Dennis Kelly

Profile & Legacies Summary

???? - 1758

Biography

One of five brothers (the others were Charles, Edmund, Darcy and John) from Lisduff in Ireland, who went to Jamaica after 1700. Dennis Kelly was the only one of them who had a legitimate heir who survived into adulthood so all the Kelly estates devolved upon his daughter Elizabeth, who married Peter Browne, 2nd Earl of Altamount (q.v.), in 1752.

Dennis Kelly was Chief Justice of Jamaica in 1742.

Dennis Kelly was listed in the Jamaican Quit Rent books for 1754 as the owner of 1200 acres of land in St George, 300 acres in Clarendon, 137 acres in Vere and 2365 acres in St Dorothy, total 4002 acres.

Whitehorne and Kelly were listed in the Jamaican Quit Rent books for 1754 as the owners of 550 acres of land in St Catherine, 120 acres in St James and 1162 acres in St Thomas-in-the-Vale, total 1832 acres; this is assumed to be Samuel Whitehorne and either Dennis or John Kelly.

Sources

Anne M. Powers, A Parcel of Ribbons: Letters of the 18th Century Lee Family in London and Jamaica (2012) pp. 106-107. 'A List of landowners in the Island of Jamaica', at http://www.jamaicanfamilysearch.com/Members/1754lan3.htm [accessed 17/03/2015]. George E. Cokayne, The Complete Peerage of England, Scotland, Ireland, Great Britain, and the United Kingdom (London, 1910) Vol. 1 pp. 113-114. The will of Dennis Kelly of Lisduffe, Galway, PROB 11/838/26.

Further Information

Spouse

Priscilla Halstead

Children

Elizabeth (1733-)

Will

PROB 11/838/26 - precis.

To brother Bernard kelly £40 pa.

To nephew Kelly Prendergast £500.

To Mrs Hawkes and Mrs Martin (both of Elphin) £100 each.

To the four youngest children of my sister Prendergast £600 between them.

To sister Dalton £100.

To nephew John Dalton £500.

To Margaret Wright now in Jamaica £500 Jamaican currency at age 18 or marriage.

To granddaughter Priscilla Browne £2000 at age 18 or marriage.

To servant James Collings £20.

To servant Anne Irwin £20.

All the rest and residue to my daughter Elizabeth Browne and the heirs male of her body. In default to my nephew John Dalton and his male heirs upon their taking the name Kelly.

Executors in Britain: Dennis Daly of Haford, son-in-law Peter Browne, John Cope Freeman and John Burke of Sergeants Inn, London. Executors in Jamaica: Rose Fuller and Matthew Gregory.

Signed 01/03/1754. Proved in London 03/05/1758 by Peter Browne.

Occupation

Planter

Associated Estates (2)

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