Surgeon Robert Sproull d. 1747, the Gravestone in the House

It was one of those weird coincidences in the life of genealogy that sometimes become almost disturbing. In the last few days I have been researching Robert Sproules from the early 1700s, trying to pin down our Grennan Sproules. One of the Robert Sproules on my list was Robert of Dungannon who died in 1747, and once more I took Robert out, reviewed him, and yet again, I dismissed him.

Then literally 2 hours later an email came in, from my friend Kathleen Caldwell. Within a short time, Robert Sproull of Dungannon was back out again, and this time he was being added to my own tree! Nothing to do with Grennan Sproules, however, (another digression)  but we were back to our Edwards Tree and the many Sproule /Edwards relationships!

Kathleen had sent me a printed version of Bishop John Grainger's Edwards Tree with updates compiled by Frank Collins dated Oct 2012. The joy of this was that it was a Microsoft Word document, and it was searchable. I looked for my Sproules, and immediately found a new one that I hadn’t spotted before. It was a lady Sproull, buried buried a little deeper in the Edwards Family Tree.

We knew that Martha Edwards of Kilcroagh had married Robert Sproule of Golan in about 1730. Martha had a sister Mary Edwards of Kilcroagh. Mary married Robert Stewart on 9 Sep 1726. They had a daughter, Martha Stewart, in abt 1732. Martha Stewart married a man named William Holmes in 1750. Their grandson was a man named William Holmes of Barnhill, Stewartstown, Tyrone.

William Holmes (1796-1858) was an eminent barrister who became the Sessional Crown Solicitor for the county of Tyrone. He was a QC, and Thom’s Directory tells us that he also had a practice in 18 Upper Dorset Street, Dublin. The Edwards tree now told me that William Holmes esq  had married a Sproule, a lady called Frances Sproull. Now there aren’t that many Sproule ladies with the name Frances, and most of them that I know of are from Fermanagh.

But this lady wasn’t, and I located her straight away because she was already in my database. She was right there with William Holmes esq in a deed dated 1853 that I had looked at on Familysearch.org.  

She was Frances Carelton Holmes, otherwise Sproull, wife of William Holmes of Barnhill, Tyrone. There were many names in this 1835 deed and they were Sproulls and Carletons from Antrim and Carrickfergus, so I believed that Frances was an Antrim Sproule. There were a few Sproule families in Antrim as far back as the Hearth Money Rolls. I had parked the Antrim Sproules for now, but with this marriage in Tyrone, it was time to try to find out more Frances Carleton Sproull.

This was the note I had made in from the 1853 deed:

8 Jan 1853 lists Antrim, Belfast Sproules & family – William Henry Sproull attorney of Belfast and Eleanor, Mary & Eliza plus Davidson relatives – also William Holmes in Barnhill, Tyrone & Frances Carlton Holmes, otherwise Sproull his wife.

I had another Carleton Sproull in my database, Henry Carleton Sproull. He was much more recent – he got married in Calcutta in 1894, but he then lived in Tyrone. His father was William Henry Sproull of Scotch Quarter, Carrickfergus and William Henry was the son of William Sproull and Eleanor Carleton. William Henry Sproull and Eleanor Sproull were named on my 1853 deed, so I knew straight away that we had the right Carleton.

William Sproull lived in Dungannon before going to Carrickfergus – and now I knew for certain who this family was.

William Sproull was the son of my old friend Robert Sproull, surgeon, from Dungannon who died in 1745 – the one I keep taking out and dismissing!

I had first come across Robert in one of my very early visits to PRONI many years ago. In PRONI reference 2578/2,  I had found a collection of snippets from newspapers, and one was a very interesting story of a Sproull. I was so inexperienced then, that I did not even record the date on the newspaper but it was in the 1900s. The text revealed that a tomb stone had been discovered in a private house Dungannon – yes a whole tomb stone! It was in a house in Scotch Yard, Dungannon. The tombstone was entact, and the writing on it had on it the following names:

Now I always knew that Surgeon Sproull was not one of our Tyrone/Donegal Sproules. He appears in another document in PRONI T2578/1 – and/2, as the head of a large Sproull family. These are the Antrim Sproulls known by their dominant character Wilson Sproull of Antrim. They lived in Antrim town and Carrickfergus.

I knew from this that Surgeon Sproull had moved to Dungannan from Carrickfergus,  and he had lived there with his wife raising a large family, which was now to be added to my tree. The family moved back to Antrim some time after the death of Robert senior.

The tree in PRONI is like one of our Elder Trees, but much bigger and much more detailed. Sadly, I didn’t record it, but it is now top of my ‘Next PRONI Visit’ document!

So now, thanks to this lovely find on the EdwardsTree, we have a link to this family of Surgeon Sproull of Dungannon, with the marriage of his granddaughter Frances Carelton Sproull to William Holmes esq, descendant of Mary Edwards of Kilcroagh in 1822.

UPDATE

It would appear that there was a misprint in this original newspaper article. Mrs Rebecca Temple was, in fact, Mrs Rebecca Semple. This came to light thanks to Robyn Ritchie who was carrying out an extensive trawl for Sproules in early newspapers. This was one of the little gems that Robyn found:

"JAMES SEMPLE, has opened the Shop which was formerly kept by Mr Robert Sproul in Dungannon ..."

Robyn wondered if the name Temple on Surgeon Robert Spoull's gravestone could have been a mistake. Could it have been 'Semple' - was there a connection? A quick search of the Indexes to Wills, Probate Administration, Marriage Bonds and Licences, revealed a marriage:

James Sample (Semple) - Rebecca Sproul, 1748.

Well spotted Robyn, and thank you!

Thanks again Kathleen Caldwell for the Edwards Tree.

 

1835 Deed - 1853 7 86 Registry of Deeds, Familysearch.org

 

 

The Family History of the Dungannon Sproull Family

 This information is put together from this Sproull's family's booklet in PRONI, Ref T2578/2, and from following up on this online.[1] [3]

ROBERT SPROULL SURGEON OF DUNGANNON  died in 1747 in Dungannon, Tyrone, Ireland. [1]

Robert Sproull Surgeon of Dungannon had the following children that we know of:

1. Mary Sproull who married John Hunter Esq. of Stewartstown, Tyrone on  9 Dec 1790 [2]
2. REBECCA SPROULL.  She died on 21 Apr 1785 in Dungannon, Tyrone, Ireland. She married James Semple in 1748.[2]
3. ROBERT SPROULL OF DUNGANNON.  He died on 23 Jan 1785 in Dungannonn, Tyrone, Ireland. He married Mary on 7 Jun 1773.[3] She died on 29 Nov 1789 in 6 Usher's Quay, Dublin. 

