The Mills' and the Jones'

Jack and Lily Mills and children

Now over to my wife’s side, her maiden name was Mills, and she is from Dublin. Her father who sadly passed away in the mid 90’s, he was named Davie and is buried in Malahide CoI cemetery. He is buried with his mother and father there, Jack and Elizabeth Mills, Elizabeth’s maiden name was Jones and she was born in Garth Bach, Caernarvonshire, Wales.

Davie was in fact born down in Kineagh, county Kildare, his father was a caretaker for a man called Colonel Blackner, who lived in a stately home in Castlemartin, Kilcullen, county Kildare. At a young age Davie moved up to Malahide and his father Jack became a groundskeeper for Lord Talbot, who owned Malahide castle at the time. The mills’ lived in the gatehouse which is still there on Malahide road. Davie was a mechanic, and had for many years had the prestige of working as a mechanic for Rolls Royce, up to his retirement.

Jack with horse

Jack Mills, Davies father was born in Cromwellstown, Rathangan, county Kildare, in 1890, he was born as John William Mills. Though in the 1901 and 1911 census, he is living in Kilcullen. He met his future wife, Lily in Ireland, she may have worked around the Johnstown area of Kildare. Jack and Lily had four children, of which Davie was the youngest. Jack was in the British army during the First World War, and served in the Army Remount Service, a department that deals with the upbringing, training and deployment of horses within the army. They were quite a major unit in those days, because most things were done with horses in those days, rather than motorized. When Jack moved into Malahide, he was known to be involved in the upbringing and training of racehorses. Jack passed away in 1963 and Lily in 1954.

Going back a little further, Jacks dad was Michael Mills who was born in 1860 in county Kildare, his Mother was Hannah Ward born about 1868 also in county Kildare. Jack was one of ten siblings. I have gone down around Kilcullen and had a look around the local CoI cemetery in Yellow Bog, but no luck in finding Michael or his family, there is another Mills in there, but though she may be a cousin. The Blackners are all buried in this cemetery, so you’d naturally think there would be Mills’ there too. I have been told that there is an old church and cemetery in Castlemartin, but as yet, I still have to check.

Davies mother lily as we know is from Wales, her father was Robert Jones, who died before she was born. Her mother was Laura Green possibly from Dorset. Davies Grandfather and Grandmother on his mother’s side were William Jones and Mary.

I found alot of this side out through help I received from web forums, on this occasion, rootschat. I was told of a grave in St Cedols Cemetery, Pentir near Bangor, Wales (HO63 is the number), in which William, Mary and Robert are buried. Apparently there is an inscription on it in welsh, which I shall share with you:

“Am hyny byddwch chwithau barod:/Canys yn yr awr ni thybioch y daw/Mab y dyn”

Translated;

“For ye that are ready: / For in the hour we come to the house of god / Son of man”

I have heard it from a couple of people that the Jones family were related to former British Prime Minister David Lloyd George. I have thrown this too into the forums, but haven’t had much joy. Though he is from not too far away from the Bangor area.