Privateers

The Parles most probably came from Brittany, Northern France. It is known that in the 15th century the first mention is made of the Parles in Wexford in south east Ireland. Legend tells us that three Parle brothers were wrecked on the south east coast of Ireland and came ashore at Carnsore Point. One of these brothers had a leg broken and had to be left behind when the other two brothers set sail again for Brittany. Whether they ever returned to Ireland is not known. What is written is that the injured Parle was nursed by a fair native and given shelter by her father. Permanent settlement in the barony of Bargy was certainly induced by the kind treatment he received. It has been suggested that the three Parle brothers were privateers who were active along the south west coast of England and may have been busy carrying out their trade when the storm swept them to the south east coast of Ireland.

Saltee Islands

The Parle family must have flourished because a census taken in the middle of the 17th century recorded that there were at least 19 Parles living in Bargy (Wexford) at this time. At the beginning of the 19th century it was known that the Parle family were farming the Great Saltee and the Little Saltee. These are two small islands off the coast of Wexford. For nearly a hundred years there were Parles on the Great and Little Saltee islands. It was written by Lewis (Topographical Dictionary of Ireland) that of 130 arable acres, about a third was under tillage and the remainder in pasture, and from the abundance of sea-weed found on its shores it was rendered particularly fertile. Special mention must be made of John Parle, who was the father figure of the farming dynasty. He lived on Great Saltee island until his death at 87. He was reputedly a very powerful man. He could lift two fully grown sheep, one under each arm, into a cot. (They used these cots when transporting sheep to and from the mainland.) It was also said that he could lift two 20 stone sacks of meal in the same manner.

Farm labourers

The Parles were known as industrious and happy people by Dr George Hadden who remembered the "cart wheel" of a griddle cake backed for his party by Mrs Parle. The biggest cake of bread he had ever seen! They were generous to any of the residents of Kilmore who came either to visit or help with the harvest on the island. There was always "an egg in the grutts? and a rabbit in the pot." On fast days and Fridays only eggs were eaten, as many as thirty being boiled for the midday meal. The labourers were paid 1s 6d a week plus board and lodging, and the boys who brought the cows for milking and fed the hens and gathered bean stalks for firing? got 4d per week plus bed and meals. It was a hard life, simple and frugal. Storms prevented communication with the mainland for weeks and there supplies ran low, crops were beaten to the ground by the summer gales.

Friendly people

Yet in spite of all this people were drawn back to work on the island and enjoy the peace and beauty of the surroundings. They liked the close bond of friendship and neighbourliness between all the Parles who lived there. The comradeship of all who lived on the islands and the sheer joy of the living banished loneliness and fear of isolation. The theme which runs like a golden thread through this era is that life was tough, good, friendly and that these people were kind and truly Christian. The 20th century brought changes. Patrick Parle was the last of the Parles to occupy the Great Saltee. He gave up farming in 1905. On the Little Saltee, Francis Parle gave up living on the estate in about 1855.

Stormy weather

Winter storms in fact provided the single climatic factor disadvantageous to self-sufficiency and habitation being worthwhile. Bad weather often cut off the islands for weeks at a time. It interrupted the regular service to Kilmore Quay, taking farm produce to market, ferrying over extra workers in season, maintaining essential supplies of paraffin oil (for lighting) and coal (for heating) and other essential things. Also there was the ever present danger of accidents and illness during the stormy weather.

The depression

In the end it was none of these things which brought the Parle occupation to an end. It was a combination of general economic circumstances and local spiritual considerations which forced them to leave the islands. Local Catholic priests had been concerned about the spiritual welfare of the islanders. They were cut off from Sunday Mass, the sacraments and the ministration of the local priest. And also at this time farming was suffering a depression, and this made farming on the island uneconomic.

Stephen Parle

I would like to think that we are descended from these Parles who showed themselves to be good farmers, hard workers who led a full life and were also good Christian folk. Stephen Parle probably arrived in England about the middle of the 19th century. He worked in Runcorn, Cheshire in a chemical works and married a lady named Ann Sillett. They lived in Salkfield Square, Runcorn and had four children, one of whom Mary died in infancy. The other three children were named Anne, Rose and John. A rather sad note is that when Stephen's wife died, he decided on the day of the funeral to leave the family and (it is assumed) went back to Ireland. Anne, Rose and John were placed in Dutton Workhouse.

Widnes

John decided at the age of eleven to run away. He made his way to Widnes and began work at Muspratt Works. He eventually worked for 48 years as a boiler fireman before retiring when ICI amalgamated all of the chemical works in the Widnes and Runcorn area. John married Mary McCarthy and had four children, named John, Stephen, Frank and Alice. John married Anne Fitzharris and they had five children: James, Anne, John, Frank and Mary. Frank married Winifred Reid, and have six sons: John, Terrance, Stephen, Anthony, Simon and Francis.  John married Clare Walsh and they have five children: Michael, Brian, Francis, Marie and John.