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Section 17 ; Brush Families in and from Ireland
List of Sections concerning the Irish families

Section 17.A2
John Brush and family 1690 - 1739

In section 17.A I discussed Lt. John Brush (who I designated as [Ir10] ) from whom it is said there descended an extensive and often prominent family.  He was born sometime prior to 1670 and quite possibly up to 20 years earlier than that.  But there are significant differences in the various versions suggested of the first three generations.  Before looking at those competing versions of family relationships there are additional charecters to introduce.

A listing of "Masters of families in 'Drumra' Parish" in 1699 names Richard Brush.   But does not name John Brush[Ir8] who was listed in Drumra in 1670. It seems perfectly possible (likely?) that Richard is a son of John of Drumragh[Ir8] born sometime prior to 1678.   The next mention we have of a Richard Brush is in 1723 when he is described as deceased.   He is referred to in one document as being "of Omagh" and of having been in possession in a park known as the Brick Park.  In a second document he is described as having dwelt in a house within "the Town of Omagh, Parish of Drumra".  Bear in mind that even though Omagh is the bigger place it falls within the parish of Drumra.

The first mentions of Crean Brush were in two documents in 1710 where he is identifed as Crean Brush, Gent of Omagh.  This places his birth date as pre 1689.   He is only on the 1710 records as a witness but one of the parties to one of the documents was John Vaughan, clerk (ie clergyman) of Dondalk who reappears later in the story.  There seems to be no doubt that this Crean Brush is the man later, from 1734, referred to as Crean senior and as the father in a pivotal 1740 deed which we will return to.

It seems highly probable that the unusual forename of Crean derives from the surname of his mother.  Or possibly from the surname of his grandmother.  Crean is not an especially common family name.  It appears in the North West of Ireland at Sligo and, interestingly, in the same Dublin parish of Michan as the innkeeper John Brush.  Crean junior first appears in a deed of 1735.   Which places his birth date as pre 1714 and reinforces the birth date of Crane senior as late 17th century.   The 1740 deed marks them as father and son.

Crean senior appears next in 1717 when he buys "all the town and land commonly called Dergmony situate near the town of Omagh in the barony of Omagh then in possession of said Brush by virtue of a lease for a year."  The 1717 deed of purchase by Crean also casts a lot of doubt on the idea that Lt John was granted or purchased Dergmoney/Darkmoney in the 1690s.  Crean buys Dergmony from Rev William Hamilton of Killetter.   There is a possible, but tenuous, link here to the previous mention of "forfeited Abercorn properties". The Hamilton name is closely connected to the Abercorn title.

As well as there being two Creans, junior and senior, in the period 1720 - 1740 there are two Johns, identified as senior and junior from 1726, .  The first record for John Brush in the 18th century is 1721 when he and Valentine Brush, both 'of Omagh' grant a lease of an acre of land in Omagh 'now in the possession of John Brush'.   This is the one and only mention anywhere of Valentine Brush. Probably a brother or cousin of John.  But who the John, senior, of 1721 onwards is is not clear. I return to this question later.

Another mention of John Brush appears in 1723 in a memorial of a deed of release.  There is a lot to be said about this deed.  John and Crean executed the deed in favour of Claud Hamilton of Strabane.  A deed of release was a device by which land was sold.   The previous day they had granted a lease of the properties, the release had the effect of transferring the reversionary interest (effectivly the freehold) in the land that had been leased.  The property transferred was extensive and they received £300 for it.

But the transfer was clearly more complex, not just a simple sale. Included in the properties was the town land of Diargmoney (which Crean had bought six years earlier from William Hamilton - presumably a relative of Claude) and the properties in which John and Crean were living, John's farm house and the house in which Richard Brush "lately dwelt". All the properties other than Diargmoney are said to be in the town of Omagh, parish of Drumra. The deed is recorded as including a "condition for redemption of the premises".  Which sounds as if it is something like a mortgage but the other way around; more like the process used for personal property at a pawnbrokers. In a mortgage the owner retains the property but the lender has the right to require its sale, here the ownership seems to be transfered but with a right of buy back. It seems the redemption process was also to settle some other obligations and disputes going back at least to 1717.

