The LANE/LAIN(E)s of Ulster, Ireland, Chapter 4

The "LANE Family" section of this site is divided into 8 chapters and 8 appendices. Please read in sequence by following the links at the bottom of each page or use the "Quick Nav" at top right. Please note the companion photo galleries which show the LANE family house ruins in Co. Tyrone, Ireland; the LANEs' Parish church in Lissan; the homes and graves of the LANEs in Jarrow, Newcastle-upon-Tyne. Note the style: link to an individual photogallery image: …#5 . If you wish to select individual chapters, please click on the top left link to the Sitemap page.

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This page deals with a possible French origin of the family and an account of the early journeys of the family relationships and movements, ending with the death of the family patriarch, James LANE.

Children (i): Search for children & relatives.

French Origin

Cross stitch of Jane LAINE Jane's cross stitch bookmark.

My g-grandmother called herself Jane LAINE when she was young .....see the photo of her cross stitch bookmark in the STRONG family Bible fb/i). The name LAINE is rather rare in Ireland, though perhaps could be a derivative of LANE which may be derived from the Gaelic. On the other hand, French origin could be suggested by this Huguenot Surnames web site which contains contains evidence that the name LAINE / DE LAINE arrived in Great Britain as Huguenots between 1643 and 1714. The religion of the family was Methodist which might fit the calvinistic Protestantism of the Huguenots. Perhaps James LANE who was Jane LAINE's father had an occupation of yarn bundler and linen dresser arising from his ancestors' association with Huguenot artisans?

Family tradition tells that there is French in our family origins fb/ii), which suggests the LAINE as the original form of our family name. This could receive support if the word "souvenior" is an archaic French word........... or on the other hand is it the flexible spelling typical of those times in Ireland? Is this word an archaism / alternate spelling / misspelling? Google searches show that souvenior is still frequently found. However the lack of valid etymology suggests it is merely misspelling.

 

Family relationships & movements

The discussion of the LAIN(E)/ LANE family's movements becomes complicated when we consider the relationships between their family and the STRONGs..... thus while you read the following text, please refer to the diagram below:

Relations between STRONGs & LANEs

James LAIN and his wife Margaret/ Mary MOORE lived in the townland of Unagh, parish of Lissan, Co. Tyrone near Cookstown. Did Margaret/ Mary have two first names, or were these names used as alternatives? In some parishes at some stage all the girls were baptised Mary together with some other name. The parish register only gave the birth place of the Parish of Lissan for the two older children; Jane who was born on 1 Oct 1839 and Sarah Anne who was also born in Lissan on 9 Sep 1842, with the mother's name Mary in both cases. The birth of their son William on 24 Apr 1851 was recorded as in the townland of Unagh, parish of Lissan with the mother's name Margaret r/xLii) - r/xLiv). It is a bit puzzling to reconcile the above with the record of their son Joseph's birth on c1848 in Belfast derived from the 1881 Census (age 33) r/iii) and his marriage on 9 Dec 1874 (age 26) r/ii). When did the family move to Belfast? In 1862 their 22 year old daughter Jane LANE lived at Ross St., Belfast (with her parents?) when she married Robert STRONG (Robert's second marriage) r/xLv). In 1872 James and Mary probably lived at 2 Craig's Terrace, Belfast with their unmarried daughter Sarah Anne LANE, who was present at her sister Jane STRONG (née LANE's) birth of her daughter Mary STRONG r/iii…a), r/viii). See… Chapter 2 Lane Family; Cbapter 2 Strong Family.

Then there was the search for the other Jane STRONG, daughter from Robert STRONG'S first marriage. I was searching for my great-aunt Jane STRONG for a number of years. Jane existed .... her birth was recorded in the STRONG family bible fb/i) and she was alive at the time of her father's death in 1910 judging from the ages of offspring in his death certificate r/i). What happened to this Jane STRONG? She did not live with her father and stepfamily in New Zealand according to a number of family censuses fb/i). It has been suggested that Jane could be related to LANE family with Timber Yards up north in the North Island NZ. Family tradition was that she married a Captain Joseph LANE with 2 daughters fb/ii). Finally, the break-through came with the discovery of her marriage in the UK to Joseph LANE, Marine Engineer r/ii).

After 1872 r/viii) the extended LANE family had moved to an area in County Durham just south across the River Tyne from Newcastle upon Tyne… which is in the neighbouring county of Northumberland. In 1874 James' LAIN's son Joseph LANE married Jane STRONG (described above) at Jarrow, Co. Durham and registered in nearby South Shields. Joseph's marriage was witnessed by James' children, Sarah Anne LANE and William LANE r/ii). (Note that the relationship of Sarah Anne to James and Joseph has now been securely proven, but the relationship of William the marriage witness is still not certain). At the time of his marriage, Joseph lived at 22 Sheldon Street, Jarrow r/ii). The week before in 1874, James' eldest daughter Jane STRONG (née LAINE) emigrated to New Zealand with her husband Robert STRONG n/i).