Generation 2 - Robert Sproull and his wife Mary had the following children;

WILLIAM SPROULL was born on 09 May 1772 in Dungannon, Tyrone, Ireland. He died on 16 Mar 1817 in Belfast, Antrim, Ireland. He married Eleanor Carleton, daughter of Cornelius Carleton and Elizabeth Casement, on 27 Apr 1797 in Lisburn, Antrim, Ireland. She was born in 1775. She died on 17 May 1863 in College St, Belfast (Age 88). ELINOR SPROULE was born on 27 Feb 1774 in Dungannon. ROBERT SPROULL was born on 23 Apr 1775 in Dungannon, Tyrone. He died on 28 Apr 1775. BABY SPROULL was born in Oct 1776 in Dungannon. (Stillborn baby). JAMES SPROULL was born on 23 Jan 1778 in Dungannon. ROBERT SPROULL was born on 11 Apr 1779 in Dungannon. He died on 21 Jul 1840 in 5 Union Place Blackheath Rod, Greenwich, London, England. He married Ann King on 13 May 1819 in Saint Martin In The Fields, Westminster, London, England. (No children that I know of) WILSON SPROULL was born on 08 Jul 1780 in Dungannon. He was in business in the town of Armagh, and he died on 04 Mar 1842 in Armagh. He married MARGARET. They had one child that I know of, Mary Ann Sproull, who lived in Gracehill, Co. Armagh. MARY SPROULL was born on 08 May 1784 in Dungannon, Tyrone. JOHN SPROULL was born on 20 May 1785 in Dungannon, Tyrone.

Generation 3 - William Sproull and Eleanor Carleton had the following children:

1. ROBERT SPROULL was born on 17 Apr 1798 in Belfast, Antrim, Ireland. He died on there on  03 Jan 1799.
2. FRANCES CARLTEON SPROULL was born on 08 Feb 1800 in Belfast. She died on 14 Oct 1874 in 34 Summerhill, Dublin (Age 74). She married William Holmes esq of Barnhill, Stewartstown, son of Robert Holmes of Dublin and Margaret McCartney, on 16 Jul 1822, in Clonoe, Tyrone, Ireland. William was born in 1796 in Dungannon, Tyrone, Ireland (Attorney). He died on 02 Apr 1858 in Barnhill, Stewartstown, Tyrone.
3. MARY SPROULL was born on 24 Jul 1802 in Belfast. She died on 16 May 1860 in 32 College St. Belfast. Ireland.
4. WILLIAM HENRY SPROULL was born in 20 Aug 1812 in Belfast, Antrim, Ireland. He died on 18 Apr 1883 in Scotch Quarter, Carrickfergus. He married (1) JANE FULTON, daughter of Robert Bell Fulton, Major, on 15 Aug 1839 in St Sidwels Church, Exeter, England. She was born on 17 Dec 1819 on a ship in the Bay of Bengal. She died on 02 Sep 1845 in Belfast. He married (2) SARAH FERGUSON, daughter of William Ferguson, on 08 Feb 1848. She was born in May 1823 in Shaws Bridge, Belfast. She died on 25 May 1854 in Carrickfergus, Antrim, Ireland (aged 31). He married (3) BONELLA MCDOWALL, daughter of Alexander Mcdowal and Bonella Mary Mcdowall, on 09 Sep 1856 in Ayr, Scotland. She was born on 29 Aug 1826 in Maybole, Ayrshire, Scotland. She died on 23 Feb 1861 in Carrickfergus, Antrim. He married (4) JANE BIRNEY, daughter of John Birney and Cordelia Jones, on 21 Apr 1862 in Lisburn Cathedral Church. She was born about 1828 and she died in 25 Feb 1915 in Scotch Quarter, Carrickfergus.
5. ELIZABETH SPROULL was born on 12 Aug 1814 in Belfast, Antrim, Ireland. She died on 09 Jun 1868 in College St, Belfast, Northern Ireland.

Generation 4

Frances Carlteon Sproule  and William Holmes esq. of Barnhill, Stewartstown had the following children:

1. ROBERT WILLIAM HOLMES was born on 06 Jan 1826 in Barnhill House, Stewartstown, Tyrone.
2. ELEANOR FRANCES CARLETON HOLMES was born on 09 Dec 1827 in Barnhill House, Stewartstown. She died on 22 Jan 1909 in 16 Newgrove Ave, Donnybrook, Dublin (Spinster, Gentlewoman). She married  JAMES COOTE SHUTER, son of John Shuter, on 21 Feb 1860 in St Mary's Church, Dublin, Ireland. He was born about 1839 in Dungannon, Tyrone, Ireland. He died on 15 Feb 1914 in "Barnhill", Gortatray, Donaghenry, Tyrone, Northern Ireland.
3. MARTHA MARGARET HOLMES was born on 02 Jul 1829 in Barnhill House, Stewartstown, Tyrone. She died in Mar 1909 in Dublin South, Ireland.
4. FRANCIS HAMILTON HOLMES was born on 29 Jun 1831 in Barnhill House, Stewartstown, Tyrone. He died on 02 Jul 1890 in 2 Belmonunt Place, Sundrive St, Dublin (Bachelor Solicitor).
5. JOHN HUNTER HOLMES was born on 14 Oct 1833 in Barnhill House, Stewartstown, Tyrone.
6. ARABELLA MARY HOLMES was born on 01 Oct 1835 in Barnhill House, Stewartstown, Tyrone. She died on 12 Feb 1917 in 4 Charleston Rd, Rathmines, Dublin. She married John Moore esq, son of Montgomery Moore, on 06 Jan 1859 in St George's Church, Dublin. He was born in Tonyreagh, Lisnaskea, County Fermanagh. He died on 19 Dec 1883 in Dublin, Ireland.
7. EDWARD LITTON HOLMES was born on 02 Apr 1839 in Barnhill House, Stewartstown, Tyrone. He died on 08 Feb 1886 in Baggot Street Hospital (Accountant). He married Ann Amelia Guy, daughter of Robert Guy, on 18 Jul 1865 in Monkstown, Dublin.
8. MARY ELIZABETH HOLMES was born on 02 Apr 1839 in Barnhill House, Stewartstown, Tyrone. She died on 23 Apr 1840 in Barnhill House, Stewartstown, Tyrone.
9. ALBERT GEORGE BIRMINGHAM LOVELOCK HOLMES was born on 21 May 1842 in Barnhill House, Stewartstown, Tyrone. 

Generation 4

William Henry Sproull and his first wife, Jane Fulton, had the following children:

1. CHARLES CASEMENT SPROULL was born on 01 Dec 1840 in Belfast, Antrim, Ireland (Christened  Christ's Church Belfast). He died on 24 Dec 1924 in Invercargill City, Southland, New Zealand. He married Ellen Laing on 16 Jan 1865 in New Zealand. She was born on 07 Dec 1841. She died on 02 Jun 1923 in Invercargill, Invercargill City, Southland, New Zealand.
2. JANE FULTON SPROULL was born on 23 Aug 1845 in Queen St. Belfast. She died on 25 Jul 1922 in Dickinson, Stark, North Dakota, USA. She married Rev. ALBERT JOHN BURNETT, son of William McDonald Burnett, on 15 Aug 1877 in Scotch Quarter, Carrickfergus. He was born in Jan 1848 and he die on 3 Aug 1900 in Galveston, Texas, USA. (Curate of the Parish of Seagoe, near Portadown.

