James McGann born 1831

James McGann was born about 1831 in Ireland and is my Great, Great, Great Grandad.

I have retrieved a Marriage Record for James and confirmed that our line traces back to this particular James McGann.

Marriage Index: December 1851; Volume 16, Page 595

I have recently requested a copy of the marriage certificate from Government House in the UK, and expect to receive that in the next 10 days.  Once I have the certificate, I can determine the Fathers of both James and Mary, their Dates of Birth, and Places of Birth.  This will help me trace their Irish origins and possibly their parents whereabouts at the time of their marriage.  It will also tell me where they were living before their wedding, their occupations and the occupations of their Fathers.

The next confirmed source citation I have retrieved is the 1871 Census.

1871 Census

This census record lists both James and Mary as born in Ireland, and their childrens names, ages and places of birth.  Henry McGann aged 14, is my Great, Great Grandad.


What is really interesting is the place they are living in as a family in 1871.  James and Mary were married in Warwickshire, three of their children (John, Henry and Maryan) were born in Warwickshire.  Their youngest three, (Thomas, Catherine and Charles) were born in Cheshunt.  Cheshunt being their listed abode in the 1871 Census.


Even more intriguing is the occupation of both James and his eldest son, John.  They are both listed as Gunsmiths.  James a Light Filer and John a Bridle Filer.  Birmingham is famous for the Gun Quarter, and in particular, the Birmingham Small Arms Factory.  

In 1538, John Leiand, a churchman, travelling through the Midlands, wrote:—


"I came through a praty street or ever I entered Bermingham. This street,
as I remember, is called Dirty (Deritend). In it dwells smiths and cutlers
and there is a brooke that divides this street from Bermingham ........
There be many smiths in the towne, that use to make knives and all manner
of cutting tools, and many lorimers that make bittes, and a great many naylours,
so that a great part of the towne is maintained by smiths, who have their iron
and sea-coal out of Staffordshire."



Perhaps James began his gunsmith career in the Gun Quarter in Birmingham to then move to Cheshunt around 1863.  There was a  another small arms factory built in Enfield, called the Royal Small Arms Factory.  This gun factory produced British military rifles, muskets and swords from 1816 to its closure in 1988. 

The link between BSA and RSAF in Enfield

The factory was set up because of disappointment with the poor quality and high cost of the existing British weapons used in the Napoleonic War. At this time in Britain, they were built as individual gun components mainly in the Gun Quarter, Birmingham by a number of independent manufacturers and then hand-assembled to produce rifles. These component makers eventually combined to become the Birmingham Small Arms Company. The Enfield factory was intended to improve the quality and to drive down costs. (Source; Pam, David, (1998). The Royal Small Arms Factory Enfield & Its Workers. Enfield: Published by the author. ISBN 0-9532271-0-3)

Royal Small Arms Factory, Enfield

I have looked at current maps of Cheshunt and Enfield.  James was listed as living in Crescent Road, and the District is described in the 1871 Census as Southern Cheshunt area; "both sides of Waltham Lane, The Cresent", and on the boundary of the "Enfield Parish" and "Eastside of Waltham Cross".  Most of these Streets and Roads are not part of modern day Cheshunt, however, there are similar roads and streets and Waltham Cross Railway Station.  

View Larger Map

I would guess that the area surrounding Waltham Cross is where my ancestor lived in 1871, the Royal Small Arms Factory still stands today and is only a mile or so away from Waltham Cross Railway Station.  The RSAF is now listed at Enfield Lock.  The M25 stretches across this area now, perhaps some of the old 1870 roads and streets were lost when the M25 was built. The Park to the east of the RSAF is now called Gunpowder Park.

Gunpowder Park - Cheshunt

There are also records of a Cordite Factory in Waltham Abbey in 1891.  Waltham Abbey Royal Gunpowder Mills.  A fantastic photo I found whilst researching Cheshunt and Gun Manufacturing in the late 19th century.  A glimpse into this era, how the gun workers dressed and the diversity of ages.  Sadly, some of the men in this photo were killed and 20 injured due to an explosion at the factory on 7 May 1894.