John and Crean's financial affairs are all connected somehow, and one or both have the right to deal with the property of the late Richard.  Despite having been described as 'gent' in earlier documents and in a document two years later, Crean is now (and in 1727) identifed as an innkeeper and John as an apothecary. Three years later, in 1726, John Brush senior and junior both 'of Omagh' are witnesses to an agreemeent.   This is the first appearance of John junior which puts his birth as no later than 1705.

As later documents show, John junior was a son not of John senior but of Crean senior.   Which leaves wide open whether John senior and Crean senior were father and son or brothers.   Any other relationship seems most unlikely.

To confuse matters even further there is an isolated record from 1727 in which John Brush of Carlingford, gentn, appears as a witness to an agreement.   Carlingford in Louth is 109km away from Omagh, on the coast of the Irish sea. Some forty years later a John Brush appears in a list of Electors of the County of Lowth (Louth) signing a document at Dundalk, just 20km from Carlingford. One branch of the Brush family reappears at Carlingford a century later.

Also in 1727 Crean, innkeeper, grants a 42 yaar lease of what appears to be his house in Omagh town. John Brush is a witness.

By his 1728 will (probate 1729)George Stewart of Omagh leaves a very large estate but makes only a minimal bequest to his daughter Elizabeth Brush alias Stewart.  Disapproving of her marrying beneth her station? Or already provided for? Subject to the possible complication of Brush men having more than one marriage, it seems likely that Elizabeth was the wife of John senior - we know of other wives for Crean senior and John junior.

There is a record of a will of a John Brush made on 2 January 1733.  Unfortunaly it gives no location or other identifier for the John in question.   The index listing is quite specific that this is the date of the will, not the date of probate, so we cannot tell when this John died.

There is a significant transaction in 1735. The parties are the Revd John Vaughan of Dromore, Co. Down, John Brush of Omagh, Co. Tyrone, gent, Crean Brush late of Omagh but then of Darkmoney in Co. Tyrone, gent and John Brush Junr. of Mullingar, Co. Westmeath, gent. Dromore County Down is not the same as Dromore County Tyrone. The first is 10km SW of Belfast, the second is 15km SW of Omagh. Mullingar is 140km south of Omagh - a significant move from John junior's previous location in Omagh ten years earlier.

The subject matter of the 1735 deeds is the townland of Dergmoney and various properties in Omagh - much the same as the package of properties transferred in 1723 to Claude Hamilton. Except this time the properties are being transferred by John Vaughan to John Junior, for a consideration of £452. John senior and Crean are involved only in this by consenting to the transaction since the land is still subject to their equity of redemption.  Presumably John Vaughan has acquired the land from the Hamilton family.

A month later John Junior transfers to Charles Lyons a similar but not identical group of properties (including the townland of Dergmoney). In this transaction the equity of redemption of John and Crane is not mentioned. This is somehow connected to the marriage of John junior to Elizabeth Ashe.   John junior has married money as discussed further in section 17.D .

A week later Crean 'of Dargmoney', gent, transfers his equity of redemption in the lands of Dargmoney to Crean junior 'merchant' of Omagh for £250 but it is subject to a mortgage in favour of John Vaughan of Dromore of £226.

What was going on? The only conclusion I have been able to reach is that both John senior and Crean senior had very little money and that John Vaughan and John Brush junior are trying to juggle matters to keep John senior and Crean afloat.

