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J O U R N A L
OF THE
CO.KILDARE’
ARCHEOLOGICALSOCIETY
SURROUNDING DISTRICTS .
V OL. V I .
1 9 0 9 - 191 1 .
DU BL I N :
EDWARD PONSONBY , LIMITED,1 16 GRAFTON STREET .
CONTENTS.
V O L U M E V I ,1 90 9— 1 9 1 1 .
PAGE
PROCEEDINGS AND REPORT OF COUNCI L ,1 1 1
,251 , 427
LI ST or HONORARY OFFICERS AND MEMBERS,AND RULE S , 1 19,
25 8,433
EXCURS ION MEET INGS
1908 . Maryborough , C lonreher Castle , and the Rock of DunamaSe ,1909. Dunlavin
,Hol lywood , Burgage , and Poulaphooka ,
1910. The R ock of Cashel , Coun ty T ipperary,THE HON . TREASURER ’
S ACCOUNT s :
Up to December , 1908 ,1909,
1910,
NOTI CES OF BOOKs z
A Brief Memoir of_the Right Hon . Sir Ralph Sadle ir
,
Dr . P . W Joyce ’s Old I rish Folk Music and Songs,
Journal of the Galway Archaeological and Historical Soc iety ,The Louth Archaeological Journal ,Dr . P . W . Joyce ’ S “ English as we speak it in Ireland ,
PAPERS
Hi storical No tes on the O ’Mores and their Territ ory of Leix. ByLord Walter Fi tz Gerald,
The Knights Hosp ital lers In the Coun ty Kildare . By ArchdeaconSherlock ,
Bal lysax and the Nangle Fam i ly . By Omurethi,The Manor and Castle of Powerscourt , C ounty Wicklow ,
in theS ixteen th Century . By Lord Walter Fitz Gerald ,
The Celtic Church ofKillerrig, C ounty Carlow . By Canon ffrench ,
Drimnagh , County Dub l in . By Sir Arthur Vicars,The Fam ily of Sherlock , No . II . By Canon ffrench ,
The Rock of Dunamase . By the Rev . E . O ’Leary, P .P. ,
v i C ONTENTS
PAPERS— continued . pm };
The Killesh in Church Ruins , Queen ’s Coun ty . By Lord WalterFitz Ge1 a ld , .
Castledillon, Coun ty Ki ldare . By Omurethi ,
Summerhi ll and its Neighbourhood . By the Rev . M . Devit t , S .J .,
Part . I ,Part . II ,Part III ,
Bodenstown Churchyard . By Archdeacon Sherlock,
The Lawe Fam ily of Le ix l ip . By the Rev . H . L . L . Denny,Some Notes on the Fords and Bridges over the L it’fey . By Arch
deacon Sherlock,
M ichael Hewetson,M .A . , Archdeacon of Kildare in 1686 . By Mr .
John Hewetson,
The Manor and Cast le o f Carlow .
-By Lord Walter F i tz Gera ldPart I
,
Part II ,Thomas Monk ’ s D escriptive Account of the Coun ty K ildare in
1 682 ,
County K ildare Members of Parliamen t , 1 5 59— 1 800. By Mr .Thomas U . Sadle ir ,
The Legend of the Wi z ard Earl of K ildare . By Canon fi'
rcnch
The Stone roofed Church at A 1 d 1 ass By Omurethi ,
The Cusacks of Rathgar , Co . Dublin , and their descendan ts. ByMr . C . E . A . Roper,
BALLADS AND POEMS OF THE COUNTY KI LDAREVII . “ Garrett more, ’ Earl of Kildare . (Anonymou s ) ,VIII . Y e right merrie Ballad of Castletown .
” By the March ionessof Drogheda ,
IX. Tone ’ s Grave .
” By Thomas Dav is ,X. The C lane Rangers of 1 779. (Anonymou s ) ,XI . “ The Devi l and Tom Conolly .
” By “ A Broth of a Boy(Ru ssell) ,
XI I .
“ The Gerald ines .” By Thomas Davi s ,M ISCELLANEA AND NOTES
Concern ing the lands of Macduff in Balmascoloe, Co . Kildare,
Haynestown, near RathmO I e , Co . Kilda1 e ,
On a Glass Bead , Fl int Ari ow head , and a S tone and a Bronz e Celt,Extrac ts from a Dublin Exchequer Inqu isi tion concei ning land sin K ildare in 15 35 ,
Pa in t ings and Engrav ings of the Salmon Leap at Leix l ip,
Extrac ts from the Athy Parish Reg ister ,'
I l1e Coat o i A ims of the O ’
Conn0 1$ o f O iIaly ,
The P1H '
e1 ogat ive W il l o f L isagh 0 ‘00 1mm of Leixl ip . 1626,
The Bounds of Leix and S l iexe Mai gy 1 11 1 549,
CONTENTS vn
MI SCELLANEA AND NOTES— continued . PAGE
The Purchase of Arms and Ammun i tion for Irish Rebel s at Engl ishFairs in 1599,
Anglo-Norman Wooden Towers in Ireland ,A Moated Castle in Ireland ,R ichard Conolly of Cas tletown
,
Damage to the Kilkea Church Ruins,
The North Munster Archaeological Society,Captain Garrett ,” a leader of the Ir ish at the Battl e of Glenma ~
lure in 1 580A curious Use to put an Eccles iast ical Bel l to ,The Rathtoole Town land
,County Wicklow ,
The Sepulchral Moat and Churchyard at Hortland ,The Donadea Cas tle Sculptured Mural S lab ,The Will of Peter Lynch of the Knock
,Co . Meath ,
1 55 3 ,
Pedigrees , which are here given as a Frontisp iece, refer to the
supplementary Notes on the Ba l lad ent itled TEE GERALDINES [see
pages 5 00 to 5 1 5 ]
The Wi lmot Family of M 115},An Unknown F it z Gerald of 143 1 ,Benefit of the C lergy
,and being burned in the hand ,
As to a Wooden Castlel
in the S ix~teenth"
Century,
County Ki ldare Members of Parliamen t ,The Smith Fam ily
,
Letters of Archbishop King , 1 680— 1 722 ,The F ire Cas tle ” in Kildare
,
CORRI GENDA,
V i C ONTENT S
PAPERS— continued .
The Killesh in Church Ruins , Queen ’s County . By Lord WalterF itz Ge1 ald , .
Castledillon , C ounty Kilda 1 e . By Omurethi ,
Summerh il l and its Neighbourhood . By the Rev . M . Devit t , S .J .,
Part . I ,Part . II
,
Part III ,Bodenstown Churchyard . By Archdeacon Sherlock
,
The Lawe Fam i ly of Leix lip . By the Rev . H . L . L . Denny,Some Notes on the Fords and Bridges over the L iffey . By Arch
deacon Sherlock,
M ichael Hewetson ,M .A. , Archdeacon of Kildare in 1686 . By Mr .
John Hewetson,
The Manor and Castle o f Carlow . By Lord Walter Fitz GeraldEart_ _ I
MISCELLANEA AND NOTES
Concern ing the “ lands of Macduff in Balmascoloe, Co . Kildare,
Haynestown, near Rathmore , Co . Kilda1 e ,
On a Glass Bead , Fl in t Arrow head, and a S tone and a BI Onz e Celt ,Extracts from a Dubl in Excheque1 Inqu i s ition concei ning landsin Ki ldare in 15 35 ,
Pain t ings and Engrav ings of the Salmon Leap at Leix l ip,
Extracts from the Athy Parish Register ,The Coat of Arms of the O ’Co 11n0 1 s of Offaly ,The Pre1 ogative W il l of L isagh 0 ’00 1mm of Leixlip , 1626,The Bounds of Leix and Slieve Ma1 gy in 1 549,
PAGE
C ONTENTS vfi
MI SCELLANEA AND NOTES— continued . m en
The Purchase of Arms and Ammun ition for Irish Rebel s at Engl ishFairs in 1 599,
Anglo-Norman Wooden Towers in Ireland ,A Moated Castle in Ireland ,Richard Conolly of Cas tletown
,
Damage to the Kilkea Church Ruins,
The North Munster Arch aeological Society,
Capta in Garrett ,” a leader of the I ri sh at the Battle of G lenm a ~
lure in 1 580,
A curious Use to put an Eccles iast ical Bel l to ,The Rathtoole Townland
,County Wicklow ,
The Sepulchral Moat and Churchyard at Hortland ,The Donadea Castle Sculptured Mural S lab ,The
‘
Wi ll of Peter Lynch of the Knock , Co . Meath , 1 5 53 ,
O ld Placesnam es in the Town land of Summerh ill ,Concerning the Land s of Donore and Caragh , Co . Kildare ,The Mi l licent and Firmount Townlands ,Monacrannoge and E lm Hall ,Ellenor Lynch and her five hu sbands ,The Wi ll of Lord Edward Fi ts erald ,
Copy of a Lease of Carton to Wil l iam Talbot , Recorder of Dubnn,
in 1 603,
Pic tures of the Talbots of Carton in the possession of Lo i d Talbo tde Malah ide
,
A Camel in Ireland In the F ifteen th C entury ,Ba lmasco loe or Ballym ascolock ,
Tyrrel l ’ s M i l l ‘
and Castle near C elbridge ,The Coun ty Lou th Archaeological Journal ,The Piper ’ s S tones On Church Mounta i n , Co . Wicklow ,
The Ir ishB rogue,
Irish”
and Anglo-Irish Words in uSe in the County Kildare ,
QUERIES AND ANSWERS To QUER IES
The Stradbal ly Church Tower , Queen ’ s County ,The Wi lmot Fam ilyof Athy ,An Unknown F itz Gerald of 143 1 ,Benefit of the C lergy
,and being burnedin th e hand ,
As to a I Vooden Castle In the S ixteenth Centu I y,
Coun ty Ki ldare Members of Parliamen t ,The Smith Fam ily ,L etters of Archbi shop King , 1680- 1 722 ,The F ire Castle ” in K i ldare
CORR IGENDA,
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS
P AGE
Frontisp iece —Ped igrees of the Ances tors of the F i t z Gera ldS of Ireland .
A hand-drawn Map of Leix, circa. 1 5 63 ,
Map showing the anc ient Territor ies now compris ing the Queen ’ s Coun ty,
Map showing the old Lordsh ips of Leix in the S ix teen th Cen tu ry ,The O
’More E ffigy Slab , 1 502 , at Abbeyle ix ,Two Views of the R ock of Dunamase in 1 792 ,
A Tower of the Fort of Ma1 yborough In 1 792 ,
The Round Tower and Castle of T unahoe (Qu fen s County) in 1 792 ,Arless Chapel (Queen S Coun ty) in 1 795 ,Two Views of Shach Castle in the E ighteenth Century ,An Ancient Glass Bead , and a Flin t Arrow-11cad
A S tone and a B i onz e Celt.Map of the County Wicklow Barony of Rathduwn,
The Eas t Window o f the Kil lerrig Church‘
Ru ins . Co . Carlow,
Drimnagh Castle , from a Sketch by Archdeacon Sherlock ,Drimnagh Castle (exterior ) ,Sherlockstown Hou se
, Co . Kildare,
Baldwinstown Castle , Coun ty Wexford ,The A1ms of the Maunsel Fam ily in Pen1 ice Castle , Wales ,The Rock of Dunam ase f i om the East ,
the Sou th,
Views of the Ruins 0 11 the Rock of Dunamase,
Plan of the Ruins on the Rock of Dunamase ,
K il lesh in Church Ruins , Queen ’ s County,Carvings 0 11 the West Doorway of Killesh in Church Ruins ,A perfec t spec imen of a Round Tower ,Portions of the Irish Inscript ions on the Killesh in Doorway
,
An Ancien t Window in the north wall of Ki lleshin Church ,
The East W indow of Killesh in Church ,The Western Doorway and the Fon t at Ki llesh in ,The Cave near the Killeshin Chmch Ruins ,The Ordnance Survey Map of Killesh in ,Map of Castledillon
,County Kildare ,
ILLUST R AT IO N S .ix
PAG E
The unenclosed Churchyard at Castledil lon,208
The Prior ’ s Slab at Castledi llon ,21 1 , 21 2
Portrait of Wolfe Tone , 222
Bodenstown Church Ruins , Co . Kildare, 224,225
The Tone Family Tombstone , Bodenstown Churchyard , 227
Memorial Shield on the Railing around Wolfe Tone ’s Grave , 228
The Ballylehane Mural Slab , bearing the Arms of the O ’
Connors of Offaly , 241The Castle at Donore , Co .
—Meath ,267
Rubb ings from the Sculptured Stones at ‘
Summerhill , Co . Meath ,271
Cast le of the Lynches of the Knock , at Summerh ill , 272
The Lynch Wayside Cross and Scu lptured Stones , at Summerhi ll , 276 , 277
A Sculptured Mural Slab , now built 111 130,
Lynch ’ s Cast le at Summerhi ll , 291
The New Bridge (1 308 ) at St . Wolstan ’s , C o . Kildare , 294
The Bridge at B less ington , C o . W icklow,
297
The Bridge at Mil licent,
302
The Rus tic Foot-bridge at Celbridge Abbey , 304
Kildare Cathedra l in 1 738 , 306
Betaghstown House,from a Drawing by Archdeacon Sherlock , 3 10
Carlow Castle in 1792, 3 12
A Drawing of Carlow Castle in the E ighteenth Century , 330
A Volunteer Medal of 1 783 , and a Breastplate , 350 35 1
The Aylmer Arms , on a Slab at Donadea Castle , Co . Kildare 357
Carlow Castle m 1 7 364
Carlow Castle (exterior and inter ior) in 1904, 368 , 375
in 1 680, 366 , 371
The Original Seal of the Carlow M ilitia , circa 1 793 , 373
Petty’ s Map of the northern portion of the County Carlow , in 1 683 , 379
The Wale or with Coat-o f-Arms on a S lab at Pol lacton House, Coun tyCarlow ,
The Monument to the Most Rev . James Doyle, B ishop of Kildare and
Leighl in , in the Cathedral at Car’
lOw ,
S t . Patrick ’ s Chapel at Ardrass (restored ) , Co . Kildare ,before its restoration
,
Map of Ardrass H ill,
M ap of Summerhill and its Neighbourhood ,Photograph of a port ion of a Jones Pedigree in Ulster ’ s Office , giving a
description of the Bat tle of Dungan H ill ,Two Views of Maynooth Castle Ru Ins
,
Two Views of the Ruins of Adare Castle,
Two View s Of the Remains of Shah id Castle ,Groom Castle , Co . L imerick ,Woodstock Castle , Co . Ki ldare
,
A Fragment of Tralee Castle , Co . Kerry,
An Oil -painting of Gerald , 9th Earl , of Kildare , 1 530,Coat-of-Arms of the Bodkin Fami ly in the Town of Galway ,
ILLUSTRA T IO N S .
A Fi fteenth-century Tomb of an Earl of Ki ldare at S t .Werburgh’s , Dubl in
Rubbing of a S lab in D ingle Churchyard , Co . Kerry, bearing the MunsterF itz G ei ald Ai ms ,
The Bective Abbey Pavemen t Tile , bearing the Fi tz GeraldArms ,The Mu1 al Slab bearing the Fitz Gerald Arms , now built into the Wh it e
Cas tle of Athy,
Rubb ing of the Earl of Kildare’s Arms on a Mural Slab now bui lt into a
Gate Pier in the Village of Johnstown Bridge,
The Earl of Desmond ’ s Arms , from a volume in Ulster ’ s Office ,Tyrrel l ’s Castle (formerly near C elbridge ) , from a drawing by S . Walkerin 1 778 ,
GENEALOGY DREARTMENT
A RY NUMBER , 1909 .,V O LUM E V I, NO . 1 .
U R N A L
O F THE
UNIV KILDARE ARGIWEOIIIGIIIAI SOGIET-Y.
OD|CALSRECEIVED
C O N T E N T &
PAGE ” N o tes PA CE
rical No tes on the O ’
M ores and the ir Haynestown, near Rathmore , Co'
untyrritory o t
' Leix , to the end of the Kildareteenth C entury. W ith A ppend ices . Ant iquarian objects d iscovered in theLORD WA LT ER FI T ZGERA LD“ 1
’
County Kildare ,hts Hosp itallers In Co . Kildare : .By Churches as granges or granaries,CHDEA CON SHERLOCK,
sax and the N ang le Fami ly. ByURET H I , 96
y
-Quer_i es
. S tradbally ChurchTower , Queen’
5 County , 107
s and Poems of the‘
C ounty T he W ilmo t family of A thy , 107
An unknown Fit z Gerald , 108
V I L . Garrett“more , ’
‘ Earl Of Kil1 101 Answ er to Query ,
lanea.‘
erning the lands of “M'
acduff In 3 0 0k N o t i ce0 0
Imascoloe ”Scullogestown, Barony A
‘
Bri ef M emo1t of‘
the Right Hon. S1r
Ikeathy) , 1 442 , Ralph‘
Sad le1r,
D U B L I N‘
‘IHEG0UNGII 011 THECOUNTY KILDAItll ARGIIMIILIIGII
IALSOOIII’I‘I.
y res iben’
t
T HE EARL OF MAY O , K.P. , P .C .
gBice-‘
g’res iOeu t
T HE R EV . MATTHEW DEV ITT , S .J.
gouuci l
GEORGE M ANSF IELD , ESQ ., D .L .
T HE REV . E DWARD O ’
LEARY , P .P .
LT .-COL. T HOMA S J. DE BURC H, D .L.
AM BROSE M ORE-O’
FERRALL, ESQ . , D .L.
N ICHOLAS J. S Y NNOTT , ESQ ., J.P .
JOHN S . O’
GRADY , ESQ .
THE V ERY REV . THE DEAN o r KILDARE .
510 11 . g reasurer
HAN S HENDRICK-A Y LMER , ESQ .,Kerdiffstown, Sall ins.
£1011 . gi mb itor
ALFRED A . WARM INGTON, ESQ . ,Munster and Le insterBank ,Naas .
£10 11 . gecreta ries
S IR ARTHUR V ICARS, Grange C on, C o .
W icklow .
LORD WALT ER F1TZGERALD, Kilkea Castle , Maganey.
411011 . getter
THE V EN . THE ARCHDEACON O F KI LDARE,Sherlockstown
,Sal l ins.
I‘llll COUNCIL (III THECOUNTY KlLIlAItli ARGII/IIIIIIOIIIOAL SOOIIII‘I.
y res iben'
t
T HE EARL OF MA—Y O , K.P. , P .C .
‘
gBice-g’res ibent
T HE R EV . M ATTHEW DEV IT T , S .J.
gounci l
GEORGE M ANSFIELD , ESQ ., D .L .
T HE REV . EDWARD O’
LEAR Y , P .P .
LT .-CO L. T HOMA S J. DE BURC H,
D .L.
AMBROSE M ORE ESQ . , D .L.
N ICHOLAS J. S Y NNOTT , ESQ ., J.P .
JOHN S . O’
GRADY , ESQ .
THE V ERY R EV . THE DEAN o r KILDARE.
jtou . Ereasu rer
HANS HENDR ICK-A Y LMER , ESQ.,Kerd iffstown, Sal l ins.
£1011 . aub i lor
ALFRED A .WARM INGTON ,ESQ . ,M unster and Le insterBank ,Naas .
Jtou . gecreta ries
S IR ARTHUR V ICARs, Grange C on, Co .
W ick low .
LORD WALT ER FITZGERALD,Kilkea Castle, Maganey.
3110 11 . getter
THE V EN . THE ARCHDEACON o r KILDAR I-z, Sherlockstown, Sal l ins.
z H IST OR ICAL N OT ES ON THE O’
MORES
Cuchorb then reigned in Le inster , and perceiving tha t the forces of
M unster had got foo ting in his Province , and w ere not easily to b e
expelled by his own strength,he intreated the assistance of Eochaidh
Fionn to drive them back t o their own T erritories . E ochaidh compliedw ith his request , and sent comm issions to his friends and allies to
attend upon him w ith a competent numb er of troops to engage in this
Exped ition . H is orders w ere faithfu lly ob eyed , and he advanced hiscompanion Lao ighseach Cean M ore , who was bred up w ith him , to b e the
General of his Forces . Cuchorb pu t himself at the head of what men he
cou ld engage to fo llow him,and jo ined his ally , who thought it proper
that his friend Lao ighseach shou ld b e Commander-in-Chief Of the wholearmy .
“ Thus united they marched towards the M omonians or M en of
M unster , who ,apprehending they shou ld b e attacked , prepared to receive
them . The two armies soon engaged , and a b loody act ion fo llow ed ,where b oth sides fought w ith great vigour and b ravery ; and it was
d ifficu lt for some t im e to judge which way the victory w ould incline .
But Fortune,after a sharp dispu te , d eclared in favour of the confederate
A rmy , who b roke the R anks of the enemy w ith terrib le slaughter , androu ted them from the top of the M aistean to the R iver Bearbha
(Barrow) . The battle w as fought a t a place called A thtroda in,known
now by the name of A thy,‘situated upon the R iver Bearbha
,now called
Barrow and the M omonians in this engagement w ere defeated , and theflow er O f their troops lay dead upon the spot .
The Lagenians , or M en Of Leinster , animated w ith success , pursued
the chace , and perceiving that a strong b ody of the enemy had rallied ,
and w ere drawn up in order at Ca inthine on M agh R iada ,
2now called
La oighis, that is La ise or Leise R iada , the victors fell upon them w ith
desperate fury and pu t them to flight then pursued them to S lighe Dha la ,
now called Bea llach M ore Ossery,3where the forces of Le inster made so
dreadful a slaughter o f the M omonians that they w ere forced to desist
fo r want of enem ies to kill ; which victory resett led the state of thatProvince , and so d iscouraged the M en of M unster that they nevera t tempted to enlarge their b ounds , b ut w ere glad to confine themselvesw ithin their own Territories .
Cuchorb , b eing re instated in his dominions by the assistance of
Eocha idh Fionn,o u t of gratitude thought himself ob liged to make a
recompense for his services , and therefore he generously b estowed upon
him the 3 6 van Forthortnaghs ,4and confirmed this donation by perpetuat ing
the right to his pos terity for ever .
“ Lao ighseach,the General of the confederate army , who had his
educa t ion w ith Eochaidh F ionn ,he rewarded w ith the seven Laoighi ses . to
b e enjoyed by him and his heirs , for he confessed that the success of the
O ther au tho rities located A thtroda in, or A thtru isd in as b eing1. fo rd in the R iver Greese , near M ul laghmast . A thy , or the Ford of
A e,was so called from A e , fo s ter-fa ther o f Ohy Finn Fohart , King of
M unster , who was sla in there a t this ba ttle (Joyce ) .
N ow M orett , in the Q ueen’
s County . Ca inthine is no t identified .
3 S ee Dr . Joyce ’
s“ I rish Names o f P laces ,” F irst Series , page 371 :
This sl ighe , or road, passed from Tara by S tradbally (Queen’
s County)on into O s sory .
4 This name survives in those o f the Baronies of Forth,in the County
Carlow and Co unty W exford (Joyce ) .
2 H IST OR ICAL NOT ES ON THE O’
MORES
Cuchorb then reigned in Leinster , and perce iving that the forces of
M unster had got foo ting in his Province , and were not easily to b e
expelled by his own strength, he intreated the assistance Of Eochaidh
Fionn to drive them back to their own Territories . Eochaidh compliedw ith his request , and sent comm issions to his friends and allies to
attend upon him w ith a competent numb er of troops to engage in this
Exped ition . H is orders w ere faithfu lly ob eyed ,and he advanced his
companion Lao ighseach C ean M ore , who was bred up w ith him , to b e the
General Of his Forces . C uchorb pu t himself at the head of what men he
cou ld engage to fo llow him,and jo ined his ally , who thought it proper
that his friend Lao ighseach should b e Commander-in-Chief of the wholearmy .
“ Thus united they marched towards the M omonians or M en Of
M uns ter , who , apprehending they shou ld b e attacked , prepared to receivethem . The two arm ies soon engaged , and a b loody action fo llow ed ,where b oth sides fought w ith great vigour and bravery ; and it was
d ifficu lt for some time to judge which way the victory w ould incline .
But Fortune,after a sharp d ispu te , declared in favour Of the confederate
A rmy , who b roke the R anks of the enemy w ith terrib le slaughter, androuted them from the top of the M aistean to the R iver Bearbha
(Barrow) . The bat tle was fought at a place called A thtroda in,known
now by the name of A thy,lsituated upon the R iver Bearbha
,now called
Barrow and the M omonians in this engagement w ere defeated , and theflow er of their t roops lay dead upon the spot .
“ The Lagenians , or M en of Leinster , animated w ith success , pursued
the chace , and perceiving that a strong b ody of the enemy had rallied ,
and w ere drawn up in order at Ca inthine on M agh R id da ,
2now called
La oighis, that is Louise or Leise Riada , the victors fell upon them w ith
desperate fury and pu t them to flight ; then pursued them to S lighe Dha la ,
now called BewllachM ore Ossery,3where the forces Of Le inster made so
dreadfu l a slaughter Of the M omonians that they w ere forced to desist
for want Of enem ies to kill ; which victory resett led the state of that
Province , and so d iscouraged the M en of M unster that they neverat tempted to enlarge their bounds , b ut were glad to confine themselvesw ithin their own Territories .
Cuchorb , b eing reinstated in his dominions by the assistance of
Eochaidh Fionn ,ou t of gratitude thought himself ob liged to make a
recompense for his services , and therefore he generously b estowed upon
him the seven ForthortW Lghs,4and confirmed this donation by perpetuat ing
the right to his po sterity for ever .
“Lao ighseach, the General Of the confederate army , who had his
educa t ion with Eochaidh Fionn ,he rewarded w ith the seven Laoighises. to
be enjoyed by him and his heirs , for he confessed that the success of the
O ther authorities located A thtrodain,or A thtru isd in as b e ing
a ford in the R iver Greese , near M ullaghmast . A thy , or the Ford Of
A e , was so called from A e , foster-father of Ohy Finn Fohart , King of
M unster , who was sla in there at this battle (Joyce ) .N ow M orett , in the Q ueen
’
s County . Ca inthine is no t identified .
3 S ee Dr . Joyce ’
s“ I rish N ames of P laces ,” F irst Series , page 371.
This sl ighe , or road, passed from Tara by S tradbally (Queen’
s County)on into O ssory .
4 This name survives in those o f the Baronies Of Forth, in the CountyCarlow and County Wexford (Joyce ) .
U / l B U / D H E
S l i e v e m a
U/ B A / R R C H f
THE BLACK LINE ,THE
x.
.1so gi v en . )
A ND THEIR T ERR ITORY OF LEIX . 3
expedition was ow ing to the valour and conduct of the General , whosem ilitary experience gave him the advantage over the incapacity of the
commanding Officer in the enemy’
s army , which he made that use o f
to Obtain a complete victory . From this insistence of gratitud e to
Laoighseach , the posterity of this General took upon themselves the T it leof Kings of Leix or Leise .
”
The warrior Leesagh Cean-vore (Ceann-mhor) , or of the
big head ,”was also known as Leesagh Leann-mhor,
”or of
the large mantle ,”
and as Leesagh“Lann-mhor, or of the
great swor .dP i evious to the a1 rival of the Anglo-Nmmans a dun on the
Rock of Dunamase appea1 s to have been the chief st1 onghold In
Leix ; the name means iMasg’
s fol t .In ancient times Leix , according to O
’
Donovan,
1was a
territory consisting of the present Queen’
s County Baronies of
East andW est Maryborough , Stradbally , and Cul lenagh, towhich in afte1 yea1 s we1 e annexed the Baronies of Ballyadams
and S lievemai gy . After the establishment of su1names the
chief family Of Leix assumed that of O’
Mmdha, O1 O’
MO1 e ,
fr lom M o1 dha, an illustI ious wa1 ri01 , who was twenty-sixth indescent from the Ulster hero Conal l Cearnach,
mentionedabove .
In the'
Leix of the later period there were large sub—districtsknown as
Ui Criomhthannain or Cinel Crimthainn, which lay in t he
Barony of Eas t M arybor,
ough and extended a1 ound thefortl ess ofDunamase . The sept of this dist1 ict was thatOf Ua Duibh,
0 1 O’
Deevy.
Laoighis-Reata
,or Magh Riada, the names of a district
lying in the northern portions of the Baronies of EastM a1yborough and of S tradbally . The sept was that of
Ua Mordha , or O’
M ore . Possibly the name 1 s sti l lpreserved in that of M orett
,which lies close to
Frughmore,
or‘
(as the name means)“the Great
Heath ”of Maryborough and if that is so,
“ M agh
Riada may have been the ancient name of“the
Heath , which was then of vastly greater dimensions .
Tuath-Fiodhbhuidh, a district that has not been identifiedaccording to O
’
Donovan ;2 but as the I rish form
‘
of
MacEvoy (one of the seven Septs of Leix) is Mat iodh
See his translat ion of The Book of R ights , p . 214 .
2 O’
Heerin’
s Topographical Po em , p . l ii .
4 H IST ORICAL NOT ES O N T HE O’
MORES
bhuidh ,this territory , afterwards called Clandibu i ,
belonged to them , and was situated around Mountrathand Clonenagh in the Barony ofWest Maryborough .
Magh Druchtain, which comprised most of the Barony of
S tradbally , and belonged to the O’
Kelly Sept (UaCeallaigh) .
Gail ine, comprising the southern portion of the Barony of
Cul lenagh. The Sept of O’Kel ly occupied it . The old
name is still preserved in the Parish name of DysartGallen.
Ui Buidha and Crioch O’
Muighe, now the Barony of Ballyadams , and the southern extremity of that of Stradbally .
The Sept name was UaCael luidhe or O’
Kealy. This
place-name survives in that of the Parish of Tullamoy
(Tulach O’
Muighe) ; as late as the seventeenth centuryCastletown, in the Parish of Killabban,
is called in the
Inqu isitions “Castleton-Omoye, a lias
“Bal lycasl ane
O’
Moy.
’
Ui Barrtha, Ui Bairrche, or Crioch Om-Bairrche, comprisingthe Barony of S lieve Margy . The Sept of this territorvwere the MacGormans (now O
’
Gorman) .
G illa-neeve O’
Heerin,who died , according to the Annals of
the Four Masters , in 1 420, was the author of a TopographicalPoem dealing with Leinster and Munster ; that portion of it
referring to Leix has been translated by John O’
Donovan ,
thus °
The great territory of Lao ighis of slend er swo rd s ,Lao ighis Reata , of it I speak ,Belongs to O ’
M o rdha with bulwark o f b attleOf the golden shield of one co lour .
Under Dun M asg of smooth land ,O
’
Du ibh is over Cinel-Criom thainn ,
Lord Of the territory which is under fru it ,Land o f smoothest mast-fru it .
The o ld T uath-Fiodhbhu idhe of fair landIs a good lordship for a chief
The M u intir Fiodhbhu idhe are its inheritors ,The yellow -ha ired host O f ho sp itality .
O ver M agh-Druchta in Of the fa ir fortress
I s O’
Ceal la igh of the salmon-full riverS im ilar is the smoo th surface of the pla inTO the fru itful land o f prom ise .
‘ O’
Donovan’
s“ Topographical Poems by O
’
Dugan and O’
Heer’
in,
p . 87 .
H ISTORICAL NOT ES O N T HE O’
MOR ES
The Fiants of Edward V I , Nos . 683 , 710, and 741 ,place the following townlands in this lordship .
The castle and) lands of Derrybrook, the lands of
Ballymanus,Ballywicar a lias Vicarstown
,M oyanna,
Garrymaddock, Bawn, Monaferrick, Ballecowlyn
(Ballycoolen) .
Clandibui Clan M acEvoy) , comprising the southern portionof the Parish of Clonenagh,
and perhaps the northernportion Of the Parish of Clonagheen.
The Old Map of Leix places'
Clonenagh in the heartof this district .
The Sept name of C landeboys the MacEvoys)is made use of in the Calendar of State Papers,1 606-8 , p . 467 .
Eughterhi r a lias Eightertyry, including the Parishes of
Stradbally and Ballyadams . The Old Map places Ballyadams
,Ballintubber
,Oughaval , S tradbal ly , and Blackford
within the limi ts of this lordship ; and Ed . V I FiantNo . 786, gives in addition Derrinroe (now Kellyvi lle) ,Kyleclere,
”and Kiltegan.
”The Fiants f requently
ment ion this lordship in conjunction w ith that of
Cashmone-rwoen.
Fasagh-reban the wilderness or uncu ltivated land of
Reban) . This district is now the Parish of Churchtown(Reban) , in the Barony of Narragh and Reban West , andCounty Kildare , and contains about acres, formerlyin the Queen’
s County .
The Old Map marks the fol low ing place-names in thislocality — Balacha[s] lun (i .e. CastletownChurchtown
,Roorenagh . Raheenadeeragh)
Woodstock , Dunbrin, Shanganagh, and Melon,
which corresponds w ith Kilmorony .
Feranamanagh the Monk ’
s land) , consisting of the
Parish of Abbeyleix .
Feranclandidonnil Farran-C lan-mac-Donnell) including theParishes of Tankardstown
,Monk ’
s Grange, and the
northern portion of K illabban.
The O ld Map shows the churches of Tankerston,
Graungeomanagh (i .e . Monk’s Grange, formerly
belonging to the A bbey of Baltinglass) , and“ Kilibah as lying in it . |
H ISTO R ICAL NOT ES O N THE O’
MOR ES
The Fiants of Edward V I , Nos . 683 , 710, and 741 ,place the following townlands in this lordship .
The castle and, lands of Derrybrock, the lands of
Ballymanus,Ballywicar a lias Vicarstown, M oyanna ,
Garrymaddock, Bawn, Monaferrick , Ballecowlyn
(Ballycoolen) .
Clandibui C lan M acEvoy) , comprising the southern portionof the Parish of C lonenagh,
and perhaps the northernportion of the Parish of Clonagheen.
The Old Map of Leix p laces Clonenagh in the heartof this district .
The Sept name of Clandeboys the MacEvoys)is made use of in the Calendar of State Papers,1 606-8 , p . 467 .
Eughterhir a lias Eightertyry , including the Parishes of
S tradbal ly and Ballyadams . The Old Map places Ballyadams
,Bal lintubber
,Oughaval , S tradbally , and Blackford
w ithin the limits of this lordship ; and Ed . V I FiantNO . 736 , gives in addition Derrinroe (now Kellyville) ,Kyleclere,
”and Kiltegan.
”The Fiants frequently
ment ion this lordship in conjunction with that of
Cashmone-rwoen.
Fasagh-reban the wilderness or uncu ltivated land of
Reban) . This district is now the Parish of Churchtown(Reban) , in the Barony of Narragh and Reban West , andCounty Kildare
,and contains about acres, formerly
in the Queen’s County .
The Old Map marks the follow ing place-names in thislocality — Balacha[s] lun (i.e. CastletownChurchtown
,Roorenagh Raheenadeeragh)
Woodstock , Dunbrin, Shanganagh, and Melon,
which corresponds w ith Kilmorony .
Feranamanagh the Monk ’
s land) , consisting of the
Parish of Abbeyleix .
Feranclandidonni l Farran-Clan-mao-Donnell) , including theParishes of Tankardstown
,Monk ’
s Grange, and the
northern portion of K illabban.
The Old Map shows the churches of Tankerston,
Graungeomanagh (i.e . Monk ’s Grange, formerly
belonging to the A bbey of Baltinglass) , and“ Kiliban as lying in it . )
AND T HE IR T ERR IT ORY O F LEIX . 7
Feranclandikedoh ( 9 Far ° -1 an-Clan-macKedagh) , the parishesof Tecolm and paI t of Rathaspick .
The Old Map shows the chuI Ohes of Tecolm and
Rathaspick in it. The Fiants of Edward V I , Nos.
697 and 704, call this lordship“Farynklynekedd
”
in the former and Fa1°1°ynC lonlyshemcedo in the
latter. In 1 567 a Sept of the O ’
Mores called “the
C lan Kedagh is mentioned in the Calendar of
State Papers (I reland) , 1509—75 , p . 348 .
Feran-odoulin O’
Dowling’
s land) . This large districtoccupies the upper portion of the Barony ofWest Maryborough and the western portion of the Barony of EastMar
°
ybOI Ough I t takes in the northern portion of the
large Parish of Clonenagh In the form and the PaI ish
of e is In the la tter Bar .ony
The Old Map shows this territory as extending fromConlawn H ill , near Ballyfin, on the West, to
Maryborough (included ) on the East ; and from
C lonygowan and Knocknagroagh on the North to
C lonaddadoran on ( the Sou th .
See the Fiants of Ed. V I , Nos . 701 , 7 1 3 , 736 ,where -
the territory is‘
misnamed Ferrynonolan.
”
Feranokelle Q’Kelly
’
s land) , consIsting of the Parishesof T imogue and Tu llomoy .
Ed . V I Fiant No . 7 °41' gives the names of the
follow ing others , as lying in‘ this
lordship Corraghe”
(Luggacurran) ,“Powkis
castell (CIOpook ) , Tomoclavin,T imogue, Ballin
teski'
n, Ballyprior, and Fallowbeg.
Feranolauler O’
Lalor’
s land ) , including the Parish of
Ki lcolmanbane and the western portion of Dysart Enos ,lying In the Barony of Maryborough East .
The Old Map shows the following places as situated inthis district —Bal lyknockan, Ki lcolman, Croche
dongan ” “Carigmban (Cremorgan),
and Dysart .See Ed. V I Fiant No. 7 1 6.
Feranoprior the Prior’ s land) contains the Parishes of
Kilcolmanbrack and of Timahoe 0 1° Fossy.
The Fiants of Ed. V I,Nos . 830 and 1 1 3 1 , give the
names of several townlands in this district, includingKryworgan (Cremorgan) , et
8 H ISTO R ICAL N OTES ON T HE O’MORES
Gal in,now the Parish of Dysart-Gallen .
Ed . V I Fiant . No . 684 gives a number of townlandsin this territory .
Keildounan, 01° Kildownan — This d istrict corresponds with
the Slievemargy Barony portion of the Parish of
Rathaspick .
At the southern extremity of this district lies Doonan,
from which, in all likelihood , Kildownan takes i tsname .
Kildunane in Leix is mentioned inHamilton’
s
Calendar of State Papers , 1 588—92 , p . 286 .
Kilihide.
— This district appears to coincide with the Parishof Killeshin.
On the Old M ap, beside the name , are shown a group ofbuildings, including a Round Tower. This representsKilleshin,
though the name is not marked down.
In a Fiant of Ed . V I, No . 249, among the names in
this locality are those of Bal lyhide , Ballyntobber,Killyshin, Keppencheyle, Killehidd,
”etc.
Sleamerg, now the Barony of Slievemargy 0 1° Slievemarragy .
The mearings of this lordship are given in Edward V IFiant NO . 249, and E lizabeth Fiant No . 6786 .
They w ill not be detailed here, as they appear inthe Appendix .
Touachlou ,Twoaghclowe. (Tuath including the Parish
of Ballyroan.
This parish includes Cullenagh , from which the Baronytakes its name .
See Ed . V I Fiants No . 685 , 8 30, 838 .
In the Fiant of E lizabeth, No . 8597 , paI dons are
1° °
e001 ded of individuals belonging tO Clanlowe
and anotheI Fiant (No . 166) mentions a PatrickmacLowe (2O
’
More) , showing that the last syllablein the name of this district is derived from a
Christian name.
Touayovi , or Twoawewoy (2 Tuath Fiodh bhu idh) , the Parishof C lonagheen, 01
° pa i t of it .
1
1 T he O rdnance Su I vey M aps (s ix inch scale) show no d ivision b etweenthe comb ined Parishes o f Clonenagh and Clonagheen , v1 hIch occupy the
who le B tro uy o f lMa 1yb OI ough \Ves t .
I O H ISTORICAL N O T ES ON THE O’
MORES
The Queen’
s County of the present day includes the whole of
Leix and portions of two other large territories, Offaly and
Ossory . TO the former belonged
1 . The Barony of Tinnahinch , formerly the territory of
I Regan, belonging to the sept of O ’
Dunne .
2 . The Barony of Portnahinch, which formed part of theO
’
Dempsey territory of Clanmaliere .
Both these territories owed allegiance to O’
Connor Faly
(so called by the Annalists to distinguish him from O’
Connor
Don,O
’
Connor Corcomroe, O’
Connor Kerry , O’
Connor Roe,and
O’
Connor Sligo , between whom and the O’
Connor Faly therewas no connexion) .
To the M acG illapatrick territory of Ossory belonged the
three Baronies of Upper Woods,C landonagh, and Clarmallagh,
known as Upper Ossory . These three Baronies were not annexedto the Queen’
s County until Ju ly,
Leix is by no means frequently mentioned in The I rishAnnals ”
; and when an entry does occur, it, as a ru le,records
either a hostile incursion from a neighbouring clan, 0 1°
( later on)a Government force, 01° else refers to some cattle-lifting foray , 0 1°internal feud between rivals for the Chieftainship . As theseentries are short , and they i llustrate the life and state of societyof those times, they will be noted here, and, unless otherwisestated , the information has been gathered from The Annals of
the Four Masters
A .D.
840. The plundering of Cluain-Eidhneach Clonenagh) bythe foreigners Danes) .
843 . Dun-Masg the Rock ofDunamase) was plundered bythe foreigners .
860. The destruction of Longphort-Rothlaibh Rothley
’s
Fortress, now Dunrally , on the west bank of the
Barrow, in the townland of Vicarstown) by Kennedy,son of Gahan, lord of Leix , on the fifth of the Ides ofSeptember the 9th of September) .
864. Sruthair (Shrule) and Sleibhte (Sleaty) were plunderedby the men of Ossory .
875 . Kennedy, son of Gahan, lord o f Leix,plundered the
d istrict of Hy Kinshel lagh.
‘M orrin
’
s“ Cal . of Pa tent and C lose Rolls , vo l . 11 , 1
' W 7
A ND TH EIR T ERRIORY OF LEIX . I I
886 . Kenny,
son of Kennedy , Tanist the appointedsuccessor to the Chieftainship ) of Leix , was slain.
903 . Kennedy, son of Gahan, lord of Leix, died (“Annals of
Gahan, son of Aughran, Ta’
nist of Leix , died .
Aughran, son of Kennedy , lord of Leix , was slain at
Battle of Ceannfuait (now Confey, Co . Kildare) .
The plundering of Clonenagh, and the burningJ
of
Oratory of St . Mochua Timahoe) .
Kenny, son of Aughran (01° Oghran) , lord of Leix, was
killed .
931 . Cathal , son of Aughran, lord of Leix,died .
95 8 . Farrell,son of Aughran, lord of Leix , died . In the
same year his son, Faelan mac Farrell, Tanist of
Leix,was. slain .
A victory was gained,Over the people of Leix and the
people of Offerrilan by Toole mac Ugary ,King of
Leinster, in which many were slain, and Cuilen mac
Gusan was taken prisoner.
[Offerrilam formerly a
,
district in'
Upper Ossory , isnow a parish in the Queen’
s County Barony of
Upper Woods ]
101 2 . The Leinstermen and foreigners Danes) were at
war with Brian (Boru) , MOnarch of Ireland ; and Brianencamped at Slieve Margy to defend Munster ; and
Leinster was plundered by him as far as A th-Cliath(Dublin) .
1014. Kennedy , son‘
of Farrell, lord of Leix , died.
1 016. Gahan O ’More was slain.1
1017 . Cearnach O’
More, lord of Leix , was killed.
1018 . Gillakevin, son of DunlaIng, son of Toole,royal heir of
Leinster, was slain by the Leinstermen themselves,by the people of
.
Leix.
This is the first memb er of the clan to whom the Annalists affix the
surname of Ua Mordha
I 2 H IST OR ICAL . NOTES .O N THE O’
MORES
1024 . A slaughter was made of the men ofMunster by Donough,
son of Hugh (2MacGorman) , lord of Ui Bairrche in
G leann Uisean (now Ki lleshin) , through the miraclesof God and St . Comhdhan;
LUI Bairrche was a district corresponding with the
p resent Barony of S lieve Margy ; it belonged tothe C lanMacGorman. St . Comhdhan, or Comgan,
the Patron-Saint of Kil leshin, was venerated“
on
the 27th of February ]
1026 . Aimergin (macKenny macKennedy macMore) O’
M ore,
lord of Leix , and C udu iligh O’
Beargdha , lord of
Idough, were mu tually slain by each other ; and thepeople of Idough and of Leix were mutually slaughtered ,but the former were defeated.
[Idough (Ui Duach) , now the County KilkennyBarony o f Fassaghdineen, was the territory of
the O’
Brennans it borders on Slieve Margy ]
1041 . Faelan O’
More,lord of Leix , was blinded by Murrough
macDowling (King of Leinster) , after having beendelivered to him by Donough macHugh (2MacGorman) ,lord of Ui Bairrche , for it was he that took him first .
[Faelan O’More, son of Aimergin, died at Aghaboe ,
in Ossory, in 1069. Donough mac Hugh was
slain in
1041 . Cuciche O’
Dowling, lord of Leix and his son,and his
wife Cailleoc,were slain by MacCo
'
nin at TeachMochua mic-LonaIn T imahoe) ; and M acConin
was himself killed on the following day by O’
Brennan
for this act ; and this was a great miracle bySt. M ochua.
[Timahoe is situated in the Barony of Cullenagh .
I t Was founded by St . Mochua, who was veneratedon the 24th ofDecember the only Round Towernow existing in the Queen’
s County stands here .
The O’
Dowlings were one of the seven septs of
Leix ]
1041 . G leann Uisean (now Killeshin, Barony of Slieve Margy)was plundered hy ° the son of Mael-na-mbo byDermot mac Donough) , lord of Hy Kinsellagh (adistrict which comprised the County Wexford , part of
County W icklow, and the northern portion -of the
AND THEIR TERRIT ORY OF LE IX . 13
County Carlow ) ; and the oratory was demolished , andseven hundred persons were carried off as prisonersfrom thence .
1042 . Cucogry O’
More, lord of Leix , and others, defeated and
slew Murrough mac Dowl ing, King of Leinster, andDonough macHugh
,lord of Ui Bairrche
,at the battle
of M agh Mu ilceth (unidentified) in Leix .
1063 . Lisagh macFaelan O’
More, lord of Leix , was slain.
1069. Faelan an Dall the Blind ) , son . of AimergInO
’
More, died a t Aghaboe .
Gillamary son of Dubh chief of Ui Crimthannan, was slain by M acraith O
’
More in the doorwayof the oratory of Timahoe , they having previouslymutual ly sworn upon the Caimmin
,w hich -was in t he
possession of G illamary son of Dubh , - th_at the bl oodof the son of Dubh is now and ever will remain uponthe Caimmin.
Macraith O’
More was afterwards killed at Mu llinna-Crossan, in the Vicinity of Aghaboe, having the
Caimmin w ith him, in revenge of St. k
Fintan (ofClonenagh) , S t . Mochua (of Timahoe) , a_nd_
St. Colman
(2 of Oughaval) .’
[The Caimmin was a rel ic ; its name means t he
little curved 01° bent one ,
”and in O
’
Donovan’
s
opinion it was a saint ’ s croz ier .
The“ district Of Ui Crimthannan corresponded withthe present Barony of East Maryborough , and
b elonged to the O’
Deevy sept .
Mu llin-na-Crossan,0 1
° the mill of the Crossan
family, was situated in Upper Ossory .]
1077 . G leann Uisean (now Killeshin) with i tsu
-yews was burned .
1 091 . Kenny O ’M or‘
e , lord of Leix, and the son of Mulroonymac Cucoirne O
’
Carroll , lord of Ely-O
’
Carroll , mutual lyfel l
‘
by each other in the house of O’
Brien at Cashel .
[E ly-O’
Carroll was ad istrict comprising the presentBaronies of Clonlisk and Bal lybritt in the
King’
s County ]
Aimergin O’
More , lord of Leix, died
The Sonof Gahan O’
More, lord Of Leix , was ki lled byhis own people .
14 H ISTOR ICAL NOTES ON T HE O’
MORES
1 141 . An army was led by Conor macDermot O’
Brien (King of
West Munster) to Ath-cliath (Dublin) , and the
foreigners submitted to him as their king . Some of
his people died on their return from the east, after
having eaten the green corn at a certain place in Leix .
A predatory excursIOn wasmade by Dermot MacMurrough,
King of Leinster, into Leix and the people of Leixdefeated him after he had carried off a great prey fromthem .
An army was led by Turlough O ’
Conor, King’
of Connaught,
accompanied by the ‘
men of M eath and Leinster, to
march into Munster but they returned W ithout cowsor hostages, after having traversed Ossory and Leix anddestroyed some of their corn.
1 1 49. Lisagh O’
More (mac A imergin mac Faelan) , lord of
Leix , died after penance .
1 1 52 . The daughter of O ’
Kel ly, Wife of Lisagh O’
More, d ied .
1 1 5 3 . Neill O’
More, lord of Leix , was released from fettersby Dermot MacMurrough , King of Leinster, after hehad been blinded against the guarantee of the laityand clergy.
1 1 58 . An army was led by Rury O’
Conor, King of Connaught ,as far as Leighlin (County Carlow) , and he tookhostages of Ossory and Leix ; and he fetteredMacraith O
’More lord of Leix . (According to The
Annals of Ulster, Macraith was stil l living in
1 183 . The C istercian Abbey de Lege Dei,
a lias the
Monastery of Leix , 01° Abbeyleix , was founded by
Cucogry O’
More , lord of Leix .\
This Abbey was a
daughter of the Abbey of Baltinglass , founded byDermot MacMurrough, King of Leinster, in 1 1 48 or
1 1 5 1 . (See Father Carrigan’
s History of theDioceseof
1 196 . Mahon, the son of Conor Moinmoy O’
Conor,
Roydamna Prince) of Connaught was slain byO
’
More (Donnell) and the men of Leix , who attemptedto prevent him from bearing off the spoil he had takenfrom the English ; but O
’
More was killed by Mahon’
s
brother , Cathal carrach the scabbed) O’
Conor,in revenge o f him.
AND THEIR T ERR ITORY OF LE IX . 1 5
1 200. A grant from the Crown was made to Geoffrey de
Constantine of a Cantred in Connaught calledT irieghrachbothi , in exchange for “
the land of
Leis and Houkreuthenan”(2 Ui Criomhthannan) ,
which King John,by the desire of Geoffrey, gave to
Meyler Fitz Henry, a grandson of Henry I , by Nesta,daughter of Rhys apGruffyth, Prince of Sou th Wales .
(Sweetman’
s“Calendar ofDocuments , I reland ,
” p .
Abou t this time Hugh de Lacy , Governor of
I reland , bu ilt a Castle ‘
at Timahoe in Leix forMeyler Fitz Henry.
1227 . G i lla-colum O’
Mollov lord of Fircall (a district in the
King’
s County) , was slain by O ’
More.
1 246 . On the death without issue of Anselme le Marshal, sixthEarl of Pembroke (fifth and youngest son of Williamle Marshal , first Earl of Pembroke , lord of Leinster
,
in right‘
of his wife,
‘
I sabel de Clare , daughter and
heiress of Strongbow) , the lordship of Leinster wasdivided up between Anselme
’
s five sisters and to the
youngest , Eva, was assigned , as her fifth (roughlyspeaking) , Leix , including the Honour and Manor of
Dunamase . She married Wi lliam de Braose, Lord of
Brecknock , and had a daughter, Maud 0 1° Matilda
,
wife of Roger de Mortimer, lord of Wigmore,into
whose family the property thus passed . (Sweetman’
s
Calendar of Documents,I reland ,
” p .
1 288—9. The I rish Of Offaly and Leys being at war withthe English, the Justiciary, John Comyn, Archbishopof Dublin,
proceeded to the borders of those terri ;tories to organize forces for the protection of the
Pale ; among other appointments,
‘
he ordered the
Seneschal of Carlow to guard the Marches from
Mayrath (2 M orett , Barony of Portnahinch) toCalcet of Leys and the Seneschal of
Kilkenny to continue the defence from Calcet to
Dunselach and there to remain tillpeace Was restored .
In the month of September, 1289, as the I rish werestill unsubdued , the Justiciary summoned all
the loyal men of the Pale to meet him at“Butavaunt
”in L eix, and from
thence proceeded to so harass and destroy the
1 6 H ISTOR ICAL N O T ES ON THE O’
M ORES
native territories, that by the end of the year, theenemy submitted and came to the King
’
s peace .
(Sweetman’s Calendar of Documents, I reland ,
”
pp . 265
1 309. Dermot macNeill O’
More , a prisoner, was ordered to bedetained either in the Castle of Dub lin 0 1
°
of Kildare.
Cal . Cane . Rot . Hib ., p . 1 2 b . )
1 310. Lisagh O’
More was appointed by the King custodian of
the lands of“ Kildebrenyn in Le1x formerly
belonging to Patrick Boot I t . Cal . Canc. Rot .
l 6 h. )
1 31 5 . A great slaughter of the I rish , V i z .,the O ’
Mores ; and
abou t 300 of themwere slain near“Balilathan
(Ballylehane) at the Feast Of the Epithany . (Glyn’
s
1 319. Shane , the son of Donough O ’
More , and his brothers ,were slain (2 by the English) . (Friar Glyn
’
s Annals
of I reland .
”
1335 . On Thursday, at the Feast of the Finding of the HolyCross (3 May) , the lord Raymond le Archdekin and
many of his name were slain by Lisagh O’
More
at C lar-GOly (2 in the County of Ki lkenny ) . (Glyn’
s
Annals .
A war was waged on Lisagh O’
More, by the lordFulco de la Freyne and the English of Ossory
,in
revenge for the slaughter of the Archdekins. (Glyn’
s
Annals .
1342 . Shortly before Christmas, Lisagh O’More died ; he was
killed by one of his own drunken servants. He was
a man of wealth,and one honoured by his clan. By
him the English were banished from his territory,for
in one night he set on fire eight of their castles and
he destroyed the important Castle Of“ Dunmaske
(Dunamase ) , belonging to the lord Roger de Mortimer
and he then assumed the lordship of the country tohimself. (Friar C lyn
’
s Annals .
1 346. The Castles of Ley (Lea) , Kylmehy°de (now Ballyadams) ,
and Balylethan (Ballylehane) were captured and dismantled by the O ’
Mores, O
’
Connors and O’
Dempseys ,on Thursday after the Feast of the Holy Cross
(2 1 4 Sept . (C lyn’
s Annals . )
1 8 H ISTORICAL NOT ES ON THE O’
MORES
1 368 . Lisagh,son of David O
’
More , died . Annals of Lough
1 370. Cahir O’
Conor , heir of Offaly , and Murtough O’
More ,
were ki l led on a predatory excursion by the Englishof Leinster.
1 377 . Fachtna , SOIT of David O’
M ore , royal heir of Leix,died .
Annals of Lough
1 394 . The Earl of Ormond mu stered a force and marched intoLeinster (2 Leix ) to spo il it ; and he burned and
spo iled Gailine (now the Barony°
of Cullenagh) andthe territory of O
’
Kelly of M agh Druchtain (now the
Baronv of Stradbally) , and then returned home .
1 394 . 0 11 the 16th of Februam° Thomas, .Earl of Nottingham
,
Marshal of England,
accompanied by his retinue,
proceeded to a p lace called Bal lygory (2Kilgorey) nearCarlow , on the side of the mountain of Slieve M argy
,
and caused Edmund W all (0 1° de Valle)
1to translate
into the I rish tongue certain Letters Patent of KingRichard I I
,to an assemblage of the native chiefs
,
empowering the said E arl to receive the I rish chiefsto the king’
s fea l ty and obedience ; then‘
Art Mac
Murrough,Garrett O
’
Byrne , Donnel l O’
Nolan,
Murrough O’
Connor Faly ,Teige O
’
More,Rory oge
and Shane , sons of M aurice Boy O’
More of SlieveMargy , chiefs of their septs , removing their gird les
,
swords,and caps , on bended knees , with uplifted
hands , took an oath,in their native tongue , of
al legiance to the king , 0 1° in defau lt to pay
marks to the Papa l chamber. The submission of
G illapatrick reogh'
O’
M ore is also recorded in thisyear . [Brewer
’
s Cal . of M iscellaneous Carewpp . 378
1 398 The son o f Maurice Boy the yellow) O’
More,lord
of S lieve M argy , fosterer of the learned and destituteo f I reland
,d ied .
[This son may have been either Rory oge or Shane,mentioned in the previous extract for the year1 394]
1 398 . Melaghlin O’
More , King of Leix,died . [
“ Annals o f
Lough
M ast er o f the Hospital o f S t . John of Jerusalem in Ireland
A ND THEIR T ERR ITORY OF LEIX . I 9
1 404. The victory of Ath-dubh (now Blackford,between A thy
and Stradbally) was gained by G il lapatrick O’
More, lordofLeix,over the English,where many persons were slain
,
and great spoi l was taken in horses,arms, and armour.
The daughter of O’
Conor Faly Murrough) , and
w ife of G i llapatrick O’
MOTe, died .
1 405 . The son of Fachtna O’
M ore s lew R ichard hard footButler. Annals of Lough Key.
141 5 . Lord Furnival S ir John Talbot,Lord T albot of
Furnival ) , came to I reland as Lord Justice. Leix,
O’M ore
’
s territory , was devastated by him °
and he
took the castle of the son ofFaghtna macDavid O’
M ore .
1 421 . M acGil lapatrick (2 Fineen) , lord of Ossory,and the son
o fLibned Freyne , one of the Engli sh, made a predatoryexcursion into Leix wi th twelve score soldiers
, and did
not halt until they reached the Monastery of Leix
(i .e. Abbeyleix ) ; bu t O ’
C onor Faly (i .e . Murrough)happened to meet them there and attacked and
slaughtered them ,and his people obtained a great
spoi l In arms and armou r from the English .
1 440. O’
Conor Faly (i .e . , Calvagh) , his sons , and his brotherCahir, went upon a predatory incursion into Leix
,
O”More s territory ; but they were overtaken by(Thomas) , 6th Earl of Desmond
, and by MacGilla
patrick ,whO defeated O
’
Conor, and killed his son Con,together with sixty of his soldieI S .
1447 . The M onastery of Leix in Leinster, in the diocese of
Leighlin, was founded, in honour of St . B and s,by
O’
M or ,e who selected a burial-place for himself and
his descendants in it .
[Father Carri gan identifies this monastery withthe one at S tradbally ; and states that O ’
M ore,
Chief of his Name,was probably Kedagh O
’
More . ]David O ’
More , sOn of the lord ofLeix , was killed by a fal l .Kedagh O
’
M ore , lord of Leix, died of the plagu
Donnel l “
O’
M ore , King ofLeix , died . Annals of LoughKey.
”
O’
More and M acG illapatrick died of the plague .
The son of Owny O’
M ore was slain at Baile-Daitb i
(now Ballydavis , Parish of S trab oe) by M acPierce
Butler (2 James , son of Edmond , son of James , son of
Will iam,son of M acPierce Bu tler) and Art O
’
Conor
(2 son -of Con, son of Calvagh O’
Conor Fe ly)
H IST O R ICAL N O T ES O N THE O’
MORES . 2 1
1489. Rory, son of David O ’
More , Tanist of Leix , died on the
29th April . Ross,the son of Owny O
’
More, was slainby Cahir
,the SOII of Lisagh macCab ir O
’
Dempsey.
1493 . O’
More,i .e .
, Connell , the son of David, lord of Leix , wasslain at the Castle of Baile-na-mBacb lacb in CriochBu lbacb ( that is at the town of the shepherdsin the Bu lby
’
s country , which was situated in the
Parish of Kilberrv County Kildare , on the east bankof the river Barrow) , by a party of the peop le of the
Earl of Kildare .
1493 . Neill , son of Donnell O ’
M ore, was made O ’
More .
Such are some O f the scattered references to the O’
Mores and
theiri
territory of Leix ; bu t they only give one a faint idea of
the almost continual state of warfare or turmoil that existed
in these times . The notices of Leix wou ld have probably beenmuch fu l ler at this peri od b ut unfortunately there I s a break in .
the Calendars of I rish S tate Paper ,s which were pub l ished downto the year 1 307 , and then discontinued till they recommenced
w i th the year 1 509, leaving two centuries untouched.
A t the commencement of the Sixteenth century the Chief ofthe O
’
More Sept appears to have been M elaghl in mac OwnyO
’
More ; his tomb Sti l l exists , and it is abou t the only relicremaining of the C istercian Monas tery of Abbeyleix
,founded
by Cucogry-O
’
More in 1 1 83 . This tomb consists of the
covering-slab of an altar-tomb (the sides of which are wanting)bearing the effigy of a knight in armour ; it is 11 0W placed on
a base of mason-work in Lord de V esci ’ s garden at Abbey leix .
An inscription in the' “black le tter ”
runs round the edge o f
the slab, and it has
(
at last been correct ly deciphered by the
Rev . W illiam Carrigan,C .C .
,as fol low s
sg tt iatrt malarias omcuer fil i’
rugmtbit b utwe tamha firri feat
auuo III—
ti m°t t t t tti tui’ air
ppit iet’ Dr’ alums
1 Wide Father Carrigan s“ H istory of the Dioce se o f Ossory ,
v0 .1 ii , p . 392
Incorrect read Ings of this inscription have appeared in consecu tvie
vOTume xiv of “ The Journa l of the R . S .A,I .
° Bishop Com erfor sd’
H istory of the Diocese of Leighlin ,
”
p . 57 ; Canon O’
Hanlon ’
s“H istory
of the Queen’
s County ,”vol . 1 , p . 152 , though OO I Tected fur ther on .
2 2 H IST OR ICAL N OTES O N THE O’
M ORES
Father Carrigan translates thi s thu s
Here lies Melacb lin, son of Owny O’
M ore, who
caused this tomb to be made , A .D . 1 502 . On whosesou l God have mercy , Amen.
The date 1 502 m ay have been the year that Melaghlin
O’
More d ied in no mention of him occurs in the Irish Annals ,though his son Con,
0 1° Connell , was some years afterwards
Chief of his Name . I II the interval a Kedagh mac Lisagh
O’
More was lord of Leix , as the Four Masters record his deathin 1 5 23 ; and
,in the same year , they report that a great army
,
led by Gerald , 9th Earl of Ki ldare, the English of Meath , andO
’
Neill (Con mac Con mac Henry mac Owen O’
Neill ) , invadedthe territory of Connell (macM elaghlinmacOwny) O
’
M ore , who
apparently was elected Chief on the death ofKedagh macLisagh
O’
More .
In 1 5 14 The Annals of Ulster state that the Castle of
Cu ilentragh (2 Cullenagh) was broken down, the Coill-more
the Great Wood) cu t , and the country of Leix-O’
More
pillaged by Gerald , 9th Earl of Kildare .
Ware in his Annals of I reland ”states that Gerald
, 9th
Earl of Ki ldare , whi le Justiciary of I reland, was in 1 5 19 sum
moned to England to answer charges of maladministrationbrought against him by his enemies . Before leaving the
country b e appointed his kinsman,Sir Maurice Fitz Gerald
,Kt .
,
of Lackagh,to succeed him in the office . In the fo llowing year
in 1 520)“ Maurice fitz Thomas
, of Lackagh,Kt .” (Ware
adds) ,“for a reason I cannot explain,
was cruelly Slain byO
’
More in Lexia 0 1° Leasia .
”To avenge this deed the Lord
Deputy,Thomas Howard, Earl of Surrey , assemb led , in 1 521 ,
no t a few of the nobles and others of English origin, includingThomas T iew
,Mayor o f Dublin, and the arm ed men of the city ,
and then proceeded into Leix . In this expedition, while the
Lord Deputy was engaged in devastating the country with fire
and sword,a musketeer fired a bu llet at him
,which struck him
0 11 the helmet , but by the grace ofGod caused no wound or hurt .
The mu sketeer who had fired at him from a wood in the vicinitywas shortly after captured and put to death .
1
This tragic event is thus referred to in the Annals of theFour M asters under the year 1 5 20
Maurice, the SO II of Thomas , 8 0 11 of the Earl (o f Kildare) ,
the choice of the English fami ly of the Geraldines, was
slain by 00 11 (2 Connell) , the SOII of Melaghlin O’
More,
as were also many others along with him .
1 S ir James Ware’
s“Anna ls O f I reland
,in La t in
, pages 99, 101 ,103 , o f the ed it ion o f 1 664 .
AND THEIR T ERR ITO RY O F LEIX . 2 3
Ware is incorrect in stating that this affray took place inLeix , as it occurred in the County Kildare portion of Offaly ,near Lackagh. A wayside cross was erected to S ir Maurice’
s
memory at the spot, and from it the townland of Cross Morris
took i ts name.
1
During the rebellion of the Silken Thomas, l 0th Earl of
Kildare, the chief of the O’
Mores,
”
Connell mac Melaghlin,
appears on the side of the Government forces , though only in a
half-hearted way, as Chief Justice Gerald Ay lmer in reportingon the batt le of A llen in Augu st
,1 5 35 , in which the Si lken
‘Thomas’
s men w ou ld have been comp letely surrounded , but thatthe northern I rish troops had left the ir position to pursue a
prey , thus describes his conduct : 2
On the Tuesday after o ur arryvall (ab out the 2nd of August) M r .
Thesaurer (Brabazon) , intend ing a jernie into A l len , and tho is part ies
where the traitor was socoured , sent for Omore unto him, and his com
pany . And ther went w ith him W illiam Sentlow (or Saint Lee) and all
his brod irs cumpany , for S ir Jobn Sent low liethe sicke . S ir W illiamBrer tons cumpany Dacres , M usgrave , Thomas Eustace (afterward sV iscount Balt inglass) , Sir James Fit z Gerald
,his b roder Walter (two of
the uncles of the Si lken Thomas ) , and diverse o ther of the gentills of the
Coun tie Of Kildare . After they had entred into A llen,and b rent and
riffeld the countrie,Omore caused all the Ingl ishmen to departe , a s
though they w ere go ing homeward , and assigned every of the cumpanies ,b oth horsemen and . foo temen,
how they shu lde d ivide and k eape stand ~
ingis in the valleis and stritis and he sent a certen (number) of his kerneto skirmishe upon the moore
’
s (bog’
s) side w ith Thomas and his cum
pany , and they folo id the trayne into the p layne . And in the meane
tyme Omore lighted on foote with al l his men,and came on the backe
s ide of them , b etw ixt them and ther fastnes , so as he and our cumpany ,had him and al l his , to the numb er of 3 or 400
,in the playnes amonge
them ,that ther cu lde never have escaped a man , if our par t-ie had dOO I I
ther devors . For our northern men,whiles the trayne was making, left
ther stand ingis , and ranne away with the b o ttie , leving ther gapp a t
large , and in that waie escaped the most Of them and, as for Sir James ,
Walter his b roder , and al l the Geraldines , sufferd them to passe by them .
Omore wo ld kill never oon of Thomas’
m en,b ut Of Ochonor
’
s (O’
Con
nor’
s) , yet many was killed , and the mo st of them by M r . Thesaurer and
soche Of his awne cumpany as stode w ith him °
and by Thomas Eustace
diverse prisoners w ere taken and let goo agayne by the said Gerald inesand by the Dempcies (O
’
Dempseys) , b eing in Omores cumpany , amongwhom the trai tour him self was taken ,
as the common repo rte is , and
let goo agayne .
”
In July, 1 5 36, Thomas A len,of Ki lteel (County Kildare) ,
wrote to Thomas Cromwell , the Secretary of State , that theI rish Privy Counci l had come to terms w ith O ’
More , who had
consented to allow the re-edifying and fortifying of the M
1 See the JOURNAL, vol . 1, p . 250.
2 “ S tate Papers of Henry V I I I , vol . ii . p . 264 .
24 H IST O R ICAL N OTES ON T HE O"MO R ES
of W oodstock and the Bridge of Athy , on condition that hisclaims thereunto , which he had of the gift of M atthew St .
M ichael , Baron of Reban,and o f the traitor, Thomas Fi z Gerald
,
(10th Earl of Kildare) , shou ld be settled by arbi tration o f certain
impartial persons .
1
Though . O’
More (Connell :m acM elaghlin) was assisting the
Crown forces , yet his sons Kedagh,R ory , and G illapatrick
(“ foster brethren to the traitor Thomas Fit z Gerald were
amongst the latter’s staunchest adherents .
3On the death of
Connell O’
More , in the clan elected as their chief,Pierce
macMelaghlin O’
M ore, his brother. This selection appears tohave been strongly Opposed by the late chief’s sons , who , durInghis short rule as Chief Captain of his Nation,
”did not
cease to commytte invasion in all O’
Mores tenauntes , burnynge
and destruynge and breking downe the ditches and fastness of
their townes , and by that meane have that parthe of Leyswaste .
”4 They also invaded the Earl of Ormonde’
s lordship of
Woghtour Inne (Oughterany) , wi thin thre myles of M aynothe ,”
and preyed and spoi led his tenants,carrying off the booty u nder
the guidance of Edmond Archbold , a servant of the Lord Depu ty ,Lord Leonard Grey, 5 who was afterwards , among other charges ,accused of favouring the outlaws and of sending the Earl of
Ormonde’
s friend , Pierce O’
More,Chief of his Name , in hand
locks to Maynooth Castle.
On the 24th March, the Fiants6 record a pardon of
Edmund Asbolde, of Maynothe , yeoman, servant of Lord
Leonard Grey, late Depu ty, for having raised Kedogh O’
More ,
of Stradbal ly , in Leix , Gent , Shane mac Coyn, of Kylclene ( 0 1°
Ki ldare) horseman ; Neil l O ’
Lalor, o f Disert , horseman
,and
other I rish,to make war upon Pierce Butler
,Earl of Ormond
and Ossory , A lexander mac T irlagh (2MacDonnell) of the GreatGrange
,and other Engl ish.
A t this period one of the chief recreations of the lords of the
Pa le , when du ty did not engage them elsewhere , was the sporto f hawking . There were very s trict regulations laid down for
the preservation of hawks,and in those times a nest of young
hawks was a present worth accepting . A clause was u sual lyinserted in the o ld leases reserving this valuable perquisite tothe land lord . A S a proof of the value p laced on a nest of younghawks , the fol lowing extract from a letter written from Callan
S tate Papers o f Henry V I I I , vo l . 1 1 , p . 346 .
l b .,vo l . iii , p . 25 8 .
3I h. , vo l . i ii , p . 25 , 33 .
4 I b.,vo l . iii, p . 49.
5 f h.,vo l . i ii
, p . 24 .
Henry V I I I F iant N O . 17 1
Two VI EW S O I~°
THE R OCK o r DUNAMAS E IN 1 792 .
[ From G ro s e’
s A I I ta it IOs O f’
l reland .
H IST O RICAL N O T ES O N THE O’
M ORES .
of Connel l O’
More. OnKedagh’
s death, in 1 5 42, the succeedingChief of Leix was his brother Rory , known as Rory caech,
”0 1
°
the one eyed, who was loyal to the English G overnment and so
was s lain three years later by his brother G illapatrick and a
foI ce of the O’
Connors of Offaly. An Inqu isition,taken some
years found that this Rory as chief of the
clan,held and was entitled to only the towne of Stradballye
w ith thappurtenances , being unto bym yerly worth ten poundslawfull menye of I reland and further that the customes duties
perqu isites profits that the said Rorye had in right (ft /belongingto his Captainshipe of Leise aforesaid was to . b
'
ym every yeareworth one hundrith pounds currant lawfu ll monye of I reland .
”
£ 100 in those times was of far greater value than i t is a t
present . (See the Appendix to thi s Paper . )In a Report on the strength o f the I rish clans i n Leinster in
the year 1 546 , the Lord Deputy wrote“ A s to the streinght Of I rissb emen
,I ani e suer they were never so
w eke ; the Byrnes no t half the horssemen they have byn ; the Too lesno stre inght ; the Kavanaghes , that w ere w ont to make 8 or 9 score
horssemen , no t now e hab le to make 40. Ou ld e Omore wo ld r ide everie
day In the w eik w ith m oore horssemen than al l OmOI es cuntrie is now e
hab le to make . M ul rony Ocarwell had m oore horsSem en than now e all
the Omores and Ocarwe lls together have Oconor had at my comm inginto the land , 4 horssemen to the one he hath now e .
In spite of this RepOr ,t the next thing We hear of is that
the O’Mores are again in revolt. The Annals of the Four
Masters und °e1 this same year 1546,describe how
“many
disaffected persons of the Geraldines rose up agalnst the Saxonsin revenge of their expulsion from their patrimony
,and did
indescribable damages In the Pale ”
[this was in consequence of
their participation in the Si lkenThomas’
s Rebellion] . O’
ConoI°
him self IBrian) and O ’
More (G illapatI Ick) afte1“aI ds rose up to
join in thi s insurrection .
”O
’
M ore,and the son of O
’
Conor
(Rory) , attacked the town of Athy, and b urned the town and
monastery , and destroyed many persons, both English and I rish,bo th by burning and slaying , on this occasion. The Lord
Justice (Anthony St . Leger) proceeded with his great army intoLeix ° they remained fo I fifteen days plundering that country ;and they took Bal lyadams , a castle belonging to O ’
°M0 1 e , and
left warders in i t . . O’
Conor and O’
M ore were proclaimed
traitors , and their teI ritOries transferred to the king . In 1 547
1 M r . G . D . Burtchael l , A thlone Pursu ivant of A rms, inform s m e that
Rory Oge’
s w ife was M argaret daughter of Edmond But ler , A rchb ishopof Cashel , i llegit im ate son of P ierce , 8th Earl Of Ormond , and no t a s
stated In the P eerages .
2 S tate Papers of Henry V I I I , vo l . ii i, pp . 569, 570.
2 8 H IST O R ICAL N OT ES O N T HE O’
M ORES
the revolt cont inued ,and an irruption was made by 0 ’
More
(G illapatrick) and the sons of Oahir O’
Conor into the County of
Ki ldare , and they burned and plundered the g1° °
eate1 part of theterritory of the Eustaces (comprising most of the Baronies of
North and Sou th Naas ) . They remained in that country unti l
the Lord Justice overtook them . These Irish we1 e defeated on
this occasion,with the loss of two hundred foot soldiers .
O’
More and O’Conor went over to the Engl ish to make submission
to them upon thei1 own teIms , under the protection of an Englishgent leman (Lieutenant Francis This , howeveI , wasbad protection.
”1 5 48 . O
’
Conor and 0’
M ore went to Englandw ith the Lieutenant , at the King
’
s merc .y The King , howevergave their patI imonial inheritances , namely , Ofl
’
aly and Leix , tothe Lieutenant and his kinsmen
,who built two large courts (or
forts ) in these territories, namely, the Campa (now Maryborough)in Le ix , and Dangan (now Phi lipstown) in Offaly ; and theyproceeded to let these at rents to the English and I rish, as if theywe re the ir own lawfu l patrimonial inheritances , after havingbanished and expelled their own rightful , origina l inheritors .
O’
Conor and O’
More , from thence,with all their adherents and
descendants . O’
More (G illapatrick ) died suddenly in
England,and he
'
would have been a lamentable loss,were it not
for the power of the English.
”
G illapatrick O’
More was succeeded in the chieftainship of
the clan by his brother Connel l oge .
”
During Connell oge ’
s rule the subjugation and plantationof Leix were energetically carried out by the English Government, the planters being either officials
,officers , 0 1
°
soldiers of
the C rown. Some of the na tive I rish of the district , who had
submitted , were also allowed to rent certain lands under the same
terms as the new planters bu t their grant s had to be in localitieswhere they could do the least harm supposing that they in the
fu ture did no t adhere to the condi tions o f the leases . Amongthe me e I 1 ish appear the names of Connell oge O
’
More and
o thers o f that name,Donnel l mac Shane Fit z Patrick ) ,
Murrough O’Dowling, Robert O
’
Fahy , Turlough MacEvoy,and Pel iw macNe i l l boy
The conditions o f the lease w ere that1 . The lessee and his successors should dwell upon the
p1°
.emises
2 . \o I 1 isl1 exactions , such as coyne,livery , etc. should
be levied upon the tenants .
3 .
'
l he tenants shou ld be °tlways fu llv armed for their
own defence , and for the king ’
s service .
" ‘ Ua le 11dar o f S ta te Pape rs , 1 509-73 , p . 134 .
