According to the 1851C she was born "Sligo Ballinafad" and was given as 58. 1841C gives her age as 45, but ages on this census are rounded down to the nearest 5. 1861C gives her age as 66, and the same month she dies, age given as 65 on dc & 68 in Bocking Cemetery records!. . Thus suspect her birth was 1793-4. Nothing else is known of her prior to her marriage to Samuel Parchment in October, 1815 in Roscommon. Samuel was stationed in Roscommon with the East Essex Militia.
Ballinafad , shown by the red marker above, is approx.50 miles due north of Roscommon and 25 miles south of Sligo town. Ballinafad only has baptisms from 1803: these on fiche P 4605 Aughanagh in the NLI. The present day church in Ballinafad was built around 1860: before that there was a Catholic chapel where the Community Hall now stands. There is also a C of I in Aughanagh, likely constructed after 1800: no early records for this and none at all held in the National Archives, Dublin. I visited Ballinafad in April 2012 and there are no McGanns living there today. Burials took place in the Aughanagh graveyard, less than a mile from the village, with that old church being a complete ruin.
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View over Ballinafad |
Present Ballinafad Church |
with its interior |
Ballinafad's old Castle of the Curlews |
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Entrance to Ballinafad |
Ballinafad Castle |
Ballinafad Barracks |
The Kings House - Boyle Barracks |
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| The now deserted Roscommon Barracks | St. Coman's Church, Roscommon |
St. Coman's Church, Roscommon |
Interior of St. Coman's Church |
On Fiche P 4605 I found:
24/11/1803 a Thomas & Bridget McGann were godparents to Maria Maley, born to Petrus Maley & Anna McGann.
24/12/1805 Thomas McGann was baptised to Thomas McGann & Honorah Meehan. Godparents were Joanna Caveny & Catherine Winters. There is a gap in the fiche 1808 -1816.
Could the parents of my Bridgett be Thomas McGann & Honorah Meehan??
1817. Catherine McGown was a godparent.
22/11/1821. Patrick McGann was baptised to Michael McGann & Anna Gauly. Godparents were Thomas & Anna Gauly. This Michael could be a brother of my Bridgett.
Dec 1823 Joan McGan was a godparent to 2 twins . The fiche continues to 1864 but I did not continue looking after 1823. Fiche P 4606 gives marriages 1800-1802, but mainly illegible. Also marriages 1831 onwards but I did not look at this.
A Census of Elphin - in which the parish of Aughanagh lies - was taken in 1749. Aughanagh then had 59 protestants and 463 Catholics, or in another way, 16 C of I families and 122 Catholic families. No McGanns there or in neighbouring parishes then. But an Owen Mcgann in Tawnacarrow Boyle, occupation labourer. ~21 McGanns in total in the Diocese of Elphin, all catholics. Also in Boyle a Carbry & wife, a Tady & wife In Kilgefin, Roscommon a Patrick & wife. In Fuerty, Roscommon were a James & Bridgett with 3 children. Also a Thomas & Mary Mcgann with 3 children. In Ballynakill, Sligo a Bry Mcgann. In Ballysmaghan Sligo a Carabry Mcgann. In Kilcorkey Roscommon a Peter. McGann. And in Elphin Roscommon a Denis Mcgann.
Did find a baptism for Brigidam Mc Gan in 1794 on IGI - but this was given as in Drum Roscommon, and this near Athlone, way south of Roscommon, so unlikely to be her!
1815. "I hereby certify that Samuel Parchment of the East Essex militia was
married to
Bridgett McGann in the parish church of Roscommon on the 24th day of October
1815 according to the rites and ceremonies of the united church of Ireland"
I think she was born a Catholic. Map of Roscommon shown on Samuel's page.
From 1815 onwards her life is covered on Samuel Parchment, 1788, page.
27/04/1861. Bridget Parchment dies, Union Workhouse Bocking, aged 65, Wife of Samuel Parchment, Hawker of Fruit, Dropsy-2months. Death registered by Susan Weavers, present at the Death, Union Workhouse Bocking. Have d.c.DP1.
1/5/1861. She is buried in Bocking cemetery :
Bridget Parchment, Age 68 Years, Buried on the 1st May 1861, in Plot Number 6 Section B3 R1, in our[ Braintree Council's] Bocking Cemetery. This age more likely to be correct than the Workhouse records.
17/07/1861. Samuel Parchment dies .Bradford Street, Bocking, aged 73, Hawker of Confectionary, Disease of Heart - 3 months. Death registered by Elizabeth King, Bradford Street, Bocking. Have d.c.DP2
Samuel Parchment, Age 73 Years, Buried on the 22nd July 1861, in Plot Number 7 Section B3 R1, in our Bocking Cemetery. This is the plot next to his wife's. Braintree Council have no record as to whether anyone bought the plots or whether they were common plots. No headstones likely. Info;May 2011.