CANDLER NOTES from files of
Linda Sparks Starr
JUL 1996
Several years ago Kay Baganoff sent a copy of a handwritten let
ter and enclosures she received from a lady who lives at
Westcoast, Callan in County Kilkenny, Ireland. The letter is un
dated; some of the handwriting, including the writer's given
name, is difficult to decipher; I'll give it my best shot:
Dear Mrs. Baganoff,
Your letter dated 26/7/84, addressed to The Cander Family,
Callan Castle was passed on to me by the Postmistress, Mrs.
Phelan as there is no such name and address in this town.
Strange to relate I was in receipt of a somewhat similar letter
in Jan 1980 from Georgia 30501 U.S.A. signed by a Mrs. Morrison
Junior who was also trying to trace her family background and Wil-
liam Candler in particular, who she said received his castle from
Cromwell as a bounty in 1653. I replied in a somewhat patriotic
tone stating that the name of Cromwell or any of his lieutenants
was not venerated in Ireland and that I had never heard of Callan
Castle, although there were a number of ruins & other castles in
the locality -- mostly of Norman origin -- before Cromwells time.
As far as I can recall, I referred her to Kilkenny Archaelogical
Society, Rothe House, Kilkenny City who may have been able to
give her some explanation regarding the Chanler family. I do not
know if this was done as I had no reply although I sent her a num-
ber of photocopies relating to known castles in the vicinity.
In 1981 a volumn of books was republished on the History and
antiquities of the Diocese of Ossory (A Diocise is a large ter
ritory under the jurisdiction of a Bishop). One of the volumns
contained information on the Castle you referred to and I was com-
pletely unaware of this when writing. I know of Northcourt
Diocease and Mansion, which was destroyed by fire in the late
1920's. It had been ______ into flats or appartments at the time
being owned by a man named Loraingior. I enclose the information
I refer to on two sheets of photocopy. It was never rebuilt and
only small pieces of masonary now exist. There is no sign what
so ever of the castle and the location is also unknown. Although
my address is Westcoast, I live immediately opposite the entrance
to the old demesne.
Now, about the other photocopy which I enclose. Mrs. Mor
rison may have witten to the Archaeological Society and that
could have resulted in the preparation of the History of the
Chandler family (Mrs. Morrison had spelt it CANDLER). No doubt
you will now be able to procure the information you desire from
some of the people mentioned in the article.
Hoping your quest will be successful, but before concluding
I think I should give you the address of Mrs. Morrison Junior
which is 1271 Dixon Circle, N.E., Gaines, Georgia 30501 U.S.A.
There is no need to reply to this letter. Yours sincerely,
Seamus O'Brien
Kay followed up with a letter to Mrs. Morrison who didn't provide
anything which Kay hadn't already seen in published books. Now
to Ms. O'Brien's enclosures:
A picture of the Chandler "Coca Cola" Family presenting a copy of
their book to the Rothe House Museum and article was published
page 15 [and apparently goes on, but this was the only page sent]
of _Kilkenny People_ published the week ending Friday, September
25, 1981. Headline reads: He gave the world Coke! The
specific name of the Chandler family history is not given in the
article which briefly goes over the highlights of the family move-
ment from Ireland to Atlanta.
Ms. O'Brien also included pages 317 and 318 from _History and An
tiquities of the Diocese of Ossory_, no author or other publica
tion detail provided. Under the section on the "Parish of Cal
lan" is an article on "Westcourt".
"Part of this townland is included in the township of Cal
lan; the remainder is sub-divided into Westcourt Demesne,
Westcourt Commons, Westcourt North and Westcourt South, and has
an area of 698 stat. acres. In Irish it is called _Coorth-an
Eethd_ (Cuirt an Fhaoite), that is, White's Court. In 17th cen
tury documents it is sometimes called Whitescourt, and sometimes
Westcourt, and once (May 1669), "White's Courte, alias Weste
Courte.
There can, we think, be no doubt whatever that the original
tract of land, or townland, called Callan, lay altogether on the
north bank of the King's River, and consisted of Westcourt, the
part of Callan town north of the Bridge, and the Abbey Meadow.
It appears to be no less certain that the original Irish Baile,
town, or village of Callan, stood at the north side of the
Bridge, under the shelter of Callan Moat. The part of the town
south of the Bridge was, most probably, planned out and founded
by Earl William Marshall, the elder.
Callan Moat is situated in Westcourt Demesne, about 40 or 50
perches from Callan Bridge. It is a huge mound of earth, about
40 ft. high, and 46 yds. long, at top, and 24 yds. wide. Though
it may have been sepulchral, it also served the purposes of a
fort, and was, probably, at one time crowned by a castle. At the
opposite end of the town, there was a smaller Moat about 10 ft.
high, and known as Cromwell's Moat; it stood partly within the
Fair Green, and partly on the track of the present road to
Cooliagh; it was levelled about 1850.
Westcourt Castle, of which some traces remain at Westcourt
Ho., was the old manor house of Callan. It passed from the de
scendants of Earl Marshall to the Earl of Ormond in 1391; from
the Ormond family to Lord Desart, about 1700; and from Lord
Desart to George Agar, Lord Callan, during the second half of the
18th century. Mrs. Thomas Shelly believes that this castle of
Westcourt was the strong Butler castle of Callan, mentioned in
connection with the siege of Callan by the Cromwellians in 1650.
