 |
The Chittick Family History
as written by Erminda (Chittick) Rentoul
1890 The Lodge, Cliftonville, Belfast. Ireland
Chapter One | The Chideock Name
New (non-book)
update: From The Dorset County, England Web Site
Chideock. This unique name is
one of the oldest in the county. It is one of that particularly
interesting group which go back to the British (Celtic) language,
among them names like Crichel,Winfrith, Lytchett and Pentridge.
Although its first record is in the Domesday Book of 1086
as Cidihoc, the name probably belongs to the earliest phase
of the Saxon occupation of Dorset in the 7th century, when
the English-speaking conquerors came into contact with the
native Britons.
Chideock comes from the British word ced 'wood' but with the
addition of a suffix -iog which gave the meaning 'wooded (place)'.
The same word ced is found in no less than three other Dorset
names, all of which belong to this ancient Celtic stratum:
Lytchett ('grey wood'), East and West Orchard ('place beside
the wood') near Sturminster Newton, and Chetterwood ('wood
ford or stream') near Witchampton.
Another reminder of this Celtic presence among Dorset's place-names
is the fact that Chideock has its own doublet in Quethiock
in Cornwall: here the same Celtic word for 'wooded place'
has simply assumed a different form and spelling in the old
Cornish dialect. As for the river-name Chid at Chideock, this
is simply a so-called 'back-formation' from the name of the
village.
Hutchin, in his History of Dorset, says Chideock gave name and
habitation to the ancient family of Chideock, of Knight's degree.
In “Domesday Book” Chideock is included in the survey
of some other neighbouring places, all belonging to the King,
in 1344. In this year John Mandeville sold the manor to John
Gervaise. Sir John Gervaise took the name of Chideock, and married
Isabella, daughter of Robert Fitzpain, a Baron, and died 1366.
He served as Sheriff of Somersetshire and Dorset, 1312-1313.
Their son, Sir John Chideock, died in 1388. His wife was the
daughter of Sir John St. Leo, Knight. Their son, Sir John Chideock,
died in 1426. His wife was Elenor, daughter and sole heiress
of Ivo Fitzwarrane, the lineal descendant of William, Earl of
Warrane in Normandy. Earl William, Governer of Lewes, married
the Princess Gundreda, fifth daughter of William the Conqueror.
Metcalf's Book of Knights, Knights Banneret, Knights of the
Bath, and Knights Bachelors made between the years 1426 and
1660- “After the battle of Vernaill, in Perche, the Duke
of Bedford came over into England, and on Whit Sunday this same
year, anno 4 Henry VI., at Laycaster, he dubbed King Henry Knight,
and forthwith the said King Henry VI. dubbed all those Knights
whose names follow." Twenty-fourth in the list stands John
Chideock. Knights of the Bath made at Westminster, anno 1475-In
this list, the first name is Prince Edward; and the eighth name,
the son and heir of Lord Audley; between this date and 1586
seven members of the Audley family were created Knights and
Knights Banneret from 1603 to 1623. Six members of the Mervyn
family were dubbed Knights.
 |
| The Chideock Line |
| |
In the Scrope and Grosvenor Roll (edited by Sir Harris Nicolas)
is the record of that celebrated case, in the reign of Richard
II, between Richard Lord Scrope of Bolton and Sir Robert Grosvenor,
ancestor of the present Duke of Westminster, for the right to
bear the shield, " Azure a bend or." Among the deponents
on either side were most of the heroes and statesmen of the
age. And amongst the noble and knightly deponents who gave evidence
in the following year (1386) were the following centenarians:--Sir
John Sully, K.G., by his own account then 105 years old, supposed
to have died in his 108th year; Sir John Chideock, ancestor
of the noble families of Arundel of Wardour, and Stourton of
Stourton. Sir John deposed that he was over 100 years old, and
that he neither felt his vigour of body or mind impaired, and
that his father had lived over 100 years. *
*Here is proof of transmission of qualities of both
body and mind. There is no record or tradition of failure
of mental power in any of the Chideocks of Muckress, Co. Fermanagh.
John died in 1801, at over 100 years of age, and was in full
Possession of his faculties until his death, as was his son
Hugh, who attained 98 years, and his daughter Anne, aged 92.
James Chittick, of Manor Cunningham, died in his 82nd year,
while his wife Anne (who descends from the Chideocks through
the marriage of James Squire, of Rosculbin, and Catherine
Chideock), is still alive, and now 86 years old, while her
mind is as clear and vigorous as it ever was.
Read more about Chideock, England:
From Chideock, England to Fermangh Co., Ireland
The immigrant Thomas Chideock was the descendant of the second
son of Sir John Chideock and Elinor Fitzwarrane. The Chitticks
trace their descent from five of the Ulster Planters-George
Tuchet, 11th Baron
Audley, 1st Earl of Castlehaven; Sir
John Hume, Sir
John Colquhoun, Sir James Cunningham, and Thomas
Blennerhassett, brother of Sir Edward, who was also an Ulster
Planter, and son of William Blennerbassett, of Hassett House,
Horseford, Norfolk, whose will was proved at Norwich, 22nd December,
1598.
Sir William Betham, in his list of English Families Settled
in Ireland, gives CHIDEOCK-,Arms: gules, an escutcheon, and
orle of martlets argent.- and in his manuscript in the library
of Thirlstane House, Cheltenham, in Catalogue, No. 13,293, while
describing their seat, their liberal habits, &c., states
that the immigrant, Thomas Chideock came to Ireland in the reign
of King James the First of England, and had married a sister
of the King in the Isle of Man.