AND THE IR T ERR IT ORY O F LE IX . 29
The lands should bear all cesses , as is done in otherdistricts .
5 The rent shou ld be a fixed one, and not paid . incustoms .
6. The assignment 0 1° alienation of lands should be madeto persons of English”nationality
, and that onlvw ith the sanction of the Lord Deputy and Council .
V
7 . Al l passes , fords , and roads shou ld be kept up inserviceable repair .
8 . All great Hawks breeding on the premises should bereserved to the King’
s use.
9. The lessee shou ld bear his proportion of all cesses forthe safeguard and furniture of the King
’
s Fort,
called The Protector of .Leix (afterwards calledM aryborough ) .
Long before the period we are now dealing with the Earlsof Ki ldare possessed the lordships of T imogue and Morett, andthe lands of Shanganagh, in the territory of Le i x . During thereign of Edward V I , a number of twenty-one-year leases were
granted to the undernamed planters,who , as described in “
TheCalendars of S tate Papers , led an ex istence of continualworry and danger, as their lands and haggards were continuallywasted and spoiled by their dispossessed proprietors .
PLA NT ERSfl
l N LE IX, 15 4 9—15 5 2 .
FROM THE F I ANTs OF EDWARD V I .
Brian Johns or Jonys , The lo rdship of S l ievemargy .
o r Jones , Constab leof Carlow Cas tle .
G y l e s H o v en d e n , Killabb an ,Tankardstown , et
'
c.
Gent .
W illiamI
Hydney , of Ballyroan , etc.
Kilmainham , Gen t .
The b rothers John and V icarstown, Bal lymanu s,e tc.
—W illiam Glace ters ,so ld iers .
Rob ert S t . Leger , Esq , The lord ship o f Gallen ( theof Carlow . Par ish o f Dysart
-Gallen) .Humfrey Haselwo od , Killone and Kilmurry in the
s oldier . Barony of S tradbally .
R o b e r t Q u yck e ,Ballycarro ll in the Barony of
soldier . M aryborough East .
Hugh Johns or Jones , Kilnebron and Dysert ,
yeoman . Dysart-Enos) .1
Edward V I Fiants N os .
30 H IST ORICAL N OT ES O N THE O’
M ORES
P LA NT E R S l N L E IX, l S 4 9-15 5 2— cont z
’
nu ed .
'
Num berofFiant .
696 Thomas Smy the , G ent . Colt , Kyletab reeheen,
R ancol lenan .
Anthony Colclough Ballylynan Kilmorony ,e tc.
Dat e P lant e r . Lands .
Gen t .
John Thomas,
a lia s Ba llintubb er , Derrinro e (nowBowen,so ld ier
,con
V
Kellyv il le) , Killyganard ,
stab le of Ballyadams Bal lin tlea ,etc.
Cast le .
Thomas Jaco b e,
of The M anor o f S tradbally .
S tradbally ,“
G ent .
Donnell mac Shane,R osk el ton , Ard lea , Trumra , etc. ,
M acG illapat r ick ) , in the P ar ish o f C lonagheen .
Gent .
701 HenryBarrett , so ld ier .
Sir R alph Bagena l l ,
Crowcher ,
Thom as Flody ,so l dier .
T h o m a s A p o e l l ,so ld ie r .
\Villia1n Gerbarde .
J o hn D u n k i r l e y ,
soldier .
Henry W ise,
Esq ,Bal lyk ock an ,
Kilcolm anbane,
Cap tain in the Fort etc.
o f Leix .
Francis Co sby , Gent .
,M oyanna , Bal lynev icare , a lia s
of Kildare . V icarstown ,Garrymaddock , etc.
Calvagh mac T irlagh Killeany ,Parish o f C lonagheen .
M acDonnel l) .
Thomas Page and Lyaghd i Loughteeog,John Ley . Parish o f Dysar t-Eno s . )
Edmund Fay , Capta in Ballyfin, C lonygo wan ,C lone
of the King’s Kerns . nagh ,
and the Camaghe ,”etc.
1 5 5 1 740 W a l t e r P e p p a r d ,Dunb rin
,Shanganagh, e tc.
Gent .,
Of Kilkea ,
Co . Kildare .
741 S ir John T ravers , Kt . , The lord ship of T im ogue ,a lia s°
of M onks to wn ,CO . Farran-O
’
Ke lly [fo rfe ited byDub l in . the Earl of Kildare] .
830 J o hn B e l l i ngha m ,C ullenagh, and Cremorgan .
Gent .
R ichard M as ters on , C lontygoe , Ballypickas , Tu llore ,Gent . Kille lan ,
Dooary , C loncullane ,e tc. in the Parish of Ballyroan .
Mat thew King , G ent . , A bb eyleix ,Lisb igney , C lonkeen ,
o f M oyglare , CO . R al ish, etc.,in the Parish ' o f
M eath, Cons tab le O f Ab beyleix .
Dungarvan .
1 13 1 Edward R ando lph, The lordship o f T imahoe , a lia s
G ent .
,of Carlow . Farraneprior .
1 145 R ichard M annering, The lordship of Gallen (see No .
G ent . ,of Dub l in .
C lonaddadoran ,e tc.
Eyne , S trab oe , Shaen ,Borris ,
and R atheven .
Bal lynemolyn (a lia s M illtown)and “ R aynroan ,
ih the
Parish of R athaspick .
Cow lrayne .
Bawn ,M onaferrick
,and Balle
co wlyn”in the Parish of
Curraclone .
Ballyadams , Kil lnok idde ( 110WBallyadams Church) , etc.
Clonreher , P arish of Borris .
AND THEIR T ERR IT OR Y OF LEIX . 3 I
A s mentioned above , the present Queen’
s County,w ith the
exception of the Upper O ssory Baronies , was formed in the year1 55 6, during the reign of Queen M ary
,in whose honour it
received its name . In a sim i lar manner the principal fort,0 1
°
castle of the new settlement , hitherto known as“the Protector
of Leix, was re-name ( M aryborough by the I rish this fortwas called Campa .
”I t is first mentioned in 1 5 48
,at which
time the bu ilding o f it appears to have been comp leted , as it i sreported to have been victualled , and the mu sters of the countrywere assembled at i t . 1 Discip line was reported in the followingyear by Captain W i l l iam Sent loo (0 1
° St . Loeq
) , the Constable of
the Fort , as being ve i y lax, bu t two captains in the FortHeni y W ise and John M oorton— denied the charge and stated
that no women of the country had entered the fort s ince the
Cons tab le ’
s departur ,e that no debauchery had taken place at
Chris tmas ; that no mu tiny owing to scarcity o f food had takenp lace among the garrison and that no favou r had been shown
to two so ldiers who had been placed in irons on a charge of
Shane O’
Lalor ’ s,but they had been propel ly bailed upon
sufficient surety in order that their hand locks might be avai lablefor the safe keeping of I rish ou tlaws , there being but three pairsof bo lts within the fort .2 In 1 558 the Earl of Sussex, the LordDeputy
,reported that on the 18 th of May the O
’
Mores and
O’
Connors came 1 11 great strength to the Fort of Leix , with thelintention of driving off the cattle belonging to the for ;t however,the Constable , Sir Henry Radcl ifi
’
,issued out with sixty so ldiers
and thirty kerns and rescued the pr °
ey Francis Cosby,following
up the rebels came across a party of them wheI e they were
making merry among them were Donough O ’
Connor, the son
of Cormack'
O’
Connor, that was in Sco tland , and RichaI d oge
Fit z Gerald . After a long fight Cormack ’
s son and R ichard oge .
were slain along w ith thirty 0 1° forty of their followers C o sby
hym self kylled Rychard oge with his owne hands , whych wo ld .
not have been done by no man els.”3
In 1 566 Francis ,Cosby was appointed Constable of the
Castle , and was a l lowed for i t s garrison one porter, one drummer,
one ensign,one surgeon,
and thirty-nine arquebusiers . This
appointment he was to hol d during the Queen’
s p leasure,w ith a
fee of 2 s . a day for himse lf, 1 2d . a day for each of the four
officers, and 8d . a day for each of the arquebusiers .
‘
1 Calendar of State Papers, 1 509-73 , p . 89. I b. , p . 99.
3 I h. , p . 146 . This R ichard “oge w as son of R ichard , son of
S ir Gerald mac Shaun Fit z Gerald . See P ed igree of the BallyshannonF it z Geralds at page 426 vol . i ii , o f the JOURNAL ,
4 Eliz . Fiant N O . 819
T own o r THE FORT o r NIAR Y BOROUGH I N 1 792 .
[ From G rosc’
s Ant i qm t ies o f I reland .
H IST OR ICAL N OT ES ON THE O’
M ORES
and l ikew ise to distribu te such part of the rest of the country as ye shallp erceive that ye may have convenient persons to take and inhab it the
same , and to use the same ground s In manner o f husbandry for Increase
o f t illage for corn . And as for the reservation of the rent, although w e
wo uld tha t for augmentation o f our revenue ye should reserve for everyacre during the first t en years 2
d.
,and for the o ther t en years 3
1, and so
afterwards 4d , yet no t know ing how at this present the same may b e
compassed , w e rem it the same to your w isdom and good considerat ion .
And for o ther co venants or corpora l service to b e done by the tenants to
whom ye shall make any grants , w e also rem it the same to your d is
cretion ,foreseeing tha t you d o not make any estat e to any person b etter
than to them and the heirs males o f their b odies lawfu lly b ego tten.
M l
On the 4th of November,1 561 , the Crown appointed a
Commission to mark the bounds and limits of the King ’
s and
Queen’
s Counties , to divide them Into baronies, and to appointin each county a place where the gaols shal l be , under the Statu teof 3 and 4 Phi lip a
z
nd M ary The members of thisCommission were —2
S ir W il liam Fitz W illiams,Kt .
,Vice-Treasurer .
Sir Henry Ratcliff,Kt .
,Lieu tenant of Leix and Offaly .
S ir George Stanley, Kt . ,Marshal .
John Parker, Master of the Rolls .
Humphrey W arren,a Captain,
and a member of the
Privy Council, of Ballybrittan,in the Barony of
Warrenstown ,King’
s County .
M ichael FitzW illiams , Surveyor-General .
Henry Cow ley ( 0 1° Colley) of Edenderry , Barony of
Coolestown (recte Col leystown) , King’
s County .
John Wackley (0 1° Wakeley) , of the Navan,
”and later
of Ballyburly, King’
s County .
Nicholas Harbard (0 1° Herbert) , of Monasteroris
,
King’
s County .
Francis Cosby , of Vicarstown,and Stradbally , Queen
’
s
County .
W illiam G irton, a Captain in the English army .
Hugh Lippiatt , of Bal lyknockan,Queen
’
s County .
W il l iam Portas , of Blackford , Queen’
s County .
John Pigo tt , of Dysart-Enos , Queen’
s County .
Edward Bowelton .
Richard Grofte,
of C lonmore and Castle-Jordan,
K ing’
s County .
Richard Peppard , of Balrinnet,Barony of Carbury ,
County Ki ldare .
A nd Robert Cowley (Colley ) , of Castletown and Togher,K ing
’
s County .
Cal . o f Carew M SS . ,1 5 15 -74 , p . 291 .
2 Elizab eth Fiant No. 6786 .
AND THEIR T ERR IT OR Y OF LE IX . 35
The result of the Comm ission ’
s investigations as to the mears
of Leix and of Slievemargy is appended at the end of these Notes .
The Old Map ofLeix and Offaly , described at the beginning of thi sPaper, was probably drawn at this time, at all events , a year0 1
° two later . The names in the above l ist of Cosby (S tradbally)Portas (Blackford ) Pigott (Dysart) and Lippiatt , wronglywritten “Duccurd (Ballyknockan) appear on this map .
Rory oge O’
More , for the first few years of his chieftainship,
does not appear to have Openly used arms against the G overnment forces ; but disturbances in his territory were of frequentoccurrence, as , for instance , in 1 564, S ir Edmond Butler, of
Clogrennan (County Carlow) , brother to the Earl of Ormond,
wrote from Carlow to the Lord Depu ty that he had encounteredthe ou tlaws of Leix
,Lisagh and Cahir
,
”Isons of Kedagh O
’
M ore ,
and their followers , who had just burned a town . This skirm ishtook place at C lonyn in Idogh,
near Gorydenne at Cloneenin the County Kilkenny , Barony o f Fassaghdineen, and near
Garrandenny in Slieve Margy) . I II the fighting there were slainTirlagh macShane and Teige O ’
Dowling, whoseheads were forwarded to the Lord Deputy , besides a dozen of
their kern. The two ou tlaws must have been noted rebels,as
Sir Nicholas Arno ld, the Lord Depu ty , on hearing of the news ,
wrote congratu lating Sir Edward Butler, and forwarded £40 tocompensate him for the loss of two of his horses which were
killed , and to, recompense his wounded men.
In Ju ly,
-1 569, Callough O’
M ore,the youngest son of Rory
caech by his second wife M argaret , the daughter . of Edmond
Butler, Archbishop of Cashel , i llegitimate son of Pierce, 8 thEarl of Ormond , petitioned the Government for a continuance
of the pensi on of £ 40, whichh ad been allowed to him and his
brother Kedagh, late deceased . He also prays to be restored tohis father ’
s lands . His father , he adds , was loyal to the Crownand lost h is life , when Captain of Leix ,
”in
‘
prosecuting the
rebels (see page ,In 1 57 1 Callough
’
s cousin,the Earl of
Ormond, interes ted himself in’
his beha l f, and wrote to S ir Wm .
Cecil , Lord Burghley,then Secretary of State
,for perm i ssion
for Callough to leave Gray ’
s Inn and return to I reland,and to
afford him_some means of l iving.
4 The result was Callough wasgranted , in 1 5 73 , a pension of £ 20 a year , until such time as he
should receive a grant of lands to the yearly value of This
{soon came about, as , in August , 1 574, he obtained a grant of
Lisagh and Cahir O’
M ore w ere both executed for reb ellion in 1 570.
Cal . of State Papers ,”1 509-73 , p . 238 .
3 I b ., p . 414 .
4 I b ., p . 443 .
5M orrin’
s“ Cal . of Patent and C lose R o lls, vo l . i i , p . 638 °
36 H IST OR ICAL N OT ES ON T HE O’
MORES
the Manor of Bal lina1 (0 1° Balyna) in the County Kildare ; and
in June , 1 5 75 , he was granted the Preceptory of Kilmainham‘
N ood’in the County M eath,
w ith its appurtenances . Kedagh
and Cal lough O’
M ore were stepsons of the S ir Maurice F itzGerald, Kt .
,of Lackagh,
County Ki ldare, who died on the
26th December, 1 575 , as their mother , Margaret Butler,took
to her second husband Sir M aurice Fitz Gerald . The latterin his W i ll , which is not dated , thus refers to his stepsons zI tem . I bequiet to my sones Kedaghe and Calughe O
’
More all
my appareile .
”3 Callough died on the 27th March,1 61 8 , leaving
issue by his wife M argaret , daughter of Walter Scurlock,
4who
survived him ,two sons
,Rory 01
° Roger, and Lewis , the descendants of the younger of whom succeeded to Ballina , and his
representative is now M r . Ambrose M ore-O’
Ferrall,D .L .
,of
Balyna.
5
Rory Oge , as early as 1 570, is reported to the Governmentas being l ikely to give trouble before long. However, it is not
until June , 1 573 , that anything serious i s reported , and on thisoccasion Thomas Lamb in
,Sheriff of the Queen’
s County , sentin word that Pierce mac Connel l O ’
M ore having been slain at
Morett by a man-of-arms belonging to a M r. Fit z Harris ,
R ory Oge in revenge besieged Fit z Harris in a castle and
devastated his lands .
In November of the same year Gerald Fit z Gerald , 1 6th Earlof Desmond , when a prisoner in Dublin Castle, managed to
effect his escape,and
, through the personal assistance o f R oryOge , was safely conveyed through the County Kildare and Leix ,and restored to his friends in the County Limerick .
In 1 576 the death occurred of Owny macHugh O’
Dempsey,Chief of his Name
,and Lord of C lanmaliere . He was slain by
Lisagh mac Neil l O ’M ore in his Castle of
Cloneygowan,
6in the King
’
s County .
In 1 5 76“The Annals of the Four Masters state that
A t this time R ury oge , the son of R ury ,son of Connell O ’
M o re ,
and C onor , the son o f Cormac,son of Brian O ’
Conor Ealy , opposed the
Engl ish w ith the ir wood -kerns ; and they w ere jo ined by al l that w ere
l iving o f the race o f R ossa Fa ilghe and of Conall Cearnach. Shortlya fterwa rd s these people fo rmed troops of many hundreds . They burned
1nd deso la ted large portions of Le inster , M eath, and Fingall .
1 Elizab e th F iant N O .
I h.,N O .
3 P reroga tive W ill in the Dub lin R ecord Office .
l C o unty M ea th Chancery Inqu is it ion N O . 7 o f James I .
3 S e e P ed igree C in the A ppend ix .
6 Do w l ing’
s Annals o f I reland .
”
p . 42 .
AND THEIR TERR IT ORY OF LEIx . 3aI
The State Papers add that so bold were these raiders thatthe manner of their coming is by day with bag-pipes playing,
and by night w ith torchlight . Rory Oge , too , appears to havecarefu lly t imed his raids , as , for instance , when he attacked andset fire to Naas on the 8rd March
,1 5 77 , he chose the time of
the local “ Pattern, that is twe o ' days after the Festival of
St . David , the Patron Saint of Naas ; and though there were500 armed men in the town, they were not in a fit state to offerany seriou s resistance .
On New Y ear’
s Day, 1 5 77 , occurred the massacre of the,
.I rish
gentry of Leix and Offaly in the great rath on the summit of thehill of Mullaghmast, County Ki ldare . The “Annals of the
Four Masters . thus refer to it
A horrib le and ab ominab le act of treachery w as comm it ted by the
English of Leinster and M eath upon that part of the peop le of Offaly and
Le ix tha t remained in confederacy w ith them ,and under their protection .
I t w as effected thu s they were all summoned to show themselves,w ith
the greates t numb er they cou ld b e ab le to b ring w ith them ,at the great
rath of M u llach-M aistean ; and on their arr ival a t that place they w ere
surrounded on every side by four l ines of so ld iers and cavalry , who proceeded to sho ot and slaughter them Without m ercy , so that not a singleind ividual escaped by flight or force .
”
C lyn,In his Annals of I reland , referring to this butchery
,
states that Moris mac Lisagh mac Connell O’
More , Lord of
M erggi”
(2 Slieve Margy) , with forty of his clan,after con
sultation w ith Rory O ’
More , and when under protection, was
slain at Melaghmastyn,
”in the Countyof Kildare , having been
invi ted there by magistrum Cosby and R obert Harpoll , on
the pretence of consulting him on the affairs of the country .
To Glyn’
s entry is added , Harpoll excused i t that Moris had
given vi l lanous —wordes to the breach of his protection.
A Captain Thomas Lee , of the Government forces In Ireland ,p uts t he tru th plainly in reference to Mullaghmast when he
states that
They have drawn unto them by protection three or four hundred of
those country people , under co lour to do your M aj esty’
s service , and
brought them to a p lace of meeting , where o ur garrison so ldiers w ereappo inted to b e , who have there m ost dishono urab ly pu t them al l to the
sword ; and this hath been by the consent and practice of the Lord
Depu ty for the t ime b eing . If thi s b e a good course to draw these savagepeople to the S tate , to do your M aj esty
’
s service , and no t rather to
enforce them to stand upon their guard , I humb ly leave to your
M ajesty .
” 1
1 Annals of the Four M asters,
vo l . v , no te 0 11 p . 1 697
38 H IST OR ICAL N O T ES O N THE O’
MO RES
The “ Annals of Lough Key mention this massacre
thus :‘ Treachery was comm it ted by M aster Francis (Cosby) and by
M acomas (f?) and the Saxons 0 11 M u irchertach O’
M ordha and on his
p eop le : and the p lace where this treachery was comm itted was in the
great rath of M u llagh M a is tin and M u irchertach and seventy-four men
w ere slain there and no uglier deed than that was ever comm it ted inErinn .
”
Naturally the next thing to expect from Rory Oge for thissavage atrocity is revenge and among other raids he organizedwas one against Naas in the following March (as abovementioned ) ,when he and his followers are described as having “
ranne
through the towne lyke hagges and furies of hell , with flakes of
fier fastened on poles ends. When they retired from the placeagain
,they left behind them 140 thatched houses enveloped in
flames .
In September, 1 5 77 , Rory Oge had captured two importantprisoners ; one was Sir Henry Harrington,
Kt . ,Lieutenant of
the King’
s County , and , by his mother, Lucy Sydney , nephew to
the Lord Deputy , Sir Henry Sydney the other was AlexanderCosby
,son of Francis Cosby
,who was in command of the kern
at the massacre in the Bath of Mu llaghmast. Rory ’
s right-handmen at this time were his marshal
,
”Shane grany mac Rory
reagh .O’
More, and Connor mac Cormack macBrian O’
Connor
of Offaly .
Negotiations were soon commenced by the Lord Deputyw ith Rory Oge for the release of his prisoners, but nothingprevailed withou t such conditions as I (Sir Henry stated) wou ldnot have enlarged Philip my son .
”The events which then
followed are thus described by the Lord Depu ty 1
Then I made war upon the reb el I w ent into his fastest places , andthough my men preva iled he st ill kep t my nephew bu t through R ob ert
Harpo o le l b ese t his cabanish dwelling . The reb el had w ithin it twentysix of his best and mos t assured men , his w ife ,
3the w ife o f his marshal ,
and C onnor O’
Connor,an ancient and rank reb el of long maintained in
Sco t land , who in that place and t ime was killed by a man of m ine named
John Parker . There was also killed the w ife o f R ory Oge , and al l his
men ;Ionly there escaped himself and his marshal called Shane mac
R ory roogh , in tru ith m iraculously , for they crope b etw een the legs o f
the so ld iers into the fas tness of the p lashes of trees . Rory Oge confessed ,
Cal . o f Carew M anuscripts , 1 575 -88 , p . 3 5 5 .
O f Shrule , Q ueen’
s C ounty , Constab le of Carlow Castle .
8 A daughter o f Hugh macShane O’
Byrne of Ballinacor,County
\V ick lo w , Chief o f his N ame .
' Includ ing two sons of R ory Oge , accord ing to the“ Annals of
Lough Key .
AND THE IR T ERR IT ORY OF LEIX . 39
and so d id the w ife of his marshal whom the so ldiers saved ,that the
skirts of his shirt was w ith an English sword cut from his bare b ody . In
this assau lt and conflict , b eing done in the dark night , the villainousreb el fell upon my most dear nephew ,
b eing t ied in chains , and him most
shamefu lly hacked and hewed w ith my nephew s own sword , to the
effusion of such a quantity of b lood as w ere incredib le to be to ld . He
brake his arm w ith that b lunt sword , and lcut off the little finger of one
of his hands,and in sundry parts of his head so wounded him ,
as I
myself in his dressing did see his brains moving . Y et my good sold iersbrought him away , and a great way upon their halb erts and pikes , to a
good place in that country where he was relieved , and afterwards (Ithank God) recovered .
”
In the following year Rory Oge’
s chequered career came to a
close, as he met his death at the hands of one of his fellowcountrymen, a M acGillapatrick of Ossory . In a continuation of
Sir Henry Sydney ’
s account of his services to the Crown he
describes how the end came abou t ; it was thus
After the rescue of my nephewH arrington from the reb el , R ory Oge
I p laced a garrison to persecute the reb e l ‘
under S ir N icho las M al bye ,Captain Co llyer , Cap tain Furres , Cap tain M ackw orth
,and others
las tly and mo st effectually under the Baron o f Upper O ssory , my
particu lar sworn b ro ther“
. The vile R orye was killed by a househo ldservant o f the Baron ’
s his m arshal , Shane macR orye R eogh, escaped ,and the reb e l ’s b ody , though d ead , was so w ell at tend ed and carried aw ay ,
as it was the cause of the d eath of a good many men on both s ides , yet°
carried away he was . But no t long after his head was sent to me , and
set upon the Castle of Dub lin , for which I had proclaimed 1000 marks tob e gi ven to him that w ou ld b ring it to me
,and £ 1000 to him that would
b ring him to me alive . The Baron of Upper Ossory , who was nurtured
under Edward V I , w ould take but £ 100 to d ivid e amongh is men .
”1
The‘ fAnnals of the Four Masters thus notice this brave
man’
s death
1 578 . Rury Oge , the son of R ury Caech, son of Connell O ’
M ore , fellby the hand of Brian Oge , son of Brian M acGillapatrick . This Rury was
the head of the plunderers and insurgents of the men of I reland in his
t ime and for a long t ime after his death no one was desirou s to discharge
one sho t against the so ld iers of the Crown .
”
The exact date of Rory Oge ’
s death was Monday , the 30th
of June,The devotion shown by his followers to carry off his body is
very pathetic. To do so several lost their lives, the one side forlove and the other for blood-money. Rory Oge ’
s followers wereapparently determined that their chief’s body shou ld not be
dishonoured by being quartered by his enemies . H is staunch
friend , the marshal— Shane macRory reagh O’
More— in defence
1 Brewer ’
s Cal . of Carew M SS .,1 575 -88 .
Cal . of S tate Papers , 1 574-85 , p . 138 .
40 H IST OR ICAL NO T ES ON T HE O’
MO RES
of his beloved master ’
s body , received twelve wounds, seven of
which were not yet healed when some three and a half months
later he tendered his submission between the 4th and l 0th
of November, along with Connell mac G illapatrick O’
More .
This occurred at Kilkenny where , the gao l being over-crowded,the A ssizes were ordered to take p lace ; as a resu lt thirty-sixpersons were there and then executed , including a blackmoorand two witches, by natural law, for there was found no law to
try them in this realm .
”1
Rory Oge’
s successor in the chieftainship appears to havebeen James mac Kedagh O
’
More (also styled Myaghe , 0 1°
Meaghe) , who is first mentioned in 1 58 1 , when in September hemade his submission to the Lord Depu ty , and in the followingmonth he and his son, George O
’
More , received a pardon.
2 In
January,1 5 83 , James Meagh, a lias O
’
M ore,was in receipt o f a
pension from the Crown,which show s he was then in favour .
He had a brother, Thomas macKedagh,who in March , 1 58 1 ,
was a prisoner in the T ower of London for comp l icity in the
Bal tinglass Rebel lion . He is described as“the servant of the
Countess of Ki ldare ,”3 and one likely to be able to give informa
tion against the Earl ofKi ldare , who was suspected of svmpathyw ith the rebels . Thomas macKedagh
’
s fate is unknown ; bu the and his brother James in January , 1 584 , are reported as
offering their services to the Privy Council to free the Pale fromannoyances of their Sept , and to transport the whole Sept to any
part of Munster then uninhabited and in the Queen’
s hands .
How this cfler was received is not mentioned bu t James mac
Kedagh’s death took p lace shortly afterwards
,as a M r. Edward
Norreys , on the 6th of Augu st , 1 584 , informed the Privy Councilthat :
The O’
M ores , after the death Of their principal (chief) , James M ore ,
alia s M eagh ,are d ivided into two 0 1
° three Septs , and pledges for their.f ood conduct taken of them .
”5
I t was during James mac Kedagh’
s chie ftainship that theAnnals of the Four M asters
,under the year 1 580, s tate that
John Fitz Gerald , son of James,Earl of Desmond
Went into Leix,and burned and plundered A bb ey Leix upon
belonging to ) the son of the Earl o f O rmond , namely upon P ierce , the
1 Cal . O f Carew M SS . , 1 575 -88 , p . 144 .
El izab e th Fiant N O . 3959.
Cal . o f S tate Papers , 1 574-85 , pp . 293,295 , 320, 327 .
4 1 1h, pp . 493-4.
[ b . , p . 522 . Fo r James“ M ea th
,al ias O ’
M ore’
s , W ill , see theAppend ix .
4 2 . H IST OR ICAL N OT ES O N THE O’
M ORES
May, 1 596, and is thus referred to in The Annals of the
Four Masters
Owny , son of R ury oge , son of R ury Caech, son of Connell O M ore ,
was a t this time a gent leman skilled in the art of War°
and Leix was
to tally ravaged by him , b o th its crops , corn , and dwellings , so that therenothing In the territory outside the lock of a gate or a bawn which
was not in his pow er .
“He slew a gent leman of the English who was seated at S tradballyLeix , who possessed a large por tion o f the t erritory by authority of the
Sovereign,namely , A lexander Cosby , the son. of M aster Francis .
The Annals omit to say that Alexander’
s eldest son,Francis
Cosby , was also slain on this occasion. On the 1 9th of May,
W illiam Cosby , Alexander’
s second son, sent a despatch to SirW illiam Russell , the Lord Deputy , reporting the disaster in
which he states that Owny mac Rory came with a large force of
rebels , and that his father and elder brother were killed, alongwith five men
,bu t that George O ’
More was slain in the combat,
and divers of the rebels were wounded .
] The Lord Chancelloron the 20th,
in his report , states that Mr . A lexander Cosbieand his eldest son Francis were slain at the gate of his houseof Stradbal ly by the protected Mores .
2
On receiving the news the Lord Depu ty , who kept a Journalof his movements from June , 1 594, to May, 1 597 , made thefollowing entry in it :
M ay 20th, 1 596 . N ew s that Mr . Gosb ie , his eldest son , and five of
his men w ere slain in defending his town against 60 of the O’
M oores .
M r . Gosb ie killed Gorg 0 ’
M oore,one of the chiefest of them .
”3
The George O’
More here mentioned was in all probabilitythe George (a most unusual Christian name in a Celticclan) ,son of James macKedagh O
’
More,Chief of his Name , pardoned
in 1 583 (see p .
The traditional account of his fight is given in Hardiman s
I I ish M instrelsy (vol . ii , p . and is to the followingeffect :
In the y°
ea1 1 596 OwnymacRory O’
More, ChieftainofLeix ,demanded a passage for his men over Stradbally bridge
,and the
request , being considered as a formal challenge to fight,was
refused . On the 19th of May, Alexander Cosby hearing thatthe O
’
Mores were on the march,headed his kern, and proceeded
to defend the bridge , taking w ith him his eldest son Francis,
who was married a year before to Helena Harpole of Shru le, by
1 “ Calendar o f S tate Papers , I reland , 1 592-96, p . 522 .
I f» , p . 520 .
Calendar o f Carew M SS .
,1589-1600
, p . 245 .
A ND THEIR T ERR IT ORY OF LE IX . 43
whom he had a son, W illiam,born bu t nine weeks before this
fatal battle of the bridge . Dorcas Sydney, wife of A lexander,and her daughter-in-law
,placed themselves at a window of the
Abbey to see the fight , and for some time beheld their husbandsbravely maintaining their ground . At length A lexander Cosby ,as he was pressing for °
wa1 d , was shot, and dropped down dead .
Upon this his kern,with melancholy and mournful outcries ,
began to give way°
and Francis Cosby , the son, apprehensive of
being abandoned , endeavoured to save himself by leaping overthe bridge , but the moment he cleared the battlements he wasalso shot
,and fell dead into the river . This
,as might be SUp
posed , mu st have been a shocking scene to the widowed ladies,who beheld the entire scene from the Abbey ; yet it is recordedthat Helena Cosby
,with the coolest presence of mind , add I essed
herself_to Dorcas Sydney , saying,
‘Remember mother that my
father (in law) was shot before my husband , and therefore thelatter was the legal possessor of the estate, and consequently Iam
“
entitled to my thirds 0 1° dowry .
’
The Co’
sby party beingentirely routed , O
’
More ransacked the Abbey, but conveyed theinfant and widows to a place of safety .
I t may not be out of p lace to mention here that inNovember,1 598 , the Castle of Stradbally was surprised by the O ’
Mores
and captured . I t belonged to the widow Cosby, whose husbandand her eldest son were slain them last year, but on this occasion1the poor w idow by good hap was come into this town (Dublin) al ittle befor
,e whereby she avoided that calamity ”
(which befellS ir Thomas More and his wife in their house calledCroghan,
”in the King
’
s County, shortly before) .1 In the
fo llowing December, a Captain Thomas Reade reports thatS tradbal ly , a principal place in Leix , and a house of Captain
Cosby’ s , in the Q ueen’s County , i s possessed by the enemy and
1°
.ai z ed”2 S tradbally first came into the possession of the Cosby
fami ly in February , When in after years the countryhad quieted down,
the mansion shown in the quaint , large oil
painting,
4°now at S tradbally Hall , was built, though the present
mansion does not occupy its site . There is a house in the
town of S tradbally at the present time called The Abbey ,”
which probably marks the site of the Franciscan Monastery ,founded i n 1 447 , though no portion of the ancient walls now
exists .
In the month of August, 1 596 , Captain Warham Sentleger
Calendar of S tate Papers , I reland , 1 598 9_
9, p . 355 .
I b. , p . 390.
3 Elizabeth Fiant N o 493 .
4 See p . vo l . v , of THE JOURNAL .
44 H IST O R ICAL N O T ES O N T HE O’
M ORES
(0 1° S t . Leger), a fterwards knighted and made G overnor of Leix ,
wro te to the Lo rd Deputy that Owny mac Rory desired a pro
tection with the v iew of bringing abou t a thorough peace . His
chie f demand then was T o have land at a reasonable rent inGallyn (now the Parish of Dysart-Gallen) , where his predeces
sors and himselfwere born ; to which it was answered that “Her
Majesty had already disposed of the same,and that it was unfit
that he , who had ki lled the owner of the land , shou ld now be
tenant of i t .
”A t the same time Captain Sentleger informed
the Lord Depu ty that he was in favour of Gallyn being rentedto Owny mac Rory, because the land was then waste , and alsobecause it was hi s experience that “
the M oores ever in times
past did trouble and keep stir in this country , ti ll they had some
place in the same to set down upon, except in these late times ,
in which the Offspring of these that are dead were bu t children.
’l
Later on in the same month,Pierce and James , sons of Sir
Edmund Butler; of Clogrennan,near Carlow (brother of Thomas
,
l 0th Earl of Ormond) , are reported as having joined the Rebels .
Bu t t hat Owny mac R ory,though they had taken an oath of
a l legiance to him ,preferred that they shou ld prove their sincerity
"by some deed of destruction upon the enemy .
2 In the fo l lowingyea r these two brothers were killed . Pierce was execu ted at
Thurles in June , and James was slain in Apri l,1 597 .
During the remainder of 1 596 Leix was in a very disturbedstate . Adam Loftus ; the Archb ishop of Dub lin , wrote on it
thus
A s for the Q ueen’
s County the state thereo f is at this present most
lamentab le,for the English gent lemen , which there w ere planted , are all
spo iled , and have '
the ir towns and haggards burned by the O’
M oores ,
save only some few gent lemen of the W ingtons , and their near allies ,which are fo ster-brethren to the Earl of Tyrone (i .e . Hugh O
’
N eill,then
in reb ellion) ”3
I II December 1 596, Captain Warham Sentleger wrote fromT imogue (Queen s County) to the Lord Deputy that His
Ensign (0 1° Lieu tenant) with a few men making search in a great
wood , l ighted upon a hou se,where was Stokes a lias W illiam
mac Rorie,who fled into the woods , bu t was overtaken and his
head cu t off.
’ He w as probably an O’
More,who had assumed
an Engl ish name,in the same way as was done by James mac
Kedagh O’
More a l ia s fil my /16 , as mentioned on page 40.
I t must not be assumed that the who le of the clan of O’
More
Calendar o f S tate Papers , I reland ,
”1596-97 , p . 73 .
I I) . p . 102 . I t . 169.
Calenda r O f S tate Papers , ” 1 596-7 , 192 .
AND THEIR TERR IT ORY OF LEIX . 45
were of the same patriotic nature as the so-called rebels,for , as
there are black sheep in every flock ,so there were renegades
among the leaders of the sept . Thus we find that a Loughlinmac Owny O
’
M ore in 1 589 peti tioned Queen E l izabeth for a
pension in consideration that his father Owny had been slain byRory oge O
’
More,and the custodianmf some lands was thus lost
to him .
1 Four years later (1 593 ) one Brian O’
More,of Kyll
cunye , in Leix (2 Ki llenny in the Barony of S tradbally ) , alsopetitioned the Queen for a pension in recompense of his servicesto the Crown
,he having spent all his youth in Her Majesty ’
s
service against his own kith and k in ; and his father did the
same, losing his life in 1 5 77 while serv ing against Rory oge
O’
More at the time that he took. S ir Henry Harrington prisoner(see page H is further complaint is that when he went
mm to London to learn Engli sh fashions , 0 11 the very night o f
his arriva l he was ar°
1
0
1 ested by S ir W i l liam IV ebb, the
D
‘LO l d
Mayor , and lodged in the C ompter, where he was detained and
suffered great mI serIes for two years and three months .
2
I II o ther cases members o f the Sept obtained grants of landfrom the Crown,
only to be agaIn forfei ted a few years later .
This occurred in the case of Kedagh m ac PIerce O’
M ore,1
'
t
was granted Dooary and Monaduff, in the Parish of Ballyroan,
in 1 5 63,which we1 e fO I feited in 1 598 by the I ebel l ion of his son
and heir Shane ; 3 Mu I tagh oge O’
More is another
\He received a gI ant of that )
lands o f Raheenduff 111 1 5those of Cremorgan in 1 5 70 ; they , too ,
became forfe
Cr °
own by the rebellion of his grandson,Patrick mac Lisagh
0’
More,in 1 598 .
4
0 11 the 1 l th January,1 597 , Cap tain Warham Sentleger ,
writing from Monasterevin to the Lord Depu ty,reported that
Faghtna O’
More ,“the best gentleman o f them al l but Onie
(macRory ) , is hurt and not l ike to live . And another of Onie’
s
best men, called Donnel l O ’
Doran, Is also hurt . One of the
Connors has been once or twice taken up from his grave new”
the p lace of skiImish,and a great moan (2 keen) made for him .
’’ 5
This latter piece of nev'
Vs is pecul iar , bu t the explanation may bethat the cOI pse was exhumed for interment elsewhere .
On the 1 3 th M ay,1 597 , Brian reogh O’
More , a bro ther of
Owny macRory’
s,a manwho had seen much service in Ulster
1 Calendar of S tate Papers , 1 588-92 , p . 288 .
I b. 1 592-96 , pp . 195 , 197 .
Queen’
s Co unty Chancery N o . 7 of E l izab e th,and El iza
Elizab eth Fiants 5 1 8 , 1 553 .
Calendar of S tate Papers , Ireland , 1 596-7 , p . 206 .
AN D THEIR TERR ITORY OF LE IX . 47
under the banner of Hugh O ’
Nei l],Earl of Tyrone
,during his
rebellion, which broke out in 1 595 , wrote from Leix to his formerleader that wi th seven score soldiers he defeated Captain Butler,who had nineteen score men under him , and that if five 01
°
six
hundred soldiers could be sent to him he would undertake thatthe mos t part of I reland shou ld be under his control 1
Towards the end of October,1 597 the rebels were reported
as doing great havoc in the Pale , and in Leix the poor decayedbands of Captains Sentleger arid G ifford accompanied with a
few of the fr °
eeholde1 s there had an encounter with that dangeroustraitor Tirrell ( i . .e Captain Richard Ty
° °
1 1 ell , one of Tyrone ’
s
ablest officers) . They kil led thirty of his rakehells, and T irrellhimself, as it is thought ; for , being struck on the left side withthe push of a pike
,near the one-half of i t was seen out at his
back , and it is hoped it lighted not wholly on his clothes 0 1°
missed his body clean but he was carried off with his numbers,which were near 400. Twenty of our best men were killed inthe bickering .
’ ’ 2 That the wound fortunately proved not to be
severe i s testified by the fact that Captain Tyrrell was again inthe thick of a fight early in the fol lowing December.
“The
Annals of the Four M asters ,state that he was fighting in
O’
Sullivan Beare’
s count ry (County Kerry) in 1602 . He is
called by them CaptaIn Tyrrell , namely Richard , the son of
Thomas oge , son of Richard .
”
On the 7 th December , 1 597 , the English garrison in the
Fort Of lMaryborough met with a serious 1°eve1° .se I t came abou tin this way — The rebels, under Owny mac ROIy and CaptainRichard Tyrrell , had p ermission from the Lord Lieutenant ,during his truce with Hugh O ’
Neill , Earl of Tyrone to evacuateLeinster w ith their forces and proceed to theNorth . On theirway through Leix they were attacked by the garrison in Maryborough,
which they cut to pieces . Two accounts of the fight,
one from either side , were sent to the Earl of Ormond for theinformation of the Lord Justices Loftu s and Gardiner
, who
decided that the Maryborough garrisonwas to blame .
Captain Sir Warham Sentleger sent in his despatch by thehands of his brother-in-law , Robin 01
° Robert Pigott, ofDysartEnos, who was married to his sister. The contents of the
despatch are gIven as follows
Captain S ir Warham Sentleger to the Earl of Ormonde [M onastere
yin,9th Has ad vertised the Lord s Justices of the m ishap fallen to
his company and Cap tain Walter Hovenden’
s , on Wednesday la-st
,the 7
1 Calendar of S tate Papers , I reland ,1 596-97 , p . 289 .
2
p . 432 .
3 I b .
, p . 471 .
48 H IST OR ICAL N OT ES ON THE O’
MORES
instant . T irrell and Ownie macR ory , accompanied by at least 400 fighting m en , came into Leix ,
and encamped first in S lyemarge , then near
Fearne Priory (i . e . Farranaprior , a lias T imahoe) , and so the third day ,
taking the who le spo il o f the country in every place where they lay .
Hearing this , and that the ir d eterm inat ion was to pass through w ith thelike spo il o f the country ,he (S ir Warham) sent a d espatch to the sold iers of
A thy ,and himself assemb led the fo rce o f this s ide of the country , bu t was
answ ered only by Terence O ’
Dempsey (of Ballyb rittas , afterwards createdV iscount C lanmal iere) . M eant ime his Lieu tenant drew ou t o f the Fort(of M aryboro ugh) w ith the two companies , near to the Sheriffs town
,
where Captain Hovenden lay sick . F inally d ivers messages passingb etwixt them , a matter purposed by T irrell , and no t w ell considered byour leaders , they fell together by the ears and b o th o ur companies are
u tterly defeated . My Lieu tenant is only escaped , w ith I think some 20
o thers of no mark . My self was come w ithin a m ile of the p lace beforethis happened , and had sent to them a man or two of m ine , to ho ld a
speech t ill I had come ; one of which they slew ,the o ther they took
prisoner , after which they w ent and b urned the town of M aryb orough,
and lay ab ou t the Fort w i th many m enaces to force it , in which was a
most s lender ward ; so removing a l it tle further the next day they putla’
dders a making , which I understand ing , w ith tho se few I had , for your
Lordship mu st understand that no t a man of the country nor b orders
came to me b ut Terence O’
Demp sey and R ob ert Whitney (o f Shaen) , Iw ent to the Fort , and pu t in my Lieu tenant w ith as many as I had left .
They'
returned me my man that they took ,and told me that my so ldiers
had broken the peace , and ye t if I wou ld grant them pro tection for twelvedays , they w o uld b e sworn to do no further hur t , t ill they shou ld hearfrom the N orth. I answered that I wou ld no t grant any pro tection to
them,but
'
was contented”
to prom ise them to seek no revenge t ill yourLordships re turn, or t ill yo ur pleasure were signified .
” 1
The Lords Justices in explaining this affair to S ir RobertCecil , Secretary of S tate
,write that they were unable to ascertain
the truth as to the blame for this disaster, as neither RobertPigott nor S ir W arham Sentleger was outspoken enough in
their report , consequently they“mistrust that their soldiers
began the quarrel upon some trifling occasion, such as the choiceof way , 0 1
° the taking of beeves for a night ’s victual . They (theJustices) have sent to bolt ou t the very truth thereof.
The report of the fight was sent 0 11 the 9th of December tothe Earl of Ormond , commander o f the English Army, by Ownymac Rory and Captain Richard Tyrrell . Their version of the
affair is as fo llow s“ They were passing wi th the ir companies through Le ix , while Captains
Sent leger and Hovendcn w ith the ir companies were lying a t the Fo rt .
The latter came ou t to lay the w ay fo r them . They , understand ingthereof, sent one o r two gentlemen o f the country to cert ify that the ir
meaning was no t to hurt the country in sort . Notw ithstand ing, the
companies fo llowed them , and they sent to them again , desiring them to
Calendar o f S tate Papers , 1 596 -7 , p . 469. I b., p. 471
50 H IST ORICAL NOTES O N THE O’
MORES
t ime . And such of his peop le as had no t b een cut off at that p lacereturned as broken-shielded fugitiv es to the Earl and the camp . BrianR eagh O
’
M ore himself was w o unded , and it wa s no t long a fter t ill hed ied of the virulence o f the w ound s which he received on this occasion .
0 11 this very day , after the ba tt le aforesa id,Owny ,
the son of Rory Oge
O’
M ore ; R edmond Burke,
son o f John ‘of the Shamrocks ’
; and
Captain (R ichard ) Tyrrell , cam e and pi tched their camp opposite the
Earl ’s camp . Before the noon of the next day , M onday , when it was
tho ught that the Earl w ou ld march into the territory , he returned to
Kilkenny , and sent his so ldiers into their garrisons .
”
The Earl of Ormond , in his report on this defeat,makes
light of it , and writes that the loss on his side w as my dearestnephew ,
Captain James Butler, who w as slain w ith some few
private so ldiers , and no other man of account . Brian ReoghO
’
More , the most mischievou s and maliciou s traitor and practiseramong them,
being the commander of all the rest, was slain,
w ith divers others , and most of their leaders maimed and hurt .
”
Lord Ormond adds that the scene of the fight was in the greatwoods of the Camagh.
1 This name is now obsolete,but it is
marked down on the Old M ap of Leix , where it is spelt“Cammogh,
”and its situation is shown as lying between
Ballyfin and I ry, in the northern portion of the Parish of
C lonenagh . The high hill on which the English camp was
pitched may have been Conlawn Hill , to the west of Bal lyfin.
S ir Geoffrey Fenton, Secretary in I reland , writing on the
24th of July from Dublin to S ir Robert Ceci l , states that thisfight took p lace on the 10th o f Ju ly ( the Annals of the FourM asters appear to have antedated it by a few days) , and writesthat
“the fight w as sharp for the time it continued ; and the
place being plashed ’
fortified ) before , to the advantage of
the rebels, the attempt was so much the more to our disadvan
tage and danger and yet , God be thanked , we lost not above a
dozen 0 1° twenty men, and as m any hurt ; and no man of
reckoning slain but Captain Bu tler, the Lord Lieutenant ’snephew, a young man of red hair
, whom your Honour mayremember to have been brought up in the Court as page to hislordship . S ince this exploit , nothing has ensued worthadvertising, bu t the Lord Lieu tenant , being grieved and nettledat the loss of his nephew ,
is preparing to attempt the rebelsagain in their places of strength.
” 2
The death of the gallant Rory Reagh O’
More was a disastrousblow to the rebels in Leix . I t is worthy of notice
,as an instance
of the fairness and impartiality of the“Annals of the Four
Masters,
”that in recording the deaths of these two brave
Ca l . o f S ta te Papers , I re .
,1 598 -9
, p . 213 .
2 I h., p . 21 1 .
AND THEIR T ERR ITORY OF LEIX . SI
soldiers , they give the place of honour to the foe, and placetheir countryman
’
s name after his.
Early in the month of September, 1 598 , the troublesome
operation of victualling the Fort of Maryborough was carried
with difficu lty by the Earl of Ormond who , Sir G eoffrey Fentonwrites ,
“was fought with both g
’
iiing and coming, but he
prevai led against the rebels .
”1
The Annals of the Four Masters also record the operationthus °
A great host ing was made b y the Earl of Ormond to p lace provI S IOnsin
’
P ort -Leix . When they had advanced a certain d istance on their way ,they w ere met by Owny ,
'
the son of R ory Oge , son of Rury Caech
O’M ore ; by R edmond , son of John of the Shamrocks , son of R ickard
Saxonagh Burke ; and“
by Captain Tyrrell , namely , Richard , the son of
Thomas Oge Tyrrell . On this exped ition the Earl of Ormond lost more
than the value of the provisions in men ,horses , and arms and it was
w ith d ifficu lty the Earl himself escaped after b eing wounded .
After this episode Owny macRory received orders from the
Earl of Tyrone to proceed with his forces into Munster to assistthe Earl of Desmond , lately selected by the I rish
, vi z .,James ,
the son of Thomas Roe , son of James, son “
of John Fit z Gerald,
son of the Earl . After accomplishing the object of pu tting theEarl ofDesmond into possession of his own again
,Owny O
’
More
returned to Leix .
2
In Spite of the re-victualling of the Fort of Maryborough inSeptember (as a bove mentioned) , the n
garrison, towards the end
of November , were again in great straits for want of both foodand ammunition. On the 1 7th of December the E arl of Ormondinformed the Privy Council that he hoped shortly to renew the
supplies there , and enclosed a communication, dated the 26th of
November, he had received from” “the inhabitants of the Fort ,
”
in which they state that Captain M ichael Marshall had writtento the Earl three 01
° four letters,the bearers of which had been
intercepted and two of them hanged . They have Since persuadedDavid Good , an Englishman and Vicar of the Fort, and James
Rogers to endanger themselves in bearing letters to him statingthe situation,
which by word of month they were to explain wasdesperate
,but which in the letters, in order to deceive the
enemy if they were intercepted , they said they were well providedfor in every way. R ogers, it appears, was thrown from his horse,which became restive when the rebels rushed out to bar his way,and was captured Good was obliged to dismount , and managedto make his escape on foot through the forest .3
Cal . of State Papers , I re . , 1 598-9, p . 260.
Annals of the Four Masters , anno 1 598 .
3 Cal . of S t ate Papers , 1 598-9, p . 41 1 .
52 H ISTOR ICAL NOT ES ON THE O’
MORES
In the following month (January , 1 599) the Fort was
relieved by the Earl of Ormond ; on this occasion during thefighting which took place on the 1 l th
,12th
,and 1 3th of
January , 254 of the I rish are reported as being slain, executed ,or wounded . On the 1 5 th January , W i l liam Hartpole, Constableof Carlow Castle, wrote from that place to the Earl that the dayhe marched away from Maryborough (1 2 th January) that mostdangerous traitor Lysagh oge O
’
M ore was buried and that itwas the intention of the rebels to assemble at Knocke ArdeO
’
Gurry”
(Knockardagur) in Gallin and attack his town of
Kilkenny .
1
Lysagh oge , here mentioned,was slain at the Rede Moor,
probably whi le opposing Ormond’
s march to Maryborough ; hewas one of the chief leaders under Owny macRory .
W e now come to the running fight , known as the Battle of
the Pass of the Plumes,
”owing t o the large amount of English
helmet plumes shorn from the , troops during their passagethrough the defile , which is situated in the townland of Cashel,between Ballyknockan and Ballyroan . The date of the fight i sthe 1 7 th M ay, 1 599. An account (from the English point of
view) of the fighting is to be found in a diary2 kept from the
9th to the 1 8 th of M ay by Robert Devereux , Earl of Essex ,then Lord Lieu tenant of I reland . 0 11 the 9th of May he
started from Dublin and arrived at Naas ; on the 10th he
reached Ki lcullen on the 1 1 th he went v ia Ki lrush, to Tullagh
gorey, near Athy, and encamped there. Athy was held for therebels by Sir James fitz P ierce Fitz Gerald , of Ballyshannon,
in
the County Kildare , as well as Woodstock Castle close by,which
had to be captured before the army cou ld enter the Queen’
s
C ounty ; this was done and wards were left in these places.
The diary goes on to narrate that :
The 1 5 th, the army marched towards S tradbally , ho ld ing on their
course through the passage of Blackford , a place o f d ifficulty , where the
reb els were ever used to fight Her M aj esty’
s forces ; bu t 11 0W , notw ith
s tand ing they had entrenched i t , and shewed themselves upon it , yet ,see ing the order of o ur march , they rather chose to lose the labour of al l
their for tificat ions than to hazard a fight in that place .
The 16th , the Lord Lieutenant , after a short march (from S tradbally)d irected the army to Ballyknockan , two miles w ide of the Fort of Maryb orough ,
towards the mounta ins O f Sleaghnegree , go ing himself w ith the
convoy o f v ictuals , a t tended on w ith 200 horse and 500 foo t, which he
carr ied to place in the Fort . By the way he sent 50 of those horse and
300 foo t to a cas tle of Terence O’
Dempsey (of Ballyb rittas) , Chief of thatN ame , where rema ined two o r three prisoners , taken by the said Terence ,
who was commanded to go a long with those troops and to bring the
1 “ Gal . o i S tate Papers , 1598-9, p . 461 .
21a ,
1599-1600, pp. 37-40.
AND THEIR T ERR ITORY OF LEIX .
prisoners who w ere famous reb els , one of them called Captain Nugent ,reckoned to b e one of Tyrone
’
s b es t captains . They w ere delivered t o
S ir Francis R ush,Commander of the Fort , to b e execu ted and their
heads set on the Gate . This d irection being given, and the Fort suppliedw ith victual , w ith munit ion , and an increase of five hundred men for the
garrison, the Lord Lieu tenant proceeded to meet the army at Ballyknockan where the rebels , show ing themselves in great mu ltitudes boththe same night and the next morning (the 1 7th) , qu estion was made
whether the army shou ld go the next way toward s R ossconnell , which
was through a Pass cal led Cashel,or march ab ou t by the mountain
( 2 S leaghnegree) , to avo id the d isadvantage of the Pass . The reso lutionwas that the reb el should rather b e sought than shunned , and that it. wasnecessary to teach the world that Her M aj esty
’
s army cou ld and wou ld inal l p laces make way for itself. Whereupon , first , the Pass w as view ed ,b eing some quarter of a mile long, w ooded on bo th sides
,having on the
one s ide a high hil l , _on the o ther a main bog , and at a ford at the
furthest end of it , an entrenchment . The direction for the giving on was inthis manner . First , one hundred m en w ere sent to enter the mou th of
the Pass , the first ranks b eing musketeers , and after every three ranks of
musketeers two ranks of short w eapons . With these w ere sent axes ,
p ickaxes , spades , and shovels and”
two b odies , of three or four hundred
Foo t apiece , were sent t o second those . On either side of the Pass w ere
p laced d ivers w ings of sho t and sho rt w eapons to flank the passage . A t
the mouth of the Pass , and at the entrenchment ,‘
there was no resistance,
so that the trench was soon thrown down and the passage made open .
But by the draw ing nearer of the reb els on e ither side , it was conceived ,as indeed it fell o ut , that the ir purpose was to give on when our carriages
w ere in passing, and the Pass so choked that our men cou ld hard ly fight
in order . Whereupon,first , the w ings which were upon both sides were
jcommanded to stand fast and new w ings provided out of every part of
the army to second these . The vanguard of the Foot being, besides thew ings , divided in to two b odies , the first was commanded to make a guard
abo ut the ford and in the strait of the Pass . -and the o ther to stand in
batt le in the m id st of it , in a place of some bread th, leaving the highwayfree for passage and the vanguard of the horse was commanded to pass
through , to command the champaign b eyond the Pass . This b eing done ,the carriages were appo inted to march, which the reb els seeing, gave on
upon b oth sides , and so cont inu ed a kind of fight a l l the while they w erepassing, which was some two hours . A t last , when b o th o ur carriages
and battle (main b ody) were passed , they charged our rearguard , and on
the b og side and in the rear they came up to the sw ord w ith our w ings .
But every place was made good against them ,and they glad to trust to
their lightness and sw iftness . In this fight there w ere only two of no te
slain , Captain Ralph Bosw ell , a vo luntary (2vo lunteer) , and one Gard iner ,a lieutenant of S ir Henry Dockwra . There w ere also but two of note
hurt,Captain Fo
‘
lliott , and a gent leman serving in the Lord Lieu tenant ’scompany who had b een lieutenant of a company b efore ; and three of
these four w ere j ust ly punished for their d isorderly.
and.
-d 1sob edient
go ing in b eyond the place assigned them , and upon InfinIte d l sadvan
tage . Of common so ld iers w ere slain three or four , and some s1x or
‘seven hurt . Bu t the reb els ’ loss was far grea ter ; and , to add to this
forenoon’
s good success , in the evening the Q uarter-master , go ing b efore
to make the quarter at R ossconnel l , finds some three score of rebels ,"
himself being accompanied only with eight horse , and the rest of the
troop assigned him b eing somewhat b ehind . He first ret l red , and after
54 H IST OR ICAL NOTES O N T HE O’
MORES
wards returning again ,he charged them and put them to a retreat
, which
b eing chiefly pursued by Cap tain Thomas Williams and one Edward
Bushell , a gent leman tha t serves the Lord Lieu tenant , their leadercalled Donnell Knagger [sent by Tyrone w ith some shot (musketeers) toLord M ountgarrett] was slain , w ith s ix of his men . On our side no hurt
was rece ived , saving that M r . Bushell was run through the b ody w ith a
p ike , of which w ound he is yet likely (God b e thanked ) to escape .
The next day , b eing the 1 8 th, the army d islodged from Rosconnelland marched d irect ly to the Pass of Ballyragget (Co . etc.
In John Dymmok’
s“Treatise of Ireland , is
_included an
unknown English officer’
s journal of his war services, from the
l oth of M ay to the 9th of September,1599 ; in it he gives an
account of the fighting in the Pass of Cashel , which closelyresembles that given above , and agrees in stating that the
English loss was smal l . He gives the name of the hill fromwhich the E arl of Essex examined the Pass before making hisarrangements to force his way through , as Croshyduff,
”a name
by which it is still known,though not marked on the Ordnance
Survey M aps . However, his description of the Pass itself variesin some particulars . He describes it as
through a thicke woode a myle long lead eth a lI ighe waye ,in mos te
p laces ten going paces b roade , which in the m id st was traversed w ith a
trench and the woode plashed (fortified ) upon bo th syd es , from b ehinde
which the reb ell m ight w ith facillyty gaule our men in their passage .
To the o ther two sydes of the woode are adjoyned two boggs which
served the reb ell for a secure retreat from al l force of our army ; but
upon an eleva ted porcion of grownde b etweene the w o ode and the hogge
on the lefte hande syde was a v illage , from b ehind e which the reb ellm ight safely sallye and returne agayne to his strength at his pleasure .
In spite of this strong pos ition for attacking the English ,their loss was incredib ly smal l . The English officer does not
mention the loss suffered by the I rish, but he states they were
500 strong with abou t forty horse , under the command of OwnymacRory O ’
More .
O’
Su ll ivan Beare , in his History of the I rish Catholics ,puts the loss of Essex ’ s force at but this is probablv an
exaggeration.
In September, 1 599, the Lords Justices wrote to the Lord
Lieu tenant (who had just crossed over to England) , among othermatters , that the Fort of Maryborough was in such a state of
ruin that an attack on it would be likely to succeed , so that theyhad issued orders for its repair and also for the making of an
iron grate for its entrance .
3The grate was the outer iron
1 The P ub licat ion of the I rish Archae o logical Society for 1843 , p . 32 .
N o te on p . 21 1 2 , vo l . v i o f the “ Annals of the Four Masters .
Cal . o f S tate Papers ,”1 599-1600, p . 1 57 .
AND THE IR TERR ITORY OF LE IX .
barred door which opened ou twards ; there was also a strongwooden door inside in addition
,which of course opened inwards ;
this means of defence was common in all castles.
On the 7 th January , 1 600, Sir Francis Rush, commander in
this Fort , wrote to the Lords Justices, describing a trap he hadsuccessfully laid for the destructionaof the rebels .
1I t happened
in this wise
He called to account an Englishman , whom he greatly suspected , and
whose w ife , b e ing Irish, had much recourse to the reb els in cessat ion
time . He threatened him much, and urged him (as a proof of his
honesty) to b e the means by his w ife and her alliance , to get intelligencefrom time to t ime of the reb els ’
proceed ings , w ishing him to send them
some id le intelligences , to give him the more credit w ith them . Foundhim w illing, and exceeding ly faithfu l and honest ; no tw ithstanding, at
the ent rance of this practice , he laid b o lts upon him co lourab ly , and after
upon b onds released him . Then I d evised to send himto Ownie mac
R ory , to Speak w ith him ,and to u tter his discontent against me , and that
he wou ld do him a great service , assuring him if he would fo llow his
counsel , he w ou ld deliver him the Cast le and the munition,whereupon
the For t mu st surrender 0 1° b e pu t to the sword .
’
The pract ice couldno t b e effected w ithin the lim it of the cessation, and thereupon he
arranged that the reb el shou ld seek for one"
w eek more,for the poor man
to pass and repass . By this new p lot o f cessation he gained some wood
and po les to make a lit tle palisado , and recovered some b ullets for hisartillery from A thy .
To b e brief, my good Lords , i t was thus reso lved upon , that uponFriday at night , the fourth of January ,the moon and his watch-night
serving fitly , the poor man shou ld ,out of the vault where he lay in the
Castle , and where was some time a great ho le s topped up , w ell-known tosome of the reb els , Open the same
, go ou t him self thereat , and up the ditchto them lying close b y in the d itches , to b ring in two , the one before and
the other b ehind him , to search and V iew the Castle within for ambushes
or treason . And many came at the first to the ditch-side w ith a ladder ,to come more qu iety down the d itch b ut only tw o then cam e down and
entered the ho le , and seeing as they‘
thought al l passages free , and everyman asleep , they w ent ou t to fetch the rest
,myself lying in the
constab le ’
s chamb er close , w ith some tw enty-four good men , and
provided w ith sufficient matter and device to choke and dam up the
stairs at an instant .
“ In the interim of their retu rn to fetch the rest , which was ever p lainlyand secret ly d iscovered at a Spike-ho le , I laid myself w ith my men of
choicest p ick tO possess the stairs where I stood and made good a longt ime unt il I thought there w ere enough ,
or al l , entered , that w ere
appo inted for the entry ._
“ Then with my first d evice , which was a great pack of w et hay to
prevent fire , though in the entry of the vau lt where the passage was upto the stairs , I had p laced a great hu tch (0 1
°
chest ) fu ll of stones , and a
,chest upon the top of the hu tch likewise filled w ith stones , so that the
passage was b ut for one man sidelong, I let d own my pack and then
called fo r light ; and so,having barrels ready to cast down ,
I fo ught
Cal . of State Papers , 1599-1600, p . 398 .
56 H ISTOR ICAL NO T ES ON THE O’
MORES
awhile , until they offered to press ou t at the hole where they came in .
Then my Lieu tenant I had laid ready to guard the ho le of the entry w ith
some six musketeers with quarter shot , and a p ike or two , right over theho le to strike such as offered to pr ess ou t , insomuch as they were so b eset
that they took to the great cellar and stayed there for fear where , it is
strange to tell , the villains w ith their skeens (daggers ) and harrells of
p ieces (gun-barrels) , b efore noon the next day , had w rought o ut a ho le so
big as a man m ight go ou t . N o tw ithstanding w e found them play in at
Spike-ho les w ith our shot (gunners) al l the night and day .
I ,‘
seeing these v illains pressed fair for their lib erty , took reso lut ionw ith my gent lem en and b est m en to enter the cellar . So I opened the
stairs again and entered the cellar, where , my good Lords , the villainsw ere many more than w e that w ent down to assau lt them . They fought
exceed ing w ell , but my brave and valiant men, by force of sword and
b lows , pu t them up into a lit tle port ion of the cellar where we held themin very close and killed and galled many , until in the end , after a longconflict , perforce they yielded them selves .
“ The so ld iers , some hurt , in their fury instant ly killed them al l , savingsome three that escaped m iraculou sly out at the hole from half a dozengood men that I had p laced w ithou t .
What their loss is , I know not , b u t I am sure there l ieth in the
Castle , ye t unb uried , some four or five and thirty carcases . For our
particular loss , I have no t a man lost,though many hurt , in regard w e
w ere reasonab ly well armed at our entry . Myself, I fear , I have lost an
eye by the splinters of a sho t , and shot in the right hand . Wherefore Ib eseech your Lordships to excu se me that I write not myself. I hope bythe grace of Jesus Christ to recover al l my poor men
,no tw ithstand ing
some of them are sore hurt .— The Fort (of Maryborough) , January 7th,
1 599(
This disaster to Owny macR ory ’
s men, who were killed likerats in a trap , as mentioned above, took place in the month of
January , 1 600. In the following April, Owny paid the Englishback in their own coin, as Captain Sir Francis S tafford , on the
1 6th April , reported to the authorities that z .
There hath b een of late a pract ice attempt ) to surprise the Fort ofLeix ; and to effect their purpose , there was an o ffer made unto S ir
Francis Rush’
s Lieutenant , he b eing at Dub lin , to bring him where he
m ight have some good store of corn for the relief of the garrison. And
the par ty which o ffered the service,to declare that he meant nothing bu t
tru th,left a pledge in the Fort w ith his w ife and child , and r
w illed thatthey should b e hanged , if he failed of that he Offered . W’
hereupon there
was appo inted twenty soldiers to go w ith this man for the b ringing awayof this corn , and when he had b rought the so ld iers to the place wherethe co rn w as , there lay Onie M acR ory w ith 120 men , who charged theso ldiers and k illed them al l .
” 1
W e now come to an incident in the career of Owny mac
Rory which created the greatest consternation and anxietyamongs t the Government officials, and that was his making a
prisoner o f“ Black Thomas
,
”l 0th Earl of Ormond
,Commander
“ Cal . o f S tate Papers , 119 » 1600, 13 ° 96 °
H ISTO R ICAL NOT ES ON THE O’
M O RES
Earl of Ossory ; Melaghlin O’
More and Calvagh macWalterMacDonnell, a nephew of Hugh Boy MacDonnel l , of T innakill ,in the Queen’
s County .
Sir George Carew’
s account of what occurred (from his side ’
s
point of .view) enters into minu te details . He relates that heand the Earl of Thomond left Dublin together on Monday , the7 th of April , accompanied by 100 horse , and reached Kilkennyon Wednesday night
Where we found the Earl o f Ormond,who
,as soon as w e came unto
him , acqua inted us that he had appo inted the next day to parley w ith
Onie macR ory . W e to ld his lord ship that we wo uld at tend him , and I ,the P resident , desired his Lordship that my 100 horse m ight b e sent for
to go w ith u s fo r his Lordship’
s b etter guard , which he refused , thankingme for my offer
,saying tha t he had no need of them .
The next day , b eing the 10th of this present , after d inner , his
Lordship no t having in his company ab ove the numb er of 17 horsemen of
his fo llowers armed , and no t a litt le above the like number of al l sorts ,whereof w e w ere part , and the rest lawyers , merchants , and o thers upon
hackneys , w ith no o ther w eapons than our swords , rode ou t to the p laceofmeeting, e ight long m iles fromKilkenny , called Corraneduffe , l upon theb orders o f I dough,
2 leaving his Lord ship ’
s own company of 200 foo tmen
shor t o f the assigned place abou t two English m iles .
The place where w e met w ith the reb els was upon a heathy gro und
descend ing towards a nar i ow stra it,having on e ither s id e a low shrubby
b oggy wood,w ithin three p ikes ’ length a t the farthest from the p lace
where we par leyed , and the like d istance fro'
m the stra it aforesaid , the
cho ice of which ground we much m isliked .
Onie macR ory , when he came unto us , b rought w ith him a troop of
cho ice pikes , leaving in a lit tle p lain beyond the stra it , w ithin half culiversho t o f us , in our sight , al l his gross (main b ody) , b eing al l to the numb er ,
R edmond Ke tinge , one of the reb els , d id swear unto m e the
President,of 500 foo t strong and 20 horse , whereof 300 were bonnaughtsfi
the b est furnished men for the war,and the b est apparelled tha t we have
seen in the kingdom . A t o ur firs t m ee t ing , and so d uring the parley(which was appo inted for some good causes best known to his Lordship ) ,they stood as close as they m ight , every man trailing his p ike and ho ld ingthe cheek of the same in his left hand , ready to push .
“ The Earl himself was upon a li ttle w eak hackney , unarmed, as al l
w e were that w ere ab ou t him, s tand ing w i th the s ide of his hackney so
near to the rebels as they touched him .
A fter an hour or more was id ly spent and no thing concluded we ando thers d id pray his Lordship to d epart , b ut he desirous to see tha t
infamous Jesu it Archer , d id cause him to b e sent for . A s soon as he came ,
the Earl and he fe ll into an argument,wherein he called A rcher a traito r ,
and reproved him for seducing , under pretext o f rel igion,Her M aj esty
’
s
sub j ects into reb ellion .
' In his “ H is to ry o f the Diocese o f Ossory , vo l . i i, p . 103,the
W i lliam Carrigan, et c., states that C orranedu ffe is new
C orrandhu ( i . e . the b lack ca irn) , the name o f a hill on the townlando f Toormore , which rises to the east of Ballyragge t , in the Co . Kilkenny .
Now the County Kilkenny Barony of Fassaghd inin.
H ired sold iers from ano ther prov ince or d is trict .
AND THEIR T ERR IT O RY OF LEIX . 59
In this meantime the gross of the reb els had left the ir standing in thep la in, and some crep t into the shrub s aforesaid and others d id so minglethemselves among us that we w ere environed
, and stood as if we had b eenin a fair ; whereof d ivers did advertise his Lordship, and at last theEarl of Thomond w illed Onie to put back his men,
and I the Presidentdesired his Lordship to b e gone , for that I d id not like their m inglingw ith us . Wherew ith as his Lordship was t urning his horse , at an instantthey seized upon him and us two . H is Lordship was in a moment drawnfrom his horse . W e had more hanging upon us than is credib ly to beb elieved b ut our ho rses were strong, and by that means did break fromthem
, tumb ling down on al l sides those that were afore and behind us,
and ( thanks b e t o God ) we escaped the pu sh of their pikes , which , w ere
freely bestowed , and the flinging of the ir sk eynes (daggers) w ithou t anyhurt , saving that the Ear l of Thomond received from a pike a wound inthe back .
The Earl ’s horsemen which were armed were far from us,for every
one was dispersed and talking w ith particu lar reb els about their b orderingb usiness
,so as w e do protest to your Lordships , in al l w e w ere not above
ten unarmed men near unto him and,as soon as the alarm was raised
every man of his Lord ships fo llowers ran away w ithout looking” behindthem ;
After we had cleared ourselves w ithin a butt length at the most , w e
made halt , and called for the trumpet , and cried upon the Earl ’s men for
a charge, but none stood by us,b u t Captain Harvey , Captain Browne ,
M r . Come'
rford a lawyer , and three of our servants,which was al l
‘
the
company we had there , and al l of us without armour or o ther w eapon bu to ur swords so as
,fo r want of more company , w e w ere enforced by the
enemies’
sho t (mu sketeers) to leave the ground to them . But w e do
assure your Lordships ,”
the place wherein w e parleyed wa s of such
advantage to the enemy , that 500 foo t wou ld no t have cared for 500 horseand therefore his Lord ship not
'
having foot w ith him , i t was imposs ib leto do the enemy _
any harm w ith horse . Onie macR ory laid his hands on
me , the President (as they repor t) , and , next un to God , I ,must thank my
Lord of Thomond for my escape , who thrust his horse upon him , and , a t
my back , a reb el newly pro tected at my su it,called Brian macDonogh
Kavanagh, being afoo t , did me good service , and wounded one of tho se
traitors tha t laid hand on the Earl of O rmond . For the rest I mu st
thank my horse , who se strength bare al l down ab o u t him .
“ On our side there was bu t‘
one man slain,no t ab ove five hur t
,
whereof P iers Bu tler , a kinsman of the Earl ’s , was one who b ehavedhimself valiantly and ab ou t four teen taken prisoners and of the
enemy one was slain (by a‘ p isto l shot ) and a few hurt . The pr1soners
w ere taken by their own negligence , who w ere afoo t grazing their horses .
”1
The one man slain of the Earl’
s party was Phi li p Comerfordthe lawyer . The men who actually seized the Earl ’ s horseWereMelaghlin O
’
More and Calvagh macWalter MacDonnel l . The
Earl himself was not touched , though he lost , ornwas deprivedof
,his hatt
,George , sword , and dagger.
l The Government party naturally charged Owny macRerywith treachery in making prisoner of the Earl ; but as no records
Calendar of S tate Papers , I reland 1 600, pp . 100, 101 .
60 H ISTORICAL N OT ES ON THE O’
MORES
exist giving the other side’
s version of the affair, impartial judgment is impossible . And yet Hugh O
’
Neill , Earl of Tyrone,the chief of the rebels in al l I reland
,
‘
on the rumour of treacheryreaching him, wrote on the 5 th of June, 1 600, to the Countessof Ormond , that he had been assured by Owny and others thatthe Earl
’
s capture was brought about entirely “without any
kind of treachery or word given and if the contrary happened ,your Ladyship may be assured that I will never favour Onie,unless, without any kind of thing ( terms) , he will immediatelyenlarge his Honour ; and
,although by his release all I reland
were destroyed , yet if treacherously he was taken,I will procure
his enlargement according to the uttermost of my power , forwhile ever I live , I will never maintain an act so dishonourable.
I f these noble sentiments had been possessed by those respon
sible for the massacre at Mullaghmast twenty-three years previously, such a foul crime would never have taken place .
The following information “
on the movements of the Earlduring his captivity is gathered from various letters and reportssent in at various times to the Lord Deputy and others , as
recorded in the Calendars of the I rish State PapersAfter the Earl was captured at Corraneduff he was taken six
miles off to a place of safety , mounted on a hackney ; bu t forgreater security he was lodged in a different cabin each night
,
and closely guarded by Owny’
s bonnaghts . On the 12 th Aprilone of the Earl
’
s servants , who had been allowed to conveybedding , food , &c.
, to his master, returned and reported that hewas being well treated , bu t that food with the rebels was veryscarce, the Earl
’
s meals consisting at that time of bread , eggs ,and water .
On the 13th April the Earl was lodged in the Fitz PatrickCastle of Gortnaclea , situated on the Gully River
,between
Abbeyleix and Aghaboe . From here he wrote on the 1 4th to
S ir George Carew, thanking him for his endeavours to bringabou t his release . and urging him not to attempt to rescue him
by force, as his life would thereby be endangered hiscorrespondence, too , is all read both coming and go ing . On the 25 th
April the Earl was still at Gortnaclea, where Onie himself ishis keeper, and giveth him the favour to have his diet dressedby his own cook , and brought to the iron grate 1 of the castle byhis own men ; but there Onie himself receiveth the diet andcarrieth it up to the Earl , not suffering any ofhis Lordship ’
s own
servants to come within the grate .
”
By the 80th April the Earl had been moved from Gortnaclea,
i .e . , the iron outer door of the keep .
A ND THEIR T ERRITORY OF LEIX . OI
as on that day he wrote from The W oods of Leix to theLord Depu ty , saying he had been instructed to ask for a safe
conduct for James Archer and Robert O ’
Lalor,priests
,and
others with them , to proceed to Dublin to exp lain to the Counciltheir demands for the pacification of the country . He alsoenclosed the conditions on which OWny would consent to givehim his freedom . These werel
1 . To take away all Her M ajesty’ s forces from the garrisons
of Leix , and to deliver the garrisons up to Ownyg
mac
Rory .
To del iver sufficient good pledges to Owny to put nogarrison in any place wi thin Leix from the time of
removing them for ever again.
8 . That in case the pledges be not forthcom ing,that all the
garrisons in Leix and Offaly be removed out of thoseterritories
,and every man to shift for himself there
after .
4 . To grant a general Protection for Owny and al l his con
federates for the Space “
of six weeks, after the receiptof which Owny will inform the Council who desire toavail themselves of it ; and during that time no furtherforces shall be sent by the Counci l to Ulster .
