THE CORY ORIGINS

		IRISH CONNECTIONS

		Although the Society does not usually keep records for the name of Corry, the following story came to our notice. Many records of the Corys and Corrys from Ireland come from lists of emigration or immigration. During such periods as the Potato Famine, times were especially hard and many people left Ireland in search of a better life. One such man was Edward Corry, who was born in Dublin in 1813. His wife Elizabeth was born in 1818 and shortly after their marriage, they moved to Hackney in England. They had 3 children; Sarah born in 1847; Edward Crawford in 1852 and Alfred James in 1858. When Alfred was born, they were living in Kensington and Edward who was now a copper merchant, had prospered. Two years later he bought a house in Wandsworth where he employed 4 servants and a coachman. Sarah never married and remained at home, but her two brothers went away to be educated. Edward went to Trinity College, Cambridge and became a barrister and Alfred James went to Kings College in London and began his training to be a civil engineer. Alfred was elected as an Associated Member of the Institute of Civil Engineers in 1883 and an Associate of the Institute of Naval Architects in 1885. At the time of his death in 1892 he was involved with a Captain McEvoy in an "Electrical and Submarine Mining" business at Westminster. His estate amounted to over Ł13,000 and perhaps due to his interest in the sea, amongst the bequests was the sum of Ł1500 towards a lifeboat at Southwold. The lifeboat was known as the Alfred Corry and launched with great ceremony in 1893. The RNLI magazine reported that the ceremonial proceedings were initiated by the District Inspector of Life-boats, who said : - "It is a very noble monument to the memory of a man, and he knew that everyone in Southwold would remember with gratitude the name of Mr. A. J. Corry. The new boat is in several respects superior to the old one. In the first place, it is 4 feet longer, had 1˝ feet more beam, and is fitted with the most modern improvements experience had suggested. It is 44 feet long and 13 feet wide, and fitted to row fourteen oars, double-banked, when required. The cost of this boat has been defrayed from a legacy bequeathed to the Institution by the late Mr. A. J. CORRY. The boat was, at the conclusion of the dedicatory service, named the Alfred Corry by Mrs. Grubbe, whose breaking of the bottle of wine at the stern was the signal to let go, and the boat, manned by her gallant crew, glided gracefully into the element in which her mission of mercy will be fulfilled, to the strains of the National Anthem." It remained in service until 1918 and was launched 41 times, saving 46 lives. The "Alfred Corry" spent some of its retirement as a houseboat in Kent but has recently been returned to Southwold to be renovated. It is currently on display at Southwold in a museum which has been created out of the former Cromer lifeboat shed. Edward Corry Senior outlived his wife and both of his sons. He retired to St. Leonards-on-Sea where he was cared for by Sarah until he died in 1900. Sarah died in 1917.		The Alfred Corry "Eternal Father, strong to save, Whose arm doth bind the restless wave".
		Sources: Royal National Life-boat Institution The Illustrated London News 16th July 1892		ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Mary Trumpess Kate Pearce Margaret Goffin
		Local Information Sites: Southwold, map and link to cemetery site: http://www.waveney.gov.uk/mapinfo/southwold.html Ireland: http://www.users.on.net/proformat/irlnamesL.html http://scripts.ireland.com/ancestor/surname/index. Immigrant Ship Transcribers Guild http://istg.rootsweb.com