I wonder if the key to this isn't in the phrase "aparently his descendants"? As an Anglican myself, I've seen two examples of people turning Catholic and losing touch with their family. In both cases, Francis Stuart being one, and his cousin Charles Gage Stuart being the other, getting involved with a catholic woman has been the key to it all Francis Stuart with Iseult Gonne in Dublin, and of course he ended up not only south of the border but later in Germany during WWII. He seems clearly to have been a family scapegoat first and foremost, and it all flows from that Charels Gage Stuart was in the Royal Navy, married an Argentinian catholic woman he met when stationed in Buenos Aires during WWI, and was late disinherited from Ballyhivistock. Though it should be said that there were a number of other inheritors who died before he reached the top of the queue, so the possibility of being disinherited would not have been something he considered when first getting married. May I suggest the likely course of events might have been, Linda, that your fellow might have been on the outer with his family, married a catholic as a way of dealing with that or for some other reason, and lastly been disowned by his family more or less as a confirmation of the process of scapegoating that would have begun many years before. In which case, the precise details of whether he was excommunicated, disowned, or whatever are a bit secondary (though obviously important to be researched) by comparison to the fact of his being on the outer with his family (something which the excommunication or whatever tends to confirm. I guess that the difference between my approach and Edward's reflects the different position of the Church in Anglican and Presbyterian society: Church in the Anglican scheme of things tends to be secondary to the important things such as preserving ownership of landed estates and keeping others such as Presbyterians and (especially) Catholics in their places (with apologies to any Presbyterians or Catholics who might be offended by such comments). And so "disinheritance" is a word which looms larger in my list of sticks to hit people with than does "ex-communication" I guess you've alluded to the same thing when you say that "I am told many of his tenants changed their Irish names to Scottish ones and started showing up for services at the Church of IReland parish in order to remain tenants as opposed to American immigrants...." But the Marquis would not have had excommunication available to him as a stick to beat people with. That would have been the prerogative of Church officials such as the bishop, who were not answerable to him. His stick of choice would have been eviction (for leeaseholders etc) or disinheritance (for those close to him). I wonder if your informant might not have got his words mixed up over the last couple of centuries? Charlie > The people with the lastname in question, apparently his > descendents, were minor leasees of the Marquise of Downshire. > A hundred years later or so (1800s) one set were buried in > the RC Churchyard, suggesting the family had become Catholic, > though apparently too the Marquise was not known for liking > Catholics. I am told many of his tenants changed their > Irish names to Scottish ones and started showing up for > services at the Church of IReland parish in order to remain > tenants as opposed to American immigrants.... Could be that > target family experienced lapses....donno...IN the USA they > were Presbyterian and Baptist. -- No virus found in this outgoing message. Checked by AVG Anti-Virus. Version: 7.0.308 / Virus Database: 266.10.4 - Release Date: 27/04/2005