Laurence was descended from a good English family.

Went to Ireland with the Roundheads as a Colonel, Cromwellian Army; Secretary Court of Claims in Ireland.

In 1692 was living at Clonmahon, County Meath, Ireland.

He is described as being “of Killeghan”.

Was stated to be from a good Englisgh family.

May have died in 1721, County Meath, gentleman, according to “Irish Perogative Wills of Ireland 1636 - 1810” by Sir Arthur Vicars, page 43.

These are the country houses associated with the Bomford family in Ireland:
1. Oakley Park, Kells, Co Meath
2. Ferrans, Co Meath
3. Rahinston, Enfield, Co Meath
4. Drumlargan, Co Meath.

There is a printed pedigree of the family in Burke's "Irish Family Records", published about 1976 and available in the reference section of good libraries.

There is an entry for an Elizabeth Bomford, born 18 May, 1843. It does not give any further information on her. I think she was the daughter of George Bomford and Arbella, youngest daughter of John Pratt Winter of Agher, Co Meath. I was rushing and just glanced through the pedigree very quickly. 36 pounds would have been a pittance for a family of this stature at that time, in my opinion. They would have been expected to provide her with a substantial dowry. I hope Thomas Allan was worth eloping with. Were they 'happy' or did she marry in haste and repent at leisure?

Since you did not give any date, if she married after 1845, in the Church of Ireland (Anglican), then search the marriage registration indices, available through the LDS (Mormons). Some marriage certificates are available on microfilm from Salt Lake City. Check the catalogue. If she married in 1864, 1865, 1866, her marriage should be listed on the IGI - this should also give you the film number with which to obtain the film of the actual certificate.

There is a photograph of Oakley Park, which was built in the 1700s in Burke's "Guide to Country Houses, Ireland". It shows four people, probably Bomfords, on the avenue in front of the house. In the text it says...."bought by the Bomfords during the minority of George Bomford, and enlarged,....it would appear that the work was done after George Bomford came of age in 1832." There is a further description of the house. "Sold 1955 by Lt-Col George Bomford to Mr Laurence McG..., who has reduced the size of the house by demolishing the original block and the second addition, which he has remodelled internally, to provide more rooms". It is very unfortunate that such a beautiful house has been reduced and demolished like this.

Ferrans, Co Meath, was a 2 storey, 5-bay late Georgian house with an eaved roof. It was sold circa 1970, burnt 1972, subsequently rebuilt for institutional use.

Rahinston may still be standing. However, it is no longer owned by the Bomfords.

Drumlargan, Co Meath, was owned by the Bomfords until circa 1850.

The following entries are from “A Guide to Irish Country Houses” by Mark Bence-Jones, 2nd rev. ed., published by Constable in 1990 in London, England.

p113:
Drumlargen, Co Meath (BOMFORD/IFR). A 2 storey double gable-ended house, probably early c18 but with c19 windows and a c19 2 storey gabled projecting porch. Owned by Bomford family until ca 1850.

p125:
“Ferrans, Co Meath (BOMFORD/IFR). A 2 storey 5 bay late-Georgian house with an eaved roof. Sold ca 1970; burnt 1972, subsequently rebuilt for institutional use.”

p227:
“Oakley Park, Kells, co Meath (BOMFORD/IFR). Originally a square c18 house, with a 3 bay front and a long hall with an apse at its inner end where a doorway led to the inner hall, containing a partly curving staircase. Bought by the Bomfords during the minority of George Bomford, and enlarged; stylistically, and from an unsigned and undated plan in exsistence, it would appear that the work was done soon after George Bomford came of age in 1832. The house was almost doubled in size by adding a new block to the front; of the same length as the original block, and nearly as deep. The new front, of stucco with stone facings, is of 2 storeys and 3 bays, with a tripartite windows above a single-storey portico of fluted Doric columns. Inside, the addition provided a new entrance hall behind which was an impressive staircase hall at right angles to it, with a bifurcating staircase behind a screen of columns. At the top of the stairs was an upper hall lit by a glas dome and surrounded by fluted columns and pilasters. To the left of the hall and staircase hall was a large drawing room en suite with the somewhat smaller drawing room of the original block. The original dining room, entered from the staircase hall, continued to serve as such; but the original entrance hall, deprived of its light, became a back lobby and the original stairs the back stairs. A small 2 storey addition was made later at the back of the original block. Sold 1955 by Lt-Col George Bomford to Mr Laurence McGuinness, who has reduced the size of the house by demolishing the original block and the 2nd addition, leaving only the main c19 addition, which he has remoddelled internally, to provide more rooms.

p unknown:
“Rahinston, Enfield, co Meath (BOMFORD/IFR; FOLWER/IFR). An Italianate house of ca 1875, attributed stylistically to Sir Charles Lanyon. 3 bay front, faced in Roman cement with sandstone dressings; pediments over windows, porch with engaged columns. Roof carried on bracket cornice. Bow window at side with curved glass.”

Accrdoing to “Burke’s Irish Family Records”, 1976, p155
Arms (UO) – Az, on a fess erm three cross-crosslets fitchee gu. Crest - a griffin segreant arg, charged on the shoulder with a cross-crosslet fitchee gu. Motto - Justus et fidelis.