Until I receive the marriage certificate of James McGann (and Mary Hendron), I am unable to share any other information regarding James McGann.  The line now has to move onto his son, Henry, my great, great grandad.

Irish Connection & Origins

The Name
The McGann surname orignates from Ireland, and should not be confused with the name McCann, which has a different meaning and origin.

McGann is an Anglicized form of Gael.  "Mag Annaidh"

Annaidh being from the personal name Annadh, meaning 'son' of 'Annadh'.

Information Sources
Mag ANNAIDH—Maganye, Maganay, Magan, MacGann; a variant of Mac Annaidh, in use in  Co. Roscommon.   http://bit.ly/HJJ2sH

McGann; this old Irish surname is the Connacht variant form of the original "Mac Canna", which translates as "the son of Wolf Cub". The earliest known records show that the original clan chiefs were the Lords of Clanbrassil in the 10th Century, a place on the southern shore of Lough Neagh, County Antrim. It appears that they were still holding this title in 1598, when they apparently supported the uprising led by Hugh O'Neill, Earl of Tyrone. O'Neill was successful for nearly nine years, but he was finally defeated at Kinsale in 1602. Most of his supporters were dispossessed and driven from their homelands and this would seem to include the branch of the McCanns, who became the McGanns. One of the earliest emigrants who fled from the effects of the Irish Famine (1845 - 1851) was Owen McGann, aged 18 yrs., who was a passenger on the ship "Liverpool" out of Liverpool on March 13th 1846, bound for New York. The Coat of Arms is a blue field, a silver chevron between three silver boars courant. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Amhlaibh MacCanna, which was dated circa 1155, Lord of Clanbrassil, as recorded in the "Annals of the Four Masters", during the reign of Turlough Mor O'Conor, High King of Ireland, 1119 - 1156. Surnames became necessary when governments introduced personal taxation. In England this was known as Poll Tax. Throughout the centuries, surnames in every country have continued to "develop" often leading to astonishing variants of the original spelling.  http://bit.ly/HpCPcf

Ireland Census Records
Full government censuses were taken of the whole island from 1821 to 1911. The first four, from 1821 to 1851, were largely destroyed in 1922 in the fire at the Public Record Office, Dublin. In addition those records for 1861, 1871, 1881 and 1891 were completely destroyed earlier, by order of the government, for reasons that deserve more investigation. This means that the earliest surviving comprehensive returns are for 1901 and 1911.

Roscommon Castle

Roscommon Descent?
Due to the lack of Irish records I am unable to confirm that our descendants were from Roscommon, Ireland.  Roscommon being quoted by family members and not stated as fact.  The only confirmed link to Ireland is the 1871 census record for James McGann (and his wife Mary Hendron), listed with Ireland for place of birth.

View Larger Map

The Great Potato Famine 

Between 1841 and 1851 many Irish families had to leave Ireland to escape the extreme poverty and disease caused by the Great Potato Famine.  I can only guess that this is the reason James McGann left Ireland (possibly with his parents) and settled in Warwickshire, England.

Great Potato Famine - Ireland 1841

The marriage of James McGann and Mary Hendron, December 1851, is where this line of the McGann family begins and hopefully after further investigation, will reveal my family origins.

Introduction

My name is Sally Hurst, nee McGann.  

I was born in Solihull, a suburb of Birmingham, Warwickshire, UK on 27 May 1975.

For the past three years I have delved into the world of Geneology and researched my ancestry.

I wish to share my discoveries with my family and friends, which will include photos and external links.  I hope this inspires others to investigate their roots, its a wonderful way to feel connected to the past.

Welcome to the history of the McGann family (Birmingham).

Sally Hurst