Date: [unknown] [unknown]
Location: County Clare, Ireland
Surname/tag: Blood, Bloud, Bludd

>>>>>Click here to return to the Blood Name Study Main Page<<<<<

Contents 1 Neptune Blood, Eldest Son 1.1 Sources Relevant to Neptune Blood 1.1.1 Original Sources 1.1.2 Derivative Sources (Published) 1.1.3 Derivative Sources (Unpublished) 1.2 Derived Biographic Details 1.3 Sources

Neptune Blood, Eldest Son

Church of Ireland Clergy

Author: Garry Michael Blood

Neptune Blood is the only son of Edmund Blood of County Clare for whom there is a good amount of primary evidence from both original and high-quality derivative sources. Neptune is alleged to have gained his unique given name due to being born during his parents' sea journey from England to Ireland, reported by late 19th century derivative sources as having occurred in either 1595 or 1599 (see Edmund Blood's analysis sub-page for more explanation).

Sources Relevant to Neptune Blood

Original Sources

The only original sources uncovered so far for Neptune Blood are court records, most of which are unfortunately merely bill book entries from the Court of Chancery or the Equity Exchequer in Dublin, with virtually no detail aside from names, dates, and designation of plaintiff or defendant. These court records are as follows:

• 14 Nov 1634 to 14 Feb 1634/5; lawsuit by Henry O'Brien, the 5th Earl Thomond, against Neptune Blood and three other men.^[1]

• 11 Nov 1642; in the only court record providing any useful details, Neptune was deposed concerning losses he sustained in the recent Irish uprising, which was in reality the start of the Eleven Years' War. In this deposition, he is "Neptune Blood late of Craggane in the parish of Rath b[arony] of Inshiquin & within the County of Clare (a brittish p[ro]testant) duely sworne & examined before us..."^[2] While sections of this statement are lined out, it appears they were lined out for brevity and not because they weren't accurate.

• 10 Nov 1657; lawsuit by Barnaby (Barnabas) O'Brien, the 6th Earl of Thomond, against Neptune Blood and two other men.^[3]

• 18 Dec 1658; lawsuit by Robert Murray against Neptune Blood.^[4]

• 1 Feb 1672/3; lawsuit by Neptune Blood against Arthur Annesley, the 1st Earl Anglesey, and Rowland Gwyn.^[5]

• 10 May 1675; lawsuit by Neptune Blood against Arthur Annesley, the 1st Earl Anglesey, and Rowland Gwyn (again).^[6]

• 9 Jun 1675 to 28 Apr 1676; lawsuit by Neptune Blood against five people.^[7]

• 13 Nov 1675; lawsuit by Neptune Blood against two people.^[8]

• 13 Jun 1678; lawsuit by John Nicholl Worth against James FitzGerald and "Neptune Blood, Doc[tor] of Divinitie and Deane of Killfenorough."^[9]

• 10 Jun 1679; lawsuit by Neptune Blood against two people.^[10]

Derivative Sources (Published)

The oldest published derivative source referencing Neptune is the 1851 Fasti Ecclesiae Hibernicae: The Succession of the Prelates and Members of the Cathedral Bodies in Ireland,^[11] but derived from original Church of Ireland records. In this work, Neptune is noted in a 1667 entry for Rath as "NEPTUNE BLOOD, D.D.,^[12] appears. He was at this time Dean of Kilfenora."

Neptune was listed in the 1863 Clerical and Parochial Records of Cork, Cloyne, and Ross.^[13] Like the previous work, it was also a reproduction of original Church of Ireland records. Neptune's entry is on p.105:

"1642. March 24. NEPTUNE BLOOD was presented to the P[riest of] Holy Trinity [Pat. Rot. 18 Charles I.] Neptune Blood, whom B[isho]p Ryder, of Killaloe, mentions as a "Student in the College of Dublin, a good scholar, and reads the Irish tongue," was ordained Priest on 18th March, 1622, and in that year was presented to the rectory of Yougal-Arra, with a dispensation pro quinquennio, studenti gratia. In 1632 he became Precentor of Killaloe, and in 1641 Archdeacon of Kilfenora. He deponed to the loss of £180 in the rebellion, besides his church living, worth £140 per annum. [MS. T.C.D. F. 2. 22.] In 1642 he became P[riest of] Holy Trinity, Cork. In 1663 he became Dean of Kilfenora, R. Killilaye, Kilmora, Carne, R.V. Rathblanagh, R.V. Kilkeedee, and P. Rathderb, in Killaloe. He received, also, in 1663, a dispensation to hold the recotories of Clonferd and Killbridge; and was, in 1661, a J.P. for Clare, and in 1663 for Westmeath counties. In 1667 he obtained a grant under the Act of Settlement of 208 plantation acres of land, in the barony of Burren, co. Clare. He married Elisabeth, eldest dau[ghter] of Higgat Lone, Dean of Kilfenora, by Mary Baldry, of Suffolk. His son, Neptune, was also Dean of Kilfenora; and the descendants of Dean Blood still possess landed property to the county of Clare."

James Frost's "The History and Topography of the County of Clare, from the Earliest Times to the Beginning of the 18th Century," published in 1893,^[14] provides extra details concerning Neptune not seen in any other source:

• On p.551, Frost states that "A list of the Protestant clergy of the Diocese of Kilfenora, compiled in 1633, is here given: Dean, Heygate Lone; Precentor, Neptune Blood..."
• On p.410, Frost notes that in 1635, Neptune was appointed a "Civil Survey juror" in Killeely parish, County Clare.

Frost also lists several instances of lands "disposed of" to Neptune Blood from native Irish lords, likely in the aftermath of the rebellion that became the Eleven Years' War. These were as follows:

• Lands in Ballyny, formerly held by Daniel O'Brien, disposed to James Aylmer and Neptune Blood (p.441)
• Lands in Derreen, formerly held by Conor Oge MacClancy & John Clancy, disposed to the Earl of Angelsey, John Cusack, James Aylmer, and Neptune Blood (p.441)
• Lands in Commonage, former proprietor "In controversy," disposed to Neptune Blood, Sir William King, and John Cusack (p.461)

Neptune next appeared in published form in Sir Bernard Burke's A Genealogical and Heraldic History of the Landed Gentry of Great Britain & Ireland, 9th Edition of 1898, in which he is placed under the entry for his father, named as Edward Blood here and not Edmund. His entry reads:

"The eldest son, REV. NEPTUNE BLOOD (so called because he was born at sea), b[orn] about 1595, ordained Priest 18 March, 1622-3, Dean of Kilfenora and Prebendary of Rath 27 June 1663. J.P. (i.e., Justice of the Peace) and Vicar-Gen[eral] of the diocese of Kilfenora 27 April 1676. He is said to have m[arried] three times. One of his wives was Elizabeth, eldest dau[ghter] of Higgat Love, Dean of Kilfenora."^[15]

A Genealogical and Heraldic History of the Landed Gentry of Ireland, published in 1899, repeats the 1898 entry, with the one change that Neptune's father-in-law Higgat Love has been reassessed as Higgat Lone.^[16]

Likewise, the 1904 and 1912 editions of Burke's repeat the 1898 and 1899 entries, with only the addition of D.D. (Doctor of Divinity) after Neptune's name.^[17]

NOTE: The Burke's entries are thought to have been derived from a currently unlocated genealogical work published by William Bindon Blood, a descendant of Neptune Blood, in 1881.^[18]

The written record concerning Neptune only changed significantly in 1933 with the publication of Four Score Years and Ten, the autobiography of William Bindon Blood's distinguished son Major General Sir Bindon Blood.^[19] In this work, Sir Bindon adds some detail to Burke's entries, which I'll quote here:

• "Another tradition about the Captain (i.e., Edmund Blood of Clare) and his eldest son Dean Neptune Blood, of Kilfenora Cathedral in West Clare, a 'Pillar of the Church,' has it that they added to their incomes by levying tolls on the ships that passed, at that time in large numbers, to and from the Port of Galway. They arranged this by means of a small harbour on the coast just outside the southern limit of the Bay of Galway, which was protected by a castle and afforded shelter to a number of longboats with well-armed crews, who boarded the ship and levied the tolls." (pp.3-4)
• "Dean Neptune, the son of Captain Edmund, the first of us in Ireland, was given that name from his having been born at sea, on the way over, and it is still held in the family. He had a younger son, also named Neptune, who succeeded him as Dean of Kilfenora. There is a tradition that he was staying at Kilnaboy Castle at the time of the battle of Aughrim, between the Williamites and Jacobites in 1691." (p.5)

In 1935, the Alumni Dublinenses, a register of students and faculty of Trinity College Dublin from its earliest days, was published. Neptune appears on p.76, in an entry that reads "BLOOD, NEPTUNE. [Priested Mar. 12, 1622; Dean of Kilfenora 1663.]"^[20] While this document is derivative in nature, the Preface explains that it's a faithful copy of the original hand-written volumes maintained by Trinity College Dublin. While these volumes only started in 1637, other college records dating from the period 1593 to 1637 were consulted, and which yielded 300 names of pre-1637 students.^[21] It is presumably in these older records that the entry for Neptune Blood was found. Note that the ordination date of 12 Mar given here is different from the previous two sources above that both quoted 18 Mar. See "Date of Ordination" at the bottom of this page for a possible explanation.

By 1976, Burke's Irish Family Records had expanded the 1899 entry for Neptune, adding some important details and changing others:

"The eldest son, THE VERY REV NEPTUNE (so-called because he was b[orn] at sea) BLOOD, DD, JP, ordained 18 March 1622/3, Dean of Kilfenora, and Preb[endary] of Rath 27 Jan 1663/4-1692, Vicar-Gen[eral] Dioc[ese of] Kilfenora 1676, b[orn] ca 1599/1600, said to have m[arried] thrice, one of his wives being Elizabeth, eldest dau[ghter] of Very Rev Higgat Lone, Dean of Kilfenora 1617-39, and d[ied] 1692."^[22]

NOTE: This entry is significant because Neptune's year of birth has moved from 1595 to 1599/1600 -- 1599 is the other most plausible year for Edmund's arrival in Ireland and hence also for Neptune's year of birth.

The only addition of any importance since 1976 is Robert Hutchinson's The Audacious Crimes of Colonel Blood: The Spy Who Stole the Crown Jewels and Became the King’s Secret Agent from 2015, which added the unsourced detail that Neptune's mother was named Margaret, something never stated in any other source for over two hundred years, and not stated in Ms 12,816 from which Hutchinson drew much of his early material on the Clare Bloods.^[23] Hutchinson also relates that Neptune "served with King Charles I at Oxford during the first English Civil War."

Derivative Sources (Unpublished)

The main unpublished source concerning Neptune is the compiled genealogical notes, pedigrees, and family histories of the Irish Bloods, labeled as Manuscript (Ms) 12,816 at the National Library of Ireland.^[24] The information in Ms 12,816 is from various people and was compiled over a period of just over 100 years, from 1791 to 1899 when the Preface of Ms 12,816 was written. Here are the key bits from the collection that are relevant to Neptune Blood:

• In "An Historical Account of the family of The Bloods written by me William Blood Anno 1791," the story is related that "Edmund who was the first that arriv'd in Ireland which was in the reign of Queen Elizabeth the year unknown had 2 Wifes &...his first wife on her passage to Ireland was deliver'd of a Son (who was at the request of the Earl of Inchiquin & another Nobleman who happen'd to be at that time on board) christen'd by the Name of Neptune." (p.17)
• In the same 1791 account, William goes on that "On Edmund's death the landed property was divided in the following manner, Neptune his Eldest son was bred to the Church & had the Deanery of Kilfenora in Ireland & was succeeded in said Deanery by a son nam'd Neptune about the conclusion of the Civil Wars in England (the Old Dean dying at that time) but what property was left to the Old Dean by his father Edmond or to his brother Edmund I am totally at a loss to know, but the Old Dean left a considerable property to Edmond his eldest son by the first Wife whose issue I suppose are now living in the County of Clare in Ireland particularly some of them may be found at a place call'd Roxton in said County."