William Henry Sproull and his second wife, Sarah Ferguson, had the following children:

1. WILLIAM FERGUSON SPROULL was born on 04 Mar 1849 in 34 College Street, Belfast, Ireland. He died on 04 Jun 1849 in 34 College Street, Belfast. (Died age 16 weeks T2578/2).
2. HENRY CARLETON SPROULL was born on 11 Jun 1850 in 34 College Street, Belfast. He died on 12 Oct 1931 in Bloomhill, Ballygawley, Tyrone. He married Elizabeth Mary Simpson on 09 Jan 1888 in Howrah, Bengal, India. She was born in Clonamully, Monaghan.
3. VALENTINE SPROULL was born on 15 Mar 1852 in 34 College Street, Belfast. He died on 17 May 1852 in 34 College Street, Belfast.
4. HUGH OLIVER CARLETON SPROULL was born on 30 Aug 1853 in 34 College Street, Belfast, Ireland.

William Henry Sproull and his third wife, Bonella McDowall,  had the following children:

1. ALEXANDER MACDOWAL SPROULL was born on 03 Sep 1857 in Carrickfergus, Antrim, Ireland. He died on 23 Aug 1896 in Leihue, Kauai, Hawaiian Islands. He married Nellie Wallace, daughter of James Wallace, on 01 Mar 1892 in North Koahala, Hawaiian Islands.
2. WILLIAM CORNELIUS SPROULL was born on 11 May 1859 in Scotch Quarter, Carrickfergus. He died in Hawaii, before 1914.
3. BONNELLA ELEANOR FLORENCE ELIZABETH SPROULL was born on 13 Jan 1861 in Carrickfergus, Antrim, Ireland. She died in Oct 1935 in Cuckfield, Sussex, England. She married HENRY EDWARD GOOCH, son of Thomas Henry Gooch, on 03 Feb 1891 in Scotch Quarter, Carrickfergus (widow). He was born in 1858 in Derby, Engalnd (Bank Manager). He died on 09 Nov 1896 in Norfolk England. 

William Henry Sproull and his fourth wife, Jane Birney, had the following children:

1. HELEN CORDELIA JONES SPROULL was born on 06 Apr 1863 in Scotch Quarter, Carrickfergus. She died on 01 Dec 1954 in London, England. She married (1) WILLIAM HOLMES SHUTER REV, son of James Coote Shuter and Eleanor Frances Carleton Holmes, on 26 Aug 1909 in St James Church, Belfast. He was born on 31 Oct 1862 in Stewartstown, Tyrone, Ireland. He died on 05 Jul 1940 in Surrey, England.
2. MILLY SPROULL was born on 09 Apr 1864 in Scotch Quarter, Carrickfergus.
3. MARY SPROULL was born on 27 Nov 1865 in Scotch Quarter, Carrickfergus. She died on 02 Mar 1937 in 54 Wandsworth Rd. Knock, Belfast. She married (1) LAWRENCE WALKER on 26 Jun 1890 in Scotch Quarter, Carrickfergus. He was born about 1862 in Gloucestershire (Professor of Music).
4. ELEANOR ROSINA SPROULL was born on 22 Sep 1867 in Scotch Quarter, Carrickfergus, Antrim, Ireland (M.B. Ch.B. Edin. Univ. Physician). She died in Oct 1958 in Middlesex South, Middlesex, England.
5. JOHN BIRNEY SPROULL was born on 02 Apr 1869 in Carrickfergus, Antrim, Ireland. He died on 31 May 1938 in Scotch Quarter, Carrickfergus. He married SUSIE LITTLE, daughter of Frederick LITTLE, on 31 Aug 1904 in First Presbytarian Church, Belfast, Antrim. She was born on 06 Feb 1878 in Belfast, Antrim. She died on 17 Jul 1957 in Musgrave & Clark Clinic, Belfast, Antrim.
6. CORNELIUS CARLETON SPROULL was born on 25 Apr 1870 in Carrickfergus, Antrim. He died on 05 Oct 1929 in Stirlingshire, Scotland. He married MARY LEES PETTIGREW on 12 Sep 1899 in Sligo, Ireland. She was born about 1870 in Crosshill Glasgow. She died on 05 Jun 1924. 

[1] Surgeon Robert Sproull d. 1747, the Gravestone in the House

[2] Ireland, Indexes to Wills, Probate Administration, Marriage Bonds and Licences, 1591-1866 Ancestry.com

[3]  PRONI Ref T2578/2 The Sproull Family of Dungannon, Belfast and Carrickfergus

The Genealogy of Intelligence in My Line of Sproules

My father, Bob Sproule, was born in 1911, he left school when he was fourteen years old and he went straight to work. Despite this, Bob Sproule of Derry was the brightest, most intelligent person that I have ever met. His greatest joy was to find a new mind puzzle, to crack a maths problem or to solve a complex riddle. Over the years, I often wondered - where did this high intelligence come from?

‘Just’ Farmers?

My father's family had been farmers. My grandfather, also called Robert Sproule, had been born on a farm in Tullymoan, Urney, County Tyrone. As far as I knew, the family were ‘just’ farmers for generations back. (Forgive me, I was a city kid!) 

When I began to research the family history of these Sproules I had many surprises, not least of these was that I was tripping over university degrees in every generation! The farming Sproules of County Tyrone had hidden depths.

The Doctors

In the generation of my great grandfather, James Sproule of Tullymoan, I met the first doctor. James’ older brother, William John Sproule, had attended Glasgow University and graduated with an MD in 1834. William John had a short career as a doctor in the Dispensary of Dunfanaghy, County Donegal. He died in 1839, just five years after graduating.

My great grandfather, James Sproule, was the youngest child of Andrew Sproule of Tullymoan. Andrew had a brother, Samuel Sproule, who was another doctor. Samuel was born in 1774 in Tullymoan, he joined East India Company in 1797 and he went to work as a surgeon in India. Dr Samuel Sproule had a great career, rising to become head of the Medical Board of Bombay.

Another brother of Andrew of Tullymoan was William Sproule. William’s son, Samuel, attended Glasgow University in the same year as his first cousin William John in 1834. Young Samuel must have been even brighter, as he qualified as both a physician and a surgeon!

Andrew of Arnotto Bay Jamaica

Andrew of Tullymoan’s father, Andrew Senior, had a brother Robert. Robert’s son, yet another Andrew, had also attended Glasgow University where he graduated with an MA in 1775. This Andrew Sproule went straight to Jamaica where he made his fortune.

Andrew of Arnotto Bay in Jamaica died there in 1801, a long way from his origins in Urney, County Tyrone. Despite this, he never forgot his roots, and his Will contained a significant donation for the poor of the parish of Urney.

Robert Sproule, the Nabob

We are now back to 1775 with our university graduates, can we go further? Yes, we can! The wife of Andrew Senior of Tullymoan was Martha and she was also a Sproule – Sproules intermarried a lot in those days! Martha Sproule’s brother was Robert Sproule, a famous character known as 'The Nabob'. Robert the Nabob was born in 1746, he qualified as a Surgeon and he went to work in Bombay. I’m cheating a little here, as Robert the Nabob did not actually go to university. At that time, the medical education was one of apprenticeship. Robert the Nabob was apprenticed to another family member, his uncle John Sproull the Apocethary of Strabane, an eminent apocethary and surgeon of his time.

