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This website, first posted in February 2006, describes the genealogy of two initially unrelated Irish Berry families. It deals chiefly with the descendants of Thomas Berry (c. 1670-c.1730) and who is the earliest member of this Berry lineage for whom I have definite documentary evidence. This family, originally based at Knockerville Townland, Killucan Parish, Co. Westmeath and later Eglish Castle, King's Co., I have termed the “Eglish Family” (see map below). Genetic testing indicates that it is descended from a Nordic founder who probably arrived in Ireland between about 800-1100 C.E. One of my ancestors must have converted to Protestantism from his Hiberno-Norse Catholicism, probably in order to avoid the numerous English enactments of the 16th and 17th C. that penalized Catholics, and the family thereby gained acceptance into the Protestant Ascendancy Class. (see https://sites.google.com/site/irishberrygenealogy/before-ireland?authuser=0 .

The first record of the other Berry family was in 1659, when John Berry was registered in the census at Clonhane, in King’s County. Clonhane later became known as Dove Grove and I refer to this family as the “Dove Grove Family”. In 1759, Thomas Berry (1737-1815) of the Eglish family married Frances Berry (1743-1807) of the Dove Grove Family. In 1776 this (now combined) Berry family acquired a country house called Eglish Castle, and had extensive land holdings in the Barony of Eglish and elsewhere in the vicinity. Eglish Castle and associated land was sold about 100 years later by Thomas’ grandson, Rev. William Berry (1850-1920) under the Irish Land Acts (see page on Eglish Castle). Descendants of my Eglish Berry family persist in Ireland, most former British Colonies and are most numerous in the USA. The only descendants of the Dove Grove Family I am aware of with the Berry surname live in the USA.

My Eglish family genealogy and what I know about the Dove Grove family is summarized in two trees, which also show the intermarriages between the families (see https://sites.google.com/site/irishberrygenealogy/eglish-berry-tree?authuser=0 and https://sites.google.com/site/irishberrygenealogy/dovegrove-berry-tree?authuser=0 . In the case of the Eglish Family a large number of branches resulted from the fact that the second Thomas Berry (1737-1815) had 16 children, 11 of whom left descendants. I have therefore dealt with the descendants of each of these 11 children on separate web pages as they gave rise to several major family branches, some of which persist to the present.

Two Coachman’s maps from Taylor and Skinner’s Maps of the Roads of Ireland surveyed 1777, showing Eglish Castle and Church, residence of Barry (sic ) Esqr. (top left of map 86) and Duff grove (sic ), residence of Berry Esqr. (bottom left of map 87). (Zoom to enlarge).

My interest in my family history stems from embarrassment as a child about my second name ‘Fleetwood’. This embarrassment was not shared by my own children, thanks to the pop band “Fleetwood Mac”, which apparently made it a ‘cool’ name to have. Later I became intrigued as to its origins and pervasiveness as a name among our family, with no satisfactory explanation proffered except a vague family legend that ‘Fleetwood’ conferred evidence of our descent from Oliver Cromwell. It turns out that this is a fiction, along with descent from a John Berry of Middleton, Wales, who disinherited his son for marrying a Catholic. We are actually descended from Thomas Fleetwood of Kilbeggan, Co. Westmeath, whose ancestor was a Royalist uncle of Cromwell’s Lord Deputy. There is no credible documentary evidence for existence of a John Berry of Middleton. Wales and the disinheritance myth was probable created to enhance the family's Protestant credentials - see page Thomas Berry I .

My interest also stems from the persistence of an Irish identity within my family, despite my father (Guy Berry) being three generations removed from an Irish-born ancestor. My father joined the 1st South African Irish Regiment as a Medical Officer in WWII and served in Abyssinia and North Africa, culminating in the battle of Sidi Rezegh. He and my grandfather (Fleetwood Berry) before him, were both honorary medical officers for Nazareth House in Yeoville, Johannesburg which was a Roman Catholic Institution, and which I remember to have had a strong representation of Irish nuns. My Dad died in the care of the nuns of Nazareth House. While studying Medicine at Guy's Hospital, London, my grandfather regularly visited relatives in Ireland, including his g.g. uncle, Rev. Thomas Sterling Berry, Bishop of Killaloe. Then of course there is my name, "Patrick", not to mention the fact that I have known a succession of seven Irish Terriers in our family!

