< Manuscripts

3. Janet Sempill Newton,
Bagenalstown House, Co. Carlow

Janet Sempill Forbes was the daughter of Alexander Forbes (1788-1843) and Janet Forbes (1781-1846) of Aberdeen, Scotland. She married twice. Her first husband was John Newton, son of Col. Philip Newton and Sarah Westrop; they were married on July 2nd,1850 at Culsamond, Aberdeenshire, Scotland. They lived in Bagenalstown House, in Carlow where John Newton held the office of High Sherriff of County Carlow in 1856 until his death on October 22nd, 1959. From her research on music in the big houses of Ireland, Dr. Karol Mullaney-Dignam found it was quite common for the ladies to have control of the music manuscripts and music played at various events held at these large homes in the 18th & 19th centuries.

On Nov. 10th, 1863, Janet married Dr. James Thomas Rawson in Dublin and they lived in Barrowville House, No.1 Kilkenny Road, Carlow. This was Dr. Rawson’s 3rd marriage and he lived in Barrowville since 1840 or 1841 after graduating from University of Galsgow. His consultancy offices were on Dublin Street in Carlow and he was known as a caring physician who also took care of the poor in the infirmary and the prisoners in the local Carlow prison.
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There are 150 pages of transcribed music in this manuscript with entries at two different periods. The first half of the manuscript was transcribed during and probably before 1849. Four entries were completed while on board the “Prince of Wales”, with very specific dates and co-ordinates of the ship’s location on each of the four occasions. These were:

1. ​Lat:  2.35N                                  2.    Lat:3.45N                             3.   Lat:  2.31N                            4.   Lat: 12.56N

             Long: 13.25E                                    Long: 89.12E                               Long: 98.3E                                Long: 90.31E
            Distance: 92 miles                           Distance: 48miles                        Distance: 41 miles                      Distance: 190 miles
           Date: Sept. 24th, 1849                   Date: Nov. 16th, 1849                Date: Nov.24th, 1849               Date: Nov. 28th, 1849

The Prince of Wales was a large vessel specially fitted-out for the conveyance of the East India Company's troops to the East. She was built by Green's of Blackwall in 1842 to a design known as that of the "Blackwall Frigates" - Indiamen with the single-decked appearance of frigates. Presumably Janet travelled on this journey to the East with her husband-to-be, John Newton.
           There are no dated entries in the manuscript during Janet’s marriage to John Newton (1850-1859), however, two years after his death, the next dated entry appears, dated Dec. 17th, 1861 and a second on Jan. 8th, 1862. Following Janet’s marriage to Dr. Rawson in 1863 and her move to her new residence at Barrowville, Carlow, the following dated entries can be found:

​March 29th, 1864 JSR
Oct. 25th, 1865 JSR
Oct. 26th, 1865 JSR
Barrowville, Nov. 6th, 1865 JSR
Barrowville, Jan. 30th, 1868
JSR Feb. 1st, 1868
JSR Feb. 4th, 1868
Barrowville JSR Dec. 30th, 1869

Janet’s husband, Dr. Thomas Rawsom, died on Oct. 12th, 1881 at Barrowville.
The final dated entry, at bottom of the transcribed tune: “Happiness & Joy,” reads:
                        “Copied from M F(?) Angus
                                    September 4th, 1892
                                                JSR”
Janet Sempill Rawson died on March 14th, 1894 at Barrowville.
Although the entries were transcribed in many hands over the years, it is clear from her handwriting that the manuscript was the property of Janet Sempill Forbes before her first marriage in 1850 and remained so throughout her life.

​'Prince of Wales'- Gravesend, 1845

The basis for the date 1845 is not clear and the received title said the picture showed troops embarking, when they are clearly coming ashore at Gravesend in small numbers. The 'Prince of Wales' was one of Green's large 'Blackwall frigate' Indiamen, built by them at Blackwall in 1842, and specially fitted for carrying troops to the East. If the 1845 date is correct it may show the ship on return from her maiden voyage and she certainly flies the post-1843 Green's house flag at the main. She also has a classical female figurehead and the Prince of Wales's feathers on the side of the stem. The Museum also holds an engraving (PAH0575) of the vessel and an associated logbook (WEL/47) by one Frances Barger, dated 1839-56. Here the ship is shown anchored off Gravesend, drying sails and her bunting (spread around the poop rail), with Tilbury Fort on the north bank of the Thames under her bow. The river vessels in the left foreground include a swim-head, ketch-rigged Thames barge with a load of baled hay and identified by the number '1274' on the port quarter and 'TILBURY/ [GRAVE]SEND on the transom. The buoy to the right also bears part of the word 'GRAVESEND'. A merchantman flying the Blue Peter (P) flag is passing down stream between the 'Prince of Wales' and the fort, and other shipping can be seen further down river on the right. The name of the artist is unrecorded, though there may be traces of a signature in the extreme bottom right corner under the frame edge- possibly John Lynn.​