The Titteringtons of Northern Ireland

The origins of our Titterington ancestry lie in Britain.  The Irish branches of Titteringtons began in the 17thcentury due to the Plantation of Ulster.  Under the reign of King James I, settlers came from England and Scotland.  Wealthy landowners arrived in many of the counties of Ulster, from 1606 but the official plantation started in 1609.  Arable land was confiscated from the tribal chiefs, many of whom had fled to Europe after the Nine Year War.  Private colonisation, with Royal support, occurred in the counties of Antrim and Down where most of our Titterington ancestors seem to have originated.

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The purpose of the colonisation was to control and civilise the province along English values – a province that by nature was Gaelic, Catholic, rural and extremely resistant to English control.  Thus it was, that candidates willing to move to Ireland in return for land, had to be English speaking, Protestant and loyal to the king.  Most of the English were Church of England and most of the Scots were Presbyterian.  

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There were plantations across Ireland, but the biggest was in Ulster.  Many towns developed as a result as well as an Ulster Protestant community. Many Irish lost their lands and conflict arose leading to the Irish rebellion of 1641.

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The Protestant settlers had a strong and growing culture of Calvinism and Puritan values that served to further support  the anti-catholocism and anti-royalism that had been growing in England under the reign of Charles I.

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The Irish rose in rebellion against Anglican and Presbyterian settlements – the counties of Antrim, Down, Armagh, Fermanagh and Enniskillen suffered the most.

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After the Irish Catholic Rebellion of 1641, statements were collected by British Government Commissioners. These statements are the main source of evidence for the events at that time and have been the nucleus for long historical disputes around this issue.

 

There were about 4000 depositions, (witness testimonies), taken and one testimony has been found relevant to our ancestry.  I give a transcription, as best I can, herewith.  It relates to Robbery, Stripping and Words and was given by James Tetherington on 5 January, 1642 in the County of Fermanagh.

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James Tetherington of Newtowne in the Parish of Dromully and half Barony of Coole in the County of Fermanagh an English Protestant of the age of forty one years being duly sworn says that he was robbed of all his household goods, garden-stuff, firing, wearing clothes, bedding and other goods and chattels, with various scripts and writings.  This was by the means of Rory Maguire of Hassett town in the Barony of Lurgan in the said County with divers others of his Company at or about one o’clock in the daytime on the 25thday of October 1641 and was himself and his wife, stripped by them stark naked.  To their loss and damage of £20 and upwards, and the Deponent being stark naked went to the said Rory Maguire and desired him to help him to cover his nakedness and also to make him a pass that he might come to the City of Dublin or to some other place whereby to go for England. And the said Rory answered that this Deponent should have clothes and pass.  But it was to no purpose, for (he said) Dublin is taken, and that it was as good for this Deponent to be killed there, as in another place, and bid this Deponent go to the Clarks house and get a fire (gun?) and the said Rory said he would send meat and drink enough to this Deponent and others.  Yet not withstanding none was sent, and every hour of the night several of the said Rory’s followers came to this Deponent and diverse others with their skeynes (knives?) drawn and wished this Deponent and them to prepare themselves for death for that they must die presently.

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Further witness that one Ambrose Carlton, a Scotsman, and a Protestant desired an horse from William Winsor to go to meet with the said rebels and that he stayed with them until Monday following, came with the said Rebels and continued still with them.