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Conroy Collection: Appendix A

The Families and Lineage of the Baronets Conroy

The essentials of the families and lineage of the Baronets Conroy appear to be as follows.

Moylin O’Mulconry (d.1637) of Tullon, Co. Roscommon, was descended from the very ancient Irish family O’Maolconaire; he married Catherine, daughter of Teigue O’Flanagan of Ceancloin, Co. Roscommon, by whom he had issue including his heir Thorna, below.

Thorna O’Mulconry (1585-1647): he married Evelyn, daughter of Ferdoragh Mac Brenan of Clonicarran, Co. Roscommon, and was succeeded by his only son John, below.

John O’Mulconry alias Conry (1628-1672): his property was confiscated under Cromwell, and he fled to France where, dropping the first two syllables of his name, he married (1655) Florence, daughter of G Fitzgerald; he was succeeded by his son Charles, below.

Charles Conry (1657-1690): he had a re-grant of land in Col Roscommon, 1678; he fell at the Battle of the Boyne and was succeeded by his brother Ferfeassa, below.

Ferfeassa Conry (1661-1745) of Co. Roscommon; he became a Protestant and married Cicily Aylmer by whom he had his only legitimate son John (he is said to have had six illegitimate sons who shared in his estate), below.

John Conry (1704-1769) of Bettyfield, Shankhill, Co. Roscommon; he married Elizabeth, daughter and heir of Robert Fowke or Foulke of Curragh, Co Cork, by whom he had issue:

1. John Ponsonby his heir, below.
2. Elizabeth (1754-1818), who married (1776) Dr Robert Longfield of Cork, by whom she had issue.
3. Catherine (1757-1824) who married (1783) Walter Hore of Seafield, Co Wexford, by whom she had issue.

John Ponsonby Conroy (1759-1797), of Bettyfield, Shankhill, Co Roscommon: Trinity College Dublin and Lincoln’s Inn; barrister; he married (1785) Margaret (who married secondly in 1801 Francis Waldron by whom she had issue Emma who married twice but had no issue), daughter of Francis Vernon Wilson of Tully, Co Longford, by whom he had issue:

1. John his heir, below.
2. George (1788-1805): Midshipman RN, died at sea, unmarried.
3. Llewellin (1790-1825): Aide-de-Camp to the Governor-General of India; he married Claudine, daughter of J Palmer, banker of Calcutta, by whom he had two sons Augustus (born 1822, later known as John Augustus; he had issue including Augustus Ayshford born 1852 and Vere Valentine born 1858) and George (born 1823).
4. William (born 1794, died young)
5. Laetitia (born 1796, died young).
6. Deane Josias (1798-1828); a Major in the Army; drowned in a boating accident, unmarried.

John Conroy (1786-1854) of Llanbrynmair, Montgomeryshire, and of Arborfield, Berkshire; Royal Artillery; principal aide to the Duchess of Kent (Queen Victoria’s mother); created 1 st Baronet 1837; he married (1808) Elizabeth, daughter and heiress of Major-General Benjamin Fisher, by whom he had issue:

1. Edward his heir, below.
2. Arthur (1813-1817).
3. Stephen Rowley (1815-1841); Coldstream Guards, died unmarried.
4. Henry George (1817-1890): Eton; Grenadier guards; he married firstly (1842) Charlotte, daughter of Dillon Macnamara of Dublin, and secondly (1859) Frances, daughter of William Marshall – he had no issue.
5. Eliza-Jane (1811-1855): she died unmarried.
6. Victoria-Maria-Louisa (1819-1866); she married (1842) Wyndham Edward Hanmer, later 4 th Baronet Hanmer, by whom she had one son.

Edward Conroy (1809-1869) of Llanbrynmair, Montgomeryshire, and of Arborfield, Berkshire, 2 nd Baronet; Charterhouse and Christ Church; genealogist and antiquary; he married (1837) the Lady Alicia Parsons, daughter of Laurence, Earl of Rosse, by whom he had only John, below. He also had an ‘adopted daughter’ Emily, below.

John Conroy (1845-1900) of Llanbrynmair, Montgomeryshire, Arborfield, Berkshire, and Oxford, 3 rd Baronet; Eton and Christ Church; FRS (physicist); Fellow of Balliol 1890 until his death; he was unmarried, and the Baronetcy became extinct when he died.

Emily (ca 1848-1928). She consistently asserted that she was EC’s acknowledged natural daughter. He denied that she was more than an ‘adopted daughter’ in a letter written shortly before his death to his estranged wife – but in the same letter he denied having been unfaithful, which was a palpable lie. The truth about her parentage remains obscure. She was born at about the time EC had an affair with ‘Mary’ of 'Sd’, who can probably be identified with Mary, daughter of Sir Henry Russell, 2 nd Baronet, of Swallowfield near Arborfield. She later married a Col. Dawson Greene. In 1880, Emily was reported as believing that she ‘thought she was the child of Sir Henry Russell’s daughter now Mrs Dawson Green.’ There are several circumstantial props for this, and family tradition preserved Emily’s recollection in old age that as a child she was often visited by a lady called Russell from Swallowfield. In 1869 a John H Franklin said that she was his sister Emily Franklin, who had been taken in by EC about 1860, but she herself claimed to have been brought up as EC’s daughter from much earlier. She ‘married’ Augustus Ayshford Conroy ca 1868, and EC made substantial provision for her in his will as ‘Emily, wife of Augustus Ayshford Conroy,’ but if there was a proper marriage it somehow came to nothing. Although AAC was still living in 1900, she married George Lacy Good (son of Clements Good of Hull) ca 1875 and had by him numerous issue.

- Katherine Hudson and John Jones