Work in Progress

"People who brag about their ancestors talk as if they had selected them themselves." (Anonymous)

Mordaunts and Mornings?

The Mordaunt Family in Ireland page describes in a little more detail that the few early records before 1840 almost invariably records Mordaunts as Mornings. Having heard the name pronounced in a strong rural Wexford accent, I can understand why. After the 1840s, they are usually recorded as Mordaunts

Great great great grandfather Patrick Mordaunt (mid 1700s - before 1825)

• Patrick Mordaunt, named as Patrick Morning in the few surviving records, appears to have occupied much of what is now the townland of Ballantlea. As such he was probably the "Morning" marked on the 1811 map of Gorey, distinguished enough to be named on the map but not distinguished enough for the courtesy title of Mr. or Esquire. The surviving baptism records name his wife as Mary. His holdings were divided between sons Patrick (whose baptism record has not yet been found) and Denis. The baptismal record of a daughter Elizabeth has also survived. By my calculations, based on my DNA test results, he is possibly the second generation of Mordaunts born in County Wexford. His grandfather Mordaunt, whoever that may have been, would therefore have been the first Mordaunt settler.
  I am very grateful to my distant cousin, friend and fellow family history enthusiast Alison McCarthy for finding records of Patrick and forwarding them to me.

Great great grandfather Denis Mordaunt (December 1783 - 4th April 1868, aged 84 yrs)

• Denis Mordaunt ( 1783 - 4th April 1868) was baptised on 13th December, 1783, in the parish of Kilanerin - not the Pugin Gothic mid-19th century church there now. The Tithe Applotment Books of around 1825 list Denis Mordaunt holding 30 acres of land in the townland of Ballinclay. At the Griffiths valuation of around 1853, a Denis Mordaunt held land at renamed Ballintlea, Kilnahue, and a Denis Mordaunt held land at Clone, Monamolin. With the closely related Mordaunt families of Wexford all using the same few Christian names, it is possible that there were two Denis Mordaunt's about this time but, while bearing that possibility in mind, I think the few available clues point to there being only one. In the Griffiths valuation he was shown as joint tenant with Catherine Mordaunt (Patk). (which I assume means widow of Patrick), of 8 acres in Ballintlea occupied by Catherine Mordaunt (Geo), (again, widow of George Mordaunt?). The whole townland of Ballintea, all 237 acres, was held by Mordaunts, even if sublet to others (Griffiths valuation page 34 and page 35). Denis, Ellen (abt. 1791 - 1886), widow of Edward Mordaunt (abt. 1784 - 1852/3), the two Catherine Mordaunts (abt. 1790 - 1866 and abt. 1791 - 1871) and a Michael Mordaunt, suggesting a very close relationship between them all, brothers/sisters, cousins. That joint responsibility between Denis and Catherine (Patk) leads me to speculate that Denis and Patrick were brothers.

  Denis would have been araound 15 years old when the 1798 rebellion swept through North Wexford in a surprisingly short space of time. On May 26th, the first armed encounter in the county occured at The Harrow, only two miles west of Clone, where Denis's landholdings were later recorded. On the following day, the battle of Oulart between insurgents and yeomanry, was fought only three miles south of Clone. Within days, Enniscorthy and Wexford had fallen. First the rebels, advanced north, committing atrocities against Protestants and loyalists and scavaging for food as they went and then the militia pushed them back south also committing atrocities, against Catholics, and scavaging for food as they went. The remnants took refuge on Vinegar Hill outside Enniscorthy where they were finally overrun on 21st June. The final insurgents in south County Wexford were defeated on 4th/5th July. All in less than six weeks! All this passed through whatever landholdings the Mordaunts held at the time. They seem to have come through it relatively unscathed, probably spared on the one side because they were Catholics and by the other because they were Anglo-Irish.

  I am grateful to a Canadian correspondent, Jean Copland, who kindly wrote describing how the severity of the sectarian strife in this conflict affected her ancestors. They were from Gorey but were Anglican. She wrote "The Staples / Matchett forebears were badly affected by the '98 rebellion, to the tune of personal injuries and property damage. The old newspapers back in Co Wexford tell of the strife between the two religions. You are certainly correct in thinking that was why they up and came to Canada. In Cavan, Ontario, there was a vigilante group called the Cavan Blazers, whose avowed purpose was to keep any Catholics out of the township. Many of the Blazers bore family names. I am certain it was fear of what massed Catholics were capable of, if they took a disliking to you, as they had back in Ireland, that got the Blazers up and kept them going. I believe the members of the Blazer group thinned out when those who'd been in Ireland around 1798 began to die off, and/or feel safer. Even by 1900, the family didn't trust any Catholic on sight - they had to prove themselves to be peaceable people - it wasn't taken on trust. My mother, born 1908, was raised to be wary of Catholics; luckily she became a nurse, and met enough to grow out of that prejudice!"
  I wonder if any of the Mordaunt landholdings recorded in the 19th century tithe applotment lists and the Griffiths Valuation had previously been occupied by Anglicans who had decided to up and leave the area?

  For an brief guide to the 1798 rebellion visit this link

  A Denis Morning was recorded marrying Mary Byrne (abt.1791 - 29th October 1851, aged 60 years) in Avoca, County Wicklow, in 1813 (the name Denis written in the priest´s best effort of writing the name in Latin). Once again, I am indebted to and infinitely grateful to Mary O'Dwyer for finding that marriage entry. Although Avoca was a little far from home I am as confident as I can be that it is the same Denis.
  The next great event in Denis's life was the Great Famine, 1845 - 1849. Denis's landholdings would have been sufficient for him to see himself and family through the crisis. Cousins etc with smaller landholdings seem to have given up or lost their land.
  While subleasing his holdings in Ballintlea, he is listed in the Griffiths Valuation as farming 105 acres in Clone West and Clone East, Monamolin, some 15 miles south. See this map of County Wexford. On his death certificate the cause of death was given as "apoplexy" which, acording to Wikipedia, was the usual term meaning death following a sudden loss of consciousness, such as an aneurysm, heart attack or stroke. He is buried in Boolavogue(Boleyvogue) cemetery, between Gorey and Enniscorthy. A parish record records his death, understating his age by 5 years
  Some other random records available on genealogy websites shows that he was twice in court for allowing pigs to escape on to a public road, once in 1857, fined 6 pence with 1 shilling costs and once in 1861, fined 1 shilling with 1 shilling costs, and that in 1866 he paid for dog licences for three red mastiffs

  Denis had a number of children, not necessarily listed here in total or in the correct order because of some vagueness over dates. I am confused because of a lack of certainty over many things, such as ages at death, so, where I lack definite information, I have relied on information passed down to me by my father. Where he got his information from I do not know.

