B16. Rev Thomas Wigmore - His life in Tasmania

  Thomas Wigmore  was born around 1794 and he married Ellen Welland in 1824 in Dungourney. in Cork.


They had several children:

Richard Wigmore  born 1824       Richard died i4 Sept 1862 in Victoria
Ellen Wigmore born 1829           Ellen married Robert Whitway and she died 1861 in Bothwell
Eliza Wigmore born 1830           Eliza married Matthew Kenner in 1851 and she died
                                                             in Battery Point in Tasmania in 1855
Mary Anne Wigmore born 1836  Marianne married Daniel Moore in 1877 in Port Sorrell
                                                               They lived in Beaconsfield.


Ellen died in 1836, possibly after the birth of Mary Ann.


There is a lot of information about Thomas' life to be found in the newspapers of the day.

In January 1830, he was the Master at the Park Boarding School, at Midleton in Cork,  the school will be resumed on 15th instant.

The school has been running for 300 years!





Lapp's Island was once an island in the River Lee. It is now joined with the island which forms the center of Cork City, Ireland and refers to the eastern tip of that island.

It was apparently named after an owner in the 17th century.The island had probably been reclaimed from swamp at that time. In the 18th century it was separated from the main island by a canal which  roughly followed what is now Parnell Place. It was fully joined to the main island by 1832.


Custom's House, at the eastern extremity of the island, sits on what was called the tongue of Lapps's Island, and the modern Lapp's Quay sits on the southern shore of Lapp's island.

He was the treasurer and secretary for the Society promoting the deaf and dumb in Ireland 1833

Thomas now had a young daughter to raise, and he remarried to Mary Ann Wilkinson, in 1837.


Mary Ann Wilkinson was born 5th July 1808 in Ireland.

She and Thomas had a family:

William Wigmore    born 1838
Mary Wigmore        born 1839
Louisa Wigmore      born 1840
Sophie Wigmore      born 1840     d 1840  Perhaps they were twins.



In Australia they had more children

John Wigmore        born 1842 in Bothwell
Helen Sophie Wigmore      born 1836  in Evandale
George Wigmore               born 1848  who died in 1848



In 1838 he was mentioned in relation to services to homes in Youghal

Freeman's Journal 13 March 1840 - The Protestant Church

His Excellency the Lord Lieutenant has been pleased to appoint the Rev. Thomas Wigmore of Lap's Island School to the mastership of the Diocesan School of Cork.

Then in 1840 the family left for Australia, together with his sister Catherine.  They travelled on the Georgia and arrived in February 1841

However in Liverpool, he was assaulted  by the owner of the ship Mr Thomas.

There is mention that Sophie died will on the boat to Australia 6th December 1840, however there is evidence that 7 children left Liverpool.

He had 4 children with Ellen, and then only 3 of the above children must have come.  Given the records, perhaps Sophie died prior to leaving Ireland.  That can be further evidenced as they named their next daughter Helen Sophie Wigmore.

Tuesday, February 23, 1841 The Port Phillip Herald lists Passengers Mrs Drew, Miss Drew, Messrs Francis and John Drew, Mrs and Miss Casey, Mr CA Williams and Mr Henry Morris,
Intermediate - Wigmore family - Rev Mr Wigmore, Mrs Mary Ann, and 6 chn - William, Richard, Ellen, Eliza, Mary, Louisa,

There were two Mary's - one Mary Ann, and one Mary.  Perhaps the recorder made a transcription error.

******************************************************************************

The life of Thomas his children with Ellen and those with his wife Mary Ann Wilkinson is so interesting.


Who was Mary Ann Wilkinson?

26 June 1837 in Dublin Morning Register  Marriages"  At Kilmahon, Church, the Rev Thomas Wigmore of Lapp's Island, Cork to Mary Anne, second daughter of John Royal Wilkinson Esq, of Barnabrow House



Mary Ann Wilkinson was the daughter of John Royal Wilkinson Esq, who lived at Barnabrow House.
According to the Thithe Records he was a very substantial landowner.


Originally the Bishop's Palace, by 1837 it was known as Cloyne House and occupied by H. Allen. Valued at £50, occupied by John Wilkinson and held from the Ecclesiastical Commissioners at the time of Griffith's Valuation.