Derived Biographic Details

We actually know quite a bit about Neptune's later life, after his ordination at Trinity College Dublin in 1622/3, from a variety of secure sources. What we don't know much about is his early life, but we can derive certain inferences from the information we have at hand.

• Date of Birth: We can go either of two ways on Neptune's date of birth. Either he was born in 1595, the year most often cited for his father's arrival in Ireland, or he was born in 1599, the only year in which an English army crossed the Irish Sea to Ireland to fight a native uprising. But both things can't be true based on the known, documented history of the Nine Years' War (see Edmund Blood's analysis sub-page for more on this issue). So, here's how these two options play out:

1595: The pros for this possibility are a) it's the only year attested in any of the derivative sources, although where those sources obtained this date is not clear, and b) the children born after Neptune would then be of more appropriate/historically feasible ages for when their known life events occurred. Using two-year birth intervals, this would place Edmund's birth in 1597 and Thomas's in 1599. That makes much more sense for Thomas than the alternative birth year of 1603 if Neptune was born in 1599, given that Thomas was recorded as buying property in County Meath in 1621 -- entirely plausible for a 22-year-old, but much less plausible for an 18-year-old. The problem is this date contradicts the historical record in that no English army was sent to Ireland in any year prior to 1599. However, it is worth noting that the very oldest account of the Irish Bloods, the one from William Blood in 1791, never says Edmund came to Ireland with an English army, only that he came to Ireland as an English army officer. This could have happened in 1595.

1599: If Neptune's father Edmund came as part of an English army, then this could only have happened in 1599 with the arrival of the army of Robert Devereux, Earl of Essex. We know when this crossing happened -- the ships carrying Devereaux's army left their shelter in the cove off Beaumaris Castle on the Isle of Anglesey on 12 Apr and arrived in Dublin harbour on 15 Apr, covering about 90 nautical miles in three days, the slow progress apparently due to a severe storm on the Irish Sea. So, if we accept that Edmund's father crossed to Ireland with Devereux's army, and that Neptune was born on this voyage, then he was born between 12 and 15 Apr 1599.

• Date of Ordination: Two of the earlier derivative sources cite 18 Mar 1622 as Neptune's date of taking holy vows, but the Alumni Dublinenses gives the date as 12 Mar 1622, as noted under the published sources. Note that both of these dates are stated with uncorrected Old Style years; the corrected NS year would be 1623. The problem might be in a common error in transcribing numerals in Secretary Hand -- in many cases the number two and the number eight can look virtually identical. It would take examination of the original document to determine which date is correct, although the fact two sources cite the 18th and only the Alumni Dublineneses cites the 12th indicates that 18 Mar might be the correct date. However, 12 Mar 1623 was a Sunday, and the rite of ordination was performed as part of a formal Sunday church service, making 12 Mar the overall more likely date of the two. In any case, both dates certainly cite the uncorrected Old Style year, and in fact one source does note the year as being 1622/23. This means we need to correct the year to 1623 to make it line up with the post-1753 New Style calendar, which changes years on 1 Jan and not on the older date of 25 Mar.

• Date of Ordination vs Year of Birth: One would think the known date of Neptune's ordination would help us narrow down his year of birth, but it doesn't. The problem is, there are too many variables. Fulfilling all the requirements to be ordained could take between five and seven years (obtaining a Master of Divinity degree, plus additional training, plus practical experience), and this only started after earning one's undergraduate degree. But Trinity College Dublin offered both three- and four-year undergraduate degrees in the early 17th century, and ages of entry into the college in that same period ranged from 14 to 20 years old. Taking into account the upper and lower limits of all these variables, we have a probable range of birth years from 1592 to 1601. All that tells us is that 1595 and 1599 are both plausible, which we already knew.

