Fiona FitzSimons of Eneclann in Dublin, Ireland, was commissioned to do this research. Several new pieces of evidence were discovered. Three documented sources of our family were found that were earlier than the petition of 1780, the previously known earliest documentary source. We found Simon Hadley listed on a roll of renters in 1665 in Dublin. We also found that Simon Hadley was made a Freeman of Dublin City in 1668. We further found out that he and his wife Catherine had a son named Solomon baptized at St Michans church in Dublin in 1672. It was further discovered that Simon Hadley made a contribution for the building of the Dublin Quaker meeting house in 1685. So, although we did not find Simon’s ancestors, we did enrich our knowledge of the family while in Ireland in some very meaningful ways.
10 Dec. 1712 – Deed between John Hadley, of Carrilegh in the County of Westmeath, and Terence Geoghegan of the City of Dublin, re: lease of the lands of Mabrist and Grossan in the Barony of Moycashel co. Westmeath for a term of 31 years.
10 June 1746 – Memorial of a Lease whereby Thomas Hadley of Killinboy, co. Westmeath, Gunsmith, demised to Edmond Keegan of Killinboy, … the house wherein the said Edmond Keegan then dwelt.
28 Feb. 1746 – Deed of Indenture whereby Thomas Hadley of Moate in the county of Westmeath, Gunsmith, in consideration of a sum of £40 to him paid, assigned to James Clibborn of Moate aforesaid, all that part of the lands of Killinboy containing 27 acres…
28 Oct. 1755 – Deed whereby Benjamin Hadley, of the Town of Tullamore, King’s Co., Gunsmith, in consideration of the natural love and affection he bore for his daughter Elizabeth Hadley, alias Hamilton, of the town of Tullamore, made over and transferred to her all his plate, pewter, brass and linen goods, and all the debts which any person did owe him, except a sum of £5 to be paid yearly to his son Gilbert Hadley, together with one bed, one chest, six pewter dishes and six plates.
8 Nov. 1861 – Deed whereby Benjamin Hadley of Tullamore, King’s County, Gunsmith demised to Thomas Hadley of Tullamore Gunsmith, and that and those a house in Tullamore and his holding in the lands of Spellingston, King’s Co. To have and to hold the same for the life of the said Thomas Hadley at the annual rent of 6/6d an acre.
The following represent the full reports with source documents referenced, as prepared by Fiona FitzSimons of Eneclann, Dublin, Ireland.
Eneclann Professional Electronic and Research Services for Irish History First Report
Report on Hadley Search
Date: 30 April 1998.
Client: John Hadley.
Search: for the family of Simon Hadley Sr., and his sons Simon Jr. And John.
Status of search: Comprehensive search.
The information that I started out with was the following:
Name: Simon Hadley, Place of birth: possibly Somerset, England.
d.o.b. ca. 1640, d.o.d. 6 June 1711
Came to Ireland: 1665-80 with the English army, or as a planter following the confiscations?
Religion: Quaker (appears to be first of family to join up).
Residence: after 1704, Moate co. West Meath.
Known property: First known documentation is a petition from 1680, ‘The petition and claims of Symon Hadley of Ballynakill in the King’s County, Gentleman’. re: customary use of fishing in Ballyscaddan, formerly held by Edward Vernon, lord of the manor of Clontarf, co. Dublin.
Married: (1) Katherine nee Talbot, d. 20 Apr. 1710
Had issue: (1) Simon jr., who emigrated to the U.S. in 1712.
Appears to have been military man. Simon Sr. apologized to the Quakers for allowing his son ‘too many liberties’. Simon Jr. not mentioned in his father’s will -did he receive his share of the estate when he emigrated?
(2) Elizabeth Hadley Miller
(3) Jane Hadley Kierman
(4) John, remained in Ireland as late as 10 Dec. 1712.
Married: (2) unknown, possibly Elizabeth (possibly Miller, or Kerean/Kern), Simon was disowned for marrying out of the Quakers, and had no issue.
Simon Sr., Simon Jr., and John Hadley were disowned by their meeting several times for participating in military activities.