John the Apocethary

John Sproull was born in 1713 and was the son of Thomas Spreull of Golan (1685-1761). He served his time in an apothecary’s shop in Strabane, and following this, he entered the British army as a surgeon. By the 1750s John Sproull was back in Strabane where he became a pillar of the Presbyterian community. He was a member of the “Faculty of Dublin, Physicians, Surgeons and Apothecaries”, and was highly respected in the medical world, writing papers and lecturing in Dublin.

John Sproull is mentioned in a poem on the Irish medical profession by John Gilborne, first published in the Medical Review of 1775 entitled, “A poem, being a Panegyric on the Faculty of Dublin”.

“John Sproull, surgeon of fair town Strabane,

Cautions defends the patient’s back with lawn,

Before he lays his epispastic on,

To keep the blister whole, not let it run.

Cambric or lawn on such occasions wear:

‘Tis better clip your skin than rudely tear:

The force of the cantharides gets through,

And in a gentler manner comes to you.” ¹

This was reprinted in The Dublin Journal of May 1840, long after John Sproull’s death. A distinguished Doctor was using the poem as evidence to support his case in an academic argument where he was disputing the invention of a new practice by a French colleague. He argued that the practice was not new, for Surgeon John Sproull of Strabane had invented it over sixty years previously!

However, in an ironic twist, John Sproull’s medical advice may have contributed to his death. This from the Abercorn Papers of 21st May 1787:

“Yesterday se'night Mr Sproull died; the Thursday before he went to see his fields, and found some boys shooting in his meadow, and trampling it; he was provoked by it, and ran after them, till he put himself in a heat, but did not complain when he came home; in the night he was seized with violent stiches and a difficulty in breathing. He insisted on having a great quantity of blood taken from him, which they think hastened him.”² 

Tullymoan Today

Surgeon John Sproull was five generations of Sproules away from my father, but that natural intelligence had passed safely through the generations to rest with him.

Last summer I had a very special occasion. I met my cousins, the current family of Sproules living on that same Tullymoan farm in County Tyrone. This was the first time I had met them since I was a very young child. They are elderly folk, and although much younger than my father, they are of the same generation and they have been farming there all their lives.

On the Tullymoan home farm, I had the comfort of knowing I was with welcoming family, and the joy of being in that that same twinkly eyed, intelligent company with which I was so familiar.

_____________________________________________________

This article was first printed in North Irish Roots, the Journal of the North of Ireland Family History Society 2013.

References:

¹ Reprinted in the Dublin Journal May 1840

² Letter dated 29 May 1787 from James Hamilton to the Earl of Abercorn, PRONI Reference: D623/A/47/34

Illustration - Essay on Modern Medical Education, No. 5 The Shop From Vol. 1, no. 7: Northern Looking Glass, 3rd September 1825


For More information:

• Robert Sproule and his stories of Tullymoan - Tales of Tullymoan in 1920
• The family tree - more recent , The Tullymoan Sproules and earlier, The Golan Sproules

The Sproull Family History Booklet - the first Writers

It was even more amazing than I remembered!  I saw it again when I finally reached the  Public Record Office of Northern Ireland after a long hiatus. It was my main goal when I got to PRONI, to look at this information on the Dungannon/ Antrim / Carrickfergus Sproules that I had seen on a previous visit. I knew that there was a large family tree, and also some sort of stapled booklet with information. I located both of these when I was there, I photocopied everything and took it home.

The booklet was made up of photocopied pages of handwritten notes. When  I began typing the very first page, I stopped at the second entry, slightly gobsmacked; 

“William their first child was born Sunday 9^th May 1772 about one o’clock.”

How could the writer possibly know the time of the day the first child was born in May of 1772? This information had to have come from a Family Bible, but when was it written?

The writing on this first page is a very old style, with a flowery  ‘g’ and a very distinctive ‘d’. He or she was writing a long time ago, probably in the late 1700s or early 1800s.

The first two pages have this same handwriting, though it is obvious that the entries have been made at different times. On page 3 the writing changes, and a new person is now recording the family details.

“The said William Sproull (husband of Eleanor) died at Belfast on 16^th March 1817 & was interred in the burial ground at the back of the Poor house in the 11^th lot 6^th platform.”

‘The said William Sproull’, is now dead. So I believe he has to be our first writer. ‘The said William’, with the old style writing, was William Sproull, the very first child named on page 1, who had been born ‘Sunday 9^th May 1772 about one o’clock.’  William Sproull was recording his his own birth, the births of his siblings and of his own family.

Our second writer, the new writer tells us later, is the eldest son of William Sproull. He is William Henry Sproull, and he keeps this tradition going, recording the dates and the times of the births of his children.

So this document  had begun with the births of the children in 1772, and the family had kept doing this faithfully right through until 1954! It’s all there, generation after generation.

But the information in this booklet also gives us 2 generations  before 1772.

It was here that I had seen the newspaper cutting that I had written about in another post, it was here in this booklet – with no date or reference on it. A gravestone had been found inside a house in Dungannon, it had recorded the death of Surgeon Robert Spoull, who had died in 1747. His son Robert was also recorded on the stone as having died 23^rd Jan 1778. This was the same family.

So we know that this line of the family was in Dungannon at the time of the death of Robert Sproull, the surgeon, in 1747.

We now have more information on Robert’s son, Robert Sproull, who died in 1778. The first line of booklet tells us that Robert and Mary were married the 7^th June 1771. Their son William Sproull, who writes this first page, also tells us, rather sweetly, that this was ‘a match of their own making’.

I have transcribed the entire booklet, word for word with no notes or coments.  I’ll add the full family tree after this.

The Sproull Family History Booklet, PRONI Reference :          T2578/2

The Family of Charles Sproule and Elizbeth Bird

 I came across this lovely little book again today. It is called 'Sermon from the Grave, a Memoir of Nathaniel Sproule', and it is all about the last years of young Nathaniel. It is written by James Reid Dill, who attended him as his Minister during his illness, and it includes the sermon at the funeral.

Nathaniel was only 31 when he died, and here James Reid Dill gives some of his background:

From 'A Sermon from the Grave' 1862, Published by William Freeman

Nathaniel, born 17 June 1830, was the son of Charles Sproule of Daisy Hill and Elizabeth Bird of Shanmullagh. Charles of Daisy Hill was a Grennan Sproule, his father was Charles Sproule of the Holm, and his mother another Sproule, Jane Sproule of Spamount.

Nathaniel was actually one of 4 brothers, not three as stated in James Reid Dill's outline. He had a 'natural' brother George, mentioned in his father's will. His two brothers Charles and William were both surgeons. 

William Bird Sproule, Nathaniel's brother, was born on 10 Dec 1826, and he joined the navy as an Acting Assistant Surgeon on 5 Aug 1848. However, like his brother Nathaniel, he died young. Only a year later, in 1849, 22 year old William Bird Sproule died in New York.

Brother Charles was another Surgeon, he died unmarried on 15 mar 1870.

James Reid Dill was connected to this Sproule family in that he was married to Sara Scott of Ballyare, who was the widow of Andrew Sproule of Fairy Hill. Andrew of Fairy Hill and Charles of Daisy Hill were brothers.

Note: For some obscure reason which totally baffles me, folk on Ancestry have William Sproule son of Charles of Daisy Hill, as a carpenter in America with a large family. None of this family was ever a carpenter!