Sources

1. ↑ "Ireland, Court Of Chancery Bill Books 1627-1884," database with images, FindMyPast.co.uk (https://www.findmypast.co.uk/transcript?id=IRE%2FCOURT%2FCHANCERY%2F0000085196 : accessed 31 Jul 2023); data from entry -- First name: Neptune; Last name: Blood; Date: 14/11/1634; Place: Dublin; County: Dublin; Bill book: Court of Chancery Bill Books 1633-1640; Volume: 1; Page: 40.
2. ↑ "Deposition of Neptune Blood," 1641 Depositions, Trinity College Library Dublin, Reference: MS 829, fols 026r-026v; County: Clare; Date: 11/11/1642; Type: Bisse. Transcript available online at https://1641.tcd.ie/index.php/deposition/?depID=829026r020
3. ↑ "Ireland, Court of Chancery Bill Books, 1627-1884", database, FamilySearch.org (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:6J3N-V4FW : accessed 31 Jul 2023); data from entry -- Name: Neptune Blood; Event Type: Legal; Event Date: 10 Nov 1657; Event Place: Dublin, Dublin County, Ireland. An image of the Court of Chancery Bill Book page containing this case entry is at FindMyPast.co.uk: https://search.findmypast.co.uk/record/browse?id=ire%2fcourt%2fchancery%2f007635217%2f00145
4. ↑ "Ireland, Court Of Chancery Bill Books 1627-1884," database with images, FindMyPast.co.uk (https://www.findmypast.co.uk/transcript?id=IRE%2FCOURT%2FCHANCERY%2F0001204393 : accessed 31 Jul 2023); data from entry -- First name: Neptune; Last name: Blood; Date: 18/12/1658; Place: Dublin; County: Dublin; Bill book: Court of Chancery Bill Books 1655-1659; Volume: 3; Page: 189.
5. ↑ "Ireland, Court of Chancery Bill Books, 1627-1884", database, FamilySearch.org (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:6J3F-SD2K : accessed 31 Jul 2023); data from entry -- Name: Heptune (sic) Blood; Event Type: Legal; Event Date: 1 Feb 1672; Event Place: Dublin, Dublin County, Ireland; Court of Chancery Bill Books, Vol. 7, p. 4. An image of the Court of Chancery Bill Book page containing this case entry is at FindMyPast.co.uk: https://search.findmypast.co.uk/record/browse?id=ire%2fcourt%2fchancery%2f007635160%2f00724
6. ↑ "Ireland, Court Of Chancery Bill Books 1627-1884," database with images, FindMyPast.co.uk (https://www.findmypast.co.uk/transcript?id=IRE%2FCOURT%2FCHANCERY%2F0000057769 : accessed 31 Jul 2023); data from entry -- First name: Neptune; Last name: Blood; Date: 10/05/1675; Place: Dublin; County: Dublin; Bill book: Court of Chancery Bill Books 1672-1677; Volume: 7; Page: 148.
7. ↑ "Ireland, Court Of Chancery Bill Books 1627-1884," database with images, FindMyPast.co.uk (https://www.findmypast.co.uk/transcript?id=IRE%2FCOURT%2FEXCHEQUER%2F0001636408 : accessed 31 Jul 2023); data from entry -- First name: Neptune; Last name: Blood; Date: 09/06/1675; Place: Dublin; County: Dublin; Bill book: Equity Exchequer Bill Books 1674-1676; Volume: 1; Page: 138.
8. ↑ "Ireland, Court Of Chancery Bill Books 1627-1884," database with images, FindMyPast.co.uk (https://www.findmypast.co.uk/transcript?id=IRE%2FCOURT%2FEXCHEQUER%2F0001637220 : accessed 31 Jul 2023); data from entry -- First name: Neptune; Last name: Blood; Date: 13/11/1675; Place: Dublin; County: Dublin; Bill book: Equity Exchequer Bill Books 1674-1676; Volume: 1; Page: 179.
9. ↑ "Ireland, Court Of Chancery Bill Books 1627-1884," database with images, FindMyPast.co.uk (https://www.findmypast.co.uk/transcript?id=IRE%2FCOURT%2FEXCHEQUER%2F0001611746 : accessed 31 Jul 2023); data from entry -- First name: Neptune; Last name: Blood; Date: 13/06/1678; Place: Dublin; County: Dublin; Bill book: Equity Exchequer Bill Books 1676-1680; Volume: 2; Page: 132.
