Beck Family of Stonemasons, Thomastown, county Kilkenny.

Since we started working in Kilkenny graveyards, one of the things we have been careful to record is the name of any mason that has signed a memorial and any other information like his place if work.    Most early 18th/19th century stones are not signed at all but sometimes we can detect a style of carving or design from one graveyard to the next even when the stones have no signatures.    We have now quite an extensive list of masons who have worked in the county.  They are usually all men but we have recorded two stone masons who are women.  Because we have collected these names we notice patterns of where these masons worked and whether they worked on Protestant or Catholic memorials.   Some of the most famous Kilkenny masons are well documented such as the 16th/17th century Kerin family, the O'Tunneys,  or the O'Shea family of Callan whose fabulous work of  the 19th and 20th centuries adorns our graveyards.    But we now also have an inventory of more modest masons who left work in these Kilkenny graveyards.  This inventory of Kilkenny masons is quite unique and most of these masons are never listed in any of the early trade directories.
One family of stonemasons that caught out attention was the Becks of Thomastown, county Kilkenny.  So far we have found nine headstones carved and signed by members of this family who seemed to be operating between circa 1810 - 1861 to judge by the dates on the stones. Two of these stones are erected by Richard Beck of Thomastown to members of his own family and are not actually signed, but judging by the style it is probably safe to say they are also carved by him.  As you can see from the list below these Beck masons were apparently only working on headstones around the Thomastown area, although masons could also be travelling around looking for work.  And as far as we can ascertain the Becks appeared to work exclusively on Catholic family headstones.  These stones are always large upright stones decorated at the top with Christian symbolism such as an IHS, a Gloria Scroll usually inscribed "Gloria in Excelsius Deo",  ciborium or chalices on each side of the upper part of the stone and sometimes with a sunburst design or corona radiata surrounding the IHS.  The Becks tended to sign their work somewhere prominently on the top part of the headstone.
Here are the transcriptions of the stones the Becks are known to have carved and the graveyards where these memorials can be found:-

Ballyhale Graveyard (Parish of Ballyhale)

1. Old upright stone decorated with an IHS with corona radiata, 2 ciborium and a Gloria Scroll.  Erected by Richd Beck of Thomastown in memory of his wife Mary Beck alias Walsh who depd this life August 16th 1820 aged 27 years.  Also Margaret Walsh who depd this life March 20th 1819 aged 27 years. Also their father Walter Walsh Derrynahinch who depd this life December 12th 1850 aged 70 years. Also Mrs Walsh of Castle Banny who departed this life 6th day of January 1811 aged 46 years and also of her husband Patrick Walsh who departed this life the 9th day of June 1852 aged 80 years. May they rest in peace Amen.

Famma (Brownsbarn) Graveyard (Parish of Thomastown)

1. Upright stone decorated with a Gloria Scroll on the top.  Signed: Finished by William Beck of Thomastown.  Erected by Mary Murphy alias Gory of Brownsbarn in memory of her husband James Murphy who depd this life 1st June 1835 aged 57 years.  Also his daughter Bridget Murphy who departed this life August 23rd 1835 aged 26 years.

2. Erected by Richard Beck of Thomastown in memory of his wife Mary Beck alias Murphy who died 20th March 1810 (1816?) aged 33.  This does not say it was carved by Richard Beck but it probably was.  Stone not found by us so far; it has probably fallen and lies beneath the sod.  Information from previous transcriptions taken in this graveyard by Major Connellan in the late 19th or early 20th century.  Date of death for Mary is suspect as Richard and Mary had children up to 1814. Date of death is probably 1816.

Hugginstown Old Graveyard (Parish of Hugginstown)

1. Finished by Richd Beck, Thomastown. Decorated with an IHS with a cross, a Gloria Scroll, 2 ciborium, a sunburst and angels. Erected by Edmond Power of Condonstown in memory of his daughter Elenor Power who depd this life June 22nd 1838 aged 10 years. Also his  father David Power who depd this life 26th June 1814 aged 67 years.   On the back "I am dead and sleeping here"

2. Old upright stone. Signed by mason Thos Beck, Thostown on front.  Decorated with an IHS in a sunburst, a cross, lancets with ciborium and floriated.   Erected by John Millea, Milerstown in memory of his son Michael Millea who depd this life March 1st 1854 aged 26 years. Also two of his daughters Anastasia and Bridget who died young. Requiescant in Pace. On the back  "Remember man as you pass by, as you are now so once was I, as I am now so you shall be, think on death and pray for me".

Kilfane Graveyard (Parish of Tullaherin)
Two very worn stones which have fallen and are lying flat next to each other within the ruined church.  Very difficult to read.

1. Erected by James Henricken of Kilfane in memory of his daughter Elizabeth Henricken who departed this life on the 1st January 1835 aged 22. Requiescat in Pace Amen. Finished by William Beck of Thomastown.

2. Decorated with two lancet windows in upper part of stone.  Erected by John Lanigan of Kilfane in memory of his beloved wife Mary Lanigan alias Henricken depd this life Septr 19th 1853 aged 62.  Also her father James Henricken who departed this life Aug 15th 1840 aged 93 years.  Also her mother Abigail Henricken who depd this life August 10th 1844 aged 76 years. Requiescant in Pace Amen. Thos Beck. Thomastown.

Kilbride Graveyard (Parish of Glenmore)

1. Erected by Mr Edward Fleming of Newhouse in memory of his aunt Elenor Grant who depd this life Febry 24th 1853 aged 60 years.  Also his aunt Bridget Grant who depd this life Nov 11th 1861 aged 82 years. Rest in Peace. T. Beck. Thomastown.

