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Waddell Cunningham Douglas was born on 6 October
1809 in County Down, Ireland. He married Lydia Louisa Turner, daughter
of Maj.-Gen. Charles Turner and Harriett Ann Stevenson, on 13 December
1842 at Greeting, Suffolk, England. He lived at Bellevue, Killowen,
County Down, Ireland.
He served as a
Captain in the 17th Lancers.
He died on 2 October 1896 at age 86 at
Newton Breda, Belfast, County Antrim, Ireland.
Children of
Waddell Cunningham Douglas and Lydia Louisa Turner
• James
Cunningham Douglas b. c 1844, d. 20 Nov 1891
• Charles Douglas b.
1846, d. 11 Jun 1898
• Louisa Douglas b. 1852
• Elizabeth Douglas
b. 1860, d. 19 Aug 1947 married Major Arthur Nugent, son of
Maj.-Gen. Charles Lavallin Nugent and Charlotte Marcia Dean-Pitt, on 4
April 1893.
The will of James Cunningham Douglas, late of
Bellevue, Killyleagh, county Down, later a Captain 4th Dragoon Guards,
who died 20th November 1891 at same place, was proved at Belfast 13
January 1892 by Charles Douglas of Lisnegead, Scarva, said county,
esquire, the sole executor Effects £5,893 3s 8d, Probate of the will of
Waddell Cunningham Douglas, late of Bellevue,Killowen, Newry, county
Down, esquire, who died 2nd October 1896 granted at Belfast 22 December
1896 to Charles Douglas of Lisnegead, Scarva, said county, esquire
Effects £15,764 2s ld, Probate of the will of Charles Douglas,late of
Lisnegead, Scarva, county Down, esquire, died 11th June 1898 granted at
Belfast 8 August 1898 to Arthur Nugent of Hounslow, county Middle-sex,
Major R F and Reverend William C Baker of Rostrevor, county Down, clerk
Effects £41,553 13s 8d Re-sworn £40,024 9s 2d,
Waddell Cunningham was
certainly a prosperous merchant but uncomplimentary stories about him
and his business practices abound. He was born in 1729 and made his
fortune largely by trading with America However he also had interests in
a vitriol works, malting and brewery, his stores being with his house
and garden in Hercules Lane, approximately where the Provincial Bank and
St Mary's Hall now stand He was a member of the Second Presbyterian
Congregation in Rosemary Street.
He was a magistrate and in 1770 during
the Hearts of Steel land agitation was responsible for the arrest of
David Douglas from the Templepatrick area Douglas was lodged in the town
barracks and on Sunday 23 December angry farmers marched in from
Templepatrick Meeting House to organise a rescue bid They looted and
burned Waddell Cunningham's house and only ceased when 5 of their number
had been shot and the prisoners given up by the soldiers.
One cause of
the violence was the fact that Waddell Cunningham with others was
involved in buying up large areas of land Altogether he acquired 150
acres in Ballynagarry [Belfast] and 370 in Ballypalliday [Templepatrick],
though it seems that this was not snatched from tenant farmers but had
already been in the possession of other middlemen.
Although the amount of
the fines for new leases and the rises in rents has been greatly exagerated,
the transfers of leases were to raise money for the fifth Earl of
Donegal] and Cunningham incurred much of the wrath of the farmers
Waddell Cunningham was made a Freeman of Belfast on 21 September 1773.
The next phase in Waddell Cunningham's life which is reported is
the statement by R M Young that At the time of the American Revolution,
he [Cunningham], sent out numerous well found vessels consigned to the
British; but invariably they were captured afterwards that he had
insured them well, and by a business like arrangement got not only the
insurance, but the price of the hulls and cargo from the Americans, who
captured them as prearranged The most celebrated reference to him is in
connection with his trying to raise funds for a slave trading venture c
1786 However any documentation on it dates from a reference of 1806 to
an alleged letter from Thomas McCabe to Dr William Drennan.
The only
other fact we have of Waddell Cunningham's life is that his will was
proved in the Prerogative Court, Dublin in 1798 See Young: The Town Book
of Belfast [1892] p 299; Young: Historical Notices of Old Belfast [1896]
pp 170-1, 269; Vicars: Index to the Prerogative Wills of Ireland [1897]
, Strain: Belfast and its Charitable Society [1961] P 100 Maguire:
Absentees, architects and agitators, Proc B N H P S [1983] pp 4-21.
Note:
• A Capt. William Cunningham Douglas of Bellevie ,
Rostrevor is recorded in Kilbroney in 1846. Connection unknown.
See also:
•
Cunningham Mausoleum
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