Much of the information presented is based on the prodigious genealogical research of Dr Lorton Wilson (1879-1958), who married Kathleen Emily Berry (and which presumably resulted in his particular interest in her Irish Berry family). The bulk of the original Wilson manuscripts are lodged in the library of the Irish Genealogical Research Society (I.G.R.S.) London. The I.G.R.S. recently made digitized copies of the manuscripts available on CD. This has enabled me to supplement information obtained earlier though the assistance of Peter Manning of the I.G.R.S. Other Wilson information was accessed from the Public Records Office of Northern Ireland and from a scroll owned by the Button family, which contains a handwritten Berry family tree constructed by Lorton Wilson. This scroll, which probably represents a summary of his manuscripts, consists of 15 joined sheets of paper each measuring 68cm long by 43cm wide and is over 10m in total length! Unless otherwise stated, the source for the information presented here is the relevant Lorton Wilson manuscript, or the scroll.

The primary object of this project is to elicit input in the form of further information, biographical material and comment, particularly from descendants of these Berry families. I would ideally like to include for each individual at least dates, country of residence and occupation. However, biographical information would be welcome (and desirable for the sake of interest). Information provided will not be posted without the provider’s consent. Correction of errors would be welcomed – Lorton Wilson’s handwriting (and typewriting) is not always legible. He used abbreviations liberally, particularly for military ranks and affiliations, many of which are unknown to me. I have used a ? in instances where I have not been able to decipher what he has written. However, I will have made some errors in interpretation.

Another important objective is to use DNA testing to determine the origin of my I-M253 haplogroup Berry family between about 300 years ago when my EKA was first recorded in Ireland, to about 700 years ago when surnames came into general use. I would very much like to hear from anyone with the Berry/Bury surname, particularly living in or originating from Ireland or the UK, who has done a Y-chromosome DNA test, or would be prepared to do one. It has been a frustration that, compared with Americans, few Berrys from Ireland or the UK appear to have done DNA testing to determine their origins and those who have tend to do the popular autosomal tests, most of which do not provide a haplotype prediction and are not informative for the time scale I am looking at ( > 10 generations). I suspect this is because they generally know who their ancestors are and where they lived and don't have to resort to Y-DNA testing like us ex-Colonials! For more about origins of my family see https://sites.google.com/site/irishberrygenealogy/before-ireland?authuser=0 .

The project is also intended to be a tangible tribute to Lorton Wilson, who’s prodigious genealogical research made it possible. The fact that he went to considerable lengths to record his research and to ensure that it was lodged in appropriate libraries in England and Ireland indicates that he wanted it to be used by others. The internet enabled me to discover the existence of Lorton Wilson and his work. It seemed appropriate therefore, not only to make my compilation on Berry genealogy available on the www, but also to include a biography on him. A short factual account of his life has already been given by Giles Armstrong in his Hallows Genealogy website. It has been my intention to obtain and add some more personal information about Lorton Wilson on this site. This has been facilitated through contact with his descendants, James, Christopher and Andrew Button and particularly his daughter, Ethne.

Recent additions and updates

In 2023 a total of 17 members of our I-BY184065 Berry family have done the Big-Y test. On the basis of these results I now believe that our Irish Berry family is more likely to be descended from a Nordic founder who arrived in Ireland between about 800-1100 C.E. than from a founder associated with the Cromwellian settlement by English Protestant soldiers and Merchant Adventurers in the 17th C. ( See https://sites.google.com/site/irishberrygenealogy/before-ireland?authuser=0 ).

