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Thomas Lowther Barnhill

We are seeking information about my husband’s great great uncle Thomas Lowther Barnhill. He emigrated to New Zealand as a 19 year old in 1859 on the ship Cheviot from Greenock. He was born in 1840 and was from Strabane and was Presbyterian. He never married.

His parents were Thomas Barnhill and Jane Johnstone Lowther. (Backfence) His sister was Maria Hood Barnhill, born 1844. She also came to NZ and married in NZ

One of her daughters was my husband’s grandmother.

We have quite a lot of information about his life in NZ after his arrival, from diaries, but would like to know more about his life before he came to NZ.

He was a renowned and respected farming identity at Castlerock in Southland, NZ.

He had a life long connection with Hon Matthew Holmes - landowner and pastoralist.

We presume Thomas Barnhill and Matthew Holmes knew each other in Ireland as they are from the same area. Thomas Barnhill (aged 19) was in charge of the livestock on board the ship, which was sent to NZ by Matthew Holmes - a director of the New Zealand Land Company.

Both of these men contributed financially to the building of the First Presbyterian Church in Strabane.

Barnhill’s diaries are beautifully written and his distinguished life in NZ indicates that he was well educated.

The farming property that our family owns (Castlerock) is part of Thomas Barnhill’s much larger station. Our grandchildren are the sixth generation since Thomas Barnhill owned and farmed it.

Another question we would like to find an answer to is - did he name our property in NZ after Castlerock in Ireland?

We will be visiting Nthn Ireland in August 2025

Juliet

5 replies

First Presbyterian church in Strabane has baptism records from 1828 onwards, so you may find Thomas and Maria’s baptisms (as well as any other siblings) in those records. There’s a copy held in PRONI (the public record office) in Belfast.

There’s a Thomas Barnhill listed in Backfence, in Griffiths Valuation c 1860. He had plot 6 which was around 75 acres (big for Ireland).

Backfence and Brickfield are connected (Brickfield House is in Backfence) so these probate abstracts look to be members of your family. 

Letters of Administration of the personal estate of William Barnhill late of Brickfield Strabane County Tyrone Esquire who died 2 June 1887 at same place were granted at Londonderry to Thomas Barnhill of Brickfield Law Apprentice the Son

Letters of Administration of the personal estate of Thomas Barnhill late of Brickfield County Tyrone Solicitor who died 3 April 1895 at same place were granted at Londonderry to William W. Barnhill of Brickfield B.L. the Brother.

Barnhill William Wilson of Brickfield Strabane county Tyrone company director died 8 December 1950 Probate Londonderry 27 June to Violet Alice Barnhill widow of Testator and Thomas John McComish retired bank manager. Effects £10695 0s. 10d.

Barnhill, Violet Alice of Brickfield Strabane county Tyrone widow died 27 January 1961 Probate Londonderry 15 May to Aileen Olive Cromie widow. Effects £1894 0s. 9d.

The files themselves are not on-line but are held in PRONI.

Family in 1901:

http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1901/Tyrone/Ballymagorry/Backfence/1753232/

PRONI also has a file D2994/3/7 relating to a member of the family murdered by the IRA:

File labelled by Senator McGill 'The late Senator Barnhill,' comprising correspondence and newspaper cuttings surrounding the death of Unionist Senator Jack Barnhill, who was murdered in his home at Brickfield, near Strabane, Co.Tyrone, on 12th December 1971. He was the first politician to be assassinated in the violence which began in 1969, and his murder was claimed by the Official IRA. [Nine items].

A search of the British Newspaper archives contains many references to this well known local family. Adverts for poultry for sale, election of Mr Barnhill to the Senate, death of Mrs Barnhill’s brother in 1916 in WW1, and so on.

Marriage here for Jane Barnhill of Backfence who married in 2nd Presbyterian, Strabane in 1858:

https://www.irishgenealogy.ie/files/civil/marriage_returns/marriages_1858/09560/5465889.pdf

And Elizabeth in 1857 in 1st Presbyterian:

https://www.irishgenealogy.ie/files/civil/marriage_returns/marriages_1857/09540/5458414.pdf

So sisters to Thomas who emigrated in 1868.

And a brother:

https://www.irishgenealogy.ie/files/civil/marriage_returns/marriages_1865/11561/8253119.pdf

I don't see any immediate connection with Castlerock in Co Derry (which is about 40 miles east of Strabane).

Elwyn, IrelandXO Volunteer ☘IrelandXO Volunteer

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Castlemore RoscommonIrelandXO Volunteer

Thank you very much Elwyn - we appreciate the work you have done on our behalf. You have given us a lot of information to follow up on.

Do you know if there are any Barnhills that we might meet in August?

Kind regards and thanks

Juliet

Juliet,

I don’t know if there are any Barnhills in the area today. According to this article Brickfield, the family home, was destroyed in the IRA bomb and murder attack in 1971, so not sure if anyone lives there today. John Barnhill was survived by his wife Margarette, brother William and sister Gladys. There is mention of Leckpatrick Presbyterian church, so I’d suggest contacting the Minister to see if there are any Barnhills in the congregation today.

https://www.dib.ie/biography/barnhill-john-jack-eccles-nixon-a0392

Photo of the house:

https://www.shutterstock.com/editorial/image-editorial/brickfield-house-strabane-northern-ireland-home-senator-5900587a?consentChanged=true

https://www.facebook.com/LeckpatrickPresbyterian/?locale=en_GB

Elwyn, IrelandXO Volunteer ☘IrelandXO Volunteer

Hi Juliet

I'm a 3xgreat granddaughter of Mathew Holmes who owned and farmed Castlerock Station with Thomas Barnhill.

We've been trying to find records or any trace of Mathew 's time in Strabane or family, with very little luck.

I actually visited Strabane in Nov 2022, and Castlerock Station in NZ in 2020 but noone was home when I called! ;-)

(I'm a Kiwi nomad with home base in NZ).

I'm interested that you say "Both of these men contributed financially to the building of the First Presbyterian Church in Strabane." Are you able to point me to where you found that info?

Also, I'd love to know if Thomas's diaries are held by family or somewhere in archives for others to see. I bet they're amazing and probably cover a lot of the Holmes family that I'm researching, as well as the history of the area.

I'd love to connect with you,

Sarah

Sarah Holmes

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