The Echlin, Erskine & Sinclair Mayne families of Ireland

Part 2 of a MAYNE One-name Study

See also Part 1 The Sedborough Mayne family of Ireland at: http://www.scribd.com/doc/75988391/
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PART 2 of a MAYNE One-name Study The ECHLIN, ERSKINE & SINCLAIR MAYNE families
of Co. Down, Belfast & Co. Dublin respectively, IRELAND INTRODUCTION
The material below is the story (in descendant pedigree format) of three more Mayne families of Ireland:

Echlin Mayne of Co. Down Erskine Mayne of Belfast Sinclair Mayne of Co. Dublin

From page: 3 From page: 11 From page: 24

It is organised for each family in turn into three parts with occasional articles as follows :-

Descendant Pedigree with illustrated notes on each individual of the family. Index of individuals in the pedigree. Sources. List of the main research sources used (before web sources were available). Articles about the family in general or particular characters in it are occasionally included
These pedigrees have been researched and compiled as part of a one-name study of the MAYNE surname which was published by David Gore on CD in 2007 [ISBN: 9780953091218]. The following provided material or in other ways supported the study: John Mayne in England, Stella Little, Martha OGrady and Brian MacDonald in Ireland, and Jillian Fisher, Dell Mayne and Robert Harden Scott in Australia. For study details see http://www.one-name.org/profiles/mayne.html ------------------------------------------

OTHER PARTS OF THE STUDY OF MAYNE FAMILIES

Historical characters: clockwise from top left: Walter de Mayne, Sheriff of Kent 1570; Sarah Otway Mayne by Joshua Reynolds 1775; Lieut. William Mayne of the Bengal Cavalry 1842; Sir Richard Mayne (1796-1868) first Commissioner and founder of the Metropolitan Police, London; Centre: Lieut. Blair Mayne DSO* of the SAS in 1942.

The Irish family material here and in Part 1 is only a small part of the one-name study which takes in the principal families of the MAYNE name in Scotland and in England (Kent, Buckinghamshire/Warwickshire/Hertfordshire, Devonshire/Wiltshire, Yorkshire). The 15 families which compose this study are listed below with the hyperlink which will connect you to each. On the last page are some comments on potential links between some of the family groups which remain unconfirmed.

IRELAND
SEDBOROUGH MAYNE of Fermanagh, Monaghan & Dublin. http://www.scribd.com/doc/75988391/ ECHLIN MAYNE of County Down. ) ERSKINE MAYNE of Belfast. )http://www.scribd.com/doc/79225901 SINCLAIR MAYNE of County Dublin. )

SCOTLAND
MAYNE of POWIS & LOGIE MAIN of LOCHWOOD )_ ) http://www.scribd.com/doc/81640244

ENGLAND
Kent (1550-1706) MAYNE(Y) of BIDDENDEN, STAPLEHURST & LINTON http://www.scribd.com/doc/79845145

Buckinghamshire MAYNE of WING, CRESLOW, HOGGESTON & DINTON) MAYNE of STEWKLEY )- http://www.scribd.com/doc/82433306 MAYNE of HARTWELL )

Devonshire/Wiltshire MAYNE of EXETER (Devon) & TEFFONT (Wiltshire) ) MAYNE of MARWOOD (Devon) )MAYNE of SHIRWELL (Devon) ) Yorkshire (1350-1722) MAYNE of BEVERLEY & ROLSTON in Holderness MAYNE of HESSLE, HULL in Holderness

http://www.scribd.com/doc/80231699

)_ )

http://www.scribd.com/doc/82880906

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Echlin MAYNE of Co. Down

The Echlin Maynes, from Scotland in the 18th century, were initially established on the Ards Peninsula of Co. Down for a hundred years. Like the Erskine Maynes, they became shopkeepers. Their grocery and wine store was established at Newtownards, which still remains the family home ('Mount Pleasant' was purchased about 1847). This line of Maynes is best known for one of its 20th century sons, Robert Blair Mayne born in 1915, an extraordinary character who became the most decorated British soldier of the Second World War. An article about him appears at page 7 at the end of this family section.

1 John Echlin Mayne ---------------------------------------Birth: 1781, Ards Peninsula, Co. Down, Ireland Reli: Presbyterian John Echlin was born on the Strangford Peninsula, Co. Down, Ireland, of a Scottish Presbyterian family who, it is said, were established there for a hundred years. We do not know from which part of Scotland they originally came. Children: William

1.1 William Mayne JP ---------------------------------------Occ: Miller. Established a family grocery & wine store at Newtownards, Co. Down. Reli: Ulster Presbyterian In about 1847 William purchased the property of 'Mount Pleasant' in Newtownards, Co. Down, which is still the family home. The property is on the outskirts of Newtownards and the house had been rebuilt in 1802 having been the manse of the First Newtownards Presbyterian Church whose minister had taken part in the 1798 rebellion of the United Irishmen. Spouse: Children: Frances O'Neill Thomas (ca 1845-)

1.1.1 Thomas Mayne ---------------------------------------Birth: ca 1845 Occ: Storekeeper in family business in Newtownards. Reli: Ulster Presbyterian Children: William (ca 1875-1943)

1.1.1.1 William Mayne ---------------------------------------Birth: ca 1875, ? Newtownards, Co. Down, Ireland Death: 1 1943, Newtownards, age: 68 Occ: Took on family store from his father. Reli: Ulster Presbyterian William had suffered from polio in his childhood and therefore was unfit for service in the First World War. Despite this he became a racing cyclist and hunted with the North Down Harriers later in life. He bred and raced pigeons and was a keen horticulturalist, pruning and grafting apples, pears and figs in their walled garden at Mount Pleasant, and winning many prizes in the local Show. The family maintained a menagerie of animals - horses to draw the wagonette and ponytraps, cows for milk, poultry, pigs, pigeons, rabbits and several dogs, terriers and always Airedales, William's favourite dog. William is remembered by his youngest son as "very gentle, despite a mercurial temper". William and Margaret and their seven children were a typical close-knit self-contained Presbyterian family who were affluent but without show or pretentions. They kept two indoor servants and a general handyman. Dinner was invariably at midday followed by high-tea at six. Spouse: Birth: Death: Margaret Boyle Vance Holywood, Belfast, Ireland aft 1955, Newtownards

Margaret's family originally came from Cumberland. Her grandfather, Gilbert Vance, was a linen merchant in Belfast. She had nine sisters and a brother Gilbert ("the wild one!") who emigrated to Canada. Margaret, who was described as "a strong determined woman", was alive in 1955 at the time of her son Robert Blair's death. Marr: Children: ca 1899 Thomas (1905-1937) William Robert Blair (1915-1955) Molly Barbara Frances Douglas (1919-)

1.1.1.1.1 Thomas Mayne ---------------------------------------Birth: 1905, ? Newtownards, Co. Down, Ireland Death: 1937, Newtownards, age: 32 Death Memo: Suicide No Children 1.1.1.1.2 William Mayne ---------------------------------------1.1.1.1.3 Robert Blair Mayne ---------------------------------------Birth: 11 1 1915, Mount Pleasant, Newtownards, Co Down, Ireland Death: 15 12 1955, Newtownards, age: 40 Burial: 16 12 1955, Morvilla Churchyard, Newtownards, age: 40 Occ: Solicitor. Commando & SAS officer during Second World War. Educ: Regent House Grammar School, Newtownards; Queen's University, Belfast (Law). Reli: Ulster Presbyterian No Children Before the war Paddy Mayne had qualified as a solicitor, had become Irish Universities' Heavyweight Boxing Champion, had six caps for playing rugby football for Ireland, and in 1938 toured with the Lions (UK rugby team) to South Africa.