Additional information on the Hadley family:
1755 Benjamin Hadley of Tullamore, King’s County, made a deed 28 Oct. 1755, for his dau. Elizabeth alias Hamilton, transferring to her all his plate, linen goods etc. Elizabeth ma. Frederick Lord Hamilton, Viscount Boyne 25 Aug. 1737. Among those present were her father Benjamin, her brother Thomas, Lieutenant O’Hara, John Walsh etc. Benjamin Hadley died in 1761 aged 90 (d.o.b. ca. 1671)
Report:
According to the Quaker Records, held in their library in Donnybrook, the Hadleys joined the Moate Meeting in 1696, 14 years before the death of Katherine Hadley in 1710. I couldn’t find a record of Simon Sr. or Jr.’s military activity. However I uncovered information on the ‘disorderly Hadleys’ in the Moate Meeting Minute Book. In 1697 Simon Hadley Jr. married a young woman ‘whom another man had liberty to speak to her before him’. In other words, another Friend had been given permission to speak to her in relation to marriage. Quaker courtship was very formal and failure to follow the strict discipline imposed could result in a condemnation for disorderly behaviour. Also the marriage had been conducted ‘by a priest’, i.e. in a non-Quaker ceremony. Consequently there is no Quaker record of the marriage and we can’t determine Ruth’s maiden name. In fact earlier correspondence with the Quakers re: the Hadley family (copies enclosed), indicate that her maiden name was Ruth Miller, but that at the time of her marriage to Simon Jr., she was already a widow, her former husband’s name was Keron. Unfortunately there is no further evidence in the Quaker records to substantiate these assertions. Simon Hadley the elder was also condemned at this time, for acting ‘contrary to the truth in giving way to his son.’ Unfortunately the Quaker Registers for Ireland between 1697 and 1712 do not record the dates of births of the 6 eldest children of this marriage. This information is available however in the photocopied extracts from Myers book, enclosed. Presumably these records are available in the records of the New Garden Meeting, PA.
In 1704 Simon Hadley Jr. was again condemned by the Moate Meeting who noted ‘there are very bad reports abroad of ill things done by young Simon Hadley.’ Simon’s brother John was similarly condemned by the Meeting in 1706. Unfortunately none of these reports outline the reasons for condemnation. I was able to confirm the death of Katharine Hadley, wife of Simon Sr. on 20 April 1710. She was buried at the Moate granoge (crannog? i.e. an artificial island in a lake) 24 April 1710. <br
> In September 1710 Simon Hadley Sr. was condemned by the Moate Meeting for seeking another wife. No further reasons are given. Possibly his advanced age and the relatively recent death of his wife, may have been regarded as sufficient reason against his remarrying by the Moate elders. Simon Hadley Sr. re-married between September and November 1710, in a non-Quaker ceremony, and was condemned by the Moate Meeting. No records of his wife are available in the Quaker registers. <br
> Significantly Simon Hadley Sr.’s death in 1711 was not recorded in any of the Quaker registers of deaths. I didn’t have enough time to check for the administration of Simon Hadley Sr.’s will, except to look at two printed sources, ‘Index to the prerogative wills of Ireland 1536-1810’, and ‘Index to Will Abstracts in the Genealogical Office’, in An. Hib. 17. There was no record of any Hadly/Hadley wills in either source.
John Hadley, brother of Simon Hadley Jr. remained in Ireland after 1712. He appears to have had two daughters Elizabeth, who married 12 March 1719, Jonathan Hayes of Dublin. Second, Ruth, who married 21 Nov. 1735 John White of Nahadmore co. Westmeath. I requested a copy of all ‘Hadley’ documents from the Genealogical Office (GO MSS 800, no. 3. Copies enclosed). These documents indicated that later generations of Hadleys (the exact relation of all those Hadleys named is unknown), were Gunsmiths. Could this be the ‘military activity’ that landed the Hadleys in hot-water with the pacifist Quakers?