This house was the residence of Timothy Lane in 1814. Located on the Thomond estate and occupied by William G. Fitzgerald who held the property from John [Royal] Wilkinson at the time of Griffith's Valuation. The buildings were valued at £28. A lithograph of this house is included in the sale rental of the Thomond estate 1857. The representatives of Edward de l'E. Litton were recorded as the occupants of this house in 1906. The house now functions as a guest house.


As per his will he left his estate to his sons John William and Charles Thomas.  His daughter Mary Ann received 1000 pounds.


He was a rather prominent citizen, who became very wealthy.  He died 1854, and his will can be read online, in my family tree, or at the National Archives Kew.


http://corkgen.org/publicgenealogy/cork/potpourri/corkancestors.com/Cloyne.htm


(CMC 13/8/1802) GAME CERTIFICATES (Selections) - Cloyne

Bourke, John, Cloyne Casey, Thomas, Cloyne Gaggin, John, Ballybane, Cloyne Lane, Timothy, Cloyne Lawless, John, Cloyne M’Carthy, Charles, Sunville, Cloyne Wilkinson, John R., Gamekeeper to the Lord Bishop of Cloyne

1824  Wilkinson, John Rayal, Esq., Registrar (NGC) was the Registrar of Cloyne

The Church

The Right Reverend George Berkeley, Late Lord Bishop of Cloyne in Ireland, engraved by William Skelton, 1800

http://www.pbslearningmedia.org/resource/xjf368464eng/the-right-reverend-george-berkeley-late-lord-bishop-of-cloyne-in-ireland-engraved-by-william-skelton-1800-xjf368464-eng/









Thomas and Mary and family arrived in Tasmania, probably with excitement and intrepidation.

He became the Cleric at Bothwell in 1841.    Bothwell is such a scenic area, situated not far from Oatlands,   A peaceful place, with lots to see.

For the descendants of Ellen Wigmore, the town is the focus of the struggle embroiled her father, Rev Thomas Wigmore, and which saw her family separated, probably forever.  Young children in a young country, with their father exiled, and their step mother probably struggling to keep the family together.

On the other hand, did Rev Thomas Wigmore's brother and sister come to her assistance?

By 1849, Henry Wigmore's wife had died, perhaps he and Thomas spent family time together.
Their sister Catherine was also in the Colony.   Unfortunately unless there are family memories, trying to put this piece of family history together is pure speculation.

But whatever happened, they should be very proud that their father, husband and brother was prepared to stand up for his rights, and even though it took some years, the bitter treatment that he received was vindicated.

The Thomas Wigmore S.P.C.K. was appointed the first resident Chaplain of the Church of England on 23^rd. March 1841         He was a missionary for the Anglican Church   Society of the Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts.

The Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts (SPG) was a Church of England missionary organization active in the British Atlantic world in the 18th and 19th centuries. Founded in 1701 by Reverend Thomas Bray and a small group of lay and clerical associates, it sent Anglican clergymen and religious literature to Britain’s colonies, supported schoolmasters and the establishment of new churches, and lobbied for a more expansive place for the Church of England in Britain’s burgeoning empire. In total, the SPG supported more than four hundred overseas agents in the 18th century. Bray and his collaborators believed that the colonial Church of England was underdeveloped, that it had too few properly ordained ministers, and that dissenters, especially Quakers, exercised too much influence in the colonies. Many SPG supporters also looked on global Roman Catholic missionary activity with a mixture of awe and hostility, and envisioned the organization as a counterweight to the Jesuits and other Catholic orders. The society focused its attention on British colonies without strong Anglican legal establishments. As a result, while its role in the Chesapeake and most Caribbean colonies was minimal, the SPG was continuously active in the lower South, the mid-Atlantic, New England, Bermuda, and colonies that would become part of Canada. It also operated in Barbados, where a charitable bequest aimed at establishing a college made the society owners of a slave-worked sugar plantation, and it launched the first British missionary program in West Africa beginning in the 1750s. The SPG devoted the bulk of its resources to bringing Anglican worship to European settlers and was instrumental in the long-term institutional development of the Church of England and Episcopalianism in the United States, Canada, and elsewhere. It also worked, albeit with mixed results, toward the Christianization of Native Americans and free and enslaved Africans and African Americans. The society’s original charter confined its operations to Britain’s colonies, so its activities in much of mainland North America ceased with the establishment of an independent United States in 1783. In the aftermath of the American Revolution, the society expanded its activities in the Caribbean and what remained of British North America, and then became an increasingly global missionary organization as the 19th century progressed. The society remains active worldwide, operating after 1965 as the United Society for the Propagation of the Gospel (USPG) and since a 2012 rebranding as the United Society or “Us.”


