The Gilroy families lived in south Dublin, their address listed as Rathmines, an inner suburb on the southside of Dublin, about 3 kilometres south of the city centre. Rathmines effectively begins at the south side of the Grand Canal and stretches along the Rathmines Road as far as Rathgar to the south, Ranelagh to the east and Harold's Cross to the west.- Wik
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| Rathmines, south Dublin |
Jane was the eldest daughter of Peter Gilroy M.D. (1779-1853) and his wife Frances Clavel (1781-1873). She was born on 11th February 1807 in North Dublin, Ireland. On 22nd July 1834, at the age of 27, Jane, spinster of Rathmines Road, married 25 year old Alfred Hudson, Esquire, from Navan, Meath, in St Peters Church Dublin. The witness were Jane's maternal grandfather Anthony Clavel (1768-1856) and brother in law John Henderson (1793-1853).
There were no children to the marriage. Jane died at the age of 70 and was laid to rest at the Mount Jerome cemetery, Harold's Cross, Dublin. Alfred went on to marry 54 year old Emma Lyster (1825-1894), widow of Andrew Nolan (b1818), but died himself three years after losing his first wife, Jane.
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| Stokes and Hudson, Meath Hospital |
Maria was the second daughter born to Peter and Frances Gilroy in south Dublin. At the age of 21, on 1st November 1830, Maria married Lieutenant Adjutant John Henderson (1793-1835) of the 10th Royal Veteran Battalion at in the Parish Church of Andhanan, Dunmoe, Co Meath.
Maria died in south Dublin at the age 69I certify that the late Lieutenant Adjutant John Henderson of the 10th Veteran Battalion was married by me to Maria Gilroy in the Parish Church of Andhanan on Monday the 1st day of November 1830. (Andhanan 12th Nov 1835)
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Marriage John Henderson and Maria Gilroy 1830
Dunmoe, a parish, in the barony of Morgallion, county of Meath, and province of Leinster, 2 miles (N. N. E.) from Navan, on the road to Slane; containing 112 inhabitants. The castle was built by Hugh de Lacy, and in 1641 was surrendered by Capt. Power to the insurgents, in obedience to a forged order from the Lords Justices. It was partly rebuilt in the 17th century, and is an oblong massive pile, flanked with towers at the angles, now belonging to the D'Arcy family. The parish is in the diocese of Meath; it is a rectory, forming part of the union of Stackallen, and the tithes amount to £81. 10. In the R. C. divisions it is part of the union or district of Slane. - Wik |
Emily Frances Gilroy 1812-1901
Emily was born 30th May 1812, the last child of Peter and Frances Gilroy. At the age of 56, on 15th September 1868. she married widower, Robert Spear Hudson, at Donnybrook, Dublin, Ireland.
Hudson and Gilroy - September 15 at St Mary's, Donneybrook, by Rev Doctor Ryder, Robert Spear Hudson Esq, of Allandale, Edgbaston, in the county of Warwick to Emily Frances, youngest daughter of the late P. Gilroy Esq MD Navan, county of Meath.
- Warder and Dublin Weekly Mail, Saturday 19 September 1868
Emily became a step mother to the children of Robert's first marriage to Mary Bell. In the 1871 English Census Emily and Robert were living at St John, Essex with the family of George Borwick and his second wife, Eliza Pool. George was first married to Robert's elder sister, Jane Hudson (1807-1868).
On the 6th August 1884, whilst holidaying in Scarborough, where the family had gone for Emily's health, Robert sadly suffered a major heart attack and died.
In the 1891 English Census Emily is a widow living on her own means at Bache Hall, Chester with five servants. The Census states that Bache Hall Lodge was occupied by the Domestic Coachman and his wife, while Bache Hall Lodge was also the home of the Gardener and his wife and six children. Bache House Cottage was occupied by the Baker, his wife and child, while Bache House was listed as the abode of a General Servant.
In the 1901 English Census Emily is at Bache Hall surrounded by family - her husband's niece, Edith Cooksey, her own niece, Mary Ann (Minnie) Henderson, and step-daughter Emily Macgillycuddy.
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| Emily Frances Hudson matriarch to the L'Estrange Family |
Emily died on 20th July 1901 and was laid to rest at Overleigh Old Cemetery, Chester.
