Origins of the Jellett Family
The Jellett family are of Huguenot extraction and are thought to have fled from France to England after St. Bartholomew's Day massacre in 1572. The earliest records of the Jelletts are of a Mr. Jellett, a clergyman at the Cathedral of Durham who is mentioned to have got 'a sack'. Another early record of Jelletts is the marriage of Captain Henry Jellett, who married Miss Levigne, a relation of the Rawdon family of Moira, in 1631. Henry Jellett is thought to have been the father of William Jellett of Tullyard who married Catherine Morgan, daughter of Captain James Morgan of The Garth in Llandovery, County Carmarthen, Wales. The lands of Tullyard were granted to James Morgan on April 8th 1669 and passed through marriage to the Jelletts.
The Jellett family remained in Tullyard, Moira, County Down for another 100 years before a disinherited son, John, moved to Dublin and became a jeweller.
The above information was summarized by me from other sources at a much earlier date. I have reason to doubt many of the points made in it.
Firstly, I can find no record of the name Jellett ever in France, though it is supposedly a variant of Gillett. Secondly, there are christening records of Jelletts in England from as early as 1546, though this is admittedly a variant of Gyllott. If the Jelletts of Tullyard are descended from any of these early Jelletts then they cannot have fled after St. Bartholomew's Day massacre in 1572, though they are probably still of Huguenot extraction.
The Jellett family motto is 'Imitari quam invidere', meaning 'To imitate rather than to envy.'
The Jellett family remained in Tullyard, Moira, County Down for another 100 years before a disinherited son, John, moved to Dublin and became a jeweller.
The above information was summarized by me from other sources at a much earlier date. I have reason to doubt many of the points made in it.
Firstly, I can find no record of the name Jellett ever in France, though it is supposedly a variant of Gillett. Secondly, there are christening records of Jelletts in England from as early as 1546, though this is admittedly a variant of Gyllott. If the Jelletts of Tullyard are descended from any of these early Jelletts then they cannot have fled after St. Bartholomew's Day massacre in 1572, though they are probably still of Huguenot extraction.
The Jellett family motto is 'Imitari quam invidere', meaning 'To imitate rather than to envy.'
Jellett of Tullyard
The Jellett family crest
There is a story about the Jelletts of Tullyard which as well as being quite entertaining, is also very informative:
"A little incident which occurred while King William III was at Hillsborough, may be mentioned in connection with the Jellett family settled at Moira. Being Protestants living in a district surrounded by Roman Catholics, Mr. Jellett the elder being then in feeble health, and his son probably serving in the army under Sir George Rawdon, his wife presented herself to King William, and requested him to leave her two soldiers as a protection to her house. The King received her graciously but, perceiving a great tankard, of fully a quart measure, attached to her girdle, he humorously asked for an explanation. He was informed that this vessel was one highly prized in her family, and handed down as an heirloom, being formed of " blood-stone," mounted in silver-gilt, and believed to be of great efficacy in curing haemorrage; and that she was afraid to leave so valuable an article behind during her absence. His Majesty thereupon called for wine,filled the tankard, and drank the lady's health: then presented it to her to drink to his success, and afterwards kindly granted her request. The two soldiers accompanied her home, with orders to remain until required; but, as they never were called on, they eventually became settlers on the property, and were long the only Protestants there. The tankard is still preserved, and in the possession of the Rev. John H. Jellett, F.T.C.D. it had no doubt been brought from Wales along with the Morgan family, A Captain Henry Jellett served in General Monk's army in Ireland, in 1642, and was one of three who were deputed by the General Officers of the army to demand from Monk his reasons for not signing promptly the " Solemn League of Covenant" which had already been signed by all the officers but himself. One of the originals of this League and Covenant, now in the Belfast Museum with a number of signatures attached, was presented to that institution by the late Morgan Jellett, Esq., and was believed by him to have come into the possession of his family through this Captain Jellett."
Another source states that William Jellett was serving with the Marquis of Ruvigny:
"... After the King had taken refreshments he went to Lisburn where he inspected the army encamped at Blaris, and then to Hillsborough where he met a member of another Huguenot family. The wife of Captain Jellet, who was serving with the Marquis of Ruvigny, met the King to ask for protection from hostile neighbours, while her husband was away. She was granted help in the shape of two soldiers, who accompanied her home The descendants of these soldiers are still in the vicinity of Moira. Captain Jellet survived the campaign, and died in 1717."