  • Miles Mordaunt ( 1817 - 21st June 1895) took over the land holdings of Denis in Ballintlea. He had been baptised in January, 1817 as Miles Morning in Ballyoughter parish. He was also in possession of the land in Ballintlea occupied previously by Cath(Patk) Mordaunt). The death certificate of Myles Mordaunt, a farmer from Ballantlea, wife Mary (Gahan), aged 78 is dated 21st June 1895. His tombstone gives his age as 76 years old. They were so vague about ages and dates then. Miles is a further clue that Denis Mordaunt, above, of Clone, may be the same Denis Mordaunt of Ballintlea. In the rating valuation lists, land leased by Denis in Ballintlea from Francis Hatton was taken over by a Miles, He also took over land occupied previously by Cath(Patk) Mordaunt) also in the 1853 list. This change occured sometime before 1867 which ties in with the death of Denis in Clone.
    1. Miles is buried at Boolavogue cemetery, next to Denis. This is 16 miles from his home in days when travel was difficult. Other Mordaunts of Ballintlea are buried in a cemetery close to their homes.
    2. In 1982, Patrick Mordaunt, farming in Ballymurragh, described the Miles in Boolavogue cemetery as his uncle. This is impossible but it would fit in nicely if he was his father’s uncle.
    At the 1901 census, Mary, a widow, is listed at the farm with a nephew, Arthur Gahan. At sometime in the early 1900s the farm was occuped by her husband's nephew, Miles, son of Patrick Mordaunt. The 1911 census has an 80 year-old Mary Mordaunt living in Mullaunreagh, Monamolin, with her 86 year old brother Patrick Gahan.
    Buried with Myles is his wife, Mary, and a niece Esther, given as aged 25 years old and intered 1912. Whose daughter she was I have no idea. They do not seem to have had any surviving children of their own.

  • Michael Mordaunt (March 1819 - 31st March 1894) took over the land holdings of Denis in Clone East and West. He had been baptised on 25th March, 1819 as Michael Morning in Ballyoughter parish. Although Denis died in 1865, the rating valuation was not amended until about 1877. This is rather bad record keeping or there was another Denis. A Michael Mordaunt, described as a farmer from Clone, of full age, son of Denis Mordaunt, farmer, married Anne/Anna Murphy (abt. 1830 - 1904) on 12th November 1869. A Michael Mordaunt, a farmer from Clone, died 31st March 1894, age given 75 years old, which is unusually accurate in these records. The Registry entry gives cause of death as senile decay.
    The rating valuation lists shows the farm in the name of Anne Mordaunt from about 1885, perhaps another example of tardy record keeping. In the 1901 census, a 70 year old Anna, with two servants, still lived on the farm. Her death was registered in Enniscorthy. Under the terms of Michael's Will, the farm then passed to his nephew, Thomas Doyle, son of his sister Catherine (with thanks to Mary O'Dwyer once again.

  • Margaret Mordaunt married Mogue (or Moses or Moyses) Murphy. They had a farm at Mount Howard. My father passed down that she was headmistress of the local school. He descibed how the school was sited on the approach roads and when soldiers, or whoever, went past on the way to evict a farmer, the children would be sent scampering over the fields to raise the alarm. Regretably it is difficult to credit this colourful oral tradition since she was a farmer’s wife with lots of children, born 1852,53,55,59,63,64 and maybe more, and would hardly have had much time to be the local teacher.
    I am grateful to Mary Kenny, who contacted me in July 2013, for identifying Margaret as her great-great-grandmother. Mary is descended from a daughter of Margaret and Moses named Marcella, who married Owen Connolly of Templeshannon, Enniscorthy, in April 1884, in Monamolin.

  • Mary Mordaunt married a Peter Laffin. These two sisters, Margaret and Mary, were particularly useful to my research as between them they had a stream of children baptised in the local church for whom their brothers and sisters acted as godparents.

  • Catherine Mordaunt was godmother to a sister’s baby in 1849. I had written on this site that I had found no further information about her but now I am again grateful to Mary O'Dwyer who, continuing her own research into her own, closely related family, forwarded to me a copy of Catherine's Will, written in October 1869, as recorded in the National Archives. She married William Doyle (d. 1868/69), a farmer and miller, and had two surviving children, Thomas Doyle and Lizzie Doyle. After the death of his aunt, Anne, Thomas inherited the family farm in Clone East and West under the terms of his uncle Michael's will, (see above)

  • Charles Mordaunt I have very little information on Charles. He was godfather to a sister’s baby in 1852. According to family oral tradition passed to me by my father, Charles went to the USA where he was popularly believed to have made his fortune. A Charles Mordaunt, born in Ireland in about 1830, is shown in the 1870 US Census as living in New York with his wife Jane, aged 38, also from Ireland. They do not reappear in later censuses. (There need be nothing ominous in this; the census records I have found on the Internet are very incomplete.) A surviving passenger list of the SS Etruria in 1888 shows a Irish passenger Charles Mordaunt travelling to New York. He was given as 62 years old and so born in 1826. I am again grateful to Mary O'Dwyer who discovered a copy of his death certificate, 1st October, 1892, where his age was now 58 years.

  • Edward Mordaunt (abt. 1831 - 1917), my great grandfather, was godfather to a sister’s baby’s in 1855.

  • Patrick Mordaunt (abt. 1834 – 1892) was a godfather to a sister’s baby in 1854. His wife was Ellen Crowe (1838-1899). At some time, Patrick occupied the farm at Ballymurragh and had, among any other children:
    • Denis Mordaunt, (abt. 1860 - ?). Curiously, in the 1901 census, his brother Michael named head of the family, Denis listed after as a farmer's son.
    • Mary Mordaunt, (18th January 1864 - ?). Either she died young and a later daughter was also called Mary or the date given in the English census records for Mary, Sister of Charity, below, is well out.
    • Michael Mordaunt (b. 1866 - ?). Curiously, in the 1901 census, he was named head of the family over his older brother, Denis. Johanna and Myles were also in the house. He was in possession of the farm at the 1911 census with his wife Mary. His brothers and sisters had moved on.
      • Patrick Mordaunt (1915 - ?). I visited Patrick at Ballymurrugh in 1982 and met his children:
        • Michael Mordaunt (b. 1958)
        • Charles Mordaunt (b. 1959)
        • Mary Mordaunt (b. 1961)
        • Olive Mordaunt (b. 1964)
    • Elizabeth Mordaunt, (15th February 1867 - ?) was a Sister of Charity teaching St Paul the Apostle, 2 Monkgate, York, at the 1891 English census, the 1901 English census and the 1911 English census.
    • Margaret Mordaunt, (24th February 1869 - ?). She presumably died young as another Margaret was registered in 1879
    • Ellen Mordaunt, (27th January 1871 - ?). An Ellen Mourdant (sic), aged 20 years, appears in the 1891 English census as a teacher at a convent school in Batley, Yorkshire, presumably our Ellen. It is not clear if she was a member of a religious order like her sisters.
    • Johanna Mordaunt, (25th April 1873 - 1947).
      She married James Sinnott (1850 - 1916) and they lived in Bolaboy More, Ballaghkeen South. They had eight children, twin girls, a boy, twin girls again, two boys and another girl. I am grateful to Mary O'Dwyer for contacting me with information about Johanna's marriage and family and for sending this photo of Johanna, James, and the five eldest children. Mary's grandmother, Ellen Sinnott (1904 - 1982), one of the twins, was Johanna and James's second eldest daughter and called after her maternal grandmother. Mary has found that, sadly, all the boys died as children
      
