Sirr family of Stillorgan
Henry Charles Sirr married Eliza D’Arcy
born 25 Nov 1764 16 Aug 1791 born circa 1767
Dublin City St Mary’s
died 10 Jan 1841 died 29 Dec 1829
1 Henry Charles Sirr born Dublin 25 Nov 1764 son of Town Major Joseph Sirr and
Elizabeth Hall. He was nephew to Frances Sirr who had married Archibald Elliott,
He served in the 68 Regt of Foot, from 1778 making lieutenant in 1780. He
attained the rank of Captain and acted as ADC to Lord Heathfield, George Eliott and
the Governor of Gibraltar and his aunt's brother in law. It was in Gibraltar that he
became acquainted with Lord Edward and James Fitzgerald. In 1791 he was a wine
merchant of 35 French Street and married Eliza D’Arcy, daughter of James and
Martha D’Arcy of Hydepark, Co Westmeath. He joined the 1st Regiment of Royal
Dublin Volunteers in 1796 and was appointed assistant town major the same year.
He was appointed Town Major in 1798 and was living at Dame Street. He wounded
Lord Edward Fitzgerald of Frescati House, the Irish patriot, during his arrest and
Fitzgerald subsequently died in 1798. He was also involved in the capture of
Robert Emmet. He arrested nearly every one of the United Irish Leinster provincial
division in one fell swoop at Oliver Bond’s warehouse, opposite the Brazen Head
tavern. A man doing the job he was paid for by the government or a zealot? A man
equally feared and hated by the general public for reason or vilified by the press?
From 1808 to 1815 he was demonised In Watty Cox's The Irish Magazine and was
unpopular and regarded as being too heavy handed in his approach to law
enforcement.
He was churchwarden of Stilloran and rented a pew in Stillorgan Church in 1803 but
this along with his villa in Stillorgan was up for sale in 1804, the house was called
Bueno Vista and it was near Stillorgan Church. It was described as being on 7 acres
and recently extended with a large parlour and drawing room added. There was a
pond or rivulet running through the grounds, over which a romantic bridge had been
built leading to a temple and grotto. It had two coach houses and stabling for 6 horses.
To date this house has not been identified.
He retired to the police Magistrates bench in 1808 and retired fully in 1826. Elizabeth
died 29 Dec 1829 aged 62 and was buried at St Werburgh. Henry died aged 77
on 7 Jan 1841 at his house in the lower Castle-yard and was buried at St Werburgh a
week later but the headstone visible is for his father who died in 1799.
He was a collector of antiques, curios and paintings. When his painting collection went
for sale in Manchester in 1843, it was advertised as including works by Joshua
Reynolds and Tintoretto but most were found to be reproductions.
1 Elizabeth Sirr born 1792 at French Street buried 4 Nov 1792, aged 1 month.
2 Eliza Dorothea Sirr died 1812.
3 Alicia Frances Sirr, eldest daughter born circa 1796 married the Rev Conolly
Coane, eldest son of Conolly Coane of Bath on 14 Mar 1818 at the Castle
Chapel, Dublin. She secondly married the Rev Charles Edward Herbert
Orpen, MD in Dec 1823. The Rev Charles was Great uncle to Sir William
Orpen and founder of the Charlemont Institute for the deaf and dumb in
Glasnevin. Alicia died 4 Dec 1869 at Grahamstown, Eastern Cape, South
Africa.
1 Francis Henry Samuel Orpen born 22 Oct 1824 died 22 Feb 1893,
St Clair, Douglas, Cape of Good Hope Colony.
2 Charles Sirr Orpen born 29 Apr 1826.
3 Arthur Richard Orpen born 1 Jul 1827.
4 Joseph Millerd Orpen.
5 Richard John Newenham Orpen born 28 Jan 1830.
6 Henry Martyn Herbert Orpen born 24 Jan 1831.
7 Theodore Robert Morrison Orpen born 12 Sep 1835.
4 Catherina Louisa Sirr, youngest daughter married John Sanchie Schaw at
St Werburgh's Church on 19 Mar 1828.