10. ↑ "Ireland, Court Of Chancery Bill Books 1627-1884," database with images, FindMyPast.co.uk (https://www.findmypast.co.uk/transcript?id=IRE%2FCOURT%2FEXCHEQUER%2F0001614262 : accessed 31 Jul 2023); data from entry -- First name: Neptune; Last name: Blood; Date: 09/06/167 (sic - the entry is under 10 Jun 1679); Place: Dublin; County: Dublin; Bill book: Equity Exchequer Bill Books 1676-1680; Volume: 2; Page: 203.
11. ↑ Cotton, Henry (ed.), Fasti Ecclesiae Hibernicae: The Succession of the Prelates and Members of the Cathedral Bodies in Ireland, Hodges & Smith Publisher, Dublin: 1851. Available at https://archive.org/details/fastiecclesiaehi01cott/page/494/mode/2up
12. ↑ Doctor of Divinity
13. ↑ Brady, W. Maziere, D.D., Clerical and Parochial Records of Cork, Cloyne, and Ross, Taken from Diocesan and Parish Registries, Manuscripts in the Principal Libraries and Public Offices of Oxford, Dublin, and London, and from Private or Family Papers, A. Thom Publisher, Dublin: 1863. Available online at https://archive.org/details/clericalparochia01dubl/page/n5/mode/2up
14. ↑ Frost, James, The History and Topography of the County of Clare, from the Earliest Times to the Beginning of the 18th Century. Sealy, Bryers & Walker Printers: Dublin: 1893. Available online at https://archive.org/details/historyandtopog00frosgoog
15. ↑ Burke, Sir Bernard. A Genealogical and Heraldic History of the Landed Gentry of Great Britain & Ireland, 9th Edition. Harrison & Sons, London: 1898, Appendix and Corrigenda, p.vii. Online at https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=iau.31858027897994&view=1up&seq=13
16. ↑ Burke, Sir Bernard. A Genealogical and Heraldic History of the Landed Gentry of Ireland, 9th Edition. Harrison & Sons, London: 1899, Supplement, pp.ix-x. Online at https://www.irishfamilyhistorycentre.com/pdf/?product_id=1489
17. ↑ Burke, Sir Bernard. A Genealogical and Heraldic History of the Landed Gentry of Ireland, New Edition. Harrison & Sons, London: 1912, p.56. Online at https://archive.org/details/genealogicalhera00burkuoft/page/n5/mode/2up
18. ↑ Brian Blood and the Blood Family, https://www.dolmetsch.com/Bebinfo.htm
19. ↑ Blood, Sir Bindon, Maj Gen, GCB, GCVO. Four Score Years and Ten, published by G. Bell and Sons Ltd., London: 1933, pp.1-2. Available online at https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.208528
20. ↑ Burtchaell, George Dames & Sadleir, Thomas Ulick, Alumni Dublinenses: A Register of the Students, Graduates, Professors and Provosts of Trinity College in the University of Dublin (1593-1860), Alex Thom & Co., Publisher: 1935. Available online at https://doi.org/10.48495/70795b624.
21. ↑ Alumni Dublinenses, Preface, p.vii.
22. ↑ Montgomery-Massingberd, Hugh (ed.). Burke’s Irish Family Records, Burke’s Peerage Limited, London: 1976, p.142. Online at https://www.burkespeerage.com/record_to_view.php?book=Burke%27s%20Landed%20Gentry%20Irish%20Family%20Records&ref=Irish&page=1&totalPages=1269&bref=1290%20753%201757%20876 (subscription required)
23. ↑ Hutchinson, Robert. The Audacious Crimes of Colonel Blood: The Spy Who Stole the Crown Jewels and Became the King’s Secret Agent. Orion. Kindle Edition, Location 139 of 6615.
24. ↑ An account of the family of Blood, mainly of Co. Clare, descended from Edmond Blood, M.P., c. 1595, with illustrations of arms. Ms 12,816, National Library of Ireland: Dublin. Online NLI catalogue entry at http://sources.nli.ie/Record/MS_UR_011385