As these conditions were not accepted , the Earl remained incaptivity. Early in May, S ir Geoffrey Fenton, Secretary of the
Counci l , employed two Spies to confer w ith the Earl ; one is
described as an I rish messenger,
l
and the other a lady namedHonora,
”afterwai ds referred to as
“Imperia Romana,
” 2 to
preserve her incognito . On the 9th ofMay Honora”reported
to her employer that she had made herself known to the Earlby a certain token which
'
he knew well , vi z . , that the Earl had a
green silk bag with books of Sir Geoffrey ’
s which he had failedto 1 etu1n that she found difficulty to converse with the Ear ,
las the bonnaghts had crowded round them ,
until Owny himselfsent them away
,and Stood just out of earshot while she
, the
messenger, spoke with the Ear ;l that since the Earl was
removed from .Gortnaclea he has suffered from the hardship of
having to rough it in the woods ; however, he has his own cookand bu tler, dines at a table by himself, lieth in his own bed ,and is allowed to take exercise
,
at certain times of the day under
aclose guard ; -
‘
that persons from Kilkenny are allowed to see
him,but no conversation in private i s allowed ; that he is
Calendar of State Papers , I reland , 1600, p . 140.
2I b. , pp . 170 and 18 1
62 H IST OR ICAL N OTES ON THE O’
MORES
frequently removed from one fastness to another with fatigue tohis body and no ease to his mind , and that the Earl of Tyronehas twice w ri tten to Owny to send him undeI escort to Ulster.
On the 14th of M ay Sir Geoffrey Fenton wrote to S ir RobertCecil , Secretary of S tate, that he had that morning heard that, atthe particular desire of the Earl
,S ir Terence O
’
Dempsey had
placed his Castle of Ballybrittas at the Earl’
s disposal for hisbetter comfort , and that the Earl was a prisoner there , guardedby twenty of Owny
’
s most trusted men. He was taken there bynight under a subterfuge to deceive the bonnaghts , who probablywished to convey the Earl to Ulster To ou twit them ,
Ownycaused one o f his trusted men,
who resembled the Earl m heightand appearance, to put on the Earl ’ s night-gown
,and walk by
the wood-side , where the”
Earl was accustomed to take exercise ,while Owny and his guard placed the Earl on horseback , and
quietly rode to Ballybrittas . By this time the Earl ’s health hadbroken down, and it was absolutely necessary that he should beproperly housed and cared for . His life , too, was of far more
importance to Owny macRory’
s schemes than his death wouldhave been .
On the 27 th May rumours first reached the Council inDublin that Owny was prepared to release the Earl upon pledgesbut it was not until the 12th of June that he regained hisfreedom by handing over hostages as the guarantee for the payment of
,in those times
,the very large sum
’
Of ThisOwny macRory had consented to on receiving instructions fromhis Chief, the Earl of Tyrone . A s it turned out later, this sum
was never paid up, as after Owny macRory ’
s death , two monthsafterwards those persons who had custody of the hostages, vi z .
,
Redmond fitz John Keating , of Ballymoyleran
the O’Kellys and the O
’
Lalor ,s were forced to deliver them upto the Lord Deputy .
On the 1 3th August Owny mac Rory Wi ote to the E arl ofOrmond concerning his hostages , and that he had heard that itwas the Lord Deputy ’
s intention to invade his territory to carryout a most abominable course, which I s, wher
°
esoeve1 they go ,to cut and reap down green corn, which i s a most execrablecourse , and bad example unto all the world ,
”and that if this is
done, he (Owny) wil l not go in for til lage in future, but wi l l liveon the tillage of others , so he prays the Earl to use his influenceto prevent this being done .
1 Calendai of S tate Papers , I reland , l 600, p . 237He , his w ife Elizab eth Kavanagh, and their son A rthur Keat ing,
rece ived pardons on M ay , 1601 ( ride Eliz . F 1ant N O .
3 “ Calendar o f S tate Papers , I reland , ” 1600, p . 396.
A ND THEIR T ERR ITORY OF LEIX . 63
The Earl wrote in reply , on the 1 4th,that when it was
known for certain that such an expedition had set out, he wouldmeet the Lord Depu ty and consult with him as to the bestcourse to tak e . In the meantime he advised Owny to ’
refrain
from more extremities unti l you shal l hear from his Lord
ship . I t is reported that you dealt f-without conscience 0 1°
othergood regard in killing Gerald Fit z Gerald (of Morett
,illegitimate
son of Gerald , 1 1 th E arl of Kildare) , of late being your prisonerfour days before, which, with the outrageous burnings and spoi lscommitted by you lately in the English Pale, may move -myLord to be revenged on you ,
Wherewith I have not been madeacquainted as yet .
” 1
The killing of Gerald Fitz Gerald was due,it is said
,to his
having treacherously“
slain a friend of Owny macRory ’
s,named
O’
Kelly.
We now arrive at the final scene in thi s drama,the tragical
death of Owny mac Rory , which occurred on the 1 7th of
August,1 600.
The Lord Deputy , Lord Mountjoy , finding that the O’
Mores
cou ld not be suppressed by fighting , determined to subdue themby famine ; and for this purpose he organized an expedition withthe main object of destroying the grOwing grain a p ps , and he
entered Leix , as the Annals of the Four M asters d escribe,
with many b arrows and pracas harrows with very longSpikes) , with many scythes and reaping-hooks , and destroyed 0 1
°
reaped the ripe and unripe crops of the territory .
”
In a journal2 kept of the Lord Deputy ’
s movements on thisexpedition it appears that he started from Dublin on Tuesday
,
the 1 2th August , and reached Naas, and on the next day heproceeded on to Moone the strength of his force was then 800foot and 100 horse . From Moone he wrote to the Earl of
Ormond to march his company and that of Sir ChristopherSt . Lawrence , both horse and foot
,into Leix by Idough, and to
meet him on Sunday night at Cullinagh Castle . On the 14th
the Lord Depu ty made.
‘
a detour from Moone towards Donnel l
Spaniagh Kavanagh’
s country ( the County Carlow Barony of
I drone) , and in _
the evening turned to Carlow . On the way he
directed Sir James fitz Pierce Fitz Gerald , of Ballyshannonand Sir Henry Folliett , with 400 men
, to
enter Leix that night in ano ther direction to capture cattle .
On the morning of the 1 5 th the Lord Deputy ordered the horse
1 “ Calendar of S tate Papers , I reland , 1600, p . 356 .
2 “ Cal . Of Carew M SS . 1 589-1600, p . 439, and “ Cal . of S tate
Papers , I reland ,” 1600, p . 394
66 H IST ORICAL N OTES ON T HE O’
M O RES
and the reb els came down in gro ss to’
the rescue of the houses . Our men
presently charged them back and fell into their greatest fastness w ith
them . In this skirmish Onie macR ory was mortally wounded in two
places , whereof he d ied that night , and Callogh M ‘Walter (MacDonnel l) ,one o f the most stirringest reb els in Leinster , and the most b loody , waskilled in help ing of Onie , who for a t ime was in a sound (swoon) , andleft t ill night hidden in a bu sh . Cal logh
’
s head was present ly brought tothe Lord Deputy . This man, b esid es the killing Of Captain Bosw ell andS ir Henry Dockwra
’s lieutenant “
the last year ,1and d ivers famous
murders in these parts, was , as is reported , the first man that laid handon the Earl of Ormond , when he was taken prisoner by Onie . The report
was for the present that Onie was only hurt , bu t the next day by diverswhich came from the reb els it was known he d ied the same night and
,
as it is said , fearing his head shou ld com e into the Lord Depu ty’
s hand s ,w illed it to b e cu t off after his death
,and buried , and appo inted Onie
mac Shane to b e O’
M oore . Upon the dea th of Onie , the M oores
d ispersed themselves by six and ten in a company , every man seeking to
save his own .
”
On the 1 8th the Lord Depu ty’
s force searched the country forcattle , and captured many cows , sheep , and goats . Here he was
joined by the Earl of Ormond and Sir Christopher S t . Lawrencewith their forces . On the 19th the army marched by the passof Cashel (the Pass of the Plumes) to Ballyroan ; and on the
20th continued their march past Gortnaclea Castle, where theEarl of Ormond had been kept a prisoner by Owny macRory ,to
“ Kilgighy”in Ossory . All along the rou te the creps were
destroyed and the dwel lings burned ; in one of the latter was
found the Queen’
s picture behind the door, and the King of
Spain’
s at the upper end of the table.
”For the next three days
the same work of destruction was continued withou t opposition,
and on the 24th August the Lord Deputy returned into Leixagain, approached the Pass of the Plumes , which was reported tobe strongly held by the rebels
,including Donnell Spaniagh
Kavanagh,who
, however, here made his submission on his kneesand was granted a protection for twelve days , 0 11 which he
withdrew his forces from the ranks of the rebels , and retired upthe hillside to watch the i ssue of the coming fight in the Pass .
On entering the upper pass,the rebels began to skirmish with
a great cry, charging home our men beat them presently intothe lower pass , and from thence into the bog, and so 0 11 into thewood beyond it , to the loss and hurt of many of them ,
and
Captain W il liam Tyrrell was Shot in the reins (kidneys) of
which it is said he is since dead . Whereupon the Lord Depu ty
This occurred at the fight o f the Pass of the P lumes on 17th M ay ,1590 ; Cap ta in R alph Boswell and “
one Gard iner ,” lieu tenant to S ir
Henry Dockw ra, hav ing pursued some rebels who took refuge 0 11 a bog
b e ing heavily w eighted in armo ur, go t bogged , and w ere slain before
they co uld b e rescued Cal . o f S tate Papers ,”1 599-1600, p .
A ND THEIR T ERR ITORY OF LEIX . 67
called them (his men) off, gave order to the army to march to
S tradbally,and wi th some twenty horse went to see the Fort of
Leix (Maryborough) , and returned that night to the Camp(at On the 25 th the army was divided up amongthe different garrisons, and the Lord Deputy went to Naas, andthe next day to Dublin.
Thus ended an expedition which resu lted in such irreparableloss to the Irish cause.
Of Owny mac Shane 0 ’More nothing remarkable is left on
r°
eOO I d . The Fiants of Elizabeth r°
ecOI d pardons to him in
1 585 , and a pension of 20d. a day from the Crownfor life in 1 587 ; but , in 1 599, he is named as one of the
principal rebels In Leix .
1 His wife,Anne Coffey, was pardoned
with many others , not of the O’
MOre sept , i n 1 601 (ElizabethFiant No . 6
From this perl od there is no further mention of an electedchief of the clan.
The Annals of the Four Masters state thatAfter the fall o f Owny , the son of Rury oge O
’
M ore , Leix was
seized by the English ; and they proceeded to repa i r their mansions of
lime and stone , and to se ttle in the o ld seats of the race of Cona llCearnach, to whom Leix was the hered itary principal i ty , for there was no'
heir worthy of it like Owny to defend it against them .
At this period, the close of the sixteenth century , the
p\rincipal landed proprietors, 0 1° inhabitants , o f Leix were
Barrington,at Cullenagh
Bowen, at Ballyadams (1 5Brereton,
at LoughteeogButler (Earl of Ormond) , at AbbeyleixCosby , at Vicarstown (1 5 5 1 ) S tradbally ( 1563 )
TimahoeDavells
,at Ki lleshin ( 1 563) Ballyknockan (1 5
Fit z Gerald (Earl of Kildare) , at T imogue (from an earlyperiod) .
Harpoole , at Blackford Monk’
s Grange ( 1 577 )Shrule Clonreher
Heth
z—aringt
pn, at Ballyroan Tu lly Tu llomoy)
1 5
Hovenden,at Killabban ( 1 570) Tankardstown
Keating, at Coo lrain Ballymoyleran (1 563 )Ballickmoyler (1 563) Coolhenry Croughtentegle
”all situated in the Barony of
Slieve M argy .
1 Calendar Of S tate Papers , 1599-1600, p . 371 .
2 The date fo l lowing the name is the year the manor was granted .
VIEW OF SHAEN CASTLE IN 1 778 .
[From S andb y’
s S elect V iew s in England,Scot land , and I reland ‘ J
V I Ew or S I IAEN CASTLE I N 1 792 .
[_From G rose’s A nt iqu i ti es of I reland . J
No p o rt ion o l th i s cas t le now s tands ; I t w as S i tua ted three m i les to the north-east of Maryborough .
H ISTOR ICAL N OTES ON THE O’
MORES .
M acDonnell , at R ahinderry and Kilmorony (1 563)Castlenoe, a lias Newcastle (Parnans , Barony of
S lieve M argy)M acEvoy, at Ballyfin
O’Kelly, at RathaSpick CorballyO
’
M ore , at Cremorgan and Raheenduff
DooaryPigott , at Dysart EnosSentlegeI , or S t . Leger , at Leagh
Skelton,a lias Lynt , at S leaty
Whitnev at Shaen
Of al l these E lizabethan settlers only two direct representatives -Cosby and Pigo tt— now exist in Leix .
W i th the excep tion o f the native I I ish,who afte1 wa1 ds joIned
Owny’
s R ebel lion ,the planters lived a wretched existence during
the various rebel lions . The“Calendars of I ri sh State Papers
frequently mention their m iserable plight , and,in 1 598 , they
describe how their farms are u tterly Spoi led and was ted , the
poor English gentlemen not daring to manure one foot of theirland
,nor almost to venture to look out of their castles , which
they are now even ready to abandon for lack of means to relievethem ,
their tenants being already departed from their dwe llingsnd become rebels w ith the rest , so as now we account theaueen’
s County as no be tter t han lost , the gaining whereof hathheretofore cost England so much blood and treasure.
2
The Earl of O Imond in the same year wrote that the
gentlemen of Leix, upon whom Her M ajesty bestowed largeterritories and lands
,and who Should have kept 140 horse and
280 foot , have encouraged the traitors of Leix , whom they cou ldhave prevented fromrebelling if they had continued their forces
as by their tenures they were bound . Bu t now some of them
yield up their strong cast les w ithou t resistance , which the traitorsbreak as soon as they be possessed of them . So as if mine
advice were fol lowed , those that thus yield them up should neverbe restored to them again ,
bu t the castles shou ld be bestowedupon o thers that wou ld betteI keep the same .
3
The same complaint is repeated by an anonymous writer inthe follow ing year He I s of the opini on that he “
cannot
commend the valour of the gentlemen of Leix o f English blood .
I t ;were a good course they should better be looked to , both as'
regards the tenure of their lands , and as to answering Her
1 Parish Of Tecolm .
2Calendar of State Papers , 1 598-1 599
, p . 1 703I b .
, P o 2 13 °
7o H ISTOR ICAL NOT ES ON THE O’
MORES .
Majesty ’s service, wherein they have been Slack and faulty. This
has greatly increased the pride of the rebels .
” 1
In condemning the planters so severely these writers are
inconsiderate and unjust, as most of them were army officers
under the Crown who , for their good services, were rewarded withland grants . Had the writers been placed in a s1m11ar tryingposi tion,
they could hardly have'
acted differently, as“needs must
when the devil drives .
”
For a continuation of the history of events in connexion withthe Queen’
s County, ou1°
readers must consu lt the late CanonJohn O ’
Hanlon’
s, P .P .,History of this county. The first volume ,
which closes with the year 1 5 57 , was issued last year and
the second volume is now being prepared for the press under theeditorship of our member, the Rev. Edward O ’
Leary ,P .P .
1 Calendar of State Papers , 1 859-1600, p . 371 .
A P P ENDI C E S .
I . I DENT I FI CAT ION OF THE PLA CE -NAM ES ON THE OLD M AP (see
p .
I I . CHI EFS OF LEIx FR OM THE ELEV ENTH To THE END OF THE
S IXTEEN TH CENTURY .
I I I . THE A NCESTOR S OF M ELAGHLI N O’
M ORE , CH I EF OF LE Ix, ob.
1 502 .
IV . THE S UBM I SS ION OF R ORY CAECH O’
M OR E , CH I EF OF LEIx,
IN 1 542 .
V . THE QUEEN’S CO UNTY P OSSESS I O NS OF THE EARLS O F KILDARE .
V I . TH E Bo uNDs OF TH E QUEEN‘
S COUNTY I N 1 561,A N D O F SLI EV E
MARGY I N 1549 AND 15 61 .
V I I . A QU EEN’
S COUNTY INQU I S I TI ON I N TO THE CH IEF OF THE
O’MORES
’
PER SONAL POSSES S I O N OF LANDS IN 1 566 .
V I I ] . TH E W I LL , DATED 158 4,O F JAM ES MAO KEDAGH O
’
M ORE,CH I EF
OF LEIx .
THE PR I NC I PAL P ATRON SA INT S OF CHUR C HES I N LEIX.
X . P EDIGREE OF THE O’
M ORES,CH IEFS OF LEIx
, I N THE S IXTEENT I—l
CENTURY .
XI . PEDI GR EE OF THE O’
MOR ES OF RAHEEN DUFF, CR EMORGAN ,ANn
BALLYDA V IS I N THE QUEEN’S COUNTY ; AND OF JOHN STOWN ,
COUNTY DUBLIN .
XI I . PEDIG REE O F THE O’
MORES O F BALLINA ,CO . KI LDARE .
P NAME .
A PPENDIX I .
CORRECT NAME .
IDough,a district cor
responding with the
Kilkenny Barony of
Fassadineen .
E ly-O
’Carrol l , a district
in the King’s County .
Eyne .
Irry , a part of the
O’
Connor territory .
Fo ssy .
The Great Heath .
Garrough .
Garrymaddock .
Gortnaclea .
River Gully .
Grange (Parish of
Dysart-Enos ) .
Monk ’s Grange .
In the Townland of
Vicarstown.
The v eg river .
Kil leany .
Kilberry (Co . Kildare ) .Kilcolmanbane .
KilcronanKilgorey .
Killabban.
Kilcolmanbrack .
Kilmainham .
Kilmurry .
Kyletabreeheen (Townland of Derrykearn ) .now Toberara , Co .
Kildare .
Kilmongan , or the IvyKilrush . [ChapeL
Lea Castle .
Lisb igney .
Loughteeog.
Levitstown (Co .
dare ) .Corresponds w ith Ki l? T onafarna . [morony .
Kil
Mountra th .
OLD MAP NAME . CORRECT NAME .
Nanulaghum Corresponds with C loncough .
Iry .
River Nore .
Palite Pallas .
Peahuchetowne (recteChurchtown (ofReban ,
Co . Kildare) .Knocknambraher .
Maryborough fort .
ye Churchetowne )
Rathaspick .
Raheenadeeragh (Co .
Kildare) .Rosskelton .
Rosconnell .
Shanahoe .
Shaen .
Shanganagh .
S l ievebloommountains.
The hilly range betweenBallintubber and
Oughaval .
Tomard (Co . Carlow) .Straboe .
Stradbally .
V abbey (ye Abbey)
Water Boote
The White BogeWoodhik
Abbeyleix .
Water Castle .
Woodstock (Co .Kildare) .Park .
I Regan,a district
corresponding w ith
the Barony of T in
nahinch , which be
longed to the
O ’Dunnes .
APPENDIX I . 7 5
A ttached to the follow ing names of castles , on the Old Map , are those of
their proprietors , which afford a clue to its date, circa 1 563 , though it w ill benoticed that “ the Fort of Leix
” is still called “ the Protectour,
and not
Maryborough ; the CS stand for Captain
Ballyknockan : C . Ducc‘
urd .
No such name as Duccurd dC'
curs in the Ia iS itions nor in the
Fiants . In 1 563 one Hugh Lyppyatte obtained a grant of this
manor,formerly leased to Capta in Henry W ise .
Blackford 0 . Porter .
The date of William Portas’
s grant of Blackford , a l ias Rath
maddock, i s not recorded he surrendered it in 1 576 .
Coolbanagher C . Owton.
No such name as Owton I s on record . In 1 564 Robert Hartpole,Constable of Carlow Castle , received a grant of this place in
succession to S ir Ralph Bagenal l , Kt .
Dysart : C . Pigot .
Granted to John Pigott in 1 563 .
Shaen : C . Delves .
Granted to George Delves’
in 1563 .
Stradbally : C . Cosbye .
Granted to Francis Cosby in 1 563 .
C H IEFS O F LE IX.
FROM THE 1 1TH T O THE END OF THE 1 6TH CENTURY.
Gahan O’More, lord of Leix , slain .
Cearnach O’M ore
,lord of Leix
,slain .
Aimergin macKenny macCearnach O’More , lord of Leix ,
slain .
Faelan macAimergin O’
More , lord of Leix , blinded ; d ied in 1069.
Cucogry O’More, lord of Leix , living .
Lisagh macFaelan O’More, lord of Leix , slain .
Macraith O’
More, lord of Leix , sla'
Kenny O’
More, lord of Leix , slain .
Aimergin O’More
,lord of Leix , d ied .
The son of Gahan O’More , lord of Leix, slain.
Lisagh macAimergin macFaelan O’More
,lord o f Leix d ied .
Neill O ’More , lord of Le ix , blinded .
Macraith O’More , lord of Leix
,living .
Cucogry macLisagh O’More , lord of Leix
,living .
Donnell O ’M ore,lord of Leix, slain .
[I t is a remarkable fact that “ The Irish Annals ” make no mention of an
O’More , Chief of his Name , during the thirteenth century . ]
Shane macDonough O’More ,
lord of Leix, sla in .
Lisagh O’More , lord of Leix, slain .
Connell O ’
M ore , lord of Leix,slain .
Rory macConnell O ’More,lord of Leix , Sla in .
Lisagh macDavid O ’More, (2 ) lord of Leix , died .
Murtough O’More , (2) lord of Leix, slain .
Donnell O ’More, (2) lord of Leix , living .
M elaghl in O’More , lord of Leix , d ied .
G illapatrick O’More , lord of Leix, living .
Kedagh O’M ore , lord of Leix
,died .
Donnell O ’
More , lord of Leix, died .
The son of Owny O’More, lord of Leix, Slain.
C onnel l macDavid O ’More, lord of Leix, slain .
Neill macDonnell O ’More inaugurated lord of Leix .
M elaghlin macOwny macG illapatrick O’More , lord o f Leix, died .
Kedagh macLisagh O’More
, lord of Leix, died .
Connell macMelaghl in macOwny O’More , lord of Leix , died .
Peirce macMelaghlin macOwny O‘
More, lord of Leix, died .
Kedagh roe macConnell macMelaghl in O’More , lord of Leix, d ied .
Rory caech macConnel l macMelaghl in O’More , lord of Leix,
‘slain.
G illapatrick macConnel l macMelaghl in O’More , lord ofLeix, died .
Connell oge m acConnell macMelaghlin O’
More,lord o f Leix, hanged .
Rory Oge macRory caech macConnell O ’More,lord of Leix , slain.
(circa) . James macKedagh O’More , alias Meaghe, lord of Leix , d ied .
Owny macRory oge macRory caech O’More , lord of Leix, Slain .
Owny mac Shane O’More , appo inted lord of Leix .
This list has been compiled from The Irish Annals ”and Calendars of
S tate Papers .
” I t is far from complete , bu t a consecutive list is impossible forwant of authenticrecords . Where a chief is not actually mentioned as
“ lordof Leix,
”a (2 ) has been placed before the title this t itle has been adhered to as
the most usua l , though various documents sometimes designate the Chi ef as
“King of Le ix ,
” “ Chief of his Name,
”0 1
° Chief Captain of his Nation , etc.
APPENDIX I I I .
_
M ichael (Teige ) O’
C lery’
s $1
6
"(32231
1
;Of
Dual d M acFirb is’s Ped i crree ,Pedigree, p 194
Facsim i le .
[Om i tted by O’
C lery] . [Om itted by MacFirb is] .
m acCarthann . macCairthinn .
m acLu ighdhach Longa ig . [Om itt’
eld by MacFirbis] .m acLughdhach Lao ighis i . [Om itted by MacFirb is] .macLao ighsigh Leannm o ir macLao ighsidh Ceannm o ir.
m acC onu i ll C earna igh .
'
m acConu ill Cerna igh .
NOTE S .-NO . 20. From this Morda , the O
’Mores (or Ua Mordha ) selected their surname .
No . 3 1 . Bath Bacain , near Morett , was named from this chief.
From Lughdhach Laoighisi (pron . Lewy Leeshagh) the territory of
U i Laoighis , or Leix , was nam ed .
No . 45 . This Lao ighsigh was nicknamed Leannmor . i .e . , of the large Mantle ;Ceannmhor ,
” i .e . , of the large head ; and “Lannmhor,”i . e . , of thelarge sword . [See An . Four Masters , vol . v , note on p . 1 839 ]
No . 46. Conuill Cernaigh , or Conall Cearnach , was the leader of the Red Bran’
ch
Heroes of Ulster in the first century .
m acMao ilaithain .
m acBera ig.
macBacain .
macAongusa .
m acNadsir.
macBairr .
m acSaoirbile .
[Om itted by the B . of L . ]m acCorbmeic.
m acLugna .
m acEogain .
macGuare .
macE ire .
m acBacain .
m acLugdach 1.
m acLudghach l .m acLaoidhsig b .
macConu ill Cerna igh .
( 79
T he S u b m is s io n o f Ro ry C a ech O’
M o re , C h ie f o f
Le ix ,
INDENTURE , DATED 13TH MAA’ ; 34° HENRY VII I .
Rory O’More of Lex , brother as he asserts to Kedagh (Roo) O
’More , latelydeceased , now adm itted to the Captainship of the same country by the consent
and election of all the noblemen and inhabitants of the country, appeared
before us the Deputy and Council,and subm itted himself to the King.
He promises that
He
'
w ill be a faithful and liege subject ; and he and the o ther
gentlemen of his country will receive their lands from his
Highness .
He w ill reject the Roman Pontiff ’ s usurped primacy .
He will deliver Kedagh mac Piers mac Melaghl in O’
More as his
hostage to the Deputy into the hands of Thomas Eustace ,Viscount of Baltinglass , for the observance of his agreements and
promises, and for the r estitution of all damages done to the
subjects of the King, during the time of Kedagh . O’More
’s
government .
He will have 72 kerne , horseboys being computed in that number,
for the rule of the said country of Lex ; and w ill maintain nO
other kerne there .
He w ill rise up with the Lprd Deputy in every great journey, ca lledHostings .
” For any sudden journey of two days and nights he
w ill find 24 horsem en and al l his aforesaid kerne ; and in everygreat hosting 8 horsemen and 20 kerne .
Donnamase with the demesne lands , Tymooge and other lands of
the late Earl of Kildare2 In Lex , shall be restored to the King .
The dem esnes of Donnamase shall be surveyed and their extent
declared by indifferent men (as jurors on the Inquisition) , and
the lands and rents of the said Earl of Ki ldare by Thomas
Wolf senior ; and both those lands,and the possessions of (the
Nunnery of) Grayne (Graney , Co . Kildare) , of the Monasteries of
Saint Mary of Dublin,of Connal l (Co . Kildare) , and of other
religious Houses, w i th the lands of Kyllberry (Co . Kildare) , are atthe disposition of the tenants and farmers of the King.
When the Lord Deputy requires any Scots (Galloglasses) , to be
imposed upon the Counties of Kildare , Kilkenny, or T ipperary ,
then Lex shall support 60 Scots , and Shall -be exempt from al l
subsidies for that year .
The King shall have 20marks yearly as a subsidy .
The Lord Deputy and Council Shall have 100 Cows for his (Rory’s)
nom ination and adm ission to the Captaincy of the aforesaid
Country .
He shall have the goods of his brother Kedagh ,by paying Kedagh
’s
debts, and the profit and produce of all his possessions, savingKedagh
’s wife
’s portion , until he be recompensed for the debts
which he Shall pay beyond the said goods .
The' Council approve the prem ises, if the King shall ratify the same ;
otherwise not .
1 Calendar of Carew Manuscripts ,”1 5 15—74 , p . 1 85 .
2 Forfeited by the S ilken Thomas’s Rebellion .
T he Q u e e n’
s C o u nty P o s s e s s io ns o f the Ea rls o f
Kild a re .
The Manors of Lea and Morett in the Barony of Portnahinch,and the
Manor of T imogue (pronounced Timmock) in the Barony of S tradbally , werepossessions of the Earls of Kildare for centuries before Leix was subjugated inEdward V I
’s reign .
These Manors were forfeited to the Crown in 1 5 34,ow ing to the rebellion of
the S ilken Thomas, l oth Earl of Kildare , but “
were restored to Gerald , 1 1 th EarlofKildare , by Queen Mary in 1 5 5 1 .
Two Chancery Inqu isi tions of the Queen’s County , No . 10 of Elizabeth and
No . 2 of James I , give a list of the townlands contained in these Manors ; the
Manor of T imogue in the lordship of Farran-O ’Kelly and territory of Leix
comprised the following townlandsTymock (Timogue) .Bal leprior a lias Prioriston (Ba l lyprior) .Ballyntyskin (Ballintesk in) .Ballecoolene (Ballycoolan) .'
I he Newnagh , a lias Gowlyn
Aylybegg, a lias Fo il l ibegg (Fallowbeg) .The Corragh, a lias Loggechurry (Luggacurren) .Inchenelaghe, a lias Insenalahigh, a lias Inshenelannagh ,
and
Ballyhew , a lias Ballehee , a l ias Ballyei .
These lands the Earl ofKildare held from the Crown at a rent of one Red Rose .
The Earl also held the undernam ed lands in LeixGraggoden Gra igue) and a Castle there called “ the White Castle .
Gragrowan,a lias Gragevaghan
Balleclow,a lias Bal lynecloe
Shaneganaghe , a lia s Shanganaghmore now called Gracefield ) , al lin the lordship of Slemarg (the Barony of Slieve Mar .gy)
Accord ing to an Indenture , dated 161 8 , in the possession of S ir Anthony A .
Weldon , Bart . , Shanganaghmore contained the sub-divisions of t— Rathsillagh ,
Shanbal lydonough , Rahinduff, Ballyshunl inrosse, and Knockantaskery, a liasKnockantenesker.
On the opposite page is shown a Lease for twenty-one years , granted on the
l st May , 155 8 . by Gerald, 1 1 th Earl of Kildare , to John fit z R iehard Fitz Gerald
of Mu l laghmast , County Kildare, Gent .
,of seven score acres of arrab le land
“ in leix,
”vi z .
40 acres in C losokie Clopook) and Ballacollan (Ballycoolan) .40acres being the two parts of the Newnagh , Priortown. and Ballinteskin .
20 acres in Rahaisboig (Rathaspick) , Kil iakle (Kilfeacle) and Laght
40 acres in Aleveig (Fallowbeg) , Insenalahigh and
Ballyei (This John (or Shane) Fitz Gerald was the younger son of R ichard Fitz Gera ld
o f Burtown In the County of Kildare (who d ied In son of Edmond , son of
James Fit z Gerald , 3 1 d son of Thomas , 7 th Earl of Kildare .
Except for this Lease , and for Pardons granted to him in 1 548 and 15 54,nothing further is recorded of him
,and the date of his death is unknown .
1
He may be the person referred to in the following extract from a Memoranda Roll of the Exchequer, 2nd of Edward V I z
1 548 . An information against John fitz Richard respect ing the Manor
of Kilca (Kilkea ) . He appears and pleads a grant of the said Manor for
2 1 years by Henry VI II to S ir W illiam Br ,abazon who conveyed the
same to Robert S t . Leger, by whom i t was sold to Walter Peppard of
Kilca, who In 1 5 32 leased it to the Deponent .
8 2 A PPENDIX v .
The wording of the Lease runs as followsThis Indenture made the first day of may in the fift and sixte yers of the
reingnes of our moste dread soveraine lord lady king philip and quene
mary betuxte the right honorable G erald Erle of Kildare of thone partie andJohn fit z Richard of malam ast in the countie of Ki ldare gent of thother partie .
W itnessith that the sayd Erle hath demysed graunted to ferm letten by ]thies p resent demyseth graunteth and to ferm letteth unto the said John t he
nomber of seven score acers arrable land that is to say fortee acres in C losoki e
ba l laco llan, fortie acers Ibeing the two parties of the newnagh p riortown
ba l l inteskin, twentie acers in raha isboig Ki liekle laght saving that i s to sayhalf of every of them
,fortie acers in
'
a lerieig Insena lahigh ba l lyei , withal l
the messis landes tenem entis medois m oris pasturis ffures woddes underwodes
montaynes waters in the townes feldes aforsaid w ith ther aportenances in
leix .
Tlo have and to holde all singular the premrssrs with ther aportenances
unto the said John his exceccutors assingnes from the first day of mayaforsaid unto thend and terme for the terme of twentie and one yers then
h exte ensu ing full i to be complet ended . The sayd John his exceccutors andassingnes yelding painge therfor yerli unto the said Erle his heyrs exceccutors ]
assingnes the sum of seven poundes I rish lawful l money of Irland at two
termes of the yere that is to say at the feastes of saint mychayl l therkangell
E ster by even porcions Also the said John covenanteth graunteth to with
the sayd Erle to goo b ym self w ith as many able men as he b ath to attend upon
the said Erle his heirs exceccutors or assingnes at all rodes and jurneis duringone or two days at the most when as often as the said Erle or his assingnes
shall demaunde the sam e of the said John or his assingnes at al l tymes duringthe said term e . And also i f it fortune the sa id John to d ie wi thin the said
terme to pay a hariott unto the said Erle his heyrs assingnes . And if it
fortune the said rent or eny parcell therof to I be behinde or unpa id during thespace of two monethes next after eny of the said feastes wherin it oght to be
paid that then hit shall be lawful l into the said Erle or his asingns to enter
unto the said landes aforsaid in every parcell of land wherunto the said
John or his assingnes hath eny posession w i thin the ralme of Irlande and ther
to dystrain the distres ther found to kepe retayn unto such as he be
satisfied paid of the said rent the arrerags if any. ther be . And the sa id
John and his heyrs Shall kepe styf stanch tenantab le al l the b owses
edifices that shall be buylded or erected upon the said grownd or eny parcelltherof and so to leve them at thende o f the said terme upon the proper l costischardges of the said John his exceccutors or assingnes i f he the said John or
his assingnes have no lett by the King ’s enemyes . And the said Erle and h is
assingnes I shall warant aqu ite defend al l and singular the premysses wi thther aportenances unto the said John his exceccu tors assingnes against al l
maner of people during the said terme .
In wyttnes wherof the sa id Shane have to this present Indenture sett hisceale subscribed hys name the day and yere abowe wrytten, etc. 1
Provided always that the said Shane and an able horsman well apointedshall go w i th the sa id Erle to all rodes OZjorneis as is aforsaid onless the landsaforsaid be Iwasted by rebell is no proffett gott by the same that then the
said Erle to consider the said Shane according his own descression .
A t the back of the Lease
Beyng present at the Endorsed
Selyng delyvery of Kildare County .
this sam JOHN FY T z RI CHARD of Mollomaste. etc.
per me meyler 5 th and 6th yeers of Kinge Philiphussey . and Queene Mary.
( 83 )
T he Bo u nd s o f t he Q u e en’
s C o unty in 15 6 1 .
[EXCLUSIVE OF UPPER OSSORY, THE O ’DUNNE,TERRI TORY OF IREGAN (Now THE
BARONY OF T INNAHINCH) , AND OF PASSAGE REBAN . ]
FROM THE FIANT OF ELI ZABETH No . 6786.
The bounds and meres of the Queen’s County on the west beginneth at the
river of the Golly , by Gortnycle , and so a m iry water called Glassycony northward is the mere to a hill called Knockannegon ; thence the river of the Ore(Nore) is the mere to a brook called Glasshakenoge , and so by i t to a bogcalled Doreroan , and through i t to a river or brooke called Shroyleruske , andby i t still northward to Belavele ; thence the river Ownenasse is the mere
north to the river of the ‘
Barrowe .
[The Owenass river separates the Barony of T in’
nahinch from that of
Por tnahinch ; the former Barony is excluded from this survey, whichproceeds to include the latter Barony thus
From this eastward the Barrowe is the mere to a brook called Ravege ,[At this po int the Survey proceeds -to exclude Fassagh Reban]
and by it to the brook of Glasshorte ; thence southward as the Glasshorte
goeth to the Blake-ford , thence to the /end of a wood called Kilero , and’
so byBallybennet and Ballyboughe to Cassheardre (Ardree) , which is a. ford
_in the
Barrowe , and so the Barrowe is mere to Cloughegrenan lying south . Thence
Westward to Eduffe (I Do_ugl1) . according to the ancient bounds of Slemarge .
Thence as the meres of Galleyn go , to a brook called Ownebege , and thencehy a ditch to a gap called Barneclohoryg ; thence by the brook of Glasshicrohan ,
to another brook which i s the mere to a great stone at the end of a hog calledMonek illekynon
”
thence a ditch is the m ere to _the highway of Rosconnel l ;thence by a ditch to Tougherdirvall ; thence by a ditch to a great stone calledC loughm
‘Edough ; thence a highway is the mere to the outermost gate Of
Castell Usker , a lias Wauter Castell ; thence by a high way _to a brook called
Sronesallagh , and by that brook to the river of the Ore (Nore) . The Ore is the
mere to a miry ,water called Askekilgrace , which lieth beyond the wood of
Clonoyvam towards’
Ossair’
e , and so to a‘
place called Dyrrylane , and from
thence as the Golly goeth to Gortnicle aforesaid .
1
T he M e'
a re s‘
o f the
'
Lo rdSh ip o f S l ie ve Marg y in 15 4 9 .
_[FROM FIANT OF EDWARD V I No .
The following are the limits of the Lordship , in length from the water of
Dowglass at a place called Aghgort-ny-grenan unto Dowyllegowrike, four m iles ;and in breadth, from Glaysshynmoyny in Idowhe unto Shrowill , four milesThe lands of Sliewmarge , w ith the lands of Maydeslie tye Sleaty) which
pertain to the lands-of Catherlaghe (Carlow) and Sliewmarge, are bounded by1 Many of the place-names herein mentioned have been identified or
localized by Father Carrigan in his “ History of the Diocese of Ossory,”vol . i i ,
p. 384.
84 A PPENDIX V I .
a line in Monynclyngarilt to a lake called the Monvoer, and so to Aghcrosny nearthe river Of the Barrowe, thence near the Barrowe to Cloenegrenan (Clogrenan,
County Carlow) , and by Dwyllegowrike to Leackin, the meadow in the
m ountain,and so by the m ountain to Cowrenenyaghe , and to Dirrenemoyck ,
thence to Biellalacke , Biellacroyterin and Biellarusheghan, and so to Aghcowreloskan and Pole-William-m ‘Shirry , and to Tobbernegarlaghe , GarranliakinClaysshenemoynine, Aghbiellacoyll , and Y nchefoble
, and so to Glaisshcoyl l ,thence to Biellacoigery, and so between Emelaghe and Moyadde to Gurtinnenyne ,and the lake of Knockan-macTyry, and to Monvore in Sl iewnegry , thence to
Keppanrusshin in Ki ldownan and G laysbowly-Noyr , and the river Dowglass ,
thence to Aghgortin-ny
-grenan, and so near the river Dowglasse to the river
Barrowe-“
and along the Barrowe to the marsh Of Kilrenin and May ddsl ietyaforesaid .
T he M ea re s o f t he Ba ro ny o f S l ie vem a rgy in 1 5 6 1 .
[FROM FIANT OF ELI ZABETH NO .
The meres and bounds Of the Barony of Slewmarge beginneth at theBarrowe,
and so by the north side of Cloughgrenan, to Clonatoran , which is the south
point of the barony ,from it a ditch leadeth westward into the mountain1 to a
place called Garrekayre , and so to Lackl inn wherein standeth a great ash , and
along the aforesaid mountain by Porteduf, Askeynaghe , and Knockan-m ‘tyrie ,
to Bealaboderge , and thence to a brook cal led G lisshederrenemoke which
leadeth to another brook called Gl isshek illeningell ; along that brook to
Beal lalake , Beilaerotere , and so along the same glashe (or stream ) to Aghmone
merte and Garrycorman ; thence to a place called Moneludane which ye must
leave On the left hand till ye come to Glasshenegamoge , and along the same
glashe to Monesaggarde , which ye must leave on your left hand til l ye come to
Glayshek ilgore the Kilgory stream) , and along the same glashe to a town in
Idowghe called Clownine (Cloneen in the County Kilkenny, Barony of Fassaghdineen,
formerly called IDough ) , and following the same to the river Of
C lonebrocke, and along the river to Askynetoran on the right hand of C lonybroke , and to Mackynaghe , thence to Bealacoquiger, and so between Emalaghe
and Moyade to the bounds of the lands Of Gwortynenewe , so to the lake of
Knockan-m ‘tyrre ; thence by Culdeduf, Mowneowre in Slenagre ,2 Crannaghe
ouoran,and Glasheboylenwbler , to the river of the Dowglas unto A ghgortene
grenan, and so along the river Dowglas , which i s the north point of the barony ,
to the river Of the Barrowe , and along that river to the Castle of C loughgrenan
aforesaid .
1 Tomard , or Tomarre as is .written on the O ld Map .
2 This mountain is marked on the O ld Map .
Queen ’
s County Oha
memorandum. Wher the Quenes mati es Comission hereunto an
take for her mati es u se for her behalf the verdict Of Johncerteine articles gyven them in chardge within the Quenes countie by herof the said Com ission , as in the sa id Com ission bearing date the 1 3
"Of May in th
E l i z abethe more at lardge appeareth . We the said Com issioners by force vertueaforesaid the XV I I th Of June in the said nynth yeare of the Beigne of our sa id Soverpresentment of the said Jurors in manner forme as foloweth . The nam es Of the J
John Thomas*of Ballyadams
Mathew Skelton alias LyntMelmory m
cEdmond MacDonnell]John de Barreffargananym O KelleyMortaghe ogg O ’More]
To the furst Article, the said Jurors by vertue of their oth found that Rorye 0 More was
betwixt b ym his brother Patricke 0 More , the sa id Patricke for his mayntenence dyd
of Leyse aforesaid , And was spoyl ing Of the same,And the said Rorye resisting them in
the Conors in a place w ithin the said contrey called Ki l lnesperokye .
monye of Ireland . And further that the customes duties perqu
of Leise aforesaid was to b ym every yeare worth one hundrith
To the third , that the said Rorye had at the tym e Of h is death i
townes folow ing, that is to saye Dyrrbroke and the Great Wood
Col lenaghemore , Dysarte Eney s , Carrickeneparkye, Bal lykno
yerly worthe threscore ten marks lawfull m onye of Ireland .
And also that the said Rorye 0 More was possest at the tyme Of
al ias called fi'
arrenepriorie , Moyn Ra
estate he had them ,they knowe not .
Stradbal ly aforesaid , of the AbbayAnd further also that the sa id Rorye
Neyl l for XL kyne ; and Rossogomane from Nyell mc Rosye for XXti kyne . The s
s ix marks twoo melshe kyne from Morhertagh mc Onhyn m
cKady [0 More]And Ki lneshian from the Rothes Of Kilkeny for I I II
xx kyne .
And m o re also the sa id Horye is father had in mortegadge Moyany from James mc
The said R orye also had Bal lent ley from Kedagh mc Ferishe ; the moyte or halfyn
the sa id Horye is father also had Cl onheyn in mortegadge from Melaghlin O Mores
A l l which mortegadges as well gotten by bym selfe as by his said father Conell mc
tyme o f his death in qu iet possession .
Las t of a l l , tha t a ll the sa id Lands were annexed unto the Crown by Actherunto Rebel ls hands .
In w itnes whereof, as well we the sa id Com issioners as the said Jurors,
yeare abovewri tten
[Then fol low the
This was the S hane-a-feek a of Mul laghmast notoriety ;
controversies debates depend ing
1
P re ro ga t ive W ill,d a te d 15 8 4 , o f J ame s Meaghe r a lia s
M e a th ,
>i<a l ia s O
’
M o re , C h ief’
o f Le ix , in the Du b l in
Reco rd O ff ice .
In‘
the name of god amen.
I James Meath als . O’More being Of good and perfect memory, making my
Will as followeth , that is to sayffirst I make as my executors my brother Thomas Meath , and my wife Ann
Eustace and Eustace 1 fitz James .
Also I make as my overseers Of this my Will Mr . John Barins and HewghPa ne.yI doe bequeath xxl i ster . to my wife besides her owne parte .
I doe leave xl i that I promysed to Walter Eustace, and such proveablegoods .
I do leave my horse wth . my brother Thomas Meath,my hackny wth.
Mr . Payne .
I doe bequeath to Teig mcDonogh and to h is sonne Davy fii fty shillengsstar .
I doe leave wth . my Goss0pp2 Mr . Barins in remembrance of me too studd
mares and their colts .
I doe leave wth. Donell oge O’ lalur too of the best garrons3 I have plow1ng
w th . Rory c eige for debts that I doe owe him ; also fower pound s ster . wch .
I Owe to one Willm . fitz Symon to be paid . Such o ther proveable deb ts as is
dew_to be paid , and the rest to the use of my wife and her children .
I doe bequeath to Ann Morouho 4 xx5 ster . wch . I doe owe her.
Dated the vth day of June in the xxvith yeare of the Baigne of Our
soveraigne lady Elizabeth that now ys , 1 584.
[No signature]
This being w itnes whose names are under written uppon this my Will asfolloweth :
I Walter Eustace of Athey was present .
per me dauid lee alias Inc tegg.
By me Martyne Sm ithe .
per me DnTi'
s patrycyus Incgym,
I Bechard mo tellT est . me John Roo
[The Will was proved before Ambrose Forthe on the 26th June ,
This Will was brought to my notice by the Rev . W . Carrigan, c.o. whodrew my attention to the fact that i t was indexed under M eath.
1 Christian name om itted2 God-father.
IIorses .
Now Murphy .
5 Here follows a word resembling strast , which does not appear to be a
surname ; the s’s in it are of the long variety , resemblmgf ’
T he p rincip a l Pat ro n S a int s o f ch u rche s in Le ix .
The following list of the more important of the Patron Saints in Leix has been
comp iled ~
mainly from two works— “ The Martyrology of Donegal ,”and Bishop
Comerford’s
“ History Of the Diocese of Leighl in,
”and also from the Fiants o f
Queen Elizabeth . In some cases , owing to the number of Irish saints bearing the
same name, the Patron Saint Of a church can only be identified by being ment ioned
in the Martyrology in conjunction with the church founded by him ; or else by“ the pattern
-day at the Blessed Well being still Observed, or , at any rate, recollectedby the peasantry
CHURCH NAME . NAME OF I TS PATRON SAINT . FESTI VAL DAY .
Ballintubbert St . Brigid l st February .
Ballyadams, a lias KilmokidyBallycoolan (Parish of Timogue )Boghlone 20th November.
BorrisC lonenagh 1 7th February .
Clopook
Cromoge
Dysart-Enos
Dysart-Gallen
KillabbanKilcolmanbaneKilcolmanbrackKilcronanKilgorey
Killeany (Parish Of Clonagheen)Killenny (near the Heath )Kill iny (Parish of Killabban)KilleshinKi lmacCathail ( in Ui Bairrche)KilmurryKiltealeKilvahanKilwhelan (north of Ballyroan)Monksgrange, a lias Kilmagobbock
Morett
Oughaval
Reban (ChurchtowShruleS leaty 1 2th October .
S traboe
S tradbally 1 7th March.
Tankardstown 2 l st December .
Tecolm
T ighDuma in (inUiC riom thanna in)T imahoe
T imogue
S t . MarySt . Escon
St . MaryS t. Fintan (macGaibhreine)St. MarySt . Fintan (macGaibhreine)St . Aenghu s the CuldeeSt . Mainchin, or Maenin
St . Abban
St . Colman BaneS t . Colman BrackSt .
“
Cronan
St . Lon Garadh
St . Enna
St . Eithna ( female )St . Finneach
S t . Comgan
S t. Enda and Lochan
St . MaryS t . T idhill
S t. Meathon
St . Faelan the Stammerer
S t . Mogoroc
S t. BrigidS t. Colman (macUa Laoighse)S t . FintanSt . Guaire
St . Fiach
S t . S illan[(Ed V I , FiantNO . 582)
S t . Patric
S t . Thomas
S t . ColumS t . Daman
S t . MO-chua (macLonan)St . Mogue (MO-Aedh-oge)
T he p r incip a l Pa t ro n S a int s o f chu rche s in Le ix .
The following list of the more important of the Patron Saints in Leix has been
comp iled mainly from two works— “The Martyrology of Donegal ,”and Bishop
Comerford’s
“ History Of the Diocese of Leighlin,”
and also from the Fiants O f
Queen Elizabeth . In some cases , owing to the number of Irish saints bearing the
same name,the Patron Saint of a church can only be identified by being ment ioned
in the Martyrology in conjunction w ith the church founded by him ; or else by“ the pattern
-day at the Blessed Well being still observed, or , at any rate, recollectedby the peasantry
CHURCH NAME . NAME OF I TS PATRON SAINT . FESTI VAL DAY .
Ballintubbert St . Brigid l st February .
Ballyadams, a lias Kilmok idyBallycoolan (Parish Of T imogue)Boghlone 2otb November.
BorrisC lonenagh
Clopook
Cromoge
Dysart-Enos
Dysart-Gallen
KillabbanKilcolmanbaneKilcolmanbrack
KilcronanKilgorey
Killeany (Parish Of Clonagheen)Killenny (near the Heath )Kill iny (Parish of Killabban)KilleshinKi lmacCathail ( in U i Bairrche)KilmurryKiltealeKilvahanKilwhelan (north of Ballyroan)Monksgrange, a li as Kilmagobbock
Morett
Oughaval
Reban (Churchtown)ShruleS leaty 12th October .
S traboe
S tradbally 1 7 th March.
Tankardstown 2 1st December .
Tecolm
TighDama in (inUi C riom thanna in)Timahoe
T imogue
S t . MaryS t . Escon
St . MaryS t . F intan (macGaibhreine) 1 7th February .
S t. MarySt . Fintan (macGaibhreine) 1 7 th February .
St . Aenghu s the Culdee 1 1 th March .
St . Mainchin, or Maenin 2nd January .
St . Abban l 6th March .
St . Colman Bane 19th October .
S t . Colman BrackS t . Cronan
St . Lon Garadh
St . Enna
St . Eithna ( female )St . Finneach
S t. Gomgan
S t. Enda and Lochan
St . MarySt . T idhill
St. Meathon
St . Faelan the Stammerer 20th June .
S t. Mogoroc ? 23rd December .
S t. Brigid l st February.
S t. Colman (macUa Laoighse) 1 5 th May .
S t . Fintan 17th February .
S t . Guaire
S t. Fiach
S t . S illan(KEd V I ,FiantNo . 582)
S t. Patric
S t . Thomas
St . ColumS t . Daman
S t . Mo-chua (macLonan)St . Mogue (Mo-Acab -oge)
THE O’
MORES OF
[FROM BURKE’
s LANDED GENTRY , W IT I
C a l lo u g h O ’mo re ,
youngest son o f R ory caech O’
More ,
Chief of Leix .
Bal lina , CO . Ki ldare , 1111 574 .
Granted Ki lmainham W ood , Co . M eat
in 1575 .
ob . 27th M arch , 1618 .
[CO . M eath
Jane Barnew a l l , M a rg a re t O ’ lVlo r ed . of S ir P a trick Barnew a l ]
, Ktof T urvey , C O . Dublin . [F .E
A daughter F i t z G
s . of Capt . M aurice
Fit z Geral d of B
Co Westmea
M argaret Fitz Mau rice , A nne ow ] o r e ,
3rd (1 . of T homas , 1 8 th Lord mother of Patrick S arsfield ,
of Kerry and Lixnaw . Earl o f I iucan .
He w as her 3rd hu sband . Brian O’Ke
E l e a no r O ’mo re
[Burke’
s Peerage. ]
Donne]
M a ry O ’mo re Col .'l‘
i
E l i z a b e t h O’mo re
ob . 29 Jan . , 1729, aged 100.
L e w is O jM o re A licia O ’N eil l ,
o f Balhna . d . of Con O’
N ei ll .
oh. 13 Feb , 1 737 , ar t . 63 .
C a t h e r lne O ’mo re o f B a l l in
w a s the m other of Genera l Manu s 0‘
who w a s in the A u stri an service in
[A n . 4 M asters , V ol . V I , no te on p
Ja m e s M o re M ary M adden ,
of Balhna . d . o f Am b rose M addenof Derryhoran ,
ob . 19 N o v . , 1779, a t . 77 Co . Ga lway .
[H i s \V i ll . ]
L e t it ia M o r e R ichard O ’
Fer
’
ral l .
ch . 1 778 . ob . 1 790.
From w hom are descended the M ore O’Ferra l ls of Balyna .
EINA ,CO . KILDARE.
COMPILED BY LORD WALTER FI TZGERALD .]
Margaret Scur lock ,
)f Wa l terfi tz Barnaby Scur lock (ob . 161 5 )of F rayne, Co Meath .
. Meath Chanc. I nqn . , No . 37 of James
C o l . Le w is ( o r L i s a g h ) O'mo re M ary O
’Rei l ly ,
of the Confederate Catho licA rmy . (1 . of Ph i l l p macHugh O ’
Rel l ly .
A nt h o ny O ’mo re Anne HOp e,of Ballina . d . of A lexander Hope
of M u llingar .
Co . Ki ldare.
anagh .
Capt . Conor O ’Reil ly , Ro ge r O ’mo re (o r M o o re )
[W i ] l , da ted 1 March , 1 747 ,proved in
Ward G e ne ra l A nth o ny O’mo re ,
of Madr id . in the Spani sh A rmy .
[M entioned in James More’s Wi l l . ]
A nn
[James’
s
M a r
KN I GH TS H OS P I TALLER S [ N C0 . K ILDA RE .
BY ARCHDEACON SHERLOCK.
EVERY ONE knows something fiof the two great militaryOrders, the Templars and the Knights HOSpitallers,
otherwise known as the Knights Of St . John Of Jerusalem ,and
the Knights OfMalta } Both these celebrated Orders had possessions in Ireland
,and the Hospitallers succeeded in getting
a good part Of the Templar property when that Order was
abolished . My p urpose in this brief paper is to give some littleidea of the position Of the HOSpitallers in I reland , which oughtto interest us
,since they established commanderies or preceptories
of their Order in Kildare County . Mr. Kemble has pointed out
in his“ Knights Hospitallers in England (printed for the
Camden Society , 1 857 ) that the Templars and the Hospitallers,who owned lands in many countries
,and gathered wealth, and
with wealth great influence , occupied in all countries a peculiarposition. They we1 e in them
,but not of them . The Knight
belonged not to a family , but to a co1p01 ation which‘ ‘cou ld have
no nationality, and was intended to have none . The principle of al l the half-cle1 ical , half-military O i de i s was to have a
concentration of govei nment Of their own,an imp er i um i n
limp erio , ever .ywhe1 e The practice was to establish brothei
hoods everywheI e , dependent upon other b i otheIhOOds ; but theidea to be u ltimately I eali z ed was unity , not nationality .
A t a lateI peI iOd in their history the character that theseOI dei s how was not of the highest . I t is said that a p1 iestin Normandy told R ichard I he had three daughters, of whomthe eldest was Pride , on which the king
,merrily cal ling to
the company , said ,“I am told by a priest that I have three
daughters . I desire you to be witness hOw _ I wou ld havethem bestowed . My daughter Pride I bestow upon the
Templa1 s and Hospitalle1 s .
TO such an extent were the claims Of the O 1 de1 carried thatthe Prio1 of Ki lmainham
, when commanded by Edward I to
return to I reland for mi litary service in the Wicklow mountainsa service not to his taste — to excuse himself, pretended to havereceived a summons from the head of the Order to the HolyLand, 1 274. He seems to have had a premonition Of
‘
mis
fortune, for he was actually taken prisoner by the I rish in
Glenmalurefi (C.Litton Falkiner. Paper read before the R . I .
10,
1 The hab it over the armour Of the Hosp itallers was a b lack cloakw ith a white cross to distinguish them from the Templars , who wore a
white cloak w ith a red cross .
90 KN IGHT S HOSPITALLERS I N co . KILDARE .
The early history Of the HOSpitallers was romantic. Beforethe first crusade certain merchants of Amalfi established inJerusalem a hospital or hospice-lodging for the reception Of
pilgrims— at first dedicated to a S t . John (a Greek bishop ) ,afterwards , however, to St . John the Baptist . When the fierceTurcomans overpowered the milder rule of the Caliphs , Gerard ,the Rector of the Hospital , co-Operated w ith Peter the Hermitin bringing abou t the first crusade , and his successor Raymond
de Puy re-organized the Order on a military basis similar to theTemplars . In 1 1 87 , driven from Jerusalem they settled at
St . Jean d’Acre ; a hundred years later they were expelled
thence by the Moslems , and made Cyprus their headquarters .
Their Order was new no longer concerned wi th its originalpurpose ; bu t under their Grand Master, John de V illiare
,
they obtained supremacy over the Mediterranean,doing a
splendid and much-needed work in sweeping Turkish piratesfrom the seas .
1 In 13 10 they captured Rhodes , and made ittheir headquarters , and about this time obtained much of the
property O f the suppressed Temp lars . A s the Order grew in
numbers,i t was divided into seven languages— three French,
one Spanish,one I talian, one English,
and one German.
In 1 522 , after a six months’siege , the Sultan Solyman
forced them to surrender Rhodes ; and their last settlement was
in Malta , which the Emperor Charles V bestowed 0 11 them .
Famou s for ever is the great siege of M alta,1 5 65 , and i ts
heroicdefence,in which the Knights under La Valette defeated thehosts Of the M oslems , ou t Of whose only survivedto return to Constantinople, while Of the defenders
,in
number, only 600 were left unwounded at the last . How vastwas the service to Christendom may be judged from the fact thatProtestant England Offered prayers in her churches for the
deliverance Of Malta .
2
While the Hospitallers were warring desperately with theM ohammedans , their brethren in England were employed in
l N ot comple tely , however , for the coasts of I taly and Spain were
ravaged by A lgerine pirates unt il the b ombardment of A lgiers in 1818 byLord Exmouth , and fifty years later there w ere o ld men living inM entone
whom he had l ib era ted from slavery .
The great relic o f the Hospitallers— the hand of S t . Boget— was
presented by S ultan Bajaz e t to the Knights o f Rhodes from Rhodes i twas b rought to Mal ta enclo sed in a monstrance of so lid go ld set w ith
gems , in front o f which lay a go ld ring set w ith a large sapphire .
Napo leon,when he to ok possess ion o f M alta
, put the ring on his own
finger , and o rdered the case to b e taken to France , contemptuouslyleaving the relic to the Grand Master, who brought it to S t . Petersb urg,
and presented i t to the Emperor Paul .
KN IGHTS HO SPITALLERS IN CO , K ILDARE .
When we consider the enormous influence and wealth Of the
Order, we cannot but be surprised at the smallness Of theirnumbers . In 1338 there were only 1 19 brothers in England.
Thei c is no list Of those in I reland ; but taking the preceptoriesat somewhe1 e about nineteen,
we can scarcely put the number Ofb1 othei s Of the Orde1 above thirty To these of course we mustadd the chaplains and the esquiI es ; but still the actual numbe1 smust have been comparatively small .
In Kildare , as before mentioned , there were three com
manderies : at Kilheale (or Kilteel) , above Kill , an outpostagainst the mountain I rish ; Killibegs, near Prosperous, guardingthe bog side and Tully, not far from Kildare . In the disturbedstate of the country most Of these preceptories were really militaryoutposts
,and the residents had to be always ready to repel
attack . M any Of their lands were, in fact , granted on conditionof the erection Of castles for that purpose .
Kilteel was founded by Maurice Fit z Gerald in the thirteenthcentury . When the Hospitallers were abolished , Kilteel wasstill a necessary post Of defence
,because it was situated in
the marches O f Ki ldare near the I rish enemies, the Tholeswhere resistance and defence are requ ired .
The preceptory Of Tully was important and wealthy , and
was no doubt intended for the protection Of Kildare ; and
numerous chapters Of the Order were held there in the
fourteenth century .
When we ask what sort Of life was led in these semi-military ,semi-ecclesiastical establishments, we are told that in a completeestablishment there would be a Receiver or Preceptor, either aKnight or Esqu ire or Chap lain Of the Order, with one or two
Brothers . These had, besides their military duty, the management of the estates , services of the chapels and chantries
, the
adm inistration of justice, and maintenance of hospitality .
Beneath these were a steward,porter, chaplains , chamberlains ,
squires , foresters , cooks , bakers , stablemen,a brewer, and
various herds , pages, and a washerwoman. In a large establishment there seem to have been three tables— one for the
Preceptor and brothers , and some Of the chaplains , and the
higher class of guests ; a second for the chamberlain and free
servants ; and a third for the ordinary servants. Besidestheir board , they had yearly wages , and some of them an
al lowance for the dress Of the Order.
This allowance for Preceptor and brethren was in England£ 1 for a robe , (i s . 8d . for a mantle , 8 s . for other necessaries .
There were also o ther persons who received board and
allowances very often in return for an advance Of money .
KN IGHT S HOSP IT ALLERS IN co . KILDAiRE . 93
Next tO that came repairs Of the build ings.
The visitation expenses were twofold For the Bishopor Archdeacon who visited the various churches and chapelsgranted to the Order ; (2) for the visitation Of the Prior and hissuite , who went their round annually . In these rounds he
wou ld not only stop for one or tW’
O’
days at the various preceptories , but also at the guest-houses which were
'
established in
many towns to receive the brethren on their journeying fromone place to another— a very necessary provision if one thinksof the sort Of accommodation they would be likely to find in
country towns in those days .
But,in addition to the ordinary expenses, the Order was
bound by its rule,and by the conditions Of its endowments, to
be hospitable to pilgrims and travellers, rich and poor . In
general a guest was not supposed to stay longer than threedays . But, no doubt
,if he were a pleasant fellow, and had
plenty of news and gossip , his visit wou ld be prolonged . On the
other hand , an undesirable guest , or one Of the nature Of a
tramp , a body who were as numerous then as now,wou ld not
find his entertainment such as to induce him to prolong hisstay .
As to the Kildare preceptories, that of Killibegs, out near
the Bog of A llen wou ld not be likely to be overburdened withguests ; but it was different with Kilteel and Tully , which layright in the road to the sou th
,along
,which there was Incessantcoming and going— messengers Of the Lord Deputy, Officialsof Government
, Officers and soldiers, clergy of various ranks ,and private persons travelling on business . When we considerthat these were practically the only places where such travellerscou ld pu t up , it is evident that they must have had extensiveaccommodat ion.
’
There was, as I mentioned in a previous paper,
a hospice founded in Kill , endowed by Thomas .Of Hereford ,with twe lve acres of land ; it is very likely that this was underthe management of the Hospitallers for ordinary travellers , butthey wou ld rece1ve more distingu ished guests in the preceptorybuildings . The castle of Kilteel
,as described by Lord Mayo ,
consisted Of a fortified gate-hou se, with two rooms above it ,which led into '
a courtyard surrounded no doubt by expensivedomestic offices and dormitories . In the main building therewere four large apartments, feet by 20 6 feet, the lowestand the tOp room vau lted , and the two intermediate rooms
floored ; possibly some of these may have been partitioned intotwo or more smaller rooms ; a winding stone stair led to. them,
all lighted by narrow slits . There were fire-places on the firstthree stories ; _
and windows on north, south , and east sides ,
94 KN IGHT S HO SPIT ALLERS IN Cc. KILDARE .
1 1 inches by 1 foot 1 1 inches . The whole must have beenm iserably cold and. dark .
A considerable part of the endowment Of the preceptoryconsisted of church livings appropriated to it . This involvedthe services Of chaplains , who were Of two classes— those whobelonged to the Order, and those who rendered services , and
received a salary , not excessive , for serving churches at a
distance . The chaplains either dined w ith the Preceptor, or
were allowed about £2 a year for their board . Considerableprofit was made on the Church property . For instance , ou t Of
sixteen English parishes the Order drew £241 annually , whilei t paid to their chaplains only £ 34 but of course their boardand robes were not included in this .
What became of the rents and ecclesiastical revenues ?Part Of these went to support the various commanderies and the
central house in Kilmainham ; but a very large surplus went tothe centre Of the Order in Rhodes or Malta . In fact , we cannotconceal from ourselves that . if the Knights by their heroicdefence against the Moslems served Christianity they were verywel l paid for it .
‘
Every preceptory was carefully looked after,its income registered , and i ts expenses audited, and the balance ,Oftenmore than half the income
,remitted to the central treasury .
Thus the Knights every year drained the country Of hugesums of money . In spite of the suppression of the Order inEngland , its income at the time of the French Revolution was
Notwithstanding their plentiful endowments , however, the lasthundred years Of the Hospitallers in I reland saw their revenuesimpoverished . The reason is not far to seek . The first Priorsof the Order were chosen from Knights in England ; they hadno connexions or personal interests over here apart from thoseOf the Order. But after the French wars the brotherhood , asMr . Litton Falkiner says , quickly degenerated from what was aspirited soldiery to what was little better than a noxiousbanditti . Priors were elected who were members of powerfulfamilies in I reland , and the Preceptors belonged to the same
class . The funds Of the Hospital were plundered, and , as in
the case of the Sec of Kildare , estates were alienated ,their
rel ics , jewels , and ornaments sold or pledged . Things reachedsuch a pass tha t at last the Government procured the passingO f a statute that all Priors of Kilmainham should in future beO f Engl ish birth .
The truth is that long before the suppression Of the Order\
i n
Ireland it had outlived i ts use, and outlived the zeal and
enthusiasm which gave it birth ; and its last Prior willingly
'
96
BA LL l/ SAX AND THE N A N GLE FAM IL Y .
BY OMURETHI .
ALLY SAX is a large townland containing statuteacres and lies to the sou th east Of the CuI r
‘
agh. The
name pi obably means Sax,or Seix ’
s, town .
In the thirteenth centu1 v ,on the extinction of the le Ma1 shall
fami ly in the male l ine,the lordship Of Leinster , which had
been inheI ited thI Ough mai i iage w ith S trongbow’
s daughter andheiress devolved upon five le Ma1 shall sisters ; and in 1 245 the
CrOWn proceeded to divide the lordship into five equal shaI es, sothat each of the sisters shou ld receive an equal proportion of
the profits arising from the towns and manors situated in thelordship . To the eldest sister M ati lda (or M aud) le Marshalwas assigned , roughly speaking, the County Carlow ; but toequalize her portion the manor Of Bally sax was added .
M atilda married for her first husband Hugh Bigod , 3rd Earlof Norfolk , in whose fam i ly her estates remained til l the deathO f the 5 th Earl in 1 306 , when they were left by W ill to KingEdward I .
According . to an Inqu is ition taken at Carlow on the
8 th April , 1 307 , it was found that Roger le Bygod , lateE arl Of Norfolk and Marshal Of England
,deceased
,held in;
rap iz‘
cof the King (among o ther possessions)
A t Ballysax, a tower in bad condi tion and ru inous, and a
small,wooden grange , covered with straw : also sixteen
acres Of arable land in demesne under the plough Of the
lord fourteen acres Of land , Balysothenan ; 1 5 1 —21acres
Of land at Radley ; and 5 2 acres of land at Methyl,
which Hugh the chaplain formerly held . There is
there a garden with a cottage containing 3 acres , whereof
the pasture and fru it are worth 2 S a year, also 9 acres Of
meadow ,and 12 acres Of pasture called Oxlese . The
total profits of which come to £ 18 2 4 .
Free tenants by rent . Thomas Brun holds there 1 carucateOf land . There are in the V III of Balysax certain tenantswho hold 4 carucates of land Of the feoffment Of RogerBygod ; also the site of a mill which cannot be valued .
Total , £22 6
Cal . of Documents, 1 302—7 , p . 174 .
BALLY SAX AND THE NANGLE FAM ILY . 97
In 1 312 King Edward granted Ballysax to his'
son
Thomas Plantagenet “de Brotherton, whose daughter and
heiress , Lady M argaret Plantagenet (afterwards created DuchessOfNorfolk) married John, 3rd Baron Segrave , and had a daughterand heiress , E lizabeth de
'
Segrave, who married John de
M owbray, 4th Baron M owbray ofw holme . Thus B allysax
came into the Mowbray fami ly, who in time here the titles of
Earls of Nottingham and Dukes of Norfolk ; and eventuallyheiresses (two sisters) of this hou se brought the I rish estatesinto the Howard and Berkeley families this occurred in
In the sixteenth century I rish estates belonging to absenteeEnglish noblemen had become so 1mpover1shed for want of
prOper supervI SIOn,the lands becom ing waste and the castles
ru inous , that at last to put a step to the abuse an Act‘
was
passed by Parliament on the l st M ay, 1 5 36 , forfeiting such
properties to the Crown,and as Thomas Howard , Duke of
Norfolk,
and the Lord Berkeley,are especially . named as
absentees , the County Carlow and the manor ofBallysax revertedto the Crown .
In December, 1 542 , an Inquisition was held in Naas to
ascertain what land in the County Kildare had thus beenforfeited to the Crown and the jurors found that a castle , fourmessuages, twelve cottages , and 292 acres in Ballysax,
with freegrazing on the Curragh,
were come into the King’
s hands, and) that the patronage of the rectory of Ballysax belonged to thePrior Of Kartmell in England .
1
From this period the Crown granted leases, generally fortwenty7one years, Of the castle and lands of Ballysax, to variousIndividuals
,and among others to z
In 1 5 52 ,Edward Randolf, gent . , Of Carlow .
2
1 5 62,W illiam V ieares and W i lliam Sherwin, yeomen
3
1 5 68 . Sir . Edmund Butler,Kt .
,of Clogrennan, County
Carlow .
4
1 57 1 . JohnEustace, Gent . , Of Castlemartin, County Kildare.
5
1 5 82 . A pardon from the Crown was granted to GeraldfitZ John FitZGerald of Ballaghsex,
Gent . 6
1 584 . Robert Nangle , Gent1 588 . Brian Fit zWilliam , Esq .
8
1 593 . Pierce fitZ Edmund B utler , Gent Oi -Roscrea .
9
CO . Kildare Exchequer Inqu isition, N O . 27 (25 ) of Henry VIII ,
2 Ed . V I Fiant , No . 1 131 .
3 Eliz . Fiant,N o . 464 .
4 I b. , N o . 1216 .
5 Co . Dub lin Exchequer Inquisition,No . 2 10 Of Elizabeth.
6 Eliz . Fiant , 3995 .
7 I b.
, N o . 4 348 .
NO . 5257 .
9 No . 5830.
BALLY SAX'
AND T HE NANGLE FAM ILY .
I t is puzzling to find so many leases being granted so soon
after one another, but in some cases they may apply to only a
portion Of the lands,
and in other cases the lease was to
commence on the expiration of a former one ; but sti l l this doesnot satisfactori ly explain the difficu lty, as
,for instance , the
lease to Robert Nangle in 1 5 84 was for twenty-one years
(“without a fine , the lands having long been yet the
Inquisitions record him as still being in possession there at the
time Of his death in 1 61 5 , although two fresh leases were
granted soon after .
Who Robert Nangle’
s father was is not known, and verylittle has come tO light Of his career, except that he saw activeservice under the Crown ; he may have been a member of the
ancient County Meath family , who were known as Barons of
Navan,a title not created by the Crown, and whose original
name was de Angulo , on their arrival in I reland underStrongbow .
On the 26th November , 1 608 , the Lord Deputy and Counci lwrote to the Privy Council recommending
Robert Nangle,considering the infallible testimonies which
they have had of his merits and good deserts in manyservices for near thirty years past
,and his losses of
goods , blood , and limbs. He is sore maimed and
utterly d isabled to present his su it for the fee-farm Of
Ballysax in person , the bearer being Edward Nangle hisbrother.
1
In reply to the petition, James I, 0 11 the 1 3th June
,1609,
wrote to Sir Arthur Chichester, Lord Lieutenant of I reland,
directing him to accept the surrender from Robert Nangle Of the
castle and lands Of Ballysax, the abbey called Here Abbey in theCounty Tipperary , and the poor friary of Kilmacahill in the
County Westmeath, which he held from the Crown for terms
under sixty years or thereabouts , and to regrant them for so
many years yet unexpired of the said terms , and for sixty yearsfurther in reversion,
reserving the former rents , with a covenantthat he shall repair the ruinous castle Of Ballysax.
2
Robert Nangle made his W ill s on the 1 5 th January , 1 603 ; ini t he styles himself “
of Ballesaxe in the Countie of KyldarEsquier, and desires to be buried where his friends shal l thinkprOper .
Calendar of S tate Papers , Ire 1 608-10, p . 103 .
9 Tb .
, p . 2 16 .
J P reroga t ive W ills , proved on the 6th February , 1615-6 .
I C O BALLY SAX AND THE NANGLE FAM ILY .
In Dr . Comerford’s History Of the Dioceses Of Kildare
and Leighlin,
”the correct reading is as follows :
T' AMICI CHRI STIANI OBTES
'
I‘
OR '
vos V T ORE
Which may be translated — 0 Christian friends, I beseech youto pray [for the sou ls of Robert Nangle and Rose Eustace hisw ife, etc] .
Originally these fragments of a monument may have takenthe form Of a cross similar to the one in the Tipper Churchyard ;the Ballysax Church was rebu ilt in 1 825 .
The later history of the Nangle fam ily is not forthcoming ,but that they were still seated at Bal lysax in 1 660 is proved bythe fo llowing extract from the I rish S tate Papers :
Sign Manual Warrant to the Lords Justices .
For restoring to Robert Nangle Of Ballysax, the lands , etc.,
of Ballysax, County Kildare , Of which he was dispossessedby the late usurped power (the Commonwealth) .
Signed by Secretary Nicholas at Whitehall, 1 4th Dec. ,
Calendar of State Papers , I re . ,1660-62 , p . 163 .
I O I
JBallaOs ano p oems of the Gountc1kilbarc.
NO . V II
Ga rre tt m o re , Ea rl o f Kild are .
(ANONY MOUS )l
DEEP in a British dungeon mewed ,Kildare long sighed in vain
Whilst every jealous rival viewed ,Well pleased , his lengthened pain.
And day by day he lingered on
Within that damp , cold cellAnd knew not the broad peal of noonFrom midnight ’s heavy knell .
At length his prison bars were burst ;A ll ranged his rivals stood ;
And deep and deadly was their thirstFor his right gallant blood .
Then accusations , dark and dim ,
Mysterious, undefined,'
Of treason, they pour thick on himTreason at least designed .
A dangerous , subtle , artful man,
On Irish interest bent ” ;Thuswise their innuendoes ran ,
5 ‘ Therefore he is attaint .
”
New , by my faith ,
” King Henry criedFor at his throne this passed
Of ablest counsel in the landRight urgent need thou hast .
The ablest counsel in the land ,Earl Gerald cried, “ I crave,
For I engage King Henry’s hand
A gainst each lying knave .
”
The sm iling King then quickly said ,Produce the evidence
,
And see ye it be good and strong,Or quickly get ye hence.
”
1 This ballad appeared in a historical romance, called “ The Siege of
Maynooth,” by an anonymous author , which was published in London
in 1 832 .
1 0 2 BALLADS AND POEMS OF T HE COUNT Y KILDARE .
Y our Majesty , he burned a church,
A sacrilege and sin
Because,
”replied the Earl, I thought
Th ’ Archbishop was within .
Right heartily King Henry laughedAt this most fair conceit ;
Th ’accusers in that laugh foresaw
Their own deserved defeat.But one , more wrathful than the rest,In spitefulness did swear,
“ Y our Majesty, al l IrelandCan
’t rule this Lord Kildare .
Then, by my soul,” outspoke the King,By this , my sceptred hand ,
Since that be so , this noble EarlShall rule al l Ireland .
”
The incident here related took place before Henry V I I in 1496.
Two years previously Garrett more,
”8 th Earl of Ki ldare, had
been arrested in Dublin on charges of treason and oppression ;he was conveyed to England and lodged in the Tower of London.
When at length summoned before the King to explain, or disprove ,the charges brought against him , he was confronted w ith DavidCreagh,
Archbishop of Cashel , whose cathedral church , 011 the
Rock of Cashel , he had set fire to , as related in the ballad ; andthere, too , stood John Pain,
Bishop of Meath, whom the Earl hadforced from sanctuary ; it was this latter prelate who made the
remark that al l I reland cou ld not ru le the Earl , with such an
unexpected effect .
True to his word,Henry V I I re-appointed the Earl Lord Deputy
of Ireland , by Letters Patent , dated the 6th of August , 1496 ; thispost he honourably fi lled till his death , it is said at the hand of the
O’
Mores, in Sep tember , 1 5 13 .
Holinshed , in his “ Chronicles of Ireland,
” dealing with the
career Of Garrett “ more , gives a long account Of the episodepartially described in the ballad .