He was a learned man, one who had a great deal of experience in the Church of England.  He came from a wealthy Irish family.  He and his family deserved better than what developed.

The Courier (Hobart, Tas. : 1840 - 1859), Friday 12 March 1841

Thursday 17 June 1841

By June 1841 he has made a donation in memory of the late Bishop Venerable Archdeacon Hutchins.

In 1841, he began recording the burials in the Bothwell Cemetery, according to their Historical Society.

But his world changed in September 1841, when he became involved in a meeting of the Bothwell

Then he was appointed to a committee and it seemed he questioned prior activities of that committee, and it put him clearly at odds with some of the long term residents.

Report of the Annual Meeting of the Bothwell

Literary Society, held in the Library, on Wednesday, the 8th Septembcr, 1841 ..

_.

WILLIAM ALLARDYCE, ESQ., in the Chair.

The object of the Annual Meeting is to receive the Secretary's report of the state of the library,number of members, and other matters-to audit the Treasurer's Recounts-and to elect the officers and committee for the ensuing half-year ; but, irregularity-taking precedence of the ordinary business,

It was moved by Major Schau*, who had not attended any Meeting of the Society before for up-wards of two years :

" That the proceedings of a former General Meeting, at which Mr. Al. Cockerill, an Emancipist,was elected a Member, should be rescinded."

This resolution' was seconded by the Chief District Constable, Mr. Redmond.

 Major Schaw first, attacked the validity of that meeting's proceedings, on the plea that there had not been due notice given. . This, the Secretary(the Rev Thomas Wigmore) instantly refuted.Major Schaw then altered his objection, stating that the ballot-box had not been used on that occasion, as the rules required. He further contended,that no Emancipist-that no man who had over been under the ban of the law, ever should have been, or over ought to be, admitted into the Society, and he regretted that any members should entertain the contrary sentiments. He hoped the question would never again be mooted. .

Mr. Surgeon Hall moved, and the Rev. James Garrett seconded, an amendment to the following

effect 

" That tho spirit of the Rules having been strictly complied with in the election of Mr. Cockerill, the proceedings of that day should be held valid, though the ballot-box had not been used."

Mr. Hall argued that it was a miserable technicality on which to ground so severe and illiberal a proceeding, and that the same objection might be urged against the election of many other members,even the Seconder of Major Schaw's motion, ie(Mr. Hall) would how ever discuss the question on its own merits ; he utterly repudiated the unchristian principle of exclusion advocated by MajorSchaw. 

He (Mr. Hall) had not been the least active member of the Society ; he had devoted a great deal of his time, and the little talents he had,to further its objects} but, if he thought the Society at large would sanction the exclusion of any man, who, having satisfied the justice of the law,was desirous of obtaining for himself and his children any benefits derived from the library, Sec. of the Institution, he would wash lils hands of theconnection-he never would expend his energies for the benefit of an exclusive few. 

The question,he argued, had been brought under discussion without notice given, when (as was usual in the ordinary routine of business) but few members attended. They were taken by surprise ; but he implored of them to hesitate, ere they sanctioned such an outrageous insult to so numerous and de-serving a body as the Emancipists in the Colony generally were.

The Rev. J. Garrett followed in a similar strain.He was shocked at the unchristian principle advocated by Major Schaw. He hod been the original mover of Mr. Cockerills admission as a member,and he should never ask what any man had been who was desirous of reaping the advantages of the Society ; he looked only to his fitness then. He considered the individual in question a very proper person to he admitted a member-he had a largorising family to be benefitted by it-and such an exclusive measure, he said, as was then promulgated by Major Schaw, was never in his contemplation when he had first, by his exertions, called the Society into existence. The class to which Mr. Cockerill belonged were not excluded from such Institutions in New South Wales-the Mechanics' Institute of Hobart Town recognised no such narrow doctrines-the Masonic Lodges were open to them-and he referred to the liberal letter which had so recently gone the round of the press on this very question, from the Duke of Leinster,

the Grand Master of the Masons.

