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In 1796 the French fleet sailed out from Brest for the west of Ireland,
in the hope of supporting the Irish uprising against the English Imperial
occupation, and to form a bridge head for a future invasion of the
British Mainland. Among the sailors was a young french man by the
name of Helon.
The French Armada was late and the Irish uprising had already been put down
by the time the ships reached the coast of Limerick. When ships reached Bantry Bay the severe weather hampered their attack,
and eventually six ships were lost and the Prisoners taken to County
Limerick.
What happened between 1796 and 1860 still needs research, in both
the Murphy family and the descendants of the French sailor Helon, perhaps Cuddy or Cudet.
It seems that an error was made by a relative who had researched the Murphy family, because it seems that
we are not linked to a French sailor named Helon, and the Cuddihy family were from Tipperary, and also
unlikely to be related to the sailor.
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The Murphy Family in
Bristol
Daniel was born in the parish of Abbeyfaele, in Limerick in about 1823 to Denis and Margaret Murphy, nee Collins, who were
themselves born in that part of Limerick.
There was a famine in Ireland resulting from the Potato failures of 1846. Daniel's
wife may have succombed to the famine. I believe his brother Timothy travelled to Liverpool.
Daniel and possibly one or both his parents were forced to leave Ireland. Daniel landed in the City of Bristol possibly
with other members of his family. Daniel settled in Keynsham .
Daniel came into contact with James Cuddihy, a fellow Limerick man from Tipperary, and his family, James Cuddihy had left Ireland
before Daniel was born, and had married a local girl from Keynsham. Together they had three daughters there, Eliza and Mary Ann
who were older than Daniel, and their younger sister Honor, who was a dozen years Daniel's junior. Daniel became involved with
Honor.
On 6th October 1850 Daniel married Honor Cuddihy at the Countess of Huntingdon Catholic Chapel in Trenchard Street, Bristol,
before moving to their home town of Keynsham. They lived in one of the Steelworks cottages.
Their second child was a son named Thomas who was born here after James who was born in about 1851. they were the first of a large
family.
Daniel worked as a shoe cobbler, and honor as a dressmaker. Thomas eventually got work as a mason's labourer. In 1880 a
large
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Countess of Huntingdon Catholic Chapel, Trenchard Street, Bristol,
where Daniel Murphy and Honor Cuddihy married in 1850
This Chapel was demolished in 1967 to make way for the Park Row Multi
Storey Car Park |
| accident happened injuring him and many of his colleagues, probably at the building of the Severn Tunnel, |
and the survivors were sent to the Bristol General Hospital. After this Thomas worked as a gardener, which
he was still doing when he met a young
woman named Elizabeth Bees
who was born in Keynsham. They had both independantly moved to the Easton area, to work.
Elizabeth
was in service. Thomas and Elizabeth met and eventually decided to
marry. Elizabeth was only 18 years old and Thomas was 25 years old.
On 28th November 1885 the Irish Vicar, John Thompson, married Thomas
and Elizabeth at the unusual red brick church, St Gabriel. William Bees,
Elizabeth's father gave her away, her 15 year old sister Emily
also signed as a witness.
Thomas had found work for the Great Western Railway.
The happy couple moved back to Elizabeth's home town of Keynsham.
They moved into a house on Bath Hill. Elizabeth's family lived in
the next street, in Temple Street.
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Easton in 1886,
where Thomas Murphy
and Elizabeth Bees were staying when they married in 1885
St Gabriels Parish Church in Easton,
where Thomas Murphy and Elizabeth Bees married in 1885
This unusual red brick church was demolished in 1975 to make way for
the Easton Way dual carriageway |
On 26th December 1887 Elizabeth had their first son, who was named
Thomas F, who later went to the infant school in their road.
In the Autumn of 1890 Elizabeth had a daughter named Elizabeth M.,
then on 1st March 1894 they had another son, Helon, and then another on 10th July 1897 named Charles. By now young Thomas
was in the Keynsham school as he had been since the 12th February 1894 at the age of seven.
In July he became ill and on 19th July 1897 he had to leave
school because he was too ill to continue. On 6th May 1899
| they had more good news with another son named Ronald Victor. By now Ronald's older sister Elizabeth was
being called by her middle name Maud,
Ronald joined Charles at the infant school, and Helon was at the Keynsham
school.
Daniel was now a widower and getting on in years, and lived with Thomas's family for a while. Daniel was living on
the charity of the parish and working at the work house. In his seventies he |
Keynsham,
and Bath Hill in 1886,
where the Murphy and Bees families lived
Keynsham Primary School, and Bath Hill,
where Thomas and his family lived and went to school
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got gangrene in his foot and died at the Work House on the 2nd December 1902.
Shortly after Charles went up to Keynsham School Thomas and
Elizabeth moved the family to 50 Langton Court Road, in St. Annes, Bristol.
Thomas and Elizabeth had more children, including William, Albert,
and Ernest.
In about 1914 Helon married Edith Hill, who was born in Bristol to
Thomas and Helen Hill, in around 1895. They moved to Kingswood and
soon after they had there first child, a son named Raymond.
In 1914 Ronald went off to fight in the first world war, and he returned
home safely in 1917, and went to work in Gloucester Road, Bristol.
In around 1918 Charles married Maud Howell, but they remained in the
family home with Charles's parents and other siblings.
In about this time Ronald met a girl named Winifred Bessie
Channon,
who was in services in Gloucester Road, for well to do family, where she |
hated being subservient to the young children of the family. She was born in
Honiton, Devonshire, and had moved to Bristol with her family in search of
work. Ronald took to Winifred, but the
feelings were not mutual, in fact Ronald was a pest to her. Ronald was very persistent and eventually she gave in as she
could see no way to get rid of him pestering her so, at every opportunity.
They got married in 1921, and they also moved in with Ronald's parents.
Ronald soon started a family with Winifred. First they had a daughter named
Beryl, then a son named Maurice Ronald, and then in 1926 another
daughter named Doreen Winifred, and
then a son named Peter Ronald. When Doreen was about two years old
on 2 July 1927, Thomas had a fatal accident while working on the railway
line to Keynsham. He was working at the St Annes Pumping Station
when he was hit by a Bath bound express train. It is said that his body
had been badly chopped about under the train and parts of his body
were found almost to Keynsham. There was a reporting of his death in the
Western Daily Press
Charles his second son was summoned to identify the remains which must have
been an awful life haunting experience. Charles and Edith only had
one daughter, her name was Barbara.
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The Stretch of Line where Thomas was killed in 1927
Some 40 years after this map was drawn
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Soon after this Ronald moved to St Anne's Park, beyond the woods.
Ronald and Winifred had another four daughters there. Next came Betty, then Audrey, and then Joan.
On the 8th August 1939 Elizabeth died from Broncho Pnuemonia and Aspiration. Charles and Edith kept the house, and
stayed there until they died. On 10th December 1943 came their last child, a daughter, Pauline
Janet, whose name was picked out of a hat, probably Ronald's trilby. | 
Ronald Victor and Winifred Bessie
(Channon) Murphy at Pauline's wedding in 1964
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