery as one of the signed witnesses on Thomas and Mary's civil marriage record, which is possibly the same man - though there were a couple of Pat Converys in the area, so it isn't a certainty. I suppose 'Mealman Pat' would have been Thomas Downing's brother-in-law via their two wives.

I'm currently trying to see whether there is any familial link between these 'Felix' O'Neills who intermarried with the Dreenan Downings, and the 'Stafford O'Neills' who appear to be directly descended from them.

One of the children of Stafford O'Neill of Ballymacpeake, Margaret O'Neill, actually married an Edward Downey of Eden. Bap. (catholic) 21st Jan 1865, son of a William Downey and a Rose Mulholland.

[dukewm]

Happy St Paddy's Day to all,

Following up on my own post (see Reply # 7), this thread is continued in several parts due to size restrictions

Part 1

CHAPTER 1: The Stafford Downing Lease of 1734

It’s been nine years now since I made the acquaintance of Stafford Poole, a Catholic Priest who passed away this past November, may he rest in peace.  Stafford was a descendant of what we have come to call the DREENAN branch of the DOWNING family.  He notified me of the first known DOWNING to occupy the Townland of Dreenan, Stafford Downing, head of the DREENAN branch, who we shall call Stafford I, Lessee to an Indenture, dated 30 Mar 1734, that granted the farming rights for 435 acres in “perpetuity”, which basically secured those rights for future generations by naming three “lives” to which those rights would be extended, provided the Lessee legally “renewed” the Lease by replacing deceased individuals with new names and paying the renewal fee, which was typically half the yearly rent.  The original three “lives” named by Stafford, were Stafford Downing, Bernard Mulhollan, and Bryan McCann.  These leases were usually extended to young sons, or teenage boys, of family members and friends.  In this case, it is assumed that Stafford named his own son as the first named “life”, being Stafford II, although it could have been a nephew. 
Then, just three years later, in another Indenture, dated 21 Mar 1737, Stafford “did Assign Transferr and make over unto John Downing of Rowesgift in the said County Esqr all his right Title and Interest of in and to the lands of upper Dreenan”.  If we look at the map of Dreenan, it appears the narrow leg of land that extends northwesterly from the main body of the Townland, could be described as “Upper Dreenan”.  (see https://www.townlands.ie/londonderry/loughinsholin/maghera/gulladuff/dreenan/)
and represents approximately 30% of the total area of the Townland (1,426 acres).  That was surely the “Stafford Downing Lease”, the original 435 acre farm.  The FACT that he sold his rights to John of Rowesgift indicates a family connection between the two branches.  Mind you, Rowesgift is not a Townland or even a small community.  Rowesgift is a house that was gifted to John upon his 1727 marriage to Anne Rowe by her father, Rev’d Simon Rowe, Rector at St. Tida’s Church of Ireland, about ¾ mile up the road in Bellaghy.  It’s a rather handsome manor house that still stands today in good repair.  There were several other ‘John’ Downings roaming around at that time, but there is NO DOUBT that the sale of Upper Dreenan was to John of Rowesgift, the 2nd son of Col. Adam Downing.
For ready reference, I’ve attached a copy of the particulars of the Stafford Downing Lease below.  We do not have an original and it could not be found in the FamilySearch database, although it is referred to in other Indentures.  This abridged version was sourced from a copy of a 1922 Deed that referenced the original Indenture, as related by John Young’s unnamed Aunt to Stafford Poole during his visit to Ireland in 1979, so the source is similar to a story being told around a circle and comparing the last version to the first, but is believed to be accurate, as follows:

Go to Part 2

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Part 2

“Stafford Downing Lease”
Dated 30th March 1734       from William Conolly to Stafford Downing of Dreenan
Rent and fees 25 Pnds 12 shillings 6 pence, containing
246 acres 0 roods 7 perches of arable and pasture &
189 acres 0 roods 30 perches of Bog
Rent fine: 10 pnds 2 shillings 6 pence
                            Lives: Stafford Downing, Bernard Mulholland, and Bryan McCann

Dated 6th October 1782      from Thomas Conolly to John Downing of Dreenan
1st Renewal                 Life Dead: Stafford Downing
Rent Fine (renewal fee)      Lives Inserted: James Nesbitt Downing Nesbitt, son of
10£  2 Shillings 6 Pence      Revd. Alexander Clotworthy Downing
                                                Lives now being: Bryan McCann, James Nesbitt Downing Nesbitt,
                                                and William Downing

