Ashfield Gales
Encyclopedia
The Ashfield Gales consisted of six generations of a Gale family who owned the Ashfield estate in Killabban Parish, Queens County, Ireland
(subsequently renamed County Laois
) from the mid-17th Century until 1851.
, Ulster King-of-Arms
, who created thousands of sketch pedigrees of the era using sources such as his abstracts of the prerogative wills of Ireland from 1536-1800. According to Betham’s pedigree, the Ashfield Gales descended from a Colonel Oliver Gale who came to Ireland
during the time of Henry VIII
, perhaps as part of the early English Plantations of Ireland
. In support of the connection to Oliver Gale, Betham references Ducatus Leodiensis, which documents the pedigrees of many of the nobility and gentry of Yorkshire
, England
. According to this source, a son of Oliver Gale of Thrintoft
, James Gale, resided in Ireland
, “whence his Descendants during the Rebellion there transplanted themselves to Whitehaven”. (In this context, the “Rebellion” is the Irish Rebellion of 1641
.) The Ashfield Gales and the Yorkshire
Gales displayed the same Coat of Arms
which further supports the connection between these families. This same Oliver Gale of Thrintoft
pedigree is documented in Burke's Landed Gentry
.
The Irish Rebellion of 1641
was initially successful, but was subsequently crushed by Oliver Cromwell
during the invasion of 1649-1652
and British rule restored. In order to pay for the invasion, Cromwell
confiscated large tracts of Irish Catholic land and granted it to army veterans in lieu of pay and to adventurers who helped finance the operation. Among those who were granted land was Anthony Gale, who “claims in right of an Adventurer as well as in right of a Soldier” who received land in Queen’s and Westmeath
Counties. The Queen’s County grant of land was the former Crottentegle estate previously held and subsequently forfeited by the Keating family. The first record of this Anthony Gale in Ireland
is the 1659 Census
, where an Anthony Gayle (sic) appears as a titulado (land holder) in Crottentegle, Queen’s County, site of the Gale Ashfield estate.
The Betham pedigree breaks at Col. Oliver Gale and picks up in 1666 with this Lt. Anthony Gale, the first of the Gales of Ashfield. Betham depicts Anthony Gale marrying into the Wandesford family. At the time, Sir Christopher Wandesford, a son of Christopher Wandesford
, Lord Deputy of Ireland, lived in nearby Castlecomer
in Kilkenny
.
Anthony Gale was succeeded by his son, Samuel. Samuel married Ellis (or Alicia) Grace, daughter of Oliver Grace
, Esq., Chief Remembrancer
of the Exchequer of Ireland
. These Graces were an ancient family in Ireland whose ancestry included Sir Oliver Grace, who married Mary, daughter of Sir Gerald Fitzgerald, 3rd Lord Decies
, by his wife, Ellice, daughter of Piers Butler, 8th Earl of Ormond.
During the Williamite War in Ireland
, Samuel ran afoul of the Jacobites
who supported Catholic James II
and was “given to the 1st Sept. 1689, to surrender”. However, when the Jacobites
were routed in the Battle of the Boyne
on July 1, 1690, Samuel’s claim to the estate at Ashfield was secure.
Betham documents four sons of Samuel Gale. The eldest surviving son, Anthony, succeeded to the estate at Ashfield, and married Mary Vicars in 1732. Anthony served on a grand jury
in Maryborough (subsequently renamed Portlaoise), on March 21, 1746, along with members of other prominent Queen’s County families that crossed paths with the Ashfield Gales in marriage and other personal matters, including William Fitzgerald, Anthony Sharp (grandson of noted Quaker Anthony Sharp)
, Martin Delany and Robert Flood. Following Mary Vicars' death, Anthony remarried Margaret Driscoll, formerly Margaret Tench.
Samuel’s younger sons were Thomas, Henry and John. Based on Ireland
land records, there is convincing circumstantial evidence that Samuel’s son Thomas is Thomas Gale of Sampson’s Court, Queen’s County, Ireland
. Thomas Gale died intestate
in 1780 and was survived by at least one son, Anthony, who was the father of Marine Commandant
Anthony Gale
and Galway
mayor Parnell Gale
.
