Who was John Cooper?

John Cooper died in 1608 and was buried at Whitechurch, Ballywalter, aged 92 - all detailed on a recently-uncovered gravestone there. Did a bit of research and found that in 1617 a James Cooper was recorded as being a tenant of Hugh Montgomery's, at Ballyhaskin (just a few miles up the road), so presumably they were related.

John Cooper was therefore born in 1516, lived through the Reformation and the preaching of John Knox - and more than likely came to Ulster around 1606 as a man of 90 years. Quite some feat!

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