A Sermon From the Grave, a Memoir of Nathaniel Sproule by James Read Dill, published 1862 by William Freeman  can be viewed here A Sermon from the Grave

Navy Record William Bird Sproule

Birth of William Bird Sproule - Births recorded  in Kilskeery C. of I. 1767-1872    

Headstone of this Family 

ELIZABETH BURD | the beloved wife of CHARLES SPROULL | ... who

died ... April 1868 (?) | aged 68 years | In memory of her son | WILLIAM
BURD SPROULL Surgeon (?) | who died in New York the year 18... aged 23
years | In memory of her son NATHANIEL SPROULL | Who died May 1862 (?) |
Aged 32 years | In memory of her Son CHARLES SPROULL | Surgeon ... who
died ... | Aged ... years

Headstones, TYRONE, Dromore Presbyterian Graveyard Graveyard, Dromore, Co. Tyrone, N. Ireland

Robert Sproule becomes - the Nabob

Robert Sproule had returned after 17 years in India and had married Jane, his cousin, in Strabane in 1785. He was far from being a ‘Nabob’ at this time according to his cousin, John Gamble, for he tells us:

“They lived for some time on their meagre income, but fate stepped in again.” p557 Society and Manners

Gamble has the couple living somwhere in the Strabane area on ‘their meagre income’ until at least 1791, when Robert received  the first of two large, and very unexpected, sums of money.  This first one came from the East India Company;

“He received with compound interest a large sum which he had lent the India Company several years before, and which, from the confusion of their affairs, he had in a measure despaired of ever getting.”  John Gamble P.557 Society and Manners

This large sum of money had arrived from the East India company sometime around 1791, according to Gamble. But it is here that we must digress for a short time only from John Gamble’s account of the life of Robert Sproule.

We have very definite evidence that Robert Sproule was not living in Tyrone until 1791, nor was he living in a manner that was in any way 'meagre’. By at least 1787, Robert Sproule Esquire was well established in his large household in Dundalk, a household with at least 11 hearths and, in this Hearth Tax, servants quarters were not counted;

“Received the 20th Day of May 1789 from Robert Sproule Esquire of Dundalk the sum of £1 s.2 for 11 Hearths due to his Majesty the 21st of November 1788 and payable the 21st of January 1789.” Hearth Money receipt No. 325 Parish Dundalk. William Bryden Hearth Collr. Hearth Collector (National Library of Ireland)

Gamble does not mention Dundalk in his account, so how do we know that this gentleman, Robert Sproule of Dundalk, is the man in our story? Well, there are many pieces of evidence such as his name appearing on several deeds,  but the simplest is that Robert actually tells us at the beginning of his Will;

“In the name of God Amen I Robert Sproule formerly of Dundalk in Ireland but now residing at Parker’s Well in the parish of St. Leonards County of Devon in England Esq.”

So Robert Sproule of Dundalk was indeed the Robert Sproule of our story, newly arrived from India. He has good deal of money earlier than Gamble thought, and he is also lending money out to relatives. It is a mystery why they chose Dundalk, County Louth to live in. Perhaps Robert had a friend who lived there, for we know that Robert’s friends are important to him.  

The next sum of money came from none other than his great friend from India, Joseph Alserson. Robert’s old friend Joseph, who he had saved in that outward journey to India, had died in June 1789 in Bombay.  His will was proved in Bombay in 1789 and in London in 1791.

In his will, the Captain left;

“To my worthy and dear friend, Robert Sproull, Esq., late surgeon of Bombay and now residing in Ireland the sum of two thousand pounds sterling.”

Two thousand pounds for Robert, but that wasn’t all. Joseph Alderson had left the bulk of his estate to his ‘adopted son’ also named Joseph Alderson. Joseph says that his son had been born in his house, and that the son's ‘real mother’ was named as Mrs Elizabeth Worth. He also tells us that that Robert Sproull had been his son’s sponsor at his christening. 

The Captain went on to say in his will that should his son Joseph die before the age of 21, then all of the estate of Captain Joseph Alderson was to go to Robert Sproull, surgeon of Strabane. We don’t know exactly what sum of money that Robert finally recieved from his friend, but it would appear that he was now justified in holding the title of ‘the Nabob’ – to the Tyrone people at least!

Robert Sproule the Nabob remained in Dundalk for some time, I don't know how long exactly. The last deed I have with his name as 'Robert Sproule of Dundalk', is dated 1793. 

Their last move was to Devon, to a house called Parker's Well, in the Topsham Rd, Exeter. I had always imagined that they went there because of Joseph Alderson. I thought that the house might have been owned by Joseph and that this was part of the legacy. But the house was not in Joseph's Will, and I have found absolutely no connection between Joseph and Devon at all. Joseph Alderson was from London, he died in Bombay, and there is no indication that he ever returned to England. 

The family moved to Parker's Well for some other reason, one that I am still chasing down. It may have something to do with the local 'gentry', a family called Bowring or Baring (as in Barings Bank!).

The house was described in a guide written in 1806 as;

" a neat and gentle villa, built on a gentle eminence…it is called Parker’s Well from a noted spring that issues under the bank" (The History and Description of the City of Exeter, 1806, Alexander Jenkins)

And there is a footnote to this page;

The family had lived there with their only child, daughter Rebecca Jane, who had been born in 1790 in Dundalk, Ireland. They were members of the small St Leonard's Church, which was just at the end of their road.

From Exeter Memories

However, Robert Sproule the Nabob did not live very much longer. Gamble tells us;

“Conversing cheerfully with his family, he suddenly fell down, and almost immediately expired. He had long dreaded this event, and was frequently heard to say that he was convinced his liver was almost entirely consumed within him.”

Robert died on Monday 2nd February 1807. His obituary in the newspaper read:

"To those who knew him any panergyric would be useless; he died lamented, for he lived beloved." Trewman’s Exeter Flying Post 5 February 1807

He must be buried in the graveyard of the old St Leonard's Church. This is knocked down and replaced with a new church 1836. This was a long time after the death of Robert Sproule the Nabob, and yet still the plaque that had been above the altar, was again given pride of place over the new altar of St Leonard's Church, Exeter.

• Society and Manners in Early Nineteenth-Century Ireland, by John Gamble — edited and introduced by Breandán Mac Suibhne, published by Field Day 2011

• Will of Joseph Alderson, Captain in the Honorable Company's Marine of Bombay in the East Indies and Commander of the Drake Cruizer of Bombay, PROB 11/1205/281, The National Archives, Kew

• The Will of Robert Sproule, St Leonard's Devon, The National Archives, PROB 11/1456/235

Other posts in this series:

1. The Nabob

2. The Story of Robert Sproule the Nabob 1

3. Robert Sproule the Nabob and The Horse 

The Story of Robert Sproule the Nabob 1

There are three of us bringing you the story of Robert Sproule the Nabob who died in Exeter, England in 1807, aged 61 years.

Firstly, we have John Gamble, a cousin of his and a contemporary, who had many discussions with him on his past history. 

John Gamble wrote down the whole fascinating  story of Robert Sproule and his work as a surgeon in Bombay and he recorded this in his book ‘Society and Manners in Early Nineteenth Century Ireland’ written in 1818. 

