The Clondermot Sproules – the Irish Families and Godfrey Spruill

The first Clondermot family that were identified within the Sproule DNA Project are the descendants of John Sproul and Sarah Orr, who lived in the early 1800s in West Brook, Nova Scotia.

Their descendants who joined the Sproule DNA Project are very important to the whole project, and we will be forever grateful. What they gave us was the two essential elements to be able to identify a single Sproule line.  The first key element is the Y-DNA from a male member of a Sproule family who are prepared to invest in further testing so that we can achieve more refined results.

The second thing we need is that we have a validated family tree, one that takes us from the Project Member to a definite, identifiable ancestor. In this case, our Clondermot family had a validated tree from our Project Member to John Sproul of Nova Scotia,  born in 1771 in Londonderry. He and his wife Sarah Orr, arrived in Nova Scotia in 1814 settling first at Cross Roads and later at West Brook Hill. Their family tree is full of the names Samuel and John, suggesting that the origin is likely to be those of the Primity Sproules.

The Y-DNA results confirmed firstly that this family were definitely not Cowden Sproules, they were not the same family as the Donegal / Tyrone Sproules. The next level of testing gave us a definite mutation that this Clondermot family uniquely possesses.  We had the Clondermot Mutation, and we now had a tool to identify other Clondermot Sproules.

With our new-found knowledge, we have been able to identify another family, the Carnatreantagh Sproules. This family lived in Treantagh or Carnatreantagh in Conwall, County Donegal, and also in the adjacent townland of Dromore. The dominant names in this family are Hugh and John.

What struck me first about this Carnatreantagh Sproules was that they lived quite far away from the usual Sproule areas, and they were definitely there since the late 1700s, if not before. I felt that they actually have been from any Sproule family and I had loads of ideas, but I never would have guessed that they were Clondermot Sproules. Only the DNA was able to tell us that!

The earliest Carnatreantagh we know of there is Hugh Sproule, named in the Flaxgrowers list for Conwall in 1796 – this must be Hugh in Dromore / Treantagh. So this family came from Clondermont in the mid to late 1700s.

The Evish Sproules have not been tested to the same level, but the pattern is almost identical to the Carnatreantagh families – they are certainly Clondermot Sproules. The earliest certain ancestor there is George Sproule of Evish who died on 4 Jun 1880 at age 68. There was a George there in the Tithe Applotment, a likely father of this George.  

This mutation has been named Clondermot for the area where the family was first seen in Ireland, but of course this Sproule family came from Scotland. We don't know where at the moment, but another Sproule family who also carry this mutation, might one day lead us to the answer.

This other family is not an Irish Sproule family, but they carry our Clondermot Mutation. The father of this family is a man called Godfrey Spruill, who went straight from Scotland to Virginia in America, in the mid to late 1600s. That tells us that our Irish families got this mutation in Scotland, prior to their arrival in Ireland.

The US family is quite well known in Sproule circles, largely because they have been so well researched, and also because there are so many descendants. The first record of Dr Godfrey Spruill  is in October 1684, when he got a patent for 348 acres in James City County. On 1 August 1689, Godfrey Spruill and two others were called to give testimony about the winner of a horse race at Malvern Hills in Henrico County, Virginia.  The record of that event says that Godfrey was about 39 years old. So Godfrey Spruill was born in 1645.  Around the turn of the century, probably in 1703, Dr. Godfrey Spruill moved to Scuppernong, on the south side of Albemarle Sound, at what is now Tyrrell County, North Carolina. He died there on 15 Aug 1718. The predominant names in his descendants are John, Joseph and Samuel.

So we know that Dr Godfrey Spruill was born somewhere in Scotland in about 1645, and he was born with our Clondermot Mutation. It is said that he came from Stirlingshire, in Scotland, but there is no record of this as yet, as far as I know. This is important because there is a good chance that a record will someday be found of Godfrey Spruill in Scotland, and, when it does, the origins of our Clondermot Sproules can also be discovered.

