• General Notes

  Given in the marriage register as the father of Georgina McKay, she of Lishegan, a policeman (1877). 
  
  His own marriage shows:
  Date of Marriage 30 May 1853
  Groom Name william MACKEY
  Bride Name matilda BOYD
  Church Finvoy Church of Ireland
  Parish Finvoy
  Civil District Ballymoney
  County Antrim
  30; Bachelor; Police Constable; Ballymena; Edward Mackey; Farmer; 27; Spinster; Blank; Ballaghbraddy(?); John Boyd; Farmer; James Boyd and Letitia Boyd.
  
  The GV for Ballaghbeddy shows:
  BOYLE  JAMES  BALLAGHBEDDY  ANTRIM  FINVOY        
  MCALEESE  HUGH  BALLAGHBEDDY  ANTRIM  FINVOY        
  MILLER  ROBERT  BALLAGHBEDDY  ANTRIM  FINVOY        
  FERRIER  ANDREW  BALLAGHBEDDY  ANTRIM  FINVOY        
  DIMOND  JOHN  BALLAGHBEDDY  ANTRIM  FINVOY        
  KEANE  JOSEPH  BALLAGHBEDDY  ANTRIM  FINVOY        
  CUNNINGHAM  WILLIAM  BALLAGHBEDDY  ANTRIM  FINVOY        
  BOYD  JAMES  BALLAGHBEDDY  ANTRIM  FINVOY        
  MCCOOL  JAMES  BALLAGHBEDDY  ANTRIM  FINVOY        
  DIMOND  HENRY  BALLAGHBEDDY  ANTRIM  FINVOY        
  CAMPBELL  THOMAS  BALLAGHBEDDY  ANTRIM  FINVOY        
  O'NEILL  WM.C.  BALLAGHBEDDY  ANTRIM  FINVOY 
  So, no Mackeys as you'd expect if he was a policeman but there ARE Boyds - James Boyd but not a John Boyd.
  
  His daughter was living in Lisheegan in the Parish of Finvoy when she married in 1877.  The only McKay in Lisheegan in the GV is:
  MACAW  HUGH  LISHEEGAN  ANTRIM  FINVOY   
  
  There are no McKays in the 1901 Census  I suspect that William may have died in 1900 and he may NOT have had any kids surviving him there.  (There are no McKays in Lisheegan in 1901 census either.)  This is "Ballybeady" in 1901:
  Houses in Ballybeady (The Vow, Antrim)
  House Number Surnames in House Details
  1 Cunningham
  1 Dunlop
  2 Cunningham
  2 Henry )
  2 Simpson
  3 Dunlop
  5 Mc Aleese
  6 Scott
  6 Wallace
  7 Arthur
  7 McDowell
  9 Cunningham
  10 Mc Cool
  11 O'Boyle
  12 Mabin
  13 Cunningham
  15 Lindsay
  
  There are no McKays in the 1911 Census for Bellaghbeddy (in the DED of The Vow).
  
  Ireland, The Royal Irish Constabulary 1816-1921about Mackey, Wm
  Name:    Mackey, Wm
  Birth Date/Age:    20
  Enlisted:    1842
  Film #:    856058
  Page #:    75
  (Found on A.com, the film number refers to an LDS film.)
  
  INFORMATION FROM THE GENERAL REGISTER
  OF THE IRISH/ROYAL IRISH CONSTABULARY
  No.    4744
  NAME    Mackey, Wm
  Age when Appointed    20
  Height    5’ 8.1/4”
  NATIVE COUNTY    Mona
  Religion    Ch(?)
  If Married, Date.    May 1853
  NATIVE COUNTY OF WIFE    Tipperary
  RECOMMENDATIONS
  By whom recommended.  etc    J B Moorehead
  Trade or Calling    Farmer
  Appointment or Re-appointment, Date of    21 June 1842
  ALLOCATION
  To What County in order of service of each.    Antrim
  Tip S
  TRANSFER
      17.932/1347
  PROMOTIONS OR REDUCTIONS
  Date of - to what Ranks.    1 Con     1 Aug 54
  NUMBER OF AUTHORITY
      17.932/1347
  REWARDS MARKS OF DISTINCTION AND FAVOURABLE RECORDS.    16,557/14.699
  £2 RFB
  PUNISHMENTS
  If fined, state the amount.
  IF DISCHARGE, DISMISSED, RESIGNED or DEAD
  State the date thereof.    Pensioned
  1 July 68
  B56645/19556
  TOTAL SERVICE at time of Discharge
  Years/Months    25/11
  PENSION/GRATUITY
      31.0.0
  INJURIES
  Received on Duty, Date of Report.
  If dead, probable cause of Death.
  If resigned, why?
  OBSERVATIONS: (none)
  
  BG: This really has to be him, even though my William's wife was NOT from Tipperary, because he did marry in May 1853.  And there IS an Edward Mackey, spelled exactly the same way, in the GV in Monaghan.  In fact, there are three and only three and they all live close together in the townlands of Drumborisk and neighbouring Doohat in the Parish of Currin.
  
  Elwyn Soutter (who has the Herlihy book of RIC serial numbers): With RIC records, it usually records the county that a wife comes from because that usually means the person won't serve there in future. But all you get is the county, not the parish or more detailed location within the county.
  BG: Would it be very machiavellian of me to suggest that a policeman might well have told a little white lie about the county his wife was from precisely because he wanted to be allowed to serve in that county?  I wonder what documentation they had to supply, and how easy it would be to forge a “letter” from a clergyman if such were necessary as of course there would be no marriage cert in the 1840s.
  
      
  
  

Details of William's family with Matilda [Bellaghbeddy] Boyd