In various registered documents we find nine corruptions of
the name in Ireland-Chideock, seemed impossible of pronunciation
to the Irish; and the Chideocks seem to have used various methods
of spelling their name, so as to come near the pronunciation
which the people around them used, thus-Chittag, Chitaage, Chitrick
were successively used, until in the beginning of the eighteenth
century they began to write the name Chittick, to which spelling
they were perhaps led by the fact that a family settled near
them at that time called Chittock, and the people of the district
began to pronounce the two names nearly alike.
This spelling of Chittick conveyed the pronunciation which the
inhabitants of Fermanagh gave to the name; and Henry Chideock
signs his name Chittick, which is the first time we find this
spelling used by the family.
His father's name was John, and his mother was Elizabeth
Robertson, a descendant of the great house of Strowan, alike
immortalised by the historian and the novelist. ( Waverley.
)
Henry Chideock married Jane Johnstone (descended
from the ancient and noble house of Annandale), daughter
of the Rev. Hugh Johnstone, Rector of Templecarne, whose will
is dated 9th May 1619. Her brother, Francis Johnstone, succeeded
to Magheramena on his uncle's death in 1728, and was High Sheriff
of Fermanagh in 1732. Henry Chideock sold four townlands to
his brother-in-law, Francis Johnstone (transfer dated 17th February
1735). His will is dated 3rd March 1739. In his will he directs
the Muckross Estate, in the Barony of Lurg, County Fermanagh,
to be sold by his executors; transfer to George Vaughan, of
Buncranagh, dated 21st March 1744. After the sale of the estate,
only one son of Henry (who accepted the misnomer of Chittick),
and his wife Jane Johnstone, remained in County Fermanagh. This
son was named John, and married Mary Forster, daughter of John
Forster, of Carnemakaskar, Enniskillen.
In King James’s bill of attainder appear the names of
John and James Forster, gentlemen, Enniskillen. James Forster
bad one son, John Forster, cousin-German of Mary Forster, wife
of John Chittick.
---- Extracted from the registers of Trinity College, Dublin
"John Forster, entered Trinity College on 26th of February,
1724. Son of James Forster, gentleman; aged 18 years. Born at
Enniskillen."
John Forster, Junior Fellow, 1734.
Senior Fellow, 1743
Rector of Tollyichmish, County Donegal, 1750
Rector of Drumragh and Killyleagh, 1757
Died 28th September 1788. Buried at Donnybrook."
Copied from the Gentleman's Magazine, of London, 1788 part
2, page 933
“Died in Ireland, John Forster, D.D., one of the richest
private clergymen of that kingdom, having died possessed of
personal property to the amount of near L30,000. Of this he
has left, L10,000 to grandchildren of an uncle of his. By
his death two livings in the presentation of Trinity College,
Dublin, are vacated, viz., Omagh and Killyleagh, the former
worth; L750, and the latter L350, a year. These were united
in his person."
Hugh Chittick, of Kesh, and his only sister, Anne Chittick,
were the grandchildren of his Uncle John, referred to in his
will.
John Chittick had by Mary Forster one son and one daughter.
His will was proved 16th May 1801. His son Hugh married his
cousin-german, Isabella
Squire, daughter of James Squire, of Rosculbin, County
Fermanagh, and Manorcunningham, County Donegal, and was by
her father of a son, James, and a daughter, Harriet. James
married his cousin-german, Anne, daughter of William Squire,
only surviving son of James Squire and his wife, Catherine
Chittick. Harriet Chittick married William Squire, son of
the above-named William, and his wife, Anne Austin, and had
an only son, Alfred Archer Squire, alive in 1890.
Anne Chittick, daughter of John Chittick and Mary Forster,
married James Frith, of Derryinch, Co. Fermanagh. Said James
Frith had two brothers, Arthur and William, colonels in the
British army. James Frith died in 1820, aged 53 years. His
wife, Anne Chittick, died March 1852, aged 92 years.
They had issue two sons. The eldest died unmarried.
Their second son, John Chittick Frith, married Mary, daughter
of Christopher Betty, 1820, and died 1821, having an only
child, Jane E. Frith, who is sole representative of Anne Chittick
by James Frith.
Jane E. Frith married Albert Smith, Cronspark, Devonport.
Issue:
1.Walter Stuart Smith, Lieutenant R.N., lost R.N., the wreck
of H.M.S. Eurydice, 24th March, 1878, aged 22.
2.Ernest Frederic Smith, surgeon in the Medical Staff, married
Lucy Jessie Warren, second daughter of Edward Warren, J.P.
and D.L., of Lodge Park, Freshford, Co. Kilkenny, Ireland,
and is now at Bellary, in the Madras Presidency.
3. Mary Charlotte Smith married Henry Cripps Lawrence of
12 Sussex Gardens, Hyde Park, only son of the late General
Henry Lawrence of the Indian army, and Honoria, his wife.
4. Amy Agnese Smith married Harry Triscott Brooking, Lieutenant
and Adjutant 21st Madras Infantry, only son of the late Arthur
Yelverton Brooking, Lieutenant and Adjutant 35th Madras Infantry,
who was killed in India.
Chapters: < previous
| index | next
>
|
|
