The Family of Robert Sproule of Kirlish and Jane Greer Part 1

 The missing one is the son Robert. The other children of Robert Sproule of Kirlish are well known to those with an interest in this family. The mystery was the son Robert. Who was he? Where was he?

Many of the family of Robert Sproule of Kirlish are named on the family Gravestone which is in the grounds of the old Church at Lysky, in West Longfield. Well, it is actually within the walls of the old church – as is shown below. The Kirlish grave is number 108 below:

The Old Church at Lysky Graveyard
thanks to Sheena McClure

We can see on the gravestone that Robert Sproule of Kirlish died on 1 June 1845 aged 53 years.

Text on the Grave 108
in Lysky Graveyard

His death notice in the Londonderry Sentinel of that week included the information that Robert of Kirlish had many children and I know of at least 10 of them;

“On Sunday, the 1st inst., at Kirlish, Robert Sproule, Esq., aged 58, he has left a wife and large family.” Londonderry Sentinel 14 Jun 1845.

Robert’s mother Rebecca is in this grave too, and we learn from the gravestone that she died on 4 July 1850, at the ripe old age of 94.  

She was Rebecca Porter, daughter of Robert Porter, affluent merchant, postmaster and later Burgess in Strabane.[1][2] He was married to a Sproule, Rebecca, daughter of Thomas Sproule of Golan and two of his children had also married Sproules. So the children of Robert Sproule of Kirlish had Sproules on both sides of their family.  Robert Porter died in 1793 in Strabane, and he left £500 in his will to his daughter Rebecca Sproule, mother of this Robert Sproule of Kirlish. [4]

The land in Kirlish was leased by Joseph Sproule of Clover Hill when his son Robert was just a child. Joseph of Clover Hill, father of Robert of Kirlish, was a Curraghamulkin Sproule.  By the time the Tithe Applotment Tax was recorded in 1826, Robert had 26 acres in Kirlish and Joseph, his father, has 18 acres.

Robert is listed as owner of freehold land in Kirlish in 19 May 1829 to 12 June 1832 in the The Strabane Morning Post. The Freehold land was actually a measure of status at that time, as owning a piece of freehold land entitled you to a vote. Robert was known as  ‘Robert of Clover Hill’ in that list of freeholders.  He is also Robert of Clover Hill in a deed dated 11 Oct 1832. What this indicates is that Robert was not living in a house in Kirlish in this year, probably because his new Kirlish house was being built.

We don’t know when exactly Robert married Jane Greer, his wife who is buried there with him in the Kirlish grave. [6] However, we do know that their eldest son Edward, who died in Australia, was born in about 1816 according to his death record. He died on 15 Jun 1888 in Glenmaggie, Dawson, Victoria and his age is given as 72. So the marriage of his parents must have been about 1814 / 1815 ish.[7]

This is the other the mystery in this family, one I don’t know the answer to. Edward Sproule was the eldest son and heir to the Kirlish lands. Why did he go to live in Australia?  Edward was a farmer like his father.  Why was he not at home taking over the father’s lands?  I would love to know know the answer to this mystery.

I do know that it was John Sproule, younger brother of Edward, who took over the lands of his father. I also know that John travelled to Australia in 1855, a trip that was known to be temporary, he was definitely coming back. This is mentioned in a deed dated 31 Mar 1855 [8]. Is it possible that John went out to accompany his brother Edward on his journey to Australia, and to settle him in?  Or perhaps John travelled to Australia to try to bring Edward back? Hopefully the story of this Edward Sproule will emerge some day.

John Sproule is in this grave in Lysky, he died on 7 June 1919, aged 88. He is the only son of Robert of Kirlish and Jane Greer who is in this grave. With him is his grave is his wife Elizabeth or Bessie Arnold, she was the daughter of the Reverend John Arnold of Omagh. They were married on 21 April 1871, and they had 4 children that I know of.

Three daughters of the Kirlish family,  Marie, Rebecca and Anne Eliza are named on this gravestone in Lysky too. Marie died young at aged 20 in 1852. Rebecca, who died in 1879, and Ann, who died in 1887, were both single ladies living in Kirlish House. A fourth daughter, Jane, also died in Kirlish House on 15 Jun 1889, aged 75:

“Died June 15, at her brother’s residence, Kirlish House, Drumquin, JANE SPROULE, last surviving daughter of the late ROBERT SPROULE.” June 20 1898 Londonderry Journal

There are some grandchildren of Robert and Jane in this grave too, and we will look at them in the next post.

References

[1] Robert Porter as postmaster, London-Derry Journal, 26 March 1773, confirms that Robert Porter was the postmaster of Strabane in the mid-1770s; Porter was also the local agent for theJournal. PRONI D623/A/32/77

 

[2] Robert Porter made Burgess in Strabane in 1781 and confirmed by James, Earl of Abercorn in a letter to James Hamilton dated 4 June 1781, "Robert Porter is an old established trader in Strabane, and has very good pretensions to be the burgess" PRONI Ref; D623/A/24/109

[3]  Robert Porter was being considered as Burgess in Strabane in 1772. In a letter from James Hamilton to the Earl of Abercorn, the agent says, "Robert Porter was not in the former list; he is brother-in-law to Mr John Sproul, he is a considderable dealer. He is a Presbiterian."  17 April 1772 PRONI Ref; D623/A/40/24   

[4] Will of Robert Porter in PRONI Ref; T/564/146 

[5] Tithe Applotment West Longfield PRONI: FIN 5A/204/1 & 2

[6] JJ Elder Page 1 of his Sproule Family trees shows the wife of Robert Sproule of Kirlish as Greer 

[7] Death of Edward Sproule - “Name Edward Sproule Death Age72 Birth Date1816 Death Date Abt 1888 Death PlaceDawson, Victoria Registration Date1888 Registration Place Australia FatherRobert Mother Jane Greer Registration Number6017” Australia Death Index, 1787-1985, Ancestry.com

[8] Deed dated 31 Mar 1855 between Jane Sproule & John Sproule of Kirlish and Henry Echlin. Robert Sproule is standing in and has power of attorney for John Sproule, as John was , “then on his way to Australia”.  1855 11 224 Registry of Deeds, Familysearch.org 

 

 

[1][2]