      

      
      

    • Myles Mordaunt, (25th August 1874 - 29th June 1946). I am grateful to his grandson, Myles Mordaunt who kindly contacted me to confirm that this was the Myles Mordaunt listed in the 1911 census, farming in Ballintlea. He seems to have taken over the farm, formerly held by his his grandfather Denis and then his uncle Myles, from Myles's widow, Mary, sometime after 1900. Anyway, his wife was Maggie (abt. 1885 - 8th May 1951) and they had children
      • Patrick Mordaunt (abt. 1904 - 27th October 1967). He inherited his father's farm but, being a batchelor, it was finally passed on to a son of his sister, Ellen. He is buried with his parents in Craanford Cemetery
      • Ellen Mordaunt (abt. 1906 - ). One of her son's was to inherit the farm at Ballintlea.
      • Bridget Mordaunt (abt. 1907 - 25th November 1928). Her nephew, Myles, told me that she died of TB. The tombstone apparently gives her age as 17 years (d.o.b. abt. 1911) which does not fit with the 1911 census (d.o.b. abt. 1907).
      • Mary Mordaunt (abt. 1910 - 7th July 1929). Her nephew, Myles, told me that she died of TB. The tombstone apparently gives her age as 15 years (d.o.b. abt. 1914) which does not fit with the 1911 census (d.o.b. abt. 1910).
      • Myles Mordaunt (1914 - 1855). In 1943 he and his family moved to Rosslare Strand. Among any other children he may have had was
        • Myles Mordaunt (b. ?) who moved to west London and married Rosalyn MacEntee in Ealing in 1964. They lived in Hayes, Middlesex, before returning to Ireland on his retirement in 2002.
          • daughter Mordaunt (name withheld on request) (b. 1967) Her birth was registered in Hillingdon.
          • daughter Mordaunt (name withheld on request) (b. 1975). Her birth was registered in Hillingdon.
          I am very grateful to Myles who kindly contacted me to inform me that it was his grandfather Myles who took over Denis Mordaunt's land holdings in Ballintlea and to give me a great deal more information about the family, especially those buried in Craanford and Monaseed, taken from records prepared by those parishes..
      • A Denis Mordaunt, who "died young" is buried with his parents. He is presumably the son that his nephew Myles told me died in a farming accident
    • daughter Mordaunt, (12th June 1876 - ?), whose birth was registered.
    • Margaret Mordaunt, (26th July 1879 - ?) who was a Sister of Charity teaching at St Patrick's convent, York Road, Leeds, according to the 1911 English census.
    • Mary Mordaunt, (abt. 1880 - ?) was a Sister of Charity of St Paul in St Paul's Convent, Kings Norton, Worcestershire, at the 1901 English census. I have not found her in the 1911 English census.

  • Esther/Hester Mordaunt (abt. 1843 - 1881). The names Esther and Hester seem interchangable at these times. Anyway, I am grateful to Helen Rath who very kindly wrote to inform me that Esther Mordaunt of Clone married Francis Rath of Garrydaniel on 15th September 1869. Helen's grandfather's cousin. This fits in with the record of the marriage of a Hester Mordaunt registered in Enniscorthy district in 15th September 1869. Helen writes they travelled to Argentina "where it appears they farmed extensively. She died in 1881 and is interred in the Mordaunt Family plot marked with a headstone erected by her husband, Francis."
    • Patrick Rath, (abt. 1871 - late 1930s). He was "aged about 8 years when his mother died and he was sent home to Ireland to be educated in Clongowes Wood College." He was the Paddy Rath, fellow student at Clongowes Wood College, fleetingly referred to in James Joyce's "Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man." He later played for Bective Rangers Football Club. He married a Miss Murtagh but they had no chidren. His funeral in the late 1930s, as well being attended by former Taoiseach W. T. Cosgave and his wife, was attended by his cousins Denis and Michael, but I can only guess as to which cousins Denis and Michael they could have been.

  • Johanna Mordaunt and

  • Rose Mordaunt were godparents in 1859. I know nothing more about them.

  The family would have lived through The Great Famine (1846/49). Caused by the failure of the potato crop, those who were tenant farmers of a reasonable sized plot would have been cushioned from the worst effects of the calamity. Denis's holdings of 105 acres would have been large for the time and indicate that his family was comparatively safe. In 1845, as an example, 24% of all Irish tenant farms were of one to five acres (0.4 to 2 hectares) in size, while 40% were of five to fifteen acres (2 to 6 hectares). A British Government report carried out shortly before the Great Hunger noted that the scale of the poverty was such that one third of all small holdings in Ireland were presumed to be unable to support their families, after paying their rent, other than through the earnings of seasonal migrant labour in England and Scotland. (Thanks to Wikipedia for that bit.)