In 1881 the Census recorded that James and Margaret LANE lived at 3 Maud Street, Hedworth, Monkton & Jarrow with their daughter Sera A. (has to be Sarah Anne). James' son Joseph lived nearby with his family at 8 Edgar St. Hedworth, Monkton & Jarrow. Son (?) William and his wife lived at 20 Victoria Street, Gateshead… all these locations in Co. Durham. However, James' possible widowed sister-in-law Martha lived across the River Tyne in the next county at 74 Tullock St. Elswick, Northumberland with her son and his family r/iii). Note that some of these LANE relationships are subject to obtaining additional evidence before we can be more definite. The relationships are discussed further in the following chapters 5-7.

Grave of James LANE. Photo: T. Appleton James LANE’s burial plot… sect R, grave 345.
Photo: Tony Appleton. fb/x)

On Apr 1884 the family patriarch James LANE died at his home in Maud St Jarrow at the age of 66 r/xi). His grave is pictured here, in the centre, just to the left of the grave with a low concrete railing around it. It is hard to speculate on why he didn't have a tombstone. One reason could be the prevailing customs in 1884. At first sight one could suggest that his occupation of watchman did not give enough family income for a memorial.

The answer is in the Cemetery records r/xii), which show that the grave of James LANE was never purchased. The records say that after 14 years it reverted to the cemetery authorities, since no other member of the family requested that a relative be buried there. It became a "public grave". .....not a grave vested in the LANE family. James' wife Mary / Margaret LANE wasn't buried there, and the other occupants are Sarah FORSTER who died 1911 & James FORSTER who died 1921 r/xii…g). Why didn't the executor of James' Will carry out his wish that "I direct that all my just debts and funeral and Testamentary expenses shall be paid as soon as possible after my decease"? His Will shows that he owned his own house and had reasonable assets fb/iv), fb/vii).

 

Sources:
 
      Newspapers and Periodicals.
n/i)  The Baron Aberdare. The Daily Southern Cross, Auckland; Mar 20, 1875; page 2, columns 1-2.
 
      Archives, Registrations and Lists:
r/i) Death of Robert STRONG. Reg# 1910/1636. Registrar of BDM, New Zealand.
r/ii) Marriage of Jane STRONG & Joseph LANE. Year & quarter: Dec 1874. District: South Shields. County: Durham. Volume: 10A. Page: 1134. Number: 3.
r/iii…a) UK Census, 1871.
r/iii) UK Census, 1881.
r/viii) Birth of Mary STRONG. Year & quarter: Dec 1872. District of Belfast. Urban No. 5. Bk 13. Entry# 319.
r/ix) Birth of Sarah Anne STRONG. Year & quarter: Jun 1866. District of Belfast. Urban 4. Bk 5. Entry# 153.
r/x) Marriage of Sarah Anne LANE & William DAVISON. Year & quarter: Jun 1881. District: Gateshead. County: Durham. Volume: 10A. Page: 1074.
r/xi) Death of James LANE. Year & quarter: Jun 1884. District: South Shields. County: Durham. Volume: 10A. Page: 385.
r/xii) Jarrow Cemetery records.
   g) James LANE (Snr);  …       ; Section R, Grave 345.
r/xLii) Baptism of Sarah Anne LANE, born 9 Sept 1842, christened 11 Dec 1842, Parish of Lissan.PRONI: MIC/583/1-2 back cover.
r/xLiii) Baptism of William LANE, born 24 Apr 1851, Unagh, Parish of Lissan. PRONI: MIC/1/103; 3rd section, p. 21.
r/xLiv) Baptism of Jane LANE, born 1st Oct and christened 3 Nov 1839 Parish of Lissan. PRONI: MIC/1/103 ; 3rd section. p.93.
r/xLv) Marriage of Robert Strong & Jane Lain. Latter Day Saints Genealogy Library Film: Film # 0101434,Marriages of Belfast Ireland, #194.
 
      Family Bibles, Wills & papers, Correspondence, Grave Stones:
fb/i)  STRONG family bible, kept by Philip Strong.
fb/ii)   Pers. comm: Jill Cargill, NZ (d. 8 Jul 2003).
fb/iv)   Somerset House Wills Index: 1853-1935.
fb/vii)   England & Wales, National Probate Calendar (Index of Wills and Administrations),1861-1941.

The Story Continues