Dated 1st November 1787      from same to John Downing of Dreenan
2nd Renewal                 Life Dead: James Nesbitt Downing Nesbitt
                            Life Inserted: Arthur Dawson, son of Arthur Dawson of
                            Castledawson
                            Lives now being: Bryan McCann, William Downing, and
                            Arthur Dawson

Dated 3rd May 1789              from same to John Downing of Dreenan
3rd Renewal                 Life Dead: Bryan McCann
                            Life Inserted: (blank in the original)
                            Lives now being: William Downing, Arthur Dawson, and
                            (another unknown life inserted)

Dated 20th October 1791      from same to John Downing
4th Renewal                 Life Dead: Bryan McCann
                            Life Inserted: William Dawson, 2nd son of Arthur Dawson
                            Lives now being: William Downing, Arthur Dawson, and
                            William Dawson, aged 7 years

Dated 20th June 1796      from same to same
5th Renewal                 Life Dead: William Dawson
                            Life Inserted: James Maddigan, son of Shane Maddigan of
                            Dreenan
                            Lives now being: William Downing, Arthur Dawson, and
                            James Maddigan

Dated February 1798              from same to James Downing, William Downing, George
6th Renewal                 Downing, and Stafford Downing
                            Life Dead: Arthur Dawson
                            Life Inserted: Robert Forrester
                            Lives now being: William Downing, James Maddigan, and
                            Robert Forrester

Dated 1st June 1800              from same to James Downing, George Downing, Stafford
7th Renewal                 Downing, John Downing, and Sarah Downing
                            Life Inserted: Ezekiel Downing, son of Dawson Downing
                            Lives now being: James Maddigan, Robert Forrester, and
                            Ezekiel Downing

Go to Part 3

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Part 3

We know by virtue of another Indenture, dated 20 Dec 1756, wherein Stafford was described as “Stafford Downing late of Dreenan aforesaid Gent deceased”, confirms the assumption that Stafford I did not name himself as one of the “lives” in the original lease, and that it had to be a different ‘Stafford’. 
Upon the first renewal in 1782, Stafford Downing is listed as “life dead” and he is replaced by James Nesbitt Downing-Nesbitt, son of Rev’d. Alexander Clotworthy Downing.  Knowing that John of Rowesgift had purchased the rights in 1737, Stafford I was deceased by 1756, and that Bryan McCann was the only survivor of the three original “lives”, we could assume with good confidence that the “life dead” Stafford was the second ‘Stafford’, who had passed away, probably shortly before October 1782.  A. C. Downing was the eldest son of John Downing of Rowesgift, and grandson of Col. Adam Downing of Rocktown.  He served as Curate and Rector at St. Lurach’s Church of Ireland, Maghera from 1785 to 1793. 
It’s also noted that the Lessee is referred to as John Downing of Dreenan and subsequently, as such, until the 4th renewal in 1791, when the description is simplified to “John Downing”.  However, we know that John Downing of Rowesgift died in 1785, so he could not have been the Lessee of record for the 2nd (1787) or 3rd (1789) renewals.  I found no Deed that transferred the rights at Dreenan to another ‘John’ Downing before or after 1782, yet he appears to be the Lessee in 1782 because he had his own grandson inserted as one of the “lives”, and the other “life” inserted was William Downing of Rowesgift.  An earlier Indenture, dated 1 Oct 1753, memorializes an agreement by which John Downing of Rowesgift sold lands in Queens County to a Thomas Bolton.  One of the witnesses to the signing was described as William Downing of Rowesgift, two patently obvious clues that William was a close relative.  John had a brother, William, but he died before 1752.  He had a nephew, William, son of his brother Adam, who was born about 1740 and would have been too young to witness a Deed in 1753.  He also had a first cousin, William, son of his uncle George, who was born about 1710 and would have been about 43 years old in 1753.  He seems to be the most likely candidate.   
I cannot yet explain which ‘John’ Downing was the Lessee from the 2nd through the 5th renewals, but he must have made an agreement with John of Rowesgift.  John had a son named John and perhaps John the Younger inherited those rights from his father, but the younger John was apparently entitled to inherit Rowesgift as he opted to live elsewhere under an agreement with his younger brother, Dawson, that he could return and live there whenever he chose.  Dawson would become “of Rowesgift”.  Although John the Younger was a Capt. in the military and appears to have established his own home at Killyberry Downing, just down the road towards Castledawson, where one of his two known sons, James, is listed in the 1831 Census, along with a “widow” Downing.  Maybe the other son, John, was living with his mother.  Even if the Killyberry homestead was Capt. John’s, it’s still possible he was managing the Dreenan farm.
Another clue that seems to link the two branches was the baptisms at St. Lurach’s of at least two daughters of Stafford Downing and Rose Mulholland, Mary in May 1785, and Esther on 4 Apr 1789, by A.C. Downing.  Knowing Stafford I and Stafford II had both passed away by 1782, we will designate this ‘Stafford’ as Stafford III.  Whether he was a son of Stafford II, or not, is uncertain, but for the sake of piecing a potential tree together, I have attached him as such, tentatively.  Of their four daughters, three had married before 24 Sep 1812, when Stafford (III) was party to a Deed of that date that identifies his wife as Rose (nee Mulholland) and describes them by their married names, Elizabeth Dinnen (Michael Dinnen), Mary Downing (Robert Downing, relation unknown), and Esther O’Neill (James O’Neill).  The fourth daughter, Elinor, reportedly married into the McNally family afterwards.  It is believed Elizabeth was the eldest daughter and likely born about 1783, thereby giving us an estimated date for the marriage as about 1782, give or take a few years, and the basis upon which I have estimated that Stafford III and Rose were probably both born c.1760, or thereabouts.  Mary and Robert had three sons, John Rodgers, Thomas, and James Stafford, carrying the Downing surname to the next generation of the branch of Stafford III, in addition to Robert’s, wherever that may lead.
 