  Boolavogue cemetery Mordaunt graves in the left corner

  Family plot (l to r) Denis snr., Esther, Edward, Myles

  Denis and Mary

  Edward and Bridget

  Myles

  Esther

  Photographs courtesy of Myles Mordaunt and Sarah Rath

  Fr. Mike Byrne, curate, of Boolavogue in 2012 kindly sent me the following inscriptions
  

• Erected in the memory of Mary Mordaunt, Clone, who departed this life Oct 29th 1851 aged 60yrs
  Also her husband Denis Mordaunt who departed 11th ? April 1868 aged 79yrs.
  Their daughter-in-law Ellen Mordaunt, Died Sept 6th 1899 aged 80yrs ?. Their son Patrick Mordaunt died Oct 9th 1894 aged 63yrs. Also his grandson Denis Mordaunt died March 13th 1932 aged 72yrs. Their daughter-in-law Bridget Mordaunt died Feb 6th 1917 aged 76yrs.
• To the memory of Edward Mordaunt of Land League fame who was a fearless soldier in the land war of the 1830 after suffering terms of imprisonment died Feb 1917 aged 85yrs.
  Also his wife Bridget died Feb 2nd 1921 aged 79yrs and their daughters Mary & Esther (Essie) aged 35 & 24yrs respectively. Eternal rest grant unto them O'Lord and to all their children who are buried elsewhere. Also their infant children who were buried in the 1870s, Johanna, James, Myles & Michael. "Little children pray for them, St. Joseph and the Virgin Mary interceed for them. May their souls and the souls of all the faithful departed rest in peace Amen".
• Erected by Mary Mordaunt, Ballinclay, in memory of her beloved husband Myles Mordaunt who died June 21st 1895 aged 76yrs. Also his niece Esther Mordaunt who died Oct 14th 1912 aged 23yrs.
  From the photograph, Esther's inscription is
• Erected by Francis Rath, Neuve de Julio Buenos Ayres, in memory of his beloved wife Esther who died 13th May 1881 aged 38 years. (Nueve de Julio, named after the date of Argentina's declaration of independence, is a city in Buenos Aires province, Argentina, presumably the family home in Argentina)

Great grandfather Edward Mordaunt (abt. 1831 - 6th February, 1917)

• Edward Mordaunt (abt. 1831/32 - 6th February, 1917). He died in February 1917, believed to be 85 and so was born about 1831. He is listed in Litter parish register as marrying Bridget Crowe (abt.1841 - 2nd February, 1921) on 15th November 1863. By 1864 he was in occupation of 86 acres at Cullentra.
  Edward ceased occupation of Cullentra for non-payment of rent in 1886 during the "land war." At the time of his eviction, Edward had ten surviving children, aged from 5 or 6 to 24 years old. The farm was allocated to a Johnson family
  
  land war - period of agrarian agitation from 1879 - 1903. The land war began in 1879 with a meeting in Irishtown, Co. Mayo, and ended with the passing of the Land Act 1903, the 'Wyndham's Act. This was the culmination of a series of acts designed to bring about the transfer of ownership of tenanted lands from landlord to tenant - the principal goal of the agitation. The land war went through three periods, each associated with national organisations that mobilised the discontent in the Irish countryside; 1879 - 81, Irish National Land League; 1882 - 1991, Irish National League and 1898 - 1903, United Irish League.
  (Donald Jordan, Professor of History at Menlo College, Californa, for 'The Encyclopaedia of Ireland,' General Editor Brian Lalor, Gill & MacMillan 2003)
  When the reform finally came the beneficiaries were not the casualties of the war, those who had been evicted from their farms, but those occuping the farm at the time who were granted tenancy of the land afterwards. This may explain the resentment that still existed towards the Johnson family that was still apparent on my visits to the area in the 1950s and in 1982. The original house was destroyed by fire in the 1970s and I was told it was popularly believed to be a revenge attack!
  I found a number of newspaper reports on Edward Mordaunt, courtesy of, of all places, the New Zealand National Library, whose Internet archives include copies of past editions of "The New Zealand Tablet" which carried news items from the UK for the benefit of its homesick readers. Then, I am grateful to correspondent, Professor Ged Martin, who referred me to other more local newpaper sources. I ended with so many that I decided to reproduce them on their own page.

  Edward ended his days as keeper of a small shop in Monamolin which my father once told me had been bought for him by public subscription. In the 1901 census, Edward, Brigid and Esther (Essie) were living at house 3 in Court Ballyedmond, Monamolin. Denis, Michael and Charles were in Dublin. Patrick was in the army and Margaret was working as a seamstress, both in Canterbury, England. The Johnson family are not recorded at Cullentra in the 1901 census; the enumerator did not acknowledge their existence. The enumerator for the 1911 census went even further. Again, the Johnson family in Cullentra are not recorded. Edward's profession was given as "farmer & shopkeeper" and, although the address given is the shop, the premises described are clearly also those of the farm, with a stable, a cow house, a piggery, a fowl house and a shed. There are no Johnsons listed in Cullentra; Edward is still given as the occupier of the farm, twenty two years after his eviction!
  Living 'at home' at the 1911 census were Michael, whose profession was described as "farmer's son"(!) and Essie.
  

  On Edward's death, his son Denis had a memorial erected in Boolavogue cemetery
  "In memory of Edward Mordaunt, Monamolin, of Land League fame, who was a fearless soldier in the Land War of the 1880s. After suffering terms of imprisonment died Feb. 6th, 1917. Aged 85."
  

  The baptisms of their children are recorded in Monamolin parish records. The 1911 census records that Edward and Bridget had had a total of 13 children of whom 8 had survived. There seem to have been two Johannas.

