This Mortal Coyle

My 3x Great Grandparents were a couple named Peter and Mary Coyle, who were possibly natives of Kilglass, Co. Sligo, Ireland and were another of my families who fled to England to escape the potato famine. Like my Quinnin family, the Coyles lived in what was the roughest and most impoverished area of Newcastle upon Tyne; Sandgate. They actually lived next door to the Quinnins, so it was no surprise that Peter and Mary's daughter, Barbara married Martin Quinnin. 

In the mid-1850s Peter began running the White Swan Inn, Sandgate, and in August 1856 he was brought up in the courts for not keeping good order. A man named Brown was in hospital after being mistreated and injured in the public house. Peter was fined 10s and 7s 6d costs. He had apparently been summoned and fined before on numerous occasions! 

License withdrawal list.

Two years later in 1858 Peter's name appeared on a list for innkeepers whose licenses were withdrawn and by 1861 the Coyles had moved to Murton, Northumberland, living not far from the Quinnins. 

In 1868 Mary Coyle's name appeared in the newspapers. Mary brought her neighbour Jane Murphy up in court, stating she had assaulted her by striking her in the head with a stone, then hitting her with a hoe. The quarrel had arisen after Mary had attempted to get some of Jane's chickens from her yard. According to Jane Murphy however, Mary had started the brawl by running into her house, grabbing her by the hair and slapping her about the head. 

There was quite a stigma attached to being an Irish native around this time, and the journalist who recorded the proceedings made sure to state that Jane Murphy in particular was "evidently Irish." The magistrates simply dismissed the case, and bound both women to keep the peace towards one another. 

Peter and Mary Coyle often appeared as
 Godparents to their grandchildren.
Above are their names in Latin.

Mary died on 20 October 1884 of general debility, simply meaning she was weak and feeble at the time of her death. She was 65 years old. Peter died on 7 May 1893 with the cause of death being a apoplexy coma. This possibly means it was a sudden death, beginning with a loss of consciousness. Peter was 79 years old.