The Rev. T. Wigmore, the Secretary, said he had been a party to the admission of Mr. Cockerill,having seconded the original motion made by Mr.Garrett. Major Schaw's statement seemed to infer hat Mr. Cockerill had been admitted by surreptitious menus ; he denied any such imputation.The rules had been complied with, except that the use of the ballot-box had been deemed unnecessary,when there was neither opposition expressed or apprehended. As, however, it should never be said he was a party to anything unfair or irregular, he should vote for Major Schaw's motion, but distinctly pledging himself to support Mr. Cockerill's re-admission on a future occasion.

The original motion was carried, Messrs; Wig-more and Schaw, the Chief Constable, the Police Clerk, and another voting for it-and only Messrs.Hidl and Garrett for the amendment.

It was then moved by Mr. Hall, seconded by Mr. Garrett

" That Mr. Cockerill should be re-elected a member, and he would be .ballotted for according to the regulations nt the next meeting, when it was hoped the majority of the Society would be present, to express their sentiments on such au important question-at all events they would know what was to be agitated-they would not be taken by surprise, and defeated by a ruse."

'After the arrangement of some other unimportant business, the Mèeting was adjourned until Wednesday, the 15th instant.

Adjourned Annual Meeting, held in the Library,

15/Ä September, 1841 ;

WILLIAM CLARK, ES«., J.P., in the Chair.

The Secretary read the minutes of last meeting.Mr. Hall said that, as there were now present so many members who were not present at the last meeting, it was necessary to give some explanation of the minutes just read. He criticised,'-at great length and in keen language; the, whole proceedings in reference to the question' of the exclusion of Emancipists, and handled the matter so ably,that not an individual stepped forward to combat his arguments. A great deal of disorderly interruption took place, which the Chairman had some difficulty in quelling ; but the speaker seemed to be too well master of his subject, and too well used to such common-place attempts to drown argu-ment in riot,- to be the least put out. The Librarian felt his position so uncomfortable,- after Mr. Hall's expose, and the part he had taken in supporting his official superior's exclusive motion(he being Police Clerk), that ho resigned his office and left the meeting, thereby anticipating a motion prepared by an Independent Alehiber of no party,the currying of which would have rendered his resignation necessary. Another member also retired.When the ballot took place, the result was_thirteen votes (exclusive of two proxies tendered and refused) for the admission of Mr. Cockerill,and two only against it. The announcement by the Chairman of this overwhelming majority, on the side of justice and liberality, was followed by around of applause. 

Mr. Wilkinson, the new School master, was then ballotted for, and was admitted without an opposiug vote. The Treasurer's accounts were next audited-the Treasurer thanked

for his past service, and re-elected-the same with respect to the Secretary. Mr. Hall was unani-mously elected Librarian. 

The following gentlemen were nominated a Committee to do the business of tile Society for the ensuing six months :

ARCHIBALD M'DOWALL, Treasurer REV. THOMAS WIGMORE, Secretary. S. HALL, Libraría»JOHN CLARK (J.P.)

F. S. HORSE

WM. ALLARDÏCE

' THOS. WILKINSON. Messrs. Wigmore, Garrett, and Hall were then:appointed a Committee to revise the whole of the laws of the Society ; and, after a vote of thanks to the Chairman for his able and impartial conduct,the meeting broke up.

From the above reports, it is quite clear that the Secretary handled his duties correctly and within his lawful guidelines.  It is also quite clear that many members had no idea of meeting procedures, and there was a definite bias being displayed against poor Mr Cockrill.

It should be remembered that Rev Thomas Wigmore was no stranger to meeting procedures, as his time in Ireland revealed.

Unfortunately there seemed to be from that moment, a definite plot to cause problems, and the one person in their sights was Rev Thomas Wigmore.

Colonial Times Tuesday 21 September 1841

The Cornwall Chronicle (Launceston, Tas. : 1835 - 1880), Saturday 2 October 1841

Bothwell, 8th October, 

This day about 12 o'clock Dr. Hall and I saw Mr. Wigmore passing along a street leading from the library with two books belonging to the library under his arm ; we immediately repaired to the library room, when we found the door wrenched open, the box head of the lock being broken. 

Major Schaw was sitting reading a book at the head of the room. The librarian, Dr. Hall, who is responsible for the library, asked Mr. Redmond, chief district constable, who was standing close by, who broke open the library door? Redmond replied, "find that out." His bearing towards Dr. Hall, was insolent.

