Harvey of Bargy Family History
The famous Beauchamp Bagenal Harvey of the Bargy branch was perhaps the most colourful of all the Harveys, though something of a black sheep among the 19th century family members. Bagenal Harvey was born in the mid 1760s and was called Bagenal after his father’s friend and cousin, Beauchamp Bagenal of Bagenalstown, an extravagant man who had to sell off 32,000 acres of land to defray his debts. Barrington in his Rebel Portraits said of Bagenal that ‘his splendour and eccentricities were the admiration of the continent while he was on the grand tour (then reserved as part of the education of the very highest circles).’ In a footnote to the same essay Barrington recounted a sham duel provoked by Bagenal of Dunleckny to test Harvey’s courage.
Get your Kindle Copy HERE