The story of the Huguenots in Ireland is a complicated one, beginning in the early 1500's when Protestant religions (mostly the teachings of Calvin), arrived in Catholic France. A number of civil wars ensued. Thousands of French Protestants were massacred on St. Bartholomew's Day, 25 August 1572. The Edict of Nantes brought a period of religious freedom after 1598, but by 1628 the persecutions were back in full swing. The Edict of Nantes was revoked in 1685.
|Were my Irish Large ancestors French?|
I don't know, but will use any excuse
for a trip to Paris!
Sometimes, researchers discover their Huguenot ancestry through a French surname. But often, these names, too, were absorbed into English and phonetic spellings. Some surnames in Ireland with possible Huguenot roots include some surprises such as Cobb/Cobbe, Devenny, Rainey, Dennis/Denis, Hammond/Hammon, Jolly/Joly, and Terson (disclaimer: do not assume Huguenot roots simply on the basis of a surname) .
I stumbled upon the history of the Huguenots in Ireland while researching my surname Large. While I do not know if my Irish Large family includes any Huguenots, the name Large/LeLarge is a common Huguenot surname. It also has Norman roots, so I cannot be sure of where or when any possible French genes entered my family line.
Huguenot settlements are found the length of Ireland: Belfast, Lisburn, Dundalk, Dublin, Portarlington, Carlow, Kilkenny, and Cork are just some of the sites of settlements and churches.
I am not advocating that researchers go on fishing expeditions for Huguenot ancestors. But, if the clues are popping up in your Irish research, and local history includes Huguenot settlements, some research into French Church records or Huguenot history just might break a brick wall.
IRELAND'S HUGUENOTS AND THEIR REFUGE by Raymond Hylton
THE HUGUENOT SETTLEMENTS IN IRELAND by Grace Lawless Lee
PORTARLINGTON by J.S. Powell
THE TRAIL OF THE HUGUENOTS by G. Elmore Reaman
THE HUGUENOTS: THEIR SETTLEMENTS, CHURCHES, AND INDUSTRIES IN ENGLAND AND IRELAND by Samuel Smiles