Lord Brabazon of Tara

By Michael Brabazon

 

Lord Brabazon of Tara was born in England, February 8, 1884 and died in London, May 17, 1964. He first soloed in a French Voisin biplane at Issy-les-Montineaux, Paris, France, in November 1908. French F.A.I, brevet #AO was issued to him under the name of Brabazon Moore, on March 8, 1910, before he became a member of the House of Lords in England. British F.A.I. Airplane Pilot's Certificate Number 1 was issued to him by the Royal Aero Club, making him the first person to be licensed in Great Britain as an Airplane Pilot. In 1909 he made the first live cargo flight by airplane, by tying a waste-paper basket to a wing-strut of his Voisin airplane. Then, using it as a "cargo hold", he airlifted one small pig.

In October of that year Mr. Moore Brabazon won the first all-British competition of L1000 offered by the Daily Mail for the first machine to fly a circular mile course. His aeroplane was fitted with a 60-horse-power Green aero engine. In the same year M. Michelin offered L1000 for a long-distance flight in all-British aviation; this prize was also won by Mr. Brabazon, who made a flight of 17 miles.
Charles Rolls and Lord, Brabazon of Tara made an ascension in the first spherical balloon made in England, which was built by the Short Brothers. In the First World War, he took a leading role in the development of aerial photography.

Baron Brabazon of Tara was a particular colourful character, the family name being Moore-Brabazon, but who wanted to preserve the Brabazon ancestry in his title.

Does anyone have any funny anecdotes or stories to share?  I’m sure his grandson, the 3rd Baron, would be amused as well.

Extract from The Brabazon Story

THE TOWN HALL AT BRAY, COUNTY WICKLOW, IRELAND.

Notes compiled by Ann Shevill - September 2003

Since the early 1600s Brabazons have been in the area now known as Bray, which has indeed a very
interesting history.
It is unlikely that there was a permanent settlement there before the Norman invasion of England in 1066
which was the year that Jacques le Brabancon crossed the English Channel with William the Conqueror.
All Brabazons are descendants of Jacques, known then as the Great Warrior.

There is known history of Bray since the mid 12th century.

From 1850 to 1870 apparently there was a degree of political tension within the town

A diary note reads:

In 1880 Lord Brabazon offered to build a new Market House and Town Hall for the town. It is an important example of the quaint tudor style architecture popularized in England by Shaw and Nesfield in the 1870s. It is of three bays and two storeys, built of red brick with central carriage arch containing wrought-iron gates. The ground floor served as a covered market. On the first floor there was a chamber room with windows incorporating Coats of Arms of the Brabazon family. 

In 1881 a Town Hall and Market House was commissioned by Lord Brabazon (afterwards the 12th Earl) at a cost of six thousand pounds.

THE EVOLUTION OF AN INSPIRATION Submitted by Ann Shevill (nee Brabazon)

Email:  shevilla@bigpond.net.au  who lives in Brisbane, Australia.

The Brabazon History Project  (BHP) which has taken up so much of my time and effort over more than half of my life, was inspired when I was a teenager by my Grandmother, Ruby Brabazon, I now realize that there is an interesting tale to relate. These notes aim to share the story with Brabazon Family members, and others who have an interest in Family History. They relate to my favourite hobby, the History of my local Brabazon Family, and how it has evolved, having in mind circumstance, necessity and the advance of technology, particularly in regard to electronic communication.

During World War II Grannie Brabazon was chatting with me and a couple of my cousins about the man with our name who was then often in World News: Lord Brabazon of Tara, who was a Minister in the British War Cabinet of Winston Churchill. Grannie reminded us that we must always be proud of our birth name, to which was attached such interesting history, since Jacques le Brabancon, 'The Great Warrior', from  the village of Barbencon in Normandy, France, came in 1066 to England, leading the army of William the Conqueror.

After that war, my father's sister, Ruby Rudd, when her son Robert Rudd - my cousin - was in England with the Royal Australian Air Force, posted a letter addressed to     " Lord Brabazon, care of Winston Churchill, No 10 Downing Street, London, UK ".  There was prompt response from Lord B (such a modest lovable man who had many interests and was a pioneer of the aircraft industry in UK) and his wife Lady Hilda; they were very kind to Bob Rudd, and our cousin Peter Brett, another RAAF Officer, who had been shot down over Germany and had been released as a Prisoner of War and returned to England.

EARLY BRABAZONS IN IRELAND - By Jan Barnes

It was once thought that the name Brabazon was brought to Ireland in the sixteenth century by Sir William Brabazon, ancestor of the Earls of Meath, but the name was recorded there in earlier times, although not in great numbers. Could some of those people be the ancestors of Brabazons living today?

In D’Alton’s ‘History of Ireland’ there is a map of Anglo-Norman settlements of the thirteenth century. Brabazon is marked in Uriel County (Louth) approximately in the barony of Ardee, so this might be where Brabazons first settled in Ireland. Could this be the origin of the title, Baron of Ardee, which is held by the Earls of Meath? 

The following are some records from the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries. Most of the original records have been destroyed and only the basic details survive. The land deeds are held in the National Library of Ireland. 


Records from the second half of the thirteenth century show Adam in Tipperary, Dublin and Limerick, Nicholas in Kilkenny and Louth, William in Kildare and Walter in Dublin, the majority being from the courts or county sheriff’s accounts. Money received by the exchequer was often owed for many years, so it is possible that some of the payments could have been received months or even years after the initial event.

There was no standard spelling for the name. For instance, Adam’s surname was written as Brabecun, de Brabebouns and Brabeston. About 1275 Adam paid a penalty of half a mark for not appearing at a court hearing in Tipperary. In 1288-89 he was being held as a hostage, but either escaped or was released. In 1299 the Bishop of Ossary complained that Adam unjustly occupied goods belonging to Theobald Casteillon, who had died without making a will.

Before the deed below was made, in about 1277, Nicholas Brabezun or Brabecun had land in Kilkenny, possibly two townlands. One of them was named Brabasuniston in 1314, Brabyston or Brabbeston in the sixteenth century. It was in the parish of Tulleroan. Today it is called Brabston. There is another townland named Brabston in Listerlin parish.

Henry Schenegord grants to Adam le Leye, burgess of Kilkenny, and his heirs in fee, eight acres in Corbali, two of which lie together in the moor between the land of William Casse and the land of Nicholas Brabezun ; and six acres lie in four places in the field that lies between the mansion that was Walter Cor's, and the land that was Nicholas Brabecun's ; paying yearly two shillings silver, saving to grantor and his heirs said rent and to Sir William Grasse and his heirs suit of their mill. Consideration five marks ten shillings sterling. Witnesses: Sir Geoffrey de Forestall, Sir Richard Ollard, Silvester de Netilton, David Archebold, John Archebold, Thomas Archebold.