The Burges Family of Parkanaur and Armagh
Introduction
The Burges family of Parkanaur, County Tyrone, and later associated with Armagh, formed an important connection within the network of families linked to the Perry estate at Mullaghmore.
John Henry Burges of Parkanaur was a brother-in-law of George Perry of Perrymount (1762–1824). Lease records dated 1791 confirm that George Perry held both a house and lands near Armagh from John Henry Burges, indicating a close personal and familial relationship between the two families.
Between 1805 and 1811, George Perry is frequently described in records as “of Armagh,” suggesting that he may have resided on Burges-held property during this period. This connection provides important context for understanding both the geographical movement of the Perry family and their wider social network.
The relationship was further strengthened by the marriage of George Perry to Mary Burges, daughter of John Burges.
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Origins of the Family
The surname appears in early records as De Burges, later Burches, and was standardised to Burges in 1747.
Richard De Burges served as High Sheriff of Herefordshire in 1351–2.
Samuel Burches (b. c.1645), of Dublin, married Margaret Williams of Llanelian, North Wales, and had several children, including Joseph Burches, from whom the later line descends.
Members of the family moved to Armagh in the late seventeenth century, during the primacy of Archbishop Lindsay, with whom they were connected.
The Burges Family in Ireland
Joseph Burches (1689–1747), of Dublin, married Elizabeth Lloyd, daughter of Ynyr Lloyd of East Ham, Essex, Deputy Secretary of the East India Company.
Their son:
John Burges (1722–1790) married Martha Ford and had issue including:
• John Henry Burges
• Mary Burges, who married George Perry of Mullaghmore, County Tyrone
• Martha Burges
The Parkanaur Line
John Henry Burges (c.1768–1822), of Woodpark and Parkanaur, County Armagh, served as High Sheriff of County Armagh in 1802.
He married Marianne Johnston, daughter and co-heir of Sir Richard Johnston Bt.
Their son:
John Ynyr Burges (1798–1889), of Parkanaur, County Tyrone, and Thorpe Hall, Essex, served as High Sheriff of County Tyrone in 1829.
He married Lady Caroline Clements, daughter of the 2nd Earl of Leitrim.
Later Generations
The estate descended through:
Ynyr Henry Burges (1834–1908), High Sheriff of County Tyrone, 1869;
followed by:
Ynyr Alfred Burges (1900–1983), of Parkanaur, High Sheriff of County Tyrone (1939) and County Armagh (1951);
and subsequently:
Michael Ynyr Burges.
The East Ham Estate
The Burges family also held a significant estate at East Ham, Essex, established by Ynyr Burges (d. 1792), Paymaster to the East India Company.
This estate, developed during the late eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, formed an important part of the family’s wider property interests.
Connection to the Perry Estate
The Burges family became directly connected to the Perry estate at Mullaghmore through the marriage of Mary Burges to George Perry.
This alliance explains the appearance of George Perry in records as “of Armagh,” reflecting his association with the Burges family and their residence at Parkanaur.
Significance
The Burges family formed an important part of the network of landed families connected with the Perry and McClintock estates.
Through marriage, residence, and estate connections, they contributed to the wider social and geographical context within which the history of Mullaghmore and Seskinore developed.