Seats - Rahinston, co Meath; Drumlargen, co Meath; Oakley Park, co Meath; Gallow, co Meath; Ferrans, Kilcock, co Meath.

The following was from Nancy Peterson, 5416 Crescent Beach Road., Vaughn, Washington 98394, ([email protected]), email dated 6th September 1999:
“The only genealogists who had material on the Bomford families were Sir William Betham, Sir Alfred Irwin and Sir Bernard Burke (catalogued for some reason under the name Sir Edmund Bewley). The LDS films which hold their Bomford research are Sir William Betham Series I, vol. 262, pp 270 and following (FHL film no. 100116) and vol. 363, pp 57-59 (same film); notes of Sir Alfred Irwin, vol. 432, pp 145-147, vol. 433, pages 45 and 63 (both FHL film 100145), and vol. 436, pp. 36-37 (FHL film 100146); and Sir Bernard Burke "Collections of Wills Forming Irish Pedigrees" original notes, vol. 10, p. 171 (FHL film 227874) and vol. 14, p. 158 (FHL film
227878). All three researchers did not necessarily agree, but Irwin seemed to be the most authoritative. I also looked at the names and dates which were given in the Index to the Prerogative Wills of Ireland, at the Dublin Consistorial Marriage Licenses (FHL film 100227), and at the "Appendix to the 26th Report of the Deputy" (Deputy Records Keeper)--which is essentially Irish Public Records, volume 26 (a book only at Salt Lake). I also photocopied the Bomford pages from "Manuscript Sources for the History of Irish Civilization" (Richard J. Hayes, vol. 1--a book at Salt Lake cataloged 941.5 A5h, perhaps filmed) but the references in it were all to lines that came later or that I wasn't interested in because they were proven, so I never followed through. Then on my last trip to Salt Lake City this last May, I had the inspiration to examine the matriculation records
of Trinity College in Dublin ( a book titled, "Alumni Dublinense 1593-1846" publ. by Burtohael and Sadlier) and the old Dublin City Directories, which I examined from 1765 (FHL film 422163) to 1794 (FHL film 422170). The last reference identified "my" Isaac Bomford (of President George Washington correspondence) but not your Isaac...”

The following is from Rodney Bomford via David Bomford, (Aug 2002):
Cromwell is supposed to have sat under a great tree in front of the Bomford house and read the Bible on the afternoon before the battle of Worcestershire - his 'crowning glory'. Laurence went to Ireland as a Colonel and is described as Secretary to the Court of Claims, which was a body charged with sorting out property in Ireland after Cromwell had rewarded his soldiers with grants. Laurence established himself comfortably in Ireland at Clonmaghan, a house with land near Trim 30 odd miles NW of Dublin and on the edge of the Pale. He is buried in Laracor churchyard and I have seen his tomb. The priest (Church of England) of Laracor was Jonathan Swift, author of Gulliver's Travels, and he mentions the Bomfords in his letters. As the local landowner they may even have had some responsibility for appointing him. The family flourished and by the mid-18th century owned about 18000 acres of the best land in Ireland, not much in Australian terms I suppose, but very large for the East of Ireland - the West is more waste and huge estates were formed with little cultivated land. The family owned a number of houses, such as Rahinstoun, Drumlargen, Ferrans, Galway and in the 1830's Oakley Park which they extended and kept until the 1960's when my cousin George Warren Bomford sold it and moved to Rome. Half of it was then demolished but it is still a fine house and a nephew of George's lives in a modern house on the edge of the old estate. His name is Peter Bamford, not Bomford, and his mother was George's sister. From about the 1890's the family was in financial trouble with the Irish problems of the time. My great-grandfather Samuel (1813-1898), as a younger son, moved to England but was still rich enough on a small slice of the family money to own a large house with a 30 acre garden on the Isle of Wight, since demolished. He too lost out by about 1890 and moved to a small house in Cambridge. Peter Bamford has traced virtually every descendent in the male line of Laurence Bomford. Despite large families, there are few of us left and your American connection is doubtless among them.

In 1981 Dr Beryl Moore and Michael Kenning wrote a pamphlet on the ‘Headstones in Laracor Church’. I must use their description because, since then, the church has been sold and converted into a private house and, although the owner was most co-perative, I failed to remove sufficient brambles to see the headstone.
A very elaborate iron railing 5 feet high surrounds this square plot which retains a recumbent slab.
2

At its top we get a circle with an animal standing on its hind legs inside like a weasel and underneath an elaborate Coat of Arms, which we cannot describe as it is rather indistinct. Below this is written,
‘Here lye the bodys of Mr Laurence Bomford and Eleanor his wife.’ They lived together in wedlock 50 years in this Parish and were descended from good ancient English familys. They had many children to whom they gave virtuous example and education being tender parents, loving neighbours, devoted frequenters to the Church and constant benefactors to the poor. Together with them lie interred here several of their children and grandchildren. He departed this life the 25th of March 1720 aged 103 and she ye 25th of Jany 1722 aged 89 years.
To whose memory their son Stephen Bomford hath placed this Monut.:28

Eleanor was descended from a good English family.