A modern historian, Breandán Mac Suibhne, is our second story-teller. Breandán  republished this Gamble book in 2011 and he added his own amazing research, filling a multitude of details of the background. 

I, Kate Tammemagi, am the third person on this story and I bring the family history of this Sproule family. For I too am closely related to Robert the Nabob, as his sister Martha Sproule is my 3^rd great grandmother. (A Sproule-Sproule marriage). 

Gamble begins the story in about 1766 with the young Robert Sproule working as an apprentice to his uncle, the eminent John Sproull the Apocethary, in his shop in Strabane. In those days medics could train at university, and they were then referred to as ‘doctors’.  The other route was the apprenticeship route, and the student then became a ‘surgeon’.

An apothecary and his apprentice working in the laboratory.
 Engraving by J.G. Murray, after W.H. Hunt, 1842

The young apprentice Robert became enamoured of one of John Sproull the Apocethary’s three daughters, not with the youngest, Gamble tells us, as is customary in story books, but with the oldest of them, Miss Jane Sproule;

“The attachment was a mutual one, and when he was leaving home to seek elsewhere his fortune, the fond couple betrothed themselves to each other, with many a solemn protestation and vow. A foolish kind of engagement in general it is, but in this instance it proved otherwise, for the lover was constant, and the lady was true. Besides, he had the prospect of a speedy return, for he had got an appointment at Bombay, and India was then an unwrought mine, where gold was to be had almost for the digging.” P.554 Society and Manners

In 1768 Robert Sproule left Strabane and set off to go Bombay. The first stage of this fateful journey was from Newry to Liverpool.

On this first leg, disaster struck and, somewhere off the coast of Cheshire, the ship was wrecked. Our young Robert Sproule survived, but lost all of his clothes. Good friends got him ‘a second outfitting’ and he was able to go on with his journey to Bombay.

Route from London to Bombay

However, the next stage was no better, for the ship to India again was wrecked. There were deaths among both passengers and crew this time, but our resilient Robert  Sproule managed to save not only himself, but several others. Among these was a young man from London, who John Gamble does not name, but Breandán Mac Suibhne discoverd  was  a man called Joseph Alderson. Joseph Alderson was to become a life-long friend.

A West Indiaman - the ships that sailed to India

Another ship picked the survivors up, and they eventually made their way to Bombay. Here Robert Sproule joined the Army as a surgeon, and the young adventurer, Joseph Alderson, went off to seek his fortune.

Over the next few years, Robert was constantly in the field with his Regiment as they waged battles with local leaders throughout India.

"He was present at the taking of many rich places, his share of the spoil of which was considerable”. p.555 Society and Manners

So Robert had a share of  'riches' taken. However, there was more riches to be had that he did not share in. Military in the East India Company raided local places for rich plunder, and all levels made a great deal of money in this way. The term 'Nabob' was a name given to those who became rich in this unsavoury fashion, and was actually a derogatory term. However, Gamble is anxious to stress that Robert did not himself partake of the seizing of these rich goods;

“Immediately on the occupation of some town, he took possession of a pagoda or mosque as an hospital; and barely glancing his eyes round to see that it would answer, he left a few of his followers, and ran out to superintend the bringing in of the sick and wounded. In the interval, it was visited by a party that were more observant, and who rummaged every hole and corner, until they found, under a heap of rubbish, treasure sufficient to have made them all happy, could riches make men so. But they cannot, and least of all, riches got in such a manner.”

Over the years Robert accumulated quite a bit of money, but alas, he didn't manage to hold on to it! John Gamble tells us that part of the story involved Robert Sproule helping out an ‘intimate acquaintace’ by covering his debts with a money lender – to the tune of £11,000! That was an enormous sum of money in those days, and it was almost all of the money that Robert had saved. Even Gamble doesn’t go in to details on how exactly the money was lost, but basically his friend died, and this money was never returned to Robert. 

At this point, Robert Sproule had been in India for 12 years, and was now penniless. He had actually just written to Jane Sproule, his beloved in Strabane, saying that he would return very soon, but now  he felt that he could not do that.

So Robert remained in India, as Gamble puts it;

 "My friend wasted in India a few more of the blissful years of his youth, and irretrievably injured his constitution, not from his own cupidity, but by the advantage taken of his good nature by another."

Society and Manners in Early Nineteenth-Century Ireland, by John Gamble — edited and introduced by Breandán Mac Suibhne, published by Field Day Press 1911

The Golan Sproules

This is the family tree of the Golan Spoules of County Tyrone, Ireland.This tree was originally named 'the Nabob Spoules' by Jack Elder. The tree is now updated, with verified information from Deeds and Wills. I have managed to get further back than Elder, so I have changed the family name to reflect the first Sproules of this line in  County Tyrone, Ireland - the Golan Sproules. For more information on this see The Ancestors of The Nabob – the Golan Sproules.

1.       THOMAS SPREULL OF GOLAN was born about 1680 in Golan, south-east of Castlederg in County Tyrone, the son of Samuel Sproule of Golan. Thomas of Golan first appears on a deed in 1718 witnessing a deed for Cornet Andrew Spreull.  He is called a distiller in some documents and as owner of a bleachgreen in others. Thomas Spreull died in 1761 in Golan and left a will naming  his wife MARY and his three sons, James, Samuel and John the Apocethary. The land in Golan and Drumnabeigh had already passed to Oliver, the son of Thomas'  oldest son Robert. The name is spelt ‘Spreull’ on most of the early documents. It is worth noting that the name is spelt 'Sproull' on most of the documents from the 1800s.

Thomas Sproule of Golan and Mary had the following children:

1.1   ROBERT SPREULL OF GOLAN was born about 1700 in Golan, Ardstraw, Tyrone, Ireland. He died in 1734. He married MARTHA EDWARDS, born about 1707, the daughter of Robert Edwards of Kilcroagh and Martha La Vie  and they had at least two children:

1.1.1  OLIVER SPROULE OF GOLAN was born in 1723 in Ardstraw, Tyrone, Northern Ireland. In a deed dated 1764 Oliver is confirmed as owning all of the land owned by his grandfather, Thomas of Golan. Oliver’s son Andrew Sproule moved to Spamount and he is the father of all the Spamount Sproules.

1.1.1.1  ANDREW SPROULE OF SPAMOUNT was born on 26 Apr 1741 in Golan, Co Tyrone, Northern Ireland.  He married twice, first to REBECCA who was born about 1741 and she died on 06 Jan 1776. He then married ISABELLA on 07 Jan 1781. Isabella was born in 1742 and she died on 17 Jul 1812 in Spamount, Ardstraw, County Tyrone (Aged 70).  Andrew of Spamount died on 21 Feb 1798 in Dublin. 

1.1.1.2    ROBERT SPROULE OF GOLAN was born in 1747.

1.1.1.3    SARAH SPROULE OF SPAMOUNT was born in 1747. She married a man named WETHERALL.

1.1.1.4    JAMES SPROULE was born in 1752.

1.1.1.5    UNKNOWN SPROULE She married HUGH KELSO. He was born in Ardstraw, Tyrone, Ireland. He died in 1797 in Ardstraw, Tyrone, Ireland.

