Dane of Killyhevlin

THE DANES OWNED 716 ACRES OF LAND IN COUNTY FERMANAGH

JOHN DANE left England and was settled at Enniskillen, County Fermanagh, where he was church warden.

He married Mary, daughter of Peter Weldon, and had issue,

PAUL;
Richard;
Elisabeth; Anne; Catherine.

Mr Dane died in 1678, and was succeeded by his eldest son,

PAUL DANE (1647-1745), of Killyhevlin, County Fermanagh, Provost of Enniskillen, 1687-90, who wedded firstly, Elizabeth, daughter of Christopher Martin, and had issue,

JOHN, of whom hereafter;
Paul.

Paul Dane

He espoused secondly, in 1680, Eliza, daughter of the Rt Rev Joseph Story, Lord Bishop of Kilmore, and had further issue,

Christopher;
Martin (Rev);
William;
Paul;
Richard;
Thomas (Rev), Curate of Tynan;
Mary; Margaret; Catherine; Wilhelmina; Elisabeth; Jane; Eleanor.

Mr Dane was present at the battle of the Boyne.

WILLIAM III presented him with two pictures of himself and QUEEN MARY, now in Enniskillen Town Hall.

He was succeeded by his eldest son,

JOHN DANE (1670-1742), of Killyhevlin, who wedded, in 1734, Elizabeth, daughter of James Auchinleck, of Thomastown, County Fermanagh, by Elizabeth his wife, daughter of Colonel James Corry, of Castle Coole, and had issue,

PAUL, his heir;
Elisabeth; Sarah.

Mr Dane served in Brigadier Wolseley's Regiment of Horse, and subsequently abroad under the Duke of Marlborough, who gave him a jewelled sword.

He was succeeded by his son,

PAUL DANE, of Killyhevlin, who wedded, ca 1769, Margaret Swords (who remarried after his decease), and had issue,

RICHARD, his heir;
William, a military officer;
James, of Dromard;
John, a military officer;
Paul, Ensign in Tyrone Militia;
Christopher, of Enniskillen;
Alexander, died young;
Catherine, m Dr Trimble;
Elisabeth, m Captain Willis.

Mr Dane died in 1800, and was succeeded by his eldest son,

RICHARD DANE JP DL (1770-1842), of Killyhevlin, High Sheriff of County Fermanagh, 1816, Provost of Belturbet, who espoused, in 1809, Anna, daughter of the Rev Alexander Auchinleck, of Lisgoole Abbey, Rector of Rossory, County Fermanagh, and had issue,

Paul (1810-73), dsp; High Sheriff of County Fermanagh, 1849;
Somerset (1810-42), physician in the Army;
Richard Martin (Dr);
WILLIAM AUCHINLECK, of whom presently;
Alexander, died young;
Armar Lowry-Corry (1825-6);
Daniel Elden (1828-33);
John (1831-33);
Juliana; Anna Maria; Eva; Henrietta; Margaret.

Mr Dane, agent to the Earl of Belmore, was succeeded by his fourth son,

WILLIAM AUCHINLECK DANE (1816-73), of Killyreagh, County Fermanagh, and 37, Rutland Square, Dublin, a solicitor, Sub-Sheriff of Fermanagh, 1849, who married, in 1846, Sarah, youngest daughter of Benjamin Friel Foster, 46th Regiment, of Drumloo, County Monaghan, and had issue,

Paul (1847-89);
Benjamin Friel Foster (Rev);
Richard Martin (1852-1903), MP, judge;
JAMES WHITESIDE, of whom hereafter;
Elisabeth; Florence; Anna; Sarah Gertrude.

Mr Dane was succeeded by his fourth son,

JAMES WHITESIDE DANE MBE DL (1856-1925), of Castle Warden, Naas, County Kildare, and Bonnybrook, County Fermanagh, a solicitor, Clerk of the Crown and Peace for County Kildare, who died unmarried.

*****

John Dane was one of the "Forty-five Officers," and in 1647-8 John Dane of Hambledon or Hambleton (Devon) came to Ulster, having been assessed by the Irish Committees.

According to family tradition he was a Captain of Dragoons.

The first affirmative evidence of his connection with Enniskillen is in the foregoing note, and shortly afterwards he signed the minutes of the Vestry on 17th July, 1666; and on the 23rd March, 1667, "John Deane was chosen Church Warden of that Parish," and "1668, May 24, in ye room of John Deane there was chosen Churchwarden Philip Browning on behalf of ye Corporation."

On authority of the answer of Sir Michael Cole and John Cole, his son, to an Exchequer Bill filed by Paul Dane in 1710, we find that his father, John, married Mary, daughter of Peter Veldon of Enniskillen, and that the latter gave as her marriage portion two acres in Enniskillen and a house and tenement, known as "Burchill's Burgage Tenements and Backside."