References:

• Thanks to Cathy Sproule for information on the family of John Sproule and Sarah Orr. Thanks to Lynda Chicorli for the Carnatreantagh and Dromore family information. Thanks to Lynn Strand and Doreen McGerrigle for the Evish family.
• Thanks to Dr Jeffrey Owens, history professor at Tyler Junior College for information on Dr Godfrey Spruill,  and also to James Richard Sproule, in his book Eight Centuries of the Spreull and Sproule families.

The Clondermot Sproules – The Records

The Tyrone / Donegal Sproules have had a great deal of attention over the generations, and for a long time it was believed that they were the first Sproules in Ireland. But even a quick look at the Hearth Money Rolls in 1665 would cast doubt on that. At this early stage there are already more Sproule families in Antrim and Clondermot than there are in Tyrone and Donegal.

But in terms of definite proof, we have a lovely document dated 1622 given to me by Dr William Raulston. 1622 was the year that James Spreull the Elder of Cowden was selling his land in Renfrewshire, and while he was doing that, here in Ireland we find that a Robert Sproule and his son Robert Sproule Jun. are already established in the area in north of Tyrone. They were listed in a Survey of the Plantation which took place in the Manor of Dunnalong, very close to Upper Tully, where we see our Clondermot Sproules in the Hearth Money Rolls.

The 1622 Survey of the Plantation, Return for the Manor of Dunnalong, prepared by the Agent of the Earl of Abercorn. 

Gabriel Spruel can be seen there in the Hearth Money Rolls of 1665 and he is in Upper Tully. There also are three Sproule households in Gortin with Thomas Spruel, John Spruel and the Widow Spruel.

 The Evish Sproules, living now near Stabane, had a tradition in their family that they had moved to Evish from a place called Gortin. It was only with the benefit of Y-DNA that the family found out that they were Clondermot Sproules, and that their Gortin had to be this one, near the River Foyle.

By 1740 the Sproules have expanded into Primity, which is right where New Buildings is now. We have two families there, that of Jacob Sproule and of Samuel Sproule.

There is a record from 1690 in Londonderry Cathedral of a Jacobus Sprewell, according to Fred Sproule, and this Jacobus is involved in reorganising the Clondermot Parish. It looks like that Jacob could well be from this Primity family.

In the Flax Growers Bounty List of 1796 we have three Sproules, although this does not give the townland win which they lived:

• David Sproul Clondermot Derry
• Esther Sprowle Clondermot Derry
• John Sprowle Clondermot Derry

Flax Growers List 1796 Derry from Bill Macafee

The name David has now arrived in Clondermot, and it becomes a regular name in this Sproule line, as does the name Samuel.

By the time of the Tithe Applotment in 1834, the Sproules are now gone completely from both Gortin and Upper Tully, and they are only to be found in Primity. 

In Griffiths Valuation in the mid 1850s there are three Sproules named in Primity, but only two holdings, the last of the Sproules in Clondermot.

So we can see that the names Samuel and David are still there in Primity. However, both these gentlemen were soon to be gone also, as we can see from the Londonderry Sentinal entries for their deaths:

So the Clondermot Sproules had moved. Thanks to the Sproule Project DNA we have located some of them, and we will name those in the next post. 

But for now a final entry from a newspaper. We began with the 1622 document of the two Robert Sproules, father and son, in the Bready area. I’ll finish with a… well how can I say it, a more problematic piece of evidence from the same area, but two hundred years later. 

References:

• 1622 Survey of the Plantation - Thanks to Dr William Roulston, Research Director, Ulster Historical Foundation for the 1622 return prepared for the Manor of Dunnalong by the agent of the Earl of Abercorn, the original of which is in the Huntington and Peterborough Record Office.
• Most of the details here are taken from the excellent work of Bill Macafee, and his site is http://www.billmacafee.com.

The Clondermot Sproules – New Threads

 It was at a Sproule Gathering organised by Joe Sprowl of the Sproule DNA Project, and held in Castlederg a few years ago, that I first met an Evish Sproule. He was a lovely gentleman, we’ll him call Jim, and he had details of his family going back to the early 1800s . During the chat he told me that the family tradition was that the Evish Sproules had originally come from Gortin. Evish is near Strabane, and I was thrilled, thinking it was Gortin in Termonamongan. Jim himself thought it was Gortin in Plumbridge.