N OTES .
ancient parish churchyard Of Sculloguestown. At the same time it
is possible that the name Balmascoloe as a townland name (inany form) is Obsolete .
As to the name Arist , there is proof to show that it was a
district in the former Barony Of Otymy,”now the Barony Of
C lane . In the thirteenth century Henry fitZ Richard de Hereford
is styled Dominus de Otymy”
(p . 104, Register of St . Thomas’
s
Abbey, Dublin) .I wou ld be much obliged for information that wou ld throw any
light on this ancient grant of lands .
W. FITZG .
‘
gliofes .
Hay ne s t ow n ne a r Ra t hmo re , C o u nty Kild a re .
Having been informed by Corporal T . Shea , R .E . , who was engaged
surveying this Townland for the new 25 -inches-to-a-m ile OrdnanceMaps in September last, that he had discovered a bou lder withmarks resembling Ogham scores , and which he w ished to ascertainif they were genu ine or not ; I visited the place a few days later ,and was disappointed to find that the bou lder was not an Ogham
stone, though one that m ight easi ly have been m istaken for such .
This bou lder is Of sand-stone , and lies on the ground close tothe site of Haynestown Castle , the only remains of which now
standing is the arched gateway which led into the bawn . The
surface and sides of the stone are covered with numerous deep ,
narrow scores , running in al l directions , which appear to have beenmade while sharpening a pointed instrument or weapon .
The tenant of the farm , Mr . Peter Traynor , kindly suppliedthe fol lowing information — Abou t forty years ago his landlord ,the late Captain T ichell
,when raising stones for drainage purposes ,
dug up this bou lder , which partial ly projected from the ground ;while continu ing the work , about a perch from it , higher up the
bank , the labourers discovered a slab -lined chamber which containeda skeleton, on finding which the work was stopped by CaptainTickell , and the bou lder has since lain in its present position.
The historical notices of Haynestown are very few .
1 11 1 41 1 it was held of the King in capite as of his Manor of
Newcastle Of Lyons , by one Michael Brail les .
In 1 5 41 Heyneston Agarret and Little Newton (with otherlands ) were leased for twenty-one years to Walter Trott , Vicar of
Rathmore ; and four years later they were granted by the Crownto S ir John Travers , Kt. , Of Monkstown, County Dublin .
In Edward V I ’
s reign Haynestown was part of the fami lypossessions of the Aylmers of Lyons .
W. FI TZG .
N O TES .1 0 5
A nt iq u a r ia n O b ject s d isco v e re d in the C o u nty Kild a re .
G la s s Be a d .— Mr . Peter M ilway , of Clare-gate S treet ,
Kildare, sent to me in December , 1 900, a glass bead (which of
I N C H ES?
a pale yel lowy-green colour) , with the fo l lowing particu lars Of its
discovery
I t was found on the top of a hill , eighteen inches belowthe surface , on Mr. Flood ’
s farm of Hawk hil l , near Kildare ;at the same place (a gravel pit ) no less than twelve skeletonshave been found
[
not more than a couple of feet below the
surface. There was no visible trace of graves on the hill ,and , with the exception Of t he bead and the skeletons ,nothing else was discovered .
IN CHES|
T he f l int A rrow-he a d .—This was picked up by a man
named Jack Bryan on Mr . Pat Whelan’
s farm at Ballyvass , nea1.°
Kilkea , In 1904 ; the flint 1s black In colour
1 06 NOT ES .
T he S t o ne C e lt — This large specimen Of a Stone Celt waspicked up in a rath at Downings, near Prosperous , where it was
seen to be partial ly projecting from the ground . Thisjweapon waskindly forwarded to me by Mr . John Shiel l , Master Of
'
the Naas
Poorhouse , in September , 1907 .
T he Bro n z e C e lt .—Last February (1908) the bronze Celt ,
here also il lustrated , came into my possession . I t was found by
4 INCHES
Mr . Curley on his farm at (I think) King’
s Furze, near Naas. This
Celt is of large si z e , and of a very early form .
W. FITZG .
1 0 8 A N SWER T O QUER Y .
I remember seeing in S t .'
Michael ’s Churchyard , Athy , some
years ago , a tombstone bearing his name , bu t on my return after
a long absence the stone had disappeared , with several others Iknew . By whose orders are such acts of vanda lism done 9
A n u nk no w n F it z G erald .—r The Annals of Ulster under
the year 1 43 1 state that “ the grandson of the Ear l of Ki ldare washanged and drawn by the English of Who was he
answer to (Query .
In reply to the Query asking for information as to the te1ms
praying the benefit of clergy and “ being burned ln the hand ,
”
the fo l lowing has been received :Upon conviction of a capital felony the defendent m ight avoid a
sentence of death by praying the benefit of clergy . This original lyconsisted in the privilege a llowed to a clerk in ho ly orders when
prosecuted in the temporal court , of being discharged from thence ,
and handed over to the Court Christian ,in order to m ake canonica l
purgation , that is , to clear himself on his own oath and that of
other persons as his compurgators — a privi lege , as it is said , foundedupon the text of Scripture , Touch not m ine anointed , and do my
prophets no harm . That privilege was by degrees extended to all
who cou ld read , and so were capable of becom ing clerks ; and
u ltimately al lowed , by 5 Anne , 0 . 6 , withou t reference to the abilityto read . But by 4 Hen . V I I , c. 1 3 , it was provided that laymen
“al lowed their clergy ”
shou ld be burned in the hand, and shou ldclaim it only once ; and as to the clergy , it becam e the practice , incases of heinous and notorious gu ilt , to hand them over to the
o1 dinary absque pm qa tione f acienda , the effect of which was thatthey were to be imprisoned for life .
As to the nature of the offences to which the benefit of clergyappl ied , it had no application except in capital felonies and fi om
the more atrocious of these it had been taken away by variousstatu tes , prior to i ts total abolition by 7 8 Geo . IV , 0 . 28 , s . 6 .
As the law stood at the time o f that abo lition, clerks in orders
were , by force of the benefi t o f clergy, discharged in clergyablefelonies without any corpora l punishment whatever , and as often
as they offended (2 Hale , P .C . the only penalty being a
forfeiture of their goods . And the same was the case w ith peersand peeresses , as regards the first offence ; and even after the 7 8
Geo . IV , 0 . 28 , doubts were entertained whether the privilege of
BOOK NO T ICE . 1 09
lords of parliament in this respect did no t sti ll exist . This doubtled to the passing of the 4 5 Vict . c. 22 , enacting that uponconviction for any felony such persons sha ll be punishable as anyother of Her Majesty
’
s subjects . As to commoners , also , theycou ld have benefit of clergy only for the first offence , and theywere discharged by it from the capital punishment only
,being
subject , on the other hand , not only to forfeiture of goods , bu t to
burning in the hand , whipping , or fine and imprisonment , in l ieu of
the capital sentence .
Burning in the hand consisted in applying a hot iron to the
brawn of the left thumb ; and its object was to prevent the benefitof clergy being claimed more than once .
H . HENDRI CK AY LMER .
93003 gliotice.
A Brief Memoir of the R ight Hon . S ir Ralph Sadleir , KnightBanneret , P .C .
,M .P by Thomas Ulick Sadleir , Barrister-at -Law .
Hertford Stephen Au stin Sons, Ltd .
The fact that most modern writers upon King Henry VI I Ihave , to a large extent , reversed the previous judgments of historyupon him , both in respect of his personal character and the sagacity( if his statecraft, lends _
an added interest to the records of thosewho enjoyed his confidence and favour .
‘
The life-story of one of
the most notable of these is set forthi
in the volume before us . The
length of this m emoir displays great moderation on the part of theau thor , considering the vast amount of materia l which is avai lablebearing upon the history of his i llustrious ancestor . For example ,an account of his _
life from the pen of S ir Walter Scott is a rare
distinction for any historicpersonage .
Sadleir was born in 1 507 , being _(says quaint old Fu ller) “heirto a fair inheritance . The birth of this able and celebratedstatesman ,
”remarks Scott , was
‘
neither obscure nor ignoble , norso much exalted above the m iddling rank of society as to contribu tein any material degree towards the Splendid success of his career
in life .1
His first political m ission was to Scotland in 1 536 , and it wasin connexion with that country , that Sadleir won m ost of his
celebrity . He was Henry ’
s chief agent in his endeavour to attachScotland to England , rather than to France, with the hope of the
u ltimate'
union of the two neighbouring kingdoms . On Henry ’s
death , Sadleir , fu l l of riches and honour , maintained a foremostplace under Edward V I . After a period of comparative retirementunder Mary , he again became a leading figure in connexion with
I I O BO OK N O T ICE .
Anglo -Scottish affairs , in the reign of Queen E li z abeth , up to the
time of the execution of the hapless Queen of Scots . Within a
few weeks of the latter event he died , on March 3oth , 1 587 .
The pub l ic life of Sad leir covered what is perhaps the m ostinteres ting period in al l English history , extending through thatmarked by the birth-throes of m odern England , into the spacious
times of great E li z abeth .
”
The present mem01r 1s written in a most scholarly and
interesting style .
There 1s a pedigree of the Sad leir fam i ly as an Appendix . I t is
fu lly up to the standard of modern scientific genealogy , of whichthere is no better exponent than Mr . Sad leir . A portrait of Sir
Ralph Sadleir form s the frontispiece .
This memoir is the second of a series for a proposed Dictionaryof Hertfordshire Biography ,
” published by the East Herts Archmological Society .
H . L . L . DENNY.
R EW A R D
FINDERS O F AN‘
T IQUIT IES.Find e rs o f A ncie nt A rt icle s o f G o ld , S i lv e r ,
B ro n z e , B ra s s , o r Iro n ; C ro o k s ; C o ins , & c. , w i l l ,
rece iv e , p ro v id ed t he a rt icle s a re co ns id e re d
s u it a b le , t he ir f u l l m a rk e t -v a lu e if t hey a re
s e nt t o T HE S EC RET A RY O F T HE RO Y A L
iR lS H A C ADEM Y , 19 DAW S O N S T REET ,
DUBLIN . T he Aca d em y w i l l p ay ,t he
‘
co s t o f
ca rr ia g e t o Du b l in , a nd if t he a rt icle s a re no t
p u rcha s e d , t he y w i l l b e re t u rne d t o t he f ind e r,
ca rr ia g e p a id . if t he y a re p u rcha s e d , t hey Wi l lb e exh ib it e d in t he
,
N a t io na l M u s e um , Du b l in .
2 . in t he ca s e o f G o ld a nd S i lv e r a rt icle s , t he
Ro y a l i r is h Aca d em y is f u l ly em p ow e re d b y
the T re a s u re -T ro v e Re g u la t io ns t o g iv e T HE
FINDER t he f u l l m a rk e t -v a lu e o f t he a rt icle s ,
w h ich is a lw a y s g re a t e r t ha n t he v a lu e o f t he
w e ig ht o f go ld o r s ilv e r co nta ine d the re in : a nd
if t he a rt icle s a re p u rcha s e d b y t he Aca d em y ,
no cla im ca n b e m a d e o n t he f ind e r in re s pect
o f them .
3 . A nt iq u it ie s lo s e m uch o f t he 1r v a lu e,
a nd
int e re s t if scra p e d o r b ro k e n . T hey s ho u ld
a lw ay s b e s e nt e xact ly a s fo u nd , w it ho u t a ny
a t t em p t a t cle a n ing , a nd accom p a n ie d b y a
w r it t e n s t a t em e nt o f t he e xact loca l ity , d a t e ,
a nd circum s t a nce s o f t he ir d isco v e ry .
4 . T he R o y a l i r is h Aca d em y ha s fo r m a ny
y e a rs p a s t e nd e a v o u re d t o p re s e rv e fo r t he
N a t io n a rt icle s i l lu s t ra t iv e.
o f t he A ncie nt
H is t o ry a nd Pe o p le o f Ire la nd ; a nd t ru s t s t ha t
e v e ry o ne t h ro u g ho u t t he co unt ry w il l cc
o p e ra t e in t h is N a t io na l o b ject .
Printed by Poxsounx G I BBS , Universi ty Press , Dub hn
“V OLUM E V l , N o . 2 .
O F TH
ARGHIEOLGGIGAL SOCIETY.
1 19 B al l ad s and Po ems o f the C ounty
N o . V I II . Y ° R ighte-M errie Ba llad b f
C astle town. By M A RY CA ROLI NE,
Salmon
y Parish R egister
O ld I rish Fo lk M usicand Songs ,
I 1 2 PRO CEEDIN GS OF T HE
Colonel de Burgh , and seconded by M r. Hendrick-Aylmer, thatthe Very Rev. George Y . Cowell , Dean of Ki ldare
, should beselected to fill the vacancy . This was unanimously decidedu on.p
The following new M embers were elected — M r . PhilipBurton
,Lieu t .-Col . J . D. Day, Mr. Archibald E . Dobbs, Mr.
Robert Dorrian,Mr. Gerald Otho Fitz Gerald
,Mr. John
Hewetson,Mr . Thomas F . M olony , K.C .
, the Rev. T . V .
Nolan, S .J. , Rector of Clongowes Wood College , and M iss A . C .
Woollcombe .
In addition the election of the following at the SeptemberMeeting was confirmed —Mr . R . C . Barton and Miss D. Barton
,
Captain and M rs . J . L . Bland , M iss Campbell and M iss MaudCampbel l , Lord Castletown of Upper Ossory , K.P . ; LadyHenry Fitz Gerald ; the Rev . Thomas J . Kel ly, P .P . ; the Rev .
Matthew Lalor, P .P . ; the R ev. J . S . Long , M .A . ; Mr . R ichard
J . C . Maunsell , Dr . G . T . B . V anston,LL .D .
, K.C ., and M r.
Robert White .
The following p laces of interest as su itable for the SeptemberExcursion were discu ssed , vi z .
— The R ock of Cashel, County
T ipperary ; C lonmore , County Carlow Blessington, County
W icklow ; and Rathangan, County Ki ldare. I t was decided bya majority that Cashel should be visited , and , in the event of thatnot being practicable , the Blessington side shou ld be taken as an
alternative .
The undermentioned Papers were read County Ki ldareFolk Tales
,
”collected by M iss Greene o f M i llbrook.
“The
Celt ic Church o f Killerrig, County Carlow ,by Canon ffrench.
Narraghmore,and the Barons of Norragh, by Lord Walter
Fitz Gerald .
A resolution was moved by the Rev . T . V. Nolan, S .J. , and
seconded by M r. J . T . Brooke , o . 1 .
, thanking those who
had contribu ted Papers , and the High Sheriff for the use of the
Court House .
The Archdeacon of Kildare having brought to the noticeof the Society that the ancient bullaun,
”or artificially hollowed
boulder,which rests on the bank of the Bu tter-stream at C lane
,
had recently been covered over with mud thrown up on the bankduring the cleaning up of that l ittle river
,the President
requested him to get it restored to its former condition, and , ifnecessary, to have i t pro tected with a fence
, the cost of whichwould be borne by the Society . This bou lder is described on
p . 27 , vo l . i , and il lustrated on p . 1 10, vo l . iii , of THE JOURNAL .
Lord Mayo having exhibited a silver coin of the reign of
James I I ; an Irish bank-token for thirty pence of the reign of
COUN T Y KI LDARE A RCH /EOLO G ICAL SOC IET Y .
Ge01 ge I I I ; a medal , st1 uck by the Empe1 01 Napoleon,when he
th1 eatened the invasion of England f1 om Bou logne i n 1804 ; and
a pen-an -d ink sketch, by Ronaldson, depicting
‘Postirig in
Ireland ,”the proceedings were brought to a close .
REPORT OF COUNCIL FOR 1908 .
Our roll of membership continues to remain stationary , allowing for losses by resignation or death
,and for new members .
Our present numbers are 1 58 Members, including twenty-sevenLife Members .
We regret to have to chronicle the loss since our Meeting lastyear of one Member of our Council
,the Earl of Drogheda , also
of Sir Edmund T . Bewley,and the Hon. Gerald Ponsonby , Mr .
Lawrence Dunne,Sir George C . Fitz Gerald
, and Captain J . L .
Bland , the latter of whom was only elected a M ember at the
Dunamase M eeting this year .
Lo1 d D1 ogheda was too much concei ned m the art of music,in which he was so wel l vei sed , and took such a keen
, p1 actica1
interest,to be able to attend many of our Meetings but if not
present himself, he was,
generally ably represented by LadyD1Ogheda , who has eve1 taken the keenest inte1 est in the Society,and has he1 self set a good example to othe1 s i n w 1 iting a mostexhahstive hist01y of the M om family . Many of us w ill1 emembe1 his kind hospitality to the Society when _ it visitedMoore Abbey in 1903 . I t speaks well for Our S ociety that wehave amongst its ranks a maj ority of the families of the County .
with which its history is so much connected .
Sir Edmund Bewley , formerly Judicial Commissioner of theI rish Land Commission, and the au thor of some valuable legaltreatises , being at one time in his career Regiu s Professor ofFeudaland English Law in the University ofDublin, on his retirementwas induced by one of yourHon. Secretaries to take up the studyof genealogy , for which his i training so well fitted him . As a
1 esult, he became what may with t1u th be said one of the ab lestgenealogists of the thi ee kingdoms . His cleve1 and ableconti ibu tions ado1n the pages of many serials , and amongst hispublished genealogical w0 1ks may be mentioned Hi sto1 y of the
Bewleys of Cumberland,” proving incontestably the descent of
his family from the fourteenth century w ithout a break . He
also published H istories of the fami ly of Mu lock,of Fleetwood ,
and also o f the family of Poe, which last-named is o f considerableinterest just now , as we are about to celebrate the centenary of
Edgar A llen Poe, whose I rish ancestry S ir Edmund proved , butdistinct from the Kilkenny family of that name . A ltogether his
1 2
I I 4 PROCEEDINGS OF THE
loss to the Society is very great , for it will be hard to replaceone gifted with such accurate genealogical and historicalresearch .
The Hon. Gerald Ponsonby was one of our original Members,and although he only contributed to THE JOURNAL one or two
articles, and some drawings, yet his interest in the objects of theSociety was evinced by his constant a ttendance at our Meetingswhenever able , thus supporting, as far as possible, his son-in
law ,ou1 P1 esident. His inte1 ests lay mom in a1 t than in arch
ecology , and he excelled with his pencil and as a connoissem
in al t . His wife, Lady Mai ia Ponsonby, like Lady D1 ogheda ,is a Membe1 of the Society .
I t will thus be seen that some of the M embers whose losswe have to record were men of no ordinary capacity.
The Hon. Tr '
easu1 e1’
s Rep01 t will show you that , in mattersof finance the Society holds its own.
The au tobiography of Pole Cosby , wh ich has f01med such a
distinguishing and inte1 esting feature in THE JOURNAL,has
now been concluded under the able editorship of ArchdeaconSherlock .
A t the January Meeting last year a grant not exceeding £ 3was made to enable the twelfth-century knight ’ s effigy in T imolinChurchyard to be moved and placed in security on a raised basein the church porch . A fu ll illustrated account of this uniquemonument appeared in THE JOURNAL in 1 893 (vol . i , p .
when Mr. A . Hartshorne, one of the greatest authoritieson early monumental effigies , wrote : I t is surely a matter ofgood omen that , in consequence of the formation of the CountyKildare Archaeological Society, attention has been so soon cal ledto a military figure in the County of so remarkable a character .
Finally a stranger may venture to express a hope that,as in the
case of the Northamptonshire Forester, the effigy of the KildareKnight may be rescued from its melancholy surroundings and
removed to a place of greater security,where it
'
s valuable detai lswil l be al ike protected from the weather and available for study.
”
A suggestion to have this work carried out was brought beforethe Society shortly afterwards by S ir Arthur Vicars , who had hadthe monument cleared and rendered visible for the first time ;but it was not then agreed to . We are glad now to report thatthis excellent work has at last been done under the supervisionof Lord Mayo , Lord Walter Fit z Gerald, and the Rev. J . S . Long ,thus add ing another to the praiseworthy works of salvage of
antiqu ities carried out by the Society .
The Council wish to express their thanks to the Duke of
Leinster for his generosity in defraying the cost of illustrating
1 1 6 PROCEEDIN GS O F T HE
bu ild ing, now roofless , to the alterna te corners o f which are
attached projecting square towers of the same height as the
main portion a narrow staircase enables one to reach the topof the Walls, which are of their original height, except that thebattlements are gone . I t is doubtfu l who the proprietor of thisCastle was before the confiscations of Edward V I
’
s reign ; butas it stood in the lordship of
“ Feran-odou lin,it may have
belonged to the O ’
Dowlings , one of the seven septs of Leix in
1 5 50 it was granted by the Crown to one John Dunkirley,soldier
,
”and a few years later it is found in the possession of
the family of Hartpole of Shrule , in the southern end of the
Queen’
s County .
From C lonreher the party drove through the town of M aryborough (which is uninteresting from an antiquarian point ofV iew ), and taking the S tradbally road
, crossed the M onavaw
Bog, and,after leaving the Dysart-Enos Hills on the right ,
arrived at the foot of the Rock of Dunamase,which lies four
miles due east of Maryborough. After partaking of luncheon,the ascent of the Rock was made
,and on reaching the summi t
a magnificent view was obtained over the plains of Ki ldare and
the W icklow M ountains on one side,and the Slieve B loom
M ountains , and the Devil’
s Bit range in the Opposite direction.
Having examined the ru ins of this , what mu st have beenan almost impregnable Anglo-Norman fortification,
the partyassembled in the keep to hear a very interesting Paper on
Dunamase, read by the Rev . Edward O ’
Leary, P .P ., after which
Mr . Ambrose M ore-O’
Ferrall,the representative in the female
l ine of the chiefs o f Leix,read out the following names for
membership , which were du ly electedM r. R . C . Barton, M iss D . Barton
, Captain and M rs. J . L .
Bland, M iss Campbell , M iss Maud Campbell , Lord Castletownof Upper O ssory , K.P .
,P .C . ; Lady Henry Fitz Gerald , the Rev.
Thomas J. Kel ly , P .P . the Rev. M atthew Lalor,P .P . the Rev .
J . S . Long, M .A. M r. R . J . C . Maunsell , Dr. G . T . B . V anston,
LL .D. and Mr. Robert White .
The return journey to Maryborough was made so as to
include the extensive commons known as“ The Great Heath of
Maryborough,”the Curragh of the Queen’
s County . The
Heath contains 425 acres it was the scene of race meetings informer times, and is still the training ground for the Queen’
s
County M ilitia (4th Battalion of the Leinster Regiment) , theold Stand House serving as the officers
’
mess, when the regimentis embodied . Two raths on the Heath were noticeable from the
cars , one called Rathshane,
and a smaller one at the back ofthe S tand House known as
“The Gallows Rath in olden
COUN T Y KI LDARE ARCH /EOLOG ICAL SOC IET Y .
times the Heath was known as the Freagh-more , of which its
present name i s a translation.
Passing the jail (from which Lynchahaun made his sensa
tional escape not long ago ) on the right, Maryborough was
again entered , and the party proceeded ,t o Kelly ’
s H ibernianHotel for tea ; after which the excursion was brought to a
successful close with the departure of the train for Kildareand Dublin.
What made this day ’s outing so enjoyable was the great
luck in having a really fine day for it , as for some days bo thbefore and after it the weather proved most unfavourable , therain falling heavi ly and continually . On the day in ques tionthere were only two slight showers
,one at C lonreher and the
other at Dunamase, bu t they only cleared the air for the grandviews to be had from the summit of the Rock , which 0 11 too fine
a day would not have been nearly so extensive . Among thosewho were present were the fo llowing
Lady Nesta Fitz Gerald, the Rev. E . O’
Leary, P .P . Canon
and M iss Adams, M iss Y oung ofBrockley Park ,Lord Frederick
Fitz Gerald , H . Humphreys,M iss Vigors , M iss Carter, M iss
Dyneley,- the R ev. Thomas J . Kel ly
,P .P . ; Wi lli am White ,
Captain Dudley S . A . Cosby , the Rev . A . G . Stuart, Captainand M rs . J. L . Bland
,Lord Henry Fi tz Gerald , Mr. J . and Miss
Carolan,C . E . Roper and the M isses Roper, S tephen J . Browne
,
Chairman of the County Kildare Counti ouncil Sir ArthurVicars
,V ipont Barry , F . J Freeman
, C . M . Dru ry , M rs . Fenton,
M iss Fenton of Knockarigg ; T he Dean of Kildare and. Mrs .
Cowell,the Rev. J . Dunne , T . U . Sadleir, Sir Hunt Walsh,
Canon Waller , Mrs. Wa l ler, Hardress Waller , R . D . Walshe ,Lord George Fitz Gerald, Mr. and Mrs. Dominick More
O’
Ferrall,the Rev . Matthew Lalor, P .P . ; M iss Muriel W eldon,
M iss Butler of Ballyadams ; the Rev. J . O’
Callaghan, c.c.
M r. Ambrose M ore-O’
Ferrall and M iss More-O’
Ferrall,Lord
Wa l ter Fit z Gerald,etc.
M emb ers, 1909.
[Ofii cers are indicated b y heavy type Life M embers b y an aster isk
Adams , Rev . Canon,Kill Rectory , Straffan .
Archbold , M iss, Davidstown , Castlederm ot .
*Ardilaun , The Lord , St . Anne’s , Clontarf, Co . Dub lin .
Armstrong, Edmund C . R . , Cyprus , Eglinton-road,Dub l in.
Aylmer , M iss , Donadea Castle, Co . Kildare .
Aylm er , Algernon , Rathm ore , Naas .
AY LMER, H. HENDRICK H on. Treasurer , Kerdiffstown, Sallins .
Ball , Francis E lrington , 6 W ilton-place , Dublin .
*Barton,Bertram H . , Strafian House , S traffan .
Barton,R . C . , G lendalough House , Annamoe , Co . W icklow .
Barton , M iss D. , G lendalough House , Annamoe , Co . Wicklow .
Betham , Mrs . , 9 Belgrave-square , Monkstown .
Bland,Mrs . J . L . ,
Dysartgal len , Ballinakill , Queen’s Co .
Bonham , Colonel J . Ballintaggart , Colb instown , Co . Kildare .
Brooke , J . T . , Green Bank , Carlow .
Brown, Stephen J Ardca ien , Naas .
Burke , Very Rev . Monsignor E . , P .P . , Bagenalstown , Co . Carlow .
*Burtchaell , G . D.,M .A. , 44 Morehampton-road , Dub lin .
Burton , Philip ,Railway-terrace , Naas .
*Byrne , Rev . Vincent , S .J. , S t. Francis Xavier ’s , Up . Gardiner-street , Dublin .
Campbell , M iss Helen, Oatlands , Abbeyleix, Queen’s Co .
Campbell, M iss Maud , Oatlands , Abbeyleix, Queen ’
s Co .
Carroll , Major John W . V . , Moone Abbey , M oone .
Carol in, John, 77 North King-street , Dublin.
Castletown of Upper Ossory , Lord , K . P .,P .C .
,Grantstown Manor, Abbeyleix ,
Queen’s Co .
*Chamberlayne , Major T ankerville, c/o M . M . Holt Co . , 3 VVhitehall-place ,
London, S .W .
*Clarke, Mrs. ,A thgoe Park , Ha z lehatch
, Co . Dublin .
*C lements , Henry J . B .,D.L . , Killadoon,
Celbridge .
Coady , D. P ., MD , Naas.
Cochrane , Robert, LL .D . , President 1 7 H ighfield-road ,R athgar, Dubl in .
C olley, G . P . A. , Univers ity Club, Dublin .
Comnee , Rev . J . F. , S t. Francis Xavier’s , Upper Gard iner-street, Dubl in .
C oo te , S tanley V . , Burley , Ringwood , Hants,England .
Co sby , Co lonel R . A . G . , D .L . , S tradbally Hall , S tradbally, Queen ’s Co .
COWELL, Very Rev. G. Y . ,Dean of Kildare , The Deanery , Kildare .
COUNT Y KILDARE ARC H/EOLOG ICAL SO C I ET Y .
Cru ise, Francis , M .D. ,Baltinglass , Co . W icklow .
Cu llen , Rev . John ,P .P . ,
T inryland , Co . Carlow .
Culshaw , M iss, Johnstown , Straffan .
Daly , C . , 25 Westm oreland-street , Dub lin.
Dam es , R . S Longworth ,2 1 Herbert-streefi
'
Dubl in .
Dane , J . Whiteside, Abbeyfield , Naas .
Day ,Robert , Myrtle H il l Ho use , Cork .
Day , Lieut .
-Col . J . D.,1 Dunca irn-terrace , Qu insbo rough-road
, B ray ,
Co . Wicklow .
DE BURGH, THOMAS J. ,Lt .
-Col .,D.L. , O l dtown,
Naas .
*DEVlTT, Rev. MATTHEW,S .J . , Vice-President , M illtown Park , Mil ltown ,
Co . Dubl in .
Dobbs , Arch ibald E . , CastleDobbs , Carrickfergus , Co . Antrim .
Dorrian , Robert , Main-street , Naas .
Drogheda , The Dowager Co'
untess of, Moore Abbey , Mona sterevan .
Drury , Charles M . , Barraderry ,Kiltegan , Co . W icklow .
Dunne , Rev . John , C .C . Baltinglass , Co . W icklow .
Elliott,George Hall, Chief Librarian ,
Free Pub l icLibrary , Belfa st .
Fayle , Edwin , Kylemore , Orwell-park , Rathgar .
Fenton , M iss , Knockareagh , Grange Con, Co. Wicklow .
ffrench , Rev . Canon, Bal lyredmond House , C lonegal , Co . Carlow .
Field,John ,
Ki lcock, Co . Kildare.
l >“Fit z Gerald , Lady Eva , Kilkea Castle, Maganey, Co . Kildare .
Fitz Gerald , LadyHenry , Babergh Hall , Sudbury , Suffolk , England .
>“Fitz Gerald,Lady Mabel , Kilkea. Castle, M aganey, C o . Kildare.
>“F itz Gerald , Lady Nesta , Kilkea Castle, Maganey, Co . Kildare .
*F i tz Gerald , Lord Desmond , Carton,Maynooth , Co . Kildare .
*F it z Gerald , Lord Frederick,Carton , M aynooth , Co . Kildare .
*F it z Gerald , Lord George , Kilkea Castle , Maganey , Co . Kildare .
Fitz Gerald,Lord Henry ,
Babergh Hall , Sudbury , Suffolk .
FITZGERALD, LORDWALTER, H on. Secretary,Kilkea C a stle,Maganey ,
Co . Kildare .
*Fit z Gerald , Gerald O tho , 30 St . James’s-square , London , S W .
John‘
stown House , Carlow .
Fogarty,Most Rev . M . , B ishop of Killaloe , Ennis , Co . Clare .
Foley, Most Rev .Patrick , D .D. ,Bishop ofKildare and Leighl in ,
Braganza, Carlow .
Follis,Rev . C . W., The Rectory , Carbury, Co . Kildare .
Freeman , Francis J. ,Calverstown
,Kilcullen .
Gannon , J. P . , Laragh , Maynooth , Co . Kildare .
Garstin,J . Ribton
,D .L .
, Braganstown, Castle BellinghamCo . Louth .
Glover, Edward , County Surveyor’s Office , Court House , Naas .
Geoghegan, Mrs . ,Bert
,Athy .
Gorges, Raymond H z , 15 Royal Terrace, East , Kingstown , Co . Dublin .
MEMBER S O F THE
Goulding, S ir W illiam ,Bart .
,M ill icent, Sallins.
Governey , M ichael , Wellington-square, Carlow .
Graham , Rev . Canon C . I . ,Kildrought Parsonage. Celbridge .
Greene . Thomas W M illbrook , Maganey, Co . Kildare .
Hade , Arthur, C.E . , Carlow .
Hannon ,J . A . , Prumplestown,
Carlow .
Hardman,Mrs .
,Foxrock House , Foxrock , CC. Dub lin .
Heighington , Colonel Wl, Donard House, Donard , Co . W icklow .
Hewetston ,John
,32 Cornwa ll-road , Bayswater , London , W .
Hobson , C . J. , 554 West l 60th Street , New Y ork , U. S .A .
Howard , F . , Collinstown House , Leixlip .
Jackson ,F . R .
,Kilkea , Castledermot .
Joyce , Patrick Weston , LL .D . ,Barnalee , 1 8 Leinster
-road , W . , Rath
m ines , Dublin .
Kelly, Rev . Thomas J P .P . ,Emo
, Queen’s Co .
Kirkpatrick , William, Donacomper, Celbridge .
Lalor,Rev. Matthew , P .P . ,
Mountmellick , Queen’s Co .
Lamb , Mrs . , Maudlin’s Farm
,Naas .
*Leinster , the Duke of, Carton , Maynooth .
Longfield , Robert , 25 Clare-street , Dublin .
Long, Rev . J . S . , M .A., The Rectory , Timolin,Co . Kildare .
MacDonald , Rev . Walter , D .D .,Librarian
,The College , Maynooth.
Magu ire, P . A . ,2 Oldtown-terrace , Naas .
Mahony , George Gun,Kilmorna , Co. Kerry .
Manders , R . W Castlesi z e, Sallins .
MANSFIELD, GEORGE, D.L ., Morristown Lattin, Naas.
Maunsell , R ichard J . C . , Oakley Park, Celbridge, Co . Kildare .
Mayo ,Dowager Countess of, 20 Eaton
-square,London, S .W .
MAYO, The EARL OF, K. P . , P.C. , P resident , Palmerstown,S traffan.
Molloy , Wi lliam R ., J.P . , Comm issioner o f National ,Education ,
7 8 Kenilworth-square , Rathgar .
Molony , Thomas F . , K.C 35 Fitzwilliam -place , Dublin.
Mooney, William ,The Castle
,Leixlip .
*Moran, H is Em inence Cardinal, Sydney, N . S. Wales , Australia.
Murphy , Rev. A ., C .C .
, Naas .
Murphy, W . A . , Osberstown House , Sall ins .
Nolan, Rev . James,C . C .
, Athy, Co . Kildare .
Nolan, Rev . T . V .,S .J Rector of C longowes Wood Col lege , Sallins , Co . Kildare .
Norman,George , 1 2 Brock-street , Bath,
England .
Norris , Rev. M ., P .P . , Naas .
Nugent , Hon . R . , S tacumney , Celbridge .
I 24 M EM BER S .
Weldon , Dowager Lady , Tyrrellstown House,Mulhuddart , Co . Dublin .
Wheble , Mrs .,Monasterevin
,Co . Kildare .
White , Robert, Scotch Rath Hall, Dalkey , Co . Dublin .
White , W . Grove , 1 3 Upper Ormond-quay, Dublin .
Wolfe, George , Forenaghts , Naas .
Woollcombe , Miss A .,14Waterloo-road , Dublin .
*Wool leombe, Robert Lloyd , LL .D . ,14 Waterloo -road
,Dublin .
*Wright , E . Percival M .A ., M .D .
, 5 T rini ty Col lege , Dubl in .
Wright , R ichard , Prumplestown House,Carlow .
Wynch , W . Maling Rose H ill, Lyme-Regis , Dorset , England .
The fo l lowing Librari es and S oci eties a lso receive THE JOURNAL
T he Editor,“ Ulster Journal of Arche ology ,
”Ardrie , Belfast.
T he Worcester Diocesan Architectural and Archa elogical Society.
T he Society of Antiquaries of London .
The H istoric Society of Lancashire and Cheshire .
The Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland , 6 St . S tephen ’s-green Dub l in
The Royal I rish Academy , 19 Dawson-street, Dublin .
The Library, T rinity College, Dublin .
The National Library of Ireland , Kildare-street , Dublin .
The Galway Archaeological and H istorical Society (W . F . T rench,Esq .
,
Queen’s College, Galway) .
Le B ibliothéca ire , Socié té des Bol land istes , 14 Rue des Ursulines , Bruxelles ,Belgium .
The British Museum , London.
The Advocates ’ Library, Ed inburgh .
The Bodleian Library, Oxford .
The University Library , Cambridge .
The Cambridge Antiquarian Society (Secretary ,J . E . Foster , E sq ,
10 T rinity-street , Cambridge ) .
T he Wa terford and Sou th-East o f I reland Archaeological Society (TheRev . P . Power, John’
s H ill,TV a terford) .
The O li ice o f Arm s,The Castle , Dublin.
The County Lou th Archae ologica l Society . (S ecreta ry ,Rev . J . Qu inn,
C C . ,
Grange , Carl ingford.
The Library , King’s Inns , Henrietta-street
,Dubl in.
R U L E S .
I . That this Society be cal led The Codiity Ki ldare Archaeological Society .
I I . That the purpose of the S ociety be the prom o tion of the study and
knowledge of the antiqu it ies and objects of interest in the county and sur
rounding districts .
I I I . That the Society consist oi a President,Vice-President
, Council ,Hon . T reasurer , two Hon . Secretaries , and Members . Ladies are eligible forMem bership .
IV .
‘
That the names of ladies and gentlem en desiring to'
become Members
of the Society shall be subm itted , together w ith the nam es of their proposers ,
to the Council , and , i f approved by them ,shall then be subm itted to the
next‘
Meeting of the Society fOr E lection.
V . That the affairs of the Society -be managed by the President , VicePresident , Hon. T reasurer, and Hon . Secretaries , together with a Council of
seven Members . That for ordinary business two shall form a qu orum ; but any
matter upon which a difference of opinion arises Shall be reserved for anothermeeting , in which three shall form a quorum .
V I . That two Members of the Council shall retire by rotation each year ,
but Shall be eligible for re-election.
V I I . That Members pay an Annual Subscription of Ten Shillings (du e0 11 the 1 st o f January) , and that the payment of £ 5 shall constitute a Life
Member .
VI I I . That Meetings of the Society be held not less than twice In each
year, one Meeting being an excursion to some place of archaeological interestin the district .
IX. That at the first Meeting of the Society in each year the Hon . T rea
surer shall furnish a balance-Sheet .
X . That a JOURNAL of the Society be published annually, containing theProceedings and a column for local Notes and Queries .
XI . That the Meetings of the year be fixed by the Council, due notice o f
the dates of the Meetings being given ,to Members .
XI I . That M embers be at liberty to introduce visitors at the Meetings of
the Society .
XII I . That no Member Shall receive THE JOURNAL whose Subscription for
the previous year has not been pa id .
1 2 8 THE M AN OR AND CA ST LE OF POWERSCOURT
At the time of the outbreak of the Silken Thomas’
s rebellion,
which occurred in June , 1 5 34 , his uncle, Richard Fitz Gerald,was in possession of theM anors of Powerscourt , Fassaghroe , and
Rathdown . He married towards the end of that year M atilda,
daughter of George Darcy,of Platin, in the County M eath
,and
widow of James M areward, of Kilcarne,Baron of Skreen.
1
Though Opposed to his nephew ’
s rebel lion, against whom he
aided the G overnment, ye t Richard Fit z Gerald was arrested in
August , 1 53 5 , and eventual ly suffered the same fate at Tyburnas his four brothers and nephew in February, 1 5 37 . He left no
issue by his w ife,who
,in 1 5 38 , was granted a pardon for
having instigated R ichard to S lay her first husband on the
1 4th Sep tember ,On the l 0th of August , 1 538 , an Inqu isition
"was taken in
Dublin to ascertain what lands this R ichard Fit z Gerald held of
the Crow 11 at the time of his attainder . Thomas Lu ttrell, the
Chief Ju stice , presided , and the fo l lowing jury w as - swern :
RichardWalche,ofKilgobane W alter Wa lche
,of Shanganaghe
G erald Archebold , of Bree ; W i l l iam Archebold,of the same ;
W i l liam W alshe,of Kyllenena ; Reginald Talbot , of Belgard ;
Patrick M angon , of Loghton ; Shane M ore,
of Crumlen ;John Bathe , of the same ; Patrick Russell , of Uncastell ; DavidGalroy, of Tassagard ; and David Seman
,o f the same— who say
on their oaths that at a Parliament held in Dub lin on 1 st May ,1 5 36, by Lord Leonard Grey , the Lord Depu ty
, the fo llowingorder was passed
Be it enacted o rdeyned estab lished by the King our Soverain
Lorde,the lords Spiritual l and temporal] , and the Com ens in this present
Parliam ent assemb led , 85 by aucthorit ie of the same,that Gerald e fii t z
G erald e Erle o f Kildare ,late dessesed , from the e ight day of July in the
xx yere of our So vera in lorde the King that now is, b e deemed reput id
conv ictid adjudgid a t ta int id t ra itor o f highe treason ,and that he and
his he ires shall lose and forfe te the t itle s tile name o f Erle of Kildare ,and also Shall forfete to o ur soverain lorde his heires for ever al l
honers,castells
,maners , lord eshipes , lets , franches , hundreds , libert ies ,
prev ileges , advow sons , fundacons , nom inacons , presentacons , pa tronags ,
knyghts’
fees,landes , tenements , rents , services , R ivercons , rema ind ers ,
po rcons , anu ities , pencons , Offices , and al l o ther hereditam ents profitsw ha t soever they be , whereo f the said Gerald e Erle by himse lf or unitelyw i th any o ther o r o thers to his u se b ehofe w ere seised the v iii day o f
July o r any tyme after w ithin the lande of Irland in fee s imple o r in fee
1 M o rrin’
s Ca lendar o f Patent and C lose R o lls , vo l . i, p . 41 .
3 County Dub l in Excheq uer Inqu is ition N o . 44 of Henry V I I I .
3 I b., No . 28 o f Henry V I II see a lso N o . 26 o f H enry V I I I , & 0 .
IN THE S IXT EENTH CENTURY . I ZQ
tayle and semb lab ly be it estab lished ordeyned enacted by aucthoritie
aforesaide that Oliver fitz Gerald uncle to Thomas fit z Geralde son heire
of the saide Erle b e deemed reputid conv ictid adjudged at tainted a traitor
of highe treason .
Also that at a Parliament held at Westminster on the 8th July ,the following Act was passed
Be it enacted ordeyned estab lished by author itie by this present
Parliament,that R icharde ffitz Geralde Esqu ier , b e attainted adjudged&
convicted of highe trayson ,every o f them b e ad j udged atteyntid and
conv ict id of highe trayson . And b e it further enacted by the authorit ie
aforesa ide , that the s aid R ichard fitz Gerald e , O liver fit z Geralde ,Walter fitz Geralde now b eing in the Tower of London, for traysons bythem everie o f them co
'
m ited done , Shall suffre execucon of d eath for
the same accord ingly , and also Shall forfete to our soverain lorde the Kingand his heires , al l S ingular ther cas tels
,honors , lordeshipes , landes ,
tenements , hereditam ents whatsoever they b e w ithin the R ealm e of
Englande ,Wa les , I rlande , Cal is , the
“
marches of the same or in any of
them ,whereof they or any o f them
,or any person o r persons to the use
of them or any of them , was o r w ere seised the firs t day of Augu st in the
xxvi yere of the reygne of our S overain lord e , of es ta tes of freeho lde or
inher itaunce , o r any tyme se thens,and al l such r ight , u se , tyble , in teres t ,
pocession which the saide R ichard fitz Geralde , O liver fit z Geralde ,Wal ter fitz G eralde , or any of them have , o r a t the saide first day of
Augus t had , or that they o r any of them myght have or shulde have hadby m um of inheritaunce by or after the d eathe o f any of ther ancestors or
o therw ise , as if the said Acte of A ttaynes had never b een had or made ,and\that they every of them for their fals and traytorus offens shall losethe b enefits lib erties'
& priveleges of al l saynctuaries et cetera , as more
fully in the said Acte appears .
The jurors also on their oaths say that on the l st August ,1 534, and also on the 26th September, 1 5 34, the date of the
death of Gerald , 9th Earl o f Ki ldare , John Sutton, of T ipper, inthe County of Kildare , Gentleman
,was seised in fee of the
following manors , towns , and lands in the . County o f Dublin(recte W icklow) to the u se of Richard Fitz Gerald and his heirs ,but which are now in theKing
’
s hands o wing to the at tainder
of the said Richard for high treason
The Manor of Power ~
ys~ Court, containing four messuages ,
1 14 acres , the fishery , and a river called the Water of Power-ysCourt .
The Manor of Rathdown, containing a Castle , twenty mes
suages , 2 48 acres , a water-mill , and a river called the Water ofRathdown,
as well as a Crykka (creek ) there .
The Manor of FaSsaghroo , containing a Castle, thirteenmessuages , 1 36 acres , a water-mill , a fishery, and a river calledthe water of Fassaghroo .
1 30 THE MANOR AND CASTLE OF POWERSCOURT
The following towns and lands in the territories of Fercolyn
and G lancap
Inthe Territoryof F ercul len .
In the Territoryo f G lencap .
Present Tow nlandN am e
Cokyston .
Kil legyr .
Le M anister .
Kylgarrane , a lias Kyl tagarrana water-m ill) .
Kylmel inge . Kilmal in .
Knockb olk e .
Ballycorty , a lias Ballygortyl l .
Ballynecahill , a lia s Bal lycayl l .
Le Park .
Anycrew e .
Le Cronye .
Ballynegewk e .
Barnemeare . Barnam ire .
S tagonnel ,for which see
Tampu lb eghan , a liasTampu lpeeghan . the not e at the
e n d o f th i s
Paper .
Bal lebrowe . Ballyb rew .
Keelok e .
Owynaghe . Onagh .
Ky‘
lpedyr , a lias Kilpeter .
Lackyndaraghe . Lackandarragh .
Kylcol lom .
Kylmorrye .
Beanaghe M ore .
Beanaghe Begge .
Kylcornan (w ith a water-mill) .Bal lenygey . Bal lynagee .
Inchenycroy , a lias Inchnacroo .
Glancrey . Glencree .
Bahana .
Coylmoore .
Ballynornan .
Kylwoagh .
Ballynlost ie .
Bal lyday , a lias Bal lygawge .
Glannemoore .
Carrykcavane (w ith a castle and“3 Carrigoona .
water-mill) .Kylcrony .
Kylmek enoke (w ith a water-m ill) .Kylmorry .
Tampu l Glayncape , a lias Tempul
clancappe .
G laskeyl l , a lia s G lassk ell ie .
Cow lengey .
Glancornan .
Cow lek eaght . Coolakay.
Bal lyhome,a lias Ballyhinne .
Bal lenbane .
G lencormick .
Tempu lcargen.
Co lnesk eaghe .
1 30 THE M ANOR AND CASTLE OF POWERSCOURT
The following towns and lands in the territories of Fercolyn
and G lancap
In the Territoryof Fercul len .
In the T erritoryo f G lencap .
Present TownlandN am e
Cokyston .
Kil legyr .
Le M anister .
Kylgarrane , a lias Kyl tagarrana water-mill) .
Kylmel inge . Kilmal in .
Knockb olk e .
Ballycorty , a lias Bal lygortyl l .
Bal lynecahill , a lia s Bal lycayll .
Le Park .
Anycrew e .
Le Cronye .
Ballynegewk e .
Barnemeare . Barnam ire .
S tagonnel ,-for which see
Tampulb eghan , a liasTampu lpeeghan . the note at the
en d o f th i s
Paper .
Bal lebrow e . Ballyb rew .
Keelok e .
Owynaghe . Onagh .
Kylpedyr , a lia s Kilpeter .
Lackyndaraghe . Lackandarragh .
Kylcollom .
Kylmorrye .
Beanaghe M ore .
Beanaghe Begge .
Kylcornan (w ith a water-mill) .Bal lcnygey . Bal lynagee .
Inchenycroy , a lias Inchnacroo .
G lancrey . Glencree .
'
ZBahana .
Coylmoore .
Ballynornan .
Kylwoagh .
Bal lynlost ie .
Bal lyday , a lias Bal lygawge .
Glannemoore .
Carrykcavane (w ith a castle and“3 Carrigoona .
water-mill) .Kylcrony .
Kylmek enok e (w ith a water-mill) .Kylmorry .
Tampu l Glayncape , a lia s Tempul
clancappe .
G laskeyl l , a lias G lasskel l ie .
Cowlengey .
Glancornan .
Cow lek eaght . Coolakay .
Ba l lyhome,a lia s Ballyhinne .
Bal lenbane .
G lencorm ick .
Tempulcargen .
Co lnesk eaghe .
IN,AND OF POWERSCOURT, COUNTY WICK
FITZGERALD . ]
3rd son .
f KilF i
fi-“if
T a lb o t
0 mm 10 e
and of Shankill} C° °Dub lm
of Powerscour t , Co .W ick low .
Henry V I I I Fiant N o . 67 .
Ed . V I F iant N o . 268 .
Murdered 30 N ov . ,1 553 .
[C o . Dublin Ex . Iu qu
N O . 35 (48) o f Eli zabeth ]
v iv . 1590.
[Her son John’s Wi ll.]
A b ro t h e r a n d s is t e r T a l b o t
who predeceased John , andw ere bu ried at Delgany ,
C o W icklow .
E d w a r d T a l b o to f Ba l lymanny , CO . Dublin .
[El i z . F i ant No .
C a t h e r lne .
C e l la .
M a ry .
Entry . ) M a r lo n .
[Father ’s W ill . ]
U rsu la Brabazon, R o b e rt . Do ro t hyd . o f M alby Braba z on
o fBu lhnus loe M a rga re t .Jo h n . E l i z a b e th .
Jo a n .
[Co . W ick low ChanceryI nqn.] A nne .
T HE MANOR AND CASTLE OF POWERSCOURT
sway over the clan territories of Fertur (Fir T ire) , Glencap, andImaile, the latter a large district comprised in the presentBarony of Talbotstown.
The O’
Toole petition is printed on p . 270 of the third volumeof the State Papers of Henry VI I I ,
”and runs as follows
Tyrrelagh O thoole and hys broder Arte Ogys petyt ions to the KingesHighness , as they b e nowe qualyfyed by the Kinges Deput ie and Coun
sail l . Furste the sayde Tyrro lagh humb ly desyreth o f his Majest ie tohave a certeyn terrytorie of lande , cal lyd Fercu llen, whiche his aunces
tours heretofore had , tyl l they w ere expulsyd by thErles of Kyldare .
The sayde Fercu l len contaynyth in lengthe from Barnecul len by easte
and sowthe of Glassemuck ey to P o lcal len by w este the VV yndegates ,b eing fyve myles in length, and 4 in brede , b eying the more parte moun
taynes , woodes , and rockes, and the other parte good fertyle landes .
Wythin the sayde Fercul len w ere certayn vyl lages and cragges , of
o o lde tyme , as hereafter followe , b eing now all desolate , except onelyP owerscourte
The sayd Tyrrelagh to have the prem isses devydyd b etw ixte hym and
his sequele , as shalbe thought mete by suche as shalbe appoyntyd by the
Kinges M aj es ty , and after dyvysyon made , every partie to have let terspatentes of their portyon . The sayd e Tyrrelagh to hold e the ho leseignyorie of the Kyng , by Knyghtes servyce and five markes yerely ,etc and the resydue to holde of bym by Knyghtes service they all to
b e obedyente to the Kynges law es , use thl nglyshe apparell , and doo
suche servyce according thextent of their land es , as o ther gentylmen of
the Walshis , Haroldes,and A sb o ldes doo or u se
,or hereafter doo or use ,
in the marche of Dub lyn .
The saide A rt Oge O thooles humb le petycyon ys , to have , after lykefourme and sorte , the manour of Castell Kevyn ,
wyth the landes of theFerture , of the Kynges gyfte , reserving yearly fyve markes to thArcheb isshop of Dub lin and his successours .
And al l the sayde gyftes to b e ratyfyed by auctoryte of Parliament .
-The petition was enclosed along with a letter, dated Dublin,
14th November, 1 540, from the Lord Depu ty and Council o f
I reland to the King , in wh ich they exp lained the situation of
affairs in and around Powerscourt, in the following words 1
According to our moost bounden dut ies , yt may pleace your mooste
Excellent M ajestie to b e advertised,that contynuyng your b ighe com
maundement for the full and perfite reducing of Lynster to yourM ajest iesobedience in as convenient tyme as we coulde after the jornay upon the
Cavenaghes , and after monition geven by writinge to the Otholes (whiche
1 “ S tate Papers of Henry VI I I , vo l . iii, p . 266 .
I N THE S IXT EENTH CENTURY . 1 33
b e ano ther septe o f people in the same Leynster) that they shulde not
only submyt theymselves to Y our M ajesties ob edience , b ut also leve thecountrey wherein they inhab ited , in which is , for the moost parte , no thingbu t wodd es , rockes , gree te b ogges , and barren grounde , b eing unmanured
or t illed , whiche was a greete occasion to theym to lyve like w ild and
salvaige persones , onl ie lyving by stel the , and robb ing their neighb orsthe whiche monition they clerely d enyed t o follow e and upon that w e
advaunced w ith such nomb er as your H ieghnes hathe here in retynue ,w ith d ivers o ther of your English pale , b othe horsemen and kerne , andso entered the countrey . And in ou r way perce iving an o ld e brokencastel l l ther , appertaynyng to A rcheb isshOp o f Dub lin ,
b eing clerelydesolate , and the countrey clere waste , w e thought the same place verypropys, as well for the subduaing of the said O tho les
,as also to keep the
Birnes (another sep te of people ther) in good order . Wheruppon w e
d etermyned to reedifie the sam e,and make it wardeab le , whiche we have
nowe , in effect,don . And continueng there and ab ou t the fastenes of
the saide O tho les,by the space o f 4 w iek es , sek ing and pursueing the
saide O tholes (of whom’
w e slew e d iverse) , the Erle of Ormond repared
to us w ith a goodl ie companie of 600 horsemen and fotemen. And the
secounde day after his repare , the principal l of the saide O tho les , calledThirrologh, which nowe is repared to your H ighness , desier'
ed veryinstantly to parle w ith us
,whiche we al l a greed unto ; and so the saide
Erle sent certeyne of his bande,w ith whom the saide Thirrologh cam
unto us . And after d iverse request es made , that we shulde vouchsafe tob e as w ell contented to suffer bym and his b ro ther , and their kynne , to
enj oy the landes , which they dyd clayme , as w e hadd d one the Cavenaghes
they lykew ise subm itt ing themselves to Y our M ajest ies ob edience , wo ldeas w ell serve Y our H ieghnes , as they . Whiche offer w e ho ly refused ,thinking the same not to stand w ith Y our M ajesties honor , as they shu lde
have at our handes suche landes as they claymed , bu t w e wer contented
to graunt thym other landes w ithin your English pale , which shuld b e
more profitab le to theym ,than the lande whiche ‘
they claymed , and wher
they shu lde have no occasion to‘
do your subjectes somoche harm e ;thinking the same offer to be
“
more honorab le to Y our H ieghnes , to takelandes at your assignement , then to have suche lande as they wo ld echo ise theymselves , and have kept many yeres p erforce ; although w e
think yt b et ter that Y our H ighnes shu lde geve theym suche land es , asthey nowe clayme , then any o ther , consider ing the same is al l wast , and
w ill b e herde to make Englishemen to inhab ite it w ithou t grete coostes
to Y our H ighnes . And finally the said Thirro logh, perceyving that he
conlde by noo meanes atteyne at our b andes his desired request , praideu s that w e w o lde b e contented that he hymselve might repare to Y ou r
Excellent M ajest ie , as w ell to se Y our M ajest ie in person, of whom he
b athe herde somoche honor , as also to b e humb le peti tioner t o the same ,
for thopteynyng of his saide landes affirmying, that if yt m ight stand e
w ith your exce llent goodnes to graunte bym and his famyly the sam e ,
that ther shu ld no man in Laynster do Y our H ieghnes suche service , asthey wo ld doo to the ir powers . Which request w as thought by us all of
your Counsaile to be so reasonab le , that it was not meete to be refused
Whereupon we w ere content to take bym and his brother to peace , upon
thees cond itions , that they shu ld ho lly leve ther chalenge of thoes land es ,wherein they remayned , and all tributis whiche they hadd of Y our
1 Tallaght , County Dub lin.
1 34 TH E M ANOR AND CA STLE o r POWERSCOURT
H ieghnes subjectes (which m ounted to 3 or 4 hundred markes by theyere) , and take suche landes , as shuld stand w ith Y our H ieghnes pleasureto assigne unto theyme
,and , in the meane season, to have landes assigned
unto theyme w ithin or upon the b orders of your English pale, where theym ought b ring their w ifes , childern , fo llowers , and cattell . And in caas
that it m ighte stande w ith Y our M aj esties pleasure to assigne unto theym
their saide landes, which they nowe clayme , yet nevertheles , one of their
b est sonnes to b e alwaies in pledge ,w ith Y our Depu tie for k eping of
peace , and they further to b ecome Y our Graces subjectes , and so w eare
the Engl ishe apparell , and to b e conformab le to Y our H ieghnes lawes , aso ther o f your subjectes b e .
'
And although it shall appare to Y our
Majestie that this Thirrologh is but a wretched person and a man of no
grete power , neither having house to pu t his b edd in, nor yet money in
his purse to by hym a garment , yet may he well make 2 or 3 hundred
men. A ssuring Y our H ieghnes that he hath doon m ore hurte to your
Engl ishe pale than any man in I rlande,and w e ll do whensoever he shall
no t aither b e clerely banished o r restored to Y our H ieghnes favors ,wherby he may b e b ound to serve Y our M ajestie , as w e thinke verelyhe wo ll doo
,receiving suche b enefite at your H ieghnes hands , as our
trust is he shall .
And if it may please Y our H ieghnes to graunte unto the saide
Thirrologh the castell of Powrescourte (whiche of la te Y our H ieghnes gaveto one of your sub j ects 1 here , which is parsell of the lande that theyclayme , called Fercullen, apon recompense by your saide subjecte to b emade) , and the landes in the saide F ercul len and to the b ro ther of the
saide Thirrologh,called Art Og O tho le (whiche is a sob re fellowe , and a
good capteyne) , the foresaide Castell Keven, w ith the landes thereuntob elonging called the Fertur , to b e ho lden by Y our H ieghnes by suche
service as shall stande w ith your pleasure . Which graunte yt may pleace
Y our M ajestie to referre to certeyne Comm issioners for that purpose t o
b e assigned , for the divid ing of the giftes of the saide landes b etwix ttheym and their famyl ie ; lest that the hoo le b eing graunted to the
b ro thers,if they shul d make division of the same , thothers , having
no thing, shuld be dreven to b e as thees men have b en every o f theym
to hold of Y our M ajestie by l ike service , whiche land es they mooste
chefely desier , and they b e now e al l waste , the parcelles wherof mayappeare unto Y our M ajestie in a b oke herein enclosed . And ob teyningthe same of Y our M ajestie , the said Thirrologh, and A rte his b ro ther ,have prom ised no t enl ie to pu t in pledges of the b est they have , for theirgood behavior to Y our H ieghnes and sub j ects , b ut also to cause al l the
same landes to b e manured and pepled by suche as shall in al l poynctes
ob ey Y o ur H ieghnes lawes and preceptes , and preserve the countrey , tha tyour people shall and may passe the same w ithou t daung er of l if or
goodes , and to paye yerel ie to Y our M aj estic, after 2 yeres , fyve markesby the yere for P owrescourte w ith Fercul len , and o ther 5 markes by the
yere to the saide A rcheb isshop for his interesse in the sa ide Castell Kevenand Fertur aforsa ide . And w e thinke that thees countreys b eing ones
peopled and having goodes to loose , shall always be under the scourge
of Y our Depu tie , in caas they wo ld a t any tyme do o therwise than
b ecom ineth theym .
Pierce Talbo t , b efo re mentioned under the year 1 537 .
i . e . , The O’
To o le P et ition given ab ove .
1 36 THE MAN OR AND CAST LE or POWERSCOURT
in the sayde Pouerscourte po int ing them in suche place , as , b eing lo iallsub j ect as he is , he may doo Us service, for the staye of the countrey and
the repu lse of our rebells but also w el l that you ,our Chauncel lor shal ,
uppen the sa ide conclusion and agrement , give ou t unto bym our letterspatentes of the same , requyreng you t o have suche regarde to the con
elusion to be made w ith the sayde Pyers , as ‘V e b e no further charged
therby thenne reason dooth requyre . And forasmuch as the sayd
T irlogh, and also Fitzwill iam which earn as his interpre ter w ith him , at
their b eing here , declared unto Us and our Counsail , that ye mad e unto
the said Tirlo a promyse, b efore his d eparture from thens , to have writenalso for another parcell of lande , called Amayle ,
1 which he al ledgeth to b e
nowe in an I rish mannes hande , wherof ye have , in the forsayde sceduleof the parcelles by him desired , made no mencion W e late you w i t that ,albeit such a promyse d id passe you , and that you omyt ted to insert the
same in you r sayd former scedule, yet if, uppen good consideracion , you
shall think e mete that the same shuld b e a lso graunted unto him,for his
full satisfact ion , rather thenne your promyse made unto him shu lde b e
infringed , W e b e contented and pleased , that ye shall also , for a fullwynneng of the saide Tirlogh, and the b ettre alluring of o thers by his
example , gyve also unto him,in our sayde graunte to b e made undre our
sayde letters patentes , the sayde Amayle , desireng, and nevertheles
W i lling you to have a v igilent eye heraftre to the saide T irlogh and his
b ro ther , that they do ob serve from tym e to tyme , the forsayd cond icions
and if they shall ob st inately and traterou slye heraftre break them , and
return to the ir old kynde of lief, our pleasure is , that in any w ise you
shal soo pursue them ,as they maye , as w ell in their punishement , as in
their good entreteynement, b e example to o thers accordingly .
The King ’
s instructions to the I rish Privy Council w ere
carried out forthwith ; the Chancellor smoothed over matterswith Pierce Talbot
,who surrendered the Manor of Powerscourt
(but retained Fassaghroe and Rathdown) , and in exchange was ,0 11 the 6th April , 1 541 , granted the lands of
Bloyke , now Bullock .
Balmachorus .
Glanmunder,a lias Balymany, a lias M ouncton.
Teghbrodan,a l ias Kilmaynanbege , 110W Tibradden,
all
in the County Dublin.
2
Having thus satisfied Pierce Talbot, a grant of the Manor
and Castle of Powerscourt was made to Tirlagh O’
Toole,and
to his brother Art Oge the Castle of Castlekevin and lands of
Fertur, on the conditions that the castles were kept in goodrepair, that the tenants and inhabitants should u se the Engl ishdress and language , that the land should be tilled and houses
built for the farmers that no taxes shou ld be imposed , and no
Imaile , a former territory of the O’
Tooles in the County WicklowBarony o f Talbo tstown.
2 Henry V I I I F iant N o . 283 .
T i r la g h m ac A rt O ’T o o le
of Powerscourt in Fercu llen .
S lain by Tirlagh macShaneO
’Toole of Ima ile , (
Jo .Wick low ,
in 1 542
[ S tate Papers of H . V I I I ,V ol . 1 11 , p .
T ir la g h o g e ni a c T ir la g h O ’T o o le
of Powerscourt .
S l ainin 1 543 .
[ S tate Papers éf H . vm’
, V ol . 1 11 .p . 395 and p .
0
[Co . Dubhn Ex . Ingu . , No . 2
G arre tt m a c Fe l im‘
S lain by Captain Denny a
on the l st Feb 152
[Ham i lton ’
s Cal . o f S tatp . 336 ]
Do no u gh O ’T o o le . T irl a‘
g
B r ia n
B r ia n a n C h o g a id h (i .e . bf talias Ocoggey .
lGranted themanor of Power
lob 23 March , 15
4
1 36 THE MAN OR AND CAST LE OF POWERSCOURT
in the sayde Pouerscourte po inting them in suche p lace , as , b eing lo iallsub j ect as he is , he may doo Us service , for the s taye of the countrey and
the repulse o f our rebells bu t also w e l l that you ,our Chauncel lor shal ,
uppon the saide conclusion and agrement , give ou t unto bym our letterspatentes of the same , requyreng you to have suche regarde to the con
elusion to be made w ith the sayde Pyers , as W e b e no further charged
therby thenne reason dooth requyre . And forasmuch as the sayd
T irlogh, and also Fitzwill iam which cam as his interpreter w ith him , at
their b eing here , declared unto Us and"
our Counsail , that ye made unto
the said Tirlo a promyse , b efore his d eparture from thens , to have w ritenalso for another parcell of lande , called Amayle ,
1 which he al ledgeth to b e
nowe in an I rish mannes hand e,wherof ye have , in the forsayde scedule
of the parcelles by him desired ,made no mencion W e late you w i t that ,
alb e'
it such a promyse d id passe you , and that you omyt ted t o insert the
same in your sayd former scedule , yet if, uppen good consideracion , you
shall thinke mete that the same shuld b e a lso graunted unto him ,for his
fu ll satisfact ion , rather thenne your promyse made unto him shulde b e
infringed , W e b e contented and p leased , that ye shall also , for a fullwynneng of the saide T irlogh, and the b ettre alluring of o thers by his
example , gyve also unto him,in our sayde graunte to b e made undre our
sayde letters patentes , the sayde Amayle , desireng, and nevertheles
w i lling you t o have a v igilent eye heraftre to the saide T irlogh and his
bro ther , that they do ob serve from tyme to tyme , the forsayd cond icions
and if they shall ob st inately and traterouslye heraftre break them ,and
return to their O ld kynde of lief, our pleasure is , that in any w ise you
shal soo pursue them ,as they maye , as w ell in their punishement , as in
their good entreteynement,b e example to o thers accordingly .
The King ’
s instructions to the Irish Privy Council were
carried out forthwith ; the Chancel lor smoothed over matterswith Pierce Talbot
,who surrendered the Manor Of Powerscourt
(but retained Fassaghroe and Rathdown) , and in exchange was ,on the 6th April
,1 541 , granted the lands of
Bloyke , new Bullock .
Balmachoru s .
G lanmunder,a lias Balymany , a lias M ouncton.
Teghbrodan, a lias Kilmaynanbege , 110W Tibradden,all
in the County Dublin.
2
Having thus satisfied Pierce Talbot, a grant of the Manor
and Castle of Powerscourt was made to Tirlagh O’
Toole, and
to his brother Art Oge the Castle of Castlekevin and lands of
Fertur, on the conditions that the castles were kept in goodrepair, that the tenants and inhabitants should use the Engl ishdress and language , that the land should be tilled and housesbuilt for the farmers ; that no taxes should be imposed , and no
Imaile , a former territory of the O’
Tooles in the County W icklowBarony o f Talbo tstown.
Henry V I I I F iant NO . 283 .
WICKLOW
H u gh . Do no u gh . Ro s e ny F e a g h Feagh
[Brew er’s Ca l . o f [Eli z . F iant No . [Brew er
’s Ual . of
C arew -92 , Carew M S S . ,p . f
1 “
A le xa nd e r . [Eliz . F iant No .
S h a n e . [Eliz . F iant No .
[El i z . F iant N o .
IN THE S IXT EENTH CENTURY . 1 37
armed kern kept withou t permission that the passes should be’
kept Open through the forests and mountains that the granteeshou ld answe1 the King ’
s writs , attend hostings , and not harbourthe King
’
s enemies .
1
The chiefs of the O’
Tooles mor’"e 0 1 less acted up to the
spi1 it of the agi eement,though the1 e a1 e 1 ecO1 ds of pardons
being granted to them in the Fiants,which show that they
occasionally kicked over the traces.
”
On the 1 st October, 1 603 , an Inqu isition was taken ”
1 11
Kilmainham,County Dublin
,before Nicholas Kenny
,Gent . ,
E scheator, to 1nqu 1re 1nto the O
’
Toole lands in Fercu llen ; thejurors found that
King Henry VI I I , in right of his crown, was seised of
the Manor or Lordship of Powerscourt and landsin Fe1cullen, which by Letters Patents
,dated at
Dublin on the 8th Janua1y, 1 5 46 , he granted to one
B 1 ian O ’
Toole , fo1 1nel ly of Powerscom t,to hold by
knight ’ s se1 vice and five ma1 ks yeai ly.
That the said B1 ian died on the 23rd of March,1 5 49,
without legitimate male 1 ssue .
That after B1 ian’
s death one Phelim O’
Toole , late of
Powe1 scou1 t, ente1 ed into the p1 emises and enjoyedthei i p1 ofits up to the time of his death , but bywhat l ight 0 1 ti tle the ju 1 01 s a i e ignorant .
That the said Phelim died on the 1 4th M ay, now lastpast (i . ,
e. in 1 603 )That Gar °
’
1 ett O ’
Toole was Phelim ’
sv legit imate son and
hei1 but that he, along with othe1 tenants and
inhabitants of,
the said M an0 1,joined l n Feagh mac
Hugh O ’By1ne’
s 1 ebellion,on the 24th Septembe1 ,
1 581 , at G lencree , and du i ing his fathe1’
s lifetimewas the1 e slain on the 1 st Feb1 ua1y, 1 582 .
And that Ti i logh,a lias
~
Terence O’
Toole, now also of
Powerscourt , 1s son and heir of the said Garrett,and immediately after the death of the above-namedPhelim O
’
Toole , he entered into possession of the
said Manor Of Powerscourt, and from time to time
received to his own use the profits of the saidmanor, and enjoys the same up to the very day of thetaking of this Inquisition.
’
1 Henry V I I I Fiant N O 548 .
2 Co . Dub lin Exchequer Inquisition, N o . 8 (1 1 ) of James I .
1 38 T HE MANOR AND CASTLE OF POWERSCOURT
Though the O’
Tooles continued to enjoy the profits of themanor, yet they appear to have been forfeited to the Crown some
years before owing, as it is stated , to the rebel lious acts ofBrianan-Chogaidh and his brother Felim macTirlagh O
’
Toole as on
the 27th of October, 1 603 , King James granted a lease of the
Manor, for twenty-one years, to Sir Richard W ingfield, Kt . ,M arshal of the King
’
s forcesfv
The last incident of importance in connection with the
O’
Tooles of Powerscourt appears to be mentioned in a letter 2
dated from Dublin, on the 7 th August, 1608 , written by theLord Chancellor of I reland to the Earl of Salisbury , in whichhe states that he has received information that there is some
likelihood of trouble from the O’
Tooles and the Kavanaghsduring the absence of the Lord Deputy ; and that he hears thatthere is on feet a plot between T irlogh O
’
Toole and his uncle tosurprise the Castle of Powerscourt, new
“ possessed by Mr .
Marshal , kill the garrison,gather forces, and raise a rebellion
he is informed that T irlogh lurks secretly amongst his friends ,and is in need of arms , munition, and powder, but the principalcause of delay in breaking out is the expectation of foreignforces under Hugh roe O
’
Neill , Earl of Tyrone .
The Mr . M arshal here mentioned was Sir RichardW ingfield, Marshal of the Army
,who for his services against
the O’
Doghertys in May, 1 608 , was rewarded by the Crownwith a grant dated 29th June, 1609, of the Castle , Manor, and
lands of Powerscourt g ; he was the ancestor of the presentViscount Powerscourt .
The Castle of Powerscourt is not new in existence, and I
believe its very site is unknown. On the 9th September , 1 649,the Duke of Ormonde sent instructions to Colonel HughO
’
Byrne to proceed with his foot regiment to Powerscourt and
destroy its castle , as well as others in the locality , to preventtheir being occupied by the Puritan forces .
" On the l 6th
February , 1 650, W ill iam Basi l , A ttorney-General of I reland ,wrote to W illiam Lenthal
, Speaker of the Parliament inEngland ,that on the 6th inst . ,
“information being given that five
companies of the (Irish) enemies’
feet were come to PowersCourt, abou t eight miles from here (Dublin) , on the W icklowside , a party was sent from this place under the command of Sir
The0philus Jones , to beat them ou t, or fight them , but before
Erek ’
s teperto ry o f Chancery Patent R olls of James I’
s R eign.
R us sell ’s Ca l . o f S tate Papers , 1608-10, p . 17 .
A rchdal l’
s Lodge’
s Peerage ,”vo l . v , p . 270.
G ilb ert's A ffa irs in I reland , 1641 vo l . ii , p . 454 .
Tm : EAST W INDOW (I NT ERIOR ) o r KI LLERR IG CHURCH .
[From a Pho tograph suppl i ed by Canon firench . )
I 4 I I
THE CEL TI C CH UR CH OF KILLERR I G,COUN T Y
CA RLO VV .
FROM THE REV . CANON FERENOHT’
MR J A ,OF CLONE
’
GAL .
THE ruins of the ancient church of Killerrig, in the CountyCarlow and on the borders of the County Ki ldare , must have
been‘
an object of great interest from an antiquarian point“
of
view when the Normans invaded I reland , and now, after
centuries of wind and rain and sunshine have passed over it,it
still holds up its head to remind u s of the history of a past thatwas not w ithou t its glories . I t stands by the side of the publicroad . The greater part of the ruins is of comparative lymodern date , and may have been used for Divine Service at no
distant period ; but the chancel end bears every appearance of
the most venerable antiquity . According to the measurements
given by the Most Rev. Bishop Comerford,and taken by him
from the Ordnance Survey Letters,
This gable is now
reduced to the height of 1 1 feet in bread th,1 6 fee t '
at ground .
There is a w indow in it which is on the ins ide 2 feet 3 incheswide , 5 feet high, and of a quadrangular form ,
the'
centre at topbeing inclined to an arched shape
,the w indow being 2 feet 1 1
inches high to its spring.
”The recess ln the thickness of the
wall in which the window is situated may be said to :be coveredby a flat arch
,
”so slight is the inclination to an arch at the
entrance , which arch seems to have been partly supported byan oak beam . The place where the oak beam rested underthe arch can be seen in the illus tration
.
This ancient church lies as the crow flies abou t three-quartersof an English m ile from the site of the Preceptory o f the KnightsHospital lers of S t. John of Jeru salem
,and
“
was included in the ir
possessions .
The great Monastic Orders were in the habit of holdingbenefices and
'
pu tting chap lains in to perform the services .
“The Knights Hospital lers styled themselves Knights Of the
Hospital o f S t. John of Jerusalem ,from S t . John the '
E leemosynary
,a canonized patriarch of A lexandria ,
to whom the chapel ofone of their hospitals had been dedicated
,and final ly became a
military and monastic order of knights like the Templars.
”
There is a very decided difference of opinion as to whetherthis preceptory was originally a preceptory of the Templars or
not . The last writer on the subject , Mr . Herbert Wood ,writing in the Proceedings of the R .I .A . in 1907 , page 362, says
I 4 2 CELT IC CHURCH OF KILLERRIG , COUNT Y CARLOVV.
Killerrig, in the County Carlow,is another place which has
been associated w ith the Templars . Ware , in his‘Antiqu ities,
’
and the Abbe M acGeoghegan in his‘ Histoire de l ’I rlande ,
’
both state that it belonged to the Templars and passed to the
Hospitallers . That both these authors are wrong we have a
proof in an entry on the Plea Roll , 32 Ed . I,1 303 , where in an
account for the County Kildare we find that Friar Bernard ,Brother of the Hospital of Kylergi , and Friar Robert, Master ofthe Hospital at Toly
,were fined . A few years before this , in
1 290, in the confirmation of a charter from the Prior of the
HOSpitallers to Henry Marshal , a citizen of Dublin,we find the
M aster ofKillerrig as a witness . I t is extremely unlikely thatthis Preceptory shou ld have belonged once to the Templars
,and
been by them afterwards transferred to the HOSpitallers, as the
friction between the two orders was so great as to render such a
transaction almost an impossibility .
”So great was the friction
that in the year 1 259 there was a pitched battle between the
two orders,in which the Hospitallers won.
B ishop Comerford in his book 0 11 The Diocese of Kildareand Leighlin,
” page 382 , quoting from the ChiefRemembrancer,
”
gives an Inquisition taken next after the feast of S t . Brandon,
33 King Henry VI I I which finds that Nicholas Plunketwas the last Commendator
,and was seized of a castle and three
messuages in Frereton (Friarstown) , and Underwood in Courton,annual value , besides reprises
, £ 5 1 60 acres in the said townand in Russelstown,
and 16 acres in Tullowphelin, annual value,besides reprises, 4s . also the following rectories appropriated tothe said Preceptor, Killarge , which extendeth into Killarge,Russelstown,
Bestherstown (Busherstown) , A rdinheth, and
Ballymahen,
annual value,besides reprises , £3 Kylmakill,
(Kilmacahill) , which extended into Kylmakill,Carydogh,
Castlecoyle , Grangewelt, Poleston ,Ballyshordan,
and Ballinwally
,annual value
,besides reprises, £7 ; also Powerston in
C’
Ryan’
s country,
annual value,besides reprises , 20s . And
another Inquisition,taken in March the same year, finds that
the same Commendator was seised of 14 acres of land inM iganne all the said lands and rectories lie and are situated inthe County Carlow .
