Family:Whitney, Thomas (s1644-1712)

Colonel Thomas Whitney (Thomas), son of Thomas, was born about 1644, of Newpass, County Westmeath, Ireland, died in 1712 (see abstract of his will by Betham, N.A.I. Dublin 1712).

He married firstly, 20 Dec 1669, Drogheda, Co. Louth, Ireland, Maria/Mary Boleyn, daughter of Capt. Thomas and Jane (Graves) Boleyn.

He married secondly Anne (Spratt) Cole, daughter of John Spratt, of Grainge in Oxfordshire. She had married firstly, Sir Robert Cole, of Ballymackey, in the county of Tipperary, Knight, with whom she came over to Ireland in the year 1670. She was born about 1655, and died 30 May 1716, in the 62nd year of her age. She was buried in St. Michan's Church, Dublin.

Mary Boleyn was an aunt of Patience Boleyn, who married Rev. Robert Howard, Lord Bishop of Elphine, d. 1740. They were the parents of Catherine Howard, d. 1775, wife of John Crichton, and Ralph Howard, Baron Clonmore of Clonmore Castle, 1st Viscount Wicklow.

He was the Whitney who received a grant of Rathowen in 1684. "Newpass House was built by the Whitney Family, who received a grant of the nearby town of Rathowen in 1684." - Newpass House, County Westmeath.

Children of Thomas and Maria/Mary (Boleyn) Whitney (order uncertain, possibly incomplete):

i.	Mary Whitney, b. ca. 1670; m. Thomas West, d. 1715. Children: a. John West, b. b. George West, b. unknown. c. Catherine West, b. unknown; d. bef. 1745; m. 1741, Edward Crofton. d. James West, b. unknown; d. 1726 e. Francis West, b. unknown; d. bef 1726 f. John West, b. unknown. g. Thomas West, b. unknown. h. Jane West, b. unknown; m.(1) 1725 Charles Fox, d. 1746; m.(2) 1750, Alexander Black. i. Alice West, b. unknown; m. 1712, Rev. Leonard Hodson. j. Elizabeth West, b. unknown; d. 1714, m. 1701, Abraham Pilkington, d. 1712.
ii.	Thomas Whitney, b. say 1673; d. 1741, London (see will 1740 Kew).
iii.	Jane Whitney, b. ca. 1676; m. 11 Nov 1697, Charles Fox, Esq., d. 1747. "Charles Fox, Esq., eventually of "Fox Hall" (refer poem about Robin Adair & Fox of Fox Hall) as heir to his elder brother, m. Miss Whitney (niece of Robert Adair), dau of Col. Whitney, of Newpass, by his wife, Miss Boleyn, aunt to (Ralph Howard, Baron Clonmore of Clonmore Castle, co Carlow, Ireland), 1st Viscount Wicklow, and d. 1747 having had one son." - Supposedly from Burke's Landed Gentry. Children: a. Charles Fox, b. say 1700; d. 1746; m. 1725, Jane West.
iv.	Shuckburgh Whitney, b. ca. 1684; d. 5 Apr 1746, killed at the Battle of Falkirk; m. Margery Eyre, dau. of John Eyre of Eyrecourt, Co. Galway.
v.	Boleyn Whitney, Esq., b. ca. 1686; m. Mary Van Bobbart.
vi.	Anne Whitney, b. ca. 1690; m. Rev. Ambrose Upton, son of Ambrose Upton and Jane Wright. "The Reverand Ambrose Upton came to Ireland from Devon as Chaplain to the Lord Lieutenant sometime before 1759. He married Anna Whitney of Westmeath. Their son, Christopher Henry Upton (1745 - 1812) is the first of the family represented by papers in this collection. His eldest son, Shuckburgh Whitney Upton married Margaret Irwin from Tanragoe, County Sligo in 1795 and had five children. As a result of the premature death of Shuckburgh Whitney [Upton] in 1807, his wife was left to administer Coolatore. The estates passed to the youngest son Arthur who, together with his elder brother Lewis, held a commission in the army. On Arthur’s death they passed to his son Arthur Shuckburgh Upton who demolished the old house and built the existing house in 1866. It was later extended by his son Henry in 1894. Amongst the family decendents was Captain A. Upton who became the High Sheriff of County Westmeath and MP." - Coolatore House. Children: a. Francis Upton, b. unknown; d. 1786; m. Margaret Bourke. b. Maj. Ambrose Upton, b. unknown; m. Jun 1768, Margaret Gledstanes, d. 1804. c. Henry Upton, b. unknown; m. 1764, Isabella Clarges.
vii.	Catherine Whitney, b. unknown; m. ca. 1715, Rev. John Hatch, son of Nicholas Hatch of Duleek, b. 1680, d. 1719. Children: a. Nicholas Hatch, b. ca. 1716.

Notes

It is mentioned by Burke that Maria Boleyn was AUNT to the Ralph Howard 1st Viscount Wicklow and Baron Clonmore. In fact, she was his GREAT-AUNT. Her brother Godfrey Boleyn and his wife Mary Singleton had two daughters Patience and Jane. Jane died in childhood. Patience married Bishop Robert Howard, and their son was Ralph, 1st Viscount Wicklow.

He had a brother Anthony Whitney and a sister Elizabeth who m. Dr. William Gibbons.

The "other" Thomas Whitney (Dublin, late Lt. Col. Regt. of Foot) was a close relative but NOT a child. Perhaps he was a first cousin of Boleyn, etc. - maybe a son of Col. Thomas Whitney's brother Anthony Whitney.