In your original mail you also mentioned one Elizabeth Hadley, who was the Dowager Viscountess Boyne. The GO MSS indicated that Benjamin Hadley (father unknown), was father of Elizabeth. (Might Benjamin have been a son of John Hadley of Ballinakill? Benjamin had 2 children, this Elizabeth, and a son Gilbert). This Elizabeth Hadley had an interesting but difficult life. She married Frederick Hamilton, son and heir of Gustavus Hamilton 2nd son of the 1st Viscount Boyne, hence not directly in line to succeed to the Viscountcy. Frederick inherited his father’s fortune in 1734 and at 19 married Elizabeth in 1737. He did not inherit the Viscountcy until 1747, by which time he had already tried to set aside his first marriage to Elizabeth nee Hadley, and had remarried in 1746. The exact status of the marriage was never determined. I’ve enclosed a relevant extract from Cockayne’s Complete Peerage. Unfortunately I didn’t have time to check for her will proved in 1785.
Sources consulted:
Manuscript material
Repository
National Library of Ireland
- Quaker genealogies & extracts from records, N.L. microfilm
- Genealogical Office Ms (G.O. MS.) 800 no. 3
- Quaker Wills and Inventories, Lib. of Society of Friends, available on N.L. microfilm
- Quaker Library, Swanbrook House, Bloomfield Avenue, Donnybrook, Dublin 4.
- All correspondence re: the Hadly/Hadley family.
- Dublin meeting, Marriages
- Jones Index
- Moate meeting, Deaths
- Marriages
- Moate Meeting – Minute book
Secondary material:
- Biographical notices of the Society of Friends, Leadbetter.
- The Complete Peerage, George Edward Cokayne, vol. II (1912)
- Guide to Irish Quaker Records 1654-1860, IMC, Ed. Goodbody.
- History of the Friends in Ireland, Wright & Petty.
- Immigration of Irish Quakers into Pennsylvania, Myers A.C.
- Index to the prerogative wills of Ireland 1536-1810, ed. Arthur Vicars.
- Index to will abstracts in the Genealogical Office, in An. Hib. 17
- Quakers in Ireland, Grubb, Isabel 1927
- Quaker Records, Dublin, Abstracts of Wills 1704-1785, I.M.C., Ed. Eustace & Goodbody.
- Registry of Deeds, Abstracts of Wills, 1708-45 ed. P.B. Eustace, I.M.C. 1956.
Manuscript sources:
- Genealogical Office Ms (G.O. MS.) 800 no. 3
- Extracts from the Registry of Deeds.
- Quaker genealogies & extracts from records, N.L. microfilm I found no information on the Hadlys/Hadleys here.
- Quaker Wills and Inventories, Lib. of Society of Friends, available on N.L. microfilm Again, no information on the Hadlys/Hadleys.
- Quaker Library, Swanbrook House, Bloomfield Avenue, Donnybrook, Dublin 4.
I used the Jones Index, to trace the monthly meetings which the Hadlys/Hadleys were associated with:
Registry of marriages Dublin Monthly Meeting.
Book Page Name Residence
T 1 212 Hadley John not given
married Where married Date
Margaret [ ] By a priest ca.1699
This John Hadley appears to be the same John Hadley of the deed of 10 Dec. 1712 (see above). He is probably a son of Simon Hadley Sr. His family remained in the Westmeath/Offaly area over the next 70 odd years. The fact that his marriage is said to have been conducted ‘by a priest’ indicates that he married in a ceremony outside of the Quakers ca. 1699.
The most interesting information however is from the Moate Monthly Meeting, Minute Book. I have enclosed photo-copies of the report, but have also typed out the relevant extracts while in the archive.
Moate Men’s Meeting, Minute book 1667-1731. Ref. H7 f. 79v 1697 the 15th of Oct.
‘Whereas it hath been made appear before us that Simon Hadly the younger hath been guilty of letting his mind out in attempting to fulfil his lust with a younger woman to the difference of truth and friends having dealt with him about it so that he hath given a paper of condemnation against his so doing; which paper doth not satisfy us so fully as we could wish it might. But we are willing to wait to see how his life and conversation will answer for his paper. William Louther is to go to Mountmellick to discourse friends of that meeting in relation to Simon Hadley the younger his marriage and to let them know the mind of our meeting.’
Recorded on the facing page, 79
‘Done as was defined’.
