In late 1863,there was a much reported and controversial situation regarding the future religious pathway for three children,one of whom emerges some years later as my wifes great great grandmother.The children were offspring of a mixed religion family,with a Catholic father and Protestant mother,living largely in Dublin.The father,Micheal Maguire,was a poor iron moulder,who,by the Spring of 1863,was sadly dying of a heart condition.Although not a fervent Catholic,he sought a local priest,Fr.Keon,to deliver appropriate last rites.The priest enquired what plans Micheal had made for the future of his three very young children and encouraged the dying man to make a will ensuring that they were to be brought up as Catholics,which,over time,he duly did,witnessed by local people.This was ,allegedly,unbeknown to his wife,Jane,or her Protestant parents,in whose house they were resident.Jane,no doubt encouraged by others,appealed against the way in which the will had been achieved.In November/December 1863,the case attracted headlines and was front page news in a number of Irish newspapers,where verbatim versions of witness testimony are recorded.The case became notorious and divided opinion on religious lines as newspapers from different opinions testify.The decision was not concluded due to jury intransigence,where no conclusion could be reached,the jury dividing on sectarian lines and unable or unwilling to reach an objective decision.Subsequently,in early 1864,prominent Irish Catholics set up meetings and fund raising in respect of Fr.Keon,whose reputation was questioned because of circumstances surrounding Micheal Maguires will signing.
As is often the case,media interest declined and I can find no more reference to the outcome of the case.So...what happened to Sarah Maguire and her sisters?
Jane Maguire remarried a mariner,William Rodgers,in Liverpool in 1869.Jane gave birth to a daughter in London in 1871 and was living in Ramsgate,Kent on the 1871 Census.There are no records of any of the Maguire children living with her...Sarah remerges to marry George Edward Tolley in Chorlton on Medlock,Manchester in 1889.Significantly,resident in Chorlton at that time was Madeleine Lambert Rodgers(Janes daughter by William Rodgers).living with Margaret Gage,who was Janes sister who married a soldier,John Gage,in Ireland.
So,my query....what was the result of the Maguire case?What happened to the four year old Sarah and her family after this decision?Where might they have been in those intervening years?
I appreciate Irish records are limited in some aspects,but it is a mystery I have been looking to solve for some time.
Thank you,
Andy Grimley