The next documents, deeds of lease and release, are made on 26 and 27 April 1736. They are made between John Brush Senr. of Omagh, Co. Tyrone, gent. and Wm. Brush of Omagh, apothecary, son of John Brush of the first part, John Brush Junr. of Mullingarr, Co. Westmeath, gent. of the second part, and William Smith of Barbara Villa in Co. Westmeath, Esqr. of the third part. John Brush Senr. and Wm. Brush with consent of John Brush Junr. released and quitclaimed unto Wm. Smith several properties in Omagh. This is done, in consideration of 226 pounds 2 shillings 4 pence due by John Senr. to John Junr. on certain deeds of mortgage and also in consideration of 196 pounds 6 shillings paid by John Brush Junr. to John Brush Senr. and Wm. Brush and of 10 shillings ster. paid by Wm. Smith to John Brush Senr. and Wm. Brush, John Brush Senr. and Wm. Brush released and quitclaimed unto Wm. Smith the tenement in Omagh wherein John Brush Senr. then lately dwelt but then in tenancy of Alexr. Carr, also the houses in Omagh lately tenanted by John Mellan but then in tenancy of Alexr. Rogrs., that lately tenanted by John Greenlees but then in tenancy of [blank], that lately tenanted by John M.Calay but then in tenancy of John Stewart, that in tenancy of Robt. McCausland, also the house wherein Richd. Brush deced. lately dwelt but then divided into four houses, in possessions of Bridgt. Cole, Saml. Blyth, Robt. Stewart, and Archd. Savage, also John Brush Senrs. tanhouse, tanyard, and gardens, etc. in possesion of Alexr. Rogers, also John Brush Senrs. parks divided into several parks and severally in tenancy of Wm. Brush, John Wallock, and Alexr. Rogers and Alexr. Carr, also the meeting house with park belonging thereto near Omagh as then enclosed also the house wherein Jams. Osborne then dwell with garden, etc. deeds of lease and release witnessed by Richd. Rockfort servt. to John Brush and Helry Golt of Omagh, Innkeeper memorial witnessed by Richd. Rockfort 27 and 28 February 1737, deeds of lease and release, memorial 63,560[22] between Jno. Ireland of Ballygawley, Co. Tyrone, Clke. and Henry Mervyn of Trellick, Co. Tyrone, Esqr. of the one part and John Brush of Kilrush, Co. Westmeath, gent. of the other part on 7/8 October 1731, sd. Henry Mervyn had sold by deeds of lease and release to Jno. Ireland the lands mentioned hereinafter, subject to an equity of redemption, Jno. Ireland and Henry Mervyn sold to Jno. Brush the town and lands of Darkmoney, Co. Tyrone and all the chief rent now due or which shall grow due, subject to the sd. equity of redemption, which in said deed of release there is a proviso for equity of redemption whereby if sd. Henry Mervyn should pay 100 pounds to John Brush by May 1 ensuing, then the deeds and the securities conveyed by the deeds shall be void.  At 1739 there is a deed by which John Junior transfers to Crean "the tenement in Omagh then in possession of Crean Brush".

The 1739 deed is witnessed by "Elizth. Brush of Kilrush, Co. Westmeath, widow".   Kilrush, Co. Westmeath is 28km northeast of Mullingar.   Whose widow is she?  Clearly not Elizabeth nee Ashe, the wife of John of Mullingar, as he is a party to that document.   John of Mullingar is no longer referred to at 1739 as John junior.  John senior does not appear in any documents after 1735 and both Crean junior and senior ar still alive in 1740.   Elizabeth of Kilrush must surely be the widow of John senior of Omagh?  How and why John and Elizabeth or the widowed Elizabeth moved to Kilrush is not known but it seems likley that it is linked to John junior providing for his family.  My working hypothesis is that John senior was either his grandftaher or his uncle.

One site that keeps cropping up if you search online for John Brush is one called thepeerage.com which looks very authoritative but actually seems to add nothing to what was previously in Burke's Irish Family Records of which only the 1976 edition appears to be accessible online (9):

The AHB tree at this point is rather messy.  It seems to follow the Burke statement that John [Ir13], James [Ir14] and Crean [Ir15] were brothers but suggests they were sons of Lt John[Ir10] rather than grandsons of his and sons of Crane [Ir12].   He also asserts that Thomas Rowland Ash Brush [Ir11] was a brother of Lt John.  In both of these he is clearly wrong.   Which reinforces my suspicions of some of his other information about the 17th century family.