In November 2022 Cameron Berry upgraded his 111 marker Y-DNA test to a Big-Y. The result was a match with me and establishment of a new subclade on the Human Y-haplotree (I-FT75939) that distinguishes the descendant line of our eka, Thomas Berry (c.1670-c.1730) from the parent haplogroup I-BY184065 that is the "signature" terminal SNP of our Berry family.

In March 2022 I came across the abstract of the will of a Thomas Berry of Castlecuffe, Queen's Co. dated 1673. This has led me to make the hypothesis that this Thomas was the father of my eka, Thomas Berry, whose origin has long been a mystery. See the "Before Ireland" webpage.

This site was transferred to the new Google site template in August 2020. As a result links within pages no longer work. I apologize for all the scrolling this now necessitates.

In August 2020, transcripts of Berry family letters written to Robert Fleetwood Berry were added.

In July 2019 my Big-Y results were completed and by January 2020 a total of 5 people in the Berry DNA Project had tested (see "Before Ireland").

In April 2019 the "Before Ireland" page was again revised and a tribute to Carol Vass was added.

In May 2018 I revised the "Before Ireland" page to review and discuss the close genetic connection between my Eglish branch of the family and the founder members of the "Augusta/Washington Co." branch of the family in America. I am grateful to Carol Vass, Jim Jackson and Julie Berry for information on Presbyterianism and the early American Berry family.

In April 2017 I was contacted by Dr Richard Berry who dispelled my conclusion that the Dovegrove Berry family was probably extinct in the male line by providing information on the existence of a line of this family in the USA. Further information has been provided by Stephanie (Lockwood) Berry, which includes the R-L21 haplotype result from a Y-DNA test of a family member.

In August 2013, corrections were made to the place and date of death for Sophia Berry (Tomlinson) and to the order of birth of her children. I am grateful to Terence O'Connor for providing the correct information.

In March 2013 I added the DNA haplotype of another Berry with a long family history in Devon to the Before Ireland page.

In September 2011 I made my first ever visit to Ireland and Eglish where I took the oportunity to draw a plan of the Berry burial enclosure and record all the gravestone incriptions (see the Eglish Castle page which has been updated). I also sketched floor plans of the Eglish Castle/house. A highlight of my visit was locating and photographing 26 letters written between 1795 and 1800 to Robert Berry, mostly by his mother Frances and older sister, Hester Smith, but also from his father, Thomas and brother, Sterling. Robert, aged 17, was away from home at the time, serving an apprenticeship in the linen trade in Liverpool.

Information needed

Information is needed on the English/Scottish origins of both the Eglish and Dovegrove Berry families. I would be interested to hear from any Berrys with an English or Scottish pedigree and who have done a y-chromosome DNA test.

Acknowledgements

Finally, I wish to acknowledge the following people who have contributed information used here:

The Button family - Andrew, Ethne, Christopher and James Button, as well as Ann Anderson (née Button) for access to information, documentation and images of portraits in their possession. The images of Thomas Berry and the Berry arms are courtesy of Ann.

Cameron Berry and Charles Berry for information on the Canadian branch of the family.

Gordon and Theresa Berry for information on the New Zealand branch of the family, as well as images of portraits and photographs in their possession. The image of Sterling Berry is courtesy of Gordon and Theresa.

Robert B. D. Hughes for additional information on the Homan-Mulock descendants.

Douglas Berry and Bruce Trewin who contributed additional information on the descendants of Marlborough Parsons Berry.

Nick Reddan copied the Lorton Wilson manuscript on Robert Fleetwood Berry for me.

Christina Sterling-Berry provided information on her family.

Julie Jewell provided additional information on the Victorian descendants of William Winslow Berry, as did Alison Thomson, Stanley Berry and David Berry.

Patricia David (née Hetherington) kindly supplied photographs of Eglish Castle.

Fleet Berry provided a copy Natalie Berry’s family genealogy.

Kathy Cottam (Dillon) sourced new information on Marlborough Simon Berry and his descendants and provided the image of him.

Nancy Sparks (Frank) provided additional information on the descendants of Alicia Frances Fetherstonhaugh.