1 Henry Schaw born 14 Jan 1829 Busle near Westbury joined the army
and attained the rank of Major General. He was superintendent of
Photography at Chatham in 1858.
5 Joseph D’Arcy Sirr born circa 1794 graduated Trinity and took holy orders.
He married Eliza Hoare and was rector of Kilcoleman, Claremorris in Co
Galway from circa 1832 until 1844 when he was made Vicar of Yoxford in
Suffolk. Having resigned the chaplaincy of the Winchester Garrison, he was
appointed as rector of Morestead. The couple had 15 Children. Eliza died in
1862 and Joseph died 5 Apr 1868.
1 Elizabeth Lucinda Sirr, born Dublin Castle baptised at St
Werburgh on 29 Sep 1814 died 25 Apr 1823 at Stratton Rectory.
2 Louisa Frances Sirr born c1816 executor of her father’s Will, died
in 1891.
3 Henry Charles Darcy Sirr born 7 Sep 1818 Dublin Castle baptised at
St Werburgh 26 Nov 1818.
4 Edward Hoare Sirr, born 1821 at Hampshire appointed a commission
in the South Mayo Militia in October 1844 and called to the Bar in
1846.
5 Thomas D’Arcy Sirr born Dublin circa 1824 graduated Trinity 1842
took Holy orders.
6 Joseph D’Arcy Sirr baptised at St Werburgh 12 Jan 1825 at Dublin.
7 Alicia Catherine Sirr, 3rd daughter baptised at St Werburgh
16 Aug 1827 died August 1841 at Kilcoleman parsonage.
8 Isabella Anne Sirr, fourth daughter married Peter J T Pearse of
Eccleston Tce, South Belgrave Road on 1 May 1849.
9 Margaret Theodosia Sirr born circa 1831 died a spinster 20 Jan 1881
at 33 Frankfort Avenue.
10 John Alfred Sirr immigrated to Australia.
11 Henry Charles Sirr born circa 1833 died in 1862 at Morestead Rectory.
12 Daughter Sirr, thirteenth child born at Kilcoleman parsonage on
4 Feb 1834.
13 Son Sirr born Jun 1838 at Kilcoleman parsonage.
14 Sophia Priscilla born circa 1840 Sirr died a spinster in 1875 at Croyden,
Surrey.
6 Henry Charles Sirr, younger son born circa August 1807 educated in Switzerland
and graduated Trinity MA in 1833. A Barrister-at-Law he married Mary Mason,
daughter of the late William Mason of Shepherd’s Bush on 4 Apr 1843 at
St George’s, Hanover Square, London. He worked on the Southern Circuit of
Ceylon and served as British Vice-Consul at Hong Kong in 1843. An author he
wrote ‘Ceylon and the Cingalese Published in 1850, also he wrote China and the
Chinese, subtitled: "Their religion, character, customs and manufactures; the
evils arising from the opium trade; with a glance at our religious moral, political
and commercial intercourse with the country." He secondly married Louisa Rix.
Henry died in 23 Sep 1872.
1 Catherine Louisa Sirr born circa 1864 died 8 Sep1953 aged 89 at London.
2 Catherine Frances Sirr married Humphrey Minchin in 1785. Catherine died circa 1805
and Humphrey remarried and died 1830 and was buried at St Werburgh.
1 Charles Henry Minchin took Holy orders and married Prudencia Kinahan, daughter
of Daniel Kinahan of Roebuck Park on 10 Jun 1814 at Taney Church.
2 Joseph Minchin married Louisa Hall on 22 May 1804.
3 Frances Minchin married Major Kingsmill Pennefather.
4 Elizabeth Minchin married Captain Townsend Monckton Hall.
5 Emma Minchin marred James Walcot Fitzgerald.
6 Louisa Arabella Minchin married Walter Bourne at Taney Church on 6 Aug 1821.
© June Bow & Karen Poff – March 2019
Further Reading: Town Major Henry Charles Sirr, Joseph W. Hammond, Dublin Historical Record Vol. 4, No. 1 (Sep. - Nov., 1941), pp. 14-33