Paddy Mayne near the SAS base at Kabrit in 1942

Seven years later Lt Col Robert (Paddy) Blair Mayne, DSO & 3 Bars, Croix de Guerre, Legion d'Honneur, was the most highly decorated British soldier of the Second World War. His name is not widely known today but he is still revered by his Regiment, the SAS, and in Ulster where a bronze statue of him was erected in 1997. He was a large strong complex character, an exasperating mixture of opposing qualities, and so sometimes a danger to his friends as well as to the enemy. Yet as a soldier on operations, his bravery, speed of action and leadership brought him outstanding success and recognition. The article at pages 7-10 below gives a brief review of this fascinating character. See also: http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=2_ZstVBZSfIC&lpg=PP1&pg=PA137#v=onepage&q&f=true

1.1.1.1.4 Molly Mayne ---------------------------------------1.1.1.1.5 Barbara Mayne ---------------------------------------1.1.1.1.6 Frances Mayne ---------------------------------------1.1.1.1.7 Douglas Mayne ---------------------------------------Birth: 1919

Sketch Pedigree of ECHLIN MAYNE of Scotland and Ulster

John Echlin Mayne, born 1781 in the Strangford peninsula of a Scottish Presbyterian family | | | | William Mayne JP = Frances ONeill A miller. He established the family store at Newtownards where he purchased Mount Pleasant c.1847 | | Thomas Mayne | | | William Mayne = Margaret Boyle Vance Born c.1875. Childhood polio. Family from Cumberland. Her grandTook on wine & grocery store from his father, Gilbert Vance, was a linen father. Racing cyclist. Married c.1899 merchant in Belfast. She had 9 sisters Pigeon fancier. Hunted with the North and one brother, the wild one, who Down Harriers. emigrated to Canada. | ___________________________________________________________ | | | | | | | Thomas William Robert Molly Barbara Frances Douglas 1905-37 Blair 1915-55 Suicide Born & educated at Newtownards. Solicitor

Life-size bronze statue of Paddy Mayne in Conway Square, near his home at Newtownards, in County Down, Ulster.

Index Echlin Mayne

Mayne
Barbara Douglas (1919 - ) Frances John Echlin (1781 - ) Molly Robert Blair (1915 - 1955) Thomas (ca1845 - ) Thomas (1905 - 1937) William William JP William (ca1875 - 1943) 1.1.1.1.5 1.1.1.1.7 1.1.1.1.6 1 1.1.1.1.4 1.1.1.1.3 1.1.1 1.1.1.1.1 1.1.1.1.2 1.1 1.1.1.1 spouse of 1.1 spouse of 1.1.1.1

ONeill
Frances

Vance
Margaret Boyle ( - >1955) ------------------------------------------------------------------------

SOURCES ECHLIN MAYNE of Co. Down

The Echlin Maynes and the Erskine Maynes (separate pedigree), were two, so far unconnected but similar, Irish families who both originated in Scotland and in the 18th century became established in Co. Down and Belfast respectively. The main sources of the material on the Echlin Mayne family are given below. "Rogue Warrior of the SAS - The Biography of Lt Col 'Paddy' Blair Mayne DSO (3 Bars), Croix de Guerre, Legion d'Honneur" by Roy Bradford & Martin Dillon. Published by John Murray in 1987. "The Desert my Dwelling Place" by David Lloyd Owen. Published by Cassell in 1957. "These Men are Dangerous: The Special Air Service at War" by Derrick Harrison. Published by Cassell in 1957. Anecdotal evidence of members of the Special Forces Club, London. See also: Robert Blair Mayne DSO*

ROBERT BLAIR MAYNE, DSO* (1915-55)

An article about the complex character of one of the outstanding military heroes of the Second World War

No British soldier in the Second World War was more decorated than Robert Blair Mayne - one of the six founder members of the Special Air Service (SAS). Blair Mayne (known inevitably as Paddy) was an exceptional Ulsterman, endowed with great physical strength, stature and uniquely swift reflexes, which he used with devastating effect - in the boxing ring, on the international rugby field, in the bars of Belfast and later in battle. His military skill and extraordinary gallantry in wartime were legendary and acknowledged by the award to him of the Distinguished Service Order (DSO) for leadership and personal courage on no fewer than four occasions. France awarded him both the Croix de Guerre and Legion dHonneur. He first made his name in the desert campaign in north Africa where he was memorably credited with having destroyed behind enemy lines more German aircraft than the Royal Air Force. His audacious exploits continued during the campaigns in Sicily, Italy, France and Germany, throughout which by some miracle he survived almost unscathed.

Blair Mayne in Royal Ulster Rifles uniform Blair Mayne was from a Presbyterian family who had come originally from Scotland and settled in Northern Ireland near Belfast early in the 18th century. His great grandfather, William Mayne, established the present family home at Newtownards and began a wine and grocery business there, which was still flourishing when Blair was a boy. Blair was the third son of the family and named after a cousin of his mothers, Captain Robert Blair DSO of the Border Regiment who was killed in action in 1916. The young Blair Mayne derived great strength from his family (he had three brothers and three sisters), from the stability of their home life at Mount Pleasant in Newtownards, and especially from his mother, Margaret Vance. Throughout his life it was always to her that he turned for support. Blair went to the local school and then studied law at Queens University in Belfast, where he emerged as a formidable heavyweight boxer and played rugby football (second row forward) for Ireland and on the British Lions tour to South Africa in 1938. He was capped for his country six times before the war intervened. Blair was a complex character - a man of contrasts. On the one hand he could be the gentle giant, rather shy, soft spoken, friendly and compassionate - showing great concern for the welfare of others, a lover of the countryside who lavished attention on his rose garden. On the other hand, he could be unpredictable, given to black moods, quick temper and short bursts of uncontrolled ferocity. Such behaviour in a man of his physique made both friend and opponent wary of him. Socially he was not a good mixer, uncomfortable with women and happiest when he was roistering with his drinking companions.

And so, in 1940, this awkward, ill-disciplined, unreliable, moody young Irishman found himself undergoing Commando training on Arran, a remote island off the west coast of Scotland. This proved to be the making of him - the metamorphosis of Mayne into a professional soldier. The duality in his nature was always there but on operations he invariably became a strict disciplinarian, avoided all alcohol and was above all, completely reliable. He had qualities of leadership that had been developed on the playing field and had a marked ability to inspire confidence - not just by his large physical presence (6 foot 3 inches tall and 220 lbs) but by his calm sense of purpose in times of stress, his quick reactions and his extraordinary courage. Blair first saw action in June 1941 on a Commando raid behind Vichy French lines on the Litani River in Syria. It was marred by heavy losses. These included the death of his CO, Lt Col Richard Peddar, with whom he had been since the Isle of Arran (the operation is described in the Note below). Blairs temperament made him a difficult subordinate, who could react badly if thwarted or crossed in any way. He drove himself unmercifully and felt extreme frustration at inaction, which sometimes led to black moods, bouts of drinking and violent acts. After a little disagreement in Egypt with his new commanding officer, who he had knocked unconscious, Blair was rescued from close arrest by the influence of Captain David Stirling. This officer had just been authorised by General Auchinleck to form a new force to operate in the desert behind German and Italian lines. He needed big Blair Mayne.

North Africa and the Eastern Mediterranean 1941-43. After the Litani River Commando raid on the Vichy French in Syria, the newly formed SAS carried out operations against enemy airfields, other transport and installations from desert bases such as Siwa and Kufra in Egypt and Libya, and then in 1943 took part in the landings in Sicily and later Italy There followed a series of operations by this new force, known as L detachment of the Special Air Service (SAS), against enemy airfields and supply lines. The first one led by Lieutenant Mayne against Tamet airfield in the Libyan desert destroyed 14 and damaged 10 aircraft, and blew up bomb and fuel dumps. Within four months the reputation of the newly formed SAS had grown and Blairs personal count of enemy aircraft destroyed had risen to over a hundred. It was a deadly business. After a raid on Fuka, Blair reported that the enemy had posted a sentry on nearly every bloody plane. I had to knife them before I could place the bombs. He and his team destroyed 17 planes that night. Such operations by the SAS continued with increasing tempo until the end of 1942 when the desert war was virtually won. By then, David Stirling had been captured and Blair Mayne had taken over command of the SAS for the Sicily landings. In this operation, Blair had the key role of capturing and destroying coastal batteries at Capo Murro di Porco just south of Syracuse. It was a complete success. An extract from the citation for the DSO (his second) awarded to Blair on that occasion reads: By nightfall Major Maynes force had captured three additional batteries, taken 450 prisoners and killed 2-300 Italians. The force re-embarked and two days later carried out a hazardous daylight landing to capture the town of Augusta. In both these operations it was Major Maynes courage, determination and superb leadership which proved the key to success. He personally led his men from the landing craft in the face of heavy Machine-gun fire. By this action he succeeded in forcing his way to ground where it was possible to form up.

This was the first operation of many undertaken by Blairs SAS during the Italian campaign of 1943. When the SAS finally left Italy to return to Britain for the D Day invasion various tributes were paid to them. General Dempsey wrote to Blair - In my military career and in my time I have commanded many units. I have never met a unit in which I had such confidence as I have in yours.

Blair Mayne prior to a combined SAS and Commando landing at Termoli on the Italian east coast in October 1943 (Photo - Derrick Harrison)

The SAS experiment, which had started with Stirling and Mayne in the desert, had proved an astonishing success. By the time of the Normandy landings in June 1944, the SAS role had been expanded and was undertaken by a Brigade of 2500 men who had been training for months on the Scottish moorlands. Their task was to parachute behind the lines and establish a series of bases from which they could operate in strength. From there they were to harass the enemy, disrupt his vital communications and provide detailed intelligence for our forward units, as well as train and support the Maquis (French resistance) in sabotage. In this grand design Blair commanded 1st Regiment SAS - a unit that had been developed from the nucleus of his desert teams. Early on D Day 6th June 1944, the SAS carried out diversionary parachute landings on the Cherbourg peninsular to the west of the Normandy beaches. Subsequently until the liberation of Paris they were engaged in their spoiling role from Abbeville as far south as Paris and the river Loire. The strength of the enemy reaction against them was a measure of their success, but they lost fine men who on being taken prisoner were interrogated and executed by the Gestapo. Blair was awarded his third DSO for these operations. It was entirely due to Lt Col Maynes fine leadership and example, and his utter disregard of danger, that the unit was able to achieve such striking success, says the citation. In the last months of the war Blairs Regiment took part with the Canadian 4th Armoured Division in the final breakout through Germany which ended at the Baltic port of Kiel. They were equipped for this phase with heavily armed Jeeps, each with two pairs of twin Vickers and some with .50 Browning machine-guns (Blairs vehicle had two additions - a public address system for broadcasting rude words to the retreating Germans and a gramophone on which he would endlessly play Irish ballads). 1st Regiment SAS therefore had the fire power but their effectiveness was constrained by the topography and their lack of protection which made them vulnerable in the armoured battle. This new role for the SAS resulted in some of the worst losses for the Regiment. On one occasion near Oldenburg Blair won his fourth DSO (which many thought should have been a VC) in a desperate moment when his forward Squadron commander had been killed and several of his men were wounded and under fire. On his arrival Blair calmly dominated the situation and "by a single act of supreme bravery" not only rescued the wounded but broke the crust of the enemy defences in the whole of that sector. Here by any standards was a remarkable man whose time came, and who for four long years had driven himself unmercifully in operation after operation in different theatres of war. But at what cost to himself? At the end of the war Blair was just thirty, a hero and like many a returning soldier unsuited to normal sedentary life. He sought isolation and got a job with the Falkland Island Survey for two years in the south Atlantic, but it soon ended for him when the pain in his back which he had damaged in the desert became acute. He finally had to resign himself to ordinary life. He became Secretary to the Northern Ireland Law Society but remained unsettled - an unhappy and frustrated man on borrowed time. Big Blair was alone when he died at the wheel of his red Riley sports car returning home early one morning. He was just forty years old.

A mythology about Blair Maynes exploits and his excesses has grown up over the years. It cannot disguise the truth that this is an extraordinary story of the survival of a soldier against all odds. His hunters intuition and speed of reflex, the loyalty and confidence he inspired in his men, and above all his selfless courage will long be remembered in Ulster and in the history of the Special Air Service.

Jeeps of Blair Maynes 1st Regiment SAS armed with twin K Vickers machine-guns (1200 rounds per minute) operating 100 miles south-east of Paris near Auxerre, August 1944 (Photo - Derrick Harrison)

Note: The Litani River Commando Raid

On 3rd June 1941 Lieutenant Mayne with 11 Commando, nearly 400 strong, embarked in Cyprus for a landing in strength to raid the Germans and Vichy French in Syria. An amphibious assault against a defended shore is one of the most difficult and hazardous of operations. On this occasion as a result of navigational error by some of the landing craft, many of the commandos were put ashore in the thick of enemy defences. Their CO and about half of the other officers and 120 men were all killed. Despite this, the raid achieved a measure of success in which Blair Mayne played a leading part and for which he was mentioned in dispatches. In a letter to his brother the following month he looks back on the operation and describes it in, for him unusual, detail:We did a good piece of work when we landed behind the French lines at the Litani River. We were fired on as we landed, but got off the beach with a couple of casualties. Then we saw a lot of men and transport about 600 yards up the road. I couldnt understand it as they seemed to be firing the wrong way, but might have been Aussies [there were Australians in the Allied force advancing north through Palestine]. There was quite a lot of cover - kind of hayfield - I crawled up to thirty yards or so and heard them talking French. So I started whaling grenades at them and my men opened fire. After about five minutes, up went a white flag. There were about forty of them - two machine-guns and a mortar - a nice bag to start with. We had only a couple of men hurt. They [the enemy] had been firing at McGonigals crowd who had landed further north. We left those prisoners and pushed on. McGunn, a Cameronian, was in charge of my forward section and he got stuck, so we went round him. I had about fifteen men. It got hilly and hard going and Frenchies all over the place. Eventually we came to a path which we followed and came on a dozen mules and one knew that there must be something somewhere and we came on it just round the corner. About thirty of those fellows sitting twenty yards away. I was round first with my revolver, and the sergeant had a tommy-gun. Were they surprised! I called on them jettez-vous la planche but they seemed to be a bit slow on the uptake. One of them lifted a rifle and Im afraid he didnt have time to be sorry. This was a sort of HQ place, typewriters, ammunition, revolvers, bombs and, more to the point, beer and food. We had been going about six hours and we were ready for it. While we were dining the phone rang. We didnt answer but followed the wire and got another bull - four machine-guns, two light machine-guns, two mortars and fifty more prisoners. We lost only two men (sounds like a German communiqu). It was a long time since I had a day like it. Eventually, about eight hours later, we came back through the Aussie lines. We were rather tired so the prisoner laddies kindly carried the booty and equipment. The rest of the story can keep until I see you. I am getting rather tired of the country [Egypt]. The job is not bad, but I cant stand the natives!

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Erskine MAYNE of Belfast

The Erskine Maynes, from a covenanting family of Scottish Presbyterians, helped to bring the flag of temperance to Ulster and later established a great department store in the centre of Belfast, "W. Erskine Mayne Ltd.". The store and its branches flourished for more than a century until the activities of Irish terrorists forced its sale and closure in 1982. A short history of the dynasty that was responsible for the success story of this family firm, once one of Belfast's most famous names, is at page 21 at the end of this family section. Captain, the Rev. Thomas Mayne of Cumbernauld, Scotland, was the founder of the family in Ireland. Gavin Main Waddell suggests that this Thomas Mayne comes from the Main family of Ballochney, 5 miles from Cumbernauld.

