Person:Whitley Stokes (1)

Whitley died 13apr1845 at Dublin; Mary came from Loughall, Co. Armagh (dictionary of National Biography). Mary came from Swords (source unclear). Whitley was the eldest son of Rev. Gabriel STOKES (1726-1806) and Sarah BOSWELL, of Ballycurry, Co. Wicklow (Burke's Irish family records). Gabriel Stokes, DD, Rector of Desertmartin, Co. Derry, Fellow and Professor of Mathematics, Trinity College, Dublin, Rector of Ardtrea, and of Magherafelt, Co. Derry, Chancellor of Waterford, was educated at Trinity College, Dublin (Burke's).

WHITLEY STOKES M.D. (1763-1845) Dr. Stokes was the eldest son of Rev. Gabriel Stokes, Chancellor of Waterford Cathedral, Rector of Ardtrea and his wife Sarah Boswell. He was born in 1763 and educated at the Endowed School, Waterford. He entered Trinity College, Dublin in 1779 and, having won a scholarship, graduated B.A., 1783, M.A. 1789 and M.D. in 1793. He became a fellow in 1788 and was appointed King’s Professor of the practice of medicine in 1793. Of known nationalist tendencies, he was summoned before Lord Clare at his visitation in April, 1798 which was held for the purpose of purging the College of all those in sympathy with the United Irishmen. Dr. Stokes admitted being a member of the Society before, but not since 1792; having visited professionally an insurgent who was sick and in distress; and having furnished information to Lord Moira about the atrocities and torture inflicted on the people of the south of Ireland. He denied having taken part in the revolutionary movement and was believed by all who knew him. Nevertheless he was suspended from all his teaching functions for three years. Wolfe Tone, the leader of the 1798 revolution, was a fellow student of Whitley Stokes at Trinity College. In his journal Tone wrote on 20th. May, 1798 “With regard to Stokes, I know he is acting rigidly on principle, for I know he is incapable of acting otherwise; but I fear very much that his very metaphysical unbending purity, which can accommodate itself neither to man, times, or circumstances, will always prevent his being of any service to his country, which is a thousand pities; for I know of no man whose virtues and whose talents I more sincerely reverence. I see only one place fit for him and, after all, if Ireland were independent, I believe few enlightened Irishmen would oppose his being placed there - I mean at the head of a system of national education”. When the passions of the times had worn themselves out, Stokes regained his former positions. In 1805 he was made a senior fellow; in 1816 he was appointed lecturer of natural history and in 1830 he became Regius Professor of Physic to the university, which appointment he held until 1842 when he was succeeded by his son, William (1804-78). Whitley was engaged in many activities in addition to his university work. As a physician he had a large practice and much distinguished himself by his treatment of fever during the severe epidemics of 1817 and 1827 and he was instrumental in founding the College Botanical Gardens and in establishing the Zoological Gardens in Dublin. Dr. Stokes was one of a family of five. He had two brothers, Dr. William (1768-1806) and Gabriel (1773-1848) and two sisters, Harriet (b. 1768) and Eliza (d. 1846). He had a large family of five sons and five daughters, Whitley (1801-71), Dr. William (1804-78), Dr. Gabriel (b. 1806), Henry (1808-83), John (1810-45), Harriet (1798-1825), Mary Anne (1799-1832), Elizabeth (b. 1803), Sarah (b. 1812) and Ellen Honoria (1816-80). He married Mary Anne Picknoll of Swords who predeceased him in 1844. Whitley died at his home in Harcourt St., Dublin and was buried in Taney graveyard along with his two brothers and several other members of the family.

1.   Burke's Irish family records.