The DNA sample that Jim gave that day proved us both wrong. It was a very different Gortin altogether, a Gortin that was not even in Tyrone. It was Gortin in Clondermot, the heartland of the early Sproules in this part of the world. The Evish family may have left Clondermot any time in the 1600s or 1700s, but they had kept the knowledge of Gortin in their lore.

Clondermot Sproules

Now we have another Clondermot thread, the Carnatreantagh Sproules of Donegal. They too are Clondermot Sproules that have been identified by Y-DNA, thanks again to our DNA Sproule Project Member.

They join the gentleman who surely must be the one who gave his name to the townland of Clady Sproul, Gabriel Sproule. We first see a Gabriel Sproul in Clady Sproul in 1747 in a deed where he sold half his land.  A Gabriel Sproule died there in Clady Sproule in 1761. Another Gabriel was named in the Flaxgrowers and Spinning wheel lists of 1796. Gabriel is not a name of the Donegal/Tyrone Sproules. Gabriel is a Clondermot name. (Clady Sproul is also called Liscreevaghan)

One of the traditions of the Tyrone / Donegal Sproules is that one of the sons of Robert Sproule of Lisleen went to live in Brockagh, in Donegal. Brockagh is in an area called Glenfin, a wild, hilly part of Donegal.

Jack Elder drew a tree of ‘The Broomfield Sproules’, with an Andrew Sproule on it marrying a Jane Sproule of Tullymoan. Elder did not state where these 'Broomfield Sproules' came from, but he definitely knew who they were.  Tullymoan is my own family, and from a letter that mentions the marriage of Andrew Sproule and Jane Sproule in 1827, we learn that that Andrew Sproule of Broomfield was a Glenfin Sproule.

Letter dated 28 Mar 1827 from Samuel Sproule of Bridgehill to his uncle, Robert Sproule of Ohio

If Elder is correct, we have the names of the Glenfin Sproules two generations before that, and they are David, Gabriel and Robert. Robert is a common Sproule name. But Gabriel and David are definitely not. The only Gabriels we have in the 1700s is in Clady Sproul, Glenfin – and in Clondermot. The only David we have is in Glenfin – and in Clondermot. 

The early Clondermot Sproules have very distinctive names, and thankfully, very distinctive Y-DNA. It tells us that they are not the same family as the Cowden Sproules, our Tyrone / Donegal Sproules, and that they carry a very distinctive mutation. We know that they also originated in Scotland, but as yet we know not where.

Their early history in Ireland is nonetheless interesting.

 

References:

• Gabriel Sproule of Liscreevaghan selling half of his farm to James Pollock of Stonypath 21 Jul 1747, 152 301 101836 Registry of Deeds Familysearch.org
• Will of Gabriel Sproul 1761 in Ireland, Diocesan and Prerogative Wills & Administrations Indexes, 1595-1858 Familysearch.org
•  Spinning Wheel Bounty 1796 Ardstraw

 

1806 Deed Joseph Sproule Sen selling Altamullan Northside to Joseph Sproule Jun of Clarehall

 582 557 396019 Registry of Deeds, Familysearch 1 Aug 1806 Joseph Sproule Senior of Altamullan gent selling Altamullan northside to Joseph Jun of Clarehall transcribed by Kate Tammemagi

A memorial of an indented deed bearing the date 1 Aug 1806 made between Joseph Sproule sen of Altamullan in the County of Tyrone on the one part gent and Joseph Sproule jun of Clarehall in the County of Tyrone on the other part after reciting as therin is recited the said Joseph Sproule sen in consideration of £1300 did grant bargan sell, release and confirm unto the said Joseph Sproule Jun. that half of the half town of Altamullan known and distinguished by the name northside of the said lands the same as had been laid out and divided and allotted to James Sproule by deed of partition and by him consigned to said Joseph Sproule Sen situated in the Manor of Hastings barony of Omagh County of Tyrone to hold by the said Joseph Sproule jun his heirs and assigns forever.