1697 the 26th of Nov. f. 80v
Whereas Simon Hadly the elder hath acted contrary to the order of truth by giving way to his son to proceed in relation to marriage with a young woman whom another man had liberty to speak to her before him, and friends having dealt with him at this meeting and hath given him a month till the next men’s meeting to consider what he will give friends to clear truth for his so doing. Isaac Fitton & John Mickell are desired to speak to Simon Hadly the younger and know of him whether he will give friends such satisfaction as will clear truth against his running out to marry with a priest or otherwise friends must write against him.
f. 80r. [facing page] ‘done as defined’. <br
f. 81 r.
Simon Hadly the elder having formerly acted contrary to truth in giving way to his son to proceed with a young woman in relation to marriage when another man had liberty to speak to her before him, hath given a paper of condemnation against his so doing.
1698 f. 82v
‘Friends having received a paper of condemnation from Simon Hadly the younger which is not satisfactory to them, the friends having considered desires for his well fare, have appointed Anthony Robinson, Jacob Fitton and John Wily to go and speak to him once more to see what may be done with him’
1698 8th of April f. 83v
Simon Hadley the younger having been guilty of committing several transgressions greatly to the dishonour of truth and several friends having been very tender in dealing with him from time to time, and the said Simon having not satisfied friends to clear of truth, it is the mind of this meeting that a paper be drawn up against him and his actions. John Wily, John Mickley and William Lawson are to draw up the said paper’
f. 83r ‘Done as desired’.
25 March 1704 f. 121 v
‘Whereas there are very bad reports abroad of ill things done by young Simon Hadly therefore the following friends are desired to discourse with him and see what he can do to clear himself of said reports or whether he be guilty of the same. John Wyly, Thomas Lightfoot, Jacob Fuller.’
f. 122
‘Simon Hadly was spoken to- and he brings new circumstances to clear himself, but still stands in the denial of it.’
5 Sept. 1704 f. 124v
‘The friends appointed by last meeting to read the paper to young Hadly and his father and mother against the said Symon bring an account they have read it to the old people and they seem to be one with friends in it. Jonathan Robinson & John Mickle are desired to read it to young Symon as soon as they can conveniently that it may be in readiness to publish before next meeting.’
1706 f. 137 v
This Meeting having had account heretofore as well as of late that John Hadly in his life and conversation hath not walked answerable to truth – did deal with him about his miscarriages but not satisfactory answer they got, but instead of his condemning his company, keeping with bad people in ale houses and quarrelling did rather justify it and an account being given that he continued in the same practise and he having done some evil thing in Dublin formerly, which under his own hand he did condemn, yet he being accounted among people to be one of us, Therefore Thomas Lightfoot and Jacob Fitton is appointed by this meeting to brew up a paper against his said actions and make a parcel of, that his own condemnation given in Dublin and let people in it know that he is not in fellowship with us…’
f. 138a (loose slip)
Dublin the 24th Sept. 1706
Loving friends Jonathan Robinson & John Mickle
By this you may understand John Hadly and his wife left this [ ] after they had given forth the enclosed so that we had li[ttle or] no proof of him afterwards & at that time you may percei[ve] he stood as to friends we having laid no hold on him a[ ] but waiting to see whether his conversation would answer [ ] writing so conclude with true love to you and friends [ ] Loving friend George Nowle[ ].
1710 [September] f. 152v
Thomas Lightfoot & Joshua Clibborn are appointed to speak to Symon Hadley the elder about his proceedings in seeking a wife so disorderly as we are informed he has done and being an account of what he says to next meeting.
…10 Nov. 1710
At our men’s Meeting at the Moate
The friends appointed above to speak to Symon Hadly the elder about his disorderly proceedings in seeking a wife bring an account they spoke to him accordingly and that he said he knew nothing he had done amiss and that his marriage should not be hastily done, but contrary to his words he was married within a few weeks after by a priest therefore John Mickle is appointed to draw a paper against his disorderly proceedings and bring it here next first day.
f. 153
‘Done’.