[page 318] It was occupied by Colonel John Butler in the
beginning of the 18th century. The Colonel was nephew of James,
1st Duke of Ormond, and uncle of Dr. Christopher Butler, Catholic
Archbishop of Cashel (1711-57). By his will ... [the page con
tinues with changes of ownership through 1793. Last paragraph]
Westcourt appears to have been so named to distinguish it
from Coorthpheerish (Pierce Butler's Court), which stood at the
opposite side of Callan town, at the east end of Mill Street."
Kay also sent me copies of pages from _Tap Roots_ which she
received from Rachel Wyche in 1982. Rachel didn't provide publi
cation data, but "Asa Griggs Candler" appears on the lefthand
pages where author's names are sometimes found -- especially
since the title appears on the right hand pages. This book men
tions only two children of Col. William and Anne Candler -- the
sons Thomas and John and then follows the line of Daniel who came
to America c1735. It even says there aren't any specific records
to tie this Daniel to the line of Thomas, son of Col. William.
Normally I wouldn't give this book much thought, but what struck
me was the similarity of Daniel's supposed route to America and
that of the MOORMANs and Penelope Johnson's alleged relationship
to Lord Shaftesbury.
page 7: "There are hints that Daniel, as did so many of the ex
patriates of his generation bound for America, sailed first to
Barbadoes. If so, his stay there was brief. He and his family
landed in Charleston, South Carolina, probably about the year
1735, and went at once to the province of North Carolina, whose
charter had originally been granted by Charles II to Daniel's
great-uncle, Edward Hyde, earl of Clarendon, and to seven other
English noblemen and gentlemen. ... Daniel did not long remain in
Carolina. With his family, and for reasons about [page 8] which
we can only conjecture, he went almost immediately to Bedford
County, Virginia, near the site of the present city of Lynchburg,
and lived there until he died, thirty years later."
The author then turns to the MOORMAN and CLARK families, but I
want to make a couple comments first. I was a Scots-Irish
researcher long before I moved into tidewater VA. In 1735 most
ships leaving Ireland went to Philadelphia rather than Barbadoes.
By 1735 was there any reason to go to Barbadoes? I know I'm
being picky here, and some of you are thinking, "there she goes
again", but this is a perfect example of not taking everything
that has been published as "proof" of fact. Candler obviously
took the Moorman family legend -- even down to saying elsewhere
Daniel and family were converted to Quakerism during the long
voyage -- and "gave" it to Daniel along with Penelope's close
relationship to Lord Shaftsbury -- himself one of the seven
English gentlemen along with Clarendon.
The book goes on to record the family of William Candler who
married Elizabeth Anthony, granddaughter of Christopher Clark.
This is the "Coca-Cola" family, but is not the book presented to
the Rothe House Museum for the author's [AGC] father was born
1851; this book, then, was surely published earlier.
Kay also sent me copies from _Colonel William Candler of Georgia:
His Ancestry and Progeny_ by his great-grandson Allen D. Candler.
This was published in Atlanta GA: 1902. This is the book Doug sum-
marized so well earlier. However, in light of the above O'Brien
findings, I found one other thing to pass along. In the introduc-
tion the author lists the books he consulted and drew upon for
his historical facts and conclusions; according to this same in
troduction, his family data is based on a "brief manuscript his
tory of his family, written sixty years ago, by Ignatius A. Few,
LL.D., a grandson of William Candler..." I SUSPECT this is the
basis for subsequent CANDLER / CHANDLER genealogies. Has anyone
seen it? Does Few cite his sources?
Although the specific book where the following information comes
is not specifically given, the author names five "European" books
consulted, two of which are Burke's. The other three are:
Pendergast's _Cromwellian Settlement of Ireland_; Baker's
_History of Northampton County_; and Walford's _County Families
of the United Kingdom_. I suspect the historical info in the fol-
lowing footnote in Chandler's book comes from Pendergast:
Page 16: "This William Candler first appeared in Ireland in
1648, while Oliver Cromwell was Lord Lieutenant, as a captain in
the regiment commanded by Sir Hardress Waller. Afterward he won,
by meritorious conduct, promotion to a lieutenant colonelcy, and
after the subjugation and conquest of the island, he settled in
Callan Castle. Callan Castle was a strong fortress, Cromwell
says in his account of his campaign, sixteen miles from the town
of Kilkenny. It was de- [page 17] fended by a wall and three
castles, Butler's castle, Skerry castle and "the Great Castle."
It was invested by Cromwell in person...In the division of the
spoils, the barony of Callan fell to Lietenant-Colonel William
Candler, one of the conquerors, and to this day it, together with
its frowning castle, its fertile acres, and its ancient
cathedral, is in the possession of his descendants. A few years
ago, in excavating for a building at Callan, vast quantities of
human bones were discovered in a trench in which the bodies of
the brave defenders of Callan were buried, more than two hundred
years ago."
Callan Castle
Bookmark the permalink.