On this day 337 years ago, the Rev. Thomas Kennedy (1625–1714) and Mary O’Brien (c.1651–1721), his wife, celebrated the birth of Robert Kennedy, their youngest child, at Carland in county Tyrone.1,2
During his early life, Robert ran the expected course of education in Glasgow prior to ordination at Benburb Presbyterian in county Tyrone.3 His life as a minister was more varied than the title, Rev. Mr., might imply—certainly the stuff of a biographical sketch to be penned at a later date.
For now, the following transcript of the gravestone of the Rev. John Kennedy must suffice. Written in Latin, many of the characters had already been lost. The transcriber, Mr. C.J. Hobson of Carlow, wrote, “The inscription is now very hard to decipher, & some words & letters have disappeared.” Mr. Hobson noted that at the top of the gravestone were engraved the crest, arms, and motto of Kennedy, and at the foot, a crescent surrounding a man’s [face?] in profile.4 Rev. Mr. Kennedy’s body was buried in Donaghmore churchyard.
Source citation for this page: — Kilpatrick, Alison. Blog article, On this day: “Birth of Robert Kennedy of Carland, 22nd December 1863.” Published to Arborealis on 22nd December 2020. Online at arborealis.ca/2020/12/22/birth-robert-kennedy-carland, accessed [insert date of access.]
See also: — the Kennedy family history index page.
Footnotes:
- Public Record Office of Northern Ireland (Belfast). Book containing Mss genealogical notes relating to the Kennedy family of Co. Tyrone (c.1820). PRONI ref. D2481/5/21. Notebook attributed to the Rev. Robert Reid Kennedy (d.1849), Curate, parish of Artrea (Church of Ireland), county Tyrone.
- Kennedy-Bailie, Rev. Dr. James (1793–1864). Genealogical Table of the Family of Kennedy (compiled c.1835/6, with notes). Manuscript held privately (accessed 2017-12-18.)
- McConnell, Rev. James, and Rev. Samuel G. McConnell, B.A., compilers. Fasti of the Irish Presbyterian Church, 1613–1840. Belfast: The Presbyterian Historical Society, 1951.
- Association for the preservation of the memorials of the dead, Ireland. Journal for the year 1897. Vol. III (pg. 507).