Andrew Gauntley and Kevin Marriott provided additional information on the Marriott family.

William Willis and Mary Hyndman contributed information and images of members of the Dovegrove Berry family.

Sam and Robert Alexander, present owners of Eglish, for their hospitality and for their assistance with exploring Eglish Castle/house and interpreting my floor plans.

Brian Pey for photographing a watercolour painting of Eglish now in the possession of Mrs Pat Alexander and Lorraine Wilson for painting the copy of Brian's photograph for me.

Leslie Parsons for additional information on the descendants of Basil John Marriott.

Richard Parry-Jones for additional photos and information on descendants of Marlborough Parsons Berry.

Dr Richard Berry for contacting me with information about the existence of the Dovegrove Berry family in the USA.

Stephanie Berry for access to her website on the USA Dovegrove Berry descendants.

Alison Florence Berry for additional information and corrections made to the Marlborough Parsons Berry page in Jan. 2019

Geoff Blackburn, Administrator of the FTDNA Berry DNA Project, for much helpful advice on Y-DNA testing.

Rob Spencer, for assistance with his clustering utility see http://scaledinnovation.com/gg/gg.html?nm=tools

Ronald G. Berry, for contacting me with his family tree linking to the Devon Berry family, and his Y-DNA results.

William Thomas Floyd and his son, George Sterling Floyd for information on the floyd descendants of Sarah Eliza Berry in Ontario, Canada.

Bruce Trewin for transcribing the Berry Letters - an extremely difficult and tedious task.

The Tullamore Library, Offaly for making available the Berry letters lodged there by Lt. Col. F. E Nangle.

Ryan Berry, for drawing my attention to the records of a James Berry in the 1703 Killucan Church Vestry Minutes.

Brett Berry, for discussions and information about "Pennsylvanian John" Berry and Thomas Berry of Castlecuffe .

Marc Wauthy, for discussions about the Ancient DNA and SNP evidence for migration of my I-BY184065 haplogroup Berry family to Ireland.

Contact

I can be contacted on: padfleetberry“at”gmail.com [To be typed using the usual email symbol for “at”.]

Bibliography

Anon. 1881. ed. Frederic Thomas Colby. The Visitation of the County of Devon In the Year 1564.

Anon. ed. Joseph Jackson and Frederick Arthur Crisp: Visitation of Ireland.

Bewley, Sir Edmund T. (1877-1921): An Irish branch of the Fleetwood family. The Genealogist xxiv :217-241

Bewley, Sir Edmund T. (Ed) 1908. Some Royal Descents of The Families of Fleetwood, Berry, and Homan-Mulock. 15pp. Printed for private circulation by Ponsonby & Gibbs, University Press, Dublin.

Church of Ireland. The representative Church Body Library. Clerical Succession Lists of the Church of Ireland.

Claude Beddington, Mrs. 1929. All That I Have Met. 286pp. Published by Cassell and Company Ltd.

Clergy of Dublin and Glendalough Biographical Succession Lists by Canon J.B. Leslie and revised, edited and updated by W.J.R. Wallace.

Crockford’s Clerical Directory 1898.

Clow (Berry), Natalie Kathleen. 1996. Geneology of Reverend John Berry 1858-1921 (including his ancestors and descendants).

Pey, Brian (ed) 2003. Eglish and Drumcullen A Parish in Firceall. 435pp. Published by Firceall Heritage Group.

Wilson, L.A. Unpublished manuscripts lodged with the Irish Genealogical Research Society, London and the Public Records Office, Northern Ireland.

Usefull Links

FTDNA Berry DNA Project

https://www.familytreedna.com/public/berry/default.aspx?section=yresults

https://www.familytreedna.com/public/berry?iframe=ycolorized

http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~langolier/BerryDNA/dna_home.html

Hallowes Genealogy

http://www.hallowesgenealogy.co.uk/hgintro.htm

Irish Genealogical Research Society

http://www.igrsoc.org/

Somerset Venn Genealogy

http://sites.google.com/site/somersetvenngenealogy/home/genealogy