The Aylmers of Ireland
The Aylmers of Ireland are a prominent enough branch to warrant a book of their own -
which Fenton Aylmer wrote towards the end of his life.
Protestant or Catholic?
Religious identity is, of course, central to questions of Irish identity.
I suspect that the Aylmers were, or became, a largely Protestant family, though principally settled in what is now the Republic.
This is partly only suspicion, principally based on the 'upholders of English authority' tag recorded below.
My Irish correspondent Philip Murray tells me that the first two baronets of Donadea were indeed Catholic,
but the brother of baronet 2 may have transferred to the Protestant side, perhaps to further his military career.
Philip notes that he has seen an inscription inscribed
This built in honour of Saint Brigit by Sir Gearald Aylmer Barronett
and Dame Mary Bellew his wife the year of our Lord God 1683.
St Brigid (as now) was a fifth-century holy woman from Co Kildare, site of Gerald's home (see below).
Not all wealthy
The immigration record pictured right - click to enlarge - of 1848, the height of the potato famine,
tells that not all Irish Aylmers were monied.
It shows a Peter Aylmer (I find this scary) arriving with his family at Boston,
a major gateway to America for the world's huddled masses.
Thanks to Steve Wiezbicki of Colorado USA for tracking this down.
Across Ireland
Steve has also checked the county whereabouts of 68 Irish Aylmer households in the period 1848 to 1864.
Families |
Aylmers |
31 |
Kildare |
10 |
Meath |
5 |
Dublin City |
4 |
Down |
2 each |
Armagh, Kilkenny, Limerick, Tipperary, Wicklow |
1 each |
Antrim, Cork, Dublin county, Galway, Limerick City, Louth, Offaly, Westmeath |
The results leave little doubt about the area of maximum Aylmer infiltration.
The counties with the heaviest concentrations - Kildare, Meath and Dublin (including the city) -
between them accounted for around two-thirds of the total.
These three counties are in the province of Leinster, in the central part of the east of the island.
Balrath, seat of the Barons Aylmer and one of its Baronets (see below),
is a village in County Meath on one of the main roads north from Dublin.
Its 16th century wayside cross bears an inscription of 1727 that states it was 'beautified'
by Andrew Aylmer of Mountaylemer (presumably, the 4th baronet) and 'his' Lady Catherine Aylmer.
Click here
to go to a note on the Aylmers of Kildare on the county website.
They were, it seems, 'upholders of English authority' and one presumes not therefore always popular with the locals.
Donadea, in County Kildare, was the seat of the other baronets; again, more below.
Barons and Baronets
The Aylmer baronage was established by Admiral Matthew Aylmer in 1718.
It is an Irish title, attached to Balrath in County Meath (see above).
The baronage may be Irish but the barons have all been English-born.
The baronage is now in its thirteenth succession, but it's been down a few genealogical byways as you will see.
Balrath is also the seat of one of the Aylmer baronets, a more junior rank than baron, but in the case of the Aylmers,
held for longer than the barony, since 1662 in this case.
The baronets of Donadea, in County Kildare, go back even longer, to 1631.
The first baronet had by then commenced the building of Donadea Castle,
where Aylmers (though not, by then, the baronets) lived until 1935.
The castle is now in the care of Coillte, the Irish equivalent of the Forestry Commission.
The forest park that surrounds the castle includes an Aylmer Walk,
so the heritage is not forgotten; indeed, the current 16th baronet returned there to talk recently.
The coat of arms, right, is from the Donadea baronetage.
Both lines of baronet can show common ancestry from Bartholomew Aylmer, 1452-1501.
I've traced the genealogies of all three titles to the present day:
to see them, go to my Barons and baronets page.
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