THE GUMBLETONS OF IRELAND

Gomeldon is also a village in the Bourne valley, north of Salisbury in Wiltshire. This became known (and is shown on contemporary maps) as Gumbleton in the 17th century, and the family did likewise at about the same time. The village eventually reverted to the original, but the family held on to the variation.

Early in the 17^th century, two brothers, William and Richard Gomeldon, are found in 'the City of Westminster' engaged as 'merchant adventurers'. (William is on record in State Papers as having supplied a number of jewels and jewellery to Charles II and his Queen.) In 1643 William 'subscribed' £300 to the proposed naval endeavour associated with the planned expedition to Ireland to quell the uprisings there; there is no record that he ever paid the money, or received any grant of land for having done so. In 1649, his younger brother Richard made a Will, at the age of 29, leaving everything he possessed to his elder brother; one might well wonder why.

In Ireland in 1653, 'a souldier in the company of Col. Steephens, in the army of Daniel Axtell' by the name of Richard Gumbleton signed a Deed transferring his interest in any lands that might be allocated to him to the Ensign of his Company for a fairly small sum. Could this be the same individual? If so, why was a prospering merchant, well able to buy a commission, only 'a souldier'? According to J P Prendergast¹, it was not uncommon for those in this, or any other, army invading Ireland to fall for the charms of Irish girls; the penalty for officers found to be so consorting was reduction to the ranks, with the corresponding loss of privileges and potential rewards. Richard Gomeldon lived until 1678, but never changed his Will, and is not otherwise recorded. His Will was in fact challenged by a niece, but the documentation of this challenge is in poor condition, and attempts to decipher it are on-going.

My speculation is that Richard (Gomeldon or Gumbleton - it matters not) settled down with his Irish treasure, and was the father of the William Gumbleton who appears in Irish papers in 1675, and also of the Richard who purchased property in 1695, and was thus the founder of the wealthy Anglo/Irish Gumbletons, whose later generations are well documented and known to have no descendants of that name still in Ireland. Perhaps he was the Irish end of a profitable trading business; perhaps his position was always suspect with the authorities. Was he also the father or grandfather of another boy who was the ancestor of the few Gumbletons left in Ireland today, and of those who emigrated to America?

Does anyone know of any similar circumstances, or have ideas for further research? Any suggestions would be gratefully received by