Betham lists two children of Anthony Gale, the third of the Gales of Ashfield: Mary, who married James Fitzmaurice, and Peter, who succeeded to the estate at Ashfield. Peter Gale, a graduate of Trinity College
, married Catherine Browne in 1758. Peter Gale was in turn succeeded by his son, Samuel Gale, also a graduate of Trinity College
. Samuel married Susanna Brush.
Samuel's son, Peter, was the sixth and last of the Ashfield Gales. Peter Gale received both bachelor and masters degrees from Trinity College
. Well educated, Peter authored a book concerning certain social conditions in Ireland
. On June 20, 1837, Peter married Anna Maria Harriett Lynch. In addition to the estate at Ashfield, Peter owned a house in the City of Carlow
, about five miles from Ashfield. In accordance with the Encumbered Estates Act of 1849, Peter was forced to sell all of his real property on November 11, 1851, in order to cover debts which he attributed to the economic devastation caused by the potato famine. Peter Gale died on October 28, 1857, and is buried in Monkstown Parish, County Cork
.
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
(subsequently renamed County Laois
County Laois
County Laois is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Midlands Region and is also located in the province of Leinster. It was formerly known as Queen's County until the establishment of the Irish Free State in 1922. The county's name was formerly spelt as Laoighis and Leix. Laois County Council...
) from the mid-17th Century until 1851.
History
The lineage of the Ashfield Gales was documented by Sir William BethamWilliam Betham
Sir William Betham was an English herald and antiquarian, the Ulster King of Arms from 1820 until his death in 1853. He had previously served as the Deputy Ulster from 1807 to 1820.-Life:...
, Ulster King-of-Arms
Norroy and Ulster King of Arms
Norroy and Ulster King of Arms is one of the senior Officers of Arms of the College of Arms, and the junior of the two provincial Kings of Arms. The current office is the combination of two former appointments...
, who created thousands of sketch pedigrees of the era using sources such as his abstracts of the prerogative wills of Ireland from 1536-1800. According to Betham’s pedigree, the Ashfield Gales descended from a Colonel Oliver Gale who came to Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
during the time of Henry VIII
Henry VIII of England
Henry VIII was King of England from 21 April 1509 until his death. He was Lord, and later King, of Ireland, as well as continuing the nominal claim by the English monarchs to the Kingdom of France...
, perhaps as part of the early English Plantations of Ireland
Plantations of Ireland
Plantations in 16th and 17th century Ireland were the confiscation of land by the English crown and the colonisation of this land with settlers from England and the Scottish Lowlands....
. In support of the connection to Oliver Gale, Betham references Ducatus Leodiensis, which documents the pedigrees of many of the nobility and gentry of Yorkshire
Yorkshire
Yorkshire is a historic county of northern England and the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its great size in comparison to other English counties, functions have been increasingly undertaken over time by its subdivisions, which have also been subject to periodic reform...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. According to this source, a son of Oliver Gale of Thrintoft
Thrintoft
Thrintoft is a village and civil parish in the Hambleton district of North Yorkshire, England. It is situated close to the River Swale, about three miles west of Northallerton....
, James Gale, resided in Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
, “whence his Descendants during the Rebellion there transplanted themselves to Whitehaven”. (In this context, the “Rebellion” is the Irish Rebellion of 1641
Irish Rebellion of 1641
The Irish Rebellion of 1641 began as an attempted coup d'état by Irish Catholic gentry, who tried to seize control of the English administration in Ireland to force concessions for the Catholics living under English rule...
.) The Ashfield Gales and the Yorkshire
Yorkshire
Yorkshire is a historic county of northern England and the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its great size in comparison to other English counties, functions have been increasingly undertaken over time by its subdivisions, which have also been subject to periodic reform...
Gales displayed the same Coat of Arms
Coat of arms
A coat of arms is a unique heraldic design on a shield or escutcheon or on a surcoat or tabard used to cover and protect armour and to identify the wearer. Thus the term is often stated as "coat-armour", because it was anciently displayed on the front of a coat of cloth...
which further supports the connection between these families. This same Oliver Gale of Thrintoft
Thrintoft
Thrintoft is a village and civil parish in the Hambleton district of North Yorkshire, England. It is situated close to the River Swale, about three miles west of Northallerton....
pedigree is documented in Burke's Landed Gentry
Burke's Landed Gentry
Burke's Landed Gentry is the result of nearly two centuries of intense work by the Burke family, and others since, in building a collection of books of genealogical and heraldic interest,...
.
