John Walsingham Cooke Meredith

John Walsingham Cooke Meredith JP (1809–1881) was an Irish-Canadian office holder and businessman, best remembered as the father of the Eight London Merediths. He previously practised as a barrister and was a member of the first Eccentric Club in London, England.

Born at Dublin, May 9, 1809, the son of John Meredith (1784–1866), a lawyer who divided his time between Dublin and Fair View, near Avoca. Co. Wicklow; "a jolly looking, grey haired, hook nosed old gentleman (with a) good humoured face beaming with kindness". His mother, Magdalene (1785–1851), was the eldest daughter of John Redmond (1737–1819) J.P., of Newtown House, Co. Wexford & Charlemont Street, Dublin, by his wife, Anne (1743–1821), daughter and co-heiress of John Walsingham Cooke of Cookestown (otherwise Sleanagrane), Co. Wexford, who was the last male representative of Sir Richard Cooke, Chancellor of the Exchequer of Ireland. His father's Anglo-Irish family had lived at Templerany House in Co. Wicklow since the late 17th century, while his mother's Catholic family were of ancient Norman-Irish stock, originally seated at Redmond Hall (renamed Loftus Hall), and after its confiscation, Killygowan, also in County Wexford.

On his mother's side, his cousins included John Edward Redmond (1806-1865) M.P., the first of a famous Irish political dynasty; John Henry O'Byrne Redmond (1825–1866) of Killoughter, County Wicklow, created Count de Raymond of the Papal States as Chamberlain to Pope Pius IX; and, Henry Redmond, who married the only daughter of Ellen (O'Connell) FitzSimon. On his father's side he was a cousin of Sir James Creed Meredith, Chief Justice Sir William Collis Meredith and Edmund Allen Meredith. With the last two named, they headed three of the four branches of this notable family in Canada.

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