Richard Hawkes Maybury’s Kenmare Pedigree

¹ A William Maybury is not mentioned in the Mayberry pedigree published in John Burke, A Genealogical and Heraldic History of the Commoners of Great Britain and Ireland (Vol.4, Henry Colburn, London, 1838, p. vii.), probably compiled by Richard J. T. Orpen. A William Maybury is mentioned by Emanuel Hutchinson Orpen in his “A Pedigree and Genealogical History of the Family of Orpen” (copied in Co. Wexford, Ireland, 1874, now in the Monksgrange archives, Wexford). Emanuel Hutchinson Orpen, who often collaborated with Richard J. T. Orpen’, erroneously claimed William of Cleady as Augustus’ son, confusing him with William Bowen, Augustus’ stepson.  

² Richard does not list brothers Paul Kingston Maybury (bp. 8 Jun 1818), who may have died young, or Richard Kingston Maybury (bp. 2 Dec 1821) who was buried on 17 Feb 1836.

³ Richard does not include a sister Mary Kingston Maybury (bp. 24 Feb 1827) who may have died young.

⁴ Derre Maybury was unsure of this word/placename, suggesting that it was possibly ‘Gentree’. It is more likely to read ‘Gurtree’. It is a shortened form of a placename that Richard wrote later in the document as ‘Kilgurtaree’. This was Richard’s phonetic spelling of Kilgortaree, a townland in the parish of Kenmare acquired by Augustus Maybury in consequence of his marriage to Mary Bowen (nee Bastable) sometime around the 1750s. Kilgortaree can be found shortened to ‘Gortree’ in other contemporary documents (List of tenants, holdings & values, in Glanarough, with various observations, undated but post-1785, Trinity College Dublin, Muniments, MUN-P-23-1518; Memorial of John Mayberry of Greenlane, eldest son & representative of Duckett Mayberry dead, undated but early 19th century, Trinity College Dublin, Muniments, MUN-P-23-1527l). Augustus was also associated with a place, Gortescrehane, in 1773 (Lyne, ‘Landlord and Tenant Relations on the Shelburne Estate Tenure in Kenmare, Bonane and Tuosist 1770-1775’, in Journal of the Kerry Archaeological & Historical Society, No.12, 1979, pp.32.). Augustus and his son Bastable were identified as ‘of Dromaphihane’ in an extract from the Registrar’s Office at Tralee, dated 1785. (Henry Pelham, ‘A Report on the Several Petitions & Memorials of Thomas Palmer, Corless Hawkes etc’, No. 75, Bowood Papers - Co. Kerry 1792-1803, c.1797, No.15) Neither Gortescrehane nor Dromaphihane have been satisfactorily located. They may have been locally-known residences or sites within Kilgortaree townland because both Augustus and Bastable were certainly identified as ‘of Kilgortaree’ in other documents (Articles of intermarriage concluded and agreed upon between Augustus Mayberry of Killgortaree …and Samuel Duckett of Gortalinny, 20 Jan 1779, Henry Pelham, op.cit.; W.P.W. Phillimore & Gertrude Thrift, Indexes to Irish Wills 1536-1858, Vol.III – Maybury, Bastable, Killgortane [sic - the clerk apparently mistaking the ‘ree’ in Kilgortaree for ‘ne’], co Kerry, 1785).

⁵ Richard’s claim that Wm Maybury had a brother, head of the Gurtree family, is confirmed by an affidavit sworn by Corless Hawkes in c.1797 identifying Augustus Maybury of Kilgortaree as William’s brother (Henry Pelham, op.cit.). No mention was made in the Pelham documents of any relationship between them or their descendants and Duckett Mayberry, son of John Mayberry of Greenlane and joint executor of Augustus’ son Bastable’s will and trustee for Bastable’s daughter, Mary. In fact, Richard Hawkes Maybury’s claim that Augustus and William Maybury and John Mayberry were brothers has been challenged by M. A. Smithson (2024: see this website). Following a review of historical sources and DNA analysis, Smithson suggests that two lineages existed at Kenmare from early 18th century: Mayberry, headed by John Mayberry and his son Richard Maybery, and Maybury, headed by William Mabury. Both lineages stemmed from a common ancestor in the 17th century. Financial and social arrangements seemingly put in train by Richard Maybery, William’s nephew, following an indebted William’s death c.1720 may have resulted in a perception that Richard Maybery’s son John Mayberry of Greenlane and William Mabury’s sons Augustus and William Maybury were brothers rather than cousins. Richard Hawkes Maybury was, after all, reporting family recollections of circumstances over a century old and at the limit of memory. Indeed, family recollections provided Richard with no information on Richard Maybery, William Mabury or earlier generations.

⁶ Derre Maybury interpreted this word/placename as Chahrianghron. However, it does seem to begin with Cahir - possibly Cahireighron, an attempt at Caheragh, a parish near Bantry. The word as written in the original document does not seem to match any of the townlands surrounding Bantry. An image of the word in question is reproduced below: