Black Donnellys

For the 2007 television series, see The Black Donnellys.
"Roman Line" redirects here. For the racehorse, see Roman Line (horse).

The "Black" Donnellys were an Irish Catholic immigrant family who settled in Biddulph township, Upper Canada (later the province of Ontario), about 25 km northwest of London, in the 1840s. The family settled on a concession road which became known as the Roman Line due to its high concentration of Irish Catholic immigrants in the predominantly Protestant area. Many Irish Canadians arrived in the 19th century, many fleeing the Great Famine of Ireland (1845–52). Longstanding and violent feuds between the Donnellys and their neighbours culminated in a vigilante mob attacking the Donnelly homestead on 4 February 1880. The mob killed five of the Donnelly family and burned their farmhouse to the ground. No one was convicted of the murders, despite two trials and a reliable eyewitness.

Information about the family and the events surrounding their deaths was suppressed locally for much of the 20th century, due to many residents possibly having ancestors who were involved. In 1995 the Lucan and Area Heritage Society formed to document and preserve local history, and the organization opened the Lucan Area Heritage & Donnelly Museum in 2009.

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