The Irish Rebellion of 1641
Irish Rebellion of 1641
The Irish Rebellion of 1641 began as an attempted coup d'état by Irish Catholic gentry, who tried to seize control of the English administration in Ireland to force concessions for the Catholics living under English rule...
was initially successful, but was subsequently crushed by Oliver Cromwell
Oliver Cromwell
Oliver Cromwell was an English military and political leader who overthrew the English monarchy and temporarily turned England into a republican Commonwealth, and served as Lord Protector of England, Scotland, and Ireland....
during the invasion of 1649-1652
Cromwellian conquest of Ireland
The Cromwellian conquest of Ireland refers to the conquest of Ireland by the forces of the English Parliament, led by Oliver Cromwell during the Wars of the Three Kingdoms. Cromwell landed in Ireland with his New Model Army on behalf of England's Rump Parliament in 1649...
and British rule restored. In order to pay for the invasion, Cromwell
Oliver Cromwell
Oliver Cromwell was an English military and political leader who overthrew the English monarchy and temporarily turned England into a republican Commonwealth, and served as Lord Protector of England, Scotland, and Ireland....
confiscated large tracts of Irish Catholic land and granted it to army veterans in lieu of pay and to adventurers who helped finance the operation. Among those who were granted land was Anthony Gale, who “claims in right of an Adventurer as well as in right of a Soldier” who received land in Queen’s and Westmeath
County Westmeath
-Economy:Westmeath has a strong agricultural economy. Initially, development occurred around the major market centres of Mullingar, Moate, and Kinnegad. Athlone developed due to its military significance, and its strategic location on the main Dublin–Galway route across the River Shannon. Mullingar...
Counties. The Queen’s County grant of land was the former Crottentegle estate previously held and subsequently forfeited by the Keating family. The first record of this Anthony Gale in Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
is the 1659 Census
Census
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
, where an Anthony Gayle (sic) appears as a titulado (land holder) in Crottentegle, Queen’s County, site of the Gale Ashfield estate.
The Betham pedigree breaks at Col. Oliver Gale and picks up in 1666 with this Lt. Anthony Gale, the first of the Gales of Ashfield. Betham depicts Anthony Gale marrying into the Wandesford family. At the time, Sir Christopher Wandesford, a son of Christopher Wandesford
Christopher Wandesford
Christopher Wandesford , was an English politician administrator, Lord Deputy of Ireland at the end of his life.-Life:He was the son of Sir George Wandesford of Kirklington, Yorkshire, and was born on 24 September 1592....
, Lord Deputy of Ireland, lived in nearby Castlecomer
Castlecomer
Castlecomer is a town in the barony of Fassadinin, County Kilkenny in Ireland.The Irish name for the town translates to "The castle at the confluence of the rivers"; the "rivers" refers to the rivers Deen, Brocagh and Clohogue while the "castle" refers to the castle built by the Normans in 1171...
in Kilkenny
Kilkenny
Kilkenny is a city and is the county town of the eponymous County Kilkenny in Ireland. It is situated on both banks of the River Nore in the province of Leinster, in the south-east of Ireland...
.
Anthony Gale was succeeded by his son, Samuel. Samuel married Ellis (or Alicia) Grace, daughter of Oliver Grace
Oliver Grace
Oliver Grace, of Shanganagh, was chosen in 1689 as the representative in Parliament of the borough of Ballynakill, in the Queen's County, Ireland.-Political career:...
, Esq., Chief Remembrancer
Remembrancer
The Remembrancer was originally one of certain subordinate officers of the English Exchequer. The office itself is of great antiquity, the holder having been termed remembrancer, memorator, rememorator, registrar, keeper of the register, despatcher of business...
of the Exchequer of Ireland
Minister for Finance (Ireland)
The Minister for Finance is the title held by the Irish government minister responsible for all financial and monetary matters. The office-holder controls the Department of Finance and is considered one of the most important members of the Government of Ireland.The current Minister for Finance is...
. These Graces were an ancient family in Ireland whose ancestry included Sir Oliver Grace, who married Mary, daughter of Sir Gerald Fitzgerald, 3rd Lord Decies
Gerald Fitzgerald, 3rd Lord Decies
Sir Gerald Fitzgerald, 3rd Lord Decies was the son of John Fitzgerald and Ellen, daughter of Maurice FitzGibbon, the White Knight, and was the third of the Lords of Decies....