1 Captain, The Rev. Thomas Mayne ---------------------------------------Birth: 1727, Cumbernauld, Dunbartonshire, Scotland Death: 1806, Drumgooland, Co. Down, Ireland, age: 79 Burial: 1806, Ballyroney/Drumgooland Churchyard, age: 79 Occ: Captain in the Royal Army in Scotland; Minister of the Secession Church in Ireland. Reli: Presbyterian Captain Thomas Mayne from Cumbernauld, Dunbartonshire, Scotland, fought as a volunteer in the Royal Army against Bonny Prince Charlie at the battle of Falkirk on 23 January 1746. He afterwards made preparations for the defence of Stirling, although he was not to take part in the battle for that city. This was because of his refusal to take the oath of allegiance in the usual form of touching and kissing the Gospels, which he considered superstitious and Popish. He was charged with disloyalty and, in the vernacular, "was put to considerable inconvenience" as a result. Soon after, he joined the Secession Church, a covenanting Presbyterian sect, in Scotland. One of the founders of this church was Ebenezer Erskine (died 1733) whose influence on this Mayne family was such that Thomas' great great grandson carried the Erskine name. As a result the famous Belfast department store founded by the family carried the name 'Erskine Mayne' for more than a century until the Maynes sold it in 1982. Captain Thomas Mayne was called to Ireland where he was ordained in the Secession Church 20 June 1749 by a deputation from the Burgher Presbytery of Glasgow. He was appointed as the first minister to Drumgooland Parish (then called Ballyroney) with its thatched church, in Co. Down overlooking the Mountains of Mourne. He was in fact the first Burgher minister to be settled in Ireland. Two years later he was one of three men who formed the Second Presbytery in William McKinley's field at Cahans, Co. Monaghan. Children: ?Robert Thomas (1747-1827)

1.1 ?Robert Mayne (later Means) ---------------------------------------Emigrated to Boston, USA. Children: James

1.1.1 James Means (Mayne) ---------------------------------------Birth: Boston, USA In 1822-25 James Means helped his cousin Robert's wife, Mary Ann Smith in Ireland, obtain information about Robert's death in Georgia.

1.2a Rev. Thomas Maine* ---------------------------------------Birth: 1747, ?Stewartstown, Co. Tyrone, Ireland Death: 1827, Ballyagan, Garvagh, Co. Londonderry, Ireland, age: 80 Burial: 1827, ?Old Errigal, Ireland, age: 80

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Occ: Educ: Reli:

Secession Church; Ordained as first minister of Garvagh Main Street Church 1773. In Scotland: Studied Divinity under Rev. John Brown of Haddington. Presbyterian. Moderator of the Burgher Synod at Cookstown in 1804.

Rev. Thomas Mayne (the younger) had seven children, probably all by his first wife, Miss Knox, of whom only the eldest, Robert, is shown below. He remained as minister at Garvagh for 54 years until his death in 1827. In character he was said to be taciturn but with a cheerful disposition and in later years was inclined to corpulence. Like his father at Ballyroney (Drumgooland), he also practised some medicine and was reputed to have an excellent cure for "the falling sicknes". Spouse: Birth: Children: Knox Colraine, Ulster, Ireland Robert (-1818)

Other Spouses Barber, Rankin (born Fisher) 1.2a.1 Robert Mayne ---------------------------------------Birth: Liscall, Garvagh, Londonderry, Ireland Death: 1818, Augusta, Georgia, USA Occ: Apprenticed in the linen trade Robert Mayne was the eldest of seven children born in Ireland. He became apprenticed in the linen trade at Limavady and was married in 1800 to Mary Smith, whose mother was the sister of his father's third wife, Martha Smith (born Fisher). In his grandson William's diaries, he is described as "a remarkably handsome and charming man, being six foot tall with a fair complexion. In the evenings after work he used to teach some of his father's men servants the rudiments of education, and two brothers named Moore, who later became wealthy farmers always declared that they owed their wisdom in life to Robert's kindness." In 1809 he fled to America due, it was said, to "a debt of honour", leaving his wife and two children at Garvagh. He never returned and died in Augusta, Georgia, nine years later. Spouse: Birth: Marr: Children: Mary Ann Smith ?Garvagh, Ireland 1800 Alexander Smith (1805-1894) Martha (<1810-)

Mary Ann was the daughter of Alexander Smith & Martha Fisher of Garvagh, Co. Londonderry. (Martha was the sister of Mary Ann's father-in-law's third wife). An anecdote is given at the end of these Notes which is about Mary Ann and her father before she was married, describing the difficulties of travelling in Ireland then. Mary Ann was deserted by her husband in 1809 when he fled to America. News of his death in America did not reach his widow until 1822, four years after the event. It was not until 1825 that she was able to obtain legal proof of his death and receive his last possessions, a linen stamp, a gold locket and a physicians handbook. In this she was helped by her cousin in America, James Means of Boston. An Anecdote about Travelling to Dublin circa 1795 Alexander Smith wanted to give his daughter Marry Ann a Bible. As at that time there were no shops in Ulster where a leather bound Bible could be bought, it was necessary for Mr. Smith to make a journey to Dublin from his home at Garvagh. The roads between Belfast and Dublin were then in a deplorable condition, and in winter sometimes impassable. The Belfast Stage Coach, pulled by six horses, took at least three days to travel between the two towns. The coach left the New Inn, North Street, at 5 am. resting the first night in Newry and the second in Drogheda, and was due to arrive in Dublin at noon on the third day; but in fact it was not uncommon for the journey to take anything up to a week.

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The travelling was not only slow, the horses being changed every 7 or 10 miles, but there was also considerable danger of the passengers and mail being robbed by highwaymen - sometimes twice on one journey. The two guards, armed with loaded blunderbusses, were no match against organised gangs of highwaymen that worked along the route. At one time robbery was so frequent that people often took the precaution of cutting their bank notes in two and sending each half by a different post. Fortunately on this occasion, Alexander purchased and brought back the Bible (3) without problems. It still remains in the family with an inscription in red ink which reads: "Alexander Smith 1798".

1.2a.1.1 Alexander Smith Mayne ---------------------------------------Birth: 1805, Garvagh, Co. Londonderry, Ireland Death: 1894, 11 College Square East, Belfast, age: 89 Occ: Teacher & later publisher of Belfast; Wrote religious tracts; Botanist Educ: At 18 went to Belfast Academical Institution & then Kildare Place School, Dublin. Reli: Presbyterian (Secession Church)

Alexander Smith Mayne 1805-94 Alexander Smith Mayne was "of a devout and serious disposition". He was an amateur botanist, school teacher and the founder of the family publishing & book selling business. In the family tradition he was a life-long teetotaller and religious activist. Alexander was brought up by his grandfather, Rev. Thomas Mayne (the younger), at the family farmhouse at Ballyagan about a mile out of Garvagh. He lived to age 89 and in later years wrote his reminiscences which are quoted extensively in "A Family Remembers" (see Erskine Mayne 'SOURCES'). He went to Garvagh village school but it was only open for three winter months of the year as the rest of the time the children were needed to work on their fathers' farms. At age 17 his ankle was injured in a fall from his horse and he was thereafter never able to work on the family farm. He decided he wanted to be a teacher and at age 18 went first to Belfast and then to Dublin to improve his education. He returned to Garvagh in 1824 and for two years taught at a school at Moneydig. Then he worked supervising a Yard for a firm of merchants & distillers at Ballyronan and occasionally accompanied sea cargos of oatmeal travelling from Coleraine to the Highlands and western islands of Scotland. In 1828 Alexander obtained a post as teacher at the Brown Street School, Belfast, where he remained for six years after which he started to work full time in publishing and bookselling. In 1829 Alexander was one of six men who were the first to sign the Temperance Pledge in Ulster. In 1831 he published the first number of "The Irish Sunday School Teachers' Magazine" (he was Hon Sec of the Belfast Sunday School Union). And so began the firm that later carried the name of his son "W. Erskine Mayne Ltd. of Belfast". Subsequent catchy titles he published were "The Monthly Gleaner" (the first juvenile magazine in Ulster), "The Presbyterian Penny Magazine" (both 1834), and "The Temperance Intelligencer" (1836). Spouse: Birth: Death: Letitia Johnston(e) ?Belfast, Ulster, Ireland 1874

Alexander & Letitia's eldest son, William, was named after Ebenezer Erskine (died 1733), one of the founders of the Secession Church in Scotland. William was actually baptised on the centenary of Erskine's death. Ebenezer Erskine had had a strong influence on Alexander's great grandfather during his conversion to that sect of Presbyterianism which resulted in his move to Co. Down, Ireland, and his ordination in 1749.

