Calcutt family genealogy
Of Port Hope, Canada[1]
Arms: Gu. a chev. betw. three Cornish choughs armed and membered, of a high yellow colour almost red; close sa. on a field ar., the dexter and sinister sides of the shield ornamented with a wreath gu. vert. and pink forming a rosette in the centre of each side. Crest: A dexter mailed arm gu., the hand naked brandishing a battle axe ar., the axe ppr. shafted sa. Motto: Amor veritatis (The love of truth).
The First James Calcutt (that left England) who was born April 25th, 1599, came to Ireland with Oliver Cromwell, in the year 1649. He was an officer of Cromwell’s Body Guard (the celebrated “Iron Sides”) and wore armour. After leaving the army he first settled in Kildare, and then went with a hunting party of gentlemen to the Queen’s County where he settled and remained until he died; he was interred at Clonenagh, shortly after the battle of Aughrim. His wife was also buried there. He had two sons, Richard and James: Richard settled at Balincard, near Frankford, in the King’s County. His dau., Mary, married George Steele, of Balloughmore Castle, where she died, and was interred at Balincard. Her husband had a large tract of land; he lost his life returning from the Assizes of Maryborough, having been thrown from his horse near the town of Mountrath. He left a large family.
The Second James Calcutt, son of the first, married Deborah, dau. of Squire Fisher, of Clonenagh. He had three sons, and several daus., all born at Sharane Castle, Boyle, in Upper Woods, and afterwards came to live in the town of Mountrath. He and his wife were interred at Clonenagh.
Third James Calcutt, son of the second James, m. the daughter of John Meagher, of Toomevara, in the co. of Tipperary; he died in the year 1757, and was buried at Toomevara.
Fourth James Calcutt, son of the third James, was b. in the town of Mountrath, in the year 1757, and was m. to Catherine Pim, dau. of Charles and Mary Pim, of said place, A.D. 1790. He had four sons: James, Charles, William, and Francis, and two daughters, Mary and Catherine. Catherine Pim d. 24th June, 1818, aged 50. James Calcutt, died at Spring Gardens, the 2nd of August, A.D. 1842, aged 85 years; both buried in Mountrath churchyard.
Fifth James Calcutt, son of the fourth James, Captain in first Regt. Northumberland, Canada, 1837; was born at Derrycanton, near Mountrath, the 23rd of March, A.D. 1792. He mar. Jane, the youngest dau. of William and Jane Shannon, of Mountmellick, on the 29th Sept., A.D. 1817, at the Church of Scrope, near Borris in Ossory. Jane was then living with her sister, Mrs. Hutchinson, at Rockforrest (afterwards Mrs. Dr. Kingsley), and went to reside with her husband in the town of Mountmellick. She with her husband and family subsequently sailed from Dublin for Canada, A.D. 1832, and settled at Cobourg. One of her brothers was killed at the battle of Corunna in Spain during the Peninsular war under Sir John Moore. James Calcutt had five sons by his first wife, James, William, Edward, and Kingsley, born in Ireland; Harry born in Cobourg; and three daus., Mary, born in Bristol, England; Maria Wilhelmina Kingsley, born in Roscrea, Ireland; and Jane born in Cobourg, Canada. He married a second time, and had three daus., all b. in Cobourg. Jane Shannon, his first wife, d. in Cobourg, Canada, A.D. 1847, of cancer in the breast, aged 52 years. His second wife is also dead, both buried at Cobourg.
Sixth James Calcutt, son of the fifth James, Captain, first Regiment Northumberland, Canada, 1850; was born in Mountmellick, Queen’s County, Ireland, April 10th, 1821, and emigrated with his father and family to Canada, A.D. 1832. He mar. Oct. 7th, 1850, Julia, sixth dau. of William Sowden,[2] of Beaver Meadows, in the co. of Northumberland, by whom he had two sons: 1. Frederic Kingsley, b. in Cobourg, Nov. 17th, A.D. 1851, who died of malignant scarlet fever, Nov. 22nd, 1854, and was buried in St. Peter’s churchyard, Cobourg; 2. James Frederic Charles, b. in Port Hope, July 21st, 1868, and one daughter, Julia Elfrida, born in Port Hope, Sept. 2nd, 1872.