We proceeded to examine the library, where two volumes were missing; Mr. Wigmore entered the library under great excitement, took one of the books of the library- "asked Mr. Redmond for paper to take notes-tore up some paper belonging to the society for that purpose-talked about the Archdeacon solemn subject-have me before him, will they?" 

Dr. Hall requested Mr. Wigmore to allow him to see the number of the volume of the Pop. Cyclopaedia he had got; Mr. Wigmore replied-" I will not, the book is occupied-you deserve no courtesy from me, you dirty swab-did you hear that? Oh, you have ears that are very convenient-don't you think so ? The latter person pave a horse laugh.

 Mr. Wigmore said-"if you don't behave yourselves I'll burn you both. Soon after a padlock was put upon the door. 

It now appears that Major Schaw, A.P.M., and the Rev. Thomas Wigmore lately expelled the society for neglect of duty and outrageous conduct, have taken possession of the library, to the exclusion  of the librarian and the society at large

J. Garrett, Secretary, pro tenu. (Signed) E. S. Hall, Librarian.

Such goings on!!!!!

Tuesday 12 October 1841

The article was too large, so is in two parts.

Hobart "Courier"  22 Oct 1841 :

"The requisition calling the meeting was about to be read by the Chairman, when the Reverend Mr. Wigmore rose, and with great violence of manner protested against the meeting, saying: " He would acknowledge no Chairman; that he had come there for the purpose of opposing the meeting ; to prevent, by every means in his power, the business thereof being proceeded in that he would use no violence but the violence of language, and that he would prove it (the requisition) to be the act of one or two creatures." 

Upon being called to order, and reminded that his conduct was most unbecoming, he replied: "Hold your tongue, sir; a clergyman must defend himself against such men as you are. I am outrageous, and shall continue to be outrageous, as 1 am determined the business shall not proceed", and using the most insulting and threatening language to every gentleman present. Major Schaw then rushed into the room,anil said in a furious tone of voice, addressing himself to the society, "If you make a riot here, under the roof of the police office, I shall  call in the police, turn you all out, and take possession of the room in the name of the Government." He did not stay however to be informed from the chair that Mr. Wigmore was the only person in the room who was making a riot, but went out immediately.

The requisition, however, was read, in spite of the uproar thus occasioned by Mr. Wigmore, and which he kept up by every sort of interruption he could think of, and when called to order replied : I set all authority at defiance, you are an absolute banditti." Here the chairman called for the interference of the chief district constable, who was present, but he declined acting.

A correspondence between Mr. M'Dowall, treasurer, and the secretary, Mr. Wigmore, was laid on the table and read; from which it appeared that Mr. Wigmore had declined giving an extract of a minute of the society, authorising the payment of a certain sum of money to a member who had advanced it for the benefit of the society, as was his duty as secretary to have done. It also appeared that Mr. Wigmore, as secretary, refused to call a meeting of the society, in terms of a requisition addressed to him by a quorum of the committee, for the purpose of bringing his conduct under the notice of the society; this being the case, and taken in connexion with certain publications in the newspapers bearing Mr. Wigmore's name, reflecting upon the society, and also his degrading and outrageous conduct during the whole of the proceedings, it was unanimously resolved that he should be expelled the society.

Moved by by Mr. Roderick M'Kenzie, and seconded by Mr Edward Nicholas-
"That the Rev. Thomas Wigmore's name he erased from the list of members, in consequence of his outrageous conduct." Carried unanimously, and erased accordingly.

During this part of the proceedings Mr. Wigmore said : "You are putting that paper (the motion) into the hands of a man who promised me not to attend, or to take any part in the proceedings of this day; "asking, at the same time, tauntingly, " Whether Mr. M'Kenzie could read? Whether there was any more dirty work for him to do? and whether he had paid his subscription?" Here he called someone a liar;" and said, "I'll  not say like a clergyman, for you have made me unfrock myself."

Moved by Mr. Horne, and seconded by Mr. Tod- "That Mr. Allardyce be elected secretary in the room of Mr. Wigmore." Carried unanimously.

Moved by Mr. Edward Nicholas, and seconded by Mr. Cockerill-

"That Mr. Tod be elected a member of the committee in the room of the late secretary " Elected accordingly.