  • Denis Mordaunt (18th March 1865 - 1941). His birth was recorded in Killenagh and Wells. In the 1901 census he was an assistant grocer, living with his employer, Henry Butler, in Portobello Road, Wood Quay. He is described in the 1911 census was now grocer's manager, Henry Butler having apparently died. My father told me Denis ended up with two shops in Dublin. A photograph I was told was of Denis showed him as a properous man, well fed, well clothed with two gorgeous setters at his feet. I do not know what happened to that photo. He erected the monument to his father in Boolavogue Cemetery. His death was registered in Dublin South district.
  • Mary Mordaunt (12th June 1866 - abt.1901). Her birth was recorded in Killenagh and Wells. She does not seem to have married and is interred in her parent's grave in Boolavogue cemetery, her age given as 35 years. She presumably died shortly before the 1901 census as she was not listed there.
  • Catherine Mordaunt (abt.1867 - ?) A Catherine Mordaunt aged 20, father Edward, a farmer, married James Rourke on 30th April, 1887. If she was this Catherine, why did they marry in Enniscorthy?
  • Johanna Mordaunt (? - 1870s). Her name is listed on her parents' tombstone.
  • James Mordaunt (27th October 1869 - 1870s). His name is listed on his parents' tombstone.
  • Myles Mordaunt (9th June 1871 - 1875) died when he was 4 years old.
  • Michael Mordaunt (11th December 1872 - 1875).
  • Patrick Mordaunt (10th March 1874 - 1914), my grandfather
  • Michael Mordaunt ( 21st August 1875- ?). In the 1901 census he was recorded with his brother, Charles, as a vintner's assistant working for and boarding with Thos.H. Hickery at Ballsbridge Terrace, Pembroke West. At the 1911 census he was living at home with his parents. He died a bachelor after continuing to mind the Monamolin shop for a few years after the death of his father. My father's memory of him from that period was that he drank too much.
  • Johanna Mordaunt (7th April 1877 - abt. 1892). This appears to be a second Johanna. A Johanna Mordaunt died, aged 14 or 15, in Enniscorthy Lunatic Asylum. (The hospital still exists, or at least it did when I was in the area in 1982, though under a new name kinder to our modern ears. In this overwhelmingly rural area, there were over 400 patients there in the 1890s according to a contemporary newspaper report, a remarkable number by today's considerations, although, possibly, it doubled up as a local general hospital).
  • Margaret Mordaunt (20th May 1879 - ?) was working as a seamstress living in Canterbury with her brother Patrick in the 1901 UK census (page 1 continued on page 2) at the time of my father's birth. She is probably the adult sitting in the centre of the photograph below. Although the age given is wrong, she must be the Margaret Mordaunt recorded in the 1911 census, born in Monamolin, and working as a drapery shop assistant in Deal, Kent. She married a teacher, Michael McConneloge, in Dublin on 21st July, 1915. (With more thanks to Mary O'Dwyer for the copy of the record)
  • Esther (Essy) Theresa Mordaunt (abt.1881 - abt.1906) was living with her parents at the 1901 census, helping in the shop, her age given as 18 years old. She was described as aged 25 on the shared tombstone shared with her parents at Boolavogue cemetery.
  • Charles Mordaunt, (24th May 1883 - June 9th 1835?). In the 1901 census he was recorded with his brother, Michael, as a vintner's assistant working for and boarding with Thos.H. Hickery at Ballsbridge Terrace, Pembroke West. He joined the 5th Royal Royal Irish Lancers on 2nd September 1902 (I served two years attached to their successor regiment, the 16th/5th Queen's Royal Lancers 1969/71; I wish I had known this fact at the time) but only lasted for some 21 days and bought himself out. He then joined the Royal Irish Rifles as 7063 Pte. C. Mordaunt. (For his British Army service here I am very grateful to Doug Vaugh who kindly wrote to me with the information). He then seems to disappear from the UK records but my father knew he had gone to the US and a Charles Mordaunt arrived on Ellis Island on 30th May 1912, aged 27 and described as English-Irish. This is probably he although the age would be two years out. His US draft WW I registration (resident in Manhatton, previous occupation bar keeper) is dated 12th September 1918, making his actual participation in the war unlikely. However, my father passed on the family belief that he fought in WWI as an officer in the US 59th Infantry Regiment. Perhaps he spun a few yarns to his family. A Charles Mordaunt passed through Ellis Island again from Londonderry in February 1920. He is quite possibly the same Charles visiting home with his tall stories. I hope I am not being too hard on him! I haven't found any Charles Mordaunt in the US Census records for 1920 and 1930. He is possibly the Charles Mordaunt whose death was listed in The Bronx in 1935, age given as 51 years.

  ---

  Grandfather Patrick Mordaunt (10th March 1874 - 15th March 1914)

  He joined a cavalry regiment of the British Army (18th Hussars) and rose to the rank of Warrant Officer. As far as I know, he spent much of his service life in England; my father, for example, was born in barracks in Canterbury, one of my uncles in York. He clearly avoided the Boer War fought in that period as at the time of my father's birth the regiment was holed up in Ladysmith during the famous seige. In his service he won more awards for mounted swordsmanship that any other non-commissioned officer in the Army. He married Bridget (var. Brigid) Plunket (13th May 1873 - 10th December 1957) in 1898 in Wexford and they had seven children. In the 1901 UK census (page 1 continued on page 2) he was stationed in Canterbury, where my father was born. Soon after 1905 he was transferred or seconded to the South Irish Horse militia regiment, probably in Co. Kildare, where the later children were born, and Dublin (again thanks to Doug Vaugh for this bit of information). He was recommended for the award of the Long Service and Good Conduct medal on 1st July 1909. In the 1911 census he was recorded living at Beggarsbush Barracks, Pembroke West, with Bridget and the first five of their surviving children. He died of an illness aged 40.
  
  Family group after the death of father, Patrick, and after the funeral of baby Denis.
  From the left to right: Patrick, Aunt Margaret, Molly, Michael, mother (Bridget), Brigid, Edward and Myles

My sister Mary remembers my grandmother Bridget as a distant, austere grandmother more given to prayer than cuddling her grandchildren. However, as a young widow with six surviving children she worked, used her pensions and help from the family to ensure a good education for her children which ensured them all success and security in their later lives. I only knew her late in her life when she was already a victim of dementia. She died in a nursing home near her daughter Brigid in Basingstoke and was buried in Waterlooville, Hampshire, where my parents lived for the last forty and more years of their lives, next to the plot my father reserved for himself.

Patrick Mordaunt	Patrick Mordaunt	Bridget Mordaunt	Patrick and Edward	Patrick and Bridget, Edward, Myles and Michael




• Edward (Ned) Patrick Mordaunt (1900 - 1982), the eldest son, was my father, born at North Gate Street, Canterbury.
  He appeared the following year in the 1901 UK census (page 2 following on from page 1). He went to the Christian Brothers School in Dublin (1910 - 1914) and Mungret College in Limerick (1914 - 1918)
  "As a student aged 17 years ten months, who had, as the son of a regular Cavalry soldier, been encouraged to ride and shoot from the age of ten, I reported to the Dublin recruiting office on May 9, 1918, advancing my age to 19 years four months, and was accepted as a trooper in the South Irish Horse. My father had died in 1914 while seconded to the S.I.H. from the 18th Hussars, so I was able to claim a family connection. After a brief stay at the Depot in Cahir, Co. Tipperary, I was in action, in France, by early August 1918. By this time the Army had realised that soldiers on horseback had no role in modern warfare, such as on the Western Front. Soldiers of the South Irish Horse were retrained as infantrymen and became 7th (South Irish Horse) Battalion, The Royal Irish Regiment. As such he took part in what he refers to as "The Pursuit to Mons" in October 1918.
  In 1919 he was 131279 Pte. Mordaunt with the 45th Battalion, The Royal Fusiliers, acting as mounted infantry, in the expeditionary force that attempted intervention in the Russian civil war, May to October 1919, where he won the Military Medal for "bravery in the field." Record of the citation was lost to enemy bombing in World War II but my father once gave my brother, John, a rather dismissive account of the event. His unit was crossing a river, making use of a locally operated form of ferry, a raft with ropes at both ends which were used to pull the raft back and forth over the river. They came under attack from Red Guard soldiers and the ferry handlers ran away, leaving the raft midstream, full of equipment, to float off down the river. On the raft was a Lewis gun for which my father was responsible. All this 18 or 19 year-old corporal could think of was that he had signed for that gun and he would be in trouble if it was lost. So, ignoring the flying bullets, he dived into the river and swam or waded to the raft to recover it.
  At the age of 19 he was made temporary sergeant. As a mounted infantryman, he would have been among the last British soldiers to ride a horse into war. He demobilized in December 1919 and returned to Ireland. After Ireland's independance, he had some sympathies with the Republican objections to the treaty and he did not want to fight in a civil war. As a result he was interned for refusing to join the Free State army when all former soldiers were conscripted. Sharing his imprisonment was a future Senator who told me in 1962 that my father was so uncooperative he was surprised he was not among the hostages selected to be shot. After his release, in a characteristically Irish topsy-turvy way, he rejoined the British Army in January 1924 in the 10th Hussars. Because of his education he was soon involved in the education of soldiers as a Sergeant Instructor.
  In 1929 he married Lilian (Lily) Milnes (1907-1994) from Pinner, North London. She was game for her time, having left home to work in the NAAFI and was even sent to work in support of the post war occupation forces in Germany. He was posted to the North West Frontier region of India (now in Pakistan) at the end of 1930. Lilian joined him after the birth of their second daughter. This London city-girl had several days riding on horseback into the mountains in the hot sun with her two baby daughters Brigid (Mary) (b.1930) and Clare (b.1931) to reach their station! They returned to the UK in December 1936 and with the outbreak of World War 2 he was commissioned into the Royal Sussex Regiment (infantry) in November 1940 and had a number of war time training and staff duties. At the end of the war he joined what was then the Army Education Corps and served in East Africa, the Suez Canal Zone, England and Cyprus, being promoted to the rank of temporary major in 1949. He left the army in 1955 and became Head of Geography at Hart Plain Secondary School, Cowplain, and a local government councillor.
  
