Merrion - Bellevue
Sources – Bellevue, Merrion, Co Dublin, 2015
The headstones were transcribed by June Bow & Karen Poff during the month of August 2015.
1 http://www.iopener.ie/downloads/iOpener-Dun-Laoghaire-Script.pdf
“On the night November 18, 1807 in gale force winds and heavy snow two ships, the Prince
of Wales and the Rochdale, were wrecked just – north-west of here. Each was carrying
troops to fight in the Napoleonic Wars. The Prince of Wales was driven onto the rocks at
Blackrock. Its captain, Captain Jones, did not go down with the ship. Far from it. He saved
himself and his crew and made no attempt to save the soldiers on board, even going so far
as to hinder their escape on the ships only longboat by removing a ladder leading from the
hold. 120 soldiers lost their lives. Jones was later charged with murder, but acquitted due to
lack of evidence. A short distance away at Seapoint, the Rochdale with 265 troops on board
was wrecked, just a few metres from rescue. As a result of these deaths on that fateful night
a decision was taken to construct an ‘asylum harbour’. Given the prevailing winds of the bay
Dún Laoghaire was chosen. The harbour is the largest man made harbour in Ireland”.
2 Tim Carey, Heritage Officer, DLRCOCO
3 On-line Journal of Research on Irish Maritime History.
http://lugnad.ie/rochdale-and-prince-of-wales/
“The losses from Prince of Wales were Lieutenant Maclean of the 18th foot, with 61 volunteers
from the South Mayo militia, Lieutenant Foley 58th foot, Captain Gregory and Lieutenant
Kilkelly of the 32nd foot, Sergeant of the 25th regiment, Ensign Beaven of the 10th foot, Ensign
Baggot of 85th foot Ensign Kidd of 85th foot, Lieut. Wasey of 2nd foot, Lieutenant Brown of 62
foot. Each officer had a party of soldiers and servants. A total 120 officers and men were lost.
There was a report that the hatches were battened down but Mr Moss, the coroner deputed a
party of four gentlemen to visit the wreck site and ascertained that there was no substance in the
story. An immense amount of baggage was washed ashore and a large party of troops were put
on guard. Looters gathered as was usual at the time and one from Dun Laoghaire was drowned.
All the weekend was spent in collecting the bodies for burial at Monkstown and Merrion
cemeteries. A memorial was also placed at St Begnet's graveyard, Dalkey. The account is
somewhat confusing as the numbers aboard do not seem to include crew and the detail is
predominantly regarding the military aboard. Captain Jones of the Prince of Wales was
subsequently imprisoned awaiting trial according to report of November 30th. No account of the
trial was found.”
4 Seamus O’Connor, Maritime Museum, Dun Laoghaire
“In November 1807 The Prince of Wales set sail from the Pigeon house harbour in Dublin, it was
bound for England. It was carrying newly recruited militia for the Napoleonic War, and their families.
An easterly gale forced it onto rocks between Blackrock and Seapoint. 100’s of bodies washed up
on the beach.”
5 Vivien Igoe - Dublin Burial Grounds & Graveyards, Wolfhound Press 2001.
6 Rev. Beaver H Blacker - Brief Sketches of the Parishes of Booterstown and Donnybrook In The County
Of Dublin, 1860.
7 Journal of the Association for the Preservation of the Memorials of the Dead in Ireland iv: p.38 - 40,
v: p.189 -191 and 365 - 369, vi: p.61 – 65
8 Irish Genealogical Research Society, 1989, p. 69 - 86.
9 Freeman's Journal, Monday 23 November 1807.
Captain Edwards relates, that having arrived opposite Bray Head, the sea began to swell and the wind to
blow a hurricane—that he threw all his anchors out, but that his ship dragged them impetuously along -
that she drove without a rag of sail before the wind towards Dunleary Point—that he expected every
moment to be dashed against the rocks that surround that dangerous coast, to pieces - that he
repeatedly told the officers of their danger - that she struck about six or seven o'clock in six feet water . . .
Names of officers on board the Prince of Wales: Captain Gregory (32nd Regiment), Lieutenants Foley
(58th), Killikelly (32nd), Maclean (18th), Wesey (2d), Mailaughlin (77th), Kidd (85th), Ensign Bevin (10th).
NOTE: Another troopship, the Rochdale, sailed from Dublin on the same day as the Prince of Wales, and
was also wrecked at Seapoint, with the loss of 265 men, women and children; there were no survivors.
10 Freeman's Journal, Saturday 21 November 1807:
“It is with extreme regret that we have to communicate an account of the disasters, so far at least as
they have been ascertained, which occurred in the Bay and its neighbourhood on the night of Thursday.
So wide a scene of devastation, and so many instances of distress have not within the memory of the
oldest inhabitant been witnessed in the vicinity of Dublin . . . On Wednesday morning, the Prince of
Wales, Captain Edwards, sailed from our port for Liverpool, in company with two transports. They
were perceived working about the entrance of the Bay on Thursday morning, and when the fall of snow
commenced, it was supposed that they endeavoured to regain the harbour. The snow, however, fell so
thickly, that they were not able to discern their way, and the surge, even if they did, broke so violently
against the beech (sic), that they could not come to an anchor. The Prince of Wales struck under the
battery at Dunleary Point, when Captain Edwards, the crew, and two officers, immediately hoisted out
the boat, jumped into it, and gained the shore. The remainder of the passengers, 120 in number,
volunteers from the South Mayo Regiment, for the 97th and the 18th, unfortunately perished in the
wreck. The point at which she struck is immediately opposite Sir John Lee's house, Sea-point. . . Among
those lost in the Prince of Wales, Lieutenant Maclean has been mentioned, who had the care of the
recruits, a young man of amiable manners and of most excellent promise . . .”