Coyle and Duffy agree with Burke that James[Ir14] and Crane[Ir15] were sons of Crane [Ir12] who was the son of John[Ir10].   But they make no mention of John[Ir13] and say that Roland Ash-Brush (died 1775) was a son of Crane[Ir12] rather than his grandson.   Might they be referring to a different Roland? If they are right in saying that Crane [Ir12] is the son of 'Lt. John'[IR10] then that seems to settle the issue that John [Ir10] is John senior.

Burke, Coyle & Duffy and AHB all agree that the date of death of 'Lt. John'[IR10]/John senior was 1741.  The AHB tree says he died at Kilrush on 4 July 1741 (which is 2 days after the 1741 will) and was "buried at Mullingarr, Omagh [??] in County Tyrone".  This is just one illustration of the detail information AHB provided but which seems impossible to corroborate from other sources.

For the reasons explained above I think they may all be wrong and I suggest that John senior died around 1736.  The first mention of John senior is 1721 which places his birth as pre 1700 and his age at 1736 at least 36.  If John senior was the father of Crean then he must have been born at least pre 1668 and if he was Lt John then he must have been born pre 1667 so his age at least 69 in 1736, which is perfectly possible.  For him to have been John of Drumra in 1670 would make him at least 87 which is less believable.

This narrative, the references to Crofton's regiment and the presence in Drumra of Richard in 1699 and of John in 1670 all reinforce my view that Lt John was not the first Brush to arrive Ireland.

Before closing this section I do have to say that nothing yet explains who John of Carlingford was!

At 1738,in the splendid gazetteer The Present State of Great Britain and Ireland , Containing an Accurate and Impartial Account of These Famous Islands published by J Brotherton in 1738, a John Brush is listed as Barrack Master at Drogheda. He also appears in this role in Watson's Gentleman and Citizen's Almanac of 1740. Drogheda is about 30 miles north of Dublin, 40 miles south of Carlingford and 30 miles east of Kilrush. This is highly unlikely to be Lt John who fought in 1689/90 ( who would be 76 even if born in 1662). His grandson John [Ir13], "Gent" at 1740 is "of Kilrush". At around 38 probably not old enough to be Barrack master? Although it is from almost a century later, a question in Parliament indicates that the role of Barrack master was something taken on at the end of a military career. Though from a 1795 Letter from the Barrack-Master General to Barrack Masters it is clear that the role is that of building management rather than convential military service. Is there a third John[Ir11] - a son to John[Ir10] and brother to Crean[Ir12] ? Pure speculation.

The story, of Crean and his sons, continues in section 17.D.

List of Sections concerning the Irish families

(1) back to text    In FWB papers there is a single A2 sheet including a handwritten tree (not FWB hand). An FWB comment on it refers to A.H.B. as the author and to correspondence or conversations in 1977 and 1987.

(2) back to text    Published in the journal Eighteenth Century Ireland Vol 16, 2001 www.jstor.org/stable/30071253

(3) back to text    Published in the Vermont History journal Vermont History 70 of the Vermont Historical Society 2002. www.vermonthistory.org/journal/70/vt703_402.pdf

(4) back to text    http://braddonsmith.tripod.com/id5.html) "John Brush (died 1741) was an ensign and later a lieutenant in Colonel Crofts Regiment, fought at the Battle of the Boyne (1690) and the siege of Derry. He was granted property at Darkmoney, Omagh for his services"

(5) back to text    The missing text is illegible but I think it says "of immortal" which is a reference to the 'Orange Toast' which begins "The glorious, pious, and immortal memory of the great and good King William…"

(6) back to text    https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=kgYwAAAAMAAJ

(7) back to text    www.ancestry.co.uk/boards/localities.britisles. ireland.ldy.general/7565/mb.ashx

(8) back to text    A phrase from More Irish families by Edward MacLysaght (not fully viewable online). Childs also says in General Percy Kirke and the Later Stuart Army that Crofton "had suffered the ….indignity of being purged by Tyrconnell in 1686".

(9) back to text    Burke's Irish Family Records. London, U.K.: Burkes Peerage Ltd, 1976

(10)Coyle and Duffy include this tree showing the development of the family and expand on this in the text of their article on the Crane cousins.