Biographie Handfield Sarah
Sarah Handfield 1800 - 1860 married Joseph Robinson ?- 1885 of Granville Place, Dublin in 1835. After their marriage, they rented Bloomfield House and 300 acres near the village of Ballintogher and in the area of Riverstown in south county Sligo.
Children of Sarah Handfield
- 15/01/1836 Mary Dorcas Robinson married Dr. Samuel Torrance Haslett of Derry circa 1861. They had issue. One of their sons Sir William Haslett practised as a doctor in Harley Street, London.
- 31/07/1838 John Carpenter Robinson lived in the Isle of Man. Died unmarried.
- 23/05/1840 William Charles Robinson Drowned/shot in Canada. He was definitely murdered maybe near the Great Lakes. Don’t know when.
- 27/06/1848 – 06/01/1914 Charles Handfield Robinson married Miss Catherine Lloyd of Lisryan House, County Longford. married in Booterstown Church county Dublin.
Charles and Catherine also lived at Bloomfield and had the following children.
1. Jane Sophia Robinson (Jenny) 25/03/1880 – 23/02/1932. Married David Campbell on 07/11/1916. He was a son of Daniel Campbelle and his wife Jessie Hill both of whom came from Lochee,Dundee, Scotland. Daniel was the Forester at Lissadell House, home of the Gore-Booth family. His portrait was painted on the wall of the dining room by Count Markievicz in1908.
David Campbell served in the Black Watch Regiment and served in the Boer War and in India and also in Egypt. He visited Glamais Castle on many occasions as he was friendly with his commanding officer who was Patrick Bowes Lyon, a brother of the late Queen Mother of England, and he became her drill sergeant on her engagement to the duke of York. Davod gave u[ his army career and returned to Ballyglass farm, Lurganboy, Manorhamilton to nurse his elderly parents. Jenny was his second wife. He became a widower after a year's marriage to a Miss Armstrong. He was considered to be a very good shot and was much in demand at shooting parties at places like Percival's and also at Classiebawn Castle, Earl Mountbatten's wife's home.
Children of Jane Sophia Robinson
1. Jessie Sophia Campbell 05/01/1918 -22/01/2008
2. Elizabeth Georgina (Dolly) 24/02/1921 -23/11/2000
2.Sarah Handfield Robinson (unmarried) but had at least one possibly 2 children She was born on 26/04/1881 and died 01/01/1953. She was considered to be an ugly baby. She lived at Annandale, Cetherham, Surrey,England. She worked for Mr. Royce of the motor company Rolls Royce.
3. Mary Lloyd Robinson (Molly) born 18/08/1882, died 06/02/1944 in Castlefinn, County Donegal where she had married on 13/10/1908 Mr. Samuel Taylor, Mill owner of Millburn. Castlefinn. County Donegal. She had five daughters all of whom married and had issue. This line continues locally principally in a family named Porter who are mainly involved in dairy farming.
4. Joseph Handfield Robinson, unmarried. Born 04/06/1885 - ? Joseph was 29 when his father died. He discovered that any family money had been invested in unprofitable Irish ventures and the family were almost bankrupt. During the civil war, the I.R.A. took over Bloomfield and for at least six months imprisoned Joseph and his elderly mother in separate rooms at night promising to shoot them on the following morning. Bloomfield had a ballroom and on Sunday nights the occupiers used to hold raucous dances. Catherine was a very pious lady who believed in keeping the Sabbath and these dances affected her greatly. In winter weather to protect themselves from the cold, the occupiers burned antique furniture in the fireplaces to keep themselves warm and almost everything of value was looted from the house.
They were eventually set free. Catherine went to live with her daughter Molly in Castlefinn, county Donegal and Joseph was placed in Sligo Mental Hospital where I have been told he died 15 years later probably in early middle age. In her later years, Catherine suffered from arthritis and ended her years in a wheel-chair. Bloomfield was taken over by the Irish Land Commission and the family were given worthless war bonds in payment. The land was divided out and the house and farm buildings were demolished and that was the end of Bloomfield.
Over the years I believed that all this happened to the Robinsons because they were bad landlords. However, we once in the seventies had a visit from the Librarian of Sligo library who was researching the family and he said that on the contrary they were very good landlords but Bloomfield was in a remote area and also the family were easy targets.
5. Kathleen Maud Victoria Robinson 07/11/1887 – 11/02/1962. Married 15 th October 1919 to Mr. Hamilton of Bawn, Dromahair, county Sligo. They had five children four girls and one boy and there was no issue. Mr Hamilton committed one of his youngest daughters Molly into a mental institution because she fell in love with a neighbour whom he did not believe was of the same social standing as their family. She was never released. Her cousins and her siblings only learned the true facts recently. They had all been told that she suffered from acute depression and there was a fear that she would harm somebody.
Jessie Sophia Campbell born 05/01/1918 died 22/01/2008.
Jessie married James Alexander Mahaffy of Masshill, county Donegal on 05/01/1948.
Children
David William born 17/11/1949. Unmarried.
Catherine Elizabeth Belinda born 06/02/1950. Unmarried.
Stella Anne born 19/12/1953.Now lives in Wales near Cardiff
Married 1. Peter Gallagher. Divorced. Had daughter Lorna Jane born 25/1976.
Married 2. Michael Diamond. No Issue.
Lorna married an Australian named Rob Flynn from Sydney and they have one daughter named Grace who is almost 6 years old. They currently live in New York.
The Mahaffy family are said to descend from Macbeth one of the last Celtic kings of Scotland and his first wife who was from the Viking community in Scotland. I have never been able to take our line that far back. However, when I was living in Portugal British interests there began a nasty campaign against me which lasts to the present when a Brazilian arch-duke named Gaio Braganza tried to become friendly with me. Therefore I have come to believe that my family must have a strong link back to Macbeth the king.
I did not know anything about Baptiste until I googled Sarah Handfield six weeks ago and I have been telling relatives about him since. Over the years I have overhead members of the British Establishment describe me as an adventuress. Now I feel sure that my family tree was very well researched by someone and that my link to Baptiste was well known in certain circles. I have also been wondering since I heard about Baptiste if there might have been a certain amount of collusion in the occupation and destruction of Bloomfield.
Elizabeth Georgina (Dolly) Campbell born 24/02/1921 died 23/11/1990 married Jocelyn Taylor, Gortfad, Castlefinn, County Donegal. He was a grand-nephew of Mrs. Cecil Frances Alexander the hymnwriter who wrote amongst other things, “All things bright and beautiful.”
They had one daughter Doone Taylor born05/10/1956. She married Malachy O’Callaghan a solicitor in Dublin. They have two children – a daughter named Curreell aged 19 and a son named Jocelyn aged 16.
Belinda Mahaffy, Dublin, Ireland, November 2009
|