Burchill's house was the second residence on the left-hand side of Water Lane and Mr Dane's was below it.

Mr Dane's name is returned in the Hearth Money Rolls, 1666, as one of eight persons out of some 84 who owned two hearths, the remainder of the householders only having one.

In his will of 1678 he mentions his son Paul to whom he left his "brick house."

He was buried in Enniskillen on the 5th February, 1678.

John Dean, Deane, or Dane, seems to have been known by each of these names, but after him the name Dane was regularly used.

Paul was the eldest of several children, but it is intended in this notice only to deal with the lineal descendants of Paul, who would appear to have been married three times, and it was he who was Provost (chief magistrate) of Enniskillen, during the ever-memorable defence of the Town in 1688-90.

Like many others of the day, he appears at first to have been opposed to refusing admission to the troops of JAMES II, and no doubt was nervous about doing so, owing to the fact that he was Provost, and as such was the supreme authority of the town; as Magistrate responsible to the King; and the fact that some of the principal gentry about were opposed to such action may have influenced him.

But once the townspeople decided to refuse admission to JAMES II's troops, it is clear from many authorities that he joined in this movement loyally, and did all in his power for the defence of Enniskillen and the cause of Protestantism, and of WILLIAM III, which is evidenced by the fact that he was not only Provost in 1688, but also in 1689 and 1690; and had he not been true to the town, there can be no doubt that he would not have been re-elected to that office in 1689 or again in 1690.

The following notice respecting him is from manuscripts in the British Museum:- Dane, Paul, Provost of Enniskillen, died 4 January, 1745, aged 98".

Paul Dane was Provost of that town for three consecutive years, during the late wars in the Kingdom, and did in the execution of his office such singular service to the Government in which he spent his private fortune as induced King William of immortal memory to send for him and to say that such of his family as were capable of serving the Government should be provided for.

According to family tradition he was present at the Battle of the Boyne. and after it was sent for, and personally thanked by King William for the part he had personally taken, and for the good work done by the populace of Enniskillen.

He had premises in Water Lane, Enniskillen, where he occupied a long frontage.

His house was burned on the 13th July, 1689, the day of the Battle of Kilmacormick, and by the Enniskilleners lest it should be of use to the Jacobites, and the late Earl of Belmore, who tried to locate his place of residence, inclined to the belief that it was somewhere about Tonystick.

Paul was Churchwarden of Enniskillen in 1698.

That he was a man of considerable position and substance is shown by the fact that he was awarded £1,503 compensation (about £300,000 today) as a suffering loyalist, a very large amount of money in those days, and it is recorded that his losses occasioned by the great fire in Enniskillen on Saturday, 2nd June, 1705, amounted to nearly £400.

How exactly he acquired the lands of Killyhevlin, Slee and Drumsna, and the eel weirs attached, situated about a mile out of Enniskillen, is not known, but it is believed that after the fire in Enniskillen he went to reside in the Cottage there, and he is described as "of Killyhevlin" in 1710.

The tradition of the family is that the thatched portion of the house, shown as covered with ivy, represents the original house, without, however, the kitchen apartments, which were to the rear of it and were subsequently removed and replaced by slated buildings.

Paul Dane appears to have transferred Killyhevlin to his eldest son, John, a considerable time before his own death, which occurred at Levaughey, the residence of his daughter, Mrs Margaret Ball in 1745.

He had a considerable family.

His son Christopher married Mary, daughter of Gustavus Hamilton of Monea Castle, Governor of Enniskillen, 1688-9, and he lived to see his son, the Rev Martin Dane, not only Curate of Enniskillen, 1726, but Rector of Robinstown, County Meath.

"The Provost," as he was called in the family, was buried in a vault under Enniskillen Church, and about April, 1876, the Sextoness of Enniskillen told one of his descendants that before the alteration of the Church about 1840, when the vault would appear to have been closed, she had seen his coffin.

John Dane, the eldest son of the Provost, who also, like his father, signed the Enniskillen address to WILLIAM III, was one of the original officers of, and served in, Brigadier Wolseley's Regiment of Horse, and was a lieutenant when "the Regiment was broken in 1698."

He subsequently fought under the great Duke of Marlborough in the Low Countries as a captain, and was presented by him with a jewelled sword, which unfortunately his widow did not preserve for the family, but sold for her own benefit.

John Dane married, in 1730, Elizabeth (died 1772), youngest daughter of Captain James Auchinleck, of Thomastown, and his wife Elizabeth, youngest daughter of Colonel James Corry, of Castle Coole, ancestor of the Belmore family.

He was Churchwarden of Enniskillen in 1732.

By his will he desired to be buried in Enniskillen Church, and thereby appointed as his executors Charles Grattan, of the Royal School, Enniskillen; Margetson Armour, of Castle Coole; and his brother, the Rev Thomas Dane.

He left two daughters and an only son, Paul, who succeeded to Killyhevlin.

