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The Chittick Family History
as written by Erminda (Chittick) Rentoul
1890 The Lodge, Cliftonville, Belfast. Ireland


Chapter Three | The Squires of Essex


The Squires of Essex
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Alexander Squire, son of Alderman William Squire; (whom Squire was son of George Squire and nephew of Henry Le Squire of Belfast, for whom see Young’s “Town Book of Belfast.) his marriage settlement with Lillias Colquhoun is dated the 8th of September 1715, by which the half of the Manorcunningham estate is conveyed to him. He was elected High Sheriff of Londonderry in 1709, again High Sheriff, 1713; elected Mayor, 1718; again elected Mayor, 1721; and died intestate, 1725.

Only one child survived infancy, James, who married Catherine Chittick, daughter of Henry Chittick, of Muckross, by his wife, Jane Johnstone.

James Squire, (1779. February 4th. Buried, James Squire, Esqre., Rosculbin.) of Rosculbin, County Fermanagh; will proved, 1779; and was succeeded by his only surviving son, William. His daughter, Isabella, married her cousin-German, Hugh Chittick, of Kesh.

William Squire married Anne, daughter of Captain James Austin, designated in her marriage settlement, dated 11th February, 1796, as of Sharon Rectory, County Donegal, where she resided with her uncle and guardian, John Waller, D.D., Senior Fellow of Trinity College, Dublin, and Rector of Raymochey.

The Rev. Dr. Waller was granted by King George III a dispensation to marry, without forfeiting his fellowship or other College emoluments, which dispensation is at present in the possession of William Gervaise Chittick.

"I hereby certify that the above is a true copy of the entry made of the Burial of James Squire, Esq., Rosculbin, in the Register of the Parish of Magheraculmoney for the year 1779 (nine). A. Williamson.

Rector of Magheraculmoney, Dio. of Clogher. Ardess, Kesh, Co. Fermanagh, 20th March, 1871."

“1802 – June 25th. Buried, Catherine Squire (76) at Crevenish, Rosculbin.”

“I hereby certify that the above is a true copy of the entry made of the Burial of Catherine Squire, of Rosculbin, in the Register of the Parish of Magheraculmoney of the year 1802 (two)

He died at Sharon Rectory 1799, and is buried in the Episcopal graveyard, Manorcunningham, with his wife. The inscription on her tombstone tells the simple but affecting story of her untimely end
In Memory of Sara Susanna Waller,

Wife of John Waller, D.D., Rector of this Parish
She met with an undesigned and undeserved death
on the 2nd of March, 1797,
from the hands of certain lawless rioters
who at the time disturbed the peace of this county,
and who assaulted a magistrate who was then
a guest in the hose of Sharon.
She lived innocent and died lamented.

Extracted from the registers of Trinity College, Dublin:-

John Waller entered Trinity College 25th June, 1756.
Junior Fellow, 1768; Senior Fellow, 1786.
Rector of Raymochey, 1791.

James Squire by his will appointed his agent, the then Principal of the Royal School of Raphoe, joint trustee and executor of his will with his widow.

Soon after James Squire's death, this man suggested to Mrs. Squire that it would be desirable to sell a portion of the Donegal estate, for the purpose of raising money for the education of the minors, and other family uses, and obtained Mrs. Squire's consent, after which (authorised by her) he sold Balleighan to the Hon. Robert Stewart, transfer dated 27tb June, 1787.

On receiving the purchase money, and collecting, by various stratagems, from the tenants, large sums of money as bonuses for long leases granted by him at nominal rents, and other privileges unfortunately in his power, as agent, trustee, and joint executor, he fled from the country, and found shelter in the robbers' stronghold, the Isle of Man.

These heavy losses caused the sons-in-law of James Squire to institute Chancery suits for the recovery of their wives' fortunes; and by orders from the Court of Exchequer, the lands of Upper, Lower, and Middle Drains were sold to the Hon. Robert Stewart on the 28th of June, 1804.

On 7th of July, 1805, a portion of the lands of Manorcunningbam was sold to James Sanderson, Of Clover Hill, County Cavan, On same day and year, by an order as above, the lands of Errity were sold to William Irwin, of the city of Dublin.

These purchasers considered the signature of the agent necessary to make their transfers perfect, and in every case obtained it, witnessed by parties in the Isle of Man.

These losses sadly affected the fortunes of Mrs. Squire's orphans, especially as Lillias Colquboun (Tames Squire's mother), joined by her second husband, Henry Caddow, of Dublin, and her nephew, James Irvine, of Manorcunningham, had sold her portion of Manorhassett, County Fermanagh, to George Vaughan, of Buncranagh, transfer dated 5th of March, 1740.

Penuel Colquhoun, the younger daughter of Captain James Colquhoun, married Dr. James Irvine, who was Physician to the Pretender at Rome, and died there, leaving an only son, James Irvine, who died (unmarried) at Manorcunningham in 1756, and bequeathed his estate there to his cousin-German, the above-named James Squire.

James Irvine was interred in the Glengarnock vault, inside the Abbey of Balleighan, the entrance to which is closed by a flat stone, on which are cut the Glengarnock arms, with many quarterings, and an inscription in raised letters round the outer edge of the stone, now illegible. Since that time the vault has not been opened, later interments being in the vault of the private burial ground of Crevenish Castle, County Fermanagh, and in the graveyard of the Episcopal Church, Manorcunningham.

William Squire died intestate in 1806, leaving four children, of whom two survived infancy; the minors, by petition of their mother, were entered Wards of Chancery.

William Squire, the only surviving son of William Squire and Anne Austin, married his cousin-German, Harriet Chittick, daughter of Hugh Chittick, of Kesh. He died intestate 30th November, 1877, and left an only son, Archer Alfred Squire. The only surviving daughter of William Squire by Anne Austin married her cousin-German James (who died intestate, 28th April, 1877), son of Hugh Chittick, of Kesh, by Isabella Squire, and had by him-

1. Squire Leslie Hassett.
2. William Gervaise.
3. James Johnstone Forster.
I. Erminda (our Author) married Rev. Alexander Rentoul, D.D., M.D., of Manorcunningham, County Donegal, the head of the RENTOUL Family in Ireland. The eldest son of this marriage is Dr. James Alexander Rentoul. M.P., Of 10A, Great Queen Street, Westminster, I, Pump Court, Temple, and Carlton Club, London. He is a Doctor of Laws of the Royal University of Ireland; Barrister-at-Law of the Inner Temple; Member of the London County Council; and represents East Down in Parliament.

2. Harriet Adela.
By the marriage settlement between William Squire and Anne Austin, the Manorcunningha Estate went in equal shares to their issue. The lands of Plea Isle, Maheramore, White Hill, Maherabeg, and Manorcunningham were sold, by order of the Encumbered Estates Court, on the 31st Of May, 1854, and bought by Mr. Robert Campbell.

William Gervaise Chittick now resides at East Orange, New Jersey, America.

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