The secretary was instructed from the chair to write to Mr. Wigmore without delay, requesting him to deliver up the records of the society. Mr. Wigmore replied: " There is no use in writing; I'll not do it; 1 do avow that it is a horrible, a revolting sight, to see men that I have heard reviling one another brought together to work like tame bullocks for the purpose of persecuting one poor individual." 

When called to order, he said to Mr. Horne : "You are a poor pitiful wretch" and to Capt. Clark, "Who is to believe for a moment what that man says? In this manner did he continue to utter the most provoking and insulting expressions to every gentleman present,
concluding by addressing himself to Mr. John Clark, of Cluny : "What an excellent actor you are John .You were made for the stage You drew aside the veil, and you have seen through me. We have the two cleverest men in the island in the society "Dr. Hall, the librarian, was instructed from the chair to take possession of the key of the library, and not to give it to any one without the authority of the society.

Moved by John Clark, Esq., and seconded by F. S. Horne, Esq -" That the thanks of the society be given to A. M'Dowall, Esq., for his able and impartial conduct in the chair". Carried unanimously.

J. Garrett, Secretary, pro tem.
Members Present. Captain Clark, J.P.; A. M'Dowall; John Clark, J. P.; Dr. Hall; Rev. J. Garrett; John Tod; F. S. Horne; Rev. Thomas Wigmore; Edward Nicholas; Roderick M'Kenzie; H. M. Cockerill; - Redmond."

Not quite sure if that was a "legal" meeting!  Nothing can just be erased from a legal meeting!

In 1842 he was again mentioned for not agreeing to conduct a funeral service on a drunk!

But things did not get any better.

Hobart "Courier"  24 Mar 1843 :
"JUSTIFICATION of the Character and Conduct of the Rev. Thomas Wigmore, Chaplain of Bothwell.
It is intended to publish, with as little delay as possible, and to circulate (gratis) a Pamphlet under the above title, with a short address to the lovers of truth and justice.
The avowed abject is to show that the persecutions of Mr. Benjamin Horne, of Ross, and his son, Mr. Francis Sharpe Horne, of Bothwell, were unprovoked in their origin, malignant in their continuance for more than eighteen months, and, now that they are drawing to a close, ruinous to me in their issue, driving me with a wife and seven children to the verge of beggary.
The Sheriff of Van Diemen' Land is now in possession of all my worldly goods  and within a few short days will submit them to public competition under the stroke of his official hammer.
Bothwell, March 22."

Hobart "Courier"    30 Aug 1844 :

"The Bishop of Tasmania- A correspondent sends us an idle  rumour, and asks if it be true, to the effect that his lordship having been asked by Mr. Wigmore for the reasons of his dismissal, had declined to allege any; and that on this another reverend gentleman had addressed the Bishop to the effect that if clergymen were to be dismissed without having the reasons assign, their case was one of grossest bondage. 

May 1845

"CLERICAL ACTION.-We hear from authority which we cannot doubt that the Rev. Thomas Wigmore, who was lately deprived of his privileges as a Clergyman of the Church of England by the Lord Bishop of Tasmania, has resorted to legal measures against his lordship, to recover, if possible, his former position. It is expected that this very important and interesting case will come on during the March sittings. The talents of the most able counsel afforded by this colony have been engaged on either side. This singular trial will, we presume, decide the extent of his lordship's powers under his letters patent, upon which no doubt his lordship will rely"

Hobart "Courier"  27 Sep 1845 :
"To the Clergy and Benevolent Laity of Van Diemen's Land.
TORN from all that are dear to me on earth, a wife and eight children, I sail for London this day.
To meet the expenses of this painful and perilous voyage, I am compelled to devote all the resources at my command. During our separation I charge the care of my dear family on you. 

Brought up with frugality, they require but little. For that little I cast them on your bowels of mercy, and with the Lord's blessing on my efforts for redress, will repay all with gratitude and thanks.

Thos. WIGMORE, Clerk.
Hobart Town, Sept 25. 

Life didn't get any better for Rev Thomas Wigmore, and by 1844, Mr Cockrill, that very same man that he supported in 1841, is clearly having his own private "war" with Thomas.

Truth be known Thomas is probably quite riled at his treatment, he is now facing bankruptcy, his lands and animals are being sold, and then he is involved in the sale of his

turnips!