  Ned and Lily's wedding.
  On the left are my mother's family, to be identified later. Paddy is standing on the right, Myles is sitting in front of him.
  
  
  
  

  Michael and Edward	The boy soldier	Taken in Russia?	The young soldier 1	The young soldier 2	The old soldier
  Edward and Lilian	Edward and Lilian	Edward and his mother	Edward and Lilian

  Edward and Lilian had children:

  • Brigid Mary Genevieve Mordaunt (1930 - 2011),
    more usually called Mary, attended Purbrook High School near Portsmouth until 1948 and then took a Pitman's typing course, obtaining a job in the Cabinet Office (July 1949 - April 1950) in London. Deciding that was insufficiently fulfilling, she trained as a nurse at Hammersmith Hospital (April - October 1950) but was required to stop on medical grounds. She then joined the Women's Royal Army Corps (October 1950 - October 1955) where she qualified as an Education Instructor with the rank of sergeant. She served in the Suez Canal Zone and Singapore before leaving and visiting her Aunt Molly in Australia for six months. On her return to the UK she trained as a teacher at Portsmouth Teachers' Training College (1957 - 1959) and the rest of her career was spent in education. She married Dezso Pinter, a refugee from the Hungarian uprising of 1956, in late 1959 and they moved to Canberra, Australia. Her children also live in Australia. She died shortly after her 81st birthday, weakened by Parkinson's disease.
    • Andrew Pinter (b. 1964)
    • Brigid Amelia Pinter (b.1967)

  • Clare Rowena Mordaunt (b. 1931) attended Purbrook High School near Portsmouth and joined the Women's Royal Army Corps, obtaining a commission after training at the WRAC school at Hindhead. In the Army she met and in December 1953 married Arthur Edwards (d. 1984) a National Service officer who transferred to the Royal Army Education Corps, retiring as a Colonel and becoming Principal of a College of Further Education in south London. As was customary, Clare settled in becoming an army wife and accompanied her husband in postings around England, Malaya and Hong Kong. She now lives wirh her son, David, in Wokingham.
    • David Edwards (b. 1955) married Susy Cormack
      • Catriona Edwards (b. 1980)
      • John Edwards (b. 1982)
      • Huw Edwards (b. 1983)
      • Rhodri Edwards (b. 1985)
    • Richard Edwards (b. 1957) married Lynn in 1996
      • Hugo Edwards (b. 1997)
      • Nicholas Edwards (b. 1998)
    • Robin Edwards (b. 1958) married Emma Clark
      • Alice Edwards (b. 1990)
      • Arthur Edwards (b. 1992)
  • John Edward Patrick Mordaunt (b. 1939). He went to Hart Plain Secondary Modern School and then St John's College, a Catholic secondary school in Portsmouth. He spent three years in The Parachute Regiment, then trained as a teacher at Carnegie College, Leeds, and spent the rest of his career in education. He married 1. Jennifer Snowden from Bradford in 1965 and had three children. As a widower, he married 2. Sylvia Wickens. They live near Portsmouth
    • Penelope (Penny) Mordaunt (b. 1973) She was elected as Member of Parliament the Portsmouth North constituency in 2010. After serving as a junior minister in the Depts. of Defence and Work and Pensions she was promoted to to the UK Cabinet as Secretary of State for Overseas Development in November 2017. She became Minister for Women and Equalities in 2018. She became Secretary of State for Defence in 2019. She was appointed as Leader of the House of Commons in 2022.
    • James Mordaunt (b. 1973) is a senior cabin-crew member with Virgin Airlines
    • Edward Mordaunt (b. 1978)
  • Henry Charles Mordaunt (Me - b. 1943) attended St. John's College in Portsmouth and Welbeck College in Nottinghamshire. I went to the Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst, (1961 - 1963) and was commissioned into the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers. I attended the Royal Military College of Science, Shrivenham, (1964 - 1967) obtaining a BSc (Engineering). After service in Germany and Headquarters, Northern Ireland, I retired from the army in 1974. I was a trainee Inspector of Taxes but left to buy a seasonal holiday hotel in Port Erin, on the Isle of Man. I left the Isle of Man in 1992 to be a bursar of a grammar school in Gloucester. Before retirement I taught English in Japan for two years and worked for Gloucester City Council. I married 1. 1972 Helen Caulfield (b.1948)
    • Sarah Elizabeth Mordaunt (b. 1975), married 1. Alfred Stangl and married 2. Tony Elder
      • Archie Elder (b. 2013)
      • Scarlett Elder (b. 2013)
    • Christine Jennifer Mordaunt (b. 1977)
      • Maximus (Max) Alexander Smith (b. 2008)
      • William Luther Smith (b. 2010)
    married 2. 1987 Alison Hearsey (b.1944)
    married 3. 2002 Leonida Edwards neé Vidal (b. 1955)
    • Rhianne Elaine Mordaunt (b. 1988)
      • Malaya Leonida Brissett (b. 2013)
    • Ruby Tuesday Mordaunt (b. 1991)
      • Elasia Leonida Humphries-Cuff (b. 2010)
      • Myah Joan Taylor (b. 2016)
  • Michael Mordaunt (1945 - 1945) is buried near the house in Steep, near Petersfield, commandeered in the war for a maternity hospital, well away from the bombs falling on Portsmouth. I, too, had been born there.

