General James Wolfe

The Hero of Quebec

Is he one of us?

   This is a troubling and hotly debated question.There are several competing claims, and none can offer 100 percent proof. Paul MacCotter says several authors, commenting on the ancestry of this famous soldier, claim Irish ancestry for him, usually as one of the Woulfes of Limerick City. (*See "Notes and Query" below) Such claims first occur in the early 19th century. The exhaustive researches of R.T. Wolfe of Kildare, however, do not uncover any evidence at all for this, and the most likely ancestry for the Major was as the scion of a minor Protestant Woulfe family of Dublin origins, although even this is not completely certain. It is not even certain if he was Irish!

But, Ferrar's history of Limerick, written in the 1740's states with confidence that Wolfe is descended from the Limerick city family.

  Again, I've seen several versions of the General Wolfe story. Both the Limerick and the Kildare Woulfes claim him. A virulently anti-Irish biography on General Wolfe by Beckles Wilson published 1909 denies Wolfe's Irish roots - even going so far as stating there was probably not a drop of Irish blood in his veins. It has Wolfe's ancestors coming to Ireland in the 1400's. It then goes on to almost fanatically point out that none of those descendants ever married any Irish women over a period of 300 years.

  Limerick Woulfe family tradition states that Captain George Woulfe was the son of James Woulfe who was Bailiff of Limerick. Captain Woulfe escaped from Cromwell's general, Ireton after the first seige of Limerick and went to York in the North of England. It should be noted here that many Irish rebels had ties to the Yorkists.

   Now to R.T. Wolfes' "Forenaghts". He quotes from Sir Bernard Burke in "Burke's Landed Gentry." "The military achievements of one of it's descendants, Major-General James Wolfe, the illustrious hero of Quebec" Keep in mind, "Burkes" has been attacked in recent years as fantasy and even worse.  R.T. also clearly differentiates between the "New" English Wolfes in Kildare, and the older "Irish" Wolfes of Kildare. In the appendix to the work, R.T. Wolfe attempts to get to the bottom of the mystery. He states that believes that General Wolfe was unquestionably Irish. Wolfe cites a History of Limerick written in 1765 (** see below, Ferrar's history of Limerick) and an 1860 book by Maurice Lenihen of Limerick called, "Limerick: It's History and Antiquities," as stating that General James Wolfe is descended from an Irishman, George Wolfe who fled Limerick to the North of England. R.T goes on to cite several other 18th and 19th century authors who indicate the General was descended from Catholic Limerick Woulfes.

He then cites several other histories that more or less reinforce the Limerick theory. And he too seems to lean toward that end. In a future edition of this chapter, I will include the entire text of the "Forenaghts" appendex.

   The story from the "Aunt Dollie" letters says Captain George Woulfe had a son named Edward who became a Captain in the Army. Edward became a protestant, and probably at this time changed the spelling of the family name.

This Edward had a son also named Edward b1685 who became a Lt. Colonel in the English army. He fought for George the First against James the First in the first Jacobite revolt in Scotland in 1715.

Later, he took an interest in road-building. He was in his '50's when he married a young woman from York named Miss Thompson. He and his wife left York in 1726, the last year of the reign of George the first and moved to Westerham, Kent. There he purchased the property from the Earl of Jersey. It was there that Edward's son James was born.

  In John Woulfe's ""Woulfe - a Family History", We find James joining the English army at age 14. He later served with distinction in the War of Austrian Succession. In the second Jacobite uprising, he served in the Scottish campaign. It was at the battle of Culloden that the final claim of the Stuarts to the throne was decided. Wolfe was later named second in command to Jeffrey Amhearst in the French and Indian wars in the colonies. He was promoted to Major General and Supreme commander of the British Forces after the capture of the Fortress of Louisberg, Nova Scotia. General Wolfe was mortally wounded in the attack on Quebec in September 1756.

     There is also series of notes from a 19th century bound volume of "Notes and Queries." It contains answers to queries on General Woulfe's origins from a fellow identified only as J.P. from County Cork.... General Woulfe from Notes and Queries, March 20th 1852. Page 279 Titled "General Woulfe" (Vols. iv and v.,passim) As everything connected with General Wolfe is entitled to notice, the following names and public positions of his direct or collateral ancestors may not be uninteresting to your readers. I lately furnished for you, from **Ferrars History of Limerick, a statement of the circumstances under which his great-grandfather, Captain George Woulfe, sought refuge in Yorkshire (I believe) from the proscription of Ireton, after the capitulation, in 1651, of Limerick, when his brother Francis, the superior of the Fransiscan Friars, not having been equally fortunate in escaping, was executed, with several others, excepted from the general pardon. The family, of English origin, like the Roches, the Arthurs, Stackpoles, Sextons, Creaghes, Whites, &c., settled in Limerick between the 13 and the 15th centuries, and gradually obtained high civil positions, when their successful commercial pursuits enabled them to acquite landed property in the adjoining County of Clare, where nearly all the above-named English families equally became extensive proprietors. In

1470. Garret Woulfe was one of the city bailiffs, as those subsequently called sheriffs were then named.1476. Thomas Woulfe filled the same office, as did1520. His son and namesake.1562. Nicholas Woulfe was bailiff 1567. John Wolulfe ditto.1578. The same became mayor.1585 -Patrick Woulfe was bailiff (but not in the intervening 1586.1587. Patrick Woulfe was again bailiff. 1590 Thomas Woulfe1591 Richard Woulfe1592 David Woulfe1605 James Woulfe

From this date till 1613 scarcely a year passed without the dismissal of the chosen Catholic magistrates, and substitution of royal mandate of Protestants. In 1613, George Woulfe, grandfather* of the proscribed Captain of the same name above, then sheriff (the title assumed since 1609), with his colleagues, John Arthur and the mayor, David Creagh, was deposed for refusing the oaths of supremecy ,&c. In 1647 Patrick Woulfe was sheriff; but from 1654, when the city surrendered to Ireton, until June 1656, Limerick was ruled by 12 English aldermen. In 1656 Colonel Henry Ingolsby became mayor, and the regular order of magistracy was subsequently pursued. I cannot at present trace the geneaology in strict deduction, although I believe it all might be collected from the subsisting papers of the family in the County of Clare; at least from Garret, the first-named bailiff in the preceding list. In my boyhood I saw some pedigree of it in the hands of an antiquary named Stokes, but which now would be difficult to discover. If the present Sir Frederick A.G. Ousley, Bart., son of my old school fellow, the late Sir George, be in possession of the papers of his grandfather, Colonel Ralph Ousley, I think it likely that some documents relating to General Wolfe's family, in it's ancient line, will be found, as I recollect hearing Captain Ousley, a resident of Limerick, speak of them. J.R. Cork

  Notes and Queries article - no date - page number 136 Number 119.

   Titled: General Wolfe (Vol. iv.,p.429.) To the inquiries of 3 relatives to General Wolfe, I can only answer that the northern English county to which his ancestor, Captain George Woulfe, made his escape in 1651 from Ireton's proscription, was understood to be Yorkshire. After his expatriation and change of religion, the family in Clare lost, in a great measure, sight of him and his descendants, until, like Epaminondas and Nelson, crowned with victory and glory at his death. I may here be permitted to observe that your correspondent distinguishes me as J.R. (of Cork) ; but, whether with the single initials, or the local addition, the signature is mine, though latterly, to avoid all mistake, I append my locality. J.R. (Cork)