Some Bagnall Miscellaneous Trivia!
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Bagnall,
Michigan, USA
Bagnall Locomotives, Stafford, England
Bagenalstown (Muine Bheag), Co. Carlow, Rep.
of Ireland
Bagnell Dam, Missouri, USA
Bagnall Beach, New South Wales, Australia
Bagnall Pond and Bagnall Dam - Prince Edward Island,
Canada
Bagnall's Heritage Inn, Charlottetown, Prince Edward
Island, Canada
Bagnall Lodge, Canterbury Hills Conference Centre,
Ontario, Canada
The Thomas Bagnall Centre, Dumfries, Scotland
The Lord Bagenal Inn, Leighlinbridge, Carlow,
Rep. of Ireland
Dr Elmer S Bagnall Elementary School Groveland
Ma, USA
Bagenal's Castle, Newry, Northern Ireland,
UK
Ben Bagnall - Chicago Lumber Baron and Timber
Pirate
John Bagnall - English Cartoonist
Bagnall Well - South Australia
Bagnall Range Lagoon, Wonga Wetlands, NSW Australia
Bagnall Clocks
Bagnall,
Michigan, USA 
Kyle W. Bagnall of Midland, Michigan, USA, has let us know of the township of Bagnall in his home State. He says: "It's really nothing more than an old railroad crossing just northwest of Cadillac". He says that there is little left of the settlement on the old Pere Marquette Railroad. Does anyone out there know a little bit about the township? It would be nice to know which pioneer originally named it.
Bagnall
Locomotives, Stafford, England 
Famous
the world over, Bagnall Locomotives
were built until recently in Stafford, the County Town of Staffordshire
- just 20 miles from Bagnall village.
for the the Stafford Town website page that includes a brief history
of the the W G Bagnall Locomotives company written by a former
company apprentice..
Bagenalstown
(Muine Bheag), Co. Carlow, Rep. of Ireland 
Bagenalstown
was the former English name of this town which was the vision of Sir
Walter Bagenal. He founded it in the late 18th Century, built it to
a classical plan and originally planned to name it "New Versailles".
The entrance to Dunleckney Manor - Walter Bagenal's family home.
Photo by kind permission of James Burke
for
more information on the Irish Bagenals/Bagnalls on this website.
to learn more about Bagenalstown on James Burke's excellent website
www.bagenalstown-festival.com
Bagnell
Dam, Missouri, USA
A definitive history of Bagnell Dam from Daniel Bagnell:
"....My great-great-grandfather, Robert Bagnell, a Major in the British Army (I don't know what regiment) emigrated from Staffordshire to Rawdon, Quebec, in Canada, in the mid-1800s.
He became a successful broker, or dealer, in timber and furs. Three of his sons, William, Robert, and Thomas - Thomas was my great-grandfather - became attracted to the booming railroad business around Chicago, and moved to the US. The oldest son, William, was the leader, and according to a St. Louis newspaper article I read, he learned the business under one of the famous "robber baron" railroad builders in Chicago. Eventually, by about 1885, the brothers had moved to St. Louis, Missouri and established Bagnell Brothers Timber Co., to provide railroad ties (I think these are called "sleepers" in England) for the railroad lines, and another business through which they contracted to build rail lines. They became regionally prominent in their chosen industry.
They built railroad lines, were involved in financing, buying, and selling pieces of some railroads, and eventually expanded into real estate and buildings in downtown St. Louis. Great-great Uncle Will lived the longest of the brothers, and was a millionaire a few times over when he died in 1927. To get timber for the railroad ties, they built a spur line to the south and west of St. Louis, down into the northern edge of the Ozark region, near the Osage River. They built a large turn-about at the terminus to turn the trains around, and eventually employed quite a large crew to cut the timber, shape the ties, and man the engines. A boom town grew up around this terminus, and it had stores, at least one saloon, some businesses, and several homes.
The town was named Bagnell after the brothers and their business, and they often visited in their private railroad car. About 1890, my great-grandfather, Thomas Bagnell, bought a large (a little over 2,000 acres, or about 800 hectares) cattle farm that he'd seen while they were planning the track building for the Missouri Pacific railroad line that runs westward from St. Louis (the Missouri Pacific line is now part of the Union Pacific System). The farm was named "Elk Hill," and the brothers immediately ordered a large stock of china from Staffordshire - John Maddock & Sons, I think - with the farm's "Elk Hill" logo, and an even larger second order, a heavier stoneware style, from a factory in New Jersey. I grew up using these dishes, as did my father (Thomas) and my grandfather (Robert) - in fact the whole family did. We still have a good supply of the stoneware version today, and I still use mine.
In the 1930s, I think, plans were made to build a large hydroelectric
dam on the Osage River, which would create a huge recreational area
and provide electricity for, I believe, the Kansas City Power and Light
electric utility. The dam was named after the nearby town of Bagnell,
which enjoyed a second boom from the construction. So, the town was
named after the Bagnell brothers, and then the dam was named after the
town. And that's the way it was."
to
view The Lake of the Ozarks, now a popular vacation destination, and
learn some more about Bagnell Dam.
to view to view an article from the St Louis Post-Dispatch published
on the 75th Anniversary of the start of building the Bagnell Dam.