Witnessed by Edward O’Neill Ardbarron

Robert Sproule of Annaghalough (East Longfield)

Gilly Mathewson of Clare

Robert Sproule of Annaghalough registered the deed

• Joseph Sproule Sen of Altamullan was Joseph Sproule the Younger of Clare in the 1870 Deed. He purchased the land from James Sproule of Newtonstewart. Joseph of Altamullan was raised in Clare, near where James Sproule of Newtonstewart was in Golan Sproul. They were obviously friends. Joseph Sproule of Altamullan witnessed deeds of James of Newtonstewart, including the marriage of his daughter Margaret to James Huey of Ardarver in 1782.
• Joseph Sproule Sen of Altamullan is the son of Joseph Sproule of Curraghamulkin, 5th son of Cornet Andrew Spreull.
•   Joseph Sproule Jun of  Clarehall is Joseph Sproule of Clover Hill, son of John 'Jack Roe' of Curraghamulkin
• Robert Sproule of Annaghlough is the son of the man Elder called Robert Sproule of Laganbury, I think this is Leganvy
• Gilly Mathewson of Clare lived in Clare Hall, he was the son of James Mathewson and Martha Sproule of Curraghamulkin

Marriage of John Sproule son of Joseph of Clover Hill and Rebecca Beatty

This is the marriage settlement of John Sproule, son of Joseph of Clover Hill, and Rebecca Beatty, daughter of William Beatty of Trillick,  7 Feb 1820

750 266 512210 Registry of Deeds, Familysearch.org, transcribed by Kate Tammemagi

A memorial of an indented deed bearing the date 7 Feb 1820 and made  between Joseph Sproule of Clover Hill in the Co of Tyrone and John Sproule, second son of the said Joseph Sproule of the first part, William Beatty of Trillick in the said County and Rebecca Beatty, only daughter of the said William Beatty of the second part, and George Thompson of Cork Hill and Edward Sproule of Carrickamulkin both of the said Co of the 3^rd part. Reciting that a marriage was intended to be had between the said John Sproule and the said Rebecca Beatty and that the said Joseph Sproule stood seized of certain proportion of the lands of Altamullan situated in the Manor of Hastings and county of Tyrone for three lives renewable forever under Hugh Edwards, late of Castlegore esq. deed at the yearly rent of £11 he the said Joseph Sproule in consideration of £500 sterling to be received by the said John Sproule as a marriage portion with the said Rebecca Beatty did grant bargain sell assign and transfer unto the said George Thompson and Edward Sproule and their heirs the said Lands of Altamullan with the appurtances during the continuance of the said term for lives renewable to and for the several uses therein mentioned yet nevertheless to permit and suffer the said R. Beatty and her assigns during the term of her natural life in case she survived the said John Sproule her intended husband without leaving any issue on jointure of £50 stg to be paid in two equal half yearly payments out of the said lands of Altamullan on every 1^st day of May and 1^st day of Nov the first of said payments to be made on which ever of said days that should next happen after the decease of the said John Sproule but in case the said Rebecca Beatty should survive the said John Sproule having one or more child or children she and her assigns should receive no more than £40 stg yearly during her life to be paid on the day mentioned and in case of non payment of the said jointure of £50 or £40 as the case may be to distrain for the same as in such leases usual but if there should be issue two or more sons who should survive said John Sproule the said lands should go to and be enjoyed by any one of such sons that the said John Sproule by any deed in writing or by his last will duly executed in the presence of three or more credible witnesses should limit and appoint subject to £200 stg for the use of the other issue but if there should be no male issue at the decease of the said John Sproule and that there should be two or more daughters the said John Sproule should have power by deed or will executed as aforesaid to divide the said lands in such shares as he should thereby limit and appoint and if there should be one child the said lands should be enjoyed by such only child and which said deed is witnessed by by David Cowen of Trillick, and Robert Sproule of Kirlish and the memorial is witnessed by George Thompson and George Hamilton of Trillick.

 

Carrickamulkin is the old word for Curraghamulkin

Joseph Sproule of Clover Hill is the son of John ‘Jack Roe’ of Curragamulkin

Robert Sproule of Kirlish is the son of Joseph Sproule of Clover Hill

Edward of Carrickamulkin is Edward, brother of Joseph Sproule of Clover Hill, who later became Edward Sproule of Glenvale