JOHN MYLROY

1798 - Will (Lonan)

Lonan

This is affirmed to be the last will and testament of John Mylroy of the parish of KK Lonan who departed this life on the 28th of June 1798, he being then sick and feeble in body but of sound disposing mind, memory and understanding.

First he committed his soul to God and body to Christian burial and as concerning his worldly estate, he disposed and devised them in manner and form following:

In the first part, he left and bequeathed to his own children half a crown Manks to each of them

Lastly he nominated, appointed and ordained his loving wife Margaret Mylroy whole and sole executrix of all the rest and residue of his effects both moveable and immoveable of what kind, nature or denomination soever.

Witnesses Thomas Kneale my X, Catherine Kneale ] jurati

At a Chapter Court holden at Douglas June 5th 1799 The Executrix is sworn in Court in form of law and hath given pledges for the payment of debts and legacies, namely Thomas Kneale the witness and John Kelly of Lonan

Probatum est

Ewan Christian, John Crellin

NOTES

  1. ALL COLBY - Grawe
  2. No burial record but he would have been about 74 years of age when he died. His brother David predeceased him at age 70
  3. John was the oldest son of Richard Meylroy & Isabell Moore and baptised in 1724
  4. His mother left him her half of the lands possessed by his parents when she died in 1730 so he had a reasonable start in life
  5. John's grand father, David, was the "foundation" Mylroie in Lonan even though he & his wife Margaret Cowne were married in Braddan (1689) and had their children there. David probably originated from Maughold, and his family was certainly there in the late 1690s. David and his wife Margaret migrated to Lonan after the marriage of their daughter there in 1709
  6. John's father, Richard, married three times: first to Isabel Moore 1714, second to Ellinor Ffargher 1732-1739; third to Mary Quark 20th July 1740-1749. In his will, Richard named nine children: Richard, Thomas, William, John, David, Margaret, Isabel, Catherine & Ann
  7. Of those 9 children, John (MYLROI) b1724 & David (MYLROIE) b1726 (first marriage)/ Richard (McLEROY) b November 1736 (second marriage) / Thomas b1743 & William (MYLEROI) b Sept 1746 (third marriage)/ daughters Margaret MYLRIOYE (1718), Isabel MYLROIY (1721), Catherine & Anne (no baptism record) first marriage - although Anne might be the McYLROY child baptised in 1730 with father Edward (not the first time such a mistake occurred in the parish registers)
  8. Together with brother David, John was guardian to step-brother Richard jnr who inherited his father's share of the land on their father's death in 1749. John and Richard jnr sold off the inherited lands in 1757, when RIchard jnr was 21 years of age
  9. John married Margaret Clague, the daughter of Phinloe Clague & Margaret Brew in the early 1740s. Margaret had benefited from her father's will (1747), as well as her mothers (1725) and her grandmother's (1754)
  10. In 1758, with the proceds of several sales, Thomas and Margaret set about creating their own estate on the quarterland of Ballacallister in the nearby treen of Grawe
  11. John and Margaret had several children - perhaps 7 - however, most records of events in this family (esp marriages & burials) have not survived. Unfortunately, he simply referred to "his own children" in his will, so it is impossible to determine who might have still been alive, except for his oldest son, Thomas, who was promised the family estate in his Marriage Contract 1773, daughter Margaret who probably married John Tear. Another son, WiIliam, predeceased his father, as did John's oldest child
  12. Recent DNA studies show that the Mylroies have Viking heritage, as opposed to the Mylreas who are Celtic - his father David was not a Mylrea, despite the similarity in surname
  13. Lonan parish registers from the early 1700s are far from complete so extreme caution must be exercised when attempting to draw conclusions about these families and their relationships

Associated Documents

From Summary of Wills, A Manx Notebook

Mother of Margaret

1725-1 A 11 [Clague] Margaret BREW [bur Lon 17250421] d 13 Apr; mo alive; sis Isabel; husb alive; only dau Margt ua - aunt Isable Brew; in burial reg as Margt Clague als Brew

Father of Margaret

1747-2 E w CLAGUE Phinlo [bur Lon 17471007] d 4 Oct 1747; wife Ann als Stole; unnamed ch; court names Jane, Anne, Ellinor (eldest)

Grandmother of Margaret (Maternal)

1754-3 E d BREW Margaret als KELLY [bur Lon 17540203] d 19 Feb 1754; gdau Margt Clague (w/o John Mylroii) admx [daughter Margaret Brew married Phinlo Clauge 26/11/1723]

Step-mother of Margaret

1776-1 A 4 CLAGUE Ann STOLE [bur Lon 17760202]d 1 Feb 1776; Laxey; dau Jane Callow; dau Ellinor Brew; gdau Elinor Brew, Jane Brew, Cath Clague; son John; dau Ann Clague execx  (Finloe evidently remarried after wife Margaret Brew died in 1725)

Sister-in-law of Margaret

1797A 1 CLAGUE Margaret BREW [bur Lon 17970330] made 29 Mar 1797;3 dau Elinor, Mary + Cath; husb John exec

Last updated: Apr 2020