The first of the Jellett family, Captain Henry Jellett (-c.1690) married (1631), ___ Levigne, a relation of the Rawdon family, also of Moira, and had at least one child:
Captain William Jellett (1632-1717) m. (1678?) Katherine, daughter of Captain James Morgan. They had at least three children:
1. Morgan Jellett, died aged 20 in Barbados, unmarried
2. William Jellett (-1721) m. ____ with no issue
3. Matthew Jellett (c.1683-1726) m. (03/12/1715), Mary Brown of Downpatrick
Matthew Jellett died at a young age as did his brothers. His widow married secondly, ___ Wynn. Matthew left issue:
1. Daughter Jellett, died young
2. Daughter Jellett, died young
3. Sarah Jellett (11/09/1724-1805) m. (30/09/1756), Robert Holmes of Dublin, widower of Elinor Robinson
4. William Jellett (-1754), disinherited, m. ___
5. Morgan Jellett (c.1726-1797) m. (1745), his stepsister? Jane Wynn
m. (28/07/1756) Brilliana Mason, daughter of a merchant from Liverpool
Morgan Jellett was a well respected magistrate:
"Morgan Jellett, was for many years a magistrate in that county, dying at Moira, in 1797. The chroniclers of that period spoke of him as the oldest magistrate in Down, and as an upright and honorable gentleman, zealously attached to the King and Crown."
He had four children by his first wife, Jane Wynn (-1750) and fifteen by the next, Brilliana or Brittiana Mason (c.1735-1809). John Jellett moved to Dublin, see Jellett of Dublin, but the Jellett family remained in Tullyard. It is from these Jelletts that stayed in Moira that the Morgan Woodward Jellett descends from.
Eventually all the Jelletts moved out of Moira:
"The Tullyard house, being old and no longer comfortable, was sold and later dismantled. There is a pleasant farm house now on the site, but no longer any Jelletts of Moira."
Morgan Jellett's children by his first wife, Jane Wynn, were:
1. Katherine Jellett (1747-)
2. William Jellett (1748-)
3. John Jellett (1749-1792) m. (03/06/1783), Hester, daughter of Robert Holmes and his Aunt Sarah Jellett
4. Jane Jellett (1750-)
Morgan Jellett's children by his second wife, Brilliana Mason, were:
1. Rev. Matthew Jellett (c.1775-29/09/1821) m. (05/12/1800), Anna Maria, daughter of Thomas Sadleir and Rebecca Woodward
2. Morgan Jellett (1769-) m. ___
3. Ann Jellett
4. Ruth Jellett
5. Mary Jellett
6. Brilliana Jellett
7-15 (11-19) unknown. Please contact me if you have any information on them or any of the above siblings lives.
"A little incident which occurred while King William III was at Hillsborough, may be mentioned in connection with the Jellett family settled at Moira. Being Protestants living in a district surrounded by Roman Catholics, Mr. Jellett the elder being then in feeble health, and his son probably serving in the army under Sir George Rawdon, his wife presented herself to King William, and requested him to leave her two soldiers as a protection to her house. The King received her graciously but, perceiving a great tankard, of fully a quart measure, attached to her girdle, he humorously asked for an explanation. He was informed that this vessel was one highly prized in her family, and handed down as an heirloom, being formed of " blood-stone," mounted in silver-gilt, and believed to be of great efficacy in curing haemorrage; and that she was afraid to leave so valuable an article behind during her absence. His Majesty thereupon called for wine,filled the tankard, and drank the lady's health: then presented it to her to drink to his success, and afterwards kindly granted her request. The two soldiers accompanied her home, with orders to remain until required; but, as they never were called on, they eventually became settlers on the property, and were long the only Protestants there. The tankard is still preserved, and in the possession of the Rev. John H. Jellett, F.T.C.D. it had no doubt been brought from Wales along with the Morgan family, A Captain Henry Jellett served in General Monk's army in Ireland, in 1642, and was one of three who were deputed by the General Officers of the army to demand from Monk his reasons for not signing promptly the " Solemn League of Covenant" which had already been signed by all the officers but himself. One of the originals of this League and Covenant, now in the Belfast Museum with a number of signatures attached, was presented to that institution by the late Morgan Jellett, Esq., and was believed by him to have come into the possession of his family through this Captain Jellett."
Another source states that William Jellett was serving with the Marquis of Ruvigny:
"... After the King had taken refreshments he went to Lisburn where he inspected the army encamped at Blaris, and then to Hillsborough where he met a member of another Huguenot family. The wife of Captain Jellet, who was serving with the Marquis of Ruvigny, met the King to ask for protection from hostile neighbours, while her husband was away. She was granted help in the shape of two soldiers, who accompanied her home The descendants of these soldiers are still in the vicinity of Moira. Captain Jellet survived the campaign, and died in 1717."