1.1.2  MARTHA SPROULE OF GOLAN was born about 1730 in Golan. She married JOHN "JACK ROE" SPROULE of Curraghamulkin, son of  of Joseph Sproule and grandson of Cornet Andrew Spreull.

1.1.2.1    JOSEPH SPROULE OF CLOVER HILL, Kirlish, County Tyrone was born about 1750 and he married REBECCA PORTER, born in 1756 in Strabane, County Tyrone, Ireland. Joseph was the father of the Kirlish Sproules. His wife Rebecca died in Kirlish 1850 in, County Tryone, Ireland (Aged 94).

1.1.2.2    MARTHA SPROULE OF CURRAGHAMULKIN was born about 15 May 1766. She married George Sproule, son of Charles Sproule of Upper Grennan and Ann Wallace, on 28 Jan 1787. George was born on 17 Nov 1755. They moved to Crillan, County Fermanagh, and they are the ancestors of this line of the family. George  died on 03 May 1838 in Crillan and Martha Sproule died on 22 Apr 1844 in Crillan.

1.1.2.3    ANNE SPROULE OF CURRAGHAMULKIN was born in 1771 and she married three husbands. First she married LEONARD INCH in 1792. He was born in 1770 and died in 1798 in Ederney Bridge, Fermanagh, Irleland. (Buried at Drumquin). She next married WILLIAM JOHNSTON in 1800 and he died in 1801. Anne married JOHN HOLMES on 15 Oct 1802 in St. Marys Church, Ardess, Magheraculmoney. Both John Holmes and his wife Anne Sproule died in 1813.

1.1.2.4    ELIZABETH "BETTY" SPROULE OF CURRAGHAMULKIN was born in 1775 and she married her first cousin, NEHEMIAH EDWARDS of Kilcroagh House, Castlederg, Co. Tyrone who was born in 1761.  Nehemiah died on 05 Apr 1846 in Kilcroagh House (Aged 85). Betty Sproule died on 24 Nov 1859 in Kilcroagh House, Castlederg, Co. Tyrone  aged 84.

1.1.2.5    ROBERT SPROULE OF CURRAGHAMULKIN  married PEGGY WALLACE

1.1.2.6    THOMAS SPROULE OF CURRAGHMULKIN married MARY MCCOLGAN.

1.1.2.7    CAPTAIN EDWARD SPROULE OF GLENVALE DROMORE married ANN HARPER OF AGHADULLA.

1.1.2.8    HENRY SPROULE OF CURRAGHAMULKIN.

1.1.2.9    JOHN SPROULE OF ADVARNEY WEST died between 1851-1855 in Ormstown, Quebec, Canada. He married   a woman called Ann.

1.1.2.10 ANDREW SPROULE OF CURRAGHAMULKIN owned the lands of Curraghmulkin, Screen and Cooel. He died in 1799 and his wife’s name was Ann.  His son Andrew Sproule bought the Magheracrigan land and he became Andrew of Magheracrigan that is on the Elder Tree.

1.2   JAMES SPROULE OF NEWTONSTEWART was born in Golan. I know very little of James as yet. He is mentioned in leases of 1733, also in the Will of Thomas of Golan of 1761, and later when the inherritance was divided up between the three brothers Samuel, John and James. He had a son Edward who is mentioned in a 1733 deed, and is later identified in a deed as having died in America. 

1.3   JOHN SPROULE THE APOTHECARY was born on 11 Oct 1713 in Golan, Ardstraw, County Tyrone. He studied as an Apocethary in Strabane and then went into the Army. He came back to Strabane to his own Apocethary practice. He also was a Provost in Strabane. He died on 21 May 1787. He married REBECCA CUNNINGHAM. She was born on 21 Mar 1720 and died on 06 Nov 1772 in Strabane.

1.3.1   JOHN  SPROULE was born on 09 Jul 1747. He was also a doctor and went to live in Beresford Street, and then Marlborough Street in Dublin where he died in Nov 1814. He married ELIZABETH BOSQUET in 1773 who came from Enniskillen.

1.3.2    JANE SPROULE was born in 1748. She died on 22 Jul 1828 in Castletown, Tyrone (Aged 80). She married her first cousin Robert Sproule the Nabob, son of Samuel Sproule of Coolnacruniagh on 27 Sep 1785.  They had one child, Rebecca Jane born on the 16 December 1790  in India, who died in 1810 in Exeter, England.

1.3.3    MARY SPROULE was born on 16 Oct 1749. Mary did not marry. She lived in Exeter with her sister Jane and Robert the Nabob  when they came home from India.

1.3.4    REBECCA SPROULE was born in 1750 in Strabane, Tyrone, Ireland. She married John Barclay, son of Robert Barclay of Strabane, on 18 Jan 1774. He was born about 1750 in Strabane, Tyrone.

1.3.5    JAMES SPROULE MD was doctor in Omagh. He was born on 28 Aug 1754 in Strabane and he died in 1791. His wife was Ann and she died on 15 Mar 1858 in Omagh (Aged 76).  Based on information on deeds, I believe that they had no children.

1.3.6    CATHERINE SPROULE was born in 1756 in Strabane, Tyrone, Ireland. She married Frederick Porter of Strabane on 16 May 1785. He was born about 1750 .

1.4   SAMUEL SPROULE OF COOLNACRUNIAGH was born about 1711 in Golan, south-east of Castlederg, County Tyrone. He died about 1779 in Coolnacrunaght.

1.4.1   THOMAS SPROULE OF BRIDGEHILL was born about 1730 in Coolnacrunaght, he lived in the nearby Bridgehill farm.

1.4.1.1. SARAH SPROULE (SALLY) was born about 1762 in Bridgehill, Ardstraw, Tyrone. She lived at Bridgehill in her later years.

1.4.1.2.  SAMUEL SPROULE OF BRIDGEHILL was born in 1759 in Bridgehill, Ardstraw, Tyrone and he married FRANCIS LEITCH (Fanny). They  raised 9 children at Bridgehill . Samuel of Bridgehill died on 05 Nov 1845.

1.4.1.3.  JAMES SPROULE OF INCHANEY was born in Bridgehill. He married Sarah in 1800 (From 1802 Robert of Ohio Letter). They had 11 children including Robert Sproule who built the Kildevin House in County Meath. Sarah died on 08 Feb 1840. James of Inchaney died in 1827 in Inchaney, Tyrone, Ireland.

1.4.1.4.  FRANCIS SPROULE was born in 1755 in Bridgehill, Ardstraw, Tyrone.. She married  a man named JAMES HAYS. He was born in 1746 in Tyrone and he had a child called Isabella by his first marriage. They emigrated to America, to  South Carolina.  Here James Hays  died in 1799 in Newberry, South Carolina, USA leaving Francis Sproule with three children, Isabella, James Jn and Sara Hays. Isabella Hays married Robert Sproule, brother of her step-mother Francis. Francis Sproule died in 1811 in Union Township, Ohio, USA.

