Jonathan Richardson (1625 - 1691)

Descendants

Died 1691 at about age 66 in Lurgan, County Armagh, Ireland

Problems/Questions Profile manager: Alan Watson [send private message]

Jonathan was a Friend (Quaker)

Biography

Jonathan Richardson was a Quaker.

He appears in the Quaker 'sufferings' in county Armagh from the year of 1681 when he had taken from him as tithe 'twenty one cartloads of hay, thirty stooks of barly, eighteen stooks of wheat and twenty-eight stooks of oats, all worth about one pound eighteen shillings.'^[1] He continues in the sufferings and in meeting minutes until shortly before his death.

He left a will dated 18 10m (December) 1689 ^[2] and proved in 1691^[3] in which he described himself as of Lurgan, Shankhill, county Armagh and formerly of Eagerlougher Loughall, county Armagh.

The will is slightly damaged and not entirely legible. In it he mentioned his younger son, Samuel, recently deceased, Samuel's widow Philadelphia and their child Jonathan, also his elder son William Richardson and grandchildren Samuel Richardson, William Richardson and John Richardson (Jonathan Richardson?). He also mentions his friend William Nicholson. He does not mention his wife, who had presumably already died.

Research notes

An article in the Journal of the Friends' Historical Society^[4] states that this Jonathan Richardson, who converted to Quakerism, was 'the son of a Warwickshire man who migrated to Northern Ireland in the early seventeenth century'. If so, the father presumably participated in the plantation of Ulster. Various people with surname Richardson appear in records of the plantation and the subsequent period (for example a Nehemiah Richardson of Armagh gave a deposition to the Royal Commission enquiring into the rebellion of 1641^[5]), but none has been identified as Jonathan's father. Some sources ^[6] identify the father as Zachary Richardson, a name which does not appear in sources for the plantation or in the 'Pender Census'^[7].

A footnote in Armagh clergy and parishes ^[8] states that Jonathan's father was indeed Zachary Richardson. It states that Zachary and his brothers John and Joseph were children of the Rev John R Richardson of Warmington in Warwickshire. The eldest son, Joseph, inherited and remained in Warwickshire. Zacharay came to Ireland and settled in Loughall. John became vicar of Loughall and a JP. John's will, proved in 1634 mentions his son John, wife Ellinor, brother Zachary, nephew William and neice Mary. ^{[8] [9] [10]} Zachary and his brother the Reverend John Richardson JP therefore appear to be well sourced, but Leslie does not mention a source for his footnote's statement that Zachary was also the father of the Quaker Jonathan Richardson. Interestingly, a Zacharias Richardson was disowned by the Lisburn Quaker meeting in 1713, ^[11] perhaps suggesting a familial link between the Quaker Richardsons and that name. However this appears to be Zacharias's only mention in the Quaker archive and his parentage is uncertain. Without any independent sources, the suggestion that Jonathan Richardson was the son of Zachary and the grandson of the Rev John Richardson of Warwickshire remains speculative.

No birth record found. Date of birth estimated (very roughly) from the date of his elder son's birth, itself taken from his stated age at death.

Sources

1. ↑ Ireland Society of Friends (Quaker) sufferings, image FindmyPast(https://search.findmypast.co.uk/record?id=IRE%2FQUAKER%2FYMG-1%2F0150&parentid=IRE%2FQUAKER%2FCONG%2F1188486 : accessed 9 January 2022) citing YM Sufferings c. 1665-1693 archive ref YM G1 Religious Society Of Friends In Ireland Archives
2. ↑ Ireland Society of Friends (Quaker) Wills, image FindmyPast (https://search.findmypast.co.uk/record/browse?id=s2%2fire%2fquakers%2fb-m-5-1%2f0003 : accessed 9 January 2022) will of Jonathan Richardson citing Ballyhagen monthy meeting, wills with inventories, archive ref BM5.1 Ulster Friends Trustees Ltd.
3. ↑ Will of Jonathan Richardson of Lurgan proved 1691 in the diocese of Armagh, Diocesan and Prerogative Wills 1595-1858, National Archives of Ireland http://census.nationalarchives.ie/reels/dw/IRE_DIOC_007246594_00285.pdf accessed 9 January 2022
4. ↑ Marwick, WH Some Quaker firms of the 19th century, Journal of the Friends' Historical Society, Vol 48 No 6 (1958) https://journals.sas.ac.uk/fhs/article/view/4552/4504 accessed 9 January 2022
5. ↑ Deposition of Nehemiah Richardson MS 836, fols 067r-067v Trinity College Dublin 1641 Depositions https://1641.tcd.ie/index.php/deposition/?depID=836067r036 accessed 9 January 2022
6. ↑ https://richardson-ancestry.blogspot.com/2011/09/richardson-of-bessbrook.html accessed 9 January 2022
7. ↑ A census of Ireland c 1659 edited Séamus Pender Irish Manuscripts Commission, Dublin 1939 https://www.irishmanuscripts.ie/product/a-census-of-ireland-circa-1659/
8. ↑ ^{8.0 8.1} Leslie, J.B., Armagh clergy and parishes, W. Tempest, Dundalk, 1911, p 59 (https://archive.org/details/armaghclergypari00lesl/page/69/mode/1up?view=theater&q=Richardson : accessed 22 February 2023)
9. ↑ "Betham Genealogical Abstracts"
   Archive: National Archives of Ireland
   FindMyPast Image - FindMyPast Transcription (accessed 22 February 2023)
   Prerogative will abstract of John Richardson proved 24 Sep 1634; Spouse's first name(s): Ellinor; Spouse's last name: Richardson; Occupation: Preacher; Parish: Levalleglishe; County: Armagh; County as transcribed: Armagh; Country: Ireland; Collection: Genealogical abstracts of records of the Prerogative Court of Armagh; Series description: Series 1, wills: v. 58 "P" 1675-1699 "Q" 1610-1694 "R" 1581-1699 "S" 1547-1673 v. 59 "R" 1729-1763 v. 60 "R" 1763-1788 v. 61 "R" 1788-1799 "S" 1700-1721 v. 62 "S" 1721-1747 v. 63 "S" 1747-1767 v. 64 "S" 1767-1782 v. 65 "S" 1783-1796; Notebook: Betham's Genealogical Abstracts Prerogative Wills (Phillips M S S & Mese) P. 1675 1583-1699 Q. 1610-94; R. 1581-1699. S 1547-1673.
10. ↑ "Crossle Genealogical Abstracts"
    Archive: National Archives of Ireland
    FindMyPast Image - FindMyPast Transcription (accessed 22 February 2023)
    Prerogative will of John Richarson proved 24 Sep 1634; Occupation: Preacher; Residence: Gods Word; Spouse's first name(s): Ellenor; Spouse's last name: Richarson; Parish: Levalleglishe; County: Armagh; County as transcribed: Armagh; Country: Ireland; Collection: Crossle's genealogical abstracts collection; Series description: Crossle genealogical abstracts (Parcel 1A-32-25 v. S) Smith notebooks, v. 2-12 (cont.); File: Smith Xii; Source: Prerog.
11. ↑ Ireland, Society Of Friends (Quaker) Congregational Records, image, FindMyPast (https://search.findmypast.co.uk/record?id=S2%2FIRE%2FQUAKERS%2FL-B-M-5-1%2F0010&parentid=IRE%2FQUAKER%2FULSTER%2FCON%2F074113 : accessed 22 February 2023), minutes dated 1713, Testimony against Zacharias Richardson; citing Lisburn MM record book, archive ref LBM5.1, Ulster Friends Trustees Ltd.