The headstones were transcribed by June Bow & Karen Poff during the month of August 2015.
1 http://www.iopener.ie/downloads/iOpener-Dun-Laoghaire-Script.pdf
“On the night November 18, 1807 in gale force winds and heavy snow two ships, the Prince
of Wales and the Rochdale, were wrecked just – north-west of here. Each was carrying
troops to fight in the Napoleonic Wars. The Prince of Wales was driven onto the rocks at
Blackrock. Its captain, Captain Jones, did not go down with the ship. Far from it. He saved
himself and his crew and made no attempt to save the soldiers on board, even going so far
as to hinder their escape on the ships only longboat by removing a ladder leading from the
hold. 120 soldiers lost their lives. Jones was later charged with murder, but acquitted due to
lack of evidence. A short distance away at Seapoint, the Rochdale with 265 troops on board
was wrecked, just a few metres from rescue. As a result of these deaths on that fateful night
a decision was taken to construct an ‘asylum harbour’. Given the prevailing winds of the bay
Dún Laoghaire was chosen. The harbour is the largest man made harbour in Ireland”.
2 Tim Carey, Heritage Officer, DLRCOCO
3 On-line Journal of Research on Irish Maritime History.
http://lugnad.ie/rochdale-and-prince-of-wales/
“The losses from Prince of Wales were Lieutenant Maclean of the 18th foot, with 61 volunteers
from the South Mayo militia, Lieutenant Foley 58th foot, Captain Gregory and Lieutenant
Kilkelly of the 32nd foot, Sergeant of the 25th regiment, Ensign Beaven of the 10th foot, Ensign
Baggot of 85th foot Ensign Kidd of 85th foot, Lieut. Wasey of 2nd foot, Lieutenant Brown of 62
foot. Each officer had a party of soldiers and servants. A total 120 officers and men were lost.
There was a report that the hatches were battened down but Mr Moss, the coroner deputed a
party of four gentlemen to visit the wreck site and ascertained that there was no substance in the
story. An immense amount of baggage was washed ashore and a large party of troops were put
on guard. Looters gathered as was usual at the time and one from Dun Laoghaire was drowned.
All the weekend was spent in collecting the bodies for burial at Monkstown and Merrion
cemeteries. A memorial was also placed at St Begnet's graveyard, Dalkey. The account is
somewhat confusing as the numbers aboard do not seem to include crew and the detail is
predominantly regarding the military aboard. Captain Jones of the Prince of Wales was
subsequently imprisoned awaiting trial according to report of November 30th. No account of the
trial was found.”
4 Seamus O’Connor, Maritime Museum, Dun Laoghaire
“In November 1807 The Prince of Wales set sail from the Pigeon house harbour in Dublin, it was
bound for England. It was carrying newly recruited militia for the Napoleonic War, and their families.
An easterly gale forced it onto rocks between Blackrock and Seapoint. 100’s of bodies washed up
on the beach.”
5 Vivien Igoe - Dublin Burial Grounds & Graveyards, Wolfhound Press 2001.
6 Rev. Beaver H Blacker - Brief Sketches of the Parishes of Booterstown and Donnybrook In The County
Of Dublin, 1860.
7 Journal of the Association for the Preservation of the Memorials of the Dead in Ireland iv: p.38 - 40,
v: p.189 -191 and 365 - 369, vi: p.61 – 65
8 Irish Genealogical Research Society, 1989, p. 69 - 86.
9 Freeman's Journal, Monday 23 November 1807.
Captain Edwards relates, that having arrived opposite Bray Head, the sea began to swell and the wind to
blow a hurricane—that he threw all his anchors out, but that his ship dragged them impetuously along -
that she drove without a rag of sail before the wind towards Dunleary Point—that he expected every
moment to be dashed against the rocks that surround that dangerous coast, to pieces - that he
repeatedly told the officers of their danger - that she struck about six or seven o'clock in six feet water . . .
Names of officers on board the Prince of Wales: Captain Gregory (32nd Regiment), Lieutenants Foley
(58th), Killikelly (32nd), Maclean (18th), Wesey (2d), Mailaughlin (77th), Kidd (85th), Ensign Bevin (10th).
NOTE: Another troopship, the Rochdale, sailed from Dublin on the same day as the Prince of Wales, and
was also wrecked at Seapoint, with the loss of 265 men, women and children; there were no survivors.
10 Freeman's Journal, Saturday 21 November 1807:
“It is with extreme regret that we have to communicate an account of the disasters, so far at least as
they have been ascertained, which occurred in the Bay and its neighbourhood on the night of Thursday.
So wide a scene of devastation, and so many instances of distress have not within the memory of the
oldest inhabitant been witnessed in the vicinity of Dublin . . . On Wednesday morning, the Prince of
Wales, Captain Edwards, sailed from our port for Liverpool, in company with two transports. They
were perceived working about the entrance of the Bay on Thursday morning, and when the fall of snow
commenced, it was supposed that they endeavoured to regain the harbour. The snow, however, fell so
thickly, that they were not able to discern their way, and the surge, even if they did, broke so violently
against the beech (sic), that they could not come to an anchor. The Prince of Wales struck under the
battery at Dunleary Point, when Captain Edwards, the crew, and two officers, immediately hoisted out
the boat, jumped into it, and gained the shore. The remainder of the passengers, 120 in number,
volunteers from the South Mayo Regiment, for the 97th and the 18th, unfortunately perished in the
wreck. The point at which she struck is immediately opposite Sir John Lee's house, Sea-point. . . Among
those lost in the Prince of Wales, Lieutenant Maclean has been mentioned, who had the care of the
recruits, a young man of amiable manners and of most excellent promise . . .”