13

Marr: Children:

12 1 1833 William Erskine (1833-1892) Thomas Smith (1835-ca1896) Joseph Patterson (Died as Infant) (1837-1838) Letitia Ann (Died as Child) (1839-1847) Eleanor Johnston(e) (1842-1919) Alexander (Sandy) Smith (1844-1923) Marianne (Mary) (1846-1920) Paul Clinton (1848-1887) Richard Johnston(e) (1850-1902)

1.2a.1.1.1 William Erskine Mayne ---------------------------------------Birth: 6 11 1833 Death: 4 1 1892, age: 58 Burial: ?Glenavy Occ: Took over his father's publishing firm in 1866 as "W. Erskine Mayne Ltd." of Belfast. Reli: Ulster Presbyterian

William Erskine Mayne 1833-92 William was severe and frugal in his habits and a strong adherer to the Temperance tradition and he was also a vegetarian. He led the family firm that bore his name from 1866 until his death in 1892. He expanded the business into photography and films. In 1891 "The Industries of Ireland" published an entry remarking on W. Erskine Mayne's varied and growing activities:"In addition to the literary section of his business, Mr Mayne holds a finely selected general stock in photographic cameras, archery, cricket, children's toys, magic lanterns etc. as also dichroic (two coloured) ink of Irish manufacture and all kinds of fancy stationery." A popular speaker on religious themes, he shared many of his father's interests - The Good Templars, The Band of Hope Movement and the Irish Temperance League for example - and helped to form the Second Boys Brigade in Belfast and was superintendent of the Drew Memorial Church Sunday School. Spouse: Ann Housten Bell

Ann was one of the three beautiful daughters of Dr. Dalway Bell, and was the granddaughter of Dr. Housten of Rothsay House, Coleraine. Marr: Children: 22 5 1860 Robert Housten (1863-1928) Thomas Ekenhead (1866-1899) Henry Horner (1867-1951)

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1.2a.1.1.1.1 Robert Housten Mayne ---------------------------------------Birth: 1863 Death: 1928, age: 65 Capped twice at rugby football for Ireland in the 1887-88 season. One of the founders of the old Albion Club and President of the Northern Branch of the Irish Rugby Football Union in 1895-96. He was also a keen oarsman and member of the Belfast Boat Club. Spouse: Ada Beatie

Ada was the daughter of the Rev. Michael Beatie Marr: 30 12 1891

1.2a.1.1.1.2 Thomas Ekenhead Mayne ---------------------------------------Birth: 1866 Death: 1899, age: 33 Occ: "Poet and dreamer". Like his grandfather Alexander Mayne, Thomas had a great love for the Irish countryside and much of his poetry was about the changing seasons. In 1897 Thomas published a slim volume of his verses "Blackthorn Blossoms", of which WB Yeats said: "I like a great deal about the little book very much. Some of the lines are not observation but creation - a much better thing." A collection of his Irish stories "The Heart o'the Peat" was published just after his death at the early age of 33. 1.2a.1.1.1.3 Henry Horner Mayne ---------------------------------------Birth: 1867, ? Belfast Death: 15 12 1951, Belfast, age: 84 Occ: Managing Director of W. Erskine Mayne Ltd. (large Belfast department stores)

Henry Horner Mayne 1867-1951 Henry served an apprenticeship in the linen trade and then took over the family firm, W. Erskine Mayne Ltd., from his father on his death in 1892. In his stewardship over nearly sixty years, Henry moved the stores to prime central Belfast sites, expanded the bookselling arm and started cinematography and reprography (photo copying). Spouse: Birth: Marr: Children: Margaret Elizabeth Jessie Fraser ? Lanarkshire, Scotland 1899 Alexander Fraser (1901-1948) Henry Edmund O'Donnell Margaret E. H.

15

1.2a.1.1.1.3.1 Alexander Fraser Mayne ---------------------------------------Birth: 1901 Death: 1948, age: 47 Occ: Broadcaster

Alexander Fraser Mayne 1901-48 The elder son of Henry & Margaret Mayne, Alexander was described as "forceful and genial". He had just completed his flying training for the RAF in 1918 when the Armistice was declared that ended the First World War. A broadcaster and yachtsman who lived abroad until 1928 when he returned to join W. Erskine Mayne Ltd. He ran the radio & photographic department. During the Second World War he was a member of the original Northern Ireland committee of ENSA (organisation for the entertainment of troops). Children: Terence Fraser

1.2a.1.1.1.3.1.1 Terence Fraser Mayne -----------------------------------------

Terence Fraser Mayne Terence Fraser Mayne was the only son of Alexander Fraser Mayne. Terence was the fifth generation to work in the family firm. He ran the stationery and drawing office division of the company at 6 Donegal Square East, Belfast.

16

1.2a.1.1.1.3.2 Henry Edmund O'Donnell Mayne ---------------------------------------Occ: Coffee farmer in Zambia. Joined the family firm after World War 2 in 1946.

Henry Edmund ODonnell Mayne Henry Mayne was a coffee farmer in Africa. He had settled in Abercorn, Northern Rhodesia (Zambia) on his farm which he called Ballymain. At the start of the 1939-45 war, he joined the Northern Rhodesian Regiment with whom he served in Ethiopia and Somalia. In 1946 after five years of war, the African bush had reclaimed most of his farm and Henry returned home to join the family firm in Belfast. Children: Denis H.E.

1.2a.1.1.1.3.2.1 Denis HE Mayne ----------------------------------------Denis was the fifth generation of the family to work at W. Erskine Mayne Ltd. It fell to him to sell the old family firm in 1982. In 1995 he was living at Groomsport Co. Down, Ireland. 1.2a.1.1.1.3.3 Margaret E. H. Mayne ---------------------------------------Margaret E H Mayne was the twin of her brother Henry. She ran the reprography (photo copying) department of the family firm.

Margaret EH Mayne 1.2a.1.1.2 Thomas Smith Mayne ---------------------------------------Birth: 7 11 1835 Death: ca 1896, Wallasey, Cheshire, England, age: 60 Occ: After 10 years business in Belfast he became an export merchant in Cheshire, England In about 1868, with his brother Sandy, Thomas Smith Mayne started a grain and commission merchants and express parcel carriers in Belfast. The business went into liquidation ten years later, after which Thomas settled in Cheshire, England, while Sandy emigrated to Australia.