Go to Part 4

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Part 4

To introduce another ‘Stafford’ Downing of this era seems confusing, but necessary when trying to hash out all these relationships.  In October 1781 the Belfast Newsletter posted a Death Notice for Stafford Downing, only child of John Downing of Dreenan, a Lieutenant in the Loughinshillen (now Loughinsholin) Batallion, wherein he is described as a “young gentleman”.  We shall dub him Stafford IV and tentatively place him in the tree as the son of Major John Downing, and nephew of Stafford II.
At the 6th renewal in February 1798, the Lessee (John Downing) had apparently deceased and he was replaced by James Downing, William Downing, George Downing, and Stafford Downing.  It’s also noted that William Downing, inserted in 1782, was the only surviving “life” from that date.  And we know that Stafford I and Stafford II had both passed away by 1782, so the Stafford named here as a Lessee must be a later Stafford.  Some possibilities include:
• James may have inherited the rights from his father, Capt. John.
• the same ‘William’ still listed as a “life” could also have been named as a Lessee in 1798, although I think that would be an exception.  It makes sense that John’s close relative (his first cousin who had been living at Rowesgift in 1753) would be named by John as a replacement “life” in 1782, but I doubt he would have been added as a Lessee in 1798 by a different John, although possible.
• there were two baptisms at St. Lurach’s, Maghera, of sons of George Downing of Dreenan; William on 2 Dec 1792, and Stafford on 6 Sep 1794.  Maybe George, William & Stafford were father/son Lessees, but it’s unlikely two toddler sons of George would have been named as Lessees, leaving James as a “weaker” voice in any decisions.  Nor does the order in which they are named indicate that George would have been the father of William & Stafford. 
• there was a William, a George, and a Stafford Downing, all of Maghera, listed on the Flax Growers List of 1796.  This seems to further discredit the previous father/sons relationship.  They were quite possibly all farming Dreenan lands.  There was also a James Downing of Termoneeny on the 1796 List, who could have had interests at Dreenan.
• there was a William Downing of Dreenan living in House No. 15 with 2 males and 2 females, Church of Ireland, 1831 Census – likely a young couple with 2 children, and probably not old enough to be a Lessee in 1798.
• there was a Stafford Downing of Dreenan who owned House No. 13, but it was occupied by Halford Downing, 1831 Census - a close neighbor to William
• there was a George Downing of Dreenan living in House No. 91 with 1 male and 1 female, Church of Ireland, 1831 Census – likely a young couple, or an older, “empty nest’.
• there was a Stafford Downing of Dreenan living in House No. 96 with 3 males and 4 females, (1) Church of Ireland + (6) RC, 1831 Census – typically the children would worship the mother’s faith in a mixed marriage, so Stafford was probably Church of Ireland, and they were evidently close neighbors of George, judging by the House Numbers.  This is NOT Stafford III, whose children were all grown, or Stafford IV who passed away in 1781.
• there was a Stafford Downing of Dreenan who owned House No. 97 but it was unoccupied, 1831 Census – apparently next door to House No. 96 where he lived.
• there was a William Downing of Lemnaroy, Parish of Termoneeny, probated in 1813.
• there was a George Downing of Dreenan probated in 1834.
• there was another George Downing of Dreenan probated in 1846.
Any of the above possibilities may be involved with the “Stafford Downing Lease”.
Then finally, we note from the 7th renewal, dated 1 Jun 1800, that William has apparently passed away, having been eliminated as a Lessee AND a “life”.  We can’t be sure he was one man.  Whether John and/or Sarah Downing were related to John of Rowesgift is uncertain, but Ezekiel was a younger son of Dawson, born in 1796, so it’s evident that Rowesgift House still had some influence over the “Stafford Downing Lease”.
Just to spice it up a bit, there was another ‘Stafford’ Downing who placed a newspaper advert on 23 Apr 1780 offering a reward for the return of a valuable watch lost somewhere between Dreenan and Rowesgift.  It could have been any of the previously identified ‘Stafford’s who lost the watch, except Stafford I, but it certainly reinforces the relationship between at LEAST one ‘Stafford’ and John, or whoever he may have been visiting at Rowesgift.  The most likely ‘Stafford’ to have visited Rowesgift in 1780 with a valuable watch, seems to be Stafford II, who was almost certainly one generation younger than John.  His father, Stafford I, was probably a second cousin to John.
From here, I’ll “rewind” further back and lay out the evidence presented by what we call the Fullerton Memoirs and identify the “head” of the DOWNING tree in County Londonderry.