• Bridget Mordaunt (1902 in Canterbury - 1902).This was a surprise discovery for me as I looked through birth records but when I mentioned it to my brother and sister I learned I was, apparently, the only one in the family not to know about her.

• Michael Mordaunt (1903 also in Canterbury - 1920) died of typhoid, aged just 17 years

• Myles Mordaunt (1905 in York - 1960) was a writer and journalist. I believe he had a number of books published and short stories printed in magazines.
  He was active in the Socialist movement and he wrote one book in which, among other things, he argued that wars were started by politicians who sent large numbers of young men off to be killed. He proposed wars would be better fought by small assassination squads of the terminally ill targeting the politicians. The book was not a great seller and the idea did not catch on. The following is from an informal obituary published in 'Charon's' London Diary in The New Statesman on 6th January 1961
  Among the unwritten obituary notices of last year was one of Myles Mordaunt who died in November aged 54. Myles Francis Plunket Mordaunt, an Irish journalist who hadn’t written anything for rather a long time because of illness. I wish I could catch the essence of this unusual eccentric personality in a paragraph. He looked, during the last few years of his life, after he had made a remarkable recovery from a stroke that had laid him unconscious for many weeks, like a combination of Trotsky, James Joyce and a Kentucky colonel. Until then he had been almost too young for his age, loose-limbed, bony, given to sudden simian leaps over chairs. His life was a curious sidelong crabwise procession of getting nowhere. His first job was as a boy cartoonist for an Irish Republican paper in Dublin during the civil war after the Treaty. Almost his last salaried occupation was mortuary attendant in Marylebone during the blitz, of which he later gave a most eloquent account in a broadcast. He never supported any but hopelessly lost causes, the last being Timothy Evans, the unfortunate tenant of Rillington Place, hanged for murders that may have been committed by Christie. When he was on his day, his conversation could be brilliantly entertaining and people who met him for ten minutes were sometimes spellbound. He was apt to become cantankerous and monomaniacal, though he preserved an underlying sweetness of disposition rather deeply buried. Once, when I remarked on some unusually spectacular feat of self-sabotage he had performed, he grinned and said: ‘It’s well known that every man is his own worst enemy but I always put my best side to the field.’ He always reminded me of the passage in Lange-Eichbaum’s sociological study of Genius, comparing the perpetual students and eccentrics to shoots growing round some main stem: what this stem was in Myles’ case I could never decide – some Dublin archetype, I suppose. (With many thanks to Maggie Pinkney, who kindly forwarded to me a transcribed copy of this notice which was in her late mother's papers). He married 1. Mildred Carrothers, (1901 - 1st January 1983), a barrister. They had a son
  • Michael Mordaunt (1930 - 2022) was born in Hampstead. He married Mary Calvert and lived most of his life at Seven Sisters.
    • Delia Mordaunt (b. 1957) was born in Lambeth. She married James Reynolds in Penrith in December 1996.
      • A daughter (b. 2000)
    • Christopher Mordaunt (b. 1960) was born in Surrey. He married Diedre Fox in 1997
      • Theodora Catherine V. Mordaunt (b. 1999)
      • Myles Joseph Mordaunt (b. 2001)
  • Ulic Mordaunt (1933 - 1933), a daughter, was born and died in Richmond, one day old. She was buried on 21st June, 1933, in a mass grave of 26 stillborn infants and others who died within a few months of birth. An unusual choice of name, I have not found its origins.
  Myles and Mildred separated at some time, I do not know when. I don't think they ever divorced. She moved to Liverpool at some time and, as my first wife was a Liverpool girl, my father made contact with her on our behalf and we visited her in her home several times before her death. She always received us warmly.
  Myles had a loving relationship with the mother of Maggie Pinkney, who kindly sent me the obituary notice above, and Jane Miller, who kindly sent additional information. Their mother and Myles had worked in the same publishing house in the 1930s and when she broke off their relationship in 1936, possibly because he was going through a very anti-English phase and was very pro-German at that time, she moved to Australia to "get over it" and later married over there. "She always kept a picture of him at the bottom of her jewellery box. I'm sure our father had no idea. A little piece of him remained in her heart always. He seems to have been a very sensitive expressive person. She had lots of treasured pieces of china and jewellery he had given her. She also had a fair few humorous stories about him. The picture she had was, according to my memory, more glamorous than that on your website."
  Myles later shared his life with Dora Marsh and they had a son
  • Timothy Charles Algar Mordaunt (1945 - 2009) lived in High Wycombe. He married 1. Valerie Beaver Romley (b. 16 October 1947) in July 1969 at St Peter's Chuch, Burnham, Bucks. They later divorced and Valerie married Geoffrey Hewgill in 1992.

    Caroline Helen Mordaunt (b. 1971) was born at the Canadian Red Cross Memorial Hospital, Cliveden, (closed 1985). India Rose R. Morgan (b. 2002) born in Chiltern, Bucks. Chaya Ruby Morgan (b. 2003) born in Chiltern, Bucks. Nima Gaia Morgan (b. 2006) born in Chiltern, Bucks. Myles Nicholas Mordaunt (b. 1973) was born at the Canadian Red Cross Memorial Hospital, Cliveden, (closed 1985). He lives and has businesses in Monaco. He appeared in the 2013 season of BBC TV's "The Apprentice." With his then partner, Sonia Irvine, he has a daughter Megan Irvine-Mordaunt (b. 2002) was born in Kensington and Chelsea. In September 2020 she began studying law at the London School of Economics. Myles married Natalie Weston in September 2010 at the Villa D'Este, Lake Como. Morgan Mansell Mordaunt (b. June 2011) was born in Monaco

  Referring to Myles (senior)'s work in the mortuary in World War II and the radio broadcast, Valerie Hewgill wrote "I remember listening with Tim to the broadcast Myles did of the London blitz, Tim sitting in the corner of our lounge, head bowed. It was the first time he had heard his father´s voice since his death many years previously. He mentioned one account of friends of Myles´s that came back to the mortuary in black sacks, his job was to try and piece them together for identification, it must have been a horrendous job. Myles had speech therapy with an American after his stroke and had a slight American accent."
  Timothy married 2. Sarah Chambers in 1989 who has children
  • Elizabeth Jane Mordaunt (b. 1993) was born in High Wycombe. She graduated with the top First in her year for Fine Art (BA Hons) at the University of Westminster in 2018.
  • Edward Victor A. Mordaunt (b. 1996) was born in High Wycombe. He graduated in 2018 with the second highest First in his year for Philosophy, Politics and Economics (BA Hons) from St John’s College, Durham University. He then completed the Graduate Diploma in Law at City, University of London with the mark of Distinction (2018-19). That year he also became a member of Gray’s Inn and was awarded a number of their scholarships, including the David Karmel Scholarship, the Inn’s highest distinction for those converting across to law. He is studying for the Bachelor of Civil Law (BCL) at Oxford University 2020-21.

