It is known from the 1901 Census that his father was Edward Darling and that he was born in Fermanagh. His age is given as 35 which means he was born in 1866. However the 1911 give his age as 68 whch means he would have been born in 1843 - some 23 years earlier! His death registration in 1919 gives his age as 71 which give a birth year of 1848. According to the 1901 Census his father was born in 1834 which means that his birth years caculated from the 1911 Census and his death registration are unreasonable. No other evidence of his birth year such as baptismal record can be found so it is assumed that he was born in 1866.

The records which show his occupation all indicate that he worked on the land. The earliest record is the 1901 Census where he shown working as an agricultural labourer presumably either on his father's smallholding in the townland of Gortatole or on the landholder's land. The next record is the 1911 Census where he is shown as living with his brother who has now taken over the smallholding, and working as a herd presumably as before on the smallholding or for the landholder - probably both. The last record is his death registration which shows that he died at Gotatole and that his occupation was a labourer. As he could not read or write his education was minimal if any he probably worked from the age of ten or even earlier. Where he worked prior to 1901 is not known but it was probably on the smallholding in the townland of Gortatole.

Address: Gortatole

Gortatole was a townland in the parish of Killesher where he lived with his brother Edward and sister-in-law Mary on a smallholding. Neither Edward or Mary signed the covenant.

Cause: pyaemia and gradual heart failure

Address: Fermanagh County Hospital

Pyaemia (or pyemia) is a type of septicaemia that leads to widespread abscesses of a metastatic nature often arising from an injury which becomes infected. It was almost universally fatal before the introduction of antibiotics. His address prior to admission to hosptal is given as Blacklion in the townland of Gortatole although Mary Darling who in the 1911 Census was living in the same cottage called it Blackhores (Blackhorse?) in her letter of 28 Oct 1918 to her niece (by marriage) Amy Wallace. Presumably Richard sustained an injury whilst working but whether this was on the family smallholding or elsewhere is not known. As his occupation on his death registration is given as a labourer it could well have been elsewhere.

On the death registration Maud Cowan is shown as being present at death. She may have been a nurse or altenatively could have been an administrator such as an almoner who was not necessarily present but was aware of his death.