Has anyone researched TAGGART and/or KELLY in Malew, by any chance? It seems as if almost every Taggart tree owner on the internet claims their ancestral home as being at Ballakew in Malew, but with no sources (and a few who give identical names and dates in Marown).

My ancestors William TAGGART & Margaret KELLY married on 2 Sept.1700 in Malew. Joyce Oates has transcribed William's will (6 March 1720/21): "William Taggart senior of BallaKew in the Parish of KK Malew" in which he "left to his five children viz., Henery, John, Eals [Alice], Ellinor, and Margery Taggart four pounds to each child". Also mentioned were his grandson William Taggart, and "Henry & Catherine Taggard the brother and sister at age are sworn supervisors of the children under age".

First problem – how could William Taggart have a grandson unless he had an older child from a first marriage? No baptism found for Henry. Nor for a William son of Henry. And wouldn’t William’s eldest son have been William? No further mention of Henry that I could find after 1721 (father’s will) - not in mother’s 1742 will.

Their eldest daughter Margaret was bapt Malew 26 Sept.1701, married John BRIDSON 5 May 1716 Malew, and was buried Malew 18 July 1720. Her daughter Margaret was baptised the previous day, according to the IGI (member’s entry - almost no extracted entries remaining).
If Margaret was born close to her bapt in Sept 1701 she would have been aged only 14 at her marriage on 5 May 1716 (similar to her sister Catherine). There is probably a marriage contract.
Frances has a summary of her decree, Malew 1720-2 E “BRIDSON Margaret TAGGART d 17 jul 1720; husb john; only ch margt ua next relns james tubman(h/o jane taggart), wm quine(h/o ann), wm creer(h/o cath) + henry taggart; 1740 edwd stephen h/o margt”.
I don’t know where Jane Taggart and Ann fit in – possibly sisters of William Taggart?
Margt's daughter Margaret Bridson & Edwd STEPAN married 18 Dec.1739 Ballaugh.

Second daughter Catherine 1703-1774 (will), bapt Malew, daughter of William TAGGART & Margaret KELLY married William CREER of Ballamodda, Braddan (will 1769). If Catherine was born close to her bapt on 16 April 1703 she would have been aged only 15 at her marriage on 22 June 1718. Their first child was not bapt until 1722. William Creer’s parents John Creer and Ann STOLE endowed half their lands of Ballamodda to him by his marriage contract to Catherine Taggart. The remaining half of the property was to pass to son William on the death of the survivor of his parents.
“Braddan OD # 18 – Oct 1718 : Articles of Marriage between John Creer and Ann Creer als Stole of KK Braddan on behalf of their son William Creer and William Taggart and Margaret Taggart als Kelly on behalf of their daughter Catherine….” etc. William and Margaret Taggart gave their daughter and son in law £20 sterling. [Transcribed by John A Creer.]

We have a lot of information about the CREERs and descendants, but very little about William TAGGART’s descendants or ancestors, or the ancestors of his wife Margaret KELLY.

The attachments to William Taggart’s 1721 will show that by 1726 daughter Ellin[or] had married William COWLEY, that in 1741 Margaret [Margery?] Taggart “now the wife of Harry Christian acknowledges to have received the legacy of four pounds left unto her by her father William Taggart of KK Malew deceased about 20 years ago..”. Son John also collected the remainder of his £4 (undated), after the death of his mother Margaret in 1742, from the hands of William KEWLEY her exec., whom she had married after William Creer’s death.

The will of Margaret Kewley als KELLY, Ballaugh 1742, mentions her grand daughter Jane Cannon, and other Cannon children (unnamed), her daughter Margery Cannon als Taggart, her daughter Alice Kewley als Taggart, and her granddaughter Margaret Steven als Bridson. She also says that her son John has been repaid all but 10 shillings of his father’s legacy. The pledges were John Kewley & Wm Kewley, sons of her husband. [Transcribed by John A Creer.]

Jane CANNON, granddaughter, was bapt 14 June 1735 Kirk Michael, daur of Jon CANNON & Margery TAGARD. Other children were Anne bapt 1737 and John bapt 1740. [Daughter Margery bapt 14 Feb.1713.]

Alice [bapt 13 Sept 1711] married John KEWLEY 18 Aug.1728 Ballaugh, according to 5 members’ entries on the IGI – wonder whether he was her step-father’s son John?

Sue