1.4.1.5.  ROBERT SPROULE OF OHIO was born on 13 Feb 1775 in Bridgehill, Tyrone, Ireland. He married Isabella Hays, daughter of James Hays, on 04 Apr 1801 in Newberry County, South Carolina. Isabella Hays was born on 25 Nov 1782 in Tyrone, Ireland. Robert and Isabella had 12 children and I believe they have the most descendants of all of the Sproules. Isabella died on 02 Apr 1868 in Miami County, Ohio (Age: 76). Robert of Ohio died on 14 Jun 1858 in Elizabeth, Miami, Ohio, United States (Age at Death: 83).

1.4.1.6.  ANN (NANCY)  KERR was born about 1760 in Bridgehill, County Tyrone. She married  JAMES KERR who was born about 1755 in Tyrone. They went to live in Pitsburg, Pennsylvania where he died on 14 Jul 1845 (Age: 90). Nancy Sproule died in May 1850 in Pitsburg.

1.4.2     ROBERT SPROULE THE NABOB was born in 1746 in Coolnacrunaght, Ardstraw, Tyrone, Ireland. He married his first cousin Jane Sproule, daughter of his uncle John Sproule the Apothecary  on 27 Sep 1785.  Robert was a surgeon in India and he came back in 1785 to marry Jane. They then travelled back to India. Eventually they retired to a mansion in Exeter in England, but Robert the Nabob died shortly afterwards in 1807. They had one daughter, Rebecca Jane, who was born in India. Rebecca died in 1810 in Exeter. Jane Sproule sold up and came back to Ireland where she lived in Castletown, County Tyrone. She died there on 22 Jul 1828, aged 80.

1.4.3   ELIZABETH SPROULE was born in Coolnacrunaght, Ardstraw, Tyrone, Ireland. She married a  MISTER RANKIN.

1.4.4     MARTHA SPROULE OF COOLNACRUNIAGH was born about 1750 in Coolnacrunaght, Ardstraw, Tyrone, Ireland. She married ANDREW SPROULE OF TULLYMOAN, son of William Sproule. He was born about 1740 in Tullymoan, Urney, County Tyrone. Martha died in 1820 in Tullymoan, Urney, County Tyrone, Ireland. They had five sons.

1.4.4.1.  ROBERT SPROULE OF STRABANE was born about 1773 in Tullymoan, Urney, County Tyrone. He died in Jun 1834 in Strabane. He married ANN LECKY who was born in Altamullen, Tyrone, Ireland. They had two children, Robert of Jamaica and Mulvin, and Matila who married William Gwynne of Strabane.

1.4.4.2.  SAMUEL SPROULE MD was born in 1774 in Tullymoan, Tyrone, Northern Ireland. He was a surgeon in the East India Company and was based in Bombay, India. He married Eliza Walker, daughter of William Walker, on 10 Nov 1818 in Bowland (Samuel 42 , Eliza 22).  Eliza  was born in 1796 and she died on 06 Nov 1827 in Cheltenham.  (Aged 31). Samuel died on 30 May 1829 in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, United Kingdom (Aged 53). They had one daughter Ann Jane Sproule who married Sir John Rivett-Carnac.

1.4.4.3.  WILLIAM SPROULE was born about 1785 in Tullymoan, Urney, County Tyrone, Ireland. He died about 1827 in Glentimon,  County Tyrone. He married  ANN KNOX who was born in Glentimon, Tyrone, Ireland. She died on 12 Jun 1847 in Glentimon, Tyrone. They had one son Samuel Sproule who became a surgeon in the East India Company. Samuel married his first cousin Margaret Madden Sproule, daughter of James Sproule of Mellmount..

1.4.4.4.  ANDREW SPROULE OF TULLYMOAN was born about 1770 in Tullymoan, Urney, County Tyrone, Ireland. He died after 1840. He married  REBECCA MACKEY who was born in 1774 in Lismontigley, Raphoe, Donegal. She died on 01 Feb 1858 in Tullymoan, Urney, County Tyrone, Ireland (Aged 84).  Andrew and Rebecca had eight children.

1.4.4.5.  JAMES SPROULE OF MELLMOUNT was born in Tullymoan, Urney, County Tyrone, Ireland.  He lived most of his adult live as a planter in Jamaica. He met his lady,  CHARLOTTE E TAYLOR, daughter of Simon Taylor, in Jamaica and they had nine children. Charlotte was born in 1795 in Jamaica and she died on 17 Apr 1849 in their home in Mellmount, Strabane, Tyrone. James died on 01 Aug 1840 in a shipwreck in Jamaica.

1.4.5   ANNE SPROULE was born about 1740  and she married Oliver Lecky of Melmount, Strabane, County Tyrone  who was born about 1740.

1.4.5.1  ISABELLA LECKY was born in Mellmount, Strabane, Co Tyrone. She died in Apr 1837 in Sandy Mills, Donegal, Ireland. She married James Mathewson, son of James Mathewson of Ardstraw and Martha Sproule Curraghamulkin, about 1799. He was born in 1770 in Kirlish, Drumquin, County Tryone, Ireland. He died on 08 Oct 1836 in Donegal.

1.4.5.2  OLIVER LECKY was born about 1771 in Mellmount, Strabane, Co Tyrone. He died on 06 Feb 1840. He married  REBECCA PORTER.

1.4.5.3    NANCY LECKY was born in Mellmount, Strabane, Co Tyrone. She died in 1856. She married a man called KILPATRICK.

1.4.5.4    JANE LECKY was born in Mellmount, Strabane, Co Tyrone. She married  RICHARD HENDERSON. He was born in Laught, Donegal. He died on 22 Apr 1835.

1.4.6    REBECCA SPROULE  was born in 1745. She married  ROBERT SPROULE OF UPPER GRENNAN. He was born about 1735 in Grennan, Dromore, Tyrone. Rebecca died there in 1815.  

1.4.6.1    ROBERT SPROULE OF UPPER GRENNAN was born in Grennan, Dromore, Tyrone, Ireland (Died unmarried).

1.4.6.2    JOHN SPROULE OF UPPER GRENNAN was born in Grennan, Dromore, Tyrone, Ireland (Died unmarried).

1.4.6.3    SAMUEL SPROULE was born in Grennan, Dromore, Tyrone, Ireland.

1.4.6.4    CHARLES SPROULE OF UPPER GRENNAN was born in Grennan, Dromore, Tyrone, Ireland (Died unmarried).

1.4.6.5   JENNIE SPROULE OF UPPER GRENNAN was born in Grennan, Dromore, Tyrone, Ireland. She married  WALLACE BRATTON.

1.4.7    JANE SPROULE was born in Coolnacrunaght, Ardstraw, Tyrone, Ireland. She married a MR LECKY.

1.4.8     MARY SPROULE was born in Coolnacrunaght, Ardstraw, Tyrone, Ireland. She married a  MR JOHNSTON.

1.5   REBECCA SPROULE was born in Golan, Ardstraw, Tyrone, Ireland. She married  ROBERT PORTER the postman of Strabane who died in 1772. Their daughter Rebecca (1756-1850) married Joseph Sproule of Clover Hill.

1.6   DAUGHTER SPROULE  married WILLIAM JOHNSTON OF COOLNACRUNIAGH. This Sproule daughter must have died young as her two sons were in the care of their Grandfather Thomas Spreull of Golan – this is mentioned in the 1733 deed. The sons were named as Arthur Johnston and James Johnston

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