There are always some surprises when researching, and none other than one of my Montagu Cousins, who was Secretary to the Colonial Secretary, also represented Rev Thomas Wigmore, in a case against the Lord Bishop of Tasmania, who withdrew his services.

The argument was that the Bishop did not have the authority or power to do so.

And the letter is in the National Library.

1845, English, Book edition: Vindication of the character and conduct of the Rev. T. Wigmore ... : in a letter, addressed to the Lord Bishop of Tasmania, with a preface to the public. Wigmore, T., active 1844-1845.

Bookmark: http://trove.nla.gov.au/version/14417602

Physical Description

·         32 p. ; 24 cm.

Published

·         Hobart Town : John Moore, 1845.

Language

·         English

·         Vindication of the character and conduct of the Rev. T. Wigmore ... : in a letter, addressed to the Lord Bishop of Tasmania, with a preface to the public.

Author

·         Wigmore, T., active 1844-1845.

Other Authors

·         Church of England. Diocese of Tasmania. Bishop (1842-1863 : Nixon)

Published

·         Hobart Town : John Moore, 1845.

Physical Description

But his troubles did not end there, on the return to England, he was involved in a disagreement on the ship.  Seems that comments regarding the teetotalistic approach adopted by members of religious orders caused the disagreement.

Back in London he was re-instated to his position in October 1846.

He took his case to the House of Commons in 1850

The Vindication of Rev Thomas Wigmore 

Thursday 6 February 1851

From the Clergy of Cork Cloyne and Ross:

WIGMORE. THOMAS. Deacon, 29 Sept., 1819, and Priest, 14 August, 1825, both at Cloyne. He appears, in 1823, as Curate of Cove (Clonmel;, and on 20 Dec., 1827, was licensed to the curacy of Lisgoold and Ballycarana.

The following are among the Marriage Bonds of Cloyne :-" 1824. Rev. Thomas Wigmore, of Midleton, and Ellen Welland, of Killeagh Farm."-" 1837. Rev. Thomas Wigmore, of Cork city, and Mary A. Wilkinson, of Barnabrow."




After reinstatement, and a time in London, it appears that Thomas returned to his family home in Cork.  From the research of his various extended family members, all seemed to live on the family lands.

http://midletonheritage.com/


By 1855 he was back as Vicar of Midleton.

He may have been staying with his brother William and sister, both who did not marry.

3.  Mary Ann Wigmore was born c 1804 and she did not marry. 

4.  William Henry Wigmore was born around 1806, in Ballyvodock Midleton in Cork.

HOUSE: BALLYVODOCK

Estate(s):	Wigmore Brodrick (Midleton)
Property/House name:	Ballyvodock
Description:	Thomas Wigmore occupied this house in the mid 19th century. He held it from the representatives of Viscount Midleton and it was valued at £9+.
Townland:	Ballyvodock West	Map data ©2016 Google Terms of Use Report a map error Map Satellite
Civil Parish:	Mogeesha
Poor Law Union:	Middleton
DED:	Middleton Rural 268
Barony:	Barrymore
County:	Cork
OS Sheet Number:	76
OSI Grid Reference:	W853 708

.

22nd June 1855, William Neill pleaded guilty to stealing one and three pence from his master, Mr Thomas Wigmore vicar Midleton.

Mr William H. Wigmore stated that the prisoner had been sent for half a ton of coal, for which he got 11s - that he came back and gave six pence change, saying that the coal was cheaper

In 1858 he was awarded 10 pounds from a contractor for the malicious burning of a house in the parish of Mogeeshy.  He may have been the vicar at the Parish Church.

Dublin 3 March 1862  He had his money stolen while at the Midleton Show.

At the Cork Agricultural Society Show, in 1868, he won a prize for a Dutch bull bred by Thomas Wigmore of Ballyvodick, Midleton

In 1870 all three died.

Thomas died on 10th August 1870 in Midleton in Cork.

His brother William died 15th January 1870 in Midleton, Cork.

His sister Mary Ann Wigmore died 22nd February 1870 in Midleton Cork.

He had been a Minister for almost 50 years, a remarkable achievement, 

Next time you visit Ireland, perhaps you will be lucky enough to stumble on a grave in one of the many old cemeteries, like this one at Ballynocorra in Cork, of one of your Wigmore ancestors.