Bagnall's
Beach, New South Wales, Australia 
Port
Stephens in New South Wales is two and a half hours drive north of Sydney.
There are many bays and beaches around Port Stephens and a host of activities
to be enjoyed. There are some fabulous walks around Port Stephens, with
a very popular and attractive walk being to the Headlands. Bagnall's
Beach, one is one of the many sandy beaches in the local area. Windsurfing
is popular here, as are many other watersports and activities including
jet skiing and fishing.
"Bagnall's Beach - great for kids, fishing or an easy walk"
- who named it?
for photos of the Port Stephen area including Bagnall Beach.
Bagnall
Pond and Bagnall Dam - Prince Edward Island, Canada
The Hunter-Clyde Watershed in North Central Queens County on Prince Edward Island, Canada encompasses the Hunter River and the River Clyde. The river begins in the community of Hunter River and travels north through New Glasgow and Rustico, where the river empties into the Gulf of St Lawrence. Thereabouts you will find the aforementioned Bagnall Pond and Bagnall Dam - perhaps someone will let us know how they became so-named!
Dr
Elmer S Bagnall Elementary School, Groveland, Ma, USA
The
good doctor was an eminent physician in this community, so they named
the school after him.
To see their website.
Bagenal's
Castle, Newry, Northern Ireland, UK
We've mentioned Sir Nicholas Bagenal under "Notable Bagnalls"
in the Development of the Surname
section of this website. He is a descendant of the earliest traceable
Bagnalls and was forced to flee to Ireland from Staffordshire, England
in the 16th Century after killing a man in a brawl in Leek, a town in
the Staffordshire Moorlands just a few miles from Bagnall village.
The site of his castle, previously described as lost, has recently been discovered hidden under another building in the city of Newry. Archaeologists are excited by the prospect of Bagenal's Castle being brought back to its former glory and grant funds have been allocated to restore it and also to accommodate the city's museum in an adjacent building.
Director of district development Gerard McGivern is quoted as saying
that it would be one of the council's biggest projects. "This will help
establish the city as a premier tourist destination in Northern Ireland."
he said.
We've included a link to the BBC web page describing the developments.
for the BBC Northern
Ireland web page on Bagenal's Castle
for the official Newry & Mourne page on Bagenal's Castle
We're indebted to Richard Bagnall (formally of West Bromwich, West Midlands (Staffordshire)) now living in Camberley, Surrey, UK for originally bringing the Bagenal's Castle information to our attention - can you share any interesting Bagnall stuff with us? SEE BELOW
Ben
Bagnall - Chicago Lumber Baron
Ben Bagnall of Portsmouth, Ohio told of us of this link
to an article in "The Holland Sentinel Online" regarding his
namesake Ben Bagnall, the infamous lumber baron and timber pirate:
to learn more of the swashbuckling 1840's!
(you'll need to sign up to www.HollandSentinel.com to
read the article)
Described as "pleasantly musty" the link below takes you to
the comic and anachronistic illustrations of cartoonist John Bagnall's
charming site
to see examples of his work and his enthusiasm for some of the curious
(and fast-disappearing) features of British life.
Bagnall Well, South Australia
We love this one - from "Placenames of South Australia", The
Manning Index of South Australian History at the State Library of South
Australia
http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/manning/pn/b/b1.htm#bagnall
" On section 305, Hundred of Dalrymple. - W. Bagnall, a shepherd employed by Mr Rogers of Ynoo Station who was killed by Aborigines in May 1851. He had a very savage dog which attacked the Aborigines, who remonstrated with Bagnall without avail. As he would not kill the dog, they killed him."
We want to know more !!
Bagnall Range Lagoon, Wonga Wetlands, New South Wales,
Australia
Australia just gets better for Bagnall places!! Bagnall Range Lagoon
in the Wonga Wetlands in NSW is a haven for wildlife. Go to:
http://www.wongawetlands.nsw.gov.au/wetlands/overview.htm
and input the word bagnall in the site
search to find out all about it.
There is a nice painting in existence of Bagnall Lagoon - click the thumbnail image below to see the painting in context >>
Bagnall Clocks
- Made in the colony of Massachusetts
Benjamin Bagnall was born about 1689 in England and died on 11 Jul 1773
in Boston MA.
He worked from circa 1713 to 1771 as a clockmaker in Boston MA and produced
the earliest tall case clocks in Boston.
The quality of his work is reflected by a commission in 1717 from the
city selectmen to build a clock for the old meeting house.
He was master to Benjamin Bagnal,l c 1729-1736 in Boston MA and master
to Samuel Bagnall c 1732-1739 in Boston MA.
Obituary: 11 Jul 1773, Boston MA. He is described as a Quaker and a
native of England, where he trained as a clock-and watchmaker.
Benjamin married Elizabeth Shove on 16 Jun 1713 in Boston MA. (Elizabeth
Shove was born about 1696 in Charlestown MA.)
Children of Benjamin and Elizabeth:- Benjamin Bagnall, Samuel Bagnall.
Benjamin next married Sarah Redwood (born 19 Oct 1702 in Antigua West
Indes) on 28 Sep 1752 in Boston MA.
to contact us if you have any Bagnall information to include.