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Spouse: Marr:

Barbara Amelia Grey Scheele 24 4 1868, St Peter's, Newcastle, England

1.2a.1.1.3 Joseph Patterson Mayne ---------------------------------------Birth: 1837 Death: 1838, age: 1 1.2a.1.1.4 Letitia Ann Mayne ---------------------------------------Birth: 1839 Death: 1847, age: 8 1.2a.1.1.5 Eleanor Johnston(e) Mayne ---------------------------------------Birth: 10 3 1842 Death: 8 11 1919, age: 77 Spouse: Marr: William Robert Nelson ? 24 4 1866

1.2a.1.1.6 Alexander (Sandy) Smith Mayne ---------------------------------------Birth: 10 6 1844 Death: 1923, age: 78 Occ: After 10 years business in Belfast he emigrated to Australia. In about 1868, Sandy Mayne, with his brother Thomas, started a grain and commission merchants and express parcel carriers in Belfast. The business went into liquidation ten years later, after which Sandy went for a brief visit to his cousins in America. He finally emigrated with his wife, Jeanette, to Australia. Meanwhile Thomas settled in Cheshire, England. Spouse: Marr: Jeanette Ellinor Neeson 7 11 1866

1.2a.1.1.7 Marianne (Mary) Mayne ---------------------------------------Birth: 17 6 1846 Death: 1920, age: 73 Occ: Writer Author of "A History of Belfast". Spouse: Marr: John Lowry 11 2 1868, Alfred St. Church, ?Belfast

1.2a.1.1.8 Paul Clinton Mayne ---------------------------------------Birth: 16 5 1848 Death: 28 6 1887, Kansas, USA, age: 39 1.2a.1.1.9 Richard Johnston(e) Mayne ---------------------------------------Birth: 7 10 1850 Death: 11 1 1902, Liverpool, England, age: 51 1.2a.1.2 Martha Mayne ---------------------------------------Birth: bef 1810 Martha's letter to her mother in Ballyagan, Garvagh, written about 1836 was seen by her brother, Alexander, in Belfast. He reported that the Woodburn(e)s had bought 170 acres of land and their livestock then consisted of "3 horses, 5 cows, 2 pigs and 4 grandsons"!

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Spouse: Birth:

James Woodburn(e) ?Garvagh, Ireland

James & Martha emigrated to Canada. In a letter written by Martha to her mother in about 1836 she reported that James & Martha had four grandchildren (no other details are known). See Notes on Martha Mayne. There is another letter written to this Mayne family in Ireland dated 8 Nov 1897 from A. Woodburne of Ottawa, Canada, who is presumed to have been a descendant of James and Martha (In 1995 this letter was in the possession of Denis H Mayne of Groomsport, Co. Down, Northern Ireland). 1.2a.2 Mayne ---------------------------------------Robert's sister is recorded as living at Ballynafeagh, Stewartstown, Ireland in 1822 when news of the death of her brother in America was received - four years late. 1.2b Rev. Thomas Mayne* (See above) ---------------------------------------Spouse: Barber

Other Spouses Knox, Rankin (born Fisher) 1.2c Rev. Thomas Mayne* (See above) ---------------------------------------Spouse: Rankin (born Fisher)

Other Spouses Knox, Barber 1.3 Mayne ---------------------------------------Spouse: Occ: Children: John Reid Farmer from Donacloney, Ireland Mayne

1.3.1 Captain Mayne Reid ---------------------------------------Occ: Author of 30 romantic adventure books for boys. Captain Mayne Reid, the author, who wrote some 30 books was said to be "the most popular English author in Russia!"

Index Erskine Mayne of Belfast

Barber
UNNAMED spouse of 1.2b spouse of 1.2a.1.1.1.1 spouse of 1.2a.1.1.1 spouse of 1.2a.1.1.1.3 spouse of 1.2a.1.1 spouse of 1.2a

Beatie
Ada

Bell
Ann Housten

Fraser
Margaret Elizabeth Jessie

Johnstone
Letitia ( - 1874)

Knox
UNNAMED

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Lowry
John spouse of 1.2a.1.1.7 1.3 1.2a.2 1.2a.1.1.1.3.1 1.2a.1.1.6 1.2a.1.1 1.2a.1.1.1.3.2.1 1.2a.1.1.5 1.2a.1.1.1.3.2 1.2a.1.1.1.3 1.2a.1.1.3 1.2a.1.1.4 1.2a.1.1.1.3.3 1.2a.1.1.7 1.2a.1.2 1.2a.1.1.8 1.2a.1.1.9 1.2a.1 1.2a.1.1.1.1 1.2a.1.1.1.3.1.1 1 1.2a 1.2a.1.1.1.2 1.2a.1.1.2 1.2a.1.1.1 1.1 1.1.1 spouse of 1.2a.1.1.6 spouse of 1.2a.1.1.5 spouse of 1.2c spouse of 1.3 1.3.1 spouse of 1.2a.1.1.2 spouse of 1.2a.1 spouse of 1.2a.1.2

Mayne
UNNAMED UNNAMED Alexander Fraser (1901 - 1948) Alexander (Sandy) Smith (1844 - 1923) Alexander Smith (1805 - 1894) Denis H.E. Eleanor Johnston(e) (1842 - 1919) Henry Edmund O'Donnell Henry Horner (1867 - 1951) Joseph Patterson (1837 - 1838) Letitia Ann (1839 - 1847) Margaret E. H. Marianne (Mary) (1846 - 1920) Martha (<1810 - ) Paul Clinton (1848 - 1887) Richard Johnston(e) (1850 - 1902) Robert ( - 1818) Robert Housten (1863 - 1928) Terence Fraser Captain, The Rev. Thomas (1727 - 1806) Rev. Thomas (1747 - 1827) Thomas Ekenhead (1866 - 1899) Thomas Smith (1835 - ca1896) William Erskine (1833 - 1892)

Mayne later Means

?Robert

Means Mayne
James

Neeson
Jeanette Ellinor

Nelson
William Robert

Rankin born Fisher

UNNAMED

Reid
John Captain Mayne

Scheele
Barbara Amelia Grey

Smith
Mary Ann

Woodburne
James

------------------------------------------------------------------------SOURCES ERSKINE MAYNE of Belfast

The Erskine Maynes and the Echlin Maynes (separate pedigree), were two, so far unconnected but similar, Irish families who both originated in Scotland, and in the 18th century became established in Belfast and Co. Down respectively. The main sources of the material on the Erskine Mayne family are given below. "A Family Remembers - A Brief History of the Mayne Family in Ireland" (Anon). This is in typescript, written about 1966, a copy of which was provided by the late Rupert Mayne of Aldbourne, Hampshire, England. Additional material was provided by the present family:Denis Mayne of Groomsport, Co. Down. Michael Kelly of London N1.

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THE RISE AND FALL OF A FAMOUS BELFAST DYNASTY

A young Scottish volunteer from Cumbernauld fought at the battle of Falkirk and was the founder of a dynasty, which established one of Belfast's great department stores that flourished for a century and a half.

