Mary Anne (Wright) Minchin (1799 - 1842)

Born 1799 in Dunkerrin, Co. Tipperary, Ireland

Ancestors

Wife of William Minchin — married about 28 May 1816 in Dublin, Ireland

Descendants

Died 23 Feb 1842 at about age 43 in Greenhills, Co. Tipperary, Ireland

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Biography

Mary (Wright) Minchin was born in Ireland.

Mary (Wright) Minchin is Notable.

Mary Anne was born in 1799. She was the daughter of Corker Wright the landlord of "Rutland" in County Tipperary, Ireland and Elizabeth Andrews.

Mary Anne was said to be tall and vivacious and also gorgeous to look at. She became infatuated with her sister's intended husband, the Reverend William Minchin of Greenhills (curate of Roscrea and Dunkerrin). They wished to marry but her father was enraged; he considered her too young to marry as she was only 17 years old and William 26.

Intent on being together, one morning before dawn Reverend William brought two of the best horses from his father's stables at Greenhills. By sunrise, he and the beautiful Mary Anne were racing over the roads and through the fields towards Dublin with her father in hot pursuit! Hearing his horse coming close behind them, they hid with their mounts under a bridge and heard him ride overhead. They clung to each other, scarcely able to breathe. The ruse had worked! They stayed under the bridge until they were quite sure Corker Wright was long gone.

They were married immediately upon their arrival in Dublin. Now they had to wait for the scandal to die down - it gave the parishioners something to talk about for a long time. The Minchins had a second home in Dublin (as did most Anglo-Irish families) on Grafton Street, a few hundred yards from Trinity College. They spent the early days of their marriage here, until they deemed it safe to return to County Tipperary.

Limerick General Advertiser - 14 June 1816

Re-married at Shinrone Church on Saturday last by the Hon and Rev Robt MAUDETH, Rev W MINCHIN eldest son of Wm MINCHIN of Greenhills Co Tipperary to Marianne, youngest daughter of Corker WRIGHT of Rutland Kings Co Esq[1]

All seemed to be foregiven when it came to their elopement. They even honoured Mary Anne's father by naming some of their children after him; Edward Corker and Corker Wright. She also named one of her daughters Amelia after her jilted sister.

William and Mary Anne spent the early years of married life at "Myrtle Lodge". Before long the house could not contain their growing family and one by one the older boys were sent to the family home of Greenhills to live with their grandparents. Mary Anne had seventeen pregnancies in total including two sets of twins. Some died young.

When William's parents died he assumed the lands and titles of Greenhills and the family took up residence there.

Mary Anne died on 23 February 1842, leaving sixteen children; eight sons and eight daughters.

Before her death Mary Anne made her will, duly attested, dated 15 September 1842, which recites that she was entitled under the will of her father, Corker Wright Esq to the sole and exclusive disposal of the sum of 4000 Pounds, late Irish currency, and then secured by mortgage on the estate of Richard Parsons Esq, and recites that she was also entitled by her marriage settlement to the disposal, in conjunction with her husband, of the further sum of 1000 Pounds of the late currency, and secured as aforesaid; and after such recitals the will proceeds in these words:

"Now it is my will, and I do hereby bequeath the sum of P500, British currency, to each and every of my eight daughters, upon their respectively attaining their full age of twenty-one years, or days of marriage, whichever shall first happen; and the residue of the said sum of P5000, to my dearest little boy Tommy, upon his attaining the age of twenty-one years as aforesaid; the interest of the said portions respectively, until payable as aforesaid, to go towards the maintenance, education and clothing of my said children, according as my dear husband shall approve, and whom I appoint, in case he shall survive me, executor of this my will, and in any case any of my said children shall die before attaining their full age, or days of their full age, or days of marriage, as aforesaid, then it is my will that the portions of such child or children so dying shall go and be divided, share and share alike, amongst my other sons, upon their respectively attaining their full age as aforesaid."

It appears that her will was contested after her death.

Death of:

First Name: Mary

Middle Name: Anne

Surname: Minchin

Age: 45

Address: Green Hillshttp://www.moneygall.ie/genealogy_details/mary-anne-minchin

Sources

• The Book of Minchin: A Family for all Seasons - Dorothy Minchin-Comm

• Irish Chancery Reports: Being a Series of Reports of Cases Argued ..., Volume 3 [[2]]

• Mention of Corker Wright in Eighty-five Years of Irish History, 1800-1885 By William J. O'Neill Daunt [[3]]

Acknowledgments

Thanks to Phil Richardson for starting this profile.

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