Seventh James Calcutt (James Frederic Charles), second son of the sixth James, was b. in Port Hope, county of Durham, July 21st, A.D. 1868.
Joseph Calcutt, son of the second James Calcutt and Deborah, his wife, was born at Sharane Castle, in 1708. He m; Elizabeth Conway, of Cappinarrow, in Upper Woods, and died at Mountrath, A.D. 1776, aged 68, and was buried at Clonenagh, as was also his wife.
Joseph Calcutt, son of Joseph and Elizabeth Calcutt, was born in the town of Mountrath, A.D. 1746. He married Hannah Harris of said town, and had a number of children by her. He mar., secondly, Mary Knaggs, dau. of James Knaggs, of the same place, and died April 5th, and was buried at the Church of Mountrath, as was also his second wife.
William Calcutt, son of Joseph and Hannah Calcutt, was born in Mountrath in the year 1786. He was Captain in the Green Horse (5th Dragoon Guards). He married Catherine, dau. of Major Macnamara, of the co. Clare, commonly called “fire ball.” He died A.D. 1827, and was buried at Lisdoonvarna, co. Clare. His brother, Richard, d. in India, A.D. 1805.
Francis Calcutt, son of William and Catherine Calcutt, was born in the co. Clare, at Lisdoonvarna. He married the celebrated belle, Miss Martin, of Galway. He was member of Parliament for the county Clare, after the death of Daniel O’Connell, and died A.D. 1862, in London, England, while attending to his Parliamentary duties, and was brought home, and buried at Lisdoonvarna. He left no issue. The reversion of his estates he left to Joseph Calcutt, son of Richard Calcutt.
Thomas Calcutt, son of the second James Calcutt and Deborah, his wife, was born at Sharane Castle, Boyle. He married Miss Pleadwell, of Mountrath, and went to live in the co. Kerry, where he died. He had one son, Richard. He lived in the town of Ballyroan, Queen’s County, and died Nov. 10th, A.D. 1828, leaving no issue.
Joseph Calcutt, of Spring Gardens, had four sons by his second marriage with Mary Knaggs. Joseph, the eldest, married a dau. of James Shortt, of Newtown; he had a large family by her, and died in Manchester, England. Richard mar. in the co. Clare, and died there. He had two sons and two daus. Joseph mar. in the co. Tipperary, and had a large family; after his first wife died he married again, and had a second family. Robert d. at Spring Gardens. Robert, one of the descendants of Squire Fisher, above mentioned, of Clonenagh, lives at Grogan, in the Queen’s County, near Rathdowney. He was Lieut.-Col., Commandant of the Donegal Artillery, and late Major in the Royal Artillery, afterwards on half pay.
Notes
[1] Calcutt: From the departure from England and landing in Ireland, A.D. 1649, to the departure from Ireland and landing in Canada, North America, A.D. 1832 (on 31st July, in Cobourg,) of one branch of this family, and, subsequently to A.D. 1878, of some portions of the genealogy of the remainder, covers a period of 229 years. Also of the “Pim” family, with whom they intermarried. The genealogy is taken from Irish Registers up to 1832; both families came to Ireland from Leicestershire, England.—See the “Pim” pedigree, infra.
[2] Sowden: William Sowden, from Leeds, Yorkshire, England, father of Julia Sowden, died near Port Hope, Canada, Nov., 1807, in his eightieth year. James Calcutt (fifth) died in Cobourg, Canada, March, 1869, in his seventy-eighth year, and is buried in Cobourg Cemetery. Maria, mother of Julia Sowden, wife of sixth James Calcutt, died near Port Hope, Canada, in her 78th year. William and his wife, Maria Sowden, are both buried in Port Hope Cemetery; they had sixteen children (eight daughters and eight sons), nearly all married, and have large families, children, and grandchildren. Julia Elfrida, daughter of James and Julia Calcutt was born in Port Hope, Canada, Sept. 2nd, A.D. 1872. William, brother to sixth James, m. Mary, dau. of Thomas Eyre, Cobourg; Edward married Harriet Yerrington, of Colborne; Kingsley married Charlotte Boyce; Henry married Isabella Green, of Port Hope; all have large families. Maria Wilhelmina Kingsley married Rev. H. B. Jessopp, of Toronto, (Church of England), and died leaving two children.