The Prossors of Cashel, Portsea, Southampton, Wellingborough, Caistor, Manchester and Liverpool

Our oldest Prossor ancestor is JOHN PROSSER, of Cashel, Tipperary, Ireland. Researching Irish families is difficult because the archives were destroyed in 1922. We are having more luck with the MAX FAMILY, although we cannot yet pin down exact relationships. In the papers of Dr Martin Callanan in the National Library of Ireland, the Max family is mentioned several times. these include the wills of Simon Max of Gaille, Oct 1732; John Max of Kinlough, 1769, James Max of Kinlough, 1775; James and Thomas Max of Kinlough, 1775, Thomas Max of Kinlough, 1777; Adam Max of Maxfort, otherwise Makarky, 1780, and Joan Max of Kinlough 1791. There are also transcripts of bonds for John Max in the 1760s. It seems likely that the family was connected with Maxfort House, near Thurles; Maxfort was the home of John Max in 1814 and of William Max in 1837 and at the time of Griffith's Valuation. It was held from Viscount Hawarden and valued at £15.18 shillings. Gaile and Makarky are both situated to the north of Cashel. It is likely that Kinlough refers to a nearby hamlet rather than the town of Kinlough in Co Leitrim.

The Max family was located at Ballytarsna (Hackett), county Tipperary in the 19th century. This townland of 1,190 acres was held from the Bunbury family. At the time of Griffith's Valuation William Max held a townland in the parish of Moycarky, barony of Eliogarty from Viscount Hawarden. In the 1870s William Max of Ballytarsna owned 1,190 acres in county Tipperary and John Max of Limerick owned 501 acres in county Tipperary. Honoria Max, daughter of John Max of Maxfort, married John Carroll of Dublin; she died on Dec 4, 1864 (Cork Examiner). A John Max Snr died at Ballytarsna, Cashel, on Dec 13, 1862. A William Max died at Ballytarana House on Nov 23, 1878.

1 Our John Prosser married PRUDENCE MAX in 1778. It seems likely that Prudence was the daughter of Simon Max and Prudence Griffith, who married in Cashel in 1749. Both marriages are recorded in the Jennings MSS in the library of the O'Connell Schools, North Richmond Street, Dublin 1. Prudence Max possibly had a sister called Ursula who married Thomas Baker, also in 1778; the records also show a John Max, who married twice, to Joan Meagher in 1763 and to Ellinor Mannin in 1785.

John Prosser and Prudence Max had seven children:

ANN (b 1783), PRUDENCE (b 1786), SARAH (b 1787), JOHN (b 1788), ANTHONY (b1792, Cashel, d Nov 9, 1872, South Stoneham, Hants), MARGARET (b 1794) and SAMUEL (b1796).

2 By the late 1820s, both Anthony and Samuel are in England, and both marry into the BAKER family of Portsea, Hampshire. To some extent, they seem to work in or complement the business of provisions merchant from their father-in-law GEORGE BAKER (See Baker family on www.bramhill.net and Mary Baker's will)

By 1841, Anthony and his family have moved to Bernard Street, Southampton. Anthony and his wife MARY BAKER have seven children:

3 ANTHONY GEORGE (b July 27, 1832, Portsea, bpt April 24 1833, St Mary's Portsea; died Jun 9, 1896, Macedon, Australia. He went to Australia very early in life and in 1864 was working as a farmhand in Buninyong, Victoria. He married Selina Cooper in 1864 and they had three children - Joseph, and twins John Cooper and Mary Ann, born in Daylesford. More about this Anthony.

HARRIETT (b Nov 7, 1835, Portsea) Married long-standing family friend Charles J Phillips in Dec 1856 in Southampton. Charles J Phillips might have been a Prossor family servant according to the 1841 census. There are various references to him as a merchant and tea dealer. Both Harriet and Charles are buried at Peartree Cemetery, Southampton, although Charles remarries after Harriet's death. Charles's gravestone is grander than the memorial tablet commemorating the Prossor family. Charles and Harriet had one son, Charles E Phillips, born in Hampshire in 1864.

LOUISA FINLAYSON (b July 24, 1837, bpt Jun 1, 1838; died April 1, 1861).

EMILY (b Dec 1839 in Southampton. Died March 16 1836)

HENRY (b Sept 30, 1841 in Southampton, d Feb 28, 1928, Liverpool). Henry is my great grandfather.

FANNIE LOUISA ENID (b Aug 21, 1843, Southampton). Married Fred Kent and had one daughter, Evelyn. Either Fannie, Fred or Evelyn said to have died in an East End or Essex tram accident in the early 1900s.

MARY aka POLLY (b Dec 22 1846, d May 15, 1885)

As mentioned previously, Anthony's brother SAMUEL married Mary Baker's sister HARRIETT HANNAH (b Sept 15 1809, bpt Nov 27 1810, St John's Portsea) on June 18 1831 at St Clement, Westminster and seemingly again on Oct 15, 1831, at St Mary's, Portsea. Their first child GEORGE BAKER PROSSOR was born on July 8, 1831 in Portsea. They also had a daughter, Harriet Pyne Prossor, b Oct 8 1833 in Portsea; she died on May 7, 1884. Kae Lewis is investigating this line.

MORE ON THE JOHN PROSSOR LINE