Edward Fitzgerald, Engraver and copperplate printer

1758 (cal) - 1834

Engraver and copper plate printer c. 1780-1825

  • Studios at 25 Capel Street 1790-1793 and 25, 29, 33 Abbey Street 1794-1825, in Dublin
  • Appointed Engraver to the Bank of Ireland c. 1784
  • Various commissions

Appears in:

  • History of The Bank of Ireland, F G Hall, Pub Hodges Figgis & Co Ltd Dublin
  • Dictionary of Irish Artists, ed. Walter Strickland, 1913 - see online
  • A Dictionary of Members of the Dublin Book Trade 1550-1800, Mary Pollard, Bibliographical Soc GB, OUP
  • The Bank of England Note: a history of its printing p32 CUP

Retired in 1825

Moved to 88 Upper Dorset Street, Dublin in 1826

Married Jane Walsh 31 May 1796 at St Marys Pro Cathedral when he was 38.

Had children:

Edward (1796cal-1867)
(Could be the Fitzgerald who married a FitzPatrick)
(Probably also the Edward listed as resident at Dorset Street with Edward the Elder and later at Upper Fitzwilliam Street house with George William and Marcella)
Charles (?)(Could be the Engraver listed in Dublin Directory in 1818, see para below)
Mary (Bp 30.12.1804)
Thomas Henry (Bp 6.2.1806)
George William (1810/11cal-28.3.1891)
(Ancestor; he was reputed to be the seventh son so there may have been others; a William is a strong possibility.)


In 1817 (I think) Dublin Directory lists Edward Fitzgerald & Son at 33 Abbey St; in 1818 Charles Fitzgerald Engraver & Printer appears at 2 Essex Quay and Edward does not appear in the same book. In 1820 Charles Fitzgerald disappears and Edward & Son reappears at 33 Abbey Street until 1822 inc.

Died aged 76 in April 1834.

He was buried in a family vault at the church of Saints Michael and John, later removed to St Andrew's, together with several other members of his family (his sons Edward and George William, George's wife Marcella and four of their sons: Edward Foster, Richard Charles, William and Henry Frances).

Death announcement in Freemans Journal 4 April 1834:

"At his residence in Dorset Street, in the 76th year of his age, Edward Fitzgerald, esq., for many years connected with the Bank of Ireland and first clerk of the Irish Lottery. In him his children have to deplore the loss of an affectionate parent and none could be more universily esteemed and respected through life by his numerous friends and acquaintances." [FJ 4 April 1834]


Sources:

  • History of the Bank of Ireland 1783, Hall, FG
  • A Dictionary of Members of the Dublin Book Trade 1550-1800, Mary Pollard, Bibliographical Soc GB Oxford University Press 2000
  • The Bank of Ireland 1783-1946, Hall FG,with an architectural chapter by CP Curran and biographical notes by Joseph Hone, ed G O'Brien 523pp
  • Dictionary of Irish Artists, ed. Walter Strickland, 1913
  • Dublin Journal & Evening Post
  • Freemans Journal
  • Parish Registers of St Andrew's and of St Marys Pro Cathedral, Dublin
  • Wilsons Dublin Directory

(See also: Printers and Booksellers in Dublin 1800-1850, Benson, C (Charles), Trinity College Dublin; location: Early Printed Books Reading Room, Shelfmark OL Xerox 4 no. 17)

Also various deeds found at the Registry of Deeds, Henrietta Street, Dublin including the following which prove our kinship with the Edward of Dorset Street:

18 April 1838
" ... of the third part, and Edward FitzGerald of Upper Fitzwilliam Street in the City of Dublin Esquire Eldest Son Heir at Law and sole Executor of the last will and Testament of Edward FitzGerald of Dorset [Street] Dublin Esquire deceased of the fourth part, and George William FitzGerald Esquire of Upper Fitzwilliam Street aforesaid of the fifth part ... "
" ... and Edward FitzGerald of Dorset Street in the City of Dublin Esquire since deceased ... and thereby bequeathed unto his Son the said George William FitzGerald his Heirs Exeors Admons and Assigns the said Mortgage and Mortgaged Lands and premises and the said Sum of Six Hundred pounds Sterling thereby secured ... "
[Fitzgerald Edward &or Fitzgerald George W Ballycarney Co Wexford Bo Scarawalsh 1838 7 267]


He did write a Will, references to which are quoted in an email from Reader Services Section of Irish National Archives after a search of the "1867 Index Calendar of Wills and Administrations" :

  • Family Name: Fitzgerald Edward Will Transcript : 1834 : Prerogative Court Address: Upper Dorset Street NA Reference: IWR/1834/F/185"
  • Family Name: Fitzgerald Edward [31] Peter Street Prerogative Court Will Transcript 1838 NA Reference: IWR/1838/F/614
  • Family Name: Fitzgerald Edward North Earl Street, Dublin Probate Certified Copy Year of Grant: 1842: Prerogative Court NA Reference: T/7972
  • Family Name: Fitzgerald Edward Administration Transcript 1834 NA Reference: IAR/1834/F/135

The first on the list is the one we need but no trace of it could be found at National Archives - we did enlist the help of staff but were told it was not on microfilm and likely was lost en route from England where all such things were stored at one time. We saw /614 and/135 but could not see any relevance.



The Co-incidences that convinced me that Edward the engraver and our already proven Edward were one and the same:

  • their name
  • their aproximate age
  • their location
  • their religion
  • when our proven Edward is of retirement age and takes out a lease on a house in Dorset St Edward the Engraver ceases trading at his premises in the same parish/area
  • one of the witnesses on the lease of Proven Edward's house is William Walsh and Edward Engraver's wife was Jane Walsh; we were told at Registry of Deeds and by a genealogist that witnesses in those days were normally family members and not just friends or acquaintances
  • according to his death announcement Proven Edward was "for many years connected with the Bank of Ireland"; Edward Engraver was appointed engraver to the Bank of Ireland and according to the History of the Bank of Ireland (ibid) there was no other Edward Fitzgerald connected with the bank in this time.
  • also according to Proven Edward's death announcement he was "first clerk of the Irish Lottery; we were told that printers and booksellers were the major outlet for lottery tickets at the time; it would be sensible to think that the bank's own engraver (who was also a printer and sold books and was there when the lottery first started up) would have been the first (I think the lottery was closely related to the bank wasn't it?).