John Dane signed the vestry minutes of Enniskillen in 1757, and on 5th November, 1783, was elected and sworn as a burgess and freeman of the Corporation of the Borough of Belturbet.

He married Margaret Swords, of Belturbet, County Cavan, and died on the 17th March, 1800, aged 68, and was buried in Enniskillen, apparently not under the Church, as there is a tomb stone in the yard, bearing the inscription ''erected to the memory of Paul Dane, Esq., who departed this life 17th March, 1800, aged 68, also his son Alexander, aged 13."

Mr Dane appointed as the Executors of his will, his sons Richard and Paul, Lord Belmore and Hugh Montgomery, of Castle Hume.

The latter, however, predeceased him.

Paul Dane left seven sons and two daughters: Richard Martin; William (1st Foot, Captain, 13th Regiment, believed to have been killed at Wexford during Rebellion); James, of Dromard; John, Captain of 6th Regiment of Foot, ADC to HRH The Duke of Gloucester, served in Ireland during the Rebellion and also in America; Paul, in Tyrone Militia; Christopher, died unmarried; Alexander, died young. And two daughters: Catherine, married Dr Trimble; and Elizabeth, who married Captain George Willis.

Richard Martin Dane succeeded to Killyhevlin; was appointed at least thirteen times a Church Warden of Enniskillen Parish; was a JP for the Counties of Fermanagh, Longford, Tyrone and Cavan; a Deputy Lieutenant for Fermanagh; and Provost of Belturbet every alternate year from 1810 until 1840, having been admitted a Burgess and Freeman ot the Corporation of that town 19th July, 1796.

He was a very retiring man but a good businessman, and added considerably to the family estate.

He served the office of High Sheriff of Fermanagh, 1816, was a frequent member of the Grand Jury, and, with Lord Belmore, was appointed by the Grand Jury as overseer to lay out and get made at least part of the main road from Enniskillen to Dublin.

Mr Dane married, in 1809, Anna, only daughter of Rev Alexander Auchinleck, of Lisgoole Abbey, Rector of Rossorry, and of his wife, Jane Eccles, great-niece of Galbraith Lowry-Corry, and a descendant of Daniel Eccles.

He left surviving him three sons and four daughters, and was succeeded by his eldest son, Paul Dane, born on the 5th July, 1810, who wedded Georgina Saunderson and died in Canada, 23rd October, 1872.

He, like his ancestors, was four times elected Church Warden of Enniskillen, and was for many years local Inspector of the gaol; a frequent member of the Grand Jury; a JP for Fermanagh.

He sold the eel weirs at Killyhevlin to improve the navigation of Lough Erne when it was removed to permit the lake bed being lowered between Killyhevlin and Drumsna; served as High Sheriff of Fermanagh, 1849.

Economy was not one of the many good qualities that he possessed.

The second son, Somerset Dane, a doctor in the army, died in 1842 when on service abroad in Demerara.

The third son, Dr Richard Martin Dane, Inspector-General.

William Auchinleck Dane, of Killyreagh, County Fermanagh, born 1816, was a solicitor and lived for some years at Bellanaleck, County Fermanagh; was Secretary, Fermanagh Grand Jury; Church Warden of Enniskillen, 1842; sub-Sheriff, 1849, the year his brother was High Sheriff, and was a keen politician, taking an active part in the Conservative interest in the politics of Enniskillen, and was largely instrumental in the return of James Whiteside QC, as member of the Borough of Enniskillen; was Grand Secretary of the Loyal Orange Institution, and one of those mainly responsible for the laws and constitutions under which that organisation still works.

He built the existing house at Killyreagh, which had been the property of his mother.

At the passing of the Irish Church Act he was elected by the members of Enniskillen Parish Church as one of the lay delegates to represent the Parish of Enniskillen in the General Convention of the Church, by which the future constitution of the Church was to be prepared, and whilst addressing the General Church Synod on 26th April, 1873, on the question of the Revision of the Prayer Book, he was struck down with apoplexy and died on the 28th April, 1873.

He was buried at Derryvullen, leaving four sons surviving him: Paul (1847-89), solicitor, practised at Ballyshannon, County Donegal, Clerk, Crown and Peace for County Wicklow; the Rev Benjamin Frith Foster Dane, some time on the stage and afterwards Clerk in Holy Orders; Richard Martin Dane, KC, County Court Judge for County Mayo, 1898-1903, died leaving James Auchinleck Dane DSO, Major, Royal Field Artillery, mentioned four times in Dispatches, fought continuously in France and Belgium from August 1914 to March 1918, when he was ''gassed."

James Whiteside Dane DL, born 22nd June, 1856, solicitor, 22nd June, 1878, Clerk Crown and Peace, County Kildare, March, 1889; served for some time as a Town Commissioner of Enniskillen; member of the Vestry, Enniskillen, 1877.

First published in September, 2016.