, by his wife, Ellice, daughter of Piers Butler, 8th Earl of Ormond.
During the Williamite War in Ireland
Williamite war in Ireland
The Williamite War in Ireland—also called the Jacobite War in Ireland, the Williamite-Jacobite War in Ireland and in Irish as Cogadh an Dá Rí —was a conflict between Catholic King James II and Protestant King William of Orange over who would be King of England, Scotland and Ireland...
, Samuel ran afoul of the Jacobites
Jacobitism
Jacobitism was the political movement in Britain dedicated to the restoration of the Stuart kings to the thrones of England, Scotland, later the Kingdom of Great Britain, and the Kingdom of Ireland...
who supported Catholic James II
James II of England
James II & VII was King of England and King of Ireland as James II and King of Scotland as James VII, from 6 February 1685. He was the last Catholic monarch to reign over the Kingdoms of England, Scotland, and Ireland...
and was “given to the 1st Sept. 1689, to surrender”. However, when the Jacobites
Jacobitism
Jacobitism was the political movement in Britain dedicated to the restoration of the Stuart kings to the thrones of England, Scotland, later the Kingdom of Great Britain, and the Kingdom of Ireland...
were routed in the Battle of the Boyne
Battle of the Boyne
The Battle of the Boyne was fought in 1690 between two rival claimants of the English, Scottish and Irish thronesthe Catholic King James and the Protestant King William across the River Boyne near Drogheda on the east coast of Ireland...
on July 1, 1690, Samuel’s claim to the estate at Ashfield was secure.
Betham documents four sons of Samuel Gale. The eldest surviving son, Anthony, succeeded to the estate at Ashfield, and married Mary Vicars in 1732. Anthony served on a grand jury
Grand jury
A grand jury is a type of jury that determines whether a criminal indictment will issue. Currently, only the United States retains grand juries, although some other common law jurisdictions formerly employed them, and most other jurisdictions employ some other type of preliminary hearing...
in Maryborough (subsequently renamed Portlaoise), on March 21, 1746, along with members of other prominent Queen’s County families that crossed paths with the Ashfield Gales in marriage and other personal matters, including William Fitzgerald, Anthony Sharp (grandson of noted Quaker Anthony Sharp)
Anthony Sharp (Quaker)
Anthony Sharp was a Dublin Quaker and wool merchant.-Early life:Anthony Sharp, the son of Thomas Sharp, was born in Tetbury, Gloucestershire, England in January 1643.-Religion and business:...
, Martin Delany and Robert Flood. Following Mary Vicars' death, Anthony remarried Margaret Driscoll, formerly Margaret Tench.
Samuel’s younger sons were Thomas, Henry and John. Based on Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
land records, there is convincing circumstantial evidence that Samuel’s son Thomas is Thomas Gale of Sampson’s Court, Queen’s County, Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
. Thomas Gale died intestate
Intestacy
Intestacy is the condition of the estate of a person who dies owning property greater than the sum of their enforceable debts and funeral expenses without having made a valid will or other binding declaration; alternatively where such a will or declaration has been made, but only applies to part of...
in 1780 and was survived by at least one son, Anthony, who was the father of Marine Commandant
Commandant of the Marine Corps
The Commandant of the Marine Corps is normally the highest ranking officer in the United States Marine Corps and is a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff...
Anthony Gale
Anthony Gale
Anthony Gale was the fourth Commandant of the United States Marine Corps and the only one ever fired. Fewer records survive concerning him than any other Commandant. He is the only Commandant for whom the Marines neither know his burial location nor have a portrait or likeness.-Early life:His...
and Galway
Galway
Galway or City of Galway is a city in County Galway, Republic of Ireland. It is the sixth largest and the fastest-growing city in Ireland. It is also the third largest city within the Republic and the only city in the Province of Connacht. Located on the west coast of Ireland, it sits on the...
mayor Parnell Gale
Parnell Gale
-Political career:Prior to serving as Mayor, Parnell Gale was a collector of excise in Galway in 1815.Parnell Gale’s term as major was marked by social unrest. Caused in part by meteorological conditions sparked off by volcanic activity, food shortages were prevalent in Galway in early 1817...
.
