John Holmes

John Holmes was born in Beauparc and Yellow Furze, Painstown Parish, County Meath in 1787, and his parents John Holmes and Sarah (nee Wilson) took him home to Lancashire to be christened, on 21 October 1787, at St Mary’s, Prestwich.

He joined the navy as a young man; in the Description Books for Plymouth Royal Marines he is listed as 17 years, attestation date 2nd July 1805; he enlisted in Dublin, as a labourer, born PainsTown County Meath, 5 feet two and a half inches, Grey Eyes, Brown Hair, fair complexion. He was stationed in Plymouth.

John served  under the command of Admiral Lord Nelson at the Battle of Trafalgar on 21 Oct 1805; he is listed in the Trafalgar Roll as Boy R(oyal) M(arine) on the ‘Thunderer’. He then served under Sir John Moore, when the troops were sent to help Spain repulse the French. It resulted in the Battle of Corunna (16 Jan 1809), inland and off the coast of the port of La Corunna in northeastern Spain, in which Sir John Moore died. The battle delayed French efforts in Spain, and Napoleon never again personally intervened there.

John Holmes returned to Co Meath, Ireland after the Battle of Corunna; in about 1810 he married Sarah STEVENS from County Down, Ireland, at Navan, which was a military barracks town. They went to live in Plymouth, the departure point for man-o’-war ships, where a son John was born in about 1810, then a daughter Sarah Stevens HOLMES was christened in 1811, followed by William Wilson HOLMES in 1814). Their father was a private on the Salvador del Mondo. Another son is thought to be Richard, born at Slane Castle in Co Meath in about 1818. John is said to have travelled widely with the navy.

He was discharged from the Royal Marines on 28 November 1814 due to “Hectic” which was“ Denoting a daily afternoon rise of temperature, accompanied by a flush on the cheeks, occurring in active tuberculosis and other infections; use of the term is based on the appearance of the temperature chart”. (Farlex Partner Medical Dictionary, 2012).   That may have been the beginning of the Tuberculosis which he suffered from.

In about 1816 they returned to Co Meath, Ireland, and he obtained work in charge of the grounds of Slane Castle, where they lived in the gatehouse. He remained in that position for about 13 years until he became ill with consumption (tuberculosis). Lord Conyngham sent him to various places to try and get medical help for him.  There are no burial records for him that I know of, but it is known that at that time Slane Castle had its own private burial section.  (Information comes from a family biography)  There is also a burial record of a John Holmes in Paddington Green, Westminster, London in 1832, aged 46, and buried on 9 April at St Mary, Paddington Green, which may refer to him.