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| McQuaid | |
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The name
originally in Gaelic is found as Mac Uaid (son of Watt), and was that of
a sept of County Monaghan centered around Ballyglassloch. While
the origins of the family name are obscure, it is known that they were
associated with the Church at Donagh. The surname Wade is also
associated with McQuaid which is sometimes spelt as McQuade. The
unusual name of MacAragh which was taken from Wade and McQuaide can be
found only in Irvinestown County, Fermanagh. I have traced our ancestry back five generations to Thomas McQuaid and Rachael Cole. Thomas McQuaid was born in Antrim County, Northern Ireland in 1803. His wife Rachael Cole was born in 1797. Thomas and Rachael emigrated from Antrim Ireland to Upper Canada sometime before 1823 when their first son Edward Thomas was born. They settled in Sophiasburg, Prince Edward County,Ontario. Thomas died in 1872, and his wife Rachael died in 1882. It is believed that their gravesites are in Bloomfield Ontario. |
| Barnes | |
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Spelling
variations of the family surname include Barnes; barns; Barnis; Bernys;
Bernes; Berner and others.
First found in
Cambridgeshire where they were seated from very early times and were
granted lands by Duke William of Normandy, their liege Lord, for their
distinguished assistance at the Battle of Hastings in 1066 AD. I have traced our ancestry back four generations to Hurcules George Barnes and Eliza Jaye of Whitechapel, London England. As well, I have identified earlier generations of the Barnes family dating back to 1210, but so far, I have not been successful in verifying the birth parents of Hurcules George Barnes. |
| Beaton | |
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There are
many variations of the Beaton family name (Beeton; Beatoun; Betoun; as
well as Bethune). There is also a Highland derivation as an
anglicised from the the Gaelic "Macbheatha" which means
"son of life". The family were renowned physicians in
the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries.
According to tradition, Macbheatha came to Scotland from Ireland in the thirteenth century as a part of the retinue of Margaret, wife of Angus the Lord of the Isles. Macbeths or Beatons were found as physicians throughout the Western Isles. Their influence and skills were lost in the upheaval brought to the Highlands and Islands in the wake of the overthrow of the Stuart monarchy in 1688. The first Bethunes are believed to
have arrived in England with William the Conqueror in 1066. The
Bethunes accompanied Richard the Lion Hearted, King of England on his
crusade to the Holy Land and it is said that one of the Bethunes was
held prisoner along with King Richard when he was held for ransom by the
Duke of Austria. Sir Robert Bethune rendered homage to King Edward I of England in the Ragman Roll of 1296. The dialogue on the Ragman Roll states that the seal of Robert de Bethune was "a fesse and on a chief a file of three pendants". This seal is very similar to the coat of arms used in more modern times. The Bethunes despite having adopted the political expedient of appearing supportive to the English cause, soon became faithful to Robert the Bruce of Scotland. Alexander de Bethune was knighted by the king for his bravery in battle. He was killed at the Battle of Dupplin in August 1332. Robert de Bethune married the heiress of Sir John Balfour of that ilk, and their son succeeded to the extensive Balfour estates, thereafter being designated Bethune of Balfour. Sir David Bethune, second son of Sir John Bethune of Balfour acquired the lands of Creich in Fife during the reign of King James IV. He had been a boyhood friend of the king, and remained a court favorite. The king appointed Sir David Bethune Lord High Treasurer of Scotland. Sir David Bethune's daughter Janet was to become the wife of James Hamilton, Earl of Arran and a nephew of King James III. Their son rose to become Regent of the Kingdom, and Duke of Chatelherault in France. From the family of Bethune of Balfour, many individuals famous in Scottish history were to descend, including James Bethune, Archbishop of St Andrews, and Chancellor of Scotland, and also his even more illustrious nephew, Cardinal Beaton. David Beaton (also known as Betoun and Bethune), was the last Cardinal and Primate of Scotland before the reformation. He was born at Balfour in 1494 and studied at the University of St Andrews, and later in Paris. While in Paris, he became an expert in Canon and Civil law. He entered the priesthood, and in 1523 when his uncle became Archbishop of St Andrews, he was appointed Abbot of Arbroath. Being a man of considerable influence, he received the red hat of a Cardinal of the Holy Roman Church in 1538. Cardinal Beaton was determined to stamp out the growing threat of Protestantism that was spreading throughout the country, so he embarked upon a campaign of persecution. Protestant heretics were condemned to death, including the celebrated George Wishart, a renowned preacher of his time. The martyrdom of George Wishart was to prove a fatal mistake for Cardinal Beaton. On May 29, 1545 William Kirkcaldy of Grange, James Melville of Raith and several others seized the Cardinal in his bedroom at St Andrew's Castle. The killed him, and hung his mutilated body from the castle battlements. Robert Bethune, a younger son of the Laird of Creich accompanied the young Mary Queen of Scots to France upon her marriage to the heir of the French throne. When Mary Queen of Scots returned to Scotland in 1561, she appointed Robert Bethune as Master of the Royal household and keeper of the Royal palace at Falkland. Robert Bethunes eldest daughter Mary Beaton has passed into history as one of the famous "four Mary's", Mary Queen of Scot's ladies-in-waiting. The above is just a very brief overview of our Beaton ancestry and I would encourage you to take some time to learn more about this family. who have some very strong alliances by marriage into other notable houses across Europe. |
Here's some historical tid-bits of information that you may find to be interesting. |
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| - The Anglo Saxon Chronicle | |
| - The "Four Mary's" | |
| - James Beaton - Archbishop & Chancellor of Scotland | |
| - David Beaton - Cardinal & Chancellor of Scotland | |
| - James Beaton - Archbishop | |
| - Elizabeth Bethune who had an illicit love affair with King James V of Scotland, that resulted her giving birth to a daughter - Lady Jean Stewart (also known as Jane Stuart) | |
| - Elizabeth Villiers, Countess of Orkney who had a paramour relationship with King William of Orange | |
| Kirvell | |
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The Kirvell
family originated in Ramershoven, Rheinland Prussia.
During the late 1700's, there was considerable unrest amongst the peasants of Prussia. They were protesting the Code of Prussian Law established in 1794. The establishment of this Code of Prussian Law created considerable unrest amongst Prussian peasantry which ultimately resulted in mass demonstrations and demands for abolition of the preferred attention and treatment that the new Code afforded to the upper-class and nobility. In many cases, people were forced to abandon their homes and businesses because of this unrest. Huberti Kirvell and his wife Elisabethae Kuertens along with their three children decided to leave Prussia sometime in 1798 to get away from the situation. They traveled to France where the situation was much the same as it was in Prussia, and thence on to England, settling in Bishopstoke, which was a farming community located in the county of Hampshire in south east England on the outskirts of Eastleigh between Winchester and Southampton. |
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| Sources of information referred to during my research have included various reputable publications such as the Roman Catholic Encyclopedia, Encyclopedia Britannica, and various websites that feature genealogical and medieval history. | |
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