One of the most familiar names of Belfast city centre over the last 150 years has been that of W Erskine Mayne. The name represents one of the great dynasties of the retail trade, and is still immediately recognised by most Ulstermen and women. The lives of five generations of the Erskine Mayne family were the foundation, continuation and ethos of the business that grew as Belfast city has grown. The origin of this dynasty, the character of the austere crusader who established the business, and its subsequent expansion, make an unusual story. Sadly there is no happy ending. I came across the family when I was researching the life of Paddy Blair Mayne of Newtownards, the SAS hero of the last war. There are striking similarities between these two Mayne families in that both were Presbyterians from Scotland who had settled in County Down in the 18th century, had founded family shops in Belfast and Newtownards respectively, and produced men who played rugby football for Ireland. Surely these two families had a common origin. I was unable to substantiate this. It seems likely but, whereas Paddy Mayne had an ascetic streak in him, he was hardly in the temperance tradition of the Erskine Maynes! The Erskine Maynes came from Cumbernauld near Glasgow. The name 'Erskine' derived from Ebenezer Erskine who was one of the founders of the Secession Church in Scotland - a strictly abstemious Presbyterian sect, which crossed to Ireland around 1750. Over many generations, these Maynes remained strong adherents of Ebenezers plain and pious teaching. The earliest known member of the family is Captain Thomas Mayne 1727-1806 who fought as a volunteer with the Royal Army against Bonny Prince Charlie's highlanders at the battle of Falkirk 1746 and prepared the defences of Stirling. Thomas then joined the Secession Church and, when his beliefs caused him some difficulty in taking the oath of allegiance, he crossed to Ireland where in 1749 he was ordained as the first Burgher minister. He went to the Presbyterian parish of Drumgooland in County Down with its thatched church, and he tells us that from his house he had a wonderful view of the mountains of Mourne. The late Captain and now Reverend Thomas Mayne became the progenitor of the Erskine Maynes of Ulster, although it was not until the baptism of his great grandson, William Erskine Mayne, in 1833 on the centenary of Ebenezers death, that 'Erskine' became a family name. Alexander Smith Mayne, who was the founder of the great chain of Belfast bookshops and general stores that bore his son's name, had an inauspicious start to his life. When he was aged only four his father, Robert, fled to America (due to a 'debt of honour' it is said) deserting his wife and two small children. So it happened that Alexander was brought up by his grandfather, Reverend Thomas Mayne (the younger), the son of the original Thomas who had fought at Falkirk. It was under his grandfather's austere and pious influence that Alexander became a lifelong teetotaller and religious activist and in 1829 he was the first Ulstermen to sign the pledge to abstain from liquor.

Alexander Smith Mayne 1805-94, in middle and old age. Amateur botanist, teacher and the founder of the family publishing & bookselling business. A life-long teetotaller and religious activist, in 1828 he was the first Ulsterman to sign the 'pledge' After a serious fall from his horse, Alexander had to give up work on his grandfather's farm at Ballyagan, County Londonderry. He was an amateur botanist and gifted painter in water-colours, but most of all "little Alick was always fond of a book", and so he became a Belfast schoolmaster and, in due course, a publisher and bookseller. Alexander is said to have been "of a devout and serious disposition" but he was also a man of great humanity. Throughout his long life he persisted in his work for the temperance movement in Ireland, and in 1833, the year his son William was born, he took over a small publishing company in Belfast, which mainly distributed religious and temperance tracts. With the reforming zeal of a missionary, he set about publishing a variety of magazines and other literature on the same themes. He was proud of the city of

21

Belfast, public spirited and a copious correspondent of newspapers and of leading philanthropists about practical ways of alleviating the suffering and poverty of its citizens. By this means, backed by the pamphlets he was publishing, Alexander was instrumental in the foundation of the Belfast Working Men's Institution in 1871; while education, the Botanical Gardens, public houses and Sunday schools were some of the other subjects that caught his reforming eye.

William Erskine Mayne 1833-92 Eldest son of the founder, he led the firm from 1866 until his death. A teetotaller and vegetarian. A popular speaker on religious themes. He expanded the business into photography and films Alexander Mayne retired in 1866 when he handed the business over to his son, William, by whose name the firm has since been known - W. Erskine Mayne. William followed in the frugal tradition set by his father and took up many of his causes. He too forswore alcohol and was an ardent supporter of the temperance and vegetarian movements. William was a popular speaker, rather than a writer like his father, and it was said of him that he "could draw the best out of people as easily and as cleverly as a seasoned toper can draw the cork out of his favourite bottle" - a nice compliment for a lifelong 'abstainer'! It was therefore natural that the business should move with William into forms of communication beyond books and pamphlets. Thus from publishing and bookselling it expanded into photography, films and a slide library, while cameras, stationery, sports equipment and children's toys were added to the stock. William's son, Henry Horner Mayne, who led the firm after the sudden death of his father in 1892, was the archetypal bookseller. Yet his quiet unassuming manner disguised a keen business brain. He it was negotiated the move of the store to prime sites in the centre of Belfast, expanded the main bookselling arm and took the lead in establishing the Booksellers' Association in Ulster. Resulting from his personal interest in cinematography, the business began making and showing films, especially newsreels of major events. By the turn of the century they were operating mobile cinemas using 'limelight' (an intense white light generated by heating a cylinder of lime in an oxyhydrogen flame) and had a large film library. For almost sixty years right up to his death in 1951, Henry Horner Mayne steered the business with a sure and patient hand. By 1920 newsagents had been added and work on reprography was being carried out. Later the store started handling radios and gramophones, and eventually much of the electronic equipment that is nowadays considered indispensable for home entertainment.

Henry Horner Mayne 1867-1951 Grandson of the founder, he led the firm from 1892 until his death - 59 years! He moved the stores to prime central sites, expanded the bookselling arm and started cinematography and reprography

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For nearly twenty years until his death in 1947 Henry's elder son, the broadcaster Alexander Fraser Mayne, looked after this part of the business. His sibling twins, Henry Edmund O'Donnell and Margaret Mayne subsequently joined the firm, as did Henry Horner Mayne's two grandsons, Terence and Denis Mayne. They represent the fifth generation of Erskine Maynes since the business was founded out of the reforming zeal of Alexander Smith Mayne.

Alexander Fraser Mayne 1901-48. Elder son of Henry Horner Mayne, he was a broadcaster and yachtsman who lived abroad until 1928 when he joined the firm and ran the radio/photographic department.

Henry Edmund O'Donnell Mayne. Younger son of Henry Horner Mayne. Originally a coffee farmer in Africa, he spent his war service there and joined the family firm in 1946. Described as forceful and genial.

Sad to relate that W. Erskine Mayne Limited, which has been such an integral part of the Belfast scene for more than 160 years, has now virtually withered away. In the 1970s, shops in the centre of the city were targets for the terrorist bombers. The frequent clearing of stores for false alarms did almost as much commercial damage as a real bomb. On one memorable day there were no less than five separate bomb scares in one of Erskine Mayne's stores. They made light of it all but the effect was accumulative. It was the depth of the recession that occurred at about the same time, which finally delivered the 'coup de grace' to the company, and in 1982 the family had to sell out. All that now remains of Erskine Mayne is the name over a small stationers in College Street. Thus old evils have been replaced by new ones never imagined by young Captain Thomas Mayne when he arrived from Cumbernauld nearly 250 years ago. The reforming zeal of he and his heirs made some impact at the time, but he would take no joy were he to see the booming sales of Guinness in Belfast pubs today. On the other hand, five generations of his descendants took extraordinary pride in bringing knowledge and pleasure to millions of Ulster people, and I think that on balance Thomas Mayne should be well satisfied.

Miss MEH Mayne, The twin of Henry EO'D Mayne, she ran the reprography department of the firm.

Terence Fraser Mayne, the son of Alexander Fraser Mayne. He with his cousin, Denis HE Mayne, were the fifth and last generation in the firm.

The insignia of the company: they seem to have usurped the Arms of the Mayne family of Exeter!