In Grace’
s“Annals , in the year 1 33 ] a savage incident in
the wild warfare of these times is recorded The LeinsterI rish rise against the English they set fire to everything, eventhe churches, and burn the Church of Freynstown with eightypersons in it ; and when the priest in his sacred vestments and
carry ing the Host in his hands, tried to get out, they drove himback with their spears and burned him , and for this cause they
1 44 C ELT IC CHURCH OF KILLERRIG,COUNT Y CARLOW .
of thei1 p1 incipal house as the Prio1 and F1 1a1 s of the Hospital atKi lmainham ,
and this O1 de1 seems to have freely used the name
of Friars .
”I am indebted to LO1 d Walte1 Fit z Ge1 ald f0 1 the
following interesting Fiants i llustrating the ancient history of
this houseA Fiant of E lizabeth (No . 3, 1 46)
’
mentions the Church of
S tfiTerga , .ofKillarge . St. Terga may be a distortion of St . Erc,
or some such name . Henry VI II Fiant (No . 22 1 ) grant toNicholas Plunkete, las t P1 ecept01 of Killi i ge , of a pension of
£ 25 4s . 7d . issuing out of Killei ge , etc.,date 9th Ju ly
,1 541 .
No . 222 . Lease fo1 21 years, dated l 0th Ju ly,1 541 , to
Chi istOphe1 Dowdall, Gent . , of A 1 thu1 s tOwn, County Louth,
O liver V erdan,G ent . , of Kiltalaght , County Louth , and Jenico
Chamberlayne,of Drogheda , M erchant
,of the Preceptory or
Manor of Killergie, including the lands of Killergie, FreretonRusselstown
,Moygane , Com te of Killei gie , and Tu lleofeleme.
No . 5 14 . Lease for 21 years of the above named Precepto1y and lands g1 anted to Robe1 t Sentlege1 , E sq .
,27 th Janua1y,
1 547 .
Edward V I,Fiant No . 497 . In 1 5 50 Sir John Travers
,Kt .
,
of Monkstown, County Dublin,
was in possession of the lands of
Frereton,Courte Killergane , a lias Killerge , RusselStown,
Tul
loghphell , and-My ganne .
No . E lizabe th Fiant. On the 1 2 th December, 1 589,a grant of the Preceptory of Killarge , of the above-mentionedlands was made to Mary Travers , one of the granddaughters and
heiresses of Sir John Travers , Kt .,ofM onks town
,CountyDubl in,
w ife of Sir Gerald Aylmer,Bart .
,ofDonadea
,and widow of James
Eustace, 3rd Viscount Baltinglass t o hold for ever by the serviceof a twentieth part of a knight ’s fee .
Subsequent to these most interesting Fiants,we find a still
further grant of the old Hospitallers ’
Estates from King James I ,who
,on the 24th of Ju ly
,1 61 2 , granted to Jenico Preston,
Viscount G ormanstown, S ir Christopher Plunket,Knight ,
Thomas Aylmer,Patrick Barnewal l , E sq ,
and ChristopherBarnewall
, gent . , in the County Carlow ,1 castle and 3
houses in Frereton,1 in Court Killargan, otherwise Killerge ,
2 messuages , 9 acres arable, and 5 acres pasture, and underwood
o f the great country measure ; in Tullaphel l (Tullow) , 1 acre o f
the l ike measure , containing 1 6 acl es of the smal l measm e ;half the town of Myganne, O 1 Myganne, containing 7—2 ac1 es of
the g1 eat measu 1 e ; the 1cote 1y of Killal ge , otherwise Killerge ,which extends into the towns of Killerge , Russelstown, Bossel stown (Busshe i stou n A 1 dinheath and Ballymakinne
,othe1wi se
Ballim ahine,wi th al l the ti thes , &c thereto belonging, all
CELT IC CHURCH O F KILLERR IG,COUNT Y CARLOW .
which premises were the estate of the late Preceptory of
Killarge, and were parcel of the possessions of the Hospital ofS t. John of Jerusalem ,
rent , £2 63 . 9d. I rish, to hold in capite
by the twentieth part of a knight’
s fee for a fine of£ 1 2 I rish.
I may say, in conclusion,that al though M r. Herbert Wood ,
has made it abundant ly clear that the castle at Killerrigwas a house of the Hospital lers, and not of the Templars , thelate Mr. C . L . Falkiner
,tells us that the assertion that
i t was a house of the T emplars may have had its origin”in a
g1 ant by Nicholas Taaffe to the Maste1 of the Templars in 1 284,of his lands near Ki llergy. This g1 ant is not included In the
Templa1 s ’ possessions in 1 307 . The Precept01y of Killer1 ig,founded by G ilbei t de Bora1 d , in the 1 eign of King John, fo1
Knights Hospitalle1 s, I s now repi esented by a mound of stones.
The _once powerful order of Knights is now represented in the
British I sles by a mere shadow in London bu t the old Celticchurch still ho lds up i ts head, and tells of a fai th that may be
cast down,but can never be destroyed .
Of the Old military orders, the o nly one that seems to pre
serve a shadow of existence in the British I sles is the Order ofSt . John of Jerusalem ,
known also as the Knights of Rhodes , andKnights of Malta . A branch of this order was established inEngland at the Priory of St . John
,C lerkenwell
,about the year
\1 1 60, and there its present habitation is still to be found . I t
virtually ceased to exist in 1 805 . I t was revived in 1 879, andthe parent stem now flourishes at Malta . In 1 830 its statuteswere revised , and it became an o rganization for the purpose of
performing charitable '
and ambu lance work . In 1 888 a RoyalCharter was granted and it is now a properly constituted order
,
with a Maltese red cross as its badge. The Sovereign Patron of
the Order is the King . The present G rand Prior is the Prince ofWales . The Bailiff of Egle is the Duke of Connaught . I t has
executive Officers , Knights of Justice, and Honorary Ladies of
Justice, an Honorary Chaplain, Knights of Grace , and Esquires,and for badges a Medal and the Maltese Cross, coloured red .
Dl l IMNAG l l C ASTLE (INT ER I OR ) .
[From a Ske tch by A rchdeacon Sher lock ]
DR IM NAGH ,COUNT Y DUBLIN .
o f the present occupier , M r. Hatch) has been used as a stable inlater times ; but , from some pointed windows and other evi
dences of antiquity in the walls , it is clear -that this portion musthave been put to a very different u se in early times, and probably was connected with and formed portion of the ancientcastle. In all moated residences the stables were general lyp laced outside the meat ; and if search were made
,perhaps
foundations of the stables and farm offices might be discoveredoutsidethe castle precincts
The Castle and garden are surrounded by a meat which
still contains water, and is in some places a formidable barrier .
The present bridge , however ,‘
was erected abou t the year 1 780,for Austin COOper in his notebook of that date mentions ‘
a
Mr. Reily , of Thomas S treet (who then lived there and paid£ 4 1 3s. per acre for the land) , having. built this bridge across
the moat .
DR IMNAGH CASTLE (EXTER I OR ) .
[From a Photograph b y Mason , Du b l in ]
Austin Cooper further describes the Castle in 1 780 as
belonging to Lord Shelburne . The inside,
”he says ,
“is very
i rregular, most of the rooms wainscoted and the stairs verynarrow, the walls abou t 4 feet thick . The whole , includinggarden,
&c., is surrounded by a very deep d itch of water supplied
from the Green Hi lls formerly there was a draw-bridge'
at the
D‘
RjIMNAGH ,y COUN T Y D UBLI N 14 9
entrance .
”
Insidew
the gate on the left hand is a ’
small , dark room,abou t 8 feet ' square,
‘
wiflth a large staple‘
and an enormous ringfixed in the wall . The ground entrance by a flight of stairs wasbuilt by M r. Ennis, grandfather to the person who had i t beforeM 1 . Re11y
”
At the nOI th east 00mm of the meat is a squal e toweistanding apa1 t from the Castle itself. This was probably an
outpost 0 1 p I Otection to the Castle, and may have commanded
the slu ices of the meat— a very necessaI y pI ecaution .
Having thus bI Iefly des01 ibed the pi esent condition of the
Castle, I will pass on t
w
o some of its earlieI b 1st01 yD1 Imnagh w as one of the castles of the Pale , and as such is
thesubject of Joyce’
s I omance of The Rose ofD1 imh agh.
”
M 1 . El1 1ngton Ball has kindly supplied me with the 1 esult of
his 1 eseaI ches amongst original 1 ecOI ds i/
o on DI imnagh ,f1 om
which I canthe following
1 21 6 . The eaI liest mention of DI imna'
gh 1 s from the CalendaI
of Documents”
relating to I I eland in 1 21 6, whenprotection was Sought fo i the lands of. Hugh de
Barnewall In DI imnagh and _ Te1enu 1 e .
1 221 . G i ant to John de St . John . .of the same .
I22S. G i ant to Reginald b 10the1 of Hugh de Barnewall , whomthe King had sent to 1 emain on his service foI thedefence of I 1 eland of the same lands.
1 376. The Memmanda Rolls mention thatWolfran BaI newallheld 4 carucates of Drimnagh and. Ter
°
enu1 e, and thatReginald was his sonand heir .
1 395 . A custodian to Katherl ne'
,widow ’
of Reginald Barnewall ,of his lands of Drimnagh,
Terenure , is’
referred to
1 398. Wol fran,sou f and h
'
eiri bf’
Reginald Barnewall , and
KatheI ine Bellew ,his widow,
a1 e mentioned
1414. SHWolfI an Barnewall , Knt .,andh is wife Eva.
1460. John Ba1newall, of DI imnagh, was Sheriff of C ountyDublin.
1 482 . John Barnewall , of Drimnagh, died com lng to the six
teenth century . The Fiants make the follow1ngreference to D rimnagh and the Barnewalls
1 539“ G rant to Thomas Finglas,
of the cu stody of the
lands of « the late Robert Barnewall,of Drimnagh,
and
of the wa‘
rdship;and marriage of Edward his son.
1 547 . James Bathe , ofDrimnagh, ChiefBaron o fthe Exchequer,1s referred to ,
'1"
I so DRIMNAGH ,COUNT Y DUBLIN .
1 548 . Pardon of intrusion and alienation to James Bathe,of
Drimnagh,E li z abeth”
Barnewa ll his w ife, and EdwardBarnewall , son and heir of Robert Barnewall
,late of
Drimnagh.
1 5 53 . Livery to Edward , son and heir of Robert Barnewal l, ofDrimnagh, gent .
1 5 56. In the Halliday
'
M SS . mention is made of the Hostingagainst the Scots
,E dward Barnewall , ofDrimnagh,
in
person, one archer on horseback .
1 5 78 . Pardon to Edward Barnewal l , of Drimnagh,gent . , and
E lizabeth , his wife. (Fiants of E lizabeth.) EdwardBarnewall, of Drimnagh,
married Elizabeth,daughter
of Patrick Barnewall, of Grace Dieu (Monck Mason
MSS .
,B M .)
1 590. An Exchequer Inqu isit ion p . m . says Edward Barnewalldied , and that M arcus Barnewall , his son and heir, wasthen aged twenty-eight .
1 595 . Livery to Mark, son and heir of Edward Barnewall .
1 597 . Marcus Barnewall makes his will .1 606 . His will proved Dublin Diocesan.
1 598 . Drimnagh is mentioned in The Description of I relandas one of the principal castles in the county .
1 618 . Sir Adam Loftus,Kut . , one of the M asters in Chancery,
Plaintiff ; Peter Barnewall , of Terenure , Defendant .Chancery Decree concerning Drimnagh and Terenure .
1 642 . Sir Wm . Parsons warns the Duke of Ormonde of the
dangerous way at Drimnagh (Carte Papers) .1 642 . Right Hon. Adam Viscount Loftus, of Ely, in the
depositions is stated to have lost during the rebellionthe rents and profits
,and part of the demesne of
Drimnagh,£ 180, or thereabouts.
1 650. Noncupative Will of Sara , Viscountess Dowager Loftus ,of E ly, leaving every thing to her daughter LetticeLoftus.
1654 . Chancery Decree,Lieu t .-Colonel Philip Fernaley
'
andLett ice Loftus
, his wife,versus Edward Lord Visct.
Loftus of Ely.
Complaint that Defendant owed them as
administrator o f his father Adam ,late Lord
Viscount Loftus of Ely, Lord Chancellor of
I reland , deceased , on foot of a bond dated o l st
Apri l , 1 639, in the penal sum of for
1 5 2
b’
y
‘
hi'
s visor, and that he“
retl i'é d to live at Drimnagh after theRestoration
In support of‘
this legend the Hearth Money Rolls have beenm
’
isquoted , and‘
Lieut .-Colonel returned on the R011
as at D1 imnagh.
3 MI . E lrington Ball has disp1 oved this statement by showingthat the Hea1 th M oney Rolls con tain no ent1y of the so1 t
,but
as above mentioned.
1 721 .-T l1e Hon . Godf1 ey Boate, one ( if the Justices of the
King ’
s Bench, mentions in his will , amongst hisp1 ope1 ty, a piece or pa1cel of woodland ln
.
D1 imnagh,
called D1 imnagh Wood,which he held i n fee
,and
o1 de1 s 8,000 t1 ees to be cut down immediately to pay
his debts .
1 7 1 8 -1 736 . Arthur Archer was living at Drimnagh . Hi s
w idow substitu ted an old or forged wi ll for the real one .
(Prerog. W ills , A rthur Archer and Hannah. )1 761 . A Frenchman
,in A Journey ln I reland the
Repository , says -“ Half a m ile from Crumlin,
on the right hand,there is an ancient icastle , which
appears to be in good order it is built much after thefo1m of several houses in France Upon inquiry, Iam informed that it was bu i lt by the ancient fam ily of
the Barnewalls of T 1 im lestown. They came ove1 fi om
Little Britain'
in France,and joining with some of the
first adventurers from Wales to this kingdom ,they had
fo 1 thei1 em inent services seve1 al g1 eat possessions inMunste1
, abou t Be1 ehaven,but qua1 1 elling w ith the
natives, and meeting with a superio1 fo i ce, they we1 ed1 iven f1 om thence
,they e1 ected this castle and
settled here .
”
The Ba1newalls of DI imnagh we1 e the pa1 ent stock of the
fami ly o f which the p1 esent Ba1ch et of the name is now the
chief l ine , and Lord T 1 imlestown a b 1 ancl1 .
The D1 imnagh l ine te1minated i n the reign of James I w ithan hei I ess E lizabeth (daughte1 of Ma1cus Ba1newall) , whoman ied James Barnewall of B1
,emo1 e and leased the p1 ope1 ty
to 8 11 A dam Loftus m 1 61 3 .
I t “as a l leged that he endeavom ed to deprive the 1 ightfu1ow11e 1 o f his estates ; hence the proceedings that we1 e taken in1 6 18 to p1 event , i 71te7 a lia
, his felling the timbe1 su I roundingthe castle .
Afte1 the Battle of Rathmines the Duke of Ormonde,
DR IM NAGH ,COUNT Y DUBLIN . I S3
it is said , was so much impressed by the strength of Drimnaghthat he contemplated making it his headquarters and fortifying it.Drimnagh has recently been leased to M r. Hatch , the present
occupant of the castle , by the head landlord,the Marqu is of
Lansdowne . The castle when it came fl into the possession of
Mr . Hatch was m a lamentable state of disrepair, and he has
with much energy succeeded in turning it once again into a most
attractive residence ; and long may i t remain in the hands o f
those that care it well , and have a veneration for old bu ildingswith such a history as Drimnagh can boast of.
1 56 THE FAM ILY OF SHERLOCK.
hi ll,which was thenceforward called Penrhys ; two of his sons
were slain at the same time . One of these sons,who was n amed
Cynan,was d rowned in . a l arge mars11 , .
bet'
ween Neath and
Swansea , which was thenceforward called Proll Cynan. These
great Norman lords were accompanied by a large retinue of
knights and gentlemen ; and it appears that almost all who
joined in the conquest of Wales,0 1
°
settled in the conqueredter ° °
1 it01y, came from the Honour of G loucester,and were there
fore connected wi th one 01°
other of the shires of G louces ter,
Somerset, Devon, Dorset , 0 1 Wilts, and,as they were either
landowners . or cadets of landowne1 s, their names are to be foundin the local r °
eco1 ds. Among them we find such familiar namesto us in I reland as Scui lag (or Sherlock) , S andford , Butler,C ons tantine
,Norris, Cogan, Corbett , Clifford, Basset, Walsh ,
and Mayloe , possibly Maylor .
The earliest inquisition extant was probably taken i n 1262 ,and gives a li st of the holde1 s of lay fees, from which we havetaken the names already mentioned . The fifth name on thislist i s Scurlag of Slanharry, 1 fee . There are two pedigrees of
this family in Gower— one given by Mr. Clarke in his genealogies of Morgan and G lamorg ;an and the o ther taken from the
celebrated M ansel pedigre,e by Rafe Brooke,Y o i k He1 ald in 1 603
,
preserved at Penrice Castle in Gower. The Scurlags settled inthe peninsula of Gower in 1099 ,
and we find that Wi lliamScurlage was granted by Richa1 d , Earl of C lare , about 1250, amanor called Scurlage Castle (now I re Castle) . He was an off
shoot of the Scurlag who fo l lowed F itz Hamon and settled inGower. . The first of the fami ly known
. to ,
us by name was
Godinet, l iving m 1 15 5 , who received '
a grant of a land in G ower,
and built Scurlag Castle there. We have secondly, S ir HerbertScurlag, living 111 1 1 60.
3 . Kynatha Scurlag, whose eldest son married a granddaughter of E inion ap Collwyn.
. William Scu1 lag, his son, who had a grant of the castleand
4
manor of Scurlage 1n Slanhau y, as before mentioned .
5 . Herbert Scurlag.
6 . S ir David Scurlag.
7 . Henry Scurlag.
8 . Phil ip Scu 1 lag, who married Mariota S tackpole ; herdaughter and heiress married R ichard Maunsel of Penrice, andhad a son
, Hugh Maunsel .
Phil ip Scurlage was alive m 1 334.
Scurlage Castle, Gower, was standing in 1 361 ; but theRev. J. Davies , of L lanmadoc Rectory
,near Swansea
,tells us
that only a few h agments of it now remain .
THE‘ FAM ILY OF S HERLOCK; (1 :5y
The”
arms"
of t he G'
fower fam ily are still to be ’
s een '
over the
gateway of Oxwich Castle,Grower , bu ilt by Sir R . Maunsel , .Ku t . ;
in the sixteenth centu 1y they are Argent three bars gu les,
and
are so given in the Maunsel pedigreeW illiam de Scurlog 0 1
° Sherlock ,a scion of the fam i ly of that
name,accompanied Hugh de Lacy in the invasion of I reland
and 1 ece1ved from himc>
considerable grants of land in Meath,
where he bu ilt the strong cas tle of Scurlogstown near .T rim .
There were three fami lies founded by the house'
of S curlog in
BALDWINSTOWN CASTLE , COUNTY WEXFORD,formerly belonging to the Sher lock fam i ly .
I reland first , that of Meath and Wexford , who bore as theirarms Per pale, argent and azure, one fleur-de-lis
,counter
charged . Second , the branch seated in Waterford and Corkarms, Per pale , argent and azure with two fleurs de lis , countercharged Third , the family of She1°lockstov1n,
Ki1dare,whose
arms are Per pale, argent and azure,three fleurs de lis,
counter charged.
”
I t has been well held that the coat-of-arms affords us far
betterjproofo fgthe, identity of a family and: its 1°
elationshjp -to the
original stem than a mere surname ; a nd here you will observe
1 58 THE FAM ILY OF'
SHERLOCK.
‘
that the three branches of the Sherlock family bore the same
arms, -with a difference barely sufficient to distinguish them one
from the other. I have myself been able to discover that a
family had changed its name in the past by finding the old
family arms on some pieces of silver in their possessi on whichdid not belong to the name they then bore .
A branch of the family was settled at Oxton in Cheshirefrom about 1400. They bore the arms, A chevron between threefieur -s de lis, attributed to Enion ap Collwyn, and the numerous
fami lies descended from him,and it has been thought that the
Sherlocks settled in I reland , adopted , 0 1° got the heralds to grantthem a right to bear fieurs de lis in token of descent from a
granddaughter of the same Enion ap Collwyn. Of this familywas Dr R ichard Sherlock , educated i n T .C .D.
, who was obligedto leave I reland by the R ebellion of 1 641 . He was aIterwards
chaplain to the Earl of Derby,who presented him to the living
T II E ARMS or THE MAUNSEL FAM ILY IN PENRI CE CASTLE,GOWER ,
GLAMORGANSHIRE .
[The old S ourlag ; or S herlock A rms— three bars—appear in the thirdquarter of the shield .]
I C
The name Scu i lag 1s probab ly the same as Scurlac, ac b eing a
common tennina tio n in Nmmandy .
BY THE REV . EDWARD O’
LEARY , P .P .
DUNAMASE is so called from Masg, son of AugenUrgnu idh,the fourth son of Sedna S ithbhaic, King of Leinster ;
hence the namemeans M asg’
s dun 0 1° fortress . O
’
Donovan tellsus that Dunamase, orDunM asg, is the name of a lofty , isolatedrock, on which formerly stood an earthen fort
,0 1
°
stone cashel,
but which now contains the ru ins of a strong castle Situated ln
the territory of Ui Crimhthannain,in the Barony of East Mary
borough. Dunamase i s marked on the map of Ptolemy , and i s
ca lled the Dunum . This map 1s a wmk of the second century,
and i s reproduced by Ware . Dr. Joyce tells u s that Ptolemy ’
s
work is only a corrected copy of another map by Marinus of‘
Tyre,who lived a. short time before him ; and the latter 1s
believed to have drawn his materials from an ancient Tyrl anatlas .
Dunamase from pre-his
’
toric times was the stronghold and
chief residence of the kings and ru lers of Le1x. Before theChristian era the territory had no separate existence, but formeda\part of the Kingdom of Leinster, and was inhabited by peopleunder the
,
jurisdiction of its ru lers .
Abou t the time of the Christian era there flourished in Ulstera
“
renowned , hero of the Red Branch Knights , called ConallCear .nach He was lead
'
e1 of Conor MacNessa’
s army, and heconducted the war against King O ilioll and Queen Meave of
Connaught . The R— ed Branch Knights waged war against themen of Leinster to enf01ce the payment of the Burumean
defeated them at the battle of Ros-na—Righ (Rossnaree) , and i n several other battles , with the result that theyfinally settled down ln the territory of Leix , which they dividedinto seven tribe lands, unde1 the government of seven subordi
nate and petty chiefs . This Celtic hepta1chy was subject inturn to the jurisdiction of an arch king, called the Righ, whoclaimed descent from the renowned Conall Cearnach abovementioned . His descendants we1 e the O
’
Mores of Leix , and
one of this sept 1 u led as high' king , or a1 d-righ , over Leix
,
having his chief residence at Dunamase .
There 1s a legend that St . Patrick passed by 01°
near Dunamase , on his way from Tara to Munster ; and it is related thathe found the king and his people, engaged erecting a fort, calledthe fort of B ath Bacain,. and that they had its foundations
M 2
1 62 T HE R O CK OF DUNAM A SE .
already laid . The saint endeavoured to dissuade them from
building the structure, which was intended for a royal residence ,and declared , in the spirit of prophecy
,that an evi l spirit should
haunt it . There is no authentic authority for such a legend .
In the time of St . Molua , who lived at the,close of the sixth
and the beginning of the seventh century,Berach is related to
have been the ru ler of Leix . He is said to have offered his owncashel of Dunamase and the lands
“
adjoining to S t . Molua for theestablishment of a monastery . The saint refused this generousgift, but asked for a site on the southernmpe of Slieve Bloom
,
where the graveyard of Kyle now marks the spot . This was
not only granted , but Berach imposed a tribute on his people forthe support of the monastery . I t was called C lonfert-Molua ,from the name of its founder (4th August) , and i t afterwardsbecame very celebrated from the great number of monks whoflocked thither, and led most ho ly lives .
Like so many places in I reland , Dunamase suffered from the
ravages of the Danes . A .D. 843 the Four Masters relate tha tDun Masg was plundered by the foreigners , and that Hugh
,son
of Duffechrich,the abbot of Terryglass and Clonenagh,
was
seized by them and carried into Munster, where he sufferedmartyrdom .
On the arrival of the English, Dunamase was in possession of
Dermot MacMurrough,King of Leinster. I t fel l into the
possession of S trongbow on his marriage with thePrincess Eva ;and when their only daughter, I sabel , married W i lliam ,
EarlMarshall , Dunamase, with the adjacent territory, became the
property of the said Earl .The following extracts from the State Papers have reference
to Dunamase at this period
A ugust , 1215 . The King command s the Justiciary of I reland to orderGeoffrey Lutterele to d eliver to W illiam M arshall , Earl of P embroke , theCastle of Damath (or Dumas) , which the King had restored to him as his
right .
M ay , 12 16 . The King to Geoffrey de M ariscis , Just iciary of I reland .
M arvels much that he has no t performed the King’
s order to deliverthe Cast le o f Dumas to William M arshall , Earl of Pembroke . M andate
that he d eliver that Castle to the Earl ’s Em issary b earing these lettersand the letters patent of the Earl . The King commanded the Just iciaryto execute his order by the countersign that the King take him , or he
take the King, by the thumb , the King know s no t which . Sealed w iththe King
’
s privy seal , as the King has not wi th him his great seal .April , 123 1 . The King to the Constab le of Dumas . Ow ing to the
dea th o f W illiam M arsha ll , Earl o f P embroke , the Constab le is ordered todel iver the Cas tle to Wa lerand Teu tonicu s, to whom the King had comm itted , during pleasure , the custody of the Earl ’s lands and Castles .
S imilar le tters to the Constab les of the Castles of Kilkenny , Odoth,Wexford
,R o ss
, Carrig, and the I sland (or Hervey ’
s I sland) .
1 64 THE R OCK OF DUNAM A SE .
“
may“
,
“
The King T émits his ire against G ilbert M arshall ,receives him into grace , and restores al l his hered itary right s in England ,I reland , and Wales . A s a surety of good service , G i lb er t delivers toLuke , A rchb ishop of Dub lin,
his Castl e of Dumas in Ireland, to b e held
during the King’
s p leasure . In August of this year the Castle of
Dunamase w as restored to G ilbert M arshall ’s possession . The pardon
m ent ioned ab ove was due to the reb ellion of Gilbert ’s b rother , R ichardM arshall , in which he, too , had jo ined .
After the death of Wi lliam Marshall , Earl of Pembroke, theCastle of Dunamase came into possession of William de Braos
,
or Bruce , Lord of Brecknock ,who married the daughter of the
Earl of Pembroke ; and this Baron, about the year 1 250, re
built,enlarged , and re-fortified the Castle, and erected it into a
manor.
In 1 264 the Castle was in the hands of the Fitz Geralds, and
M aurice Fitz Gerald seized the persons of the Lord Justice,
R ichard de Rupel la, John Cogan,and Theobald Butler in the
church of Castledermot , and confined them in the castles of
Dunamase and Lea then in his possession. Glyn’
s Annals thusrecord this event1 264. M auritius filius M aurice i cepit apud Tri s teldermo t R icardum
d e la R okele justiciarium Hyb ernie , e t Theobaldum le Botiller,e t
Johannem de Cogan, et carceribus de Leye etDonmask e mancipavit .
On the l 0thMarch , 1 283 , an Inqu isition was held “at the
new town of Leys ”Lea, Queen
’
s Co . ) to ascertain whatlands Sir Roger de Mortimer was seised of in fee at the time of
his death in 1 282 .
The j urors found that he was seised of (among other lands ) ‘in the
manor and honor of Damasek in the tenement of Leys , in the Co unty ofKildare , ’ of 2 carucates and 73 acres in demesne
, w ith a s tang of arab leland , va lued at £ 10 8s . l 0d .
— namely , at 8d . an acre a year . N ear the
grange of Damasek there are 6 acres of meadow , valued at 4d . an acre .
There are at Damasek 40 co tteers and 36 farmers .
The j urors value the prisage of b eer of Dumasek at 2s . a year ; the
garden there at 2s . a year the w arren at 2s . a year the sergeancy at 10s .
a year the perqu is ites of co urt a t 40s . a year .
The jurors say that Sir R oger de M ortimer held al l the lands byreason o f the hered itary right accru ing to M atilda
,his wife
,as her share
o f Le inster,and that he held nothing of his own inheritance in I reland .
[Mat ilda was one o f the daughters and heiresses o f W illiam deBroase , o r Brewes , Lord of Brecknock
,who had married Eva
le M arshal l,one o f the five heiresses among whom the lord
ship o f Le ins ter had b een d ivided 0 11 the dea th o f her fifthb ro ther , w ithou t male issue , in
A pr il , 1302 . Licence to Edmund , son and heir o f S ir R oger deM ortimer
,to give to Theobald de V erdeen ,
j unior , in free marriage w i thM a tilda , the said Edmund
’
s daughter , the Cas tle and M anor of Donmask ,which he held o f the King in capite .
THE R O CK OF DUNAM A SE . 1 6 5
August , 1 304 . The King, for the good service of Arnold le Poer and
John, his b ro ther , in Flanders and Scot land, grants to them 300 marks
ou t of the custody of lands of Edmund d e M ortimer in Donmask , in the
hand s of the King by reason of the minority of his son and heir Roger
de M ort imer .
8 June , 1335 . The King to the Justiciary of I reland , or to him who
supplies his place . Order to d eliver the M anor of Donmask , in the
County of Kildare , in I reland ,to to hold until the end
o f a term of ten years , saving the right of the Earl of Kildare (M aurice ,the 4th Earl) when he com es of age , if he has any right in that M anor ,
as the King granted to Fulk that M anor which b eionged to R oger de
M ortuus M ari , late Earl of M arch,the King
’
s enemy and rebet, which
escheated to the King by R oger’
s forfeiture,to hold w ith the Knight
’s
fees and advow sons , from the 1 6th of Fa ly last,for ten years next
fo llow ing, without rendering any thing therefrom to t }re KingAnd the King several times ordered the Jus ticiary t o d etiver the
M anor to Fulk ,to ho ld as a 1 oresaid and to inform thas King ? there was
O
any reasonab le cause Why he shou ld not do so ; and tt e Just icna s o“
1511511 e
that he has no t delivered that M anor to T"
11 111, because t it 1 s near s fr -s i d s
of M aurice , Earl of Kildare , a 1ninor in t las King’
s war d smp , came
"co -fore
the Justiciary , and said that the Manor i s the Eart s eschea t oy res son o f
R oger’s forfeiture , b ecause the late King gave the Gaette of Ki ldare , w ith
theo
homage and al l forfeitures , to John , son of Thomas , iate Earl of
Kildare , ancestor of Maurice , of which Castle the M anor is held in chief.
And the King w ishes his order to have effect , notw ithstanding the
said return, b ecause the lands which are of the Earl ’s inheritance ought
at present to pertain to the King as a custody by reason of the Earl ’smlnority.
Calendar of C lose R ol ls'
(England ) of Edward I I I , from 1333 to 1337 ,
p . 401 .
In 1 342 Lysaght O ’
More was killed by his own servant.Before his death he became owner of his patrimonial inheritancein the fo llowing manner — Lord Roger de M ortimer, then in
possession of Dunamase, having occasion to go over to England,
entrusted Lysagh O’
More with the care'
of his I rish propertyand castles. O
’M ore took advantage of his absence to resumepossession of his ancient patrimony, and accordingly, in one
night , seized _
upon eight castles in Leix, and thus became , asthe historian describes it, from a servant to a lord , : rom a subjectto a prince. (Clyn
’
s Annals. )Two years after the death of Lysagh the O
’
Mores weredefeated and dispossessed by Lord Roger de Mortimer
,who
resumed possession of Dunamase. He then added greatiy to
its strength,and established a tenantry 0 1 soldiers arour d farm
for protection. He built the castles of Shaen,M oret t
,Bally
manus,and five o thers
,and kept them always garrisoned to
repel insurrection, as they were adjacent to and subject to Dunamase. He made i t his chief residence, and, administering
REMAINS OI? THE GATEWAY I NT O THE I NNER BAWN .
REMAINS or THE GATEWAY INTO THE OUTER BAWN .
[From Photographs by W . F 1t z G . ]
1 68 THE R OCK OF DUNAMA SE .
who dismantled it and blew it up . In the following centurySir John Parnell conceived the idea of restoring it to its ancientsplendour, erected banqueting-halls and other build ings, and hadthe precincts covered with handsome plantations . But its position was evidently unsuited to the requirements of a modernresidence ; and so his son, S ir Henry Coote Parnell , allowed it tofall into permanent decay.
“
The following pen-pictures ofD unamase may be found interes ting to the reader
The'
Ga z etteer of I reland says that , judging from the appearance of the ru ins, the principal works of the fortification seem
to have been constructed at an early period of the Anglo-Norman
ascendancy ; yet, though they may be ascribed with probabilityto W illiam de Bros , Lord Brecknock , who flourished about themiddle of the thirteenth century, they must have undergonemany changes in the course of the hostile collisions of subse
quent ages . An artificial fort of some kind appears to havefrom the dawn of record crowned this bold and singular elevation,
but it must have long been of the rude descriptionwhich derived"
all i ts essential strength from the nature of the site, whichfrowned contempt on the world below with the same sort of
security which the eyrie gives the eagle. In later,though
scarcely less rude, times the rock was the chief stronghold of
the O’Mores , princes or toparchs of Leix ; but at the period of
the Anglo-Norman invasion it was held by MacMurrough, Kingof Leinster , and was regarded as his principal fortress . After
the Conquest it passed successively to the Earl of Pembroke andLord Brecknock , and was constituted by the latter the head of a
lordship and the seat of baronial courts. During the followingcenturies it was the scene of many a sangu inary conflict, andwas possessed alternately by the Irish and the English , continual ly vacillating in its fates with the frequent and changefu lpreponderance of strength between the two great conflictingparties .
Steward , in'
his TOpographica Hibernica, thus describes theRock of Dunamase — The rock on which the castle stands is an
elliptical conoid , inaccessible on all sides except the east, whichin i ts improved state was defended by the barbican. On eachside of the barbican were ditches
,and where they could not be
continued , on account of the rock, walls were erected . To the
sou th and south-east were two towers, the latter protecting thebarbican. From the barbican you advance to the gate of the
lower ballium i t is seven feet w ide, and the walls six feet thick
i t had a parapet, crenel les , and embrasures . The lower balliumis 3 12 feet from north to sou th
, and 1 60 from east to west ;
1 70 THE RO CK OF DUNAMA SE .
you then arrive at the gate of the upper ballium , which is placedin a tower, and from this begin the walls which divide the upperand lower ballium. On the highest part were the keep and the
apartments for the officers there was a sallyport and a prison.
The only remains of this ancient castle are some of the wallsand gates, which are yet venerable in their ruins . In 1795 the
then owner (S ir John Parnell) began to rebuild a considerableportion of it after the ancient model .Dr . Ledwich tells us that Sir John Parnell much improved
the aspect of this rock by clothing it with trees ; and on the
eastern side he built a banqueting-room .
Sir John received the Dublin Society’
s premium for plantingthe trees ; but these were afterwards cut down by his son,
S ir Henry Coote Parnel l , who succeeded his father in 18 12 .
S ir Henry wrote a H istory of the Penal Laws , 81 0 . was MP .
for the Queen’
s County in the Imperial Parl iament,and was a
member of the Government in both Lord Grey’
s and the M e]
bourne administrations . His cutting down the trees was a greatdisfigurement to the picturesque appearance of the ancientfortress .
In conclusion,I beg to express my acknowledgments and
thanks for the kind help received from Lord Walter Fitz Geraldin preparing this Pap
1 7 2
CO UN T Y KILDA RE FOLK-TA LE S .
[Co llected by M iss Greene , of M illbrook , from the narrat ion of Tom Daly ,gardener . ]
’
Ba llindrum .— I t was a. quare thing that every night , and
the coldest and windiest night , a light u sed to go up along fromBal lindrum and along the ditch . I often seen it . My grandmother u sed to bring me to the door to look at it . No one
cou ld tell what it was bu t I heard tell that a man out late one
night saw a lady dressed in white carrying a light , and he
thought i t was some one trying to frighten him,and he said ,
“Y ou needn’
t be trying to frighten me ; I know who you are”
and when he said that she passed by him,and as she was
passing she stuck something like a candle in his eye, and he
never cou ld see a stim with that eye afther .
A lone-bush.
—And another quare thing was : There was a
herd to the rale ould masther,by the name of Nowlan, and he
had a big family of ohildther, eight or nine, and he shou ld goout one day and cut a lone-bush well
,all his childther died on
him ,and he lost every one of his stock . No
,it isn’
t rightto meddle with those things ; I never out a lone-bush nor
wou ldn’ t you cou ldn’
t tel l but they belonged to some old rathor another.
Ki lkea .
— Another thing I remember perfectly wel l my self :There were two brothers by the name of Lawlor ; they were
working at M r . Hobson’
s,of Kilkea, and they had been cutting
grass in Ballyleageen,formerly a graveyard , and this day the
mother went into the town and told Jim she ’d leave his dinner0 11 the ditch on her way. He was ploughing ; and when he
came to the headland,he saw a loaf of bread on the ditch and
he eat i t,and bego r that nigh t he was took bad
,and he was
dead in a couple of days . H is mother never p ut the leaf therea t a ll . And the other brother was dead inside of six months .
Ardscu ll . —~The Dthul lah”is nearly in
“the churchyard
field ”at Moatfield
,by the roadside, and is where the stillborn
children were buried .
The G ubbawn S eer -The Gubbawn Seer was a carpenterat bu ildings . He was a first-rate tradesman at all things .
He had his sawpit where the big lough is at Moatfield : theycall it “
the Black lough ,”and the lough of water . He gave
his son a sheepskin one day, and to ld him he wou ldn’
t let him
get married till he brought him back the skin and the price of
it. So the son cou ldn’
t think how he was to do that ; and he
COUNT V KILDARE FOLK-TALES .
used to carry the sheepskin under his arm to'
Athy every"
Tuesday ; but he never could get anyone to give him the skinand the price of it ; so he used to have to bring it home withhim . W el l
,there was a girl l ived there at Barker’ s Ford , Inch
R iver, and he used to see her scouring a churn when he waspassing by, and one day she said to him
,Musha, what do you
be carryin’
that sheepskin every Tuesday to A thy for ? So he
told her the reason. G ive it to me,”she says ; so she went in
and plucked the woo l off it ; then she brought it out and the
money for the wool in her hand Here now , says she, here’
s
the skin and the price of it”
so she gave him the skin and the
price of it . So the Gubbawn made him marry that girl .After the son getting married , they were go ing some
where to work a long ways off,and the G ubbawn , says to
his son, Come, shorten the road .
”The son said he cou ldn’
t
shorten the road . Well , there’
s no use in thravellin’
anyfarther with you ,
he says ; come on back again .
”So the
‘
two started back again ; and when the son’
s wife saw them backagain, she says,
“ Why, I thought y ou we1 e at you1 journey’
s
end by now ; and the son said ,“ My fathe1 bid me to shorten
the mad , and I cou ldn’
t, so then he made us tu1n back again.
“Well,”
says she,“ye
’ l l sta1 t again to- "mO1 1 ow mow ing, and
when you come to the same place , he’
ll ask you again to shortenthe road , and when he does you start a jig, or a verse of a song.
”
And so he did ; and the Gubbawn seer'
says, That ’ s right now ,
come on
'
I see you . know how to do it.”
So that ’s how he
sh01 tenedthe mad.
When they went to the p lacewhe1 e they we1 e going to wo1 k ,what did the fo1 eman tell him to do
,only to point a peg 0 11 a
stone . The Gubbawn laid his glove on the stone and then
pointed the peg.
“ And now,
”says he , whe1 e is this peg to
go9 Up there,
”says the foreman, po inting up to the 1 001.
Well , go up and put you1 finge1 in the hole ” so he did , andthe minute he did , the Gubbawn hit the peg in along with thefellow’
s finger, with the back of the hatchet ; so that was to payhim off for tel ling him to point the peg on a stone instead of a.
block of wood . The fo1 eman knew he was in the wrong ; so he
had to take up with it then . he knew he couldn’ t say anything.
Anothe1 time the king Was getting some g1 eat bui ldingmadein England , and sent f01 the Gubbawnand the son, and therewas ne
’er a building finished off like it . in England , and t he
king d idn’
t want to have e’
er another bu ilding finished off—like
it , so he was going « to put the -two to death, and the Gubbawn
got under it (to hear of it) somehow . The king asked him was
it finished, or would there be any more done on it. So he said ,
I 74 COUN T Y KI LDARE FOLK-TALES .
No , it isn’
t finished'
yet, because I want another tool calledtwist agin twist, and I
’
ll have to go for it.”
But the king said ,no
, he couldn’
t go , but that he cou ld send his son, and he , the
king, wou ld send his own son,the prince, with him to go for it .
So the two came home. The too l was supposed to be in a great
big old chest , and the Gubbawn’
s son went feeling about in it
to look for it . Come out of that with you 1 little sho1 t stumpof an arm ,
”says the son
’
s w ife ;“ let the p1 ince get it with
his fine long ar .m So the minute the prince got his arm in,
she took him by the heels and ; heaved him down into it,and
shut the lid, and sent to the king and told him that if he didnot send back her father-in-law she wou ld cut the prince’
s headoff his body . So the king had to send back the Gubbawn. I
think she was pretty knacky .
Lough-na-roon,
near the M oa t of A rdscull .— Lough-na-roon,up over the big lough at Moatfield in another field , has no
bottom ; and I heard that a yoke of bu llocks and two men were
drowned in i t one day ; they were ploughing, and the bullocksused to be gadding, and they ran into the
, lough .
The Banshee — I often heard“
the banshee ; the first time
ever I heard her I was out with my uncle John one evening and
I heard her ; and the m inute he heard her he whipped me upunder his arm and ran away with me
Anothe1 time I hea1 d he1 she let a sc1 eech up agin the b1 ewhouse doo1 whe1 e I was sitting it was late
,about eleven
o’
clock. No,I wasn
’
t a bit afea1 d of her They say she does .
be l ackin’
he1 hai1 with a comb . I hea1 d tel l of a boy took hercomb from her
,and she followed him about to get it back from
him ; so one night she was crying under his window, and he
reached out his hand with the comb to give it to her, but shewou ldn’
t take it. Go and get the tongs and give it to me withthem ,
”says she . They say if he had given it to her out of his
hand he wou ld lose the use of his band ever after.
The banshees do fol low some families about. { They say the
reason of them is that in old times people used to pay for
keeners to keen at funerals ; and when they are dead,they
have to go on keening till the seventh generation is out of
whoever they were paid to keen for .
S t. B rigid’
s Crosses — S t. Brigl d’
s crosses were put over the
door (inside) as you go in and out . The roofs of the houseswere l ined w ith thatch
,wheat , or rye.
S t. Brigid’
s crosses were made with two quills or smallpieces o f stick , with straw twisted round , rye or wheat straw.
BALLADS AND POEMS OF THE COUN T Y KILDARE.
XI I I .
And by each gentle daughter’s sideDid her fond sire appear ,
F irst grey-ha ired Coddington,
1and then
De Ros— ‘Narrior Peer.
2
Near him arose his valiant son ; 3A Guardsman bold was he .
Then Annesley,4 Grimsby’s cho ice and pride ,
A youth of high degree .
Two brothers next , '
a stripling, one,Smooth cheek and wav ing hair ; 5
And one , the proud and stately lord6Of the Saxon,
7 tall and fa ir .
And Webb8 was there , that bold dragoon,
Stalwart and strong was he
And last , whom all do “Bishop ”call ,
Y oung R ichard Conolly .9
XVI I .
The sledge is brought , and before the doorOf that stately hall it stands ;
And a short, glad shout from the fair ones
rose ,
A nd they clapped the ir l ily hands .
XVI I IThey issued forth ,
that daring band,And their hearts beat loud and high ,
And into the sledge, and upon , and about ,They climbed right merri l ie .
Full strange and various was the garbInwhich they stood. arrayed}Paletot and mantles , fur and friez e ,And kindly Scottish plaid .
Then cried the chief to the menial crowd,
And loudly he thus did say,Bring forth my steeds , ye la z ie loonsI’l l scour the plains to-day .
”
F ive steeds were brought , as fa ir and fleetAs the coursers of the sun,
Of various hues— two bays , one brown ,
A chestnu t and a dun .
XXI I .
And proudly tho se coursers to ssed the
heads,
And snuffed up the snow -laden w ind ,As a chestnut and bay were harnessed i
front ,And the dun in the shafts behind.
XXI I IOn either s ide a bay and a brownIn trapp ings of ropes appear ,
And then w ith a bound to his post on b igSprang the gallant charioteer .
XXIV .
Oh , bright was his eye, and his form erect
As he eagerly grasped the reins .
Now whither, East , West , or South ,
North,
Shall we scour the glittering p lains
1 Henry Barry Coddington,of O ldbridge, Co . Meath born 1802 , d ied 1 888 .
General William L . L . , Baron de Ros ; d ied 1 874, grandson of Lord
Henry F itz Gerald , who married Charlotte, Baroness de Ros , who in 1 806
assum ed by royal licence the surname and arms of de Ros for herself and her
issue .
3 Sir Dudley Charles Fitz Gerald de Ros , Colonel of the 1 st Life Guards ,succeeded as Baron de Ros in 1 874, and d ied 1907 .
4 Earl Annesley , formerly MP . for Grimsby.
Edward C . S . Cole , of S toke Lyon , Co . Devon, half-brother of Henry F . S .
Moore , 3rd Marquis of Drogheda .
6Henry F . S . Moore , 3rd Marqu is of Drogheda ; d ied 1 892 .
7 The Hon . Mary Caroline S tuart Wortley , daughter of the 2nd Lord
Wharncl iffe, and wife of the 3rd Marqu is of Drogheda ; she d ied in 1 896 .
(Authoress of the Ballad . )8 The late C o lonel William F . W ebb
,of Newstead Abbey , Nottinghamshire .
9The name R ichard Conolly does not appear under the C onollys of
Castletown in Burke ’
s“ Landed Gentry .
BALLADS AND PO EM S OF
Then al l the troop gave answer loud“ Away, away, away ,To the princely halls of the GeraldineWe will speed our course to-day .
”
XXVI .
We’re off, let go ,
” brave Conolly cried ,And forth
,with a leap and a start ,
The coursers sprang : to have seen that
springWould have warmed the coldest heart .
XXVI I .
The elders w ithin they shook their heads,And marvelled if Tom cou ld drive :Wa s ever seen such a reckless set ?Heaven grant they return al ive .
XXVI I IBut the laugh rose clear, and the jest went
round’Mid that joyous companieAnd the musicchimes of the harness bellsT inkled right merril ie .
XXIXOf the breaking trace and the loosened rein ,
And of al l that them befell,How the horses kicked, and the driver
yelled ,
Y e gods oh , who shall tell ?XXX .
Sweep , sweep , along the snow they speed,Crash ,
crash ,across the ice,
And the squ ires said , What glorious,fun"
And the lad ies cried How nice
Full many a gateway the sledge shot
through ,
Nor slackened its franticpace ,How swift the fields and hedges flewIn that wild and maddening race.
XXXI I .Now ,
fairest ladies, now , gallant friends,Do ye fear to drive w ith me ?
Then from all the troop one v o ice arose ,
We wou ld scour the world w ith thee.
”
XXXI I IFor five untiring frenz ied m ilesLasted that w ild career .
T ill lo am id their stately woodsProud Carton
’s walls appear .
THE COUN T Y KILDARE .
Within those spacious courts there satA lad ie young and fa ir
The gentle Scottish wife was sheOf Gerald ine’
s lordly heir .
1'
XXXV .
‘
A sudden sound of revelryI s echo ing through those walls .
What rabble rout ,” the ladie said ,S tartles my qu iet halls
XXXVI .
But when the portals open flew ,
She marvelled much to see
Full many a face and form she knewIn that noisy compan ie .
XXXVI I .
Then she gave them a kindly welcome
And she shed a bright sm ile around .
Aye , tender hearts and gentle words"M id the Geraldines were found .
XXXVI I IAnd she called her menials, and bade t
then
A feast for her guests prepare ,That the nut-brown ale and the good
wineShou ld be set before them there.
XXXIX .
Then the jest went round and the lrose clear
They reeked not how fled the time ,
T ill the iron tongue of the turret bellRang out the vesper chime .
And again they have donned the furry gAnd have climbed the sledge w ithin,
And are speeding across the snow-spi
plainsTo the bells ’ triumphant din .
Crash , crash across the crystal ice,Sweep , sweep along the snow,
T ill the gentle moon and the stars 10
out
On the shining world below .
lLady Caro line Leveson-Gower , fourth daughter of 2nd Duke of Su therland,
and wife of the Marquis of Kildare ,
BALLADS AND POEM S OF THE'
COU‘
NT Y KILDARE .
XLI I . XLIV.
‘
Then the gleaming lights of Castletown Then the stately portals are open flungUpon their vision rise , And in -
ru sh the joyous train,
Where the elders w ithin keep anxious Our hostess , rising, cries , “ Thank Godwatch Y e
’re safely home again .
With eager hearts and. eyes .
XLI I I . XLV .
Now the coursers five stand panting there ,Al l streaked with snowy foam
And the sledge has stopped its mad career
Before the gates of home .
Then here’s to brave old Castletown,
And to jovial Cono lly ,And when he next doth drive his sledgMay I be there to see .
N OT ES .
S ir W il l iam W o g a n , Kt . , when he died was seised in hisdomain as of fee of the Manor of Rathcoffe and of halfthe Barony of Okethe (Ikeathy) , and of a Head-rent of4os . out of Clane , and of a messuage and 60 acres in
Clane , held of the King incapite by knight’
s service .
The said Sir William Wogan died on the 8 th August, 1 521 .
Nicholas Wogan is his next heir , vi z .— son of James
son of the said Sir William“
,and aged at the time of his
grandfather’
s death 9 years .
The aforesaid S ir William Wogan, Kt. , by a Deed of
feoffment , dated 30 April , 1 521 , enfeoffed ChristopherWhit and John Brown, chaplains , in the lands of
Castellkely to the value of 8 marks , for the u se and
behoofe of Alyanor ffitz Gerote , wyf to James Wogan ,
his son, late dissesyd ,” then to the use of himself for
life , w ith remainder to his w ife,Dame Margaret
ffitz Gerote, and his daughters , E lizabeth Wogan and
Margary Wogan .
G e ra ld W o g a n O f Dow ny ng s was seised in his domainas of fee of 2 messuages and 90 acres in Downyngs ,held from the Earl of Kildare .
He died on the l oth August, 1 535 , and his son and heir isOliver Wogan , who was then aged 1 2 years .
Alianor ffitz Gerald , widow of Edward Wogan,brother of
the said Gerald , ho lds one-third of the premissis in
dower .
W . FITZG .
Pa int ing s a nd Eng ra v ing O f the Sa lm o n Le a p a t
Le ix l ip .
To the list of Views of the Salmon Leap , which appears on
pages 2 16 and 21 7 of the Second Volume of our JOURNAL , I am ableto add two more views which have recently come to my notice :
1 . An oil painting (36 x by T . S . Roberts , who alsopainted the smaller one already mentioned as being at
Carton . The former belongs to the Royal HibernianAcademy, and was on V iew in 1903 at their WinterExhibition in 34 Lower Abbey Street . Two men
fishing appear 0 11 the right bank below the Fall .2 . A coloured engraving (215 X entitled The Salmon
Leap at Leixlip ,County of Dublin. This is one of a
set of I rish views drawn by J . Laporte, and publishedin “ London , August l st, 1 796 , by Thos . Macklin,
Poets’Gallery, Fleet S treet . Four persons are shown
near the Fall , 0 11 the Castle side, and four more on the
opposite bank .
W. FI T z G ,
NO TES . 1 8 1
O ld M a no r M a p s , Re nt a ls , &c.
In the Fortieth Report of the Depu ty Keeper of the PublicRecords in Ireland , the following statement appears on page 6
Attention has beencalled to the fact that the operation of the
Land Purchase Acts , in the cases of’
estates which are being com
pletely sold,is calcu lated to risk the l oss of'm any old estate records
which may be of interest . With the removal Of any immediatereasons for keeping th
‘
em ,-and the closing of the offices in which
they are nowkep t, there is a danger tha t old maps , early rentals ,Manor Court Rolls , and other papers of very considerable value forlocal history, majz
’
suffer from neglect or'
e ven be destroyed . Underthe 1 6th 'sect i on‘
cf the Pub lic Records Act any trustee or other
person having the custody"
of"
any' deeds or documents
, which,in
the opinion .Master wef the -Rol ls , are fit to be deposited inthe PublicRecord. Office ,
’
is" au thori z ed to deposit them there .
I t wou ld be very desirable that landowners and agents of
estates , who may b e in possession of old records of real interest ,which it is no longer necessary to keep , shou ld avail themselves of
the provisions of this section .
P . G . M .
Ext ract s from t he A thy Pa r is h Re g is te r .
Through the kind perm ission of Canon Waller , Rector of Athy ,l the follow ing information on the family of Cap tain the Hon . RobertFi tz Gerald , of Grangemellon, was Oopied from the Parish Register ,which is in his custody .
Robert Fitz Gerald was the second son of George , l 6th Earl ofKildare , known as The Fairy Earl ,
”by his w ife Lady Joan
Boyle , fourth daughter of Richard , the first and Great Earl ofCork .
Captain Robert died on the 3 1 st January , 1 697 , and his thirdson Robert succeeded his cousin John as 19th Earl ofKildare .
By his wife , Mary Clotworthy , daughter and heiress of ColonelJames Clotworthy , of Moneymore , in the County Derry , he had
the following children , who are thus referred to in the Athy ParishR egister :
1 . James, sonn of The Honb le
. Capt“
. Robert Fi ts z gerralldof Grangemu llen , Born y
° 1 5 th of May 1 664 , and
Babti z ed the 22 th of the same moneth ,and Dyed y
e 27th
of April l 1 666 .
2 . Mary, Borne Augu st 22th 1 666 Bab tiz ed September
ye 8 th .
3 . E liz abeth , Borne ye 4th of November 1667 Babti z ed
ye 5 th of y
esame moneth .
4 . Frances, Borne ye 10th of October 1 669
“
Babti z ed the
1 5 th .
REV IEW .
5 . George, Borne Aprill ye 1 4th 167 1 Babti z ed Aprill the
2oth .
Katharm e,Borne y
° 1 4th of May 1 673 , and Babti z ed the
l 6th .
7 . Robert , Borne y? 4th of May_ _
1675 Babtiz ed y° 2 l ‘st of
the same moneth .
8 . Ann,Borne Satirday the last of March and Bap, the 5
th
of Aprill follow ing, 1 677 .
9. James , borne on Tuesday night at eleven of yeclock Feb .
1 80
and Baptized on Sunday following ffeb . 23°1678 .
The additional information which follows 1s taken from The
Earls ofKildare by the Marqu is of Kildare . (The numbers referto the numbers in the above extracts)
2 . Mary married John,
'
1 st Viscount Allen , and died in 1 692.
3 . E lizabeth married Henry Sandford of,Castlereagh, and
died in 1 734 .
4 . Frances married Michael Tisdal of Mount-Tisdal , CountyMeath ,
and died in 1 7 19.
5 . George , a member of the House , of Commons , diedunmarried in 1 697 .
6 . Catherine married Dive Downes , Bishop of Cork .
7 . Robert succeeded as 1 9th Earl of Kildare .
8 . Ann died unmarried in 1 709.
9. James died young.
A sixth daughter , not mentioned in the Parish Register , was :Margaret , who married , in 1 7 1 2 , Tobias Hall , ofMount Hall ,
on the Narrow Water ln the County Down . She diedon the 8 th December, 1 758 .
W . FI TZG .
Qi eniem.
OLD IRI SH FOLK Mp sro AND SONG S .
We commend this collection of Irish a1rs and songs to our
readers . I ts importance may be realized whenthey know that itcontains no fewer than 842 airs and songs , hithei to unpublished .
I t is edited by the well known I rish scholar , P . W . Joyce ; and
consists of his own Collection In two parts , and of the Forde and
Pigott Collections . Dr . Joyce tells us he spent all his early life ma part of the County Limerick where music, s inging, and dancingwere favourite amusements . His home in Glenosheen,
“ in the
heart of the Ballyhoura Mountains , was a home of music and
song : they were in the air of the valley, you heard them everywhere —sung, played , and whistled . Hence he did not learnIrish musicas o thers learn it , bu t it became a part of himself ; andthis volume is the happy result .
R EW A R D
FINDERS OF ANT IQUIT IES .
I . F ind e rs o f’A ncie nt A rt icle s o f Go ld , S i lv e r ,
B ro nz e , Bra s s , o r Iro n ; C ro o k s ; C o ins , & c., w i l l
rece iv e , p ro v id e d t he a rt icle s a re co ns id e re d
s u it a b le , t he ir f u l l m a rk e t -v a lu e if t hey a re
s e nt t o T HE S EC RET ARY'
O F T HE RO YA LIR IS H AC ADEM Y , 19 DAW S O N S T REET ,
DUBLIN . T he Aca d em y w i l l p ay t he co s t o f
ca rria g e t o Du b l in, a nd if t he a rt icle s a re no t
p u rcha s e d , they w i l l b e re t u rne d t o t he f ind e r ,ca r r iag e p a id . If t hey a re p u rcha s e d , they w i l lb e e xh ib it e d in t he N a t io na l M u s e um , Du b l in .
2 . In t he ca s e o f Go ld a nd S i lve r a rt icle s , t he
Ro y a l Ir is h Aca d emy is fu l ly em p ow e re d b yt he T re a s u re-T ro ve Re g u la t io ns t o g ive T HE
F IN DER t he f u l l m a rk e t-v a lu e o f t he a rt icle s ,w h ich is a lw a y s g re a ter t ha n t he v a lu e o f t he
w e ig ht o f g o ld o r s i lv e r co nta ine d t he re in : a nd
if t he a rt icl e s a re p u rcha s ed b y t he Acad em y ,
no cla im can b e m a d e o n t he f ind e r in re s p ect
o f them .
3 . A nt iq u it ie s lo s e m uch o f t he ir v a lu e a nd
int e re s t if scra p e d"o r b ro k e n . T hey s ho u ld
a lw a y s b e s e nt e xact ly a s fo u nd , w it ho u t a nya t tem p t a t cle an ing , a nd accom p a n ie d b y a
w r it t e n s t a t em e nt o f the exact loca l ity , d a te ,
and circum s t a nce s o f t he ir d isco ve ry .
4 . T he Ro y a l Iris h Aca d em y ha s fo r m a ny
y e a rs p a s t e nd e a v o u re d 't o p re s e rv e fo r t heNa t io n a rt icle s il lu s t ra t iv e o f t he . A ncie ntH is t o ry a nd Pe o p le o f Ire la nd ; a nd t ru s t s tha t
e v e ry o ne t h ro u g ho u t t he co u nt ry w i l l co
o p e ra t e in t h is Na t io na l O b ject .
Printed by Po u sonnr 81 G I BBS , Universi ty Press , Dub l in
111 00111111. 01 'Illll 0011111 ulna Incl i nation SOOIII’II.
g’res ibent
EARL OF M AY O , K.P. , P .C .
“
‘
gl ice-g’res ibent
T HE R EV . M AT THEW DEV IT T ,
gouuci l
GEORGE MAN SFIELD , ESQ ., D.L
T HE R EV ; EDWARD O’
LEARv, P .P .
LT .-COL. T HOMA S J. DE BUR CH
,D .L.
AM BRO SE M ORE D .L.
N ICHOLAS J. S Y NNOTT,ESQ .
,
JOHN S . O’
GRADY , ESQ .
T HE V ERY R EV . THE DEAN O F KILDARE.
£10 11 . g rea su rer
HAN S H ENDR ICK-A Y LMER ,ESQ .
,Kerdiffstown, Sallins .
£1011 . au ditor
ALFRED A . WARM INGT ON ,ESQ . ,Munster and LeinsterBank ,Naas .
ciiso i t . grecreta ries
S IR A RT HUR V ICAR S, Grange C on, Co .
Wicklow .
LORD WALT ER FITZGERALD,Kilkea Castle , M aganey.
5110 11 ; gette r'
I‘
HE V EN . T HE ARCHDEACON o r KILDAR E, Sherlockstown, Sallins.
J O U R N A L
OF THE
Hi tlganltgical S trainof lip G narly IfKillian
AND
Surrounhing D istricts.
Q UEEN’
S COUN T Y .
BYl
LORD WALTER FITZGERALD.
HREE miles to the north-west of the tow'
n of Carlow is a
picturesque glen,lying between the hills of Keeloge and
Crockna1 aw,in the S lieve Margy I sh ge . At the mou th of this
glen,in ancient times called G len Ushin, are situated the
ruihs of Killeshin Church, so famous for the beauty of its
weste1n door .wayBefore the arrival of the An ory In
which this church stands was he, or
Ui Barrtha,and. belonged to the an)
sept. In medieval times O’
Mores
of Leix, and the old'
tribe name disappears, and is superseded bythat of S liabh M airye, or Slieve Margy, which latter was
1 s tained as a barony name on the formation of the Queen’
s
County In 1 5 56 .
The pat1 on saint of this church has foi a long time beenquite forgotten in the locality ; and. as far as I can discovei
the1 e i s only one clue by which he may be identified . Thisoccurs in the fol lowing extract f1 om the
“ Annals of the FourMasters,
”under the year 1024
slaughter was made of the men of Munster by Donoughson of Hugh [ lord of Ui Bairrche, slain in 1042] in G leannUisean, through the miracles of Goal and Comhdan.
Now, as the Annal ists neve1 use that ep ession,
“ throughthe mi i acles of God and so and so
, w ithout intending to refer
to the patI On saint of the locality, we may safely assume that
1 88 THE KILLESH IN CHURCH RU IN S, QUEEN
’S COUNT Y .
938 . A inbhith,son of Domhnall
,A bbot of G leann Uisean, died.
946 . Cathasach, son of Domhnall , Abbot of G leann Uisean,
died .
95 1 . Feidhlimidh, foster-son of Maelmaedhog, Abbot of G leannUisean,
the sage of Leinster, died .
977 . Flann,son of M aelmaedhog, airchinneach (erenagh or
land steward) of G leann Uisean,died .
986. Caenchomhrac, son of A inbhithe
,A bbot of G leann
Uisean,died .
1016 . Caenchomhrac Ua (i .e . grandson of) Baithin,lector of
G leann Uisean died ; _and Diarmaid Ua Maelmaedhog,
Abbot of G leann Uisean,died .
1024. A slaughter was made of the men of Munster by Donnchadh
, son of Aedh (lord of Ui Bairrche) in G leannUisean
,through the m iracles of God and Comhdan.
1037 . Flann,Prior of G leann Uisean,
died .
1041 . G leann Uisean was plundered by the son of Mael-na-mbo
( i .e . by Dial-maid son of Donnchadh,lord of Ui
Ceinseallaigh) and the oratory was demolished , and
seven hundred persons were carried off as prisonersfrom thence
,in revenge of the plundering of F earna
mor (i .e . Ferns , County Wexford) by Donnchadh, son
of Brian Borumba (King of Munster) , and Murchadh,son of Dunlaing (King of Leinster) , and in revenge of
his brother Domhnall Reamhar (i .e . the fat) , who hadbeen slain by them .
1045 . Cathasach Ua Corcrain,comharba (i .e . coarb , or successor)
of G leannUisean,died .
1077 . G leann Uisean,w ith its yews, was burned .
1082 . Conchobhar Ua Uathghaile, lector of G leann Uisean,a
learned senior of the west of Leinster, died .
From this date there is no further mention of Killeshinin the I rish Annals ; and the only notice of this place in the
Anglo-Norman Annals is to be found in the “Annals ofI reland
”
by Teige or Thady Dowling, Chancellor of Leighlin, who diedin 1 628
,at the age of eighty-four . The entry runs thus
AD . 1 147 . Cogganus eccles ie de Killuskin al iter Killeshinm M argge Lagenie patronus fioruit hisce d iebus , et u t Nicho lausM agwyre tes tatur , scripsit gesta M alachie A rmachani , et Bernard iC larevallensis .
On the 1 4th July, 1 5 5 1, a grant o f English liberty was
made by the Crown to Donnogh Mora O’
More) , Vicar of
Killessyn.
”1
M orri n’
a Ca l . of C lose Ro lls , vo l . i , p . 242 .
THE KILLESH IN CHURCH RUINS, QUEEN
’
S COUNT Y . 1 89
Killeshin was one of the only two church
yards in the Queen’
s County in which stooda Round Tower ; the other stands at T ima
hoe . These R ound Towers are seldom foundout of Ireland ; they were erected from the
ninth to the thirteenth centuries : pr6bablythe last bu ilt in I reland was that at
Annaghdown in the County Galway, whichwas erected in 1 238 . The square belfriesintroduced by the religious orders in the
twelfth century gradually superseded them .
Their erection,derived from the Continent ,
was caused by the incursions of the Danes ,to resist w hom they were built for the safetyof the church, clergy, Shrines, and treasuresthey served , too , as watch-towers, and lateron as belfries , the I rish name
”
for them ,
“C loictheach (Clog-tig) , signifying a bellhouse . Those erected at first had the doorway ou the ground-level , but experiencetaught the bu ilders that i t added
1greatly to
the safety of the tower -to place the doorwaysome twelve or fifteen feet above the level o fthe ground , so that al l
‘
the later Round
To\vers were built on this principle. The
roof was always _
Of stone and steeply cone
shaped . In a word , a R ound Tower was
an ecclesiastical keep ;’
its position was
always some 20 feet to the north-westof the church .
’
The year 1 703 saw the
wanton destruction”
of the Killeshin RoundTower. There is in the possession of
Major Browne-Clayton, of Browne’
s H ill,
A PERFECT ROUND
T OWER .
close to Carlow, a vo lume of the“I rish Statutes published
in 1700, on a fly-leaf of Which occurs
‘
the fo llowing entry inmanuscript
Munday ye 8 th Day ofM arch 1 70-g, that day the Steeple of Killeshan
underm ined and flung down by one Bambrick , imployed by Cap tainWo lseley , in Three Days Worke .
l 7og, 8th M arch at 3 of the clock e in y
eafternoon y
e S teep le fel l to yeground , be ing measured it was 105 feet _
high, or in length.
”
In a journal kept by Dr. Thomas Molyneux, M .D., a younger
brother of ’ the celebrated W illiam Molyneux,“
and grandson of
Daniel Molyneux, the Dlster King of Arms,he record s how he
THE KILLESH IN CHU RCH RU I N S , QUEEN’
S COUN T Y . 193
I t is very doubtfu l if the name AR C ever really was cut 0 11
the stone, which is so weather-worn that there is not a trace of a
letter on it, and it has the appearance of being in that condition
for many years . There is no mention in the I rish Annals of
any Art , King of Leinster, during the latter half of the eleventhcentury, the period that this inscription is reckoned to belong to
(see p . Another very doubtfu l word is 0 110 011 , of whichthere is now no trace .
The inscription is carved on the capitals of the pillars‘
in
the western doorway of the church ; it commences on the lefthand side and
‘
is continued right round to the Opposite side ,where it finishes , to start again perpendicu larly up the secondpillar on the left-hand S ide , where unfortunately it become s
qu ite i llegible.
In Ju ly, 1897 , and again August , 1909, I made carefu lrubbings of the inscript ion and though I was only able to ad d
a few more letters to Mr. G raves’
s reading, yet , if they catch theeye of an I rish scholar, they may assist him in suggesting a
fuller reading of,this interesting relic of a long bygone age .
While at work at the rubbings I was carefu l to measure the
sides of the capitals of the pillars on which the letters are ou t ,
so as to give an idea of the sp’ace on which they have become
obliterated,and so possibly to assist in thus restoring an illegible
word.
On the left-hand side the measurements are , taking the
pillars consecut ively according to the run of the inscription
on both ofh
which the inscriptionis entirely worn away.
see rubbings .
neither now shows any traces o f
letters.
see rubbings .
the right-hand side, continu 1ng from the gate
R . 4 . a ., 22 inches bb
'
R . 4 . b ., 8 inches
see 1 u Ings .
it:2: it:1
3821
1122 rubbings
R . 2 . a ., 9 inches
bb'
R . 2 . b .,10 inches
see I n Ings.
R . 1 . a ., 9 inches all traces of letters have dis
R . 1 . b . , 20 inches appeared .
194. THE KILLESHIN CHURCH RU IN S, QUEEN
’
S COUNTY .
The inscription ended on this last pillar ; anotheI commences
pe1pendicularly up the second pilla1 on the left hand side ; it
begins-XOR’
DO C eLLA C Aml after whichit becomes quite illegible . A s w ill be seen In the rubbing, theA
’
s in this latte1 inscI iption am of a peculiaI form and qu itediffe1 ent f1 0m those previously used.
The inscription invokes from the passer-by prayersvarious persons connected with the church . According to the
rubbings the translation runs
[Pray for] King of Leinster
and for
on Brenagh .
O’Mel
Pray for Cellac (or Kelly) Ami
The Opening words—R DO mean Pray for.
I f the inscription was only legible, it would probably befound that prayers were besought for, besides the King of
Leinster, the Abbot or Coarb successor to the founder ofthe church) , the Erenagh or Steward of the church property,the chief of the territory of Ui Bairrche
,and for the mason or
bui lder of the restored church .
The architecture of the western entrance is what is styledHiberno-Romanesque, and belongs to the eleventh century. The
196 THE KILLESH IN CHURCH RUIN S , QUEEN’
S COUNT Y .
The south wall is completely down while the east end, with
its ogee-headed window of two lights , belongs to a far later date
,
when a Protestant church stood on this portion of the old site.
THE MODERN EAST WINDOW OF THE KI LLESHIN CHURCH RUI NS .
[From a Pho tograph b y W . F it z G . ]
At the north corner o f the west wall is a pilaster,or narrow
bu ttress , which was always a feature in these early Irishchurches .
THE KILLESH IN CHURCH RUINS , QUEEN’
S COUNT Y . I 97
The western doorway is one of the best specimens in I relandof the Hiberno-Romanesque art it is of four orders
, andelaborately carved w ith a great variety of patterns
,the second
arch being ornamented with representations of animals and
birds while the keystone of the outer'
arch consists of a human
head in relief, its moustache and beard being arranged in pecu liarcurled locks .
THE WESTERN DOORWAY OF KI LLESHIN CHUR CH RUINS RESTORED .
[From a Photograph by Mason , Du b l in ]
Each of the eight pillars is topped by a human head,some
clea'
n-shaven, others w ith twisted moustaches and curled beardsand whiskers ; the hair over the brow is in some cases waved,and in others fringed w ith little curls . The features of the face
are badly damaged ; but judging by that on the keystone,above mentioned , the nose was more fiat than prominent .
198 THE KILLESH IN CHURCH RUINS , QUEEN’
S COUNTY
The material of the doorway is principally a hard sandstoneof two colours, white and dark brown, but portions are of
granite, neither of which stones, so far as I know,belongs to the
locality .
So far as the sepu lchral monuments go , there is nothing inthe burial-ground of any considerable age . The oldest tombstoneappears to be dated 1688 ; it is a flat slab on the south side of thechurchyard , and was erected to the memory of members of JohnDodd ’
s and Bryan Hogan’
s fami lies .
On a tablet built into the churchyard wall on the roadside isinscribed
Pray for Iames
Fitzgerald whobu ilt this Wall
planted these trees .
1787
On the west side of the burial-ground is a table-tomb recordingthe death of this James Fitz Gerald of Killeshin,
”w hich took .
place on the 7th of June ,There is at the west wall , outside the church ruins, a granite
headstone w ith its inscription facing the west, showing that itmarks a priest’ s grave. Granite is bad material on which to
carve an inscription ; and this, unfortunately, is no exception,
as all, with a side light, that can be deciphered with great
difficulty is
Here lyes ye Body
of ye Revd Maurice
As before mentioned , if searched for, the foundations of theRound Tower should be found a few yards to the north-west ofthe western doorway.
1 S ee p. 478 , vo l . i , of the “ Journal of the Associat ion for thePreservat i on of the Memor ials o f the Dead in Ireland .
”
THE KILLESH IN CHURCH RU IN S, QUEEN
’
S COUNT Y . 2 9 1
purposes, at and’
t hu s gradually to wean'
them from
pagan practices to the Christian religion .
Below the churchyard on the north side there is a natura l
cave of great beauty into which falls a small stream from the
i 797
x 54 4
School
.C . Church
9 00 3
ORDNANCE SURVEY MAP OE KILLESHIN.
glen, which eventually joins the little Fushoge‘
river that flowsinto the Barrow at C logrennan ; this cave was visited by our
members after inspecting the‘
church ruins during the AnnualExcursion on the 14th of September, 1904.
[On page 203 there is given a list of the Kings of Leinsterduring the eleventh and twelfth centuries
,to show that the name
Art , up to that period , does not occur in any one of them . ]
204 T HE'
KILLESH IN CHURCH RU IN S QUEEN’
S COUN T Y .
Diarmaid mac Donnchadh “mael-na-mbo’chief o f
the cows) , King of Leinster, was slain at the battle of
Odhbha in Meath on the 7 th of February. He was
the ancestor of the MacMurroughs, Kavanaghs, and
Kinshellas ; his son, Murchadh,who was styled
“ lordof Leinster under him ,
died in Dublin during thewinter of 1070.
1075 . Domhnal l son of Murchadh,King of Dublin and of
Leinster) , died .
1089. Donnchadh mac Domhnal l “reamhar the fat) ,
Lord of Leinster, was slain by the O’
Connors of Offaly.
He was an ancestor of the Kavanaghs and Kinshellasof Leinster.]
1098 . Diarmaid mac Enna (or Enda) mac Diarmaid, King of
Leinster, was slain by the MacMurroughs of HyKinsellagh .
1 103 . Muircheartach MacGil laMocholmog, King of Leinster ,was slain in the battle of Magh-Cobba (CountyDown) .
1 1 1 7 . Diarmai d macEnda, King of Leinster, died in Dublin.
1 1 26 . Enda mac Donnchadh MacMurchadha,King of Leinster
,
died .
Turlough O’
Connor, King of Connaught and Monarch of
I reland , gave the kingdom of Leinster to hi s own son
Conor .
The men ofMunster and of Leinster deposed ConchobharmacToirdhealbhach Ua Conchobhar from the kingshipof Leinster, and placed over themselves the King of
Ely-O
’
Carroll,
viz .,Domhnal l grandson of Paclan.
[Annals of Loch Cé . ]
Domhnal l macMuircheartach Ua Briain who had
been lord of the Foreigners (Danes) , and previously of
Leinster, died in clerical habit , at Lismore, at an
advanced age .
1 1 37 . Diarmaid na-nGa l l of the English) macMurchadhamacDiarmaid MacMu
’
rchadha is first mentioned bythe Annalists as King of Leinster in 1 1 37 . Thissovereignty he held till his death in 1 17 1 .
THE KILLESH IN CHURCH RU IN S , QUEEN’
S COUNT Y . 2 9 5
From this list , incomplete"
though it may be , it will be seen
that no King of Leinster is recorded in the Annals of the name
of Art at the period to which the doorway belongs this beingso , it strikes one that a bad guess has been made in supposingthat such a name existed ln the I 1 ish insc1 1ption .
Art, which was a favou 1 ite name In the M acM uu ough sept,
was not intI Oduced among them until the second half of the
thirteenth centu I yThe name
,accmding to the Annals of the Fou 1 M asteI S , was
not used by the O’
Mo l es or the O’
Byrnes ; them was an O’
Toole ofthis name in 1 5 1 7 , and an O
’
GonnoI ofOffaly In 1477 ; this po intsto the name being of Anglo-NOIman intI Oduction
,like G a1 1 ett
or Gerald .
The names which are given above in their I rish forms, such
as they would appear in an inscription, have been anglicized as
"follows
Braen
ConchobarDiarmaid
Domhnal l
Donnchadh
DunlaingMaelmordha
Muircheartach
MnrchadhTuathal
ToirdhealbhaCh
CASTLEDILLON IN THE BARON Y OF SOUTH SALT . 209
About the year 1294 the churches ofKyldonane (Killadoon,
near Celbridge) and Tristyldelane”in the Deanery de
Saltu salmonis, are reported to be not worth the service of
chaplains.
Some time du1 ing the fourteenth century the lordship of
Castledillon passed by marrIage fromthe De Hereford to theRochfort or Rochford family, as in 1 384 S11 John Rochfor ,
t Kt . ,
is styled“Lord of Tristeldelan in right of Margaret de
Hereford , his wife.
In 1417 this John Rochfort , 01° a son of the same Ch1°ist1anname
,died ; and the custody of the manor
,
of Tristeldolane
was granted to (name i llegible) , possibly on account of the
minority of the heir.2.
In the sixteenth century, according to ,
Archdall’s edition Of
Lodge’s“Peerage of Christopher Ro
’
chfort , ofKilbride,County Meath , was
“ lord of Tristledelan, and, with his fatherRobert , accounted among the p1 incipal benefactms of the PriOIyof St . Wolstan
’s. By Mar
°
,ga1 et daughte1 Of . . Eustace, ofCastlemartin, in the County of Kildare, E sq. , he had a son
Robert, and a daughter Genet , married to David Sutton‘
of
Castletown-Kildroght”
(Celi dge) .Robert ’s descendant, John Rochfor ,d of Kilb1 ide, died on
the 1 2th of January, 1 638 ; at that t ime he was seised ln fee of
t e town and lands Of Castledelan a lias Tristledelan and a
p rcell thereof called Balleheyes, the whole containing one
castle, six messuages, and 1 80 acres also the lands Of Ballynefaygh, containing 1 50 acres ; and the head-rent Of a parcel ofland called Inchikevin
‘
.
John Rochford ’ s eldest son'
,Christopher, died during his
father’s lifetime, on March 4th, 1 630, so that his second son,
Robert Rochford , became his heir ;4the l atter was implicated in
the Rebellion of 1641 , and forfeited his estate .
Of the Rochford Castle, at Castledillon, one small f1 agmentalone remains
, . it consists Of one ivy-clad.
angle of the bu ilding,with a projecting external chimney l unning up the wall from a
fireplace on the first floor ; it stands nea1 the bOI een, two fieldsto the south-west of the churchyard about to be described .
1 M ills’
s Calendar of Chr ist "Church Deeds , p . 61 (append ix to thetwent ieth R eport of the Depu ty Keeper of the Pu b l ic R ecords ln
I reland ) .2 P . 214 , Ro t Pat . Canc. Hib . CalendariIIm .
3 V ol . i i i , p . 1 5 , pub l ished In 1 789.
4 County Kildare Chane . Inqn . , NO . 71 of Charles I .
2 10 CAS'
T LEDILLO N IN THE BARO N Y OF SOUTH SALT .
THE CHUR CHY ARD.
To reach the churchyard one h as to leave the public roadnear Straffan Bridge, and go along an unmetalled boreen runningmore or less parallel with the Lifi
'
ey, on the opposite side to LodgePark When about a mile down the boreen, a d ilapidated rathlike earthwork 1s to be seen in a field to the right ; this I S the
chur °
chya1 d In question.
The churchyard 1s unenclosed , so that cattle have free access
to it ; it appears to have been long disused. The walls of the
Old church are level with the ground , so that their foundationsalone can be traced ; it apparently consisted of nave and chancel .NO cut stone work 1s visible. On my last visit to the place inMay, 1909, I p icked a smal l rough flag, pe1
° °fO I ated at one end,
showing the class of“slating ”
used in long bygone t imes .
On the sou th side of the church site there is a smal l patch of
ground occupied by graves , only now . to be distinguished byrough headstones tom from
f
the former bu ilding ; among themis a single, wel l-cut headstone on which is the following inscription
I . H . S .
This Burial placeBelongs to Cornelue
S
Spellicy posteritywhere Lyeth y
e bodyof Ann S pel licywho
Died A ugstye 1 th [sic] . 1758
Adge 1 5 . A llso Iuedet“,Lesther
,I ohn Spellicy.
One Object of great interest, which one wou ld not haveexpected to find in this now insignificant and out of the waychUI °
,chya1 d is a limestone slab , much broader at the upper endthan at the foot , which lies on the ground a short distance to thesouth east of the church site . On it i s ca1° ,ved in outline, thefigure of an ecclesiastic, whose head , apparently bear ,
ded was cut
in low relief, but which 1 8 in such a battered condition that thefeatu res are now quite unrecognizable . The stone 1s broken intot wo pieces .
CAST LEDILLON IN THE BARON Y OF SOUTH SALT . 2 1 3
The measurements of the slab are
In length 6 feet 1 1 inches .
In width at the lower end 1 3 —12 inches ; the upper end
is very much w ider, probably about 2 feet , but itsbroken condition makes a measurement impossible.
In thickness 5 5 inches.
I t was while tilting one portion of the slab up to ascertainthickness that a very remarkable feature was noticed ; and
that was that an eight-armed cross w ith fieur de-lis terminals ,cut in bold relief, runs down its length . That a recumbent
'
slabshou ld be carved on both s ides is a very curl ous fact ; can it be
that this is an instance Of an ancient m1 sapprOp1f
1ation of a
tombstone .9 There 1s no doubt , however, that the upper side of
the slab is that on which the ecclesiastic i s carved , as this isproved by the position of the inscription as shown In the small
photograph (on page
( 2 1 4 )
S UM M ERHILL A ND I TS N E I GHB OURH OOD
PART I .
BY THE REV . M . DEV ITT , S .J
V ice-President of the County Kildare Archaeological Society.
THE history ofMeath since the period of the English Invasion
1s so closely connected w ith that of Kildare, that I havethought a notice Of some of its bor °de1 localities m ight proveinteresting to the readers Of our JOURNAL . From Maynooth to
Cloncurry the Rye Water river marks the bounds Of the two
counties , as in ancient times it there divided the Kingdoms of
Leinster and Meath . As we go westward from Ki lcock towardsthe upper waters of this l ittle river, the ground on either siderises in ridges , that stand out in a marked manner from the
general level of the Leinster plain. In Kildare, the hills of
Cappagh , Newtown, and Grange in Meath ,Agher, Drumlargan,
and Summerhill , stretch out, and almost overhang the RyeWater
valley, as if they were the natural outposts of separate and
sometimes hostile territories .
The village of Summerhil l lies on the main road betweenKilcock and Trim, and at a distance of about six statute m ilesfrom either place . This road is attractive, not merely from the
rich and fertile pasture lands that it traverses, but still morefrom its many historical associations .
A bout a mi le from Kilcock we pass the ru1ns of the anc1ent
church of Balfeaghan, and close to it at Kilglyn the site of a
monastery that dated from Patrician times, and is mentioned inthe Tripartite Life of St . Patr ;ick and somewhere near this spotour National Apostle crossed the road on his first journey fromMeath into Kildare 1
Again we find the ruins of a church and castle at Gallow ,
and at Drumlargan of a church which we now know was in a
ru ined state in 1 647 . Beyond Summerhill we are in the landof theWellesleys, passing by the castle of Dangan— where manyhave asserted the great Duke of Wellington was born ; and
before we reach Trim we must pass through Swift’s parishof where his rectory and the house of Stella , and manyother memorials o f the mighty Dean, will be readily shown tothe Inquiring traveller.
Kildare and Le ighl in (Come rfo rd) , V O l . i i , par ish o f Kilcock ,
2 1 6 SUMM ERH ILL A ND IT S NE IGHBO URHOOD .
hill,samm idh, summer] , it is attached to at least two other
localities in the same county, In documents of considerableantiqu ity. I t is , however, qu ite justified here, as the hillS loping gently to south and south-west has a bright and
warm aspect, and the rich green of sward and wood is Wellset against the brown sod and purple heather of the bog at
its base , where perhaps in Olden days a lake or a forest
added another charm to this very beaut ifu l place .
This bog, called the bog of Moy, measures more thantwo m iles from N.W . to S .E .
, by three quarters of a mile at
its widest part, and is sheltered on the north by Summerhill ,on the east by the hill of Drumlargan, and on the southby the verdant slopes and wooded heights of Agher
“
and
Agherpallis .
In the fourteenth century the Lords of Agher were knownby the name of Parys , a name which is found under the form of
Paris, Parish , Parys, and Parese in later documents .
In 1302 John de Parys accompanied Richard de Burghto the wars in Scotland , and had letters of protection from
King EdwardIn 1 385 Richard I I granted to Edward Perers custody
of one messuage and two carucates (240 acres) of land whichbelonged to Richard Parys , deceased , in the Agher, CountyMeath .
2
In the sixteenth century this Anglo-Norman family had, likemany others of the same race, revolted from the Crown. Theyjoined in the rebellion Of S ilken Thomas and ChristopherParys was one of the chief defenders , and by some accounts , the
betrayer, of the castle of M aynooth , when it was besieged and
taken by the Lord Deputy, Skeffington,in 1 535 .
Later in the same century George Parys is found in closealliance with the O ’
Connors of Offaly in their wars against theEnglish Crown. When Brian O
’
Connor, chief of Offaly, wasfinally brought to London and detained as a hostage, GeorgeParys of Agher with young Cormack O
’
Conn’
or entered intonegotiation with Shane O ’
Neill and w ith the rulers of Scotlandand of France to form a combination against the Engl ish . In
a letter from the Lord Ju stice,Sir W illiam Brabazon,
dated2 1 st May, 1 5 50, it is requested “
that O ’
Conor may be detainedin England , considering how oft he has been an Offender
,and
that no reconciliation cou ld wynne, neither othe ne [oath nor]promise staye him to abstayne from rebellion,
and how thisGeorge Parys who hath been w ith the French King,
l Pat . Ro ll , 31 Edward I .
2 Ih. , 9 R ichard I I .
SUMM ERH ILL A ND IT S NE IGHBOURHO OD.
was his chieffe man ; w ith whom the said O’
Chonour’
s sonne,
Cormocke, ys joyned , bothe to explore the Frenche and Scottes
intentyon for the expelling of all Englishmen ou t of thisrealme .
”1
In the next year we find the English Privy Council urgingSir John Croft
,then Lord Deputy of I reland
,to apprehend
M ‘
Carty M ore and George Parys , if he can.
’ ’2
I t wou ld seem , however , that it was not feasible to apprehendhim ,
for in the following year we have another despatch to Croft ,in which we read : “
Geo . Parys , an Old Irish rebel,i s in Scotland ,
by the name of Ambassador of I reland, and so licits the Queen of
Scots to aid certain I rish Lords, as Desmond
,O
’
Donnel l,&c.
”3
About this time -Brian O’
Connor escaped from his placeof confinement in London, but was retaken,
4and the Privy
Council ’s letter thus refers to the incident : “Geo . Parys sent
messages to old O’
Connor , and at one t ime a ring. Thus wesee that when O ’
Connor fled hence northward , it was upon a
very practice [i .e . a real plot] .Bu t the Old rebel ’s career as Ambassador of I reland was
soon to end somewhat ignobly. His person m ight be safe in thesaddle 01
°
on the sea,but the fair lands of Agher cou ld no t
follow him ,and were at the mercy of his enem ies . His estates ,
as we m ight expect , were confiscated , and transferred to Georg eGarnon of the County Lou th , whose name is variously written
in the State Papers , as Garnon, Garland , Gerland , and Gernon .
But the resources of Parys were not yet exhausted. He mightstill play the old trump card that never fai led in the endless
game between I reland and England . He might atone for hisOld treason to the King by a new treason towards his I rish and
foreign accomplices . George Parys did not hesitate . He wrote
a suppliant letter to the English Privy Co'
uncil , Offering a fu l ldisclosure of all plots and practices against the Government , and
begging to be restored to his ancestral estate in Ireland . The
reply of the Privy CouncilWas favourable , and on 25 th October,they sent him “
his pardon signed, by the King’
s leave ,with their hands , and a promise of the restitution of his landsforfeited in I reland
,or such like as shall serve for a gent leman
to live on.
”5
The Government evidently set a high value on the promisedinformation, and the bargain must have been very satisfactory
Calendar of S tate Papers , 1 5 50.
I h. ,M ay 1 1 , 1 55 1 .
3 I b. , F ebruary 1 1 , 15 5 2 .
Annals of the Fou r M ast ers , 1 5 5 1 .
5 Calendar of S tate Papers ,”1 552 .
2 1 8 SUMMERH ILL AND IT S NEIGHBOURHOOD.
to both contracting parties . But a third party had yet to bereckoned w ith . Cormack O
’
Connor, son of the imprisonedPrince of Offaly, detected the secret designs of Parys, and thisslipperyold traitor soon found himself a close prisoner in Scotland.
There is a letter dated l 0th December, 1 5 52 , from the PrivyCouncil to the Lord Deputy of Ireland , informing him of
“the
imprisonment Of Geo . Parysh in Sco tland by means of O’
Conor’s
son, who had come to the knowledge that Geo . Parysh soughtto Obtain his pardon by the ofler of disclosing all his practices.
He seems to have b een kept a prisoner for at least six years .
There is no indication of any disclosure to the Government unti lthe last year of Queen Mary
’
s reign, 1 558 . In that year the
Queen writes to the I rish Deputy Sussex, sending him intelli
gence of the French King’
s design against Ireland , by means ofGeorge Parysh,
”with a schedule as to Guernsey, Jersey, and
Ireland . Seyntone , an inhabitant of Jersey, serves the FrenchKing, and receives a pension upon promise to deliver into hishands either Guernsey 0 1
° Jersey. George Parysh had promisedto bring the wild I rish to the French King
’
s devotion.
”2
I t is not at all certain that Parysh had by this date escapedou t of his place of confinement . I t seems clear at all events
that he was detained in Scotland up to the year 1 5 63 . By thattime he had made his way to I reland , bu t not w ithout troubleon the road . He had been stopped on the sea by the French ,who robbed him of all he had . But he somehow managed toslip through their hands, and found himself once more in his
native country, whose rich lands he loved so well . 3
But the road to Agher was not yet Open to him . George
Gernon blocked the way. While Parysh was pining in prisonthe new proprietor was in
tpe
aceable possession and wari lystrengthening his t it le to the orfeited estate .
Gernon had in 1 5 58 secured a lease for twenty-one years, torun from the year 1 567 , of
“the castle and lands Of Agher , the
lands of Ball intogher and Trubly, at a rent of £ 17 4s .
In the following year his ho lding was made a fee-simple byQueen Elizabeth in a grant that runs thus— “
The Queen to
Lord Deputy Sussex. Warrant of a grant under the Great Seal ,to George Garland , gent . , Of an estate of inheritance Of and in
Parysh of Agher’
s lands , of the value of 17 marks sterling.
”5
Gernon,now holding Agher as tenant-in-chief of the Queen,
1 Calendar o f S tate Papers , 15 52 .
I b . , an . 1558 .
3 I b . , sub an . 1563—66 .
F iant , Phil ip and Mary , 1558 .
5 Calendar of S tate Papers ,”15 th Octo ber, 1 559.
2 2 0 SUMMERH ILL AND IT S N EIGHBOURHOOD .
Irish Papist , and as holding two portions of land in Agherpallis ,one of 586 acres , 2 roods , the other Of 240 acres .
By order of Parliament, 5 th December , 1 650, his land w as
granted to Dr . Henry Jones , Bishop of Clogher , who does notseem to have entered into possession, as in 1 65 3 the who lebarony of Deece , in which Agher is s ituated
,was allotted to
the adventurers who had advanced m oney for the I rish war .
In this year Parliament grant-ed Jones £ 200 per annum, and
this may have been by way Of compensation for the w ithdrawalof the previou s grant .
1 One of the adventurers , W illiamRainsborough,
a merchant tailor in London,
assigned on
4th February , worth of land which has fallen tohim by lot in East M eath to John Pratt of Lu tterworth
,in
Leicestershire , Esq . Pratt seem s to have sent his two younger
sons to I reland to take up this land , which by a further al lotment
was assigned to him in the south-eastern quarter of the baronyof Deece .
2 The younger of the two brothers,Benjamin, sett led
at Agher, and his fam ily continued in possession until them iddle of the eighteenth century . Then, male issue failing, theheiress , Mary Pratt , married a M r . Francis W inter , with whosename the estate has ever since been identified .
3
In 1 650 the Rev. Samuel W inter, who had held the livingof Collingham ,
near Hu ll,and was famed as a preacher of the
evangelical and exa lted type, came to I reland w ith the Parliamentary Commissioners to assist them in the religiou s settlement of that mo st distracted ruined Kingdom and on the
expu lsion of the Episcopalians from Trinity Co l lege, he was
named Provost , and his appo intment signed by Cromwell , on
3rd June , 1 652 . He was well versed in Greek and Hebrew ,
and his sermons bristled w ith quotations from the Greek .
"He
displayed great zeal in controversy w ith the Anabaptists, whosetene ts were considered dangerou s to the Protector
’
s government .
Colonel Hewson Governor o f Dublin,in a letter of 19th June ,
1 650, w ri tes Mr . W inter, a godly man,came with the
Comm issioners,and they flock to hear him w ith great desire .
’ ’ 5
Though his position wou ld naturally render him odious to
Catho lics , Episcopalians , and extrem ists of his own school , heseems to have made no personal enem ies , and to have travelledthrough al l parts of I re land
, even through the I rish districts ,wi thou t any apprehension of trouble .
(Z) Ha rt’
s I rish G entry b efore Cromwell , pp . 237-8 .
Ca lendar o f S ta te Papers , A d venturers , p . 343 , &c.
3Burk e ’
s Landed Gentry ,”s . W . W inter and Prat t .
”
'M zt li ztfly , A n Ep isod e in I rish H istory ,”
pp . 295,&c.
C romw e ll ian S e t tlement ,”
p . 28 1 ,
SUMMERH ILL AND IT S N E IGHBOURHOOD .
He received large grants of land in King’
s County and
Wes tmeath ; and on the restoration of Charles I I retired fromhis post as Provost to Castletown
, now Castle Bernard , near
Kinnety, in King’
s County. Here he was assigned the land o f
O’
Carroll , who was transplanted to Connaught ; and here hedevoted the remainder of his days to farming and the manage
ment of his estates .
He was particu larly fond of horses, and was a 1° °
ema1kablysuccessfu l br ;eeder and it is interesting to note that his directdescendant , the present respected proprietor of Agher, stillbreeds with success from mares of the same stock , and has inhis possession the mug worn by his ancestor, which is alsorepresented in his portrait still hanging in Trinity College .
There are no antiquarian remains at Agher . The"
old parishchurch
,marked as a ru in on Petty
’
s map, has been completelyuprooted , and a very neat Protestant church , erected abou t 1 803 ,
stands close to its site . The ru ins Of the castle of Parys and
the Gernons have been also cleared away ; but its site is markedby an artificial mound
“placed about 1 20 perches east of the
modern mansion ,and overlooks a valley separating this port ion
ofAgher from Coole . This valley, now well drained by a stream
that forms one of the'
headwaters of the Rye Water river,was
formerly a marsh traversed by two passes , one Of which was
called the pass Of Agher,”and Was commanded by the castle .
The other lay away to the sou th,probably on the present road
from Agher to Ardrums, and was called the,pass of Ardrums .
”
In those days Agherpall is was pract ically an island surroundedby bog, and was considered by m ilitary observers in 1 647 as an
almost impregnable position for an entrenched camp . To thisfeature I shall refer later on when dealing w ith the history of
Summerhill .
( T o be cont inued . )
2 2 4 BODEN ST OWN GRAV EY ARD
now one o f the busiest shopping thoroughfares , was then a
favourite street for° residence ; and it was the cus tom o f the
dandies of the period to promenade its footpaths , casting bold 0 1°
furtive glances at the young ladies who viewed the scene from
within doors . As young Wo lfe Tone thu s disported himself,he was fascinated by a certain pair of brigh t eyes , and makinginqu iry, found that they belonged to the granddaughter of a
rich o ld clergyman who was living there. He further foundthat she had a brother in the University. To seek his
acquaintance, and through him to Obtain an introduction to
the fascinating sister, who was of the mature age o f sixteenyears , took no long t ime . SO well did he plead his cause
that the young lady eventually eloped with him , and they were
privately married , and shortly afterwards reconciled to his
family .
This is not the place for any detailed account of his politicalhistory ; but i t is worth remembering that Wolfe Tone was so
far from feeling at the outset the bitter hatred to Englandwhich he manifested towards the close of his life
,that his
first essay in politics was a scheme for the advancement of the
English power in the South Pacific Ocean. He drew up a
'
plan
for the foundation of a naval and military colony in one of the
A PLACE OF I R ISH PILGR IMA GE .
islands discovered by Captain Cook , and forwarded this to theGovernment. of the day . Pitt, however, to his great disgust ,took no no tice of his scheme
,having at that time concluded a
peace w ith Spain ; and from this out Wolfe Tone ’
s thoughtstook a direction host ile to England . He soon plunged into theagitation and intrigues which accompanied the formation of the“ United I rishmen
”; and it was at last only owing to the
influence of friends that he was allowed to escape a prosecution,
on condition that he went to America.
Wolfe Tone had already for some time ardently embraced
the principles of the French Revolut ion, and had become a free
thinker in religion and a republican in politics. NO sooner was
he landed in America than he prepared to seek the assistance of
the French Directory to bring abou t a deliverance of Irelandfrom the yoke of England . The task was at first dishearteningenough , as he landed in France poor, and even ignorant of theFrench language . However, by patience and tact, by workingupon the deadly hatred to England felt by t he French revolu
tionists , and by plausible representations of the state’
of thingsin I reland
,he at last succeeded .
An expeditionary force of fourteen thousand men, underGeneral Hoche
,sailed from Brest on the 15 th Of' December,
2 26 BODENSTOWN GRAV EY ARD
1 796, intended to effect a landing in the Sou th of I reland .
W olfe Tone himself embarked in the highest spirits , bearing a
comm ission in the French Army. But at the moment whenfortune seemed to have crowned his efforts she deserted him .
When they were actually in sight of I reland , a series of storms,
not unl ike those which ru ined the great Armada of Spain,
dispersed the French fleet ; and,to his infinite disgust and
despair, fourteen days after the“
expedition had started orderswere given for its return, having effected nothing.
Then followed months of weary waiting, filled with intriguesand urgent representations in every quarter to induce the
R evolutionary Government to renew the attemp t ; but littlecame of i t all .
Another expeditionary force was indeed assembled in the
Texel in 1 797 ; bu t those in command were half-hearted , and ,when they w ished to start , adverse w inds which lasted for S ix
weeks postponed their departure till the gathering of an Englishfleet rendered it impossible . Wo lfe Tone ’
s diary through thesemonths gives a vivid picture of the anxiety, impatience , and
despair that filled his heart as week after week slipped by and
nothing was done .
In 1 798 a smal l force under General Humbert started and
succeeded in landing in Killala Bay on August 22nd ; but after a
temporary success he was surrounded by English troops , and on
the 8 th of September his forces surrendered . Among the
prisoners was Wolfe Tone’
s brother, M atthew, who was triedand execu ted , and buried at Bodenstown.
Another expedition set sai l on the 20th of September , beforeHumbert ’s disaster w as known , and after twenty days arrived off
Lough Swilly. The following day, however, i t was attacked and
defeated by an English fleet under Sir Borlase Warren. Tone,who wore the uniform of a French officer
,and had taken part in
the fight , was made prisoner, recognized , tried by court-martial0 11 November l 0th, and condemned to death .
[
He made no
defence , bu t avowed the part he had taken,only requesting that ,
as he bore a commission in the French Army, he migh t sufferdeath as an Officer and not by the hangman . As Wo lfe T onehad never held an Engl ish comm ission, his trial by court-martialwas of course illegal . Appeal was therefore made . By a
strange coincidence Lord Kilwarden,the judge before whom the
appeal came,was a member of the Wo lfe family , w ith which
Tone was in a way connected . A writ to suspend the executionwas granted , but upon its arrival at the prison it was found thatTone had wounded himself dangerously the night before with a
pen-knife that he had secreted . After lingering some days, he
2 2 8 BODEN STOWN GRAV EY ARD
original stone placed over W olfe Tone . The second S lab , whichreplaced this , is in process of being sim ilarly destroyed . Perhapswhen a Home Ru le Parliament sits in Dublin some more cost lymonument wil l be erected . A t present the railing placed to
protect i t by the men of Kildare is of little service, as the lockhas been forced and the gate lies Open.
1
The little church of Bodenstown, against the southern wallof which the grave l ies , has been in ruins for the last 1 80 years .
The last record of church , chancel , and books being in goodorder was about the year 1 61 2 when Bodenstown was held alongwith the Vicara ge Of Clane by John G olborne, Bishop and
Archdeacon of Kildare .
SHI ELD ON THE RAILING ROUND THE GRAVE .
The district round, though with little of the picturesque, hassome points of interest ; and the valley of the Liffey, which forms
the western boundary of the parish, has a good deal of gentlebeauty . The Liffey here was , in the reign of Henry V I I I , the
boundary of the Engl ish Pale : that is to say, the Engl ish lawdid not run beyond i t . Towards each extrem ity of the parishthere was an ancient ford over the Liffey.
’
These are now
marked by handsome bridges . The ford lower down the stream
1 This was w rit ten some years ago . S ince then a new headstone has
been e rected the ra il ing has been repa ired and pa inted and the grave
is now well cared for by the C o unty Ki ldare Gae l icA ssociat ion .
A PLAC E OF IR ISH PILGR IMAGE . 2 29
was at the village of Clane , 0 1° Oluaine A th,“the meadow ford ,
so called from the broad , level meadows which stretch on eachside of the river there . The ford higher up, and only abou teight minutes
’
walk from Bodenstown Church, was called Case in
S o ilse,now corrupted into Castle Size . There has never been
any castle on the spot , but the ford wasv named from the ancientcustom of placing a light (soi lse) at the ford or path (ocean) , to
guide travellers on dark nights when the stream was in flood .
I t was,in fact
,enjo ined by one of the Brehon laws that in such
spots a light shou ld be shown ; and not a few places still retainthe old I rish names which rem ind us of the Oustom .
In the same neighbourhood , about four m iles distant , but onthe other side of the 1
°
1ver°
,and on the outskirts of the Bog of
Allen,l ies the village of Prosperous, where the Rebellion of 1 798
broke out .
1
1 T ire il lustrat ions are from draw ings by A rchd eacon Sherlock .
( 2 30 )
LA WE OF LE IXLIP .
BY REV . H. L . L . DENNY , M .A .
THI S family i s the branch of the Scotch Laws to whichJames Grant, in his account of the Laws
,Marquises of
Lauriston, refers as being perhaps the last representatives inthe United Kingdom of that old Scotch house .
Of it Sir Bernard Burke, in his Vicissitudes of Families,writes as follows Among the fam ilies of the Empire whohave been celebrated in foreign countries, there are none more
remarkable than Law of Lauriston. Of very ancientstanding in Scotland
,it has made itself conspicuous as well by
its own deeds as by its numerous alliances with the very first ofthe Scottish nobility. The Laws were,
“
centuries ago , Free
Barons in Scotland . N isbett, in his Heraldry, gives theirarms as borne by Law of Lauriston,
Free Barons -in Galloway,argent, a bend and in chief a cock gates ; cres t, a cock crowing .
”
The tracing of the pedigree of the Laws in Scotland is a
matter of extraordinary complexity and difficulty. Indeed ,consultation with some of the principal modern authorities on
the subject reveals the fact that at present, without furtherreliable information,
it is not possible to do so with any degreeof certainty. The statements of various well-known writerswith regard to the relationship between James Law
,Archbishop
of G lasgow , and the Laws of Lauriston,&c.
, have to be receivedw ith great caution, while some of them are demonstrably untrue .
Accordingly, it is not intended here to attempt to trace thedescent of the Laws in Scotland , but only that Of the I rishLaws
,following their family pedigree , which , so far as it has
been tested by reference to independent records, has provedquite trustworthy.
Dr . James Law, of Lithrie and Durntown in Fife , Archbishop ofG lasgow , died 1 2 th Nov.
, 1 632 , aged about seventy-nine .
He married first, before 3rd Jan.,1 588 , Marion Dundas, who is
supposed to have died without issue. His second wife , GrissellBoswell , who died July, 1 61 8 , is believed to have been the motherof four children— James, Free Baron of Burntown, Thomas ,
M inister o f Inchinnon, George and I sabella . He married
thirdly Marion Boyle , who died November, 1636.
2 32 LAW E OF LEIXLIP .
1 764 , amongs t the Connor adm ins . By her the Rev . John Lawe
had issue (besides John Lawe , matriculated 1 Oct .,
17 1 3 , aged 1 7 , Jerem iah Lawe, Roe Lawe , and E lizabeth Lawe ,who married Davy) tw o sons
G eorge Lawe, of Dublin eldest son, wil l dated
31 July , 1 75 6, proved 9 May, 1 765 ; m . M argaretWrightson,
who was buried in St M ichan’
s Churchyard ,Dublin (M I ) her will dated 9March , pr. 30May, 1 772 .
Robert Lawe , younger son , of Dublin and Cork, appears tohave acqu ired the property known as Robertsville , Leixlip , wasBarrack-Master-General of I reland (of which office he was in
possession in 1 747 and in Married in St . Michan’
s ,
Dublin, Feb . 5 th, 1 733 , to Martha Wrightson,who was buried
in Leixlip Churchyard , aged 79 ; h is will dated 1 5 June , 1 785 ,pr . 2 1 Sept .
,He was buried in Leixlip Churchyard ,
where there is a monument to his memory, as to that of his
w ife and their son A lexander. He had issue (besides W illcokesLawe
,1 bapt . S t. M ichan
’
s , Oct . 16 , 1 742 , W ill iam Lawe , bapt .
S t . M ichan’
s,Sept . 8 ,
1 748 , Purasie Lawe , bapt. St . M ichan’
s ,
Dec. 26,1738 , bur. there, Nov . 10,
1 740, Dorothy _
Lawe, bapt .
St . M ichan’
s,June 1 5 , 1 744, Frances Lawe , bapt . S t. Michan
’
s,
June 6,1 75 1 ; bur . there , June 7 , 1 752 ) five sons and three
daughters .
I . John Lawe , Barrack-Master of Cork ( in which he wassucceeded by his brother A lexander) , bapt . at St .
M ichan’
s,Feb . 27 , 1734.
I I . George Lawe , Store-Keeper at Harwick , bapt . at
St . M ichan’
s,Apri l 10, 1 737 , 111 . Mary Read , and had
a son— Capt . Robert Lawe , l 0th Regt . of Foot (inand a daughter
— Lettice Lawe , said to havebeen Maid ofHonour to Queen Charlotte.
11 1 . Robert Lawe of Leixlip , of whom presently.
IV . James Lawe,General , Governor of Prince Edward
I sland .
V . Alexander Lawe,Barrack-Master, of whom later.
I . Martha Lawe , bapt . St . M ichan’
s, Nov. 2 , 1 752 , m . at
St . M ichan’
s,March 1 5 , 1 790, W il liam Burke, Esq ,
by whom she had a daughter Martha Burke.
I I . E lizabeth Lawe, bapt. St. M ichan’
s , Aug. 10, 1 754 ,m . S t . M ichan
’
s , April 24, 1784, Francis Battersby,E sq .
,ofDublin.
LAW E or LE IXLIP . 2 33
Margaret Lawe , bapt . St . M ichan’
s,Dec. 16 , 1 75 5 ,
m . at St . M ichan’
s , July 14, 1 782 , Rev. Pau lLimerick , D .D .
,Chaplain of the Presidency of Fort
W illiam,Bengal . Her marriage portion cha1ged on
the lands of Robertsville , Leixlip , and on lands in
Co . Monaghan,&c. Dr . L1me1 ick was lost at sea
returning to England"
in 1 809, having had issue
(besides W i lliam A lexander,bapt . in St . Mary
’
s,
Shandon , Cork, Oct . 1 1,1 783 , d . unm .
,John Su llivan
)
Limerick , d . unm . , M ary Anne Limerick , d . unm .,and
E lizabeth Limerick , d . in India 1 796 , aged two years)three daughters , co-heiresses :
1 . Charlotte Cameron Limerlck,m . 1 8 1 1 , Capt .
LytteltonLyster, 3rd Bengal Native Infantry ,afterward s 1st Royal Surrey Regt . (grandsonof Henry Lyster of Rock Savage , and Mary ,
his w ife , heiress of John A lenof St .Wol stan’s,
Co . Kildare ) , who -d . 1 850. She d .May 14 ,1 849, having had
,with several daus .
,two
sons .—Lyttelton,Henry Lyster, 1 st R . Surrey
Regt. (who m . and had w ith other issue a
dau . Marion Georgina , who m . Rev. EdwardDenny, nephew of the late S ir Edward‘
Denny, and George Annesley Lyster.
2 . M argaret Frances Limerickfd . s . Nov.,1861 ,
having m . 1 8 18 , Joseph Pigott Rogers , E sq.,
ofKil leigh ,Co . Cork .
Mati lda Limerick, m . Charles Mackenzie , E sq .,
Bengal Co .
’
s Service, and had issue threesons and eight daughters“
R obert,Lawe
,of Robertsvi lle , Leixlip, which he sold to his
brother Alexander. Was of Brunswick Street , Dublin, in 1 8 1 2 .
Bapt . St . M ichan’
s, Apri l 3 , 1747 , and ,
buried there , Jan. 1 8,
1 826 . By Elizabeth his wife , who was buried at
St . M ichan’
s , Dec. aged 74 , he had issue (besidesAlexande1 Thomas
,bapt. Lei z l ip, Feb . 1 791 , m . St . M ichan
’
s,
Jan . G e0 1ge A ldbo1gh,b0 1 n Ap1 i l 20, bapt . Leixlip ,
May W illiam,born Ju ly 2 , bapt. Leixlip , Ju ly 1 6,
1 798 , Martha,bapt . Leixlip
,M ay 1 7 , 1 789, Mary Anne , Letitia,
buried S t. M ichan’
s , Aug. 1 5 , 1 805 , aged two weeks) a daughterE lizabeth Susanne , bapt . Lei ip, Sept . 27 , 1 793 , and d . 1842 ,
2 34 LAW E OF LEIXLIP .
having m . F . B. J . H . ] Frazer , E sq .
,of Round town
,
Co . Dublin,and an eldest son
Robert Lawe, b . 1786, bapt. Leixlip , Jan. 4,1787 .
In a Newfoundland Regt. , but afterwards 21 st
H ighlanders , and became a General . Fought in thePeninsu la and at W aterloo , and was made a Knightof the R oyal Hanoverian Order . Grant in his
account of James A lexander Law,M arqu is of
Lauriston and Marshal of France , speaks of
General Robert L aw ,K.H .
,a distingu ished old
Peninsu lar and W aterloo veteran of the 7 1st
H ighlanders ,”
as perhaps the last representativein the United Kingdom of the old Scottish familyof Law of Lauriston
,Burntown,
and Lithrie .
General Lawe m . M iss Hewitt , an English lady, andhad issue two sons and two daughters
I . Col . Robert Lawe , of P lymouth , 3 1 st Regt . , m .
Mrs . M aloney , dau . Thompson,and had a son
Col. J.Hewitt RobertLawe ,m . dau . ofJJ .P . ,
Lancashire, s . p.
,and a dau .
— I sabella Lawe , 111 .
Rev. James, Rector of Chorley, Lanc., s . p .
Capt . R ichard Lawe, 3rd Buffs, m . dau . Dr . Brown,
of Edinburgh, and d. s . p .
I . Matilda Lawe,m . John Boyd , E sq .
, of CastletownManor
, Co. M ayo , s. p .
Letitia Lawe , no. late Rev . James Fowler, Rector of
Chelmsford , and had two daus .—Maud and I sabella
Fowler.
A lexander Lawe (son of Robert and Martha) succeeded hisbro ther John as Barrack-Master o f Cork ; Capt.
r
1 1 th Hussars.
Was of Kilcock in 1 789 and 1 792 , also of Mountjoy Square ,Dublin. Bought the Leixlip property from his brother Robert .
(1. Jan. 8 , 1 830, and was buried in Leixlip Churchyard , aged 79.
He m . Frances, dau . of James Smith ,E sq .
,of Courtown,
Co . Kildare , and Rutland Square , Dublin, and by her, who d .
July 1 884, had issue four sons and four daughters
I . Robert Lawe , o f Leixlip , and of Lauriston, Cork, b .
1 787 , lost in the S S . Killarney”outside Cork
Harbour, June 20, 1838 ; m . Susan, dau.
Watson,E sq .
, of Ballydarton,Co. Carlow, by whom
2 36 LA WE OF LEIXLI P .
A lexander Lawe, Col . Engineers , of Cork ;d . in London, and bur . Kensal Green
,1 876. He m .
l st , M iss Jane Dobbs , and had issue by her (with a
daughter M aria, who d . unm . ) two sons and a
daughter :
1 . A lexander Lawe, of Leixlip , &c. , d . s . p . about1900.
2 . Henry Lawe , of O ttawa , Canada, now owner,
w ith his sister , Lady Cartwright , of the
Leixl ip property . He m . and has a daughterW inifred F .
, wife of Robert Y oung, of
O ttawa .
1 . Frances Lawe , m . 18 59 the Rt . Hon. S ir
R ichard J . Cartwright , P .C ., M .P .
,
M inister of Trade and Commerce,Canada ,
and has issue six sons and three daus .
A lexander Lawe m . 2ndly, Anne , dau . W . Molle, E sq .,
had issue two sons and two daus .
3 . Major Patrick M . Lawe, West Indian Regt .,
of Burford St . Martin, Salisbury ; m . Elizabeth Catherine Lawrence s . p .
Rev . A lfred George Lawe , M .A .,C .C .C . CAMB .
,
Rector of Fosbury, Hungerford , W ilts ; 111 .
Caroline Susan Dibdin,and has issue .
2 . Madeline Lawe,m . General Robson,
MadrasS taff Corps , and had issue , with two sons ,
two daus .— Em ily d . and A lexander
m . Lee,E sq .
,
3 . Em ily Lawe , m . Henry Sundins V u lly de
Gando le, and has issue three sons .
( 1 ) Rev . Henry Lawe Corry V ully de
Candole , Vicar of Holy Trin.,Cam
bridge , M .A.,CH . sonn , CAMB. ; m .
dau . Sir H . Thompson,and
has issue two sons .
(2 ) Rev. Armar Corry Va lly de Gandole,m . Edith Hodgson,
and has issue .
(3 ) Rev. James Alexander Corry V ully de' Gandole, Rector of Holton St . Mary,
Suffolk , M .A .,
CAMB . ; m . MaryPeterson, and has issue.
LAW E OF LE IXLIP .
George Lawe, d . at Henley-in-Arden,Warwickshire ,
and buried there , 1 877 .
I . E lizabeth Frances Lawe, d . at Seigl iford , S taffs , 1877 ,
having 111 . Rev. E . Forward Roberts by whom she
had issue three sons and three daus
1 . Edward Roberts , Commander R N . m . M issBagnel l , and had , w ith other issue , four sons
and two dau s .— Gerald , of the Black Watch ;
Edward ; Alexander Sankey, West IndianRegt. ; George ; M innie , m . Flemingand has issue Sophia .
2 . Alexanden Roberts,d . unm .
3 . James Forward Roberts ofAkaroa, New Zealand .
m . and had issue a son and four daus .
(1 ) A lexander Roberts .
(1 ) E lizabeth A . L . J . Roberts,m .
Snow .
(2 ) Agnes Roberts , in. 1 878 FrederickArthur Anson,
Esq .,
M .A. oxon.,
of Stenton Harcourt , Oxon.
-
(thirdson off Sir John Anson,
2nd Bt .
,and
heir presumpt ive to his brother , SirW ill iam R eynel l Anson, of BirchHall
,Lanc. , 3rd has a
son— Denis G . W .— and four daus .
E llen, ,m . 1 906 Charles J . Crawford ,
of W ellington ,N .Z . ; and has issue
Agnes M . Janet ; Annie Evelyn.
(3 ) Lucy Roberts,m . Hugh Buchanan.
(4) Jessica R oberts, m . W . Buckley.
E lizabethRoberts , m . Rev. A . Burrowes , son of
the Dean of Cork , and had a son George ,
who (1. unm .
2 . Frances Robert, ,m . Major Hugh Rose 1 2th
Lancers, of G lastullock , Scot land , and had
issue two sons and two daus .
(1 ) Hugh Rose , of Tarlogie, Tain,Ross
l ine, m . E llen, dau . Rev .
‘J. COOpe ,
Rector of Bucknell , Salop .
2 38 LAW E OF LEIXLIP .
(2 ) Georgina Rose, m . John Holt Skinner ; Esq.
3 . M atilda Roberts , m . Frederick Lyon,Esq .
, of
M o llington Hall , Cheshire , and had issue(w ith Henry and Rev . Walter, who 01. umm .)three sons and four daus .
(1 ) Alfred C . Lyon, of A lbrighton Hall ,nr . W o lverhampton,
J .P .
,Salop
,
b . 1 854 ; m . 1 880 Rose, dau . EdmundSwetenham ,
Esq ., of Cam-
ye-A lyn,
Rossett , Denbighshire, and has issuedau s E lizabeth M .
, wife of Frederick R ivers Bulkeley, E sq .
, and
E leanor D.,w ife of Edward Main
waring Parker-Jervis, E sq .
(2) Frederick Lyon.
( 3 ) A lexander Lyon, R .N ., m . and had a
dau
I I . M atilda Mary Lawe,d . unm . at G lanmire , Cork ;
buried there .
I I I . Frances Lawe , bapt . Leixlip , 27 April , 1 792 , d . 188 1 ,having 111 . Major E . F. French
,of Chester, late 82nd
Frederick Rose , 11 1 . Kate, dau . Daniel
G ilchrist, E sq ., of Ospisdale , Dor
noch , and has a son— Ronald , Capt .
Royal Warwickshire Regt.— and a
daughter.
Arabella Rose, 111 . Col . Clarke, R .A . ,
and had issue a son— Hugh— and
four d aus .— Ruth
, Grace,Violet
,
and Ida .
Fanny Lyon, m . Rev. W illiam Bissett ,M .A. ,
R ector of Shaldon,A lton,
Hants, and has a son,Eric.
Lucy Lyon,m . Edward Porter , E sq .
,
of Liverpool .
Mary Lyon, m . Rev. Laurence Green.
Florence Lyon, m . R. Boothby, Esq . ,
and has a son Reginald .
( 240 )
JBallaoa ano lpoema of the ctountg flatware.
No . IX.
T o ne’
s G ra v e .
BY THOM AS DAV IS ;
IN Bodenstown Churchyard there is a green grave ,And w ildly along i t the winter winds rave ;Small shelter, I ween, are the ruined walls there ,When the storm sweeps down on the plains of Kildare .
Once I s at by that sod— i t l ies over Wolfe T one
And thought how he perished inprison alone ,
His friends unavenged, and his country unfreed,
“Oh, b itter,” I said , is the patriot ’s meed .
”
“For in him the heart of a woman combinedW ith a hero ic life , and a governing m indA martyr for I reland— his grave has no stone
His name seldom named, and his v irtues unknown .
I was woke from my dream by the vo ices and treadOf a band , who came into the home of the dead
They carried no corpse , and they carried no stone ,And they stopped when they came to
‘
the grave of Wolfe T one .
There were students and peasants , the w ise and the brave ,And an old man who knew him from cradle to grave ,And children who thought me hard -hearted , for they ,On that sanctified sod , were forb idden to play .
But the old man , who saw I was mourning there , sa id ,We come , sir , to weep where young Wo lfe Tone is la id
,
And we ’re go ing to raise him a monument , too ,
A pla in one , yet fit for the simple and true .
My heart overflowed , and I clasped his old hand ,And I blessed him
, and blessed everyone of his bandSweet
,sweet ,
’tis to find that such fa ith can rema in
To the cause , and the man so long vanquished and slain .
In Bodenstown Churchyard there is a green grave ,And freely around i t let w inter w inds raveFar bet ter they su it him— the ru in and gloomT ill I reland , a nation, can bu ild him a tomb .
( 240 )
JEallaba anb Ipoema of the Gonntg 1kilcare.
No . IX.
T o ne’
s G ra v e .
BY THOM AS DAV I S .
IN Bodenstown Churchyard there is a green grave ,And w ildly along it the w inter w inds rave ;Small shelter, I ween,
are the ru ined walls there ,When the storm sweeps down on the plains of Kildare .
Once I sat by that sod— it l ies over Wolfe T one
And thought how he perished inprison alone ,
H is friends unavenged , and his country unfreed ,“Oh, b itter ,” I said , is the patriot ’s meed .
”
“For in him the heart of a woman combinedWith a hero ic life , and a governing m indA martyr for Ireland— his grave has no stone
His name seldom named,and his v irtues unknown .
I was woke from my dream by the vo ices and treadOf a band , who cam e into the home of the dead
They carried no corpse , and they carried no stone ,
And they stopped when they came to‘
the grave of Wolfe T one .
There were students and peasants , the w ise and the brave,
And an old man who knew him from cradle to grave ,And children who thought me hard -hearted , for they,
On that sanctified sod , were forbidden to play .
But the old man, who saw I was mourning there , sa id ,
We come , sir , to weep where youngWolfe Tone is laid,
And we ’re go ing to ra ise him a monument , too ,
A pla in one , yet fit for the simple and true .
My heart overflowed , and I clasped his old hand ,
And I blessed him, and blessed everyone of his band ;
Sweet,sweet ,
’tis to find that such faith can rema in
T o the cause , and the man so long vanqu ished and slain .
In Bodenstown Churchyard there is a green grave ,And freely around it let w inter w inds raveFar better they su it him— the ru in and gloomT ill Ireland , a nation, can bu ild him a tomb .
63 61301111111” nf dl falg,
Giant-oi-gtrms.
A z ure , a b ar argent , b etween two
And other children. b ars or .
C a l lo ‘m a c B r ia n A rt m ac B r ia n .
Ling’
s County ,
ia
ac C a (1 ) M ary Haughton L IS A GH O ’C ONNO R (2) Ell inor Lynch ,of Leixl ip d . of Patrick Lynch of
ob . 22nd June, 1622, The Knock , Co . Meath ,ch 3 1' w idow of Ghest .
b ur ied at Leixlip .
[Funeral Entry .]b uried at Kil leigh Abb ey
King’
s 00 .
[King’s Co . Chane . Inqn. ,
N o . 7 of C . I .]
C a O'co nno r . Jo h n O
'co nno r . M a ry Hob ert Fox .
E d w a r d O ’co n no r .
m ent ioned i n Lisagh’a Wi l l
,a nd in 11 Funeral Entry , V o l . V , p .
24 11
gaiscel lanea .
T he C o a t-of-A rm s o f the O’
C o nno rs o f O ffa ly , a nd
o f L is a g h O’
C o nno r o f Le ix l ip ,fco u nty Kild a re .
Burke , in his General Armoury, states that the LeinsterO
’Connors bore the same arms as the Connaught O
’
Connors , viz .
An oak-tree standing on a mount . This is an error , as the
O’
Connors of Offaly were of an entirely different stock from the
O’
Connors of Connaught , and wou ld not have had a sim ilar coat-ofarms .
ARM S on THE] O’CONNOR S or OFFALY .
(F rom a Photograph by W . F it z G . ]
The fact is the O ’Connor of Offaly arms are :
Azure,a bar argent, between two bars or ,
as will be proved from two indispu table sources
Firstly . This coat-of-arm s is to be found out on a limestone
mural slab (23 inches high by 34 inches in length) , formerlyin Ballylehane Castle, in the Parish of Killabban and Queen’
s
County, and now bu ilt into a gate-pier of the field in which
242 M I S CELLANEA .
a fragment of the castle ru in now stands . On the slab thecrest is shown as a dove-like bird ; there are two lien or
leopard-like supporters (which are unu sual , except in a peer’s
coat-of—arms) and below the shield , on a scroll,is the war
cry of the Leinster O’
Connors— FALY AGH -ABO Offaly tovictory) . This slab belongs to the early seventeenth century .
As Bal lylehane Castle was granted to the ancestor of the
Hovenden fam ily in 1 570, it is difficu lt to explain the
presence of the O’
Connor arms there , unless there was an
intermarriage between them .
Secondly. These arms are shown at the head of a Funeral Entry,
dated 1 622 , at p . 9, in vol . v of the Funeral Entries inUlster ’
s Office . The shield is lo z enge-shaped , and impalesthe three bars of the O Connors with the Haughton coat ,viz . , Sable, three bars argent.
”
The Funeral Entry reads as fo llowsMary Haughton deceased the June 1 622 . She was
mar : to Leisagh O’
Connor of Leisl ippe ln the County of
Kildare,by whome she had issue Cary, John , Edward ,
and Mary . She was buried at the Church of Leisl ippe
the 27thof June.
No monument is now in existence at Leixlip to this family .
Mr . G . D. Burtchaell (Athlone Pursul vant of Arms) , of Ulster’
s
Office , has identified this Lisagh O’
Connor as belonging to the
Derrymullen,King
’
s County, branch of the O’
Connors of Offaly,and he has kindly supplied most of the pedigree which appears
opposite .
Lisagh O’
Connor’
s Will is preserved among the PrerogativeWills in the Dublin Record Office . The following copy from the
original is reproduced here , as it affords a quaint insight intodomestic life early in the seventeenth century
Prerogat ive W ill of Lisagh O’
Connor , dated the 3rd of June and
5th September, 1626 .
In dei nom ine Amen.
I Lysagh O’Connor of Lexl ipp in the Countie of Kildare , E sqr , being of
perfect m inde and memorie , praysed by God , doe make this my last Will andT estam ent .
F irst . I bequeath my Sou l to God my maker and Redeemer, and my bodyto be buried in the Abby of S t Francis at Kill ihi ,
1and my w ill is that I be
( lecentl ie buried with smale cost , and doe expresslie declare that there shalbe
noe blackes isqu itchions or such vaine sheowes , enlie that my soule beremembered .
1 Killeigh Abbey, near T ullam ore, King ’s County .
244 M I SCELLAN EA .
Alexander Connor of Dunmorie in the Countie ot‘
Kil ldare , gent. , overseers of
my sa id w ill, And doe l ikew ise comaund my said sonns to be gu ided ruled and
governed by the said overseers .
In wittnes whereof I have here unto put my hand and seale , and
published the same to be my last w ill and testament the third of
June 1 626 .
Le : Conor
Present at the perfecting hereof we whose names ensue :
W illiam Bermingham .
Walter Raughter.
M ichael Connor .
An addition to my former w ill , the 5 'ch of September 1626 .
Inprimis . I leave to M r. Patrick Connormy black am bling gel ld ing, w ith my
owne sadle and -furniture .
I tm . I leave to M l'
. Peter Geoghegan my watch, cond itionally that he
causeth one hundred masses to be sa ide for my Sou le .
I tm . I leave M r. Edward Dowdal l my wrought golden cup .
Itm . I leave to my sonn Carie Connor m y amber beades Crucifix , and mylitle velvett sadle, and my two hallant shurtes .
I tm . I leave to James Moonie my friese suite .
I tm . I leave to Thomas Hou lurt ten shillings .
I tm . I enio ine my Executors and overseers of my will therein named to paye
Mary Hall her Legacie and debt before anie other debt .
I tm . I leave to Kedagh Connor three yeards of m ixt cu l lor fries, one of myhats , and a mark ster . to buy him a sword .
I leave Wallter Raghtor a peece of greene cloth kersie thats in my Trunckto make him a dublett.
I tm . I leave to my sonn Cary Connor all my boekes.
I leave to T eig Connor my goune (or goane , gun) .
I tm . I pray my w ife to give William Price som consideracon of Corne , or
som o ther thing in lue of his true serv ice .
In wittnes whereof I have here unto put my hand the day and yeare abovewritten
Le : Connor .
This Will was proved on the l 0th November , 1626 .
-W . FI TZG .
T he Bo u nd s o f Le ix ( exclu d ing Fa s s a g h re b a n) a nd o f
S l ie v e M a rg y in 15 4 9 .
Since the Paper on The O’
Mores and their Territory ofLeixwas printed in the first number of this volume of the JOURNAL ,an
“extent
”or valuation of the territories of Leix and S lieve
Margy in Edward V I ’
s reign was brought to my notice . Thisvalua tion,
with the bounds o f these territories, is m ixed up in a
bundle of parchments in the Dublin Record Office,which is
M I SCELLA NEA . 24 5
abelled Miscellanea Records, Rolls Office, No . 1 2, Extenta ,
Edward V I .
”As the document contains the bounds of the lord
ships in Leix as well , an earlier discovery of it wou ld have savedmuch time and trouble in
'
identifying the precise locality of each
lordship , as given on pages 5 to 9 of this volume of the JOURNAL .
The original document , which is m Latin, thus defines the
boundaries of Leix in 1 549
An Extent of the Country or lordship of Leyse , now in the King’s hands
,
taken at Newfoerte ,1 Donamase , Stradbally , Bel laroyne, Castletown-in-Galyn ,
and other p laces w ithin the said lordship , before Walter Cowley, the GeneralSupervisor of the King’
s possessions in Ireland , on the l oth day of Decemberin the fourth year of the reign of King Edward V I
The Country or lordship of Leyse extends in length from Biernegarre
near Cloegrenan to Conlan , a distance of 24 m iles ; and in breadthfrom Clecowricke near Rosconnyl l to Heyne, a d istance of 12 m iles .
The bounds are as follows :
From Biernagarre , near and bordering W i th the lordship of Dolowghe , toCnockancorle , thence to Klenyn , so on to the stream of Clonebroke ,then to the lands of Leawhil l (appertaining to Sentleger in the
County of Kilkenny) , thence to the lands of Rosconnyll , then to
Aghcorenycronegan, thence to Clomocodde , then to the outer gate of
Caishlan-ynoiske
2 i‘
n O ssory, so a long a certain road to the water
called “ le Streme,
”so along that stream to the river of Noyr ,
thence to Clonoghil l , then along a bog to I sk irekarry ,from thence
to the river of Goly , so along that river to Gortnecle , then along a
bog to the river of Noer aforesa id , and along that river to the landsof Ballycaishlan Ofiarillen ,
3 thence to the lands of Russhin,thence
to Conlan , so to Askenemakanaghe, so to Agheruaghe, on to le T latt ,then to
j
Bellaoige , thence _to Rosnehaily , so on to Cashawffore
, on to
Mone-escawan, thence to Curkanecaryn,then to
’
j
Dirrenefforres , andso to the lands of Leawhill , then to Monenenasse , then to le Acore
gear otherwise called the,
short'
acre in I rre,
4 then to Bielladreit ,so on to Eyen,
then to Aghkilleffynen , then along the stream '
of
Gla ishemarro5 to the river of Barro , and so along that river to
Benry (or Beury) , thence to Rowstokke , on to Aghd‘
owefl and so
along the Morerowe7 to the lands of Rosbranan, thence to the riverBarro aforesaid , and along that river to Biernegarre abovementioned .
For the bounds of Leix in 1 561 , see p . 83,vol . V I of the
JOURNAL.
The extent then deals] with the bounds of S lieve Margy. It
commences thus :
The circu it and lim its of the lordship of Slewm arge, as ascertained .at
Catherlagh (Carlow) On Thursday follow ing the Feast of St . V alentine the
Maryborough .
2 New Water Castle .
.
3 l‘
hat is Castletown,south of Mountrath ,
in the barony of Upper Woods
and parish of Offerlane . From this place Lord Castletown of Upper O ssorytakes hi s t itle .
_
4 See JOURNAL, vol . iv , p . 297 .
5 I b. , p . 296.
6 Now Blackford , between Athy and Ballykilcavan .
7 Written M oenroue on the map of 1563 .
246 M I SCELLANEA .
Martyr ( 14th February) , in the third year of the reign of King Edward V I (i . e .
in before Walter Cowly , Supervisor General of the King’s possessions in
I reland ,and the follow ing j uryW illiam Keting, Shane ,
mc Sherre , Rory roo mc Melaghlin ,Maurice
mc Rory, Patrick mc Wowne , Gyl ledowe mc Shane , Pa trickmcDavie , Donnell mcG illepatrick , Gerald mc Shane boye of Ballyffynan, and T iege mc Sherre O ’
Brenan
who on their oaths say that the bounds of the lordship of Slewmarge lie as
followsIn length from the river called Dowglasse , in a certain place there called
Aghgortnygrenan , to the land of Cloegrenan near a dyke (fossum ) inIrish called Cloanotoryn, in English called the diche thatmearethe ,
”a distance of 4 m iles . In breadth from Glaishynmoyny
in O Dowghe ,2 to a p lace called Srow ill (Shrule) , a d istance of 4
m iles.
Then follows a circuit of this lordship wli3ich is worded as
already given on page 83 of this volume of the JOURNAL . This isfollowed by an interesting piece of information on the sub -districtsin Slieve Margy, not shown 0 11 the ancient map reproduced at
page 1 , vi z .
Memorandum . That Slewmarge aforesaid is d ivided into three parts calledCland irremogho (or Clandiermote) , C lanlowes , and C lan mcMoriertaghe ; the
patrimony of [Gi llajPatrick O ’More , form ez'
y Captain of his Nation .
In Clan mcMoriertaghe are the follow ing landsBallynagall and Narlys (Ballynagall and Arless) , Cergyn (
T ienesra (T innasragh) , and Gowlin-ny-geny ) ,In Clanlowes3 — Shraghe (now Cooper
’s H ill ) , Ballemakmeyler (Ball ick
moyler) , Rossenaghe (Rossena) , and Cowl tiehenrie (Coolhenry) .InClandiermote — Kylcroishe (Kilcru ise ) , and Ballyncaislane (Castletown ,
parish of Killabban) and Clonewecan (C lonybecan) .In describing the lordship of Killabban, this extent states that
it formerly belonged to one Donell O ’
More , and that he divided itup among his twelve sons . As their Christian names are typicalof those u sed by the sept , they are enumerated here , vi z
Neyle , Moriertagh ,Pierce , Rosse, Lysaghe , Rory, Faghna ,
Melaghlin , Patrick , Kedaghe, and Wony (Owny) O’
More .
”
r W. FITZG .
In all these ten jurors,the surnames of the first and of the last alone are
g1ven .
2 I Dough was the O’
Brennan territory comprised in the County Kilkennybarony o f Fassaghdinin.
3 A fiant o f E li z abeth, No . gives the names o f a number of personsw i th the surnames of O C lanlowe. Probably this was intended no t as a sur
name , bu t a s the name o f the d istrict to which they belonged .
2 48 N O T ES .
the King’
s Council in Ireland , between the years 1 212 and 1 216 ,commenced to erect “
a meat and wooden tower (br itagium) inRoscrea , County T ipperary , until the works w ere stopped under
threat of excommunication from Con C’
Heney, Bishop of Killaloe ,
who claimed the land as belonging to his See .
W . FIT ZG .
A M o a t e d C a s t le .
S ir Arthur V icars , in his Paper on Drimnagh Cas tle , CountyDublin
,says that , as far as he knows , it is the only residence now
in I reland surrounded by a moa t still filled w ith water .
I t may interest our readers to know that Frankfort Castle , nearRoscrea , the residence of Mr . Charles Rolleston ,
late E .M ., has a very
perfect moat round it fu ll of water .
[From MRs . J. L . BLAND .
’
.l
R icha rd C o no l ly , o f C a s t le t o w n .
The Richard Conolly referred to in the ballad on page 1 76 of
the JOURNAL was a younger brother of Thomas Conolly . He was
known as The Bishop .
” because he was intended for the Churchbut
,changing his m ind , he entered the diplomatic service , and died
an at taché in China .
[From the HON . MRs . SWINTON l
Dam a g e t o t he Ki lk e a C h u rch R u ins .
During the high w ind on the 7 th October , 1 909, the stem of an
o ld elm , which had suffered in the gale of February ,1903 , was
b lown 0 11 to the east gable of the chancel , demo lishing some 2 or 3
feet o f it . After the s tem had been removed the damaged portiono f the gable was repa ired with cement to prevent rain percolatingthro ugh the wall , and so secure it from the ill effects of frost .
W . Frr z G .
N OT ES . 249
T h e N o rt h M u ns t e r A rchae o lo g ica l S ocie ty ?
This Society was started in April , 1909, and its work will extendover the Counties of Clare and Limerick , and the North Riding of
the County T ipperary . The President is the Earl of Dunraven .
Among the Members of Council are s uch well-known ant iquaries as
Mr . T . J . Westropp , Dr . G . U . Macnamara , the Rev . J . Begley , c.c. ,
Mr. P . J . Lynch ,Dr . G . J. Fogerty , R .N .
, &c. A Journal w ill beissued twice in the year . The first numb er , which is already issued ,
is a continuation of the Journal of the Limerick Field Club . The
annual subscription is 7s . 6d . , and the Hon . Treasurer is Dr. G . J.
Fogerty, R .N . , of 67 George Street , Limerick .
Q uery .
W ha t S o rt o f a S t ruct u re in t he s ixt e e nt h ce nt u ry
w a s a“ W o o d e n C a s t le
”?
) On the 8th February , 1 563 , the Crown made a grant to Teigemac Cahir roe O
’
Connor ,"
and to Callough macTeige, his son, and
their heirs , of a"
wooden cast le in Derrymu llen , and the lands of
Derrymullen ,Bracknagh , Clonsast , Ballinowlart , Kilcloncorkry, &c. ,
in the Parish of Clonsast , Barony of Coolestown , in the King’
s Co .
(See Fiant of E li z abeth , No .
W . FI TZG .
R EW A R D
FINDERS oF ANT IQUIT IES .
1. F ind e rs o f A ncie nt A rt icle s o f G o ld , S i lv e r ,
B ro n z e , B ra s s , o r.
‘
l ro n , C ro ck s ; C o ins , & c. , w i l l
rece iv e , p ro v ided t he a rt icle s a re co ns id e re d
s u it a b le ,
'
t he ir fu l l m a rk e t-v a lu e if t hey a re
s e nt t o T HE S EC RET RA Y O F T HE RO YALl R lS H A C ADEM Y , 19 D AW S O N S T REET ,
DUBL lN . T he Aca d em y w i l l p ay t he co s t o f
ca rr ia g e t o Du b l in , a nd if t he a rt icle s a re no t
p u rcha s e d , t he y w i l l b e“
re t u rne d t o t he f ind e r,
ca rr ia g e p a id . If t he y a re p u rcha s e d , t he y w i l l
b e e xhib it e d in t he N a t io na l M u s e um , Du b l in .
2 . ln t he ca s e’
o f Go ld a nd S ilv e r a rt icle s , t he
Ro y a l l r is h Aca d em y is f u l ly em p ow e re d b y
t he T re a s u re -T ro v e Re g u la t io ns t o g iv e T HE
F IN DER t he f u l l ma rk e t -v a lu e o f t he a rt icle s ,
w h ich is a lw ay s g re a t e r t ha n t he v a lu e o f t he
w e ig ht o f g o ld o r s i lv e r co nt a ine d the re in : a nd
if t he a rt icle s a re p u rcha sed b y t he Aca d em y ,
no cla im ca n b e m a d e o n t he f ind e r in re s p ect
o f them .
8 . A nt iq u it ie s lo s e m uch o f t he ir v a lu e a nd
int e re s t if scra p e d o r b ro k e n“
. T hey _s ho u ld
a lw ay s b e s e nt e xact ly a s fo u nd , w it ho u t a ny
a t t em p t a t cle a n ing, a nd accom p a n ie d b y a
w r it t e n s t a t em e nt o f t he e xact lo ca l ity , d a t e ,
a nd circum s t a nce s o f t he ir d isco v e ry .
4 . T he Ro y a l l r is h Aca d em y ha s f o r m any
y e a rs p a s t e nd e a v o u re d t o p re s e rv e fo r t he .
N a t io n a rt icle s i l lu s t ra t iv e o f t he A ncie nt
H is t o ry a nd P e o p le o f l re la nd ; a nd t ru s t s t ha t
e v e ry o ne t h ro u g ho u t t he co u nt ry w i l l co
o p e ra t e in t h is Na t io na l O b j ect .
Printed by PONSON BY 8: G i BBs , University Press,Dub
"
NUMBER 19 10 . V O LUM E v i , N o . 4 ;
U R N A L
OF THE
UNIV KILDARE ARGHEOLOGIGAL SOGIEIY.
RAGE Bal lad s and P o ems o f the C ounty PAGE
Sggge
gghal
Mget ing ; 1 91 0 , 32; 'No . 1 0 .
.
T he C lane R angers~ a Con
ncx or
ursion M eeting, 1 9
1
0
9
989,
f ,
"
254temporary Ba llad of the V olunteers, 347
T reasurer’
s A ccount fon l gog,"
257 M i scel l aneaof H onorary Officers and
'
M embers 258‘
fC ap tainGarre t t ,”
a Leader of the I rishj at the Batt le o f G lenmalure , 1 580 ,
ONK , .
O U B L 1 N
E . P O N S O N B Y , LT D ., 1 16 G R A F T O N S T R E E T .
'
I ’ v i r s a n d Q i x e nce .
A _Curious Use to pu t'
an EcclesiasticalBell to ,The R atlitoo le T ownland ,The Sepu lchral M oat and Churchyarda t Hortland , Barony of Ikeathy
yand
O ughterany ,
Donadea Castle Sculp luredM ural Slab ,The W ill of Peter Lynch, o f the Knock ,County M ea th, dated 1 2 th June , 1 5 53 ,
O ld P lace-names in the T ownland of
Summerhill (theKnock) , County M ea th,in 1 669
1R ev i ew“Jo urna l of the Galway A rchaeolog icaland H istorical Society ,
”
PROCEEDINGS OF THE
In addition the election of the fo llowing at the SeptemberMeeting was confirmed z— Mr. and Mrs . Humphrey L . Bland ,Mrs . R . J. Ker S t. George, the Rev. William Carrigan, P .P . ;
the Rev. H . A . D. Barber, and Mr. W . X. White.
The following places of interest, as su itable for the AutumnExcursion, were discussed -The Rock of Cashel , CountyT ipperary ; St. Mullins, County Carlow ; and Ballyadams, inthe Queen’
s County.
The Excursion to the Rock of Cashel having been againpreposed by Archdeacon Sherlock, and seconded byMr. Manders ,was accepted by the majority, and the Excursion was fixedfor the month of August.
The undernamed Papers were read
Notes on Fords in and Bridges over the Liffey in the
County Kildare, by Archdeacon Sherlock .
Summerhill and its neighbourhood in the County Meath ,Part I I , by the Rev. M . Devitt, S .J.
Dunlavin, County Wicklow,
”by Lord Walter Fitz Gerald .
A resolution was moved by Mr. Nicholas J. Synnott, and
seconded by the Rev. C . Saunders-Graham,thanking those who
had contributed Papers, and the High Sheriff for the use of the
Court House.
Lord Mayo having exhibited a tall rush-light holder, formerlyused by cobblers and spinners, as it belongs to the variety whichstood on the floor, the proceedings were brought to a close.
REPORT OF COUNCIL FOR 1909.
The past year of our Society has been an uneventful one ,which makes the Annual Report somewhat a matter of routine.
The number ofmembers now is 1 61 , including twenty-sevenLife Members . Last year we lost three members by death , andfour resigned , but fifteen new members were elected , which thusmade a slight increase in our numbers.
Of the members removed by death , Archdeacon Torrens hadbeen for many years a member, though he did not find time
to contribute to the JOURNAL. He resigned his archdeaconryfrom i ll-health only last year, when our worthy Editor was
appointed in his place.
Major Tankerville Chamberlayne was recently elected to theSociety on his retirement from a Government appointment inCyprus . I f he had been spared , we should have doubtless hadsome valuable contributions from his pen, as he was much interested in archaeological research, and was the author of an
COUNT Y KILDARE ARCHZEOLOG ICAL SOC IET Y .
elaborate work on the Fune1 al Monuments of Cyprus . We
have also to chronicle the death of M r. J. C . Murphy, of
Osberstown, which took place shortly after our last AnnualGeneral Meeting .
The Hon. Treasur °
e1 will submit his report which shows thatthe finances of the Society are in a satisfactmy condition, butthis is in some measure due to the generosity of the Duke of
Leinster, who has again kindly defrayed the expense of illustrating the JOURNAL, which forms a very impoi tant part of everyJournal like ou1 s.
Archdeacon Sherlock will tell you what he has done towardshaving the ancient bulle tin at Clane cleared and protected
, whichhe kindly undertook to see to for the Society .
We would take this opportunity of asking Members , and,indeed , all in the county and surrounding districts , to b1 ing tothe notice of the Society any bu ildings, monuments, or otherobjects of antiquarian interest which requ ire repair
,restoration
,
Or protection ; and the Society will always be willing to investigate matters, and , if possible, carry out any work necessary at
the expense of the Society.
The Annual General Meeting was held in Naas on the
5th Febr °
ua1y, when some Papers of varied interest were r .ead
As our Annual M eeting does not seem to attract Membersin the way that the Excursion Meeting does, the Council wouldinvite M embers to endeavour to bring to this meeting objectsof genei al antiquarian and historical interest for exhibition.
By this means exhibitors may get to learn more about theira1chaeological treasures than they knew al i eady, besides affordingmuch instruction to many present.
Two Members of the Counci l 1 etire by rotation— L ieut .-Col .
de Burgh and Mr . More O’
Ferrall — and being eligible offe1
themselves for re-election.
The vacancy on the Council caused by the death‘
of the EarlofDrogheda was filled by the election of the Dean ofKildare.
The Council are very glad to welcome the assistance of an
original Member who has always taken a lively interest in theSociety.
Signed on behalf of the Council ,
MAY O , P res ident.
ARTHUR V icARs,
WALTER FI TZGERALD,
PR OCEEDINGS O F THE
THE EXCURSION MEETING OF 1909.
On Tuesday, the'
14th of September, the’
Annual Excursionof the Society took place in the district lying between Dunlavinand Blessington, in the CountyW icklow .
About a.m . a special train from Sallins b1°ought a largecontingent of Members and their friends to Dunlavin station.
On a start being made the l ittle town of Dunlavin was enter ;edthough it contains no object of antiquarian inter
,est its Market
House, erected in the Doric,
style of architecture, during thefirst half of the eighteenth century, by James Worth-Tynte of
Dunlavin and of Old Bawn (the latter in the County Dublin) ,was worth seeing, so the party were driven round it .
The road to Hollywood was then taken, and a mile and a
half from Dunlavin the old churchyard of Tober,and near by
the ruined residence of the Tynte fam ily, were reached . Justbelow the burial-ground there is a strong spring, which formerlyfilled a
‘
fish-pond ” ; th i s spring g1ves the name of Tober, i .e .
a well, to the place ; it is the source of the river Greese, which ,after a course of some twenty miles, enters the Barrow a shortdistance below Maganey station.
On 1 eaching Ho llywood the party dismounted and entered asmall field , at the entrance to a little rocky glen. Here a Paperon de Sanoto Bosco ,
”a lias Hollywood, was read by Lord
Walter Fitz Gerald, who pointed out Spots associated withSt . Kevin, the patron saint o f the place and of G lendalough,whose original church stood where the Protes tant church nowis , and whose bed, chair, cave, and blessed wel l are well knownin the locality.
Fr 1m Ho llywood the drive to Poulaphooka led past Hollywood Demesne . formerly called Tyrone Lodge, belonging to theMarquis ofWaterford ; the mansion was burned down in 1798 ,and never rebu ilt.
During luncheon at the Poulaphooka Hotel the followingnames for Membership were 1 ead out by the Archdeacon of
Kildare , and du ly elected :— Mr. and Hrs Humphrey L . Bland,
M rs . R . J . Ker S t. George, the Rev.W illiam Carrigan,P P .
° the
Rev. H . A . D. Barber, Rector of Castledermot ; and Mr.W. X.
White of Maryborough .
From Poulaphooka the party proceeded to Burgage , takingthe longer road which runs past Boystown (01
° Baltiboys) Churchyard , from which a grand view of the Ballyknockan hills and the
PROCEEDINGS;
and Dr Leslie, the Rev. J . S . Long, the Rev.
Acheson, Mr. W . Grove-White , the Dean ofKildare , Mr. R . D.
Walshe, Mr . J. Carolan and M iss Carolan, Mr. N . J. Synnott ,Mr. and Mrs. C . M . Dr11ry and Mrs . Fenton,
Mr . A .
Fitz Maurice, Dr . S . Lane-Poole , LL.D.
° the Hon. M i s . Nugentand M iss Morris , Mr. W Kirk °patrick, M iss Woollcombe
,
Mr . S . A . Quan-Smith , Mr . T . U. Sadleir, Lord WalterFitz Gerald, &c.
2 58
LIST O F HO NO RARY O FFIC ERS AND MEMBERS
(CORRE CTED T O AP R IL ,
afirtsibeii t
THE EARL OF P.C .
Fit z -351151113111
THE REV . MATTHEW DEV ITT , S .J.
(monattl
(IN ORDER OF ELECT I ON . )
GEORGE MANSFIELD, ESQ. , D.L.
THE REV . EDWARD O’LEARY
,P .P .
LT .-COL . THOMAS J. DE BURGH , D.L .
AMBROSE MORE-O’FERRALL , ESQ .
, D.L.
NICHOLAS J. SY NNOTT , ESQ .
JOHN SHIELL O’GRADY , ESQ .
THE V ERY REV . THE DEAN OF KILDARE .
315011 . d rtasurer
HANS HENDRICK-AY LMER , ESQ . , KERDIFFSTOWN , SALLI NS .
Elton. gather
ALFRED A . WARMINGTON , E SQ . ,MUNSTER AND LE INSTER BANK , NAAS .
39011 . S t trz tarirs
SIR'
ARTHUR V ICARS , K.C.V .O F.S .A GRANGE CON , Co . WICKLOW.
LORD WALTER FITZGERALD, KI LKEA CASTLE , MAGANEY .
’
215011. Chitor
THE V EN. THE ARCHDEACON OF KILDARE, M A snent ocxsrowu
SALLINS .
MEMBER‘
S1OF T HE
C osby , Colonel R . A. G . , D.L . , Stradbally Hall , Stradbally, Queen’s C ounty .
COWELL, Very Rev. G. Y . ,Dean of Kildare , The Deanery, Kildare .
Cru ise, Francis , M .D. , Baltinglass, Co . Wicklow .
Cullen, Rev . John, P .P . ,T inryland , Co . Carlow .
Daly, C . ,25 Westmoreland-street , Dubl in.
Dames , R . S . Longworth ,2 1 Herbert-street , Dubl in .
Dane , J. Whiteside, Abbeyfield, Naas .
Day , Robert , F .S .A Myrtle “
Hill House , Cork .
Day, Lieut . -Col . J. D.,1 Duncairn-terrace , Quinsborough-road, Bray,
Co . W icklow.
DE BURGH, THOMAS J.,Lt .
-Col .,D.L . , O ldtown, Naas .
*DEV ITT, Rev. MATTHEW,S .J. , V ice-President , Milltown Park , M illtown,
Co . Dubl in.
Dobbs , Archibald E . ,Castle Dobbs , Carrickfergus , Co . Antrim .
Dorrian , Robert , Main-street, Naas .
Drogheda ,The Dowag
’
er Countess of, Moore Abbey, Monasterevan.
Drury , Charles M . , Barraderry , Kiltegan , Co . Wicklow .
Dunne, Rev . John , C .C . , Baltinglass , Co . W icklow .
Elliott,George Hall , Chief Librarian, Free PublicLibrary, Belfast .
Fayle , Edwin, Kylemore , Orwel l t park , Rathgar.
Fenton,M iss , Knockareagh , Grange Con, Co . Wicklow .
ffrench , Rev. Canon, Urgl in Rectory, Carlow.
F ield, John,Kilcock , Co . Kildare.
*F itz Gerald, Lady Eva , Kilkea Castle, Maganey, Co . Kildare.
Fitz Gerald , Lady Henry , Babergh Hall , Sudbury, Suffolk , England .
*Fitz Gerald,Lady Mabel , Kilkea Castle, Maganey, Co . Kildare.
*Fitz Gerald , Lady Nesta , Kilkea Castle, Maganey, CO . Kildare .
*F itz Gerald , Lord Desmond , Carton, Maynooth , Co . Kildare .
*Fitz Gerald , Lord Frederick, Carton,Maynooth , Co. Kildare .
*Fitz Gerald , Lord George , Kilkea Castle, Maganey , Co . Kildare .
Fitz Gerald , Lord Henry , Babergh Hall , Sudbury , Suffolk .
*FITZGERALD, LORDWALTER, M .R.I .A Hon. Secretary,Kilkea Castle,Maganey,Co . Kildare .
*Fitz Gerald , Gerald O tho , 30 St. James’s-square , London, S .W.
*Fitz Maurice , Arthur, Johnstown House, Carlow.
Fogarty, Most Rev. M . , Bishop of Killaloe , Ennis, Co . Clare.
Foley,Most Rev.Patrick, D.D. ,Bishop ofKildare and Leighl in, Braganz a, Carlow .
Follis,Rev. C . W. , The Rectory , Carbury, Co . Kildare .
Freeman, Francis J. , Calverstown, Kilcullen.
*Gannon, J. P. , Laragh , Maynooth , Co . Kildare.
Garstin,J. R ibton
,D.L ., Braganstown, Castle Bellingham ,
Co . Louth .
Glover, Edward , County Surveyor’s Office , Court House , Naas ,Geoghegan, Mrs . , Bert, Athy.
CO UNT Y KILDARE ARCH / EOLOG ICAL SOC IET Y .
Goulding, S ir William; Bart . ,Millicent,Sallins.
Governey, Michael , Barrowville, Carlow.
Graham , Rev. Canon C . I . , Kildrought Parsonage . Celbridge.
Greene , Thomas W M illbrook , Maganey, Co . Kildare .
Hade , Arthur, C.E . , Carlow .
Harmon , J. A . , Prumplestown, Carlow .
Heighington , Colonel W . ,Donard House
,Donard , Co , Wicklow.
Hewetson, John,82 C ornwall-road , Bayswater , London, W .
Hobson, C . J. , 554 West 160th Street, New Y ork , U. S .A
Howard , F . , Collinstown.House , Leixlip .
Jackson, F . R Kilkea , Castledermot .Joyce , Patrick Weston , LL.D. , M .R .I .A Barnalee , 1 8 Leinster-road , W . , Rath
mines, Dublin.
Kelly, Rev. Thomas J P .P . , Emo, Queen’s County .
Kirkpatrick , William, Donacomper, Celbridge .
Lalor, Rev. Matthew, P .P . ,Mountmellick , Queen’
s County.
Lamb , Mrs. , Maudlin’s Farm
,Naas .
.the Duke of, Carton, Maynooth .
Longfield, Robert , 25 Clare-street , Dublin.
Long, Rev . J. S., M .A., The Rectory, T imolin, Co . Kildare .
hpxmoore , Allan Aylmer, Shincl iffe, Durham , England .
MacDonald , Rev. Walter, D.D., Librarian, The College; Mayfioo'
th.
Magu ire, P . A . , 2 O ldtown-terrace , Naas .
Mahony , George Gun, Kilmorna , Co. Kerry.
Manders, R . W. , Castlesi z e, Sallins.
MANSFIELD, GEORGE, D.L .,Morristown Lattin, Naas.
Maunsell, Richard J. C Oakley Park, Celbridge, Co . Kildare .
Mayo , Dowager Countess of, 20 Eaton-square, London, S .W .
MAYO, The EARL OF, K. P . , ne., P resident, Palmerstown, Straffan.
Molony, Thomas F . K.o 35 Fitz william-place , Dublin.
Mooney, William, The Castle, Leixlip .
*Moran, His Em inence Cardinal, Sydney, N . S.Wales, Australia.
Murphy, Rev. A . c.c.,Baltinglass , Co . Wicklow.
Murphy, W. A . , Osberstown House, Sall ins.
Nolan, Rev. James, C .C . , Athy, Co . Kildare .
*Nolan, Rev. T V . , S .J.,Rector of Clongowes Wood College , Sall ins, Co . KildareNorris , Rev. M . , P .P . , Naas .
Nugent , Hon. R . , Stacumney, Celbridge .
O’Callaghan, Rev. J Woodstock Cottage , Athy.
Odlum,Henry M .
,Kilmoney, Rathangan,
2 62 MEMBERS OF THE
*O’FERRALL, AMBROSE MORE D.L .
,Balyna, Moyvally. w
O’Ferrall , Dominick More Kildangan, Monasterevin.
O’
GRADY , JOHN SHIELL, R ickardstown , Newbridge, Co . Kildare .
O’Kelly, E . P ., M .P ., St . Kevin’
s,Baltinglass , Co . Wicklow.
*O’
LEARY , Rev. E.,P .P . , S t. M ichael ’s , Portarlington, Queen
’s County.
O’Mahony , Peirce, D .L . , Grange Con, Co . Wicklow .
*Pal les,Right Lord Chief Barony
'
Mount Annville, Dundrum .
Palmer , Charles Colley , D .L . , Rahan , Edenderry.
Poer, Rev . H . S . M . , The Rectory, Ballyburley, Edenderry, King ’s County.
Ponsonby , Lady Maria , 3 Stratford-place , London, W.
Pratt , Mrs . , Glenheste , Manor-Kilbride , Co . Dubl in.
Quan-Sm ith , S . A Bullock Castle , Dalkey .
Roper, Charles E . A 55 Leeson-park , Dublin.
*Sadleir, Thos . U Newcastle , Haz lehatch , Co . Dubl in .
Shackleton , Frank R . , 29 Palace Court , London,W .
SHERLOCK, The Ven. William, Archdeacon ofKildare, Hon . E d i tor , Sherlockstown, Sall ins .
S t. George, Mrs . R . J. Ker, 1 1 Breffni Terrace, Kingstown, Co . Dublin.
Staples , Will iam , Naas .
Sweetman,E . , Longtown, Sallins.
Sweetman,Mrs . , Longtown, Sallins .
SYNNOTT, NICHOLAS J.,Furness, Naas .
Synott , Mrs . ,Furness, Naas .
Tynan, The Right Rev . M onsignor Thomas, Newbridge, Co . Kildare.
*V anston,G . T . B . , LL .D. ,
Hildon Park,Terenure , Co .
-Dublin.
V erschoyle , W . H . F . , Woodley, Churchtown, Dundrum , Co . Dublin .
VICARS, SIR ARTHUR, Hon. S ecretary , G range Con,
Co . Wicklow.
V igors, Mrs .,Holloden
,Bagenalstown, C o . Carlow .
Walker, Miss S . , Appian V illa, Leeson-park, Dublin.
Wall , Colonel J 60 Russell-terrace, Leam ington Spa , England .
Waller, Rev. Canon E . H . , The Rectory, Athy.
Walsh, Rev. Martin , P .P ., Castledermot, Co . Kildare .
Walshe,R . D. 42 Bloomfield-avenue ,
WARMINGTON, ALFRED A Hon. Aud i tor , Munster and Le inster Bank, Naas .
Weldon,Lt .-Colonel S ir Anthony A . , Bart. , Kilmorony , Athy .
Weldon, Dowager Lady, Tyrrel lstown House , Mulhuddart, Co . Dublin.
Wheble , Mrs ., Monasterevin, Co . Kildare .
White , Robert, Scotch Rath Hall, Dalkey , Co . Dublin .
White , W . X. ,2 Park V i llas, Maryborough .
( 2 64 )
R U L E S .
I . That this Society be called “ The County Kildare Archaeb logié al Society.
I I ; That the“
purpose of the Society be the promotion of the study and
knowledge of the antiquities and objects “
of interest in the county and sur
round ing d istricts .
I I I . That the Society consist oi a President , V ice-Pres ident , Council ,Hon. Treasurer , two Hon. Secretaries , and Members. Lad ies are eligible forMembership .
IV . That the names of lad ies and gentlemen desiring to become Membersof the Society shall be subm itted , together with the names of their proposers ,to the Coimcil , and, i f approved by them , Shall then be subm itted to the
next Meeting of the Society for Election.
V . That the affairs of the Society be managed by the President , V icePresident , Hon. Treasurer , and Hon. Secretaries , together w ith a Council ofseven Members . That for ordinary business two shall form a quorum ; but any
matter upon which a d ifference of opinion arises shall be reserved for another
meeting, in which three Shall form a quorum .
V I . That two Members of the Council Shall retire by rotation each year ,
but shall be eligible for re-election.
V I I . That Members pay “
an Annua l 1 of Ten Shillings (dueon the 1 st of January) , and that the of £ 5 shall constitute a LifeMember.
V III . That Meetings of the Society be held not less than twice in each
year, one Meeting being an excursion to some place of archaeological interestin the d istrict.
IX. That at the first Meeting of the Society in each year the Hon. Trea
surer shall furnish a balance-sheet .X . That a JOURNAL of the Society be published annually, containing the
Proceedings and a column for local Notes and Queries .
XI . Tha t the Meetings of the year be fixed by the Council , due notice of
the dates of the Meetings being given to Members .
XI I . That Members be at l iberty to introduce visitors at the Meetings of
the Society.
XII I . That no Member Shall receive THE JOURNAL whose Subscription forthe previous year has not been pa id .
S UMM ERH ILL,CO UN T Y M BA TH
,AND I TS
NEI GHBOURH OOD .
PART I I .
THE LY NCHE S OF LY NCH’S KNOCK
Br THE REV . MATTHEW DEV ITT , S.J. ,
V ice-President of the County Kildare Archaeo logical Society .
IN an introductory paper on
-this locality, I suggested , inthe last issue of our JOURNAL , that Drumsawry was the
ancient I rish equivalent fO1 the modern place-name, S'
umme i
hill . This 1s ce1 tainly the view taken by Dr, Joyce in his wellknown Wo1k on I rish place-names.
But I think this vi ew may r'
equii e modification in the face
of 1 ecent 1 .esea1ch In the preface to“ Dunai 1 e Finn, edited
by M1 . M acNeill fo1 the I rish Texts Society, al lusion 18 made to
an unpublished poem contain d”in one of the Franciscan M SS .
,
dated 1 626, in which lace name Knocksawiy (CnocSamhi uidh) occu1 s tw ice , and
’Oms to indicate this locality .
1
The auth0 1 of the poem f‘
rne anonymous Friar, whocomplains that having ji
'
t n London to Summerhill ,he was inhospitably l eer
'
Lord of the Cast le, towhom he , pei haps some
,g ives the title of EarlI aria .
I
I,
I am indebted to Father McE 1 lean for the followmgt1 anslation of this poetic f1 agment , which I think wil l p i ovean interesting contl ibution to the hist01y of the place
I t hath been all ill-starred jou 1ney for me
here from London to Cnoc-Samhru id li’
s pleasant height ,whe
‘
r‘
e I met What I did not hope forwant of Charity and l itt le k indness .
I thought that m that cast le wou ld awa it me
w elcome for the love of God . What I “
expected
not hath b efal lenme, though it be, al as Ibut a small port ion of my m isfortune .
1 “_
Dun-aire F inn —
_I rish Texts— p reface,p . xvi ii .
f
266 SUMMERHILL AND ITS NEIGHBOURHOOD.
I I I .
On my be ing recogniz ed by thepeop le of the fortress , out beyond the walls Iam cast and told never again to return to t hatcast le which hath beggared me.
I was, forsooth, but a poor friar and a
priest w ithou t any support but God ; that isthe case they had against me . A id my weakness ,0 Lord of my heart .
V .
Little affect ion do I ow e Cn’
oc-Samhru idh, and
the land where in it is s ituated nevertheless Ip laced my hope in the Earl (I ar la ) to Whomno evil hath been ever impu ted .
If he ,go t word from me , I go t no
Word from him .
’
T is strange he shou ld so act
towards me , unless God ’
s d isp leasure rests upon
me .
I f I had some scion or Earl of the race of Conn,
.or of the children of N iall
,I think indeed that
I should find a welcome , just as I am, though
I be a friar .
V I I I .
Com ing to that castle I spent the scanty
p ittance which was my so le resource ; and
I go t not a farthing’
s profit by it ; and
unfortunate , boo tless journey i t hath been .
Unfortunately we have no intrinsic evidence as to the
al lusions in this fragment. But they seem to ' fit no otherlocality in I reland in the seventeenth centu1y. Cnoc-Samhruidhwas evidently a wel l known place ; its owner a pe1 son of
importance , perhaps loosely styled an Ea1 1”its castle walled
in and fOI tified , and placed on a pleasant height ; and we nowknow that at that period the master of the mansion was GeraldLynch , from whom the mendicant friar might reasonably haveexpected a welcome, as he was one of the same faith as his
vis itor, and subsequently forfeited his estate for his adherenceto the cause of the I rish Catholics in 1641 .
I f we extend our search to England, a very plausibleexplanation oecu1 s. KnocksaWIy may be the Irish friaI
’
s
1 ende1 ing of Somerhill , in Kent , a manor and residence of the
I rish Catholic pecI , C lanrica1 de. Richa1 d fourth Ea1 l of
2 68 SUMM ERH ILL A ND IT S NE IGHBO URHOOD .
The late‘
Dean Butler, in‘
his'
very interesting book on Trimand its Neighbourhood,
”asks‘ : “ ‘
Are not the Fitz Leons the
origin of the Leynes or -Lynches of the Knock, Donore on
the Boy ne , and Croboy 2
The Fitz Leons were among the.early Anglo-Norman
colonists in Meath , and before AD 1 194 had acquired vast
estates in that county. Their lands'
seem to have : stretched
eastward almost continuously from Summerhill to the bordersof the present County Dublin near Ratoath , and - to haveincluded nearly half of the Baronies of Upper and Lower
Deece , as appears from the list of church advowsons disposed of
byNearly three centuries later we find, in the reign of
Henry VI II , a district in Meath known as Fitz Lennystown
Green,and found by judicial investigation to reach from
~
the
Knock (Summerhill) to a place called Fitz Lennystown in theneighbourhood of Baltrastyn, near the border of the presentCounty of Dublin.
3
This family intermarrried w ith the noble famil ies of Howthand Gormanstown
fi
Abou t AD 1 220 John Fitz Leons granted to the Abbey of
St . Thomas,nearDublin, liberty to direct to theirmi ll the water of
Le Gowyer (Lagore) flowing between his lands of Archerstownand the Abbey land at Donaghmore
5
; and in 1 5 28 A lison,
daughter and coheIress of James Fitz Leon of Archerstown,was
married to Edward St . Lawrence, who succeeded his father asLord ofHowth in
, The Fit z Leons w ere tenants in chief of the de Lacys ,Lords paramount of Meath . So close was the connexionbetween the .two fam ilies that when in 1 226 hostages were
demanded by King Henry I I I for Hugh de Lacy, junior, thenLord Of Meath , Hugh, the eldest son of Thomas Fitz Leon,
”
appears on the roll o f hostages with de Lacy’
s sons and otherrelatives . In 1 219 Nicholas Fitz Leon was seneschal of Meath ,
holding under the de Lacys an Office similar to that of Sheriffin an ordinary county.
7
This early and close connexion with the de Lacys goes farto support Dean Bu tler’ s suggestion. At all events , the Leynes
1 Page 200.
2 Reg . St . Thomas (G ilbert 's pp . 2 1 and 253 , 254, &c.
3 M orrin R o lls , vo l . i ., p . 34 .
Lodge , vol . i i i , p5 R eg . A b bey O f S t . Thom .
, p . 282 .
G Lodge , vo l . i i . , p . 195 -7 .
Sweetman’
s Cal . S . P . (I re land ) .
SUMMERH ILL AND IT S NEIGHBOURHOOD.
0 1 Lynches have on their part an old standing claim to descentf1 0m Hugh de Lacy, the fii st conque1 or of Meath unde1HemyI I .
I t I S well known that the Lynches of Galway have always .
asserted this claim fo1 thei1 tI ibe’ — »
a claim supported by theI rish school of historians , who were scrupu lously exact in
matteI S of lineal descent . Lynch , the author of Cambrens1 s
Eversus ,”in his Life of D1 . K11wan, whose mothe1 was a M iss
Lynch of Galway, writes : On his mother’
s Side he Was
descended of Hugo de Lacy , who is desc1 ibed as being one of
the most noble and distinguished of the English Knights,it we may credit W illiam Of Newbur .gh The Lynches Sprangfrom the Lacys , and were the principal founders of the most
remaI kable edifices ln Galway .
”1
But a remarkable document of the seventeenth centuryestablishes the connexi on of the Galway with the LeinsterLynches . The pedigI ee of Dr. Dominick Lynch of Galway,as investigated and proved in the yea1 1 674 to satisfy the
ai istocratic 11 1
equi I ements of the University of Sevil le, of whichDr. Dominick Lynch became 1 egent , 1 elies on the ancientrecords, and especially on the now lost Black Book of Galway,
”
for the assertion that . in the year of our Lord 1280
was built by Sir W illiam Burke the Convent of the
Franciscans , at which time the youngest son of M I . Lynch of
Knock, near Dublin,came to Connaught and took . to wife the
only daughte1 and heiress of the LoI d Ma1 shal,whence all the
Lynches of Galway a1 e come and lineally desc .ended ’2
This Seems to leave no doubt as to the migration of the
Galway tribe from Leinster, and to show that to the Leinster“branch of the
"
family senioi ity was conceded . I f the Knock.near Dublin ”
is no. other than the Knock in Meath, a
very interesting light is cast on the history of this family .
Mr . Hardiman takes for granted that Castleknock , CO . Dublin,
1s referred to . But I do . not believe,
there is any trace of
the Lynches to be found _ih that neighbourhood at the periodquestion ; . and it is very easy to explain the adjunct n ear
added w ith a view to impressing the Spaniard,
who would not consider a distance of twenty-three miles as
remote from the capital .There is,
‘
of course,“
no difficulty worth considering on the
score . of diversity in the surnames , which in early times often
Kirovani V ita , M eehan’
s ed g, page 24 see also O ’
F laherty , I ar
Connaught , page 36 .
2 M iscellany of the Irish Archaeo logical Society, vol . i . page 49.
2 70 SUMMERHILL AND I T S NEIGHBOURHOOD.
varied considerably among sons of the same father. Some of
Hugh de Lacy’
s sons were always called Le Elund ,”1
and
the learned W illiam Lynch in his Feudal Dignities tells us
that fixed surnames were not generally adopted in Ireland forsome centuries after the reign of Henry the Second .
2 The
b eads of the great Fitz Gerald family of Desmond from 1 199 to
1 327 are apparently without any fixed surname, and appearin the records of the time as
“ Fitz Maurice,”
Fitz Thomas ,”
Fit z John,
”&c. and many other instances of this usage will
readily occur to the student of I rish history.
But it wou ld be a very simple change from Fitz Leon, or
Fitz Leons, to Leyne, or Leyns . Hugh de Lacy sported the
lion rampant on his standard , as the oldest record in Ulster’
s
Office attests . The arms of Fit z Leon were a lion’
s face ; thoseof the Lynches ofKnock four lions rampant gules, separa ted by across sable .
3
A ll these coincidences are very suggestive ; and the contiguityof the Fit z Leons
’
territory to the Knock, its western boundary,as above described , is not unworthy of remark. The Lynches ,according to O
’
Flaherty,4 descended from Hugh deLacy through
his son W illiam , the offspring of his marriage with his secondw ife, Rose, the daughter of Roderick O ’
Connor, the last Ardrigh of I reland
, and thus cou ld boast of noble and even royalblood . There were other families of the same name in Meath ,exclusively Irish
5 but with these we are not here concerned , aswe are dealing with the English Pale at a period when the mere
I rish were not likely to flourish in it .I t is not possible to fix the time at which the Lynches settled
at Knock ; but as early as 1421 Walter Leyns was a man of
mark in that district . From an Exchequer Roll , preserved inthe Public Record Office , London, we find that on l 0th July,1 421
, the Commons of the Liberty of Meath , having assembledat Rathgirdill , County M eath , in the presence of the Viceroy,James
,Earl of Ormonde
, voted a subsidy of ten shillings on everyploughland for the purpose of aiding King Henry V in his wars,and elected collectors for this purpose in the several baronies of
the Liberty . The collectors chosen for the Barony of Moyfen
ragh (in which Knock and Croboy were situate) were Thomas
I R oya l and H istor ica l Letters , vo l . i ., page 34 .
2 Lynch, Feudal Dignit ies ,”
p . 230 .
3 From Ulster Office R ecords .
Iar Connaught ,”p . 36 .
5Connel lan
’s Fo ur Masters
, p . 8 .
2 72 SUMM ERH ILL AND IT S N EIGHBOURHOOD .
Bacon, Walter Leyns , and Philip Rede .
1 They were certainly atKnock in 1485 , a M emorandum Roll of which year records thatChristopher Leynce, of the Knock ; Walter Cu sack
,ofGerards
town W illiam Wesley, of Dengyn,
”and others , elected
Matthew Bath,
of R athfeigh ,and Edmund Goldying as
Coroners for the County ofMeath .
”2
In 1488 , and again in 1 499, David Leynce, of Knoke, andGerald Wesley, of Dengyn, are appointed col lectors in the
CountyMeath for the Barony of Moyfenragh.
3In 1 508 Walter
Leynce was collectO1 in the same‘
bar fony The1 e is in the
Lib i ary of T 1 inity Col lege a manuscript collection of ChristOpheI
Cusack , chiefly concerning the state of the County of Meath ,of
which lie was Sheriff in 1 5 1 1 ; and among the gentlemen of the
County he mentions Lenx of the Knock.
THE CASTLE on THE LY NCHES OF THE KNOCK (SUMMERHILL) .
1 G ilbert , Nat . M SS . , Part I ii , Pl . xxxv . The townlands o f Bacons
town and R edestown , In the same baI Ony , w ere pro bab ly connected w ithtw o o f the co llectors
M em . R o ll Exchequer , 1 Henry V I I , in P ub l icR ecord Office .
3 I bid ., 14 15 Henry V I I .
M em . R o l l Exchequer , 24 Henry V I I , in P . R . O .
SUMMER H ILL AND IT S NEIGHBOURHOOD .
I n a StateP aper of 1 5241we find a list of the Marchers
of the English Pale, who had in that year acknowledged“
theirrecognizances to the King for the due discharge
“
of their dutas defenders of the border, and among them Peter Lynch of
the Knock acknowledges his bond to the amount of £40 .
By this deed be bound himself, on‘
t he one hand , to keepwatch and ward on the I rish border, on which his castle was
situated , and, on the other hand , to exact no illegal tribute or
contribution from the inhabitants of the English Pale whom the
King comm itted to his protection.
2 He held his“
castle and lands ”
at the Knock as tenant to his feudal Chief, Wellesley, of theDangan, by m ilitary service ; and
,in ,November
,1 526, on
°
thedeath of his brother, Christopher Lynch , he inherited the landsof Croboy, as .tenant-ih -chief to the King by m ilitary serv1ce
while scutage runs .
” 3 He was bound to this service only whenthe King himself, by advice of his Barons, unfurled the royalbanner and summoned his chief tenants to muster in armedarray . The tenant , however, cou ld , and
“
generally did, compound for his absence by payment p f a fixed sum , and the
'
royal call to arms often meant nothing more disagreeable thansuch a payment into the King
’
s Treasury .
7
1 5 32 King Henry VI II notified that for certain arduouscauses
,with the assent of his L ieutenant and the Lords S piritual
and Temporal and C ouncil, he had determined to unfurl and
disfilay his banner at the hil l of Owenstown (near Clondalkin) inthe County of Dublin. This was immediately followed by an
issue Of processes from the Exchequer against all tenants bound,
to pay fines for their-
absence , and, among others, PeterLeynce
of CrOboy was du ly writted for his scutage .
4In 15 30 Peter
Leyns of the Knock had a custodian of,the Manor of Castle
rickard,and, in 1 5 34 , of the Manor
'
of CastletownfMoylagh.
5
But a time of real storm and : strife was now’
approaching,and the
1tenants-in-chief of the King had to
‘
stand .a grimmertest than a wrangle about scutage 01
1
_a m ilitary parade. In 1 5 35“
Thomas Fitz Gerald, then V ice-Deputy of I reland,maddened
“
by ,
the reported ill-usage . of his father, the Earl p f Ki ldare , burstfrom the
“Council Chamber in St .h
Mary’
s Abbey, Dublin, raised :
the standard of revolt in the very heart and centre of the Englishcolony, and swept like a tornado over the fair and fertile fields OfJ
1 S . P . Henry V I I I (Letters) vol . i i , p . 108 .
3 M em.R ol lI
Exchequer , 18 Henry V I II .
4 Lynch,“ Feudal Dign it ies , p . 108 .
5 M em . R o lls Exchequer , 22 26 Henry V I I I .
2 74 SUMMERH ILL AND IT S NEIGHBOURHOOD.
the obedient Shires . The Four Masters write withgraphic brevity : On this occasion the son of the Earl total lyplundered and devasted Fingal from S lieve Roe (The Three RockMountain) to Drogheda, and made all Meath tremble beneathhis feet .
”
Peter Lynch , of the Knock and Croboy, was implicated inthis revolt of S ilken Thomas
,and incurred the indignation of
his Sovereign. His name is conspicuous in a list of Traytours”
forwarded by Henry VI I I to his Lord Deputy, Skeffyngton, witha mandate as follows to use all your industrie, travailediligence , as politiquely as ye can,
for the more spedy appre
hension of such traytours and to set order in the marchesof our Inglyshrie , other our subjects there .
”2 In the same
year, 1 5 35 , another of the family, W ill iam Lynch , of the Knockmade a deposition in defence of his treason . He had paid
,
he states , a sum of money to Walter Hussey, of Mulhussey,deceased , to the u se of Thomas Fit z Gerald , the traitor, for safe
guard of himself, his castle,lands, and tenants .
”3 No doubtmany a stout heart quai led , and many a loyal heart wavered, whenthe shout of Crom aboo"to ld the vassals of the King that theinfuriated young Geraldine was advancing towards their strongholds ; and perhaps the Lynches shou ld not be severely blamedfor placating him with a modest contribution.
But Robert Cowley, then Clerk of the Crown and no friend of
the Geraldines , urged the most vindictive measures against all
who were compromised by the rebellion, and sent to ThomasCromwell a list of landholders in the Pale whose estates shouldbe confiscated . He urged that “
the extremities of the King’
s
Comon lawes be executed against them ,whereby they shall not
only have their desert, and the King also be entitled to theirlarge possessions , but shal l be terror and ensample forever hereafter to commit like rebellion.
4
On Cow ley’
s l ist of suggested victims we find Lynch of
the Knocke .
”The King , however, seems to have been satisfied
with an almost complete extermination of the head branch of the
Fitz Gerald family, and Peter Lynch soon regained his positionas a loyal and prosperous subject . In 1 536, the very year inwhich Cowley wrote to Thomas Cromwel l , Peter was appointed“E scheator and Clerk of M arkets,
”and had a custodian for
Anno 1 535 .
Calendar Of S tate Papers of Henry V I I I , vo l . i i, p . 293 .
Ca lendar o f S tate Papers ,”1 509-73 .
4 S tate Papers o f Henry V I II ,”vo l . 1 1
, p . 323 .
M em . R o ll Exchequer , 28 Henry V I I I .
SUMMERH ILL AND IT S N EIGHBOURHOOD .
‘
apparently omitting wood , waste , and moor land . Here , even
tually, Christopher Lynch settled and founded the Croboyb ranchof the He became Recorder of Drogheda, married a
cousm Of Archbishop Ussher, and dying in'
1 61 3 was succeededby his Son Robert , who forfeited the estate during the civi l war .
of 1 641 , and was transplanted under Cromwell to the County ofRosé ommon,
1where the family seems to have p ermanently settled
at A shbrook , about two m iles south-west of Strokestown.
In the wil l . of Peter Lynch we find the following ,pious
clausesI bequeath my sou le to the glor ious Tr inite , the Father and theSon
and the Ho ly Gost , three persons and one God—7M y body to b e b uryedbefore t he Image of the B lessed V irgin M ary , in my par ish Churche Of
Lethercor,(Laracor) — I wyll my wyfl
'
shal l fynd a; pr‘
eyst upon my goods
and leacis , dur ing byr lyfl'
to pray for hir and -me and our posterite and :
al l Crist[ian]Two
d
wayside crosses s eem to have been erected to,Peter s
memory.
‘
Dean Cogan writes,in hi s History of the Meath
Diocese Near the village Of Rathmolyon there is a broken
LY NCH COAT S-OF-.ARMS _ STONE S , ET C , Now IN“THE ROCKERY AT SUMMERH I LL .
1 Transplanters’Cert ificates, I I I , 75 , Convert R o lls, 47b, P ed igree , Ulster .
2 78 SUMMERH ILL AND IT S NE IGHBOURHOOD.
shaft of a richly ornamented cross, w ith the follow ing inscription Orate pro anima Petri L ince . AD . 1 5 54. LordLangford has discovered on his grounds, and carefully preserves,portion of a shaft simi larly ornamented and inscribed , w ith a
memorial shield bearing the arms of Peter Lynch and those Of
his w ife, E lizabeth Thunder (three trumpets between a chevron) .The latter cross , I believe, original ly stood by the ancient
highway that passed close to Lynch’
s castle , traversing the
present enclosed demesne . Petty’
s parish map (1 656-7 ) indicatesa large cross by that roadside, at a point that I should locatew ithin the demesne , and a few perches south-east of the main
(north) entrance gate .
Peter’ s widow ,E lizabeth Thunder, after her husband
’
s death,married James Dowdall , who during the m inority of the heir,Patrick , was styled in contemporary records,
“ James Dowdal lof the Knocke, CO . M eath .
” 1
Patrick Obtained livery Of seisin on 1 8th Ju ly, 1 5692
and in
muster rolls and b‘
arony lists of 1 596 and 1 598 his name is
prom inent as one of the chief gent lemen of M eath .
3
His son and successor, Peter Lynch , married about 1 609,Jennet , S ister of O liver Plunkett , of Karstown, County Louth .
Their marriage settlement is still extant , dated 8 th April , 1609,in the County Meath Inqu isitions, preserved in the PublicRecord Office , and throws some light on the topography of the
Knocke . Among the portions leased to the trustees was“the
new castell in the sayde Knocke , and the great barn next adjoining unto the foresayde within the hagyard place , w ith convenientor sufficient waye or passage to carry and recarry corn, turfe,wood
,and other necessaries , w ith carrs, carts, or otherwise
thereunto ; and the house or messuage w ith the backsyde thereunto belonginge and next adjoyninge unto the sayde castell ,without the wall of the said hagyard that Christopher Wakelylately held.
”
An Inquisition taken at Trim , 6th March , shows theextent Of Patrick Lynch
’
s estate to which Peter was heir. I t
finds that Patrick Lynch , late of Knock , in the County Meath ,was seised during his life Of three castles , twentymessuages, and360 acres of arable land, with appurtenances in the Knock,besides various parcels of land in Drumlargan, Readestown,
1 M o rrin , i , p . 421,F iant , Phil . and Mary , 230.
F iant , El i z . , NO . 1413 .
3 Hogan’
s I reland in 1 598 , p . 96 .
Inqu is . Lageniae, 14 Jac I .
SUM MERH ILL AND ITS NEIGHBOURHOOD .
was offered for his head , and £800 to anyone who should killhim
'
without securing his head.
1
In June , 1642, his castle was besieged by the Earl of
Ormonde , L ieutenant General of the King’
s Army l n I r .elandThe Earl of Ormonde,
”w rites Cox, with four thousand five
hundred foot and six hundred horse, marched to the relief of
Athlone , and on his way took in the Castles of Knocklin’
ch,
Trimblestown,&c.
”2
Borlase states that in June, 1 642 ,“two regiments were
dispatched for Connaught , and accompanied thither by the LordLieutenant , who m that expedition took by storm Knocklinch, astrong castle of M 1
1
. Linches ; the besieged , except wom en (notaccepting of quarter) , were put to the sword ”3
Carte says that Ormonde marched from Dublin on Tuesday ,June 14 and on the following day sent a party with threepieces of cannon to take ln the castle of Knocklinch, which Wascarried by storm that evening.
”4
The Aphorismical Discovery, pp. 26,27 , thus. describes
the siege and capture of the strongho ld
From hence the enem ie marched toLinchehiscast le , neere Trim , where
w ere 50 men w e l l reso lved , though tyron so ld iers,theire Commander was
one Bernaby Geogheghan son to Donogh Geoghegan of Ballinagreine ,in
the barony ofM oycashel l , a Lieutenant of foo te , for Capta in Thomas McAr tGeoghegan ,
of Castletowne in the same baronie : the enemie arr iv ingthither , des ir ing by the interprett of a trumpeter the surrender o f that
cast le,be ing d enied they leaguer the sam e
1
,mounte the ir art iller ie 1
five daies and soe many n ights they kept continual l batterie ,'
and verie
courageous and manl ie assau l tes ; bu t al l in va ine as long as a gra ineof ammun ition , b eere or scald inge water l easted ,
‘
they w ou ld no t ye ld :
but all those now fayl inge , and hav inge nothinge , whereby to defende
themselves and the cast le , other than theire swords and some stones
they p icked ou t of the cast le walle , the assaylants w eare glad to hear themmove for quarter , or adm itte so much urbanite as to speak only of it :
the v erie enem ie did prevent theire m o t ion for it , for in the campe , bythe no ise of a drum it was moved unto the defi
'
endants : they see inge in
what po sture they w eare,some weare o f op inion they shou ld accept of a
quar ter , o thers that i t w eare more honorab le to fight ou t ( to the last manto avenge themselves of these perfid ious round heads , who wou ld never
o b serve quarter unto them : of this resu lte was the l ieu tenant , bu t them istress of the house , the verie b est sou ld ier that w ee know e of her sex
in I rlando , vehement ly adv ised them to take quarter : whereonto
they agreed , the ir quar ter signed by the M ayor (Major) , officers'
a’
nd
command ers , and pu b l ished in the campe : which was the irl ives saved
,their armes to themselves, as much as they cou ld
G ilbert ’s Contemp . H ist . , vol . i , p . 392 .
C ox’
s H ibernia Angl icana , ”vo l . i i , p . 107 .
H is t . o f R eb ell ion , p . 80.
1
Life o f O rmonde ,”vo l . i , pp .
1325, 326 .
SUMMERHILL A ND IT S NEIGHBOURHOOD.
car ie on their backs for baggage , to marche away in a bod ie , W ithdrum beaten , and match
'
l ighted : the l ieutenant w ished them t o car ieno thing b ut the ir armes , alleadging such not b e soe honorab le as
cumbersome ; whoe was o beyed . But before the defi'
endants w ent out
unto the campe , the enemie caused an inventor ie to be made . of the
deade in that siedge . The sum,
have (hav ing) been 500 men, 10 or 1 2
officers and many wounded , the command ers w ere to run mad for
the quarter granted ; this theire‘
cho l ler they d issemb led unt il l thed efendants arrived unto the campe ; and com ing before the chiefcommander, commanded a set t of musk et ires about them : [they] w eared isarmed ; they ,p leaded their quarter ; that wi ll ,
not avayle . The
l ieu tenant and al l the r est his sou ld iers were there executed ; the
ge‘
nt lewoman only was saved , she cry ing out a loud that the rest was
as inocent as shee , nay b etter as better “
d isearvinge it , and'
.by the
law of nat ions were free .
‘ I f w ill inge ,’she said , to sp ill inocent b londe,
sp il l m ine , and spare those inocent sou les .
’ When al l failed shee tookethe l ieutenant in her armes and tou ld shee must per ish by} him
,or b e
saved bu t al l her plead ings Wou ld not doe . S ee , reader , how perfidious
those men b e , and how w ell those other defended theire cestle , and how
tyrannicallyw ere executed .
The Stubborn defence of the castle 1s also attested by a
hostile witness among the besiegers . Sir John Veel ina letterof 22nd June, 1 642 , addressed to W . Cadogan, writes : I t . was
a dangerous piece of service, the, taking of Lynche’
s Knockenear Trym ,
last week , when we had almost twenty killed and
as many hurt, Lieutenant Kirke dangerously shot in the
back, but it is hoped he w ill recover .
”1
l Another contemporary document states that the castle wastaken by Ormonde , and
“cost him the loss of 1 60 men,
among"
whom died a L ieutenant-Colonel and a Captain.
At this opening period of the . war many castles in Kildarewere taken under sim ilar circumstances
,familiar to most
readers of this JOURNAL . But their defence, however heroic,was a military m istake . They were not
'
constructed to resist thefire of artillery, nor supplied with ammunition sufficient tosustain a prolonged siege , and their positions were seldomof any . , strategic importance . On the other hand
,
'
the vast
number of fighting men scattered over the country in detachedbodies for their defence , and apparently doomed to s laughterin case of capture 0 1
1
surrender, cou ld have been mobilized as a
marching army of form idable striking power,as subsequent
experience proved both here and in England .
3
In the North , Sir Phel im O’
Neil l , preferring, with the old
1 Orm onde M SS .,R eport
’
2,1899.
2 R eport on Franciscan MSS ., p . 170.
3(1 ) F irth, f ‘ Cromwe ll
’
s Army , p . 29.
2 82 SUMMERH ILL AND IT S NE IGHBOURHOOD.
Ulster instinct , a castle of bones to a castle of stones,demolished all such strongholds , not sparing his own verichouse,
”though he preserved the Fort of Charlemont for the best
strategic reasons .
1
Gerald Lynch was apparently absent from his home whenthe enemy thundered at his door, and we have not any evidenceof special m ilitary activity on his part during the long strugglethat followed . He seems at all events to have earned the respectof friend and foe. In September, 1645 , during the great truce,0 1
1 cessation,his name is suggested as Comm issioner to arbitrate
between the Governor of Trim and some of the Irish,in a case
of cattle-raiding, in which both parties were involved .
2
In November, 1 645 , he was named in a M ixed Commission,
issued from the Castle of Dublin,to delim it the English lines
within the Barony of Moyfenrath, and to return particulars of
such inhabitants thereof as wished to live under the protectionof the Garrison of Trim .
3
In September, 1 647 , after the defeat of the Confederates at
Dungan’
s H ill , Lynch’
s Knock was occupied by a garrison of
the Parliamentary Army,4and
,in November following, the I rish ,
under General Owen Roe O‘
Ne1ll encamped there on their returnfrom a raid on the English quarters in the County Dublin.
5
Three of Gerald Lynch’
s sons were killed while on activeservice , two serving in I reland under Ormonde against Cromwell ,and one following the fortunes of Charles I I abroad .
6
The war which began on 23rd October, 1641 , ended in 1 652 ,leaving the Cromwellian Government a free hand to deal withthe land and the people of I reland . By the Act of Settlement ,
passed on 1 2th August , 1 65 2 , Lynch forfeited his life as well ashis estate . This terrible doom then hung over personsin I reland , exclusive of those specially named in the Act
,and of
Tories and murderers The numbers handed over to death,
”
wrote the late Professor Gardiner, are hardly, if at all, to be
paralleled in the annals of civilized nations ”,The death
sentence was not,however, executed , and the energies of the
Executive were principally devoted to a division of the Spoi ls of
W3 13
Aphor ismica l Discovery , G ilbert , p . 25 .
2 O rmond e M SS .,vo l . i i 1 899, p . 27 .
1"I bid . , p . 30. I bid . , p . 67 .
1" Aphorismica l Discovery ,”
p . 164 .
“S tate Papers , Act o f S ett lement , Fo l . D, pp . 92
,93 , in Pu b l ic
R ecord Office .
7 Engl ish H isto rica l R ev iew , Octo ber , 1 899, pp . 703 , 704 .
2 84 SUMMERHILL AND ITS N EIGHBOURH OOD .
Puritan usurper. His duties in his new office were to provideagainst the surprise of the army when encamped by night , tosend his scouts wel l in advance of the marching co lumns by day ,and , above all , to keep the Commander-in-Chief informed of the
secret movements and decisions of the enemy. He was , in fact,
what we now shou ld cal l Head of the IntelligenceDepartment .
”
This kind of wo rk cou ld not be efficiently done withou t money,
and the pay seems to have been l iberal .Professor Firth cites an Exchequer Warrant
,dated November,
1650, authorizing to pay Dr. Henry Jones , late Bishop of
Clogher, as Scoutmaster-General , £ 454 8s . for self, two agents ,and twenty men for 142 days , 24 June to 1 2 November.
”The
receipt is signed Hen. Clogher. His zeal and activity in hisnew sphere were soon apparent . He was an advocate of dealingmercilessly with the I rish enemy ,
and was favourably reportedto Parliament for urging vindictive measures from whichprofessional soldiers like Ludlow shrunk .
2 Cromwell seems to
have recognized his ability as wel l as his zeal , and deemed himworthy of special favour . As early as 5 th December, 1 650, two
years before the Act of Settlement , an order issued from the
Parliament of England , authorizing the Commissioners of t he
Commonwealth in I reland to grant to D11
. Henry Jones and to
his heirs out of the forfeited lands of the I rish rebels an estate
worth £ 200 per annum,according to the valuation of
In pursuance whereof the Comm issioners of the Commonwealthof England gave their orders and instructions in writing undertheir hands , bearing date the 12th day of January, 1 65 2 , unto
Robert Francis and Nicholas Holland , O 11 either of them, to surveyand measure the Towne and lands of Dunganstown, commonlycalled Dongan H ill , situated in the County of Meath
,lately
belonging to Hugh Hussey a Rebel ou tlawed and attainted of
Treason the Towne and lands of Knock and its parcels , lately.
belonging to Gerald Lynds [s ic] , a Rebel outlawed and attaintedof Treason ; the Towne and lands of Aghir Pal lis and Ballintogher, lately belonging to George Gernon, a Rebel , &c.
, &c. ; the
Towne and lands of Clonlyon,in the parish of Kilmore
, Co . of
Meath , lately belonging to Christopher Fleming, a Rebel , &c. &c. ;
the Towns and lands of Baconstowne and Jordanstowne, in theparish of Rathcor, lately belonging to Lord Viscount Netterville ,
F irth, Cromwell ’s A rmy , p . 65 , note .
2 P rendergast ,“ I reland from the Restorat ion to the R evo lu t ion ,
p . 1 19.
3 Commonweal th S . P .,Books o f Council , vo l . i , E . 10, 1 24, p .524 , in
R eco rd O ffice . . JTI'
SUMMERH ILL A ND IT S NEIGHBOURHOOD .
a Rebel , &c. , &c. , and finding the true outpu t and value thereof,they granted the above townlands, comprising acres, and 16perches , I rish measure , 01
1
acres, 1 rood, 1 6 perches ,
English measure , unto the said D11
. Henry Jones, his heirs and
assigns,”reserving a Crown rent of three pence for every acre
of English measure.
”
This grant is dated 6th July , 1653 , and is signed by CharlesFleetwood , Edmond Ludlow, M iles Corbet , and John Jones ,who were then Commissioners of the Commonwealth in
I reland .
In the Civil Survey , conducted later by Sir William Pe tty,all these lands were again measured , and in the Book of Maps
(completed in 1 657 ) there is a wel l-preserved map of the parishof Laracor, and a very exact del ineation of the Knock
, with itsthree square towers , two of which are shown unroofed and
battered , almost as they appear in our photograph . In the
same book we find the following report There is in the
Knock a faire house repairing, and an old castle in repairs ;some very good wood , one m il l in repaire , there is also a town
through which the road from Trym to Kilcock lies .
”The barn
,
and the mill on a running stream , are ,clearly shown, and across
this division of the map is w ritten, in letters of doom , GarratLynch , I r . Pst . (Irish Papist) 743a .
— 1 r.— 12p .
A bluff on the north-east of the old castle is denominatedLynch
’s Knock ”
on the sixginch Ordnance Survey Map and a
part of the demesneJnear the back 011 Kilcock entrance is still
locally called Lynch’sWood .
”This piece of land
,being outs ide
the boundary of the townland, and in the parish ofDrum largan,
was, according to tradition, ingeniously annexed by one of the
original proprietors. Finding the lord of the soi l (who was ,
doubtle‘
ss, Hussey, Baron of Galtrim) unwilling to part with thefee-simple of the coveted plot , Lynch persuaded him to grant a
tenancy lasting during a rotation of three crops . The cropsselected, however , were
“ash, oak , and elm,
”and it may be
presumed the tenancy has not‘
yet terminated . .Dr. Jones,the
new proprietor, beyond repairing the old castle , does not seem
to have left much trace of his personal connexion w ith the place .
Dean Butler, however (w riting in states that an avenue
of ash, which was standing a few years ago , was
.
called the
Bishop ’
sWalk.
’
In 1657 he drew up The Humble Petitionof D11 . Henry Jones to the R ight Hon . the Lord Deputy and
Council,praying that Lynch’
s Knock and Jordanstown, now in
his possession,may be passed to him by Patent , by name of the
Manor of M ichael’
s Mount.”l
1 T .C .D. M S .,F . 3 , 1 8 .
2 86 SUMMERH ILL A ND IT S NE IGHBOURHOOD.
The patent was not obtained , and perhaps the petition was
not presented 1 matters of more urgent importance soon claimedthe petitioner s attention.
In the spring of 1660 King Charles I I was restored, and
the constitution so laboriously fashioned by the master-hand of
Cromwel l came to an end. In I reland the new landed interestwas apparently in danger, a nd high hopes were entertained bythe old nobility and gentry , who had risked their fortunes and
their lives for the Stuart line , that their services wou ld not be
forgotten. Whatever may have been their technical offences,
they had almost all joined the King’
s Lord Lieu tenant when heappealed to them after the execution of Charles I , and , rejectinghonourable terms offered by his enemies, had maintained whatthey too well knew was a hopeless contest , lest the Parl iamentaryforces might be withdrawn from I reland to act against theEnglish Royalists and the Scots . FOI1 this they were condemnedto suffer the full penalty of forfeiture and transplantation, and
it seemed inconceivable that this cou ld be forgotten. But the
King’
s Declarat ion and the Act of Oblivion Opened their eyes to .
the real meaning of the new order of things . The first legalizedall the Cromwellian t itles of adventurers and soldiers
,w ith a few
exceptions ; the second excluded Irish papists from all the
benefits of indemnity. Nevertheless, it was extremely doubtfulif the new title to Lynch
’s Knock was secure. The King
’
s
Declaration had certainly legalized the Cromwellian grants to
adventurers who had advanced money on the security of the
forfei ted estates , and to the soldiers who took debentures inforfeited land in lieu of their arrears . But it might wel l beargued that it bound the King no further . The grant to Joneswas in the nature of a gift from Cromwell . The grantee had
not advanced a shilling to the expenses of the war ; and thoughhe had served in the field as Scoutmaster-General , he had beenregularly in the receipt of his pay. The grant was , no doubt, anact of gratitude , a requital for his treason,
and the King couldnot be obliged in honour 0 1
1 in law to ratify its policy 011 its
efficacy.
The old proprietor, on the other hand , could point to histhree sons laying down their lives for Charles I I— one of themespecially qualifying for restoration by service in the royal armyabroad . He and they had faithfu lly adhered to the peace and
party of Ormonde, now all-powerful in the Council of S tate , anddestined to be the King
’
s Lord Lieutenant in I reland once
more . But he had to deal wi th no ordinary adversary in the
person of Dr. Henry Jones . Never did the enterprise and
resource of this versatile character appear to such advantage
2 88 SUMMERH ILL A ND IT S N E IGHBOURHOOD.
1 662 , contained a special clause protecting him against disturbance. Paragraph 203 of the Act specifically provides Thatal l and singular the forfeited messuages , manors , lands, tenements , and hereditaments, whereof Henry Jones , Lord BishopofMeath , 0 11 any other person
'
or persons in trust for him , 0 11 to
his u se,were seised O1
1 possessed on 0 11 before the nine and
twentieth day ofMarch ,1 660, Shal l be and are hereby vested ,
settled in,and confirmed unto the said Henry Jones , Lord
Bishop of Meath ,in his natural capacity ; and in case any of
the forfeited lands hereby vested in the said Lord Bishop of
M eath did heretofore belong to any restorable person other thaninnocent persons , that then and in such case no restitution Shallbe made unti l the said Henry, Lord Bishop ofMeath , be firstreprised w ith an estate in value, worth , and purchase equal tothat which ought to be restored ; anything in this Act to thecontrary notwithstanding.
” 1
There was,however, s till hope that the Court of Claims
m ight contrive a scheme of reinstatement and reimbursement .
But proceedings were slow and expensive , and the petitioner orplaintiff had been reduced to abject poverty. In these straits heappealed in 1 663 to Ormonde, the Lord Lieutenant , to grant hima custodiam during the current year of the tithes of the parish of
Laracor,which he had held by lease and letters patent from the
late King. Ormonde turned a deaf ear to this request , and didnot even vouchsafe an answer . A second, petition was presentedby this unhappy man.
“ Y our petitioner .
”i t states
,
“(being
reduced to extreme poverty) hath no"
other means in the worldwhereby to subsist but to make his appeal unto your Grace forreliefe. Y our petitioner hath a clayme defending in theCourt of Claymes , and hath no means to prosecu te the same .
”
A t last, on Ju ly 27th,
“
1 663 , Ormonde issued an order to the
Court of Exchequer to grant the custodiam if it had not beenotherwisedisposed of.
2I t is uncertain if he ever got the relief
sought for. But in the following month on 23rd August , 1663 ,the Court closed its doors finally against al l cl aimants, whetherInnocents
”O1
1 Restorables ,”and Lynch had no opportunity
of pleading before it . Again the King seems to have personallyintervened and written a letter recommending the claimant
’
s
case to the Lord Lieutenant . 3 No resu lt followed , Ormondeapparently being utterly indifferent in the matter.
S tatu tes at Large , vo l . 1 1 .1 A ppend ix to E ighth R eport o f H istorica l M SS . Comm iss ion , p . 537 .
3S ta te Papers , Act o f Se tt lement , Fo l . E , pp . 94 , 95 .
SUMMERHILL AND ITS N EIGHBOURHOOD.
Next year a new Bil l of Explanation was being drafted ,and i t was hoped that some remedy might be therein providedfor what seemed to many royalists a case of extreme hardship.
The following petition,presented by Lord Athenry and S ir
N icho las Plunkett , on 26th M ay, 1665 , is probably the bestpresentat ion _ of G erald ’
s Lynch’
s claim
There is a prov ision in the late Act of Sett lement , and by general .w ords confirmed in this
,secur ing lands conferred by the gift of the late
Usu1 per on the Bishop of M eath,for an employm ent where in he served
the late Usurp :er whereas the former prop1 ietor of that land,namely ,
Garret Linch, was restorab le to the same , as a constant adherer to Y our
M ajest ies peace , and who after the sa id peace enl isted three of his sons
in Y our Majesty’
s army under the Lord L ieutenant ’s command , whereof
two o f them w ere killed in actual serv ice aga ins t the Usurper’
s forces ,and a third
,fo l low ing your M ajest ie
’
s fortune in fore ign parts , there endedhis days ; the cons iderat ion whereof induced Y o ur Majestie by Y ou r
Graciou s Order of the 30th of M arch in the thirteen th year of Y our
reigne to d irecte the restitucionof theire sa id afflicted father to his former
estat e . which not tak ing effect Y ou were further graciou s ly p leased byY our letter of the s ix th of Apri l in the fifteenth year of Y our reigne to
recommend the performance thereof to the Lord Lieu tenant of I re land .
Bu t the sa id provi soe in the said late Act of S ett lement , o bstruct ing hisrestitucion ,
he co u ld no t have the b enefit of Y our M ajest'
ie’
S sa'id favour
and compass ion , and unless the sa id pro visoe be now made vo id by thispresent Act , he and his posterit ie are lo st for ever , and that end of Y our
M ajestie’
s Pub licFa ith, in Y our declarat ion ,d issapo inted, tOmakeplace
for the sa id gift o f the Usurper , not ment ioned or comprehended to the
e
sd of Y ou r M ajest ie
’
s declarat ion and which the sa id Bishop of M eath
o ght to rel inqu ish,"considering the grea t advancement he hath had from
Y o ur M ajestie to . so cons iderab le a Bishopr ic as that of M eath, whi le thesa id former propr ietor , 1nd the rest of his children , not killed In Y our
M ajest ic’
S serv ice , are in a sad and s tarving cond it ion.
”
At this crisis support came to the petitioner from no less anexalted personage than the widowed Queen, Henrietta Maria .
Among the State Papers of the period 1s A copy of the names of
such of the Irish as the Queen M other appears for , w1th’"<the
Earl of Anglesey’
S observations in the margin . The name
of the unhappy petitioner ismant1ened In the following pa1 ag1 aphGarret Linch ofthe Knock, having three sons kil led In theKing
’
s
Service, is expressly or1de1 ed by hisM ajest ies letters to be restored
to his estate,but had not tyme to come to his trial ; therefore
he prays he may be secured by this Bill.” On the marginLord Anglesey w1 0te
,This I s the hardest case , but reprisals
and satisfaction for improvements may do the business .
”1
I t may seem strange that a Meath country gentleman couldsecure such high interest for himself at a time when thousands
‘ S ta t e Papers , Act of Set t lement , Fo l . E , pp f
290 SUMMERH ILL A ND ITS NEIGHBOURHOOD .
of the highest fam ilies in Ireland were in an outcast condition.
Carte and the Ormonde letters explain this mystery . JermynEarl of S t. A lban
’
s , was the most intimate friend of the QueenMother. The scandalous gossip of the t ime suggested thathe was privately married to her . To him Lynch had givena bond for engaging to pay that sum shou ld he berestored.
1Such bonds were given by many other I rish
gentlemen at that t ime to the courtiers who commandedinfluence in the highest quarter .
But no influence succeeded in loosening the unrelent inggrasp of Jones . The King, bored by the pressure of conflictinginterests , finally confided to Ormonde the drafting of the new
Bi ll . I t became law on 25th December, 1 665 , as the Act of
Explanat ion,and , w ith the exception of twenty persons to be
nominated by the King, excluded all claimants from hope of
reinstatement . The selection of these nominees His Majestyleft to his I rish Lord Lieutenant , who omitted the name
of the petitioner from the l ist presented . Thus ended the laststruggle of Gerald Lynch to recover the old castle on the
border of the Pale where his forefathers had for centuries keptwatch and ward for the English colony and the English interest .
He seems to have lived on in some poor cottage not far from
his old home . His name is returned in the Hearth MoneyRolls of 1665-6,
‘
for the townland of Rahinstown,as paying two
shillings for one hearth . Bishop Jones did not long continue toho ld Lynche
’
s Knock . . By the same rolls we find that in1 665 it was occupied byWentworth Dillon, Earl of Roscommon,
who acqu ired considerable repute as a poet at the Court of
Charles I I . He is returned as paying for eight hearths”
in the Knock. Though nowadays considered but a minor poet ,he was , perhaps too partially, lauded by Dryden in the wellknown lines
The M use’
s Emp ire is restored againIn Charles ’s reign, and by R oscommon
’s pen .
He deserves , however, to be remembered , as Pope and
D11 . Johnson freely acknow ledge , for having kept his pagespure in an age when obscenity was fashionable and universaland it is to his credit, as a man, that he did not fear to stand upin the I rish House of Lords
,in defence of Viscount Clanmalier
,
whose estate was coveted by Lord Arlington .
2 He was probably
1 Carte ,“ Life of Ormonde , vol . i i
, p . 295 .— Ormonde MSS . (N
vo l . i i i , p . 182 .
2 Ca l . S tate Papers , 1 663-65 , p . 676 .
292 SUMMERH ILL A ND I T S N EIGHBOURHOOD .
In conclusion, I suggest to the considerat ion of our membersan inscribed Slab inserted in the wal ls of the old castle at
Summerhill . The inscription is in relief, and , with the exception ,
of one word , is easily legible , especially w ith the aid of a
camera . Unfortunately that word is apparently the surname
of the individual there commemorated . We can read the rest
thus
The first and last letters of the name are worn away . The
arms are those of O’
Neill . I have been unable to find anyclue to the history of this monument .
NOTE .— On page 21 5 , in Part I of the Summerhill Paper ,
the date of the Battle of Dungan H ill , 0 11 Dunganstown, Shou ld
be August the 8 111 , 1 647 , and not August the 3rd , as therestated .
( T o be continued . )
PRAY FOR T HE
SOULE OF LUKE
jWY E [ PRIE ST
1 686
S OM E N O TE S ON THE FORDS A ND BR IDGE S
O VER THE R I VE R LIFEE Y
BY ARCHDEACON SHERLOCK.
RI VERS may be looked at in many different aspects . I shallnot dwell upon their beauty and the variety and life they
give to . the landscape . Nor Shall I speak of the part they havehad in forming the landscape , elevat ing plains by their depositsdrawn from the mountains , carving out glens and valleys , cuttingthrough banks of clay, and even forcing their way throughmountain chains to reach the ocean to which they restore the
waters sto len from'
it by evaporation.
To those who cons ider human l ife , rivers present themselveseither as highways ofcommerce, intercommunicat ion, and civi lizat ion
,01
1
as hindrances to intercourse . A river like the storiedRhine ,
”navigable for hundreds of m iles
,brings remotest places
into contact ; its course is marked by cities and towns w ithteem ing popu lations
1 it bears on its bosom a continual p1 ocessi on of trade both up and down stream which enriches the
inhabitants of the country through which it flows . On the otherhand
,a stream too rapid
,or too narrow or too shallow for
navigation is a hindrance to trade and intercourseI t must he confessed that the Liffey I S no particu lar friend
to human intercourse ; no boats w ith swelling sails have ever
floated on i ts bosom. Lhave heard of its having been navigatedby a canoe ; but even that was brought to frequent halts , andhad in places to submit to the disgrace of being carried . I t I S
not w ide enough to give u s the picturesque ferries which carrymen, cattle , and wagons over broader streams , though i t is
sufficiently deep to oblige u s to go unpleasantly long distanceswhen we want to cross it .
The first and most obvious way of crossing a river is bystepping stones , called In I rish a clachan. By I rish law ,
he who
constructed a clachanwas entitled to tvs o cows as the reward of
his labour. This mode , however , is only available in the firstpart of its course ; and as
-
the stream swells from tribu taryrivulets we must look for a ford (I rish , a th) where it widens and
becomes Shallow enough to allow a traveller to cross it w ith thewater not above his knees, or else on hor .seback Such fordsbecome the arteries through which the trade and communicationof the country flow .
The trader , the traveller, and the soldier depend on thesefords. They are the highway in times of peace ; and in time of
296 FORDS AND BR IDGES O V ER THE R IV ER LIFFEY .
we have the ford there , then others at Burgage, Baltiboys , theHorse-pass, Ardenode , Harristown, Sal lymount, Athgarvan,
Great Connell ,Morris town Lattin, Coy ford , Castlesi z e , I rishtown,
S traffan,Lodge Park , Celbridge, and Newbridge or St. Wolstan
’
s .
But fords , though usefu l , are not very comfortable ; and
men wou ld before long contrive a way to get over a river dryfoot . I suppose they very soon built stone piers, more or lesssubstantial , and connected them w ith timber roadways . Petrie ,indeed , said that no bridge of any importance was erected inI reland before the twelfth century ; but that could only be trueof stone-arched bridges . The Anglo-Normans introduced these ,if they had not been bu ilt already. In the m iddle of the eighthcentury the Abbot of Iona was called “
the Bridge-Maker
(Droiched) ; and a son of the King of Ulidia was named fromthe bridges he constructed ; but, doubtless , these were of wood .
The early stone bridges over the Liffey had their arches turnedon a framework of wood covered with wattles which left theirimpression on the mortar-work . This may still be seen in the
old foot ~bridge in the grounds of Celbridge Abbey ; and I am
told that it was so in the old bridge of Clane . These bridgeswere just such as one wou ld delight to sketch. The old builderswere not particular as to the uniformity of the arches , either inheight 0 1
1 form ; and they built w ith good strong projectingbuttresses to resist the stream and w ith recesses in the parapetsto shelter foot-passengers . People often wonder at the superiority of the masonry in ancient bu ildings . The secret of it wasthat the mortar, besides being composed of good lime and sharpsand
,was used in a very l iqu id state and poured into the stone
work where it filled every interstice , excluding air and wet .
The bridges over the Lifl'
ey are numerous . There are 011
were bridges at Blessington (to go no higher) , Burgage , Baltiboys , Russelstown,
Horse-pass (now in ruins ) , Pou laphouca ,Bal lymore , Harristown (old and new ) , Kilcu llen,
Athgarvan,
Newbridge , Victoria Bridge,Caragh , Millicent, Olane , I rish
town, Straffan, Celbridge (two) , Newbridge 0 11 St .Wolstan
’
s,and
Leixlip . None are very picturesque . We have no coveredbridges like those in Switzerland .
A t most of these places , when towns and villages grew up,weirs were constructed , and m ills and factories built . Few of
these remain at work like the woollen factory at Ballymore , and
one of the most depressing sigh ts in Kildare is that of the
ruined and disused m ills , testifying to the decay of once flourishing trade which used to bring employment and prosperity to theinhabitants .
A t nearly all the important passes over the river, castles were
FORDS AND'
BR IDGES O V ER THE R IV ER LIFFEY . 297
built to protect them . M ost of these have fallen into decay ,where they have not been purposely destroyed . Monasterieswere also established at many of these places, where, besidestheir religious purpose , they served as guest
-houses for travellersin days when there were no hotels and few inns, and they of the
rudest sort . Thus there were monasterl es at S t . Wolstan’
s,
Clane , Great Connell , New Abbey near Kilcul len,and at Bally
more Eustace . In fact,great part of the life of the County
Kildare gathered along the banks of the lit tle river .
I f we follow the Liffey in i ts downward course after i t leavesthe mountains
,the first town we come to is Blessington w ith
its bridge of eight arches . This is, I think , the only place wherethe mu sic of church bells 1 floats over the river . I suppose the
BLESS INGTON BRIDGE .
[From a Photograph b y M iss M au d e ]
abbeys had bel ls , but they have had their chimes si lencedfor centuries . The name of the town 1s a curious one
,and its
origin has not ,been explained . One is tempted to think that ,as the late Archdeacon de Burgh suggested ,
it may have beenso-called by the Puritans in the time of the Commonwealth , for
it seems to date from about that time,having been only incor
porated in 1661 . There is a pretty legend about a river called
1 G iven by Archb ishop Boyle, who also bu i lt the church in 1682 .
298 FORDS AND BRIDGES OV ER THE R IV ER LIFFEY .
Banew 0 11 “ blessing, in another part of the country ; it tells
that the monks of a monastery on Lough Rea were in the habitof meeting there those from Roscommon, and that the river gotits name from their salutations exchanged at meeting and parting. But that derivation is unfortunately here impossible,though thereare not a few I rish place-names in which the ideaof blessing occurs.
A t Baltiboys we pass an old ford and a bridge,which took
their name from the Boyce family}The Horse-pass bridge is now in ruins . The road to Baltin
glass once passed over it , but the turnpike road over the archat Pou laphouca drew the traffic from the precipitous road whichit formerly followed . From the high ground at the end of the
tram-line a good view of the ru ined bridge may be had .
Poulaphouca bridge consists of a single bold arch , thrownacross a chasm above the falls of the Lifley and the whirl-poolsupposed to be haunted by a malignant Spirit . I t was builtfrom a design by Alex . Nimmo in 1 820, at a cost of
The span is 65 feet , height above the bed o f river 1 50 feet . I t
is a fine structure, adding greatly to the convenience of the
traveller, but , placed as it is , it detracts much from the savage
grandeur of the scene, which Was wel l represented in a draw ingpublished in the Post-Chaise Companion.
”A ll the romance
of the place is now destroyed by the traffic of tourists and
picnickers to visit the falls . Here in 1 81 3 twelve and a halfcouples of hounds, with the fox they were pursuing , were sweptdown the falls and drowned . A somewhat sim ilar incidentoccurred in 1 909.
W e come now to a much more important place, BallymoreEustace , the great town of the Eustaces .
”The Archbishops
of Dublin had large properties in this neighbourhood , so thatEu staces were for a long time Wardens of the Marches
,and the
town became practically theirs . I t was their duty to keep a
strong garrison to repel attacks from the mountain I rish .
Tradition says that the castle protecting the ford 0 11 bridge stood
on what is known as Garrison H ill, and i t is possible that acastle did at a later period stand there ; but M1
1
. Bou lter tellsme that he thinks the old castle was built on both sides of theriver, and that the bridge connected the two parts. All remainso f the castle were
,however, long since completely removed , but
I am told that recently in the course of building Operations a
set of vau lts were discovered , which seem to have been con
nected with the castle ; and in 1440 the Eustace in commandwas accused of keeping his sheep there .
The O’
Tooles and O’
Byrnes in the mountains near were
300 FORDS AND BRIDGES OV ER THE RIV ER LIFFEY .
south and 200 years before this it had been the scene of a fierceconflict between the I rish of Leinster and the men of the Pale .
The castle of the old town was taken and burnt by Parliament
arians in 1 647 .
E arlier than this , in the eleventh century, there was a bloodybattle in the neighbourhood between the I rish and the Danes.
I ts last experience of war was in 1 798 , when the rebels holdingOld Kilcu llen on the hill beat back the royal troops who attackedthem ,
but were afterwards disastrously defeated . Between
Ki lcu llen and Newbridge are two fords— those of A thgarvanand of Connellmore . The name Athgarvan is compounded of
three I rish words— A th, a ford , gar?) 0 1
1
garran, rough , and an or
anna,a water or stream . Thus it is equ ivalent to “
the ford of
the rough water, and indicates a ford at t imes dangerous . I t is
exactly equ ivalent to Owen-garve in the south , only the syllablesare reversed . M 1
1
. Reeves informed me that the bridge here isonly about seventy years old . Before that , if the river were inflood , travellers to Naas had to go round either by Newbridge 0 1
1
Kilcullen. The old ford was lower down than the bridge , andRose-town Rath
, on the Naas side, commanded it against anyforce coming from the south . The first pier of the bridge whenbuilding was swept away by a high flood .
In March , 1 646 , Ormonde,in command of the Parliamentary
army, crossed the Liffey by Athgarvan ford , and attacked therebels in Castlemartin.
The present bridge at Ki lcu llen is not the one that the
worthy prelate” built in 1 31 8 . That
,like many another, was
destroyed by the ravages of war, and when in 1 644 Ormonde
quartered his troops at Ballymore , and S ir Fred. W illoughby’
s
detachment crossed the river,they had to go by the ford . I t
gives us a vivid idea of the horrible state to which the countrywas reduced at that t ime, when we read that only two thatchedhouses stood in Kilcu llen
,and the t1100ps could find no quarters
there.
That same year an unfortunate Frenchman t ravelling southtells us that when his party came to Kilcullen Bridge, We
swam over a little river with much trouble , carry ing our clotheson our heads the I rish having broken the bridge during thereligious wars and he adds : A ll the country was laid waste ,and we found none but poor unfortunates who sold buttermi lkand a little oaten bread .
”Such was the state of a rich and
fertile district w ithin thirty m iles of Dublin after nearly 400years of English occupation. The story reads l ike the adventures of travellers in the heart of savage Africa.
Half a m ile from Kilcullen Bridge stood the New Abbey, a
FORDS AND BRIDGES OV ER THE R IV ER LIFFEY . 3O I
Franciscan hou se founded in 1486 by R oland Eustace,Baron of
Portlester. I t had existed little more than forty years when itwas suppressed in 1 5 39.
N ot far from Ki lcu llen was Castlemartin, the seat of the
earliest stock of the Eustace family. The castle was taken and
garrisoned by Colonel Hewson for the{Commonwealth in 1 649.
No trace of it now remains .
From the ruins of the Great Abbey of Connel l a narrow lanestil l leads to the ford , which crosses the river near at hand .
A short distance below this we come to Newbridge. Here
was a ford abou t 100 yards above the present bridge , which,
as its name indicates , succeeded an older one, unless indeed“ bridge
”be , as some say, a corruption of Bridget . There does
not seem to have been a town of any importance here until thebarracks were bu ilt in 1 818 . I t is rather puzzling to find a fordof this importance , and the considerable stretch of river fromCastlemartin to Clane, left unprotected by a Castle of some sort.
The explanation is clear, I think , when we look at the map .
The Castle of Ki ldare and the Preceptory of the KnightsHospitallers at Tu lly barred the way to intruders from the
south, and between Ki ldare and Clane there was a considerable
stretch of the bog'
of A llen, which , along with the Hospitallers’
Preceptory at Killibegs , hindered the approach of invaders fromthat quarter.
\Descending the river from Newbridge we pass Barrettstown
and Morristown Lattin, and at the -V ictoria Bridge there are
mills . There seems nothing -in particu lar to remark about thebridge at Caragh , but a little to the north
“
of that comes the
Ford of Coy. The passage here is crooked , first down stream
and then up . Of this name I can give no explanation, but
Major Henry suggests that it might have some reference to the
lane leading to it , called“the lovers ’ lane .
”
I t is not far then t ill we come to M illicent Bridge, whereM r . Manders tells me there was form erly a m ill
(called Mullina
fooky, 0 11 Puck’
s M ill , from the tradition that a good-naturedPuck 01
1 Phouca used to grind any corn left there over night .
The' m ill is gone, and w ith it Puck ’
s occupation. I t is to be
hoped that idleness -
wil l not lead him into m ischief.M illicent bridge, though comparatively modern, is one of
the most picturesque on the river ; it consists of three lowerarches
,then a larger arch , and then two not so high . The old
bridge was destroyed , l ike that of Clane , because the roadwaywas narrow. I ts arches were , I believe, lofty, giving rather anawkward rise in the m iddle . M iss Trench, of Lisaniskea , is
said to possess a sketch of it .
362 FOR—D8 ~A 1N-D BR IDGES OV ER THE RIV ER“
1 111 11
1517.
The originof the name M illicent has never been explained.
The townland was formerly called Newtown.
,
In 1 798 MajorGriffith
,who commanded the local yeomanry , and defeated the
rebe l forces at Clane, resided there. Just below M illicentis Castlesi z e. The road to the old ford here u sed
‘
to pass
M ILLI CENT BRIDGE
[From a Water-colou r Sk etch by M iss S . M . Sherlock . )
in front of where the house‘
now stands . The ford itself wasone of those at which by the ol d I rish law a l ight had to beshown when belated travellers shouted on dark and stormynights in the time
'
bf flodd, as its, old name,Casam Soil z e,
indicates .
A t Clanewe come to another ancient ford , one of the most
important on the L iffey , because the road to or from Meathcrossed the river here. I ts proper name is ,Clane
, 011 Cluain
Ath— the ford of'
the meadow— from the flat pasture all around .
There is another derivation given The ford of the Sanctuary ,as if from . the Church and ancient Celt icAbbey, founded byS t . Ailbe— but this is incorrect. ' The importance of this fordarose from its leading direct from Meath into the ferti le heart ofKildare . The old ford probably crossed the river a little abovethe present weir, Where .a narrow laneway still comes down. So
important a passage had to be guarded , and a castle was built atthe head of the ford . Some of the remains of this are to beseen in the stable-yard of Blackball . A t this ford a battle was
304 FORDS AND BR IDGES OV ER THE R IV ER LIFFEY .
THE RUST I C FOOT-BR IDGE AT CELBR IDGE ABBEY .
[From a Photograph by Law rence , Dub l in .]
who resided here from 1 7 17 to 1 723 , when, abandoned by Swift,She died of a broken heart .
The huge old mi lls which once brought wealth and
prosperity to Celbridge town, are now silent and deserted , and
give an air of gloom to the place . The ancient name is
Kildrought , D71
oched being I rish for a bridge , which shows thata bridge stood here in days long gone by, though I believe thepresent bridge is not extremely old . The passage of the
Liffey here was protected by a castle and a town— Castletown of
Kildrought— which is said to have stood somewhere near the
spot on which Speaker Connolly bu ilt his Splendid mansion.
The old road from Leixlip ran along the other side of the
Lifl'
ey to Clane, but was diverted to the Donacomper side whenCastletown was built in 1 725 , and actually out through the
burial-ground of Donacomper Church . M 11
. Kirkpatrick informsme that there is a good ford nearly OppositeDonacomper House,
bu t at present there is no approach to it .A little below this we come to the ruins of St . Wolstan
’
s
Abbey, close to which is a bridge said to be the earliest existingbridge in I reland , though it bears the inapprOpriate name of
Newbridge (see p . John Decer, a worthy citizen and mayor
FOR D S AND BR IDGES OV ER THE R IV ER LIFFEY . 30 5
of Dublin,bui lt it in 1 808 and he is said to have bu ilt Leighlin
bridge also . True titles to fame , which ennobled his memory in
an age when such unselfish deeds were few and far between.
Better far than bu ilding castles or taking them by storm .
The roadway of this, like that of other ancient bridges , isnarrow , only about 9 feet wide. The "
under side of the archesbears the marks of the wattles on which they were turned . In
the early part of the last century some barbarian proposed totake i t down ; but this was strongly opposed by Mr . R ichardCane , who deserves the thanks of posterity for his successfu lresistance
,particularly as he offered to build another bridge
lower down at his own expense in order to preserve i t. Here ,
also , are the remains of a large deserted mill . The ancient fordwas somewhat below the bridge .
I do not know of either ford or bridge from th1s on till wecome to Leixlip . Here there was a strong castle, said to havebeen bu ilt by Adam,
of Hereford , the original grantee of all the
territory from this to beyond Ki ll . There was a ford at Leixlip,
and an ancient bridge at the Salmon Leap . This , except onearch which sti ll stands , Was carried away by a great flood shortlybefore 1 646 ; and when the Confederate Catho lics , under OwenRoe O
’
Ne ill , broke up their camp to retire into Meath ,the
t 1100ps had to construct a temporary bridge of timber to enabletlrem to cross .
“
The fine bridge of three arches now existingcarries the old coach road to Galway. About 1 890 the bridgewas w idened by a footpath bracketed out from the West side forthe Lucan tramway extension, never carried out.
Leixlip was named by the Danes from the cataract up whichthe salmon leap on their . way to the upper part of the r1ver .
Here in 1856 John Henry, Baron ,de Robeck , was drowned in the
great flood of that year .
I b id adieu to the Liffey at Leixlip . I t is, as we have seen,
not a large river, and has no striking features in its course . I t
carries no trade on its stream ,and no great cities adorn its
banks ; but few will deny the quiet beauty of the landscapethrough which
"
it flows ; and when autumn colours its woodedbanks, the eye may rest upon them with delight .
Short as it is , and insignificant in width and depth , thereare few streams that have been so continuously the scene of suchtragic human suffering, 01
1
witnessed » more cruel ou trages of warand rapine . We are apt to forget this when we see it sm ilingin the summer sunshine, and even when it rolls from the moun
tains in -flo_od . tumu ltuous with the melted snow ; but ru inedtowers and monasteries along its course are stern rem inders ofa history that was for centuries written in tears and blood.
30 8 M ICHAEL HEWET SON ,M .A .,
about his ordination earlier than the canonical time, and had so
much influence with the Bishop , as , at -his immediate instanceand desire , to convince him that he wou ld do wel l to makeW ilson a Deacon a t the early age above mentioned , whichcame about as fo llows
The choir of the Cathedral of Ki ldare being greatly dilapidated, was in process of restoration in 1686, and in the month ofJune of that year, on St . Peter’ s Day, was consecrated by the
Lord Bishop of the Diocese of Kildare (Moreton) , he beingassisted and attended on by the clergy of the Diocese, besidesstrangers.
M ichael Hewetson had held the Rectory at Swordsthat of Cloghran the Prebend of Tassagard and
was at the time of the consecration Vicar of St . Andrew ’
s,
Dublin, from 1 2th February, 1678 .