The Complete Peerage, G.E.C. vol. II, (London, 1912), p. 267
Frederick Hamilton, Viscount Boyne, son of Hon. Gustavus Hamilton of Redwood, King’s Co. by Dorothea, dau. of Richard Bellew, Baron Bellew. This Gustavus was the 2nd son of the 1st Viscount Boyne [also Gustavus]. Frederick was bap. 9 Nov. 1718 and suc. his father 26 Feb. 1733 [-4]. Took his seat 24 Oct. 1747. He is said to have married, 1stly, privately, 25 Aug. 1737, at Chapelizod, Co. Dublin, when aged 19, Elizabeth, dau. of Benjamin Hadley, a blacksmith of Tullamore, King’s Co. It was sought to set aside this marriage, but its validity was never determined, as the case turned on technical points of pleading. He married, in July 1746, during the lifetime of the aforesaid Elizabeth, Bridget dau. of Lieut. Col. Mooney. The will of ‘Elizabeth Dowager Viscountess Boyne’ [i.e. Eliz. Hadley] was proved 1785. Frederick died s.p. legit. 2 Jan. 1772 at Drumcondra & was bur. in St. Paul’s Church, Dublin.
Eneclann Second Report
13th Oct. 1998
Following on from the first report, I knew that Simon Hadley Sr. was a Blacksmith by trade. I decided to check the Manuscript Roll of the Freemen of the City of Dublin, for the time period 1660-1700, as I knew that Master Craftsmen usually formed the majority of all Freemen in the early modern period. I was lucky to find an entry for Simon Hadley Sr., who was entered in the Freemen’s Rolls in Easter 1668. See Appendix 1.
Simon Hadley Sr. had been admitted under ‘special grace’. In general this indicates that the individual thus admitted had a personal connection with someone of influence. In times of heightened political turmoil, religious refugees from England or the Continent were also admitted as Freemen under special grace. There is no indication as to why or how Simon Hadley Sr. was admitted at this time. I considered the possibility that he might have been admitted as a political/religious refugee in the Post Commonwealth/Restoration period.
After the execution of King Charles I on 30 January 1649, the kingship was abolished and government by a Council of State was set up on 14 February 1649. The Council was dissolved on 20 April 1653 and replaced by another Council of State on 29 April 1653. Oliver Cromwell took the office of Lord Protector on 16 December 1653 and held it till his death on 3 September 1658. His son, Richard Cromwell, succeeded to the same office on the day of his father’s death, and abdicated on 24 May 1659. The Cromwellian regime was a radical Puritan one, and favoured religious tolerance of Protestant sects such as the Quakers. However by 1659 the English Parliament determined to restore the monarchy, and Charles II was proclaimed king by parliament on 5 May 1660. Following the restoration, many radical Protestants emigrated to Ireland, where some were treated as religious and political refugees.
I thought that as a Quaker, Simon Hadley Sr. might fit this profile. However the circumstantial evidence seem to indicate that the Hadley family history might in fact be more complex than this. In the first place, Quakers, as radical Protestants, were unwilling to take the Oath of Supremacy acknowledging the King as head of the established church in Ireland or England. This situation was rectified in 1690, when the rule on oaths was relaxed for Quakers and Hugenot refugees from continental Europe, all of whom were required to only take an Oath of Allegiance to the King.
However prior to 1690, only a tiny number of Quakers were enrolled as Freemen, and then only by an annual ‘fine’ ” which they had to continue to pay until they were prepared to take the oath of supremacy. There is no indication that Simon Hadley Sr. declared himself to be a Quaker when he was enrolled as a Freeman of Dublin in 1668. Moreover the baptismal record that my client John Hadley found for ‘Solomon Hadley, son of Simon Hadley Smith and his wife Catherine (1672), was from St. Michans, an Anglican Church. Hence Simon Hadley Sr. may not have joined the Quakers until after this date. I next determined to further examine the remaining Dublin Assembly Rolls for any further record of Simon Hadley Sr. active in local politics, then to re-examine the earliest Quaker records to try and determine when Simon Hadley may have converted to Quakerism.
As a Freeman with the right to vote in municipal elections, there was a possibility that Simon Hadley might have participated in Dublin politics as an elected official. Or possibly as a Freeman and Master Craftsman, he might have submitted requests or petitions regarding trade regulations, or the conduct of his own trade as a Smith. I checked Gilbert’s, Calendar of Ancient Records of Dublin, Assembly Rolls, for the time period Easter 1668 and Easter 1680. Unfortunately I found no record of Simon Hadley Sr. here. However I came across an interesting city law passed in January 1668 which would have directly affected Simon Hadly’s ability to practice his trade as a Smith in Dublin. The law prohibited any one who was not a Freeman to practice a trade or sell goods in the city of Dublin. This city directive probably explains why Hadley sought admission as a Freeman by Easter 1668. See Appendix 2.