Go to Part 5

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Part 5

CHAPTER 2: The Crown of the Tree
The first known DOWNING of this branch to emigrate to County Derry was George Downinge, who first appears as Associate Chief Tenant of the Fishmonger's Proportion at Ballykelly, Co. Londonderry, in 1619.  He also appears in a 1622 Muster Roll for the City and Liberties of Londonderry, as Sheriff of Londonderry during several court proceedings in 1624, and as a resident of the Townland of Ballykelly in a 1659 Census.
 
Without delving “into the weeds” too much on the history of the Plantation of Ulster, I’ll just say he was claimed to be the son of Lt. John Downinge of Ballymanagh, County Tipperary, who was an adventurer soldier for the Crown of England during numerous campaigns in the late 16th and early 17th centuries, including involvement to squash O’Doherty’s Rebellion of 1608 near Londonderry City.  For his service, it is presumed he was awarded lands in lieu of pay, a common practice for the cash-strapped monarchy, and he was holding about 3,000 acres around Ballykelly, a tract of land he had no intentions of inhabiting himself, so he gave it to George when he came of age.  That was likely about 1617 or 1618 and just before the Fishmonger’s organized their holdings, so as compensation for his lands, the Fishmonger’s offered George the position as Assoc. Chief Tenant under James Higgins, an absentee Landlord who was to remain in London.
 
Alexander George Fullerton (1808-1907), a grandson of Dawson Downing by his first wife, Catherine Fullerton, wrote what we came to call the “Fullerton Memoirs”, a family history narrative that identifies George as the son of Lt. John, his son, George II, and claims George II married Jane Montgomery, daughter of Hugh Montgomery of Maghera, the parents of Col. Adam Downing and his siblings.  This source remains the ONLY source we have found to date that make these connections.  ANY information that supports, or discredits, these findings would be gratefully acknowledged.  The DOWNING family tree I’ve developed is based on the Fullerton Memoirs, subject to verification.
With George I established at Ballykelly, it’s apparent he had at LEAST three sons; George II, as mentioned above; Nicholas Downinge of Drumard, who made his Will on 18 Feb 1698, naming Capt. Adam as his main heir, along with his wife, Mary, nephews John, George, and Samuel Downing (brothers of Adam), nephews Daniel, Abraham, and Bernard Downing (presumably cousins of Adam), nephew Tobias Mulhollan (presumably the son of a sister who married into the MULHOLLAN/MULHOLLAND family), William Downing (brother), Sarah Downing (dau of “my beloved brother William), and “to each of my brother William, his children by his last wife Mary £5”, indicating that Nicholas had at LEAST two brothers, probably more; and William, named in the Will.  George II being the father of Capt. Adam (and his brothers) apparently predeceased Nicholas, and mention of the other three Downing nephews indicates a 4th brother who may have predeceased Nicholas.  The likely 4th unnamed son may have been the father of Daniel, Abraham, and Bernard, or any combination of those three named nephews.  Otherwise, Nicholas probably would have described them as William’s sons.  The possibility that those three were not all brothers, opens the possibility of a 5th son, and even a 6th.  We know Nicholas had no children and we know Adam’s brothers were all confirmed in Adam’s Will.  We have only one named child of William.
 
