Mary McArthur was in her early thirties when widowed. Her husband left her and their children well provided for when her died. Unlike her sister Charlotte, who was also widowed early in her marriage, Mary never remarried. She may have found herself alone with two children under three, but her mother was still alive and her sisters still lived locally providing company and solace.
Modern day Rathmines. The McArthurs lived there at the time of Richard’s death.
Mary McArthur lived in Rathmines for some time after her husband’s death, but seemed to live a few different addresses around Dublin before emigrating to England. There are records of her living at Merrion Ave and Cullenswood in the 1830’s when Richard Jr. and Emily were growing up.
The family moved to England when Richard completed his education at Trinity College, Dublin, from where he graduated in 1849. Richard was ordained a priest at Ripon, Yorkshire in 1850 this is reflected in the 1851 census stating the McArthur’s as living in the village of Burton Leonard, near Ripon.
The chapel in Trinity College where Richard Lyons McArthur (Emily’s uncle) attended in 1840’s