• Mary (Molly) Mordaunt (1908-1995) was born in Co. Kildare. She obtained a post at a finishing school in Switzerland and then, apparently, a number of companion/governess posts. She did some nursing training in the late '40s and, looking for adventure, was accepted as a Bush Nurse and sent to the small town of Batlow in New South Wales, Australia, (November 1949 - December 1950). There she met and married Edward Pursell, an orchard grower. She died without having children of her own but did foster three troubled young brothers, two of whom died in their teens or early 20s. Accompanied by her great-nephew, Christopher, she celebrated her 80th birthday with a parachute jump!

• Patrick (Paddy) Michael Mordaunt (1910-1988) was also born in Co Kildare. He too joined the British Army, following his elder brother into the cavalry regiment, the 10th Hussars, where he was an army boxing champion, and he too received a wartime commission, in the Royal Hampshire Regiment. He was awarded the Military Cross (equivalent to his brother's Military Medal but awarded to officers only) on service in Italy. As was often the case, he belittled his achievement when questioned but the citation reads
  On the night of October 14th-15th, 1943, Captain Mordaunt’s company ( at the time he was a lieutenant, acting captain) was ordered to carry out an attack on a position some 800 yards north of the Volturno (just north of Naples). This attack was unopposed, and he was therefore ordered to advance to a line of the canal three miles farther on. His company carried out this advance and took a position the other side of the canal. At dawn they were heavily shelled and counter-attacked by infantry and a tank at very close quarters.
  A company was then sent up to support them and was so heavily mortared that it had to withdraw. A further company was unable to get within two miles of Captain Mordaunt’s position, so that he was left in complete isolation and in grave danger of envelopment by the enemy.
  In spite of this Captain Mordaunt held on to his position until the C.O. of his battalion was able to re-group at nightfall. During the night Captain Mordaunt’s company was again heavily counter-attacked, but he did not withdraw his company behind the canal until his position had become quite untenable and his Commanding Officer was satisfied that the remainder of the battalion (ie 5th Battalion, The Royal Hampshire Regiment) positions were secure. When he did eventually withdraw across the canal in the face of heavy enemy opposition, Captain Mordaunt personally supervised the withdrawal, which was carried out in excellent manner.
  Throughout this action Captain Mordaunt’s courage and complete disregard for his own safety were a stirring example to his men.
  He had married Gladys Clark in Portsmouth in 1940. On retirement from the army in the 1950s after further service at home and abroad, he managed the large sports facilities for the employees of a South Wales steel factory in Penarth. Paddy and Gladys both moved to Delta, BC, Canada, to live close to their son Patrick and their grandchildren and are both now buried there.
  
• Wedding Group
  Rear Row, Left to Right: Not known, Lilian Mordaunt, Edward Mordaunt, Paddy, Bill Clark (Gladys's brother), Not known, possibly Gladys's grandparents
  Front Row, Left to Right: Molly Mordaunt, Brigid Mordaunt, Mary Mordaunt (my sister), Gladys, Clare Mordaunt (my sister), Enid Clark (Gladys's sister), Mrs Clark (Gladys's mother)
  
  
  
  They had children:
  
  • Desirée Mordaunt (1942 - 2009) was born in Drayton, Portsmouth.
    She went to The Convent of the Cross School, Purbrook (now the site of Oaklands Catholic comprehensive school) where she excelled in languages, sport and music. She became head girl. She had a the offer of a place to read French and English Literature at Exeter University (this at a time when university was only for the very few). However, soon after leaving school she met and "eloped" with Khaldoun El Solh, a Lebanese student in Portsmouth. They married at Kensington Registry Office in 1963 and moved to Beirut. She worked for IBM and taught English. She moved to London with her family in 1978 after enduring the 3 year Lebanese civil war. In London she assisted with her husband's publishing business. They divorced in 1986. After, she spent most of her life in central France where she immersed herself in her great passions of sport, outdoor pursuits and singing. She took an active part in local choirs. She died in France after a long struggle with cancer and was cremated there.
    Pictured: Desirée and her husband of 23 years, Khaldoun
    
    
    • Yanal El Solh (b. 1963) was born in Hammersmith, London. He married 1. Zöe and had daughter
      • Yasmine El Solh
      He married 2. Linnéa Larsson from Sweden in 2005
      • Malia Eleonora El Solh (b. 19th June, 2006) was born in Truro, Cornwall.
      • Leo Habib El Solh (b. 18th August, 2008) was born in Linkoping, Sweden
      Yanal and family now alternate between Jersey, where he manages a surf school, and Costa Rica, where he also coaches surfing.
    • Nayla El Solh (b. 1965) was born in Beirut
      

  • Patrick Mordaunt (1943 - 2004). Patrick was born in Portsmouth and attended Portsmouth Grammar School. He studied graphic design and worked for the AA in its publications and its direct mailing departments. He moved with them when the headquarters was moved from Leicester Square to Basingstoke. In 1970 he married Tania Horsford in London and they eventually moved to her native Canada. He joined a direct mailing company in Delta B.C. and eventually became the owner. He died suddenly in 2004. Tania married Garry Nash on 10th July, 2015. She and her children children Natalie and Peter continue the successful business in Delta.
  • Picture left
    Patrick and his father Paddy
    
    
    • Natalie Mordaunt (b. 1974) was born in Basingstoke. In Canada she married Jason Daniel Green
      • Mackenzie Alexandra Green
        
      • Jayle Hope Green
        
      • Ella Raeden Green Green
        
      • Oliva Patrick Green
    • Peter James L. Mordaunt (b. 1977) was born in Basingstoke. With Christine Ganther he has a son
      • Evan Mordaunt

• Brigid Mordaunt (1912 - 1993) too was a nurse and a midwife. In 1935 she married Bert Lewin, who ran a garage, petrol station and car showroom, and lived in Basingstoke. She had no children. I remember they were stalwart supporters of Basingstoke Cricket Club.

• Denis (1912 - 1914) died 18 months old, only two months after the death of his father.
  

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
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