Knocktopher Graveyard (Parish of Ballyhale)

1. Large standing stone with cross and shield.  Erected by the widow Coady alias Slattery of Earlsgrove in memory of her husband Edmund Coady died 8 June 1858 aged 60. Also his brother Patrick Coady doed July 13 1852 aged 55.  Also his daughter Bridget. She died young.  Thomas Beck, Thomastown. 

A very fine signature for Richard Beck of Thomastown on a headstone at Hugginstown

The Catholic Parish Registers for Thomastown start 23rd June 1782 for Baptisms and 1st January 1786 for Marriages.   We have been through these registers and extracted all those with the name of Beck to establish a family tree for the Beck stonemasons.   The name can be spelt Beck, Back, Baack or similar variations.  There is a strong and persistent naming pattern for males with names like Henry, Thomas, Richard, John and James appearing and re-appearing in every family branch and every generation.  The Beck family do not appear in the Tithe Applotments for Kilkenny nor in Griffiths Valuations.

William Beck, baptised 18th January 1814, who carved stones at both Famma (Brownsbarn) and Kilfane graveyards in 1835 was the son of Richard Beck of Pleberstown (just outside Thomastown) and Mary Murphy of Pleberstown.   This couple were married in Thomastown on 16th February 1806 with John Colleton, Anty Murphy and James Murphy as witnesses.  This is probably the same James Murphy who is commemorated on the stone at Famma, who died in 1835 aged 57 years and for whom William Beck carved the stone.   The other stone at Famma is erected by Richard Beck of Thomastown in memory of his wife Mary Murphy.  We have not found this stone ourselves but an earlier transcription states that Mary died in 1810 aged 33. This must be a transcription error for Mary had children baptised in 1810, 1811 and 1814.  We suspect she probably died in 1816 but as we have not seen the stone ourselves can not verify this date as yet

Richard Beck who erected the headstone at Famma to his wife Mary Murphy, married twice more.   His second wife, Mary Walsh, died after only 7 months of marriage in 1820 .   Richard Beck of Thomastown then married a third time to Mary Darcy of Mill Street.  They went on to have a family of 8 children including their son Thomas, baptised 16th Mar 1826, who also became a stonemason or cutter.  

Thomas Beck is the stone cutter who carved stones now in Kilfane (1853), Hugginstown (1854),  Knocktopher (1858 ) and Kilbride, parish of Glenmore (1861).   As a stone cutter he travelled around looking for work and that is obvious from the records we have found about him. He appears in records in New Ross, Wexford in 1853 and in Waterford in 1868.    He married a Margaret Hayden and they had a family of 7 children.  They mainly lived at Mill Street, Thomastown but also have other addresses in Kilkenny, probably as he moved around looking for work.   Sadly he died in the Workhouse on 13th October 1869 aged 42 years.

There are other branches of the Beck family in the Parish Register and they are all obviously related but the precise links predate the starting dates of the Parish Register (1782 for Baptism and 1786 for Marriages).   We have on file family trees for these other Beck families of Thomastown.

One of the most interesting members belonging to this wider Beck family is Thomas Beck of Thomastown and St John's Newfoundland, who is described as a major merchant in the Irish passenger and provision trade at the beginning of the 19th century.  All the available records state he was born in Thomastown circa 1777- 1782.  There is no relevant baptism for him in Thomastown.  He is well documented in Newfoundland where he prospered as a merchant and could certainly be regarded as upwardly mobile.  He married on 6th February 1817 in St John's Newfoundland,  Mary Duggan, the elder of two daughters of Henry Duggan, a baker and wealthy Irish merchant. Henry Duggan was a close associate with another Irishman in St John's, Thomas Meagher senior,  and his son Thomas Meagher junior, whose son Thomas Francis Meagher (1823-1867) was the Irish patriot, famously known as Meagher of the Sword.  Thomas Beck was trading for himself and had shares in schooners and a sloop from 1805 onwards but in 1818 he went into partnership with the Meaghers.  When the Meagher family returned to Waterford in Ireland, Thomas Beck was left in charge of the business and became their agent, collecting rents and managing their affairs in Newfoundland.  Although this partnership was dissolved in 1820 Thomas Beck continued to collect their rents and remit the same to Waterford. They also seemed to be operating  a ship called the Beresford until December 1822 when this ship sank in the Atlantic; they also lost a second ship off Kinsale in May and another ship in the following year.  The relationship with Thomas Beck and the Meaghers was obviously a close one as Thomas Meagher stood as sponsor at the Baptism of Thomas Beck's first son, Joseph in 1817.  

The known children of Thomas Beck and Mary Duggan (died circa 1848)  and who were baptised in the Basilica, St John's, Newfoundland were:-

1) Joseph Beck, baptised 20th November 1817. Sponsors: Thomas Meagher and Catt Duggan.

2) William Beck, baptised 13th April 1819.  Sponsors: Timothy Hogan and Mary Anderson

3) Henry Beck, baptised 6th November 1823. Sponsors: Rev. James Sinnott and Mrs Doyle. Henry died young, aged 7 years in April 1830. 

Beck's Cove in Newfoundland is named after this Thomas Beck.   He died in 1845 in Newfoundland.

This is ongoing research and the above is only a taster of the family history we have found so far.  We are in the process of writing up a more detailed study of these various Beck families for eventual printed publication.

Advert for the Brig Beresford sailing for Waterford on 25th June 1818 from Newfoundland.