Harkness Gunmakers : County Tipperary
compiled by Irene Wilkinson- 2008.
The following notes were compiled by Irene Wilkinson
in 2008 following her lengthy research into her family tree. We were in correspondence
and it became evident that she had unearthed a very rich seam of information
currently unrecorded. This blog is totally her work and we thank her for the
transcript and information.
James
Dempsey Harkness, Nenagh
Born around 1825/26 (deduced from death
certificate), died in 1889 at Ballinware, near Nenagh, buried in Kilruane
church yard.
First records of him are when he
enlisted with the 15th Hussars in London India
on the Gloriana, to join the regiment in Bangalore England
During his time in India India
and their second daughter Charlotte, was born in Exeter
James purchased his discharge from the
army in November 1855. The first record we have of him in Ireland is the baptism record of his first son,
James, in Templemore (Church
of Ireland
” my estate at
Ballinware”.
He apparently was, or became, a man of
some means. The book Nenagh and it’s
Neighbourhood has several references to houses in Nenagh built by James
Dempsey Hackness (including his home in Castle Street) and his Will refers to
over fourteen different properties ( mostly in Nenagh) but several elsewhere
which he divided up amongst his wife and children. Whether these developments
were initially funded by gunmaking, or whether he had other income is not known.
His grave at Kilruane (in which are also
buried his wife Emily, their eldest son, William and their daughter Abigail is
enclosed
by low iron railings and has a headstone
with a still legible inscription; it gives the impression of a being the grave
of a man of some standing.
We have not been able to trace any
record to prove his relationship to the Harkness gunmakers of Templemore but
suspect he could be the younger brother of the William Dempsey Harkness of
Templemore (referred to below) and therefore another son of James and Susan
Harkness? ( the Dempsey middle name is surely more than a coincidence and the birth
dates of the siblings fit). Nor have we been able to find a link with a wealthy
Harkness family with estates in County
Limerick and Somerset
William
Arthur Dempsey, Nenagh.
Eldest surviving son of James Dempsey Harkness,
he was a gunsmith in Castle Street according to Guy’s directory of 1893 but in
the 1901 census is stated as being a contractor
and in 1911 as a master plumber. He became a significant figure in the local
business community, according to his Nenagh Guardian obituary in 1933.
George
Robert Harkness, Tipperary
Son of James Dempsey Harkness, he became a watchmaker ,jeweller/gunmaker
in Grattan Street , Tipperary Grattan
Street
James
Samuel Harkness, Nenagh.
Son of James Dempsey Harkness he became
a gunmaker /merchant operating from the family home in Castle Street
James
Dempsey Harkness’s other sons were:
Henry
Howard: Commission Agent for Singer sewing machines and
later a farmer.
Charles
Walter: Church
of Ireland
Frederick
Herbert: Cycle engineer.
Allen
James: Cycle engineer, Nenagh.
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William
Dempsey Harkness, Templemore.
The first reference
to him as a gunsmith is in the 1846 Slater’s directory trading in Church Street
William
James Harkness, Templemore.
Listed in Guy’s 1886 directory: Gunmaker, Church Street
Bassetts directory lists him for “
gunsmith and fishing tackle”, in George
Street
James Robert Harkness, Templemore.
Guy’s directories for 1883 & 1886 list him as a gunmaker in George Street
By 1911 he was Inspector of Waterworks living in main Street.
He died in 1931.
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We thank Irene Wilkinson for all the
above details and wish her well with her further research.
These notes are given as an overview
of the Harkness gunmakers operating in County Tipperary and our research is ongoing.
Dave Stroud. ramrodantiques.co.uk