Whether Nicholas’ brother William was antecedent to Stafford I is not certain, but possible.  If we can establish a connection between Stafford I (b. c.1700-1710) and Nicholas (b. c.1628-1698), we have accomplished our mission.  They appear to be at least two generations apart, making Stafford I a contemporary of John of Rowesgift, a likely 2nd cousin, and “setting the stage” for the sale of his farming rights at Dreenan to John of Rowesgift.  Stafford’s father could have been one of those unnamed children of William “by his last wife Mary”, or a son of one of those other unnamed brothers of Nicholas.  Of course there is always the possibility that Stafford’s branch was no relation at all, but keep in mind, at this early time, the DOWNING family in Derry was scarce.

The only other DOWNING’s of that era were Walter Downing of Loughinsholin who is listed in the 1622 Muster Roll of the Vintner’s Estate, Bellaghy, and James and William Downing of Tirkeeran, who both are listed in the 1630 Muster Roll of County Londonderry.  There are no other ‘Walter’s who appear in the tree and very few ‘James’, who appear much later, making those two candidates more unlikely.  And George’s son William would not have been old enough to muster by 1630.  By all the limited evidence available at this time, it appears that George I was indeed the head of this DOWNING branch and Fullerton was correct.

Go to Part 6

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Part 6

CHAPTER 3: Tracing Lands
 
As you may know, the Plantation of Ulster brought about the confiscation of lands that were then leased out by agents of the respective “proportions”, which divided Northern Ireland into 12 equitable segments.  The Fishmonger’s Proportion controlled Ballykelly and the Vintner’s Proportion controlled Bellaghy, along with the Townlands we have been focusing on herein.  Generally, large tracts were leased to prominent English settlers and they, in turn, sublet smaller tracts to the local Irish farmers.

Although the London Livery Companies (the “proportions”) technically owned the land, for a period of time, it’s thought that the original owners had some say in who could lease certain tracts and how they might be passed on to future generations.  In the case of George I, we don’t know what, if any, tracts that he may have owned prior to the Fishmonger’s takeover, remained under his (limited) control.

If we fast forward to the 1698 Will of Nicholas Downinge, we see that he left: “my freehold lands of Drumag (sp?) – Drummagh (sp?) & Knockan in the Barony of Konaght & Co aforesaid with all my Leasehold & other rights to any lands unto my nephew Captain Adam Downing . . . “
It’s not clear whether Nicholas was trying to describe ONE Townland with an alternate spelling, or he meant “Drumag” and “Drummagh” were TWO separate Townlands.  My interpretation is that he was referring to ONE Townland.  Investigation of the names of all the Townlands in the Barony of Keenaght reveals there are NO Townlands in existence today by either spelling.  Unfortunately, Knockan is the only Townland given in the Will that matches the present-day spelling.  The 869 acre Townland of Knockan is located SW of the Town of Dungiven and about 10 miles south of Ballykelly.  The photocopies of the handwritten Will that I have are so faint, it’s nearly impossible to decipher the spellings, and I was left to accept the typed version, but the first three letters are definititely “D-r-u” and the last three certainly look like “a-g-h”.  If we presume “Drumag-Drummagh” is meant as ONE Townland, and search for the closest resemblance, the closest present-day spelling is Drumraighland, a 752 acre Townland just about a mile and a half south of Ballykelly.  It’s possible that the “land” was added to the name at a later time and was then called “Drumraigh”.  The only other possibilities appear to be Drummond, a 159 acre Townland that includes a significant part of the village of Ballkelly and is a very short distance east of the old Walworth House where George lived, or Drumavally, which is Druim-a-bhealaig in Gaelic, located on the eastern shore of Lough Foyle, only 6 miles north of Ballykelly, but with either of those spellings, that’s a bit of a stretch in comparison to the handwritten script.  In any case, it’s evident that Nicholas had inherited some land rights very near where his claimed father, George I, lived, and likely part of his 3,000 acre estate before the Fishmonger’s took over.  Adam then inherited those lands from Nicholas.