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Sinclair MAYNE of Dublin

Introduction We cannot find a link between this Sinclair Mayne family of Dublin lawyers and the Fermanagh/Monaghan family of Mount Sedborough, although they overlap in both profession and the areas in which they lived and worked. The Sinclair Maynes used the names of 'Joseph', 'James' and 'Arthur', none of which are common in the Sedborough family. The only Joseph found in the Fermanagh family is 'Joseph Pelham Gulston Mayne' son of Robert Mayne & Sarah Crawford of Rathbran, Meath (King's Inns records). 1 Joseph Mayne ---------------------------------------Birth: ca 1759, Ireland Occ: Lawyer: King's Inns, Attorney Exchequer 1782 Reli: Church of Ireland Dublin Directories show Joseph (Attorney) living at 51 Bolton Street, 1794-1805. Joseph & Rachel's marriage 20 May 1781 is recorded under Miscellaneous Marriages in Ireland 1627-1800 in Walker's Hibernian Magazine. Their marriage Licence (Bond) is recorded under "Dublin Wills before 1800" (No.365). Spouse: Reli: Rachel Sinclair Church of Ireland

Rachel Sinclair's surname is variously spelt 'St Clair' or 'Sinclare'. Marr: Children: 20 5 1781, St Marie's, Dublin, Ireland James Arthur (1784-) ?Robert (ca 1788-) Joseph Sinclair (1792-)

1.1 James Arthur Mayne ---------------------------------------Birth: 1784, ? Dublin, Ireland Occ: Lawyer: King's Inns 1800; Apprentice to his father Joseph 1806; Exchequer Solicitor. Educ: Summerhill, Dublin, Ireland Dublin Directories show James' addresses there as :1805: 32 Dorsett Street 1815-46: 3 Hardwick Place 1840-46 James is shown as a Proctor. 1.2 ?Robert Mayne ---------------------------------------Birth: ca 1788, ? Dublin, Ireland Robert is the second son of Joseph Mayne (the names of Robert's two brothers are known). His name "Robert" is derived only from the Trinity College, Dublin, record of his son's attendance there in 1832 aged 17. His son was born in Co. Louth, Ireland. Children: Joseph (1815- )

1.2.1 Joseph Mayne ---------------------------------------Birth: 1815, Louth, Ireland Educ: Trinity College, Dublin: 1832 1.3 Joseph Sinclair Mayne ---------------------------------------Birth: 1792 Occ: Lawyer: King's Inns 1808; Apprentice to his eldest brother James; Solicitor

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Educ:

Naas, Ireland

Third son of Joseph Mayne. Dublin Directories show Joseph Sinclair living there at :1820: 8 Ushers St. 1830-34: 25 Lower Gardiner Street. 1840-46: 24 Lower Gardiner Street. Children: Joseph Sinclair (1818-) James Arthur (1819-) William Francis (1824-)

1.3.1 Joseph Sinclair Mayne ---------------------------------------Birth: 1818, Dublin, Ireland Educ: Trinity College, Dublin 1836 1.3.2a James Arthur Mayne* ---------------------------------------Birth: 1819, Dublin, Ireland Occ: Lawyer: King's Inns 1840; Apprentice to his father; Solicitor Educ: Dublin James Arthur was the second son of Joseph Sinclair with whom he was apprenticed as a solicitor in Dublin. His Dublin address in 1846 was at 24 Lower Gardiner Street, his father's home. James Arthur (possibly with his uncle of the same name) established a family vault at Drumsnatt, Co. Monaghan, in 1859 where the family were buried (A plaque there reads "Js A Mayne 1859". In 1869 James built and settled in Aughnamallagh House, Co. Monaghan (picture). There is a date stone in the wall of the house which reads "A. M. 1869". We presume the AM is James' wife 'Anna Mayne'.

Aughnamallagh House, Brantrim, Co. Monaghan In 1879 as a widower aged 60, James married widow Annie Minchice. Spouse: Death: Anna Bradley bef 1879

Anna was the daughter of William Bradley, solicitor, & Caroline Bayly. She and her husband built their home Aughnamallagh House, Co. Monaghan, in 1869, and the date stone bears her initials: "A. M. 1869". Marr: Children: 1845 Joseph Sinclair (ca1846-)

Other Spouses Annie Marie Minchice (born Moore Tittle)

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1.3.2a.1 Joseph Sinclair Mayne ---------------------------------------Birth: ca 1846 Occ: Lawyer: Barrister 1877; Office of Common Pleas, Dublin. Reli: Church of Ireland Joseph lived in Taney parish, Co. Dublin. In 1887 he was living at Springmount, Dundrum, when he was appointed to the Office of Common Pleas. In 1888-89, when he was a Taney parish churchwarden, he was living at Sunnybank, Taney. Spouse: Birth: Reli: Rachel Isabel Bernard ?Dundrum, Taney parish, Co. Dublin Church of Ireland

Rachel was the eldest daughter of Dr. Michael Charles Bernard MD of Dundrum, Co. Dublin, Ireland. Marr: 4 8 1869, Taney Parish Church, Co. Dublin

1.3.2b James Arthur Mayne* (See above) ---------------------------------------Spouse: Annie Marie Minchice (born Moore Tittle)

Annie was the daughter of Major Moore Tittle of the 38th Fencibles, and in 1879 the widow of Mr. Minchice. Marr: 6 7 1879, Taney Parish Church, Co. Dublin

Other Spouses Anna Bradley 1.3.3 William Francis Mayne ---------------------------------------Birth: 1824, Dublin, Ireland Educ: Trinity College, Dublin 1842, BA 1846

Index Sinclair Mayne of Dublin

Bernard
Rachel Isabel spouse of 1.3.2a.1 spouse of 1.3.2a 1.2 1.1 1.3.2a 1.2.1 1 1.3 1.3.1 1.3.2a.1 1.3.3 spouse of 1.3.2b spouse of 1

Bradley
Anna ( - <1879)

Mayne
?Robert (ca1788 - ) James Arthur (1784 - ) James Arthur (1819 - ) Joseph (1815 - ) Joseph (ca1759 - ) Joseph Sinclair (1792 - ) Joseph Sinclair (1818 - ) Joseph Sinclair (ca1846 - ) William Francis (1824 - )

Minchice born Moore Tittle

Annie Marie

Sinclair
Rachel

26

SOURCES for Sinclair Mayne of Dublin

Walkers Hibernian Magazine Miscellaneous Marriages in Ireland 1627-1800. Kings Inns Admission Papers 1607-1867, Ed: Keane, Phair, Sadleir. (Irish Manuscript Commission 1982). Alumni Dublinensis 1593-1860. [University of Dublin students]. History of Taney Parish, Dublin [Pedigrees of Churchwardens]. Taney Parish Marriage Records.

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See Part 1 The Sedborough Mayne family of Ireland at: http://www.scribd.com/doc/75988391/

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LINKS BETWEEN FAMILY GROUPS IN THIS COLLECTION

There have been many unsuccessful attempts to discover links between the different family groups of MAYNE in this one-name study. Some examples :Ireland & Bucks. There is evidence in Ireland in the form of a 1773 memorial stone inscription at the Mayne vault at Dartrey that Robert Mayne (1679-1753) of the Sedborough family was born at Creslow, near Hoggeston in Buckinghamshire, thus linking the Bucks and Irish branches. Although there are details of the large Mayne family who were established at Hoggeston and from 1596 at Creslow, no record of this Roberts English origin has been found there. Ireland & Scotland. Similarities have been identified between the Echlin and Erskine Mayne families. Both emigrated from Scotland to the same part of Ireland in the 18th century, but no common link has been discovered. Devon. In the 16th century, both the Marwood and Shirwell families were living in villages just three miles apart in rural north Devon, yet no connection between them has been established (the Shirwill family includes the Catholic priest, Saint Cuthbert Mayne). Kent & Devon. There have been several persistent but vain attempts over the years to claim descent from the wealthy Kent Mayne(y)s of the Middle Ages who, it appears, died out as a result of their overreaching support of the King during the English Civil War. One 19th century claim came from a lawyer, John Thomas Mayne, of the Exeter family who went to the lengths of manufacturing a spurious pedigree, published by Burke, and accumulating portraits of other Mayne families to support it. Ireland, Bucks, Kent & Normandy. A large pedigree, produced about 1900 by another lawyer, John Dawson Mayne (1828-1917), was widely circulated in UK. It linked his Sedborough Irish family Mayne and the Buckinghamshire Maynes with the Mayne(y) family of Kent, and through them to the Mayennes of Normandy (France), back to the year 848 AD. Although much of his data on individuals proves accurate, no evidence could be found to confirm most of the links he had added between the different family groups in the course of the 29 generations of his pedigree. It remains unvalidated as a bit of interesting wishful thinking!

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