Parliamentary Memoirs of Fermanagh and Tyrone from 1613 to 1885, by the Earl of Belmore, p. 40

"V. — Robert Cole, Esq. (afterwards Knight).

Robert Cole was the seventh and youngest son of William Cole, by Elizabeth, daughter of Nathaniel Deards, silkman, of London.

Sir Robert Cole's wife lies buried under the Belfry of St. Michan's Church, Dublin, with the following memorial: —

"I shall see the Lord in Glory.

Hereunder lyeth, the body of Anne, Lady Cole, daughter of John Spratt, of Grainge in Oxfordshire; first, relict of Sir Robert Cole, of Ballymakey, in the county of Tipperary, Knight, with whom she came over to Ireland in the year 1670. Afterwards the relict of Colonel Thomas Whitney, of Newpass, in the county of Westmeath; who Departed May 30th, 1716, in the 62nd year of her age."

Sir Robert [p. 41] was attainted by Kiag James's Parliament of 1689 as an absentee, when he is described as of Dublin.

Lady Cole bequeathed £100 for the support of an English school at Ballymackey, which is a townland and parish in the north riding of Tipperary, situate about five miles east of Nenagh."

This is a transcript of the 1840 will of Thomas Whitney, eldest son of Col Thomas Whitney and Maria (Boleyn) Whitney.

Will of Thomas Whitney of Newpass,

The eldest son of Col Thomas Whitney (who was granted the lands in 1684) and his first wife, Maria Boleyn of Drogheda.

"I Thomas Whitney of New Pass als Derrydowan in the County of Westmeath and Kingdom of Ireland Esqr now residing in Southampton Street in the parish of St Paul Covent Garden do this thirtieth day of April one thousand seven hundred and forty revoke all former wills by me made and do make and publish this my last will and testament in manner and form following First I give and devise unto my Brother Boleyn Whitney Esqr and his heirs in trust for the sole and separate use benefit and behoof of my sister Ann Upton wife of Ambrose Upton clerk for and during the term of her natural life one annuity or rent charge of forty pounds clear of all taxes and deductions whatsoever to be issuing out of and charged upon all my Castles Downs and Lands of New Pass Rathowen Colemore Colebegg Wintown Ballygarran Ballydorey and all other my lands and hereditaments in the same County of Westmeath and kingdom of Ireland to be paid by four even quarterly payments at Midsummer Michelmas Christmas and Lady Day during the life of my said sister unto my said trustee or into her proper hands at her dwelling house for the time being and her receipt(?) only to be a discharge for the same unto my said trustee and to be in no way Subject to the intermeddling debts or engagements of her present or any other husband and I give and grant unto my said trustee and his heirs full power of distress for the same and of disposing of such distress according to law and also in case of failure or neglect of payment to enter and hold the premises until payment of all arrears and costs and so subject I give and devise all my said Castles Downs and Lands and all other my towns and villages hamlets tenements and hereditaments lying or being in the County of Westmeath aforesaid or elsewhere in the Kingdom of Ireland to my brother Shuckburgh Whitney Lieut Colonel of His Majesty's Service for and during the term of his natural life with power to make leases of any parts thereof at the best rent that can be got for the same without ant fine(?) and from and after his decease I give and devise all and every my said Castles Towns Villages Hamlets Lands Tenements and hereditaments to my said brother Boleyn Whitney and the heirs of his body lawfully begotten and for the want of such issue to my own right heirs for ever I give to Roger Martin Junior son of Captain Roger Martin my two India Japanned Cabinetts All of my personal estate of whatever nature or kind soever after payment of my debts and financial expenses to the payment whereof I subject the same I give devise and bequeath to my said brother Boleyn Whitney his executors and auditors And lastly I make Ordain and Appoint the said Boleyn Whitney Sole Executor of this my Last Will and Testament But witness whereof I have hereunto set my Hand and Seal and do publish and declare the same to be my last will and testament for the 30th day of April 1740 above written Thomas Whitney (seal) Signed sealed published and declared by the testator as and for his last Will and Testament in the presence of us who signed our names in the presence of the testator and of each other. Tho. Taylor Joseph Briscoe Patrick Makgin."

This makes it clear that Anne (Whitney) Upton was his SISTER.

His brother Shuckburgh was killed in action at the battle of Falkirk in 1746.

From the Betham abstract of Col Thomas Whitney's 1712 will (their father). Thomas was the eldest son, Shuckburgh the second and Boleyn the third. It is virtually certain that Jane was the eldest daughter and may well have been the eldest child.

The memorial at St Michan's Church in Dublin to Lady Anne Cole is an exact copy of the one at Ballymackey Church in Co. Tipperary. BOTH even claim that she "hereunder lyeth".

Burke's statement regarding Jane Whitney (on her marriage to Charles Fox) that she was a niece of Robert Adair has proved difficult to verify. Elsewhere her brother Boleyn is described as his nephew. Certainly Robert Adair cannot have been an uncle in the sense of being a brother of their mother Maria Boleyn nor of their father Thomas Whitney. I wonder if this arose from the fact that on Robert Adair's death in 1727, Boleyn became the MP for Philipstown in his stead. This might have been construed as some sort of hereditary succession, which of course it was not. Jane's marriage was 30 years before the death of Robert Adair, but of course Burke's note was written long after all concerned were dead.

References

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Copyright © 2008, 2011, Tim Doyle, Tom Johnston, Robert L. Ward, and the Whitney Research Group.