The ceremony of consecration being finished, the Dean of the
cathedral read prayers , and, after the second lesson,the Bishop
confirmed a great number. The Dean l ikewise preached theconsecration sermon (in which he took notice of the ordination,
too) , which , being ended , the ordination fo llowed , of which we
give M ichael Hewetson’
s record in his own words, written byhim soon after the ceremony in a very smal l ' duodecimo
memorandum-book in brown leather,w ith brazen clasps , now
safeguarded in the Sion College L ibrary, Thames Embankment,
London, vi z — “I having before prevai led with the Bishop
to ordain my dear Tom W ilson,and being appo inted by him
‘
to
officiate as archdeacon at the ordination (which was held forhim alone) , we pu t on our surplices, and I presented him to
the Bishop , sitting in a chair near the altar . He ordered himDeacon in the presence ofhis clergy and a great congregation.
A Communion immediately fo llowed , to which many of the
Laity, as well as the Clergy, stayed ; and for that Service weoffered a piece of Plate,
1 being a Paten worth between six and
seven pounds (of tha t period) , having on the ins ide the fo llowingInscription in capital letters
DEO et ALTARI ECCLESIZE CATEDRALI S STE BRIGIDZEDARENSIS SACRUM .
with an I . H . S .,encircled by rays of glory, in the middle .
O 11 the reverse, in small letters , is engravedEx unitis Devot ionibus maxime Am icorum MICH HEWET SONet THO : WILSON . I lle Presb l ‘ et Praebus Eccl fle Cathl s S t i Patrl
Dub . H ic ad Diaconatus Ordinem Solemniter adm issus Die Consema tionis Hujus Ecclm, vi z t . Festo S“Petri 1686 .
1 The S ilver Pa ten is a p la in ro und P late,on a centra l circu lar stem ,
and measures 83 Inches in d iameter , and 3 inches in he ight .
ARCHDEACON OF KILDA RE FOR A DA Y . 309
An additional inscription was added 105 years afterwards ,viz . ,
in 1 791 , as follows , in an outer circle, on the reverse1
Hic Tho ‘s W ilson V ir eximia Doctrina Benevolentia V irtu te et
Pietate praeditus , consecratus fuit Episcopus Sodorensis et Manniensis Jan : 16° obi it Mar : 7
°ZEtS suae Ut haec
memoriae traderentur curavit Dixie Blundell , hujus ecclae Deeanns 1
Then the memorandum-book refers to two other events whichfollowed
The Bishop and his Clergy (and we in particular), withseveral persons of quality of both sexes, w ere invited to the houseof the M inister of Ki ldare , where we had a great entertainment,
with which the ecclesiastical ceremony of that day concluded .
But it was fo llowed by a remarkable civil solemnity, for theDean being the present Soverain of the Corporat ion of that town
,
and keeping a Court that afternoon at my desire [M ichaelHewetson had been for several years a Freeman of that place] , headmitted my dear Friend , too , free of the Corporation ofKildarehe was sworn and regist ered accordingly.
He became the author of St . Patrick’ s Purgatory in LoughDerg, _ and an Account of the Pilgrims
’ business there,
”on
l st August , 1 701 ; and, _two years after, the same appeared inThe Gentleman
’
S Magazine, under the nom-de-p lume of One
who had been therePrevious to 1 701 he had been actively engaged w ith those
who founded the Church of England in the Colonies and
Dependencies of the Brit ish Empire, of whom the most
conspicuous worker was the Rev . Thomas Bray, their efforts
resu lting in the incorporation on 1 6th June,1 701 , of the
“Society for the Propagation of the Gospel In Foreign Parts .
”
In 1 702 3 he was in London concerning his appointment byBishop Compton,
as his Commissary to M aryland , having beenselected by DI1 . Bray, at the instance of his lordship , and
approved the value of the office being about £300. But the
newly elected Governor of that Province (Co lonel Seymour)refused to admit a Commissary to Maryland , and so ArchdeaconM ichael Hewetson never embarked for that province , and it wasnot til l fourteen years after that another Commissary was
appointed .
M ichael Hewetson died at Ballyshannon, Donegal , in 1 724,and was uncle to D11 . Patrick Hewetson, of Betaghstown, Clane ;born, 1 699, and died in 1 78 3 , having entered Trinity College,Dublin
, 6th April , 1 7 16 , whe1 e he took hiS B .A . in 172 1 , becominga medical student on 1 6th August , 1726, in the famous
3 I O M ICHAEL HEWETSON ,
-M .A .
University of Leyden, Holland , unt il the year 1730, when heproceeded M .B . at T rinity Co llege, in 173 1 , and M .D . in 1 734 .
He fi lled important positions in the old Col lege of
Physicians, I reland ,”
and the“ King and Queen’
s College of
Physicians , I reland ,”of which latter he was elected President in
1 745 , and again in 1 76 1 .
BETAGHSTOWN HOUSE .
[From a braw ing by Archd eacon Sherlock . )
By the will of 23rd Ju ly, 1770, besides bequeathing eleven totwelve hundred pounds to twenty-four legatees, b e devised t otrustees , the Primate of all I reland being one, his town and landsofBetaghstown,
Kildare , together with his d ellinghouse thereon,and his town and lands ofDromcora, County Cavan,
his stock of
cattle, furniture, and household goods in city and county, libraryof books , si lver-plate, rings, watches, guns, pistols, and sw ords,for bu ilding and maintaining a Charity School at Betaghstownfor the support and yearlymaintenance of poor boys and girls,Who were to
“
b e lawfu lly instructed in the principles of the
Protestant religion, in reading, writing, and arithmetic, and , Whenproperly qualified , bound ou t as apprentices , with proper fees .
This schoo l was transferred to a new schoolhouse and
bu ildings at M i l licent in 1 882 , and is known as“ Hewetson
’
s
School , Clane .
”The corporate body of Governo rs is styled the
G overnors of Hewetson’
s School , Clane .
THE CASTLE AND MA NOR OF CA RLOW . 3 1 3
Cormac rece ived his b less ing, and afterwards ruled over the principal ity ofSouth Le inster . I t seem s pro bab le that he and S t . Comgal l w ere fel lowstudents and int imate friends, while both stud ied t ogether at C lonenagh .
This Pr ince rel inqu ished the sceptre in his more advanced years , in order
to lead a rel igious l ife , and thus it came about that he , as an offer ing toGod and to S t . Comgall , presented himse lf and three forts w ith the iradjacent lands in his territory these w ere Catharlagh, Fo ib ren,
and
A rdcrena (of which the lat ter two placfé s have not been ident ified ) .Cormac
’
s death, after the v ictory of fl penance , is sa id to have occurred in
the M onastery o f Bangor, about the year
There is no mention of Carlow in the Irish Annals previous tothe arrival of the Anglo-Normans in this country ; this tends toprove that it w as a place of no historical importance until afterthe erection of the castle, which was bu ilt to guard the ford inthe Barrow
,and to protect the tenants of the Lord of the Manor
from their hostile and troublesome I rish neighbours;When and by whom the castle was built has not so far been
decided with a certainty ; but , as it is first mentioned in a
charter granted to the Burgesses of Carlow about the year 1209,by W illiam le Mareschal (or Marshal) , Earl of Pembroke , and
Lord of the Manor,its erection in all probability was undertaken
by him after he succeeded to the Lordship of Leinster on his
marriage in 1 189 w ith I sabel , daughter and heir of StrongbowI t is known for a fact that he bu ilt Kilkenny Castle , and the
castle formerly at Kildare, so that it is only natural to concludethat other castles on his estates were also erected by him . I t is
a remarkable fact that the ancient portions or the existing ru insof the Castles of Carlow,
Lea (Queen’
s County) , Kilkenny, Ferns,and Enniscorthy show that their keeps were all built on the
same plan, viz . : an oblong building, w ith large round towers at
the four angles ; this noticeable feature strikes one that thesecastles were bu ilt about the same period , and by the same owner.
Before proceeding to narrate the events which occurred at
Carlow (as far as they can be gathered from the I rish Calendarsof Documents and State Papers) , a short a ccount w ill be givenof the families which inherited the Carlow portion of the
Leinster lordship from the t ime of S trongbow to the commence
ment of the sixteenth century .
As early as 1 1 37 we find Dermot na-gal l (i .e . of the English)MacMurrough,
Chief of Hy Kinshellagh, as King of Leinster ;his death took place at Ferns in the County Wexford in 1 1 7 1 .
He was a cruel and merciless tyrant, and from the year
1 1 5 3 , when he abducted Dervorgilla , daughter of MurroughO
’
Melaghlin,King of Meath , and wife of T iernan O
’
Rourke,Prince of Breifny (now the County Leitrim) , his reign was
one of such atrocity that at last in 1 1 66 he was deposed by
314 THE CAST LE AND MA NOR OF CA RLOW
Roderick O ’
Connor, King of I reland and banished from the
country . He fled to ' England , and thence to Aquitaine , wherehe presented himself to Henry I I , to whom be appealed forassistance to recover his sovereignty of Leinster. Henry,seeing in this a favourable opportunity to get a footing inI reland , willingly granted his request ; and as he was himselftoo busy to leave the affairs of France, he granted permissionto any of his British or French knights to collect a force
to aid Dermot MacMurrough . Hence in 1 169 the first batchof Anglo-Normans landed in Bannow Bay in the CountyW exford , which in the following year was fo llowed by a largerforce under Richard fitz Stephen de Clare , Earl of Pembroke ,nicknamed 1
“S trongbow ,
who had offered his services to
Dermot MacMurrough, on condition that if the ir arms prevailedhe shou ld wed his daughter Ao ife or Eva . This marriage was
carried out in the ceremony being performed in the CityofWaterford (called Port Lairgy by the I rish ) , which had justbeen captured , and while the dead, wounded , and dying were
still lying where they fell in defence o f the town.
Dermot MacMurrough’
s death took place at his palace inFerns, in the County Wexford , in the year 1 171 , when he wassixty—one years of age ; his w ife was MO1
1
, daugh ter of MurtaghO
’
Toole , Chief of Omurethi (in the southern portion of the
CountyKildare ) , and sister of the famous St . Laurence O’
Toole ,Archbishop of Dublin, who died in 1 180, at Eu in Normandy,where he was buried .
Strongbow became Lord of Leinster (w ith the exception of
the present County Dublin,which Henry I I retained) in right
of his wife Eva . At this time Leinster comprised, besidesDublin,
Kildare , the northern part of the Queen’
s County ( thena part of Offaly) , Leix, Ossory, Carlow , Kilkenny, and Wexford ;the lordship was held under the Crown, to which certain rents
and services were rendered . Stronghow’s sister, Basilia, was
married to Raymond le gros Fit z Gerald , Baron of Idrone,in
the County Carlow, and son of W illiam, a brother of MauriceFitz Gerald
,Lord of M aynooth . In April , 1 176 , S tronghow
’
s
death took place in Dublin, and he was buried in Christ Church
Cathedral , where a Knight’
s efiigy is po inted out as representinghim . This tomb
,however, belongs to a later period Stronghow
’
s
supposed effigy was destroyed by the falling in of the roof of
Christ Church in 1 562 . A t the time of his death he left issuean only daughter and heiress named I sabel.
I sabel de Cla1 e became a wa1 d of Henry I I in England , andremained under the 1 oyal guardianship for the space of fourteen
years , when she was given in marriage to W illiam le Mareschal
3 1 6 THE CA ST LE A ND MA N OR O F CA RLOW .
On the death of the last of the brothers issueless in 1 245 ,the Lordship of Leinster was partitioned , according to the
Anglo-Norman law between Anselme’
s five sisters, roughlyspeaking, as fol lows
M at ilda , who was apportioned the County Carlow ,and
p ortion of the present County Wexford .
Joane, who was apportioned the County Wexford .
’
I sabel , who was apportioned the County Kilkenny.
Sybel , who was apportioned the County Kildare .
Eva , who was apportioned portions of Leix and Offaly inthe present Queen’
s County.
The Lady Mati lda le Marshal was three t imes married 1
first , to Hugh Bigod, third Earl of Norfo lk, who was one of the
twenty-five barons appointed to enforce the observance of the
M agna Charta ; he died in 1 225 , leaving two sons , R oger and
Hugh ; secondly, to William de W arren (Plantagenet) , Earl ofWarren and Surrey (whose father Hameline was a naturalbrother of Henry I I ) ; he died in 1 240, leaving issue a son
and a daughter by her thirdly, to Sir'
Walter de Dustanville .
At the t ime of her youngest brother’
s death in 1 245,Lady
Matilda had been twice w idowed ; and on the division of the
lordship of Leinster among his five sisters— a proceeding whichtook place in the English Court— her fifth is described as
follows
The CountessWarren’s portion
The Castle , Manor,and Burgh of Katherlac, and Body
of the County with assizes and perqu isites .
Bal lidunegan.
Fu theret (now the Barony of Forth) .Tamu lyn (now the Barony of St . Mullins) .Castle of Ros (O ld Ross , Co . Wexford ) . Burgh of Ros
(a lias Rosponte , now New Ross ,Insula (a lias
“I s land of Harvey,
”now G reat I sland
,
Barony of Shelburne) .Ballisax (a part of, in the Co. Ki ldare ) .
2
The shares were all careful ly valued and equal ized , so that
For the deta ils of the five shares see G1lb ert’s
“ V iceroys of I reland ,p . 5 16 ; Calendar of Carew M anuscripts (M isce llanea) , p . 373 ; and
Ca lendar o f Documents , I re land , 1252 p . 160.
2 Ca lendar of Documents,1252-1284 , Ire .
, p . 161 .
THE CA ST LE A ND MA NOR OF CA RLOW 3 1 7
each sister’
s port ion was worth yearly £ 343 48. 6%d. ; thataccounts for t he County Kildare Manor of Ballysax appearingin the Carlow division ; and the only way to account for
the I sland , Old and New R oss here , is that probably at
that time the County Carlow was larger and included the
Barony of Bantry , in which they are situated .
The date of Lady Matilda’
s death is not recorded . Of her
sons by her first marriage with Hugh Bigod , Roger the eldestsucceeded as fourth Earl of Norfolk , and in right of his
mother was appo inted Marshal Of England . On his deathwithout issue in 1270 his honours and possess ions devolvedupon his nephew Roger Bigod (son of his brother Hugh , whowas Chief Justice of England in 1 257 , and was slain in the
Battle of Lewes in
Roger Bigod , 5 th Earl of Norfolk and Marshal of England ,was twice married
,but had no issue . In the year 1 300 he
constitu ted King Edward I his heir, and surrendered intohis hands the Marshal ’s Rod
,upon condition that it shou ld
be returned in the event of his having children,and that he
shou ld receive down,and a -year for life. His
death occurred on the 1 1 th December, 1 306, and the Earldomof Norfolk became extinct in the Bigod fami ly, although he
left a brother John Bigod , who suririved him , but whose r igh tof succession seems to
’
have been annihilated by this veryunjust proceeding, and so completely was it done that he didnot even inherit any of the great ,
estates of his ancestors .
On the 5 th February, 1 307 , S ir John Wogan, the
Justiciary of I reland , was ordered to ascertain what Knights’
Fees and advowsons of Churches the late Earl of Norfolk , whoheld of the King in cap i te, possessed in I reland . On the
8 th Apri l , 1 307 , the Inquisition1was he ld in Carlow, and the
Jury found that the late Earl held in cap i te the followingcastles , manors, boroughs, lands , etc.
, vi z .
1
The Manor, Castle ,i
and burgh Catherlach, w ith theirappurtenances ; and the Body of the County withassizes and perqui sites .
The Barony Of Tamilyng (St . Mu llin’
s) , held by R ichardTalon.
The Barony of Tullach-Offelmych (Tullow) , held byEdmund le Botyler .
Calendar of Documents , I reland , 1302-1307, pp . 172-181 .
3 1 8 THE CA STLE AND M AN OR OF CA R LOW .
The Barony of Odron at Dunlek,held by N icholas de
Carrew .
The Barony of Obargy (i .e . Ui Bairrche, now the Barony of
S lieve Margy in the Queen ’
s County) , held by W illiamSt . Leger, and Joan, daughter and heir of Hugh Purcell .
Typerau than, a l ias Typercane, in Oboy Ui Buidhe , now
the Barony o f Ballyadams , Queen’
s County) , held byJohn de Bonevi lle .
A rdbrystyn Ardristan) , held by John de Valle .
G rag, held by Thomas le Botyler.
Ardynheth, a lias Ardyhoch, held by Adam Brun.
Kilcloyt , held by W il liam TraherneKilbeleter, a lias Kilbolet , held by the said W illiam .
Kel ls in Fotheryd, a lias Forth , held by the heirs ofReginaldde Dene .
Ballymackele , held by Richard Taloun.
Balystand , a lias Balyskandel , held by Robert Bremyll of
Forth .
The lands ofDunleck Dunleckny) ; Leghlyn Leighlin) ;Fynnauth, alias Fannagh Fennor) .
The rent of Owritsowne , a lias Overstowne.
The Barony and Manor, and burgh of Fethard‘
,a l ias Forth ,
containing a castle , grange , etc.
Lands of Balymaccolyt, le Boly, le Drym ,le Kneaston
,
Oxsmiles .
The Barony and Manor of Old Rosse .
The Barony of the I sland of Hervey.
The Burgh of Rosponte (New Ross) , and its Ferry, and
the territory called the Tower of Hooke .
The M anor, Castle, and I sland of Durbarr in the CountyWexford .
Ballydonegan,a lias Ballydougan, County Carlow .
The Manor of Ballysax, in the County Kildare .
The advowsons of the churches of St . Mary of Carlow,of
the Friars M inors at O ld Ross, and of Kylscalan 0 11
Kylsalan in the County Wexford .
A few years after the death of Roger Bigod , who , as
mentioned above , appointed King Edward I his heir, theCarlow estates and honours passed by grant to Thomas
Plantagenet , surnamed de Brotherton, in 1 312 .
He was the eldest son of Edward I by his second wifeMargaret , daughter of Philip I I I of France , and was born at
Bro therton in Y orkshire in 1 301 , whence the surname
de Brotherton and before he had reached his thirteenth
3 1 8 THE CA STLE A ND M AN O R OF CA R LOW .
The Barony of Odron at Dunlek,held by N icholas de
Carrew .
The Barony of Obargy (i .e . Ui Bairrche, now the Barony of
S lieve Margy in the Queen’
s County) , held by W illiamSt . Leger, and Joan,
daughter and heir of Hugh Purcell .Typerau than, a l ias Typercane, in Oboy Ui Buidhe , now
the Barony of Ballyadams , Queen’
s County) , held byJohn de Boneville .
A rdbrystyn Ardristan) , held by John de Valle .
G rag, held by Thomas le Botyler .
Ardynheth, a lias Ardyhoch, held by Adam Brun.
Kilcloyt , held by W il liam TraherneKilbeleter, a lias Kilbolet , held by the said W i lliam .
Kells in Fotheryd, a lias Forth , held by the heirs ofReginaldde Dene .
Ballymackele , held by R ichard Taloun.
Balystand, a lias Balyskandel , held by Robert Bremyll of
Forth .
The lands ofDunleck Dunleckny) ; Leghlyn Leighlin)Fynnauth, a lias Fannagh Fennor) .
The rent of Owritsowne , a lias Overstowne.
The Barony and Manor, and burgh of Fethard,a l ias Forth ,containing a castle , grange, etc.
Lands of Balymaccolyt , le Boly, lo Drym ,le Kneaston,
Oxsmi les .
The Barony and Manor of Old Rosse .
The Barony of the I sland of Hervey .
The Burgh of Rosponte (New Ross) , and i ts Ferry, and
the territory called the Tower of Hooke .
The Manor, Castle, and I sland of Durbarr in the CountyWexford .
Ballydonegan,a lias Ballydougan, County Carlow .
The M anor of Ballysax,in the County Kildare .
The advowsons of the churches of S t . Mary of Carlow,of
the Friars M inors at O ld Ross, and of Kylscalan 0 11
Kylsalan . in the County Wexford .
A few years after the death of Roger Bigod , who , as
mentioned above,
appointed King Edward I his heir, the
Carlow estates and honours passed by grant to Thomas
Plantagenet , surnamed de Brotherton, in 1 312 .
He was the eldest son of Edward I by his second wifeMargaret, daughter of Philip I I I of France
,and was born at
Brotherton in Y orkshire in 1 301 , whence the surname
de Brotherton and before he had reached his thirteenth
fTo face p age 319.
THE S
De rm o t na G a l l ” M a c M u r r
King of Leinster .
Ob . 1 171 .
P r lnc
Heiress t
Is a b e l d e C la re
Hei ress o f the Lord shi p (in r ight
of Le inster . Pemb rok e,
ob . 1220.
b uried at T intern buriein Wales .
5 s o n s , each in tu rn
Earl s of P em broke , who
al l d ied w ithout ma le
i ssue ; Anselm , the
youngest , in 1 245 .
The Lord ship of
Leinster was then
part it ioned among their
5 sisters .
Ro g e r B ig o d ,
4th Ear l of Norfolk , and
Marshal of Eng land
in right of h is mo ther.
ob . s . p . 1270.
THE CA ST LE A ND MAN OR OF CA R LOW .
burgesses of Catherlagh, about the year 1 209, are insert ed thefollowing sentences
Imprimis . That no burgess shall be drawn into any suit ,0 1
1
answer any plea which , shall arise w ithin the Bounds of
the Borough, in the castle, 011
elsewhere, than in the hundredcourt of the town.
And again
I f any Burgess shall of his own accord lend his chattelsto the bailiffs of my castle, if they be not delivered up withinforty days, he shall be paid for their use beyond that time .
These two extracts show that -
a castle was then in existence .
There i s some doubt whether Carlow was ever a walled town likeCastledermot, Old Ross , A thy, Ki ldare , etc. ; possibly it was , asthere is a record of a grant of £ 500 al lowed by the Justiciary of
I reland in 1 361 , for strengthening the fortifications of the
place but this, which was then a very great sum , may have beenexpended on the outworks of the castle
,of which there are now
no traces .
In April , 1 231 , a mandate was issued by the King to the
Constables of Castles belonging to the late W illiam Marshal
(junior ) , Earl of Pembroke, who died in that year, to hand themover to Walerand Teutonicu s , and t o then proceed to England toconfer w ith the King . The knights free and other tenants on
the Earl’
s lands in Leinster were warned to obey the King’
s
custodian during the time of his being in authority.
1
A very interes ting paper from the pen of Mr. James M ills
(Deputy-Keeper of the Records, Record Office,D ublin) was
contributed to the Journal of the Royal Society of Antiquaries,I reland ,
”2 dealing w ith the expenses of the I rish estates of Roger
Bigod , Earl of Norfolk , between the years 1 279—1294 , in whichhe describes how
,the Earl being principally an absentee
,his
affairs and estates in Leinster were managed by a Seneschal ofknightly rank , and a Treasurer, the chief fiscal officer, who wasresponsible for the col lection of the revenue of the lordship , thesafe keeping of the treasure, and its due disbursements . Amonghis subordinates were the barony serjeants and provosts o f
borough towns . Under the Seneschal were the constables of thefive cas tles — Catherlagh, Finfagh (Fennor) O1
1 Fennogh,O ld
Ross,Fothered (Forth O
’
Nolan) , and New Ross or Rospont . In
Calendar of Documents , I reland ,1 171—125 1 , p . 278 .
Consecut ive v ol . xxi i, pp . 50—62 , 1892 .
THE CA STLE A ND M ANOR OF CAR LOW . 32 1
the absence of the Earl an Auditor arrived yearly from Englandto check the Treasurer’s accounts, and to make a tour of inspec
tion of the Earl’
s manors .
The Treasurer held , in the Castle of Carlow, a mimiccourt ofexchequer, where the receiver, serjeants, and provosts renderedtheir accounts . From Mr . M ills’ s paper the following extracts
concerning Carlow are copied .
The centre of government was the Castle of Carlow . The repa irs toit form frequent items of expend iture . The roof of the great hal l adjo iningthe cast le m which the courts were held was a source of frequent troub le ,need ing constant repair . I t was roofed w ith wooden shingles . The
shingles w ere b ored and fastened by na ils to the roof ; they w ere made in
the wood of Dunleckny .
T imber , b oards , and laths were , from t ime to t ime , brought from
Dunleckny , Tu llow , and Athy, for the repair of the hall and o ther portionso t the cast le, the k itchen and pr ison .
The exchequer houfse was one of the bu ild ings of the castle ; it
was probab ly one of the Towers , the low er part of which formed the
Treasurer’
s Oflice and Court , while on the upper floor w ere preserved the
treasure of money and records , which were depos ited in chests of wood
secured w ith 1ron bands .
“ A t this t ime the town must have b een of cons iderab le extent , as
there w ere no fewer than 171 free burgesses in it . The rece ipts fromferr ies over the Barrow ind icate the ex i stence of many traders . Theneed
,too , of bridges at Carlow , over the Barrow and Burren, was much
felt , and pressure was put upon the townsmen to bu ild or perhaps rebu ildthem , for their neglect fines w ere imposed on the communi ty of the burgh
of Carlow .
The income of the lordship averaged £750 a year, and the cost of
management of the estate averaged about £250 a year, includ ing theSeneschal ’ s salary of £ 100 ; the bu lk of the remainder was transferred to
the Ear l ln England .
A t this period money was fourteen t imes greater in value than a t
present .
In Apri l , 1 282 , Roger . Bigod , 5 th Earl of Norfolk , and
Marshal of England,complained to the King that the Justiciaryof I reland exacts from him one hundred marks for the decapitation of Art MacMurr ,ough who was then at peace with the King,and this he does against the Earl
’
s liberty of C,
atherlagh
according to the custom hitherto prevailing there, as Art’
s headhad not before been proclaimed with the consent of the Earl
, 0 11
of his fr ;eemen the Justiciary moreover strives against theEarl ’s liberty to hold inqu isitions in the Earl’ s land of Catherlagh , because four pleas belong to the King ther .e The Kingordered that the complaint shou ld be investigated ; and m the
meanwhile the Justlc1ary shall desist from inflicting grievanceson the Earl , who was performing good service for the King inWales .
l
Calendar of Docs . , Ireland , 1252—1284, p .« 435 ,
39 2 THE CA ST LE A ND M ANOR OF CA R LOW .
In 1283 Ralph Wade appears as Constable of Catherlagh
Castle.
On the 8th April , 1 307 , an Inqu isition was held in Carlowto inqu ire into the I rish possessions of Roger Bigod , 5 th Earlof Norfolk, and Marshal of England , who died on the
1 1 th December, 1 306 . His Castle of Catherlagh is thus described in their report The Castle is badly roofed ; Oppositethe Castle is a hall in which pleas of the county and of assizeare held in the Castle and hall there are many defects , as wel lin the roof as in the wal ls , so that they can be extended at no
price ; no one would rent them ; they greatly want roofing and
good keeping.
” 1
During the fourteenth century the fol lowing names appearas holding the office of Constable of Carlow Castle z — In 1 3 10,W illiam Bayllyf ; 1 346
,Walter Lenfant ; 1 360, Adam de
Grantham ; 1 371 , S ir John de Cornwall , Knight 1 375 , RobertBrown ; 1 384, Walter Eure 0 1
1 Evre ; 1 399, Thomas Harbrek
O11 Herbrigge 1 400, W illiam Hou ton.
2
In 1 314 Edward Bruce, brother of Robert the King of
Scotland , during his attempt to subdue I reland , proceeded fromthe north towards Limerick
,burning and destroying towns,
dwellings , cattle , and crops which lay in his march through thecountry. Among the towns which suffered were Naas , Tristel
dermot (Castledermot) , Cathirlogh, Balla-Gawran (now Gowran) ,Callan, and Cashel .
3
In 1 326, in the month of Ju ly, about eighty of the inhabi
tants of Cathyrlaht and its neighbourhood were slain by the
O’M ores of Leix .
4
In 1 329, on the Sunday before the Feast of St . Laurence,
David le Botiller (or Butler) was slain near Carlow by theO
’
Nolans of Fotharta-Fea,
a lias Fothart-O’
Nolan (now the
Carlow Barony of Forth) .In 1 346 W illiam de Drayton appears as parson of the
Church of Cathyrlaghfi
In 1 357 William de Valle, Sheriff of Carlow, petitioned forcompensation for the loss of all his goods which had been destroyed by the neighbouring I rish septs ; and also on account of
his having killed three of the O’
Nolans , and Philip O’
Byrne, acaptain of the I rish , whose heads he had brought to the Castle
1 “ Calendar of Docs . , Ireland , 1 302—1307, p . 173 .
2 R o t . H ib . Cane . Ca l .
3 Thady Dow l ing’
s“ Annals of I reland .
4 Fr iar Glyn’
s Annals o f I reland .
”
b R o t . Canc. H ib . Calendarium, p .
324 THE CA STLE A ND M A NOR OF CAR LOW .
In the same year ( 1 377 ) a grant of five marks was allowedto Richard Walsh , Parson of the Church
,
of Carlow (he was stillParson in whose house was burned the last time
'
the
O’
Byrnes set . fire to the town. Two years later the same
RichardWalsh was granted ten marks for his services in defenceof Carlow ,
and in consideration that he had lost over £40 worthof goods and chattels by fire.
1
In 1 378 R ichard fitz Thomas Wale (or de Valle) appears asSheriff of the County .
In 1 381 a grant was made to John More , Clerk of the
W orks , of £20, for repairs to the Castle of Catherlagh.
2
In 1392 , to aid the settlers w ithin the walls of Carlow , the
Dublin Council engaged Master Richard Sonner, of Dublin,
smith , who , w ith his attendant , agreed , for the payment of one
shilling per day ,to dwell there, in the King
’
s service, for threemonths , for the purpose of making guns, arms , harness, and
o ther articles for defence of the place against the I rish .
3
In this year (1 392 ) the Rector of Carlow Church , RichardWals Walsh) , Chaplain, an aged man
, petit ioned the LordJus tice for assistance , as the enemy had destroyed his hou se,goods , and grain he was 91 1 1 11
In this year, too , Thom 11 toun was Vicar. of the Church
of Carlow .
‘
The year 1 395 was a notable one . in the annals of Leinster,for a change of policy towards the I rish septs by the King of
England , who finding it impracticable to reduce the I rish byarms
,sought to conciliate them through the medium of religion.
So , laying aside the hostile banners of England , quartered withleopards and fleur-de-lis, he substituted flags, bearing a goldencross on a blue ground , surrounded by five si lver birds, whichare said to have been the arms of his patron-saint , Edward theConfessor . [The I rish are represented to have held in reverence
the memory of The Confessor,”whose Queen, Edith , was sister
to Driella , wife of Donogh O’
Brien, King ofMunster.] Enteringinto negotiations wi th Art MacM urrough, King of Leinster
( this was the famous Art macArt macMurtoughmacMurroughMacMurrough, who died in 1 417 , it is said , by po ison) , KingRichard induced him to agree to accept lands in exchange forthose lands under his contro l in the County Carlow ,
whencemost of the settlers had been expelled , and through which the
Pages 104 and 106b of Ro t . Cal . H ib . Canc.
2 Page 1 16b, R o t . Ca l . H ib . Canc.
3 Ib . , p . 1 5 1 .
4 Graves’
s“ Proceed ings o f the King
’
s Council in I re land , 1392—3 ,
p . 1 1 .
5 1 5, p . 44 .
THE CA STLE A ND M ANOR OF CA R LOW . 32 5
royal officials cou ld not pass to administer the English laws .
The formal ratification of this compact was committed by theKing to the English claimant of these lands , Thomas Mowbray,nominal Lord of Carlow ,
Earl of Nottingham , Lieu tenant of
Picard’
y, Flanders , and Artois, Governor of Calais and ofWales .
Sir T homas Mowbray stood , at this period , high in the‘
royalfavour, and was permitted to wear the insignia of an eldest sonof the King of England
,consisting of a coronet of silver,
suspended from his neck w ith the crest of a go lden leopard . He
subsequently assisted at the execution of his father-in-law,the
Earl of Arundel ; participated in the mysterious death of
G loucester ; obtained the Dukedom of Norfolk , and eventual lydied in I taly in 1400, where he had been exiled in disgracefor life.
‘
On the l 6th of February, 1 395 , Sir Thomas Mowbray and
the King’
s commissioners met Art MacMurrough, King of
Leinster , who was mounted on a“black steed ,
“ in ari Open field,
called Ballygory, near Catherlagh, on the side of Slemargy, in
the dioceSe of Le ighlin.
”In his company were several native
chiefs w i th their armed “
followers, including Garrett O’Byrne
and,
Donnell O ’
No lan,
“capta f
; their nations .
”The terms
of the agreement and the l’'
1
etters Patent were read inEnglish by John Molton, a cleric Of the Lincoln Diocese, and
translated into I rish by‘
Edmund Vale , Master of the Hospitalof St . John of Jerusalem in I reland Kilmainham) . Art
MacMurrough then went through the ceremony of homage .
Taking off his girdle , sword, and cap, onb ended knees he
placed his hands between those of ~Sir Thomas Mowbray, andtook an oath in I rish of allegiance to the King, and swore on
the Gospels to'
observe the covenants. He then was given the
kiss of peace by Sir Thomas on behalf of the King, and , risingto his feet
,the ceremony closed . The sub-chiefs , in order of
rank,then also did homage in the same manner . On this
Occasion the ceremony was performed by Garrett O’
Byrne ,2 Chief
of Crioch Branach and Ranelagh i n the County W icklowDonnel l O
’
Nolan, of Fortharta-Fea , now in the Barony of Forth,
County Carlow ,
Melaghlin O’More , Chief of _
Leix ; MurroughO
’COnnor
,Chief of Offaly and Rory oge and Shane , sons
of'
Morrogh b‘
oy O’
More , Lord of S lieve Margy, now a Baronyin the Queen’
s County. On the morrow ,February 1 7 th,
in a
house within the Castle of Catherlagh, the said Edmund Vale
Page 269 of G ilbert ’s V iceroys .
2O
’
Byrne , i .e . , Garrett macTe ige , d ied in 1399.
326 THE CA STLE A ND M A NOR OF CA R LOW .
took oath faithfu lly to expound in English the liege homages
of the above-named , and did so . Then David mac Manus
O’
Murarghe O’
Murroughoe , a lias Murphy) and E . mac
Garrett (Kavanagh) , of Hy Kinshellagh, did liege homage in the
same manner . Then came Geoffrey O’
Brennan, of I Dough ;Fineen MacG illapatrick, of Upper Ossory ; Henry Tallon ( ofAgha, County Carlow ) , an English rebel ; Thomas
“ karragh,”
Kavanagh ; and Shane O ’
Nolan,who were not requ ired to do
homage, but were sworn to subm it to the King’
s ordinance and
disposition.
On the 1 8 th, Lisagh macFeorais (or Pierce) O’
Connor of
the nation of Hyrth I rry, a district in the western half of theBarony of Portnahinch, Queen’
s County) , and O’
Toole HughO
’
Toole,Chief of Imaal l n the County W icklow ) , did homage
as above in the Church of theFriars M inors, at Thristel-Dermond
(now Castledermo t, County Ki ldare, seven miles north-east of
Carlow) . On the 25 th of June, these, and other homages, were
forwarded in two hampers , by the King, to John, Bishop of
Sal isbury, Treasurer of England , to be enrolled in the ExchequerCourt , and safely kept in the Treasury.
1
In January, 1400, King Henry IV appointed ThomasHarbrek , Constable of the Castle of Carlow , custodian of all the
manors , lands , and services in the Counties of Carlow , Kildare
(Ballysax) , and Wexford,which lately belonged to Margaret ,
Duchess of Norfolk (daughter and heir of Prince Thomas
Plantagenet , surnamed de Botherton deceased , who held of
the king, in cap ite, and also the possessions of her grandsonand heir, Thomas M owbray, Duke of Norfolk, late defunct , whoseheirs were under age , for which reasons the estates were in the
King’
s hands . In the fo llowing year the appointment was
transferred from Thomas Herbrigge , late Constable,to
W illiam Houton,Constable of Carlow Castle .
2
In 1 403 , Thomas Taillour,of Carlow ,
cleric, and S imon de
Vale , sheriff of the county, were appointed to try the prisonersconfined in the jai l of Carlow Castle.
3 The surna’
me de Valehas undergone several changes : different branches of the same
fam ily wou ld also call them selves le Veel ,” Calfe
,
”and Wall .
In the fo llowing year Thomas Taillour was granted a custodiamof the estate of Thomas de Vale
,deceased , and was made
guardian of his daughter, Joan, by his wife Margaret Traharne .
In 1405 Sir Edmund Perers,Knight , was appointed
Ca lenda r o f Carew M anuscripts , pp . 378 -380.
Page 15 5 1) and 1 59, R o t . H ib . Cal . Cane .
3 Page 1 78 , R o t . H ib . Cal . Canc.
326 THE CA STLE A ND M A NOR OF CA R LOW .
took oath faithfu lly to expound in English the liege homages
of the above-named , and did so. Then David mac Manus
O’
Murarghe O’Murroughoe, a lias Murphy) and E . mac
Garrett (Kavanagh) , of Hy Kinshellagh, did liege homage in the
same manner . Then came Geoffrey O’
Brennan, of I Dough ;F ineen MacG illapatrick, of Upper Ossory ; Henry Tallon ( ofAgha, County Carlow ) , an English rebel ; Thomas
“ karragh,”
Kavanagh ; and Shane O ’
Nolan,who were not requ ired to do
homage, but were sworn to subm it to the King’
s ordinance and
disposition.
On the 18 th, Lisagh macFeorais (or Pierce) O’
Connor of
the nation of Hyrth I rry, a district in the western half of theBarony of Portnahinch, Queen’
s County) , and O’
Toole HughO
’
Toole , Chief of Imaal in the County W icklow ) , did homage
as above in the Church of theFriars M inors, at Thristel-Dermond
(now Castledermo t, County Kildare, seven miles north-east of
Carlow) . On the 25 th of‘
June, these, and other homages, we
forwarded in two hampers , by the King, to John, Bishop of
Salisbury, Treasurer of England , to be enrolled in the ExchequerCourt, and safely kept in the Treasury.
1
In January, 1 400, King Henry IV appointed Thomas
Harbrek , Constable of the Castle of Carlow , custodian of all the
manors , lands , and services in the Counties of Carlow , Kildare(Ballysax) , and Wexford
,which lately belonged to Margaret,
Duchess of Norfo lk (daughter and heir of Prince Thomas
Plantagenet , surnamed de Botherton deceased , who held of
the king, in cap ite, and also the possessions of her grandsonand heir, Thomas M owbray, Duke of Norfo lk, late defunct, whoseheirs were under age, for which reasons the estates were in the
King’
s hands . In the fo llowing year the appointment was
transferred from Thomas Herbrigge , late Constable,to
W illiam Houton,Constable of Carlow Castle .
2
In 1 403 , Thomas Taillour,of Carlow ,
cleric, and S imon de
Vale , sheriff of the county, were appointed to try the prisonersconfined in the jai l of Carlow Castle.
3 The surn’
ame de Vale ”
has undergone several changes : different branches of the same
fam ily wou ld also call themselves le Veel,
” Calfe,
”and Wall .
In the fo llowing year Thomas Taillour was granted a custodiamof the estate of Thomas de Vale, deceased , and was madeguardian of his daughter, Joan, by his w ife Margaret Traharne .
In 1405 S ir E dmund Perers,Knight, was appointed
Ca lendar o f Carew M anu scripts , pp . 378—380.
Page 15 5 1) and 1 59, R o t . H ib . Ca l . Canc.
3 Page 1 78 , Ro t . H ib . Ca l . Canc.
THE CA STLE AND MANOR OF CAR LOW .
In the same year (1435 ) the Privy Council allowed the sum
of 40s . to Henry Vale , Parson of the Church of Cather ,lagh who
was appointed custodian of the castle there.1
In 1440 the Escheator o f I reland received instructions fromthe King to have a full seisin made of the estates of the late SirJohn '
de Mowbray, 2nd Duke of Norfolk, who died in 1 432 ,leaving his son and heir, John, a minor at the time of his death .
The instructions add that by different Inquisitions it was foundthat the late Sir John’
s estates were valued by knight’
s service
per annum as fo llows
Manor of Old Rosse, w ith the town of New Rosse,and the castle under I sland of Hervey,
”valued at
£ 10 per annum.
Manor of Ballysaxe, ln the County Ki ldare, valuedat 20s . per annum.
Castle of Catherlagh with the Body of the Countyand the burgh there, and the Manor of Fotheryd
(Forth ) , valued at 1 2d . per annum .
3
In 1484,on the l 0th February, Sir W illiam Berkeley (son of
the Lady I sabel de Mow bray) , Earl of Nottingham, and heir to a
porti on o f the Carlow Estates , presented the advowson and
patronage of the Church in Carlow (which was dedicated to theBlessed Virgin Mary) to
’
St. Mary’
s Abbey, Dublin, of whichWalter Champfleur was then abbot . The grant was thusworded
Omnibus , etc. W illielmus , Comes Nott ingham , V ice-Comes Bark leyet Carelagh, a lias Catyrlagh, salutem .
Sciat is nos , prefatum Comitem , dedisse et concessisse Wal tero
Champflower, Ab bat i M onasterii Beate Marie , advocationem at patronatum
eccles ie parochial is Beate M arie V irginis de Carelagh, sive Catyrlagh,Leghl inensis d iocesis .
Da ta 10 Feb ruaru , anno R egis R icard i Tertu post conquestum
Angl ie secundo (i .e . A .D .
Conflrmatio M ilonis (de Rupe or Roche) , Ep iscopi Lechl inensis .
Ult imo April is , A .D. 1492 .
”4
The Grantor, Sir William Berkeley, created M arquess of
Berkeley in 1 490, died on the 14th February, 1492, and as he
left no issue , his honours ceased ; but the Barony of Berkeley
1 Page 2595 , Ro t . H ib . Cal . Canc.
2 N ow cal led the “ Great I s land , in the Parish of Kilmok ea , Co untyW exford .
3 Page 26 l b, R o t . H ib . Cal . Canc.
4 G ilbert ’s Chartularies of S t . Mary’
s A bbey, vol . 11 , p . 19.
THE CA STLE AND MANOR OF CA R LOW . 329
wou ld have passed to his next brother , Maurice,had they not
quarrelled (it is said on account of M aurice marrying beneathhim ) , and so in anger Sir W illiam settled the cas tle, lordship ,and lands of Berkeley upon Henry V I I and his male heirs .
In 1494 , Carlow Castle was seized by James Fitz Gerald ,brother of Garrett
“More,
”8 th Earl of rKildare. The latter
,in
September of this year , attended the Lord Deputy, S ir EdwardPoynings , in his expedition against the Northern I rish he was
suspected of intriguing with Felim O’
Hanlon,chief of Orior (a
district . in the County Armagh) , and about the same time the
news of the rebellion and capture of Carlow Cast le by his brotherJames reached the L ord Deputy ’
s ears ; S ir Edward Poyningsthen returned from the north
, and assembled a Parl iament inDrogheda , in which an Act was passed attainting the Earland his adherents , after which the Lord Depu ty proceeded toCarlow ,
and , laying siege to the castle, recovered possession of it
at the end ofweek.
1
One of the charges against the Earl was for high treason,in
that he cau sed his brother James and other rebels to take bytreason the King
’
s Castle of Carlaughe , rearing and setting upupon the same his conysaunce and standard ; which castle waskept and fortified w ith men and v1ctua1s
,in the name and by
commandment of the said Earl unt il such t ime as it was gottenby the great wisdom and manhood of the said Deputy, after hislongand painfu l lying at the siege of the same .
” 2
The Earl was sent overa prisoner to England and lodged inthe Tower of London. Two years later , however, he received theroyal pardon,
and was restored to his honours and estates . I t
was on this occasion that KingHenry V I I was so taken w ith thehonest , bluff manner of the Earl and the plain-spoken ,
straightforward way he replied to the charges of his accusers for
instance , when David Creagh , the Bishop of Cashel , accused himof burning his Cathedral on the Rock
,he made no _attempt to
deny it , but bo ldly said he wou ld not have done it bu t he
was informed that the bishop was then inside ; and,final ly,
when John Pain,the Bishop of Meath , irritably exclaimed
Y our Majesty must see all Ireland cannot ru le this man,
”the
King immediately replied, Then he shal l rule all I reland ,
”
and there and then appo inted him his Deputy, an office he faithfully held t ill his death in the year 1 5 13 . A ful l account
'
of the
above incident is t o be found in Hol inshed’
s“ Chronicles of
I reland .
’
Cox’
s H istory of Ireland .
2 “ Cal . Of Carew M anuscr ipts , pp . 483 ,484 .
332 THE CA STLE AND M ANOR OF CAR LOW .
now exists of Carlow having at one time been a walled town, as
is the case with Athy and Castledermot .
In 1 5 38 the Justiciary, Lord Leonard Grey, and the Counci lproceeded through Leinster for the purpose of proclaiming theKing
’
s injunctions for establishing the Reformation. Theyreport that on reaching Carlow where Lord James Butler keptehis Cristmas we ther were veray well interteyned, and from thenswe went to Kylkenny, where we were no les interteyned by therleof Ormonde.
”1
In the previous month of August, Lord Leonard Grey was
present in Carlow ,on which occasion the Chief of Leix ,
PierceO
’
More, made his submission and went bai l for his nephews ,Kedagh and Rory, sons of Congal (Connell) O
’
More, deceased.
2
In 1 5 40 the Irish Counci l recommended John Travers, Masterof the Ordnance in I reland, as a su itable person to be appointedConstable of Carlow Castle , owing to his know ledge of the I rishlanguage .
3 Whether he was appointed in succession to LordJames Butler is not stated . In 1 548 a Brian Jonys 01
1 JohnsJones) appears as Constable.
4
On the 8th January, 1 540, an Inqu isition5was held in the
town to ascertain the Carlow possessions of the lately suppressedMonastery of St . Mary
’
s, Dublin. The following are the names
of the jury who were sworn 1
Edward Barrie Donal O ’
Brainan
Wa lter Vale John Herro ldRichard Vale Thomas ffitz EdmondJohn macGarrott Brien O ’
DempsePatrick Sayntleger Laghlin O
’
Dine O’
Dunne)John Barrie M aurice TallonPatrick O ’
Donell Nicholas O ’
DonellDonal Bretnoghe Walsh ) Thomas Duff
John O’
Keiley Edward O ’KeileyDonal macOwen Laghlin Reiaghe
They, on their oaths, say that W illiam Lawndeys , late
Abbot of the House 0 11 Monastery of the Blessed Virgin
Mary near Dublin, was seised in his demesne as of fee , in
right of his late House 011 Monastery aforesaid , of and in the
Rectory of Cathirlaghe, Pol ledstowne, the moyte (half) ofBallykernan, Mortelstowne, Graung-gudwen beyond the
1 “ S tate Papers of Henry V II I , vo l . i i i , p . 1 1 1 .
2I bo , p . 88 .
3 I bo , p t 276“ Cal . o f S tate Papers , I reland ,” p . 98 .
5 County Carlow Exchequer Inqu is it ion, N o . 4 o f H enry V I I I .
THE CA STLE A ND M ANOR OF CA R LOW . 333
Barrowe, with the tithes of corn-sheaves and Of hay, w iththeir appurtenencies, all valued , when expenses have beenpaid , at 66s. 8d . yearly.
As has been already stated , the Rectory of Carlow was
granted to St . Mary s Abbey m 1484 537 the then Lord of the
Manor Sir W ill iam Berkeley.
Another inqu iry was held at Kilkea on the 27th November,1 540, before Thomas Walsh and John Mynne, Commissionersof the
‘ King, to ascertain the extent, O11
valuation, of the
Rectory 011 Church of Catherlagh. I t was then found on the
oaths ofMartinPelles , ofA thy Thomas Fit z Gerald , ofDollardstown James Fitz Gerald , of Gra nge Mellon, and other uprightmen of the neighbourhood , that the t ithes of corn of the town of
Catherlagh were valued at £ 8 , and that the tithes of Po llerdiston
(Pollardstown,now Pollacton) and Ballykernon (Kernanstown,
near Carlow) were worth nothing, as those places had beendevastated during the war with the O
’
Byrnes and the Kavanaghs ;and also that the V icarage was worth yearly £ 10, the presentationto which had devolved to the King since the suppression of the
monasteries .
1
In 1 5 52 a lease of the Manor of Carlow was granted by theCrown to Edward Randolf for 21 years, at a rent of £23 38 . 1d .
At 1his time the Manor cons1sted of
An old strong Cas tle with four towers, on the east sideof the Barrow ; one tower on the other s ide’ ; thefishing of the Barrow.
The demesne lands of the Manor in Barneglasse on the
other side of the Barrow._
Ardconeryan, Rathmore , Coranmore, Farrancloghe,Heloghe, Monesnekill, Skeamragh, and Rathevillie,Coranbeg, Burloo on this side of the Barrow .
Knockanecroghe, the Erles medowe"
and a water millthere of the demesne lands .
Messuages and lands on the town of Catherlaghe, and
the customs of the tenants.
[In 1603 the Customs of the M anor o f Carlow.
cons isted of
(a ) A sa lmon year ly out o f every net for tak ing salmon in ther iver Barrow ,
running by the bound s of the Cast le .
(b) Dermo t macTe ige and Edward macR ory , and others , render
for '
each p lough a carcase and a half of beef, seventy-two
gallons of beer , and e ighteen loaves of bread .
Gi lbert ’s Chartu laries of St . M ary’
s A b bey , Dub l in, vol . i i , p . 91 .
In ano ther p lace called“the Cast le of. Graige .
334 THE CA STLE A ND M ANOR OF CAR LOW .
(0) Each o f the tenants and co ttagers render a sheep ou t of everyflock , hav ing seven in number and upwards , if above thatnum b er a penny for every sheep w ithin that number , andone hen at Chr is tmas .
(d ) Each of the tenants and co t tagers hav ing cow s render a d ishof but ter in M ay , and ano ther in A u tumn (each d ish con
ta ining three and a ha lf gal lons) .(6 ) Every inhab itant W ithin the town ,
brew ing beer for sale,
renders out of each brew ing, four ga l lons o f A le .
(f ) For every Cow s la in in the town for sale, the Lord of the
Manor sha l l have the hide , or in l ieu thereof from 6d to 14d
accord ing to the siz e of the anima l .(9) In al l w orks to b e done w ithin the Cast le , the inhab itants of
the town shal l find six w orkmen or labourers da ily dur ingthe work , at the ir own expense .
(h) Each of the t enants and co ttagers shal l , for three days , weedthe corn-crop in the demesne , and reap the co rn in Au tumn
for three days one w oman ou t of every house in the town
shal l for one day, yearly , ass ist in b ind ing the sheaves of
corn in Autumn .
( 1) Each of the tenants and co ttagers sha l l cu t , w ith his own axe ,
wood for fuel for the u se of the Cast le for three days in
Summer .
Each t enant hav ing a draught-horse sha l l draw w ood to the
Cast le for three days in each year ; and for a l ike numberof days he sha l l draw the corn from the fields to the Cas tlehaggard he shall give one cart-load o f wood, and one truss
of straw , at every Chr istmas and Easter ; and each of the
Co ttagers shall give one truss of rushes at tho se Feasts .
(k) The tenants shal l supp ly p loughs in the demesne lands,for
three days for wheat sow ing, and three days for oat sow ingand shal l cart the sheaves of corn for sale to the M arkets ,and Fa ir in the town on the Fest iva l of the A ssumpt ion of
the Blessed V irgin (1 5 th of August ) .(Z) In add it ion to the to l ls of the Fa ir , and the profits of the M il l
o f the M anor , there was a tax ca lled a herrio t due to the
Lord of the M anor . The herrio t cons isted of the second
best beast , of whatever k ind it be , which on the death o f
the tenant or cottager was given to the Lord of the Manor
if he had bu t one animal , it w as to be auctioned among the
ne ighbours and one third of the price given to him and if
the d eceased possessed no animal , his goods w ere auct ionedand if they came to the va lue of 2OS and over, 6
11 8d o f that
sum in the name of a herrio t was handed to the Lord of the
M anor . (Morrin’
s Cal . of C lose R o lls , vol . i i , p .
Land of Mortelliston,parcel of the said Manor.
Land inDowganston, Ballenragh,Ahate, Killenore the
customs of the tenants of Dowganston, Paynston,Johnston
,and Pollardeston.
And the perqu isites of the court of the Manor .
The Lessee, or he’
s Assign, to reside in the Castle,and
not to assign without license .
THE CA STLE AND M AN OR OF CAR LOW .
prevent further mutilation to the figure , the late Colonel HenryBruen had the effigy removed to Oak Park , and offering a rewardfor the head , recovered it too. F011 years it remained at Oak
Park , till a descendant of the Constables, in the female line, a
Mr. Hartpole-Bowen, obtained permission (previous to 1 880)from the present owner of Oak Park , to have it removed to hisresidence at Kilnacourt, in Portarlington, where it still remains ,though the head , since its arrival there , has been lost.
1
In 1 587 Henry, 12th Earl of Kildare , petitioned the Queenfor the recovery of his Carlow Estates, or other lands of equalva lue in exchange for it . I t appears that an Act of a Parliament
held in Limerick in 1494 granted to Gerald , 8 th Earl of Kildare,then Lord Deputy, such lands in the County Carlow,
ly ingbetween the town of that name and the town of Leighlin
-bridge,as should be waste and derelict owing to the absenteeism of
their then proprietors . Previous to the Rebellion of the S ilkenThomas, l 0th Earl , in 1 534 , it was mentioned in a Reportto the King on the state of the county, that
“the Earl of
Kyldare , his brethren and kinsmen, have the counties of Ki ldare
and Carlaghe till it come unto the Bridge of Leighlin.
”2In 1 5 57
the Honours and Estates of the Earls , forfeited by the Rebellion,were restored to Gerald , the 1 1 th Earl among the possessions ,according to the following extract from the Queen’
s letter,addressed to the Lord Deputy in reply to the Earl ’s petition
,
were the castle and lands of Catherlagh, which had been in
error leased to R obert Hartpole, Constable of the Castle . The
Queen’
s letter is dated the 9th September, 1 588 , and commences
thus
R ight Trusty : Whereas the Cast le and lands of Ca therlagh, belonging to our cous in Henry, Earl of Kildare , have been these many years
w ithho lden from him by R obert Har tpo le , Constab le of our Fort in
Catherlaghe , by force of a Lease made unto him , in which lease the
lands w ere inserted ; by reason whereof the Earl ’s right was broughtin quest ion whereupon the Chief Just ices of the Benches and the Lord
Chief Baron d id give their op inions for the invalid ity and insufficiency of
the Lease , and a certificate was therefore returned to our Pr ivy Councilhere , by S ir John P errot , then Deputy . N evertheless , weighing howcommod iou s and necessary the lands l ie for the use of our Fort , the Earlhath b een deal t w i th
, on our behalf, for an exchange to b e made for o ther
parcels of our inheritance in that realm , whereof he hath besought ass ignment and a perfect estate to be made to him in l ieu o f the lands , which wecanno t bu t think reasonab le, and therefore do expressly w i l l and commandyou , w ith convenient speed , to pass unto the Earl and his heirs an estate
For a pho togra ph o f this tomb see the JOURNAL , vol . iv , p . 225 .
S tate Papers o f Henry V I I I ,”vo l . i i , p . 184.
THE CA STLE AND M AN OR OF CA R LOW . 337
in fee s imp le of such lands and revers ions in this our realm in exchange ,as sha l l b e answ erab le to l ike quant ity and goodness of the lands inCatherlaghe and for such lands as the Earl is to pass unto us , being nowannexed to the Fort of Catherlaghe , we requ ire you to have a special careto see the same well assured unto us in fee s imp le .
” 1
I have not so far discovered what estate the Earl obtained inexchange for the Carlow property.
In 1 591 , Dowling’
s Annals of Ireland state that Artachnan
”Kavanagh was taken prisoner at Monelly,
”and,
w ith seven of his followers, was hanged at Catherlough.
In 1 594, one of the witnesses to Robert Hartpole’
s (Constableof the Castle) W i ll , which was signed on. the 1 2th September ,was P iers White , Vicar of Catherlagh.
”
In 1 599, Sir Robert Napper, Knt ., Chief Baron, was granted
a lease of the Manor of Carlow, when the previous lease grantedto Sir W il liam Hartpole, Knt . (eldest son of Robert Hartpole ,by his wife Grania O ’
Byrne) , Constable of the Castle , shou ldexpire .
2This grant appears to have been revoked
, as,in May,
1604, Donough O’
Brien,Earl of Thomond , in consideration of
his services to Queen E lizabeth , was granted by King James I
an estate in fee-simple for ever of the Manor of Catherlogh,
being of the yearly rent of £23 3s 1d. (reserving and excep tingout of the sa id grant the Castle of Ca therlagh) , and so muchother land
,&c.
,at the ancient rents , as shall amount
,together
with the said Manor of Catherlogh,to the value of £ 100 per
annum,in free
'
and common soccage, as of the Castle of Dublin,
to be held of the King. The saideEarl and his son and the
longer liver of them to have the C onstableship of the said Castleof Catherlogh, with all
"
such entertainments as Robert and
W illiam Hartpoole lately enjoyed the same .
” 3
S ir W illiam Hartpole’
s death took place on the 1 5 th Apri l ,1 616, when the Castle and Constableship were acqu ired byDonough , Earl of Thomond .
The Borough of Carlow.
In 1613 the Lord Deputy issued an order to Sir John Davys,the A ttorney
-General , to draw forth a fiant of incorporationunto the undernamed persons by the names of Portreeve and
Burgesses of the town of Catherlog’
he
Portreeve . John Kirton
1 M orrin’
s Cal . o f C lose R o l ls , vo l . i i , p . 184.
2 I b . , p 5 14 .
3Cal . of S tate Papers ,
”
p . 167.
338 THE CA STLE AND MAN OR OF CAR LOW .
Burgesses— Sir 11
The corporation was given power to return two members tothe I rish Parliament .
Cal . of S tate Papers , p . 336 .
( T o be continued .
W illiam Hartpole, Knt. , Sir RobertPigott , Knt. , Sir Adam Loftus of Rathfarnham , Knt . , Anthony
“
Sentleger,Peter Wright , W i lliam Greatrake ,N icho las Harman
,John Bromfield
,
John E ly, Robert Whiteacre , RobertSutton
,and R ichard Keatinge.
1
340 A DESCR IPT IV E A CCOUNT OF
but where there are found any hills or risings , they are on all
sides covered with sheep of the largest size,and longest staple,
and the low lands are crowded with horses and black cattle, and
where of the English streiu 0 11 breed , improve and enlarge.
Their T illage they performe w ith little horses 0 11 Garrans , in
Geeres 0 11 harnasse made of W iths O11 Gadds, soe they cann settup and furnish out a plow with lesse than a third the charge theycann possibly doe it for in England , and soe of al l other theirCarriages which is don with halfe the trouble , and yet the Draft
more easie and their furrow they cast as straight and turn theirridges as well as are any other where observed in soe much thati t hath occasioned the wonder of English husbandmen how it
cou ld possibly be performed , and to smi le to think how muchmore provident and spareinge then in England , and in a while tofall into the same method with the native .
Nere the center of this County is the Curragh o f Kildare,a
large spatious plaine and common to all the adjacent neighbourhood , whoe find it a rich and commodious as well as healthfulpasturage, especial ly for sheep that beare a fine staple
,and the
sweetest flesh of any in the Kingdom, it being thronged withflocks all the yeare round ; it is about nine miles in compasse ,and together with the adjoining grounds , is reckoned one of the
most pleasant sytes these Kingdoms any where cann shew the
easie assents yieldinge noble and various prospects ; and the
gentle declinings give content to the wearied Traveller as wel l asrecreate and please the Gentiele ~horse-man Keeper it beingea place naturally addapted to pleasure , and its vicinity to Dublin,
beinge but 1 7 m iles distance , occasions that hither repaires theLord Lieutenant or Chiefe Governor when his Majesties im
portant affairs w ill adm it leasure to unbend,
slacken from
tyering cares ; hither are alsoe seen to come all the nobilityand Gentrie of the Kingdome that either pretend to love , or
delight in hawking , hunting 0 11
raceing, for in this clearer and
finer aire the falcon goes to a higher pitch , 011 mount , so as offten
to be scarce visible , the hounds enjoy the scent more freely, andthe Courser in his swift carreare is less sencible of pressuire 01
1
Opposition then other where and upon any generall meetinge 011
Randevouse of the army or M illitia this is the place, and indeedit is noe unacceptable sight upon such occasions to see whatnumbers of gentlemen with faire equipage good mein and portappeare there to accompany and attend his Excellency, fromthose to see with what awfu ll respect and devotive demenourthey reveer Royalty, and on the other hand with what obligeingeG randiour and affable noblenese he returns it perhaps a sort of
reception some way peculiar to his Excellency ; and seems to
THE COUNT Y OF K ILDA R E IN 1682 . 34 1
suggest , that a well bred gent leman 1s not onely a fitt companion,
but the best representative ofMane
.
This Country as is said , though plain and champi on is wel lwatered with store of R ivers those of note are (1 ) the Barrowsecond to none in the Kingdom but the Shannon,
which riverdescendinge from the high mountain of Sleabloome g lideth a
course of about 1 50 m iles, in which it washeth ten corporateor market towns, to which thereon may be conveyed Boats of
great burthen ; at Passage it meeteth the Nore, and at Dun
cannon the Shewer togeather theymake a vast current of ffresh
water, thus meetinge they are called The Three S isters , for thatthey have alsoe theire heads or rise in the same mountain ,
fish
in this river are the Pike, Ele (reckond the best ln the Keingdom) ,Roch lock, the first not sufi
'
e1 ing any other to live ln the same
streame , where he once predominates ,and in their season store
of Salmon and Lamperaies are taken, but many more might be
(if the sleepinge law for breakinge downe the weares,were put
in due execution) . (2) The Liffey, a shallow rappid river, hasits springe or rise within eight miles of Dublin
, but takinge a
compasse and then runninge an Easte11 1ly course, as it were
divides this county in two equall parts , and in its waye
drenchinge severall noble gentlemens seates, hastens into the sea
in the Bay of Dublin, it afiordeth a white flashing Troot, but a
Salmon alwayes in season. (3 ) The Boyne. (4) The Blackwater. (5 ) The Greece which yeildeth a red calvert Troot ;with divers others of lesse note .
Townes Corporate a11
:e (1 ) Kildare one of the most ancientBishOpps Seas in the Kingdom,
and furnishing Tytle to the
eldest house of the Geraldines or ffitz Ge1 alds, for a numerousdecent the R ight Honorable John Earle of Kildare at presentbeinge primeir Earle of I reland , and the seventeenth of the maleline, which appeares by ari inscription remaininge undefaced over
the Dome of his antient though r‘
ain’d house of M aynooth ,repair
’
d l n the time of George the fifteenth Earle ; grand fatherof the present Earle ; A family that hath floui i shed
,
fo1 some
hundreds of yeares in this country, whoe as early as the Conquestplanted themselves in this soyle and soe prospered under the
sunshine ofRoyall favour the ordinary effects of approved Loyalty,that they did not only possess the greatest part of this tractconteyned with in the Counties of Meath
, Kildare and
Catherloe, but a great part of Munster particularly Lymrick and
the countri es adjoyneinge, in the centre whereof there i s an
aintient pile of the Earles called Crom whence the Earles motto,Crom a boe, of which there are various interpritations , but themost probable is, that it was taken up as a watch
"
word by some
342 A DESCR IPTIV E A CCOUNT OF
of the family of Crom (Castle) when their Territories wereinfested or their persons assalted by some other great scep ,
amongst whom their were continuall fewds and bickerings (foraboe,
”and a boe,
” “ab aboe
,
”are words of exclamacon,
or
hue and cry, amongst the natives at this day) , they liveing in a
state of warr , and soe peremptorily tenatious were they of theire
barbarous C ustomes longe after the Conquest , and the Englishsoe degenerated that the mischeifes that usual ly ensued hereonwere soe imanent as to be thought worthy the consideracon of a
parliament whoe judgd it fitt to pass a sever act for the
suppresing all such , and therefor a singular favour don this Earleto be allowed to retain it, for his Empressa 0 1
1 word , and how
vallued by the said Earles appeares by an inscription on the edgeof a marble Table remaineinge in a Garden adjoyninge the saidhouse of Manooth, in these words : Geraldus Comes Kildarie
filius Geraldi ann Dom 1 5 33 , si Dieu plet, Crom a hoe . The
second branch of this family was that of the great Earles of
Desmond whoe in Rebellion with other concurrent circumstances
had like to have crusht and utterly exterpated this whole family,but it was restored in a great measure in the person of [blank]by that Gratius Prince Edward the 6 by act of Parlt . to his
honors, such lands as were not already disposed on to the
Earle of Ormond and others .
The Armes of this Earle is, Pearle, a Saltier Ruby hismottoas before.
(2 ) Naas is another corporacon and the greatest thoroughfaire in the Kingdome .«ell scituated for trade and a goodmarkett bu t having noe maunifacture or T rade it is very thinlyinhabitted . The Earle of Strafford intended here to settle a
wool len clothinge trade .
(3 ) Athy is also a nother Corporate Towne scituate on the
river Barrow every way commodious for Trade, but noe manifac
ture being driven,poore.
These Townes are governd by a Soveraigne and two Portrivesannually chosen ; and four and twenty Burgesses , whoe for themost part are composd of the neighboureing Gentlemen of the
Country , who execute the office of Soveraine by a Deputy, a TowneDweller, they 0 11e appeareinge some sett days in the yeare , toreceive what their collectors have exacted by the tol ls and Customs
of the fai i es and marketts , soe that these townes seem to be totallyneglected , the Revenew beinge never applied to any publique use
0 11
general l good of the Corporacon or improvemtof the towne noe
bu ildges are here to be found , onely at the Naas there°
1s a como
dions sessions house bu ilt at the charge of the county most of it
new and advanc’
t upon pillars which yet are soe disproporcond
344 A DE SCR IPTIV E A CCOUNT OF
was committed or the person his great grandfather that did it ,was liveinge .
Their dyet generally is very meane and sparinge consistinge
of m ilk , roots and course unsavorie bread ; theire lodginge
and habbitt proporconable , they are of good sence and easilygive way to reason
,if plainly demonstrated
,and where they have
the advantage of learneing and educacon extreamly improve
(being silent‘
studious and thoughtfu ll ) , their most injenious
youth are yearly drawn out to supply y°semenaries abroad in noe
smal l damage to the state, and by travell are knowne ever to
receive advantage , but after a— while retorninge to their native
soyle become the same as before, through pride , ease, 0 11 custome ,
or as some wil l have it, some Etherall influence 0 1
1
naturaltendency in y
6soyle 0 1
1
aire to sloth idleness they are weriein makeinge bargaines and punctual in performance where youhave any hauck over them , they are good tenni s, selling all of
any value to pay their rents and eating the worst themselves , insoe much where an English gentleman expects noe more thentheir bare rent chuse to have them
, and they readily becometents to such , sayinge when we have payd our rent we have donuntill next rent day, whereas their fattest cowe , hogg, sheep ,01
1 best horse , are customary and noe denyall of what theirLanlord requ ires ; noe deformed decrepid, lunatick , or I diot (arevery rarely 01
1
) never found amonge them, which beinge the
defects 011 judgmtson Luxorie and Daboachrie are comonly seen
amongst our own and other refined people. They are not easilyprovoakt to passion nor very vindictive nor covitous, henceseldom murders or violences are heard of or us
’d amongst them.
In the open and plain Countries they are content to live on theirlaboure and industrie . The Woods, mountains, Boggs and
fastnesses fosteringe and shelteringe the Robers, Tories, and
Wood Keirns, who are usually the offspring of gentlementhat have either mis-spent or forfeited their estates, who tho
’
haveinge noe subsistence yet contemn and disprize Trades as
beinge too mean and basse for a gentleman reduc’d never soe
low,beinge misled up by their Priests and followers , in an
Oppionon that they may yet recover their lands to l ive in theirpredecessors splendour ; yet the Robbries, Fellonies and
Burglaries , &c., usually committed in this kingdome are not
see numerous but there are comonly sentenced to dye in a
monthly Cessions at the old Bayley, more than in a halfe yearesCircuit in I reland . Their women differ not much in b abbitfrom those of other Countys, general ly inclin
’
d to corpulencyand thick leggs which is occationed by their loose garm
ts,flatt
pumps 0 11 broges, using little 0 11
noe action 011 Exercises in or
THE COUNT Y OF KILDA R E IN 1682 . 345
wthout their houses, having easie laboure and b einge good
nurses, but b ad housewives not being used to any sort ofmanuall
laboure except Spininge, whch by reason of the suppleness of their
fingers they performe well ; they are great admirers of Musick,
yet their own songs are general ly dolefull lamentations as thoseof a conquered people , or as the Jews fnbondage or Captivity(for w
t. are brisk and arie are the composures of the old English
or Scotch ) they are not very lascivious, yet the ordinary sort ofpeople take a sort of pride in prostituteing their daughters or
Kinswomen to their Landlords sons or kinsmen [thoughLoughhemy
1 is not a tenure amongst them at thisday] , and if y
e
young women have a child 0 11 children the
parents are exceedinge fond of it, and the Grandfather divides
his lstate equally to such as to the Legitemate and further ifthey happen to nurse a gentleman
’
s child whose parents fal l intodecay 01
1
want, they think“
themselves bound to provide for thatnurse child as for theire owne
,it havinge drawne of the same
milk .
Notwithstanding all the Laws and methods used to reclaime
them they still retain some Customes heathenish , barbarous, andsuperstitious though ploughing horses by the tail and burningcorn in the straw, are
’
lade aside in these parts , yet others lessobvious and of a worse tendency are frequently practiced amongstthem, such as their opinion of sou ls departed , that as the partiewas condicond when alive his sou le is transmigrated into some
creature of l ike fearce dispositions as a cruel l man into a wolfeand the like, hence the first lambe 011 calfe that fal l of that seasonthey devote or dedicate to him and call 0 11 term him their Gossipand haveing thus cajold him as they think , they supposehe
’
l spare their heard 011
'
flock that yeare , and some will haveit the name imports soe much Mac-tere, which is the son
of the Country,”
011
one of their owne people, but thesecreatures being near destroyed this will not
‘
be used . At theirfirst seeing of a childe they spitt in the face of it in toaken
of good wil l to it and to demonstrate they do not mean itharme, and whereby say they it is secur
’
d from an Evell Eye,and if this be not don they think they have cause to suspect thepartie wi ll bewitch i t (and yet of witches there are very rairelyheard of any detected and
“
convi’
ct’
d amongst them) . Their
.
1This word is doub tfu lly spelt in Dr . P etr ie ’
s copy of the manuscript .
I t 1s probab ly intended to represent the I rish word Log-enech,”which
means honour-price , and consisted of a fine in proport ion to the cr ime
and rank of the offender . (See Dr . Joyce’s Social H istory of Ancient
I reland , vol . i, p .
346 A DE SCR IPT IV E A CCOUNT OF COUNTY K ILDA R E .
huntsmen w ill pretend to tell their Luck for that day from the
creature they first meet or see ; most ominous are, an old
woman,a hare ; and such that are of a timorous nature or dis
position, when they meet the former they w ill curse the poorewretch, and wil l ride round to putt her on their left hand soe to
pass her by as less malignant then on the Right . They are
much given to credit charms , Spel ls , incantacons, Devinacons,and atribute all diseases not very frequent or common amonge
them to ffassinacon 0 11 w itchcraft. They hange old iron about
their childrens necks and tye something 011
other about everycreature they feare exposed to the witches malice or envie ;Holy water they carry home in l ittle pitchers, or coughans, to
besprinckle their houses, and all in them to defend them and
theires from the evell feind they worship the new Moone at its
appearance , falling on their knees with hands and eies lifted upprepeatinge severall praires 011 peticons. Theire Wakes are heldover a dead corps, where they have a table-spread and serv
’
d
w ith the best can be had at such a time, and after a whileattending (in expectation the departed sou le will partake) theyfall to eatinge and drinking, after to revellinge as if one of the
feasts of Bacus the next day at theire settinge out to accompanyit to the Grave, so soone as the bearers have taken up the bodythey begin their shril l cries and hidious hooleings, and if therebe not enough to make out a good cry, they hyre the best and
deepest mouthed in all the countrie, and see they proceedtowards the church this noyse may be heard two miles 01
1 more,
when they come at the church yard on this occasion (and at
other times alsoe) perhaps, five, ten, 011 twenty yeares after their
husband friend or relacon has been buried , they repaire to theireGraves, there they kneele over them— knocking and beatinge
upon the grave and praiseing the partie, repeatinge the former
kindnesse passed between them, intreatinge that they wou ldattend and give ear to them ,
then in an odd tone sorrowingand lamentinge their losse , complain and tell them how
they are misused,and by whom injured and the1 on pray their
help , to right them and thus they continue comonly until some
compassionateing friend or neighboure come and lift them from
the ground wth
expostulatinge language, soe they return wellsatisfied as haveing given an acc
t to one that in time may redressetheir injuries, revenge 0 1
1
relieve them . The women are mostlyinclined and observed to practice these things and many suchlike, a more curious Eye might discover amongst them .
348 BALLADS A ND POEM S OF THE CO UN T Y KILDA RE .
Though wrapped up in flannel for headache, poor Ned
l
L ies peevish (tho ’si lent) and restless in bed ,
When called by the Trumpet to Horse and my Lord ,
He bounces from bed, and belts on his broad sword .
Derry Down, Down , Hey Derry Down .
Old Moses2 well m ounted on his m ettled steed ,
T ra ined by Broom , both to passage and ho ld up his head ,Calls the Clane boys together , and b ids them prepare
F011 the Fleets are arrived and the Monsieurs are near .
Derry Down,Down , Hey Derry Down.
The Sherlockstown Ranger, 3 a larmed at the ev ilDespatches the ou tcry to M ills ,4 Wolfe, 5 and Neville ,Who haste w ith all speed to the old volunteer,Nor cou ld Old Nick himself ever stop their career .
Derry Down,Down , Hey Derry Down .
Next comes l ittle Kemmys ,6 who swears he’ ll disarm
The first of the French that approaches his farmAnd if they attempt to insu lt him or Browne ,
7
He swears by the Lord b e w ill knock them al l down .
Derry Down ,Down , Hey Derry Down.
As for young Fit z Gerald8 he looks very smart
And I’m sure in the battle will act a stout part
But I need not inform you what everyone knowsHe can teach us to step well , and turn out our toes .
Derry Down , Down ,Hey Derry Down.
With Brooke,9 that brave Captain, what have we to fear ,Tho
’thousands were landed by Count D’
Orvil liere
H is courage and skill have beat thousands beforeOf Frenchmen , and Nabobs, on India ’
s fair shore .
Derry Down, Down , Hey Derry Down.
Let us then, my boys , to the V icar’s 10 repair,Where we’
re sure of good claret , and sure of good cheer ;Tho ’
the Chap lain can’t fight, we are sure of his prayers
For long l ife to the Duke and his Clane V o lunteers .
Derry Down,Down , Hey Derry Down .
May health , love, and union for ever remain’Twix t each V olunteer in the Parish of Clane .
May they always with spirit support the great causeAnd punish those Rapps who wou ld trample our Laws .
Derry Down,Down, Hey Derry Down .
1 ? Edward Hendrick of Kerdiffstown .
A resident of Clane .
William Sherlock of Sherlockstown, Ranger of the Curragh.
Samuel Mills of Turnings, near Straffan .
5 Theobald Wolfe of Blackb all, near Clane .
O r Kerneys of Downings .
W
7
(
i
;M ichael Wogan Browne, of Castle Browne, now (as originally) , Clongowes
oo
9 O f Gammonstown, now Y eomanstown,near Carragh .
‘1’ Robert Brooks , of Killybegs , High Sheriff in 1 781 .
1 0Dr. Theobald Disney , D .D. , of V icar ’s Hall ,” Clane .
Severa l of the persons named in this ballad have been identified fromTaylor and Skinner ’
s“ Maps of the Roads of Ireland,” publ ished in 1 778 ; and
also from the List of County Kildare High Sheriffs , printed in vol . i i of theJOURNAL .
BALLADS AND PO EM S OF THE COUNT Y KILDARE. 349
In 1 77 5 the war broke out between England and ' her Coloniesin North America , which ended in the defeat of the former . As
the campaign advanced , Ireland became more and more denudedof Government troops , till at last it became absolutely necessaryfor the defence of the country to raise a Volunteer ForCe of
Infantry, Cavalry, and Artillery. started . in
Ulster in 1