Before we look at the “Townlands of Drummard”, I’ll relate a little backstory that sets it up, then “rewind” to the Will of Nicholas Downinge and trace his Drumard lands as far forward as we can.
In May 2018, I had the pleasure of spending eight nights at the “Bridge Cottage” right on the banks of the River Moyola just upstream of Dawson’s Bridge (on Bridge Street), literally the namesake of the town founded by Joshua Dawson, now known as Castledawson.  One of John Downing’s daughters married into the Dawson family, but that’s another story.

From our Castledawson base, I was able to “beat the bushes” pretty hard trying to find evidence of my own “broken link” to the DRUMARD branch, which I am certain lurks somewhere just out of sight.  I’m sure there are other discussions here on RootsChat that address my own issue, possibly in one of the links provided above by Aghadowey, but again, that’s yet another story.  This topic is an attempt to find a link between the DREENAN and DRUMARD branches.

As you can see from studying a Google Maps zoom-in of the area, just south of the village of Gulladuff on the A42 road, the Townland of Drumard is bisected by Drumard Road, running from Gulladuff Road westerly to Quarry Road.  The Townland of Rocktown, is basically bisected by Rocktown Road, running from Gulladuff Road, southwesterly to Hillhead Road, and Rocktown Lane forms a “T” intersection with Rocktown Road, runs northwesterly, then bends southwesterly to Hillhead Road near the village of Knockcloghrim.  These Townlands can also be viewed by clicking on the Townland link at:
https://www.townlands.ie/londonderry/maghera2/

Go to Part 7

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Part 7

In an effort to “tiptoe” around the RootsChat rules against speaking of living persons, I will not reveal any names but I hope the Moderators understand it’s difficult to tell a story about a specific area that is sparsely populated without virtually “spilling the beans”.

While driving on Rocktown Lane we (by the way, I’m travelling with my wife) came upon a farmer who was working on his tractor.  We sat there for over an hour gathering some vital “intel”.  Turns out he was the 7th generation of his family to farm that land, and that he used to play in the ruins of Col. Adam Downing’s “old castle” just around the corner when he was a kid.  He also referred me to another man on Drumard Road who could give me some information on the Downing family.

The next day, we rode down Drumard Road looking for the home of the man I was referred to, and after knocking on one door, got directed to the right place.  The very kind lady who answered the door to a knocking stranger on a “cold call” (imagine THAT), invited us in and I conducted another interview in their living room.  The husband, who I will refer to as Mr. “X”, told me the names of his father, his grandfather and his great grandfather, which was as far back as he knew, and that he was also the 7th generation of his family to occupy that site.  At that point, I realized we were probably sitting on land once farmed by Nicholas.  The real revelation was that Adam’s “old castle” was just 800 yards or so, scaled on Google Maps, from the house on Drumard Road and within view of each other across a rather flat plateau-like array of cultivated fields, if not for a few trees.  Subsequent research confirmed that Mr. “X” was a direct descendant of the Drennan branch through his mother, an apparent link between the two branches.
   
If we “rewind” to the 1698 Will of Nicholas Downinge, we see that he also left: “profits of my leaseholds  . . . and the Townlands of Drummard & Cullier where I live and the islands of Armayhnacurr (sp?) & Killyfall (Sp?)” were left to his wife Mary “so long as she shall continue unmarried and no longer” . . . , “all which are to return to my said nephew Captain Adam Downing & his heirs”.

Again, the spellings as deciphered from the handwritten Will do not match any present-day Townlands other than Drummard (Drumard today), which fortunately, is our only concern here.  This exercise is undertaken to see whether we can trace the Drumard land held by Nicholas to Mr. “X” who may be in possession of it today, and if so, establish a solid connection between the two branches.

A few years ago one of the members of Tim Mansfield’s DOWNING FAMILY Facebook page posted a reference that turned out to be a “gold mine” of valuable info regarding land transfers.  It requires a slight “learning curve”, but once you get used to it, you’ll see it for its’ value.  The main page is:

https://www.familysearch.org/search/catalog/185720?availability=Family%20History%20Library

This FamilySearch database contains microfilmed copies of the original Indentures taken from Registers that were kept in somewhat of a chronological order, and are basically agreements between LESSORS and LESSEES.  (by the way, on the website above, a GRANTOR Index, alphabetical by the first letter of the LESSOR’s surname, is followed by a Land Index, by County, and then a Place Name Index, by County.  The actual Deed Volumes begin on p.

Go to Part 8