I am 82 years old and have lived in Australia for 60 years. My
father Edward Walmsley was born in Corlave in 1870. I often heard him
talk about the Dudgeon family who lived next door, were related, and
had a very small store.
My daughter Kathy and I went to Ireland two weeks ago and sighted your
correspondence with Harold and Andrew Walmsley, who are my nephews.
Kathy took some photos of the old Dudgeon cottage, the old store and a
field known as Dudgeon field which are linked below.
I also paid a visit to Glendinning Dudgeon who lived in Enniskillen and
is 93 years old. He is in good health and is a widower. Also linked are
some photos of him at his local Masonic Lodge meetings. He and I went
to the local Methodist church when young.
The Walmsleys and the Dudgeons came to Corlave late in the 1790's from
the Ardess area which is only about 6 miles away. All the Walmsleys who
went to Australia also came from the Ardess area.
Around the years 1837, 1838, 1839 and 1840 there was a district
migration to Australia. There were about 20 to 30 families who left. I
saw a list of settlers and I remember seeing the Dudgeon and the
Walmsley names on that list.
Both these two families came from Devon in 1607 with James Cole, the
founder of the town of Enniskillen. He was an officer in the British
Army and large landholder.
Most of the other families in the Ardess district came from the border
areas of England and Scotland and were deported to Ireland between 1600
and 1640 by James I, who when he succeeded to the English throne wanted
to pacify the area.
There are two cemeteries close together. One is Tibrid. The other is
Ardess. Most of the Walmsleys and the Dudgeons are found in Ardess,
where there are good records of births, deaths and marriages for about
two hundred years.