The first of the Jellett family, Captain Henry Jellett (-c.1690) married (1631), ___ Levigne, a relation of the Rawdon family, also of Moira, and had at least one child:
Captain William Jellett (1632-1717) m. (1678?) Katherine, daughter of Captain James Morgan. They had at least three children:
1. Morgan Jellett, died aged 20 in Barbados, unmarried
2. William Jellett (-1721) m. ____ with no issue
3. Matthew Jellett (c.1683-1726) m. (03/12/1715), Mary Brown of Downpatrick
Matthew Jellett died at a young age as did his brothers. His widow married secondly, ___ Wynn. Matthew left issue:
1. Daughter Jellett, died young
2. Daughter Jellett, died young
3. Sarah Jellett (11/09/1724-1805) m. (30/09/1756), Robert Holmes of Dublin, widower of Elinor Robinson
4. William Jellett (-1754), disinherited, m. ___
5. Morgan Jellett (c.1726-1797) m. (1745), his stepsister? Jane Wynn
m. (28/07/1756) Brilliana Mason, daughter of a merchant from Liverpool
Morgan Jellett was a well respected magistrate:
"Morgan Jellett, was for many years a magistrate in that county, dying at Moira, in 1797. The chroniclers of that period spoke of him as the oldest magistrate in Down, and as an upright and honorable gentleman, zealously attached to the King and Crown."
He had four children by his first wife, Jane Wynn (-1750) and fifteen by the next, Brilliana or Brittiana Mason (c.1735-1809). John Jellett moved to Dublin, see Jellett of Dublin, but the Jellett family remained in Tullyard. It is from these Jelletts that stayed in Moira that the Morgan Woodward Jellett descends from.
Eventually all the Jelletts moved out of Moira:
"The Tullyard house, being old and no longer comfortable, was sold and later dismantled. There is a pleasant farm house now on the site, but no longer any Jelletts of Moira."
Morgan Jellett's children by his first wife, Jane Wynn, were:
1. Katherine Jellett (1747-)
2. William Jellett (1748-)
3. John Jellett (1749-1792) m. (03/06/1783), Hester, daughter of Robert Holmes and his Aunt Sarah Jellett
4. Jane Jellett (1750-)
Morgan Jellett's children by his second wife, Brilliana Mason, were:
1. Rev. Matthew Jellett (c.1775-29/09/1821) m. (05/12/1800), Anna Maria, daughter of Thomas Sadleir and Rebecca Woodward
2. Morgan Jellett (1769-) m. ___
3. Ann Jellett
4. Ruth Jellett
5. Mary Jellett
6. Brilliana Jellett
7-15 (11-19) unknown. Please contact me if you have any information on them or any of the above siblings lives.
Jellett of Dublin
The first Jellett to come to Dublin was John Jellett, a disinherited son. John Jellett was a jeweller and thus made an appropriate marriage by marrying Hester, the daughter of Robert Holmes, a goldsmith. Hester Holmes (27/07/1760-1820?) was almost certainly John Jellett's first cousin. Hester may of been the daughter of Robert Holmes' first wife, Ellinor Robinson, as one of their children has Robinson as a middle name. However, Ellinor is supposed to have died in 1755, so this is unlikely given Hester's birth-date. John and Hester had three children:
1. Morgan Jellett (1787-18/12/1831)
2. Jane Jellett (1789-)
3. James Robinson Jellett (1791-)
The eldest son, Morgan Jellett was rector of Pallasgreen, Co. Limerick and then of Tullycorbet, Co. Monaghan. He lived at Glebe House, Tullycorbet. Morgan married Harriette Townsend, one of Hewitt Baldwin Poole of Mayfield's numerous daughters. He had five children by her her:
1. John Hewitt Jellett (25/12/1817-19/02/1888) m. (07/07/1855), his cousin, Dorothea Charlotte Morris, daughter of James Morgan and Maria Townsend Poole
2. James Holmes Jellett (-1858)
3. Henry Jellett (16/07/1821-31/12/1901) m. (03/05/1853), his cousin, Elizabeth Rebecca, daughter of James Morgan and Maria Townsend Poole
4. Harriette Dorothea Jellett (c.1822-1903) m. (12/07/1851), her cousin, Hewitt Robert, son of Jonas Morris Poole and Mary Anne Sealy
5. Hewitt Poole Jellett (c.1825-19/03/1911), 2nd Serjeant at Law, m. Josephine, daughter of Matthew Barrington (Baronet) and Charlotte Hartigan
It is worth noting at this point that the Jelletts intermarried with the Poole and Morgan families at this generation and the next.
The eldest son John Hewitt Jellett was born on 25 December 1817 in Cashel, Co. Tipperary. He was ordained as a priest in 1846. He was Provost of Trinity College Dublin from 1881-1888. John Hewitt Jellett married, on 7 July 1855, his cousin Dorothea Charlotte Morris Morgan, daughter of James Morgan and Maria Townsend Poole. John Hewitt Jellett died on 2 February 1888.