I then returned to the Quaker library to trace the earliest mention that Simon Hadley and his family were part of the Quaker movement in Ireland. (The earliest record I had found in my first report was a retrospective account, given on the death of Catherine Hadley died April 1710, that the Hadley family have joined the Moate Monthly Meeting after they moved from Dublin fourteen or fifteen years earlier, i.e. 1695). 1 examined all the available Dublin sources for any mention of the Hadley family, (for a comprehensive list see my bibliography at the end of the report). However the single most comprehensive source, the ‘Family lists’ for the Dublin Meeting 1669-1774 was not available. I was informed that it has been mis-shelved within the Quaker Library. I returned to the Library a month later and again requested this manuscript source, but was again told that it had been mis-shelved and was not available. I did however find 2 important references to the Hadleys in other sources. In the Dublin Monthly Mens’ Meeting 1684-91, 1 found a record that Simon Hadley Sr. donated the sum of 9 shillings, ‘toward the building [of] the Meetinghouse in Meath Street’ in 1685. This is the earliest Quaker record for any of the Hadley family. See Appendix III .
The second reference to the Hadleys that I found in the Quaker library was a certificate of [self-] disownment made by a John Hadley and his wife Margaret in 1697, on the occasion of their marriage. See Appendix IV.
Although both husband and wife were Quakers, they had been married by an Anglican priest. The marriage (within the established church) was almost certainly to ensure that any children of the union, would be legitimate and enjoy full inheritance rights in civil law. This John Hadley is almost certainly the John Hadley, son of Simon Hadley Sr., whose marriage to a Margaret ____ was afterwards entered in the Dublin Monthly Meeting, Registry of Marriages in 1699.
As you probably remember from my first report, the marriage of Simon Hadley Jr. in 1697 was likewise condemned by the Quakers, as he had ‘cut in’ on another Quaker man who had previously sought the permission of his Meeting to ‘court’ the same woman. Simon Hadley Sr. had even been condemned for allowing the marriage as the Moate Meeting thought he allowed his son ‘too many liberties’. Possibly this explains the severity with which the marriage of John Hadley and Margaret was treated by the Dublin Meeting. The Quaker’s deliberated on the marriage between 1697 and 1699. It was only on this latter date, that John Hadley and his wife were fully re admitted as Quakers, and their marriage entered as part of the Quaker marriage register.
Before I left the Quaker library, I also photocopied the relevant pages of Chalmers Hadley’s ‘History of the Quaker family of Hadley’, for all references to any Hadley documents that survived in 1916. Since 1916, a major archival disaster of 1922 resulted in the destruction of the Irish public record office, hence I realised that many if not all of these documents had probably been destroyed. However I wanted to check with the Genealogical Office if any of the documents referred to had possibly survived, specifically the will of Simon Hadley proved in 1712, and any documentation dealing with the fishery in co. Dublin.
I submitted these specific questions, with all references to the Genealogical Office’s in-house researcher, Mrs. Eilis Ellis. Mrs. Ellis subsequently replied to my queries. She found a reference to the fact that Simon Hadley’s will had been proved in 1712, in the Wills and Administrations Index. However the actual will, along with all other documents relating to the fishery were destroyed in 1922. Hence this particular avenue of research is entirely closed to us.
I also checked the surviving records of the Ulster King of Arms (the precursor of the Chief Herald) in Ireland, for any reference to a Hadley coat of arms, referred to in the Chalmers Hadley book. I found 4 separate Hadley coats of arms described in ‘Grants: (compiled by) Carney & Hawkins, G.O. Mss 62.7 These Arms were for the Hadleys of __ [no provenance given], Cheshire, London and Ireland. They were all essentially the same, a tre-foil design on a simple plaque. In a second source, ‘Carney sketches of Arms’, G.O. Ms. 60 1 found an actual exemplar of the coat of arms of the Irish Hadleys drawn up. I requested and was given permission by Bernard Delaney of the National Library, to scan the relevant page, which I have included in my report.
Enclosed.
Camey, was a former Ulster King of Arms in the late 17th Century.