The Spottiswoode fortune

 From HR issue 1

This is a composite of two versions of the tale! It seems one John Hollingsworth, an adventurous lad (a mariner), when upon one of his travels, came eventually to Calcutta in India. (Another version has ‘America’ in place of ‘India’). There he came into the employ of a very, very wealthy gentleman, Lord Spottiswoode. John became acquainted, and soon fell deeply in love with the old Gent’s only hild - Lady Ellenor Spottiswoode, and they decided to marry. But John was a commoner, and Lady Ellenor was of Gentler birth, and the old man forbade the union.

But the Hollingsworths being what they are… Johnny swept away his love into the nearest boat and fled away and married the lass anyway! (This all happened over two hundred years ago.) So Lord Spottiswoode, not to be outhanded, cut his child out of his legacy - his vast riches. He claused his Will so that only the “seventh generation” after him could collect that pile of gold.

So Johnny Hollingsworth settled down near Arklow, Co. Wicklow, in the south of Ireland, with his bride.
They had two children - (guess what they named them!) - John jnr and Ellenor jnr. Ellenor married a Mr. Prestage and John junior became the father of 10 children - 9 of them boys. John jnr is supposed to be the John who died in 1864 at Big Rock Arklow.

From Pirates of the Eastern Seas (1618-1723), by Charles Grey

 

Taken from Hollingsworth Register March 1988 issue:

On page 30 in the chapter marked "Avery and Kidd," a brief history of the final exploits of the main gang of the pirates is given. After having befuddled and conned many prominent officials, including those of the British East India Company, warrants for them went out. . After not getting a pardon for themselves from the Govenor of Jamaica (he refused their bribe of L20,000), they split up and attemted to disappear, some doing so in New England - names not given.

The remainder bought sloops at New Providence in the Bahamas (warning: in the old documents it is called simply "Providence" which confused us as to whether Rhode Island was meant), in a final desperate attempt to get home. One Captain Farrell skippered the "Sunflower" carrying Henry Avery and 19 of his crew, which let them off at Dunfanahan on the north Irish coast. From there they went to Dublin. Another sloop commanded by Captain Hollingsworth took sixteen pirates to Dublin. After more than a thousand pounds reward was put up by the British Admiralty and the East India Company, on 19 Oct 1696, 24 of the pirates were arrested and tried, which resulted in six being hanged and the rest transported as slaves to Virginia. Apparently Thomas Hollingsworth was not among the 24 who were apprehended.