Reference has been made to my strange requests, and to ‘s obliging me in them. All can now be revealed.

Octocon was held last weekend in Maynooth. The next town to Maynooth is Leixlip. I was aware of a historical family connection to Leixlip, but had never been before. I found what I was looking for – a very interesting memorial in St Mary’s (Protestant) church in the town.

Our family’s genealogy is fairly well recorded. On the left is the White/Whyte coat of arms as in the received records (argent, a chevron engrailed between three roses gules). On the right is the top half of the memorial in St Mary’s Church, Leixlip. You can see why a thrill of recognition ran down my spine:

Underneath the shield is this inscription (and you will have to take my word for it, because the photos are not very good – I should have taken ‘s advice and filmed it as a movie, but they were about to start a service and I felt embarrassed):

THIS TOMB WAS ERECTED BY THE LADY URSULA
WHITE DAUGHTER OF THE LORD MOORE

HERE LYETH THE BODIS OF SIR NICHOLAS WHITE
KNIGHT DECEASED THE 4 OF FEBRUARIE 1654 AND
HIS SON NICHOLAS WHITE ESQ DECEASED THE 31 OF DECEMB
1664

So, not just one dead version of me, but two – extra value! The elder Nicholas is my 7xgreat-grandfather; the other was his eldest son (though I am descended from the fourth son, Charles, who lived long enough to fight on the losing side at the Battle of the Boyne).

The right hand side of the shield in the church is taken from the coat of arms of the Moores of Drogheda – azure on a chief indented or three mullets pierced gules. Lady Ursula White was one of the five daughters (and twelve children) of Sir Charles Moore, later the first Viscount Moore (c. 1560-1627). Her husband died in 1654 and is reckoned to have been born about 1583. Her eldest son is thought to have been born about 1612 and died in 1664. She herself died in 1667.

My grandfather, who was into genealogy, named his youngest child after Ursula when she was born in 1939. She died rather unexpectedly ten years ago next month. In certain respects I have followed my grandfather’s example.

Thanks to for indulging my antiquarian whims. Rather odd to be described as a baroness two days after doing this little bit of research!