Betham lists two children of Anthony Gale, the third of the Gales of Ashfield: Mary, who married James Fitzmaurice, and Peter, who succeeded to the estate at Ashfield. Peter Gale, a graduate of Trinity College
Trinity College, Dublin
Trinity College, Dublin , formally known as the College of the Holy and Undivided Trinity of Queen Elizabeth near Dublin, was founded in 1592 by letters patent from Queen Elizabeth I as the "mother of a university", Extracts from Letters Patent of Elizabeth I, 1592: "...we...found and...
, married Catherine Browne in 1758. Peter Gale was in turn succeeded by his son, Samuel Gale, also a graduate of Trinity College
Trinity College, Dublin
Trinity College, Dublin , formally known as the College of the Holy and Undivided Trinity of Queen Elizabeth near Dublin, was founded in 1592 by letters patent from Queen Elizabeth I as the "mother of a university", Extracts from Letters Patent of Elizabeth I, 1592: "...we...found and...
. Samuel married Susanna Brush.
Samuel's son, Peter, was the sixth and last of the Ashfield Gales. Peter Gale received both bachelor and masters degrees from Trinity College
Trinity College, Dublin
Trinity College, Dublin , formally known as the College of the Holy and Undivided Trinity of Queen Elizabeth near Dublin, was founded in 1592 by letters patent from Queen Elizabeth I as the "mother of a university", Extracts from Letters Patent of Elizabeth I, 1592: "...we...found and...
. Well educated, Peter authored a book concerning certain social conditions in Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
. On June 20, 1837, Peter married Anna Maria Harriett Lynch. In addition to the estate at Ashfield, Peter owned a house in the City of Carlow
Carlow
Carlow is the county town of County Carlow in Ireland. It is situated in the south-east of Ireland, 84 km from Dublin. County Carlow is the second smallest county in Ireland by area, however Carlow Town is the 14th largest urban area in Ireland by population according to the 2006 census. The...
, about five miles from Ashfield. In accordance with the Encumbered Estates Act of 1849, Peter was forced to sell all of his real property on November 11, 1851, in order to cover debts which he attributed to the economic devastation caused by the potato famine. Peter Gale died on October 28, 1857, and is buried in Monkstown Parish, County Cork
Monkstown, County Cork
Monkstown is a village in County Cork, Ireland, in the old barony of Kerrycurrihy. It lies 9 miles southeast of Cork city on the estuary of the River Lee, facing Great Island and looking onto Monkstown Bay....
.
See also
- Adventurers ActAdventurers ActThe Adventurers' Act is an Act of the Parliament of England, with the long title "An Act for the speedy and effectual reducing of the rebels in His Majesty's Kingdom of Ireland".-The main Act:...
- Battle of the BoyneBattle of the BoyneThe Battle of the Boyne was fought in 1690 between two rival claimants of the English, Scottish and Irish thronesthe Catholic King James and the Protestant King William across the River Boyne near Drogheda on the east coast of Ireland...
- Cromwellian conquest of IrelandCromwellian conquest of IrelandThe Cromwellian conquest of Ireland refers to the conquest of Ireland by the forces of the English Parliament, led by Oliver Cromwell during the Wars of the Three Kingdoms. Cromwell landed in Ireland with his New Model Army on behalf of England's Rump Parliament in 1649...
- Great Famine (Ireland)
- Irish Confederate WarsIrish Confederate WarsThis article is concerned with the military history of Ireland from 1641-53. For the political context of this conflict, see Confederate Ireland....
- Irish Rebellion of 1641Irish Rebellion of 1641The Irish Rebellion of 1641 began as an attempted coup d'état by Irish Catholic gentry, who tried to seize control of the English administration in Ireland to force concessions for the Catholics living under English rule...
- Plantations of IrelandPlantations of IrelandPlantations in 16th and 17th century Ireland were the confiscation of land by the English crown and the colonisation of this land with settlers from England and the Scottish Lowlands....
- Protestant AscendancyProtestant AscendancyThe Protestant Ascendancy, usually known in Ireland simply as the Ascendancy, is a phrase used when referring to the political, economic, and social domination of Ireland by a minority of great landowners, Protestant clergy, and professionals, all members of the Established Church during the 17th...
- Williamite War in IrelandWilliamite war in IrelandThe Williamite War in Ireland—also called the Jacobite War in Ireland, the Williamite-Jacobite War in Ireland and in Irish as Cogadh an Dá Rí —was a conflict between Catholic King James II and Protestant King William of Orange over who would be King of England, Scotland and Ireland...