Robert Spear Hudson 1812-1884
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| Toppled Headstone of Robert and Emily Hudson Overleigh Old Cemetery, Chester, England Inscription In Affectionate Remembrance Of ROBERT SPEAR HUDSON, Born Dec. 6th 1812, And Died August 6th 1884. Also Of His Younger Son SAMUEL BELL HUDSON, Born Oct. 27th 1857, And Died September 24th 1877. Also Of His Widow EMILY FRANCES GILROY, Born May 30th 1812, And Died July 20th 1901. "He Giveth His Beloved Sleep." Yea, Saith The Spirit, That They may Rest From Their Labours, And Their Works Do Follow Them. |
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| Toppled headstone |
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| Robert's and Emily's headstone displaced by the roots of a shrub and fallen backwards |
Robert was the sixth child of John and Sarah Hudson, he was born in West Bromwich 1812. He was apprenticed to an apothecary in Bilston and on completion of his training he worked from a chemist shop in High Street West Bromwich. In 1837, he was experimenting with bars of soaps and started grinding them into a powder using a pestle and mortar. The work was originally carried out in the back room of his High Street shop In both the 1841 and 1851 census returns Robert and his sister Hannah were living at the High Street shop where he sold this new "soap powder". Initially the production line consisted solely of Hudson, but by 1854 he had hired ten female employees and by 1875, Hudson had opened a main factory at Bank Hall, Liverpool, England. This was conveniently close to his source of soap. The secret behind the success of Hudson's soap powder was that it offered convenience. Previously, women had been spending hours shaving and grinding the bars into their own flakes or powder. Hudson's product allowed them to save time and energy and they flocked to buy his merchandise. Hudson was joined in the business by his son Robert William who succeeded to the business on his father's death.
Bache House
Robert Spear Hudson bought Bache House estate in 1874 from Samuel Broadhurst Hill (see 1881 census return for Bache Hall and Bache Cottage).
Robert Spear married Mary Bell at the Crescent Chapel, Everton Brow, Liverpool on 21st Feb 1854. Mary was born in Chetwynd near Newport, Shropshire, where her father Samuel Bell, an Agent, was in 1841 a farmer; in 1854 Mary made her living selling goats milk to locals. They made their home at Springfield House (John’s former home) where their five children were born before 1861, the last two being twin girls. Mary died during 1864 leaving Robert with five children under the age of ten.
Robert remarried during 1868, his bride being Emily Gilroy, the sister of Jane the wife of Alfred Hudson. The marriage took place at Donny Brook, Dublin. There were no children of this union.
In 1875 Hudson settled at Bache Hall, an eighteenth century brick-built building of two storeys and 5 bays in rural surroundings one mile north of the centre of Chester:. During the time he lived there, he greatly extended and, in Victorian terms, improved the property in its structure, farm and pleasure grounds, including adding an Italianate porch.
After Hudson's sudden death in 1884 his widow, Emily Francis Gilroy 1812-1901, continued to live at the Hall until her death. The Hall and land was then tenanted by Major John Macgillicuddy 1855-1930, who was one of the founders of the Bache Golf Club. John was married to Emily Jane Hudson 1859-1942, the daughter of Robert Spear Hudson and his first wife Mary Bell 1832-1864. Then in 1911 Bache Hall was bought by the nearby Asylum. It was used as a Nurses' Home for many years until 1939 when a Nurses’ Home was built in the grounds. By 2014 it was occupied by Chester University.
Read more about Bache Hall
Wills and Bequests
The will (dated August 31, 1883) of Mr. Robert Spear Hudson, late of Bache Hall, Cheshire, of West Bromwich, and of Bankhall-street, Liverpool, manufacturing chemist, who died on August 6 last, at Scarborough, was proved on the 8th inst. By William Creed, Arnold Thomas, and Edward Caddick, the executors, the value of the personal estate amounting to upwards of £205,000. The testator leaves to his wife, Mrs Emily Hudson, £500, and an annuity of £3,000; he also leaves her, for life or widowhood, the mansion Bache Hall, and the pleasure grounds, with the furniture, plate, pictures, books, effects, horses and carriages, and £500 per annum to keep the pleasure grounds in order. Subject to the interest given to his wife in the mansion and grounds, he leaves the manor or lordship of Bache and the Bache Hall estate to his son, Robert William Hudson. He bequeaths annuities of £1,000 each to his said son and to his daughters, Mrs Mary Evangeline Flynn, Mrs Anne Elizabeth Spencer, and Mrs Emily Jane Hudson, for a period of six years from his death; £2,000 to the Manse Loan Fund for Independent Ministers; £2,000 to the Congregational Pastors’ Retirement Fund; £2,000 to the English Chapel Building Fund, for its loan fund, and £1,000 to the same society for its grant fund; £1,000 each to the London Missionary Society and the British and Foreign Bible Society; £500 to the Irish Evangelical Society; and legacies and annuities to this sister, nephews, nieces, manager, trusties, servants and others. The income of his property is to accumulate for six years, and at the expiration of the time he gives all his business property to his son, subject to his paying, under a valuation, for the stock-in-trade, bookdebts, credits, bankers’ balances, and other personal chattels; and the ultimate residue of his real and person estate is to be held upon trust for this three daughters.
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| Emily Hudson nee Gilroy surrounded by the L'Estrange family, Bache Hall, Chester, England 1897 |