He had seven children:
1. Maria (Mia) Katherine Emily Jellett (23/04/1856-1948) m. (09/11/1880), her second cousin Thomas Hewitt, son of Horace Townsend Poole and Judith Isabella Flemming
2. William Morgan Jellett, MP, (19/05/1857-27/10/1936) m. (1895), Janet McKenzie Stokes. He was father to Mary (Mainie) Harriette Jellett (29/04/1897-1944) an abstract painter.
3. John Hewitt Jellett (06/02/1859-1938) m. (31/03/1891), Salisbury Mabel, daughter of George Samuel Montgomery
4. Harriette Mary Jellett (19/09/1860-10/02/1919) m. (21/12/1885), Professor George Francis FitzGerald, Senior Fellow T.C.D and Fellow of the Royal Society, son of Rev. William FitzGerald and Anne Frances Stoney
5. Henry Holmes Jellett (17/01/1865-15/10/1925) m. Beatrice (Inez?)
6. Dorothea Charlotte Poole Jellett (21/03/1866-1936)
7. Eva Josephine Jellett (06/01/1868-1958)
1. Morgan Jellett (1787-18/12/1831)
2. Jane Jellett (1789-)
3. James Robinson Jellett (1791-)
The eldest son, Morgan Jellett was rector of Pallasgreen, Co. Limerick and then of Tullycorbet, Co. Monaghan. He lived at Glebe House, Tullycorbet. Morgan married Harriette Townsend, one of Hewitt Baldwin Poole of Mayfield's numerous daughters. He had five children by her her:
1. John Hewitt Jellett (25/12/1817-19/02/1888) m. (07/07/1855), his cousin, Dorothea Charlotte Morris, daughter of James Morgan and Maria Townsend Poole
2. James Holmes Jellett (-1858)
3. Henry Jellett (16/07/1821-31/12/1901) m. (03/05/1853), his cousin, Elizabeth Rebecca, daughter of James Morgan and Maria Townsend Poole
4. Harriette Dorothea Jellett (c.1822-1903) m. (12/07/1851), her cousin, Hewitt Robert, son of Jonas Morris Poole and Mary Anne Sealy
5. Hewitt Poole Jellett (c.1825-19/03/1911), 2nd Serjeant at Law, m. Josephine, daughter of Matthew Barrington (Baronet) and Charlotte Hartigan
It is worth noting at this point that the Jelletts intermarried with the Poole and Morgan families at this generation and the next.
The eldest son John Hewitt Jellett was born on 25 December 1817 in Cashel, Co. Tipperary. He was ordained as a priest in 1846. He was Provost of Trinity College Dublin from 1881-1888. John Hewitt Jellett married, on 7 July 1855, his cousin Dorothea Charlotte Morris Morgan, daughter of James Morgan and Maria Townsend Poole. John Hewitt Jellett died on 2 February 1888.
He had seven children:
1. Maria (Mia) Katherine Emily Jellett (23/04/1856-1948) m. (09/11/1880), her second cousin Thomas Hewitt, son of Horace Townsend Poole and Judith Isabella Flemming
2. William Morgan Jellett, MP, (19/05/1857-27/10/1936) m. (1895), Janet McKenzie Stokes. He was father to Mary (Mainie) Harriette Jellett (29/04/1897-1944) an abstract painter.
3. John Hewitt Jellett (06/02/1859-1938) m. (31/03/1891), Salisbury Mabel, daughter of George Samuel Montgomery
4. Harriette Mary Jellett (19/09/1860-10/02/1919) m. (21/12/1885), Professor George Francis FitzGerald, Senior Fellow T.C.D and Fellow of the Royal Society, son of Rev. William FitzGerald and Anne Frances Stoney
5. Henry Holmes Jellett (17/01/1865-15/10/1925) m. Beatrice (Inez?)
6. Dorothea Charlotte Poole Jellett (21/03/1866-1936)
7. Eva Josephine Jellett (06/01/1868-1958)
Information Sources:
http://www.lisburn.com/books/huguenots/huguenots_2.html
http://www.ebooksread.com/authors-eng/ulster-archaeological-society/ulster-journal-of-archaeology-volume-1854-ala/page-27-ulster-journal-of-archaeology-volume-1854-ala.shtml
http://www.corkpastandpresent.ie/history/coleschurchandparishrecords/colesrecordsdioceseofcloyne/cole_cloyne_147_174.pdf
http://www.accessgenealogy.com/canada/biography-of-robert-p-jellett.htm
http://www.ebooksread.com/authors-eng/ulster-archaeological-society/ulster-journal-of-archaeology-volume-1854-ala/page-27-ulster-journal-of-archaeology-volume-1854-ala.shtml
http://www.corkpastandpresent.ie/history/coleschurchandparishrecords/colesrecordsdioceseofcloyne/cole_cloyne_147_174.pdf
http://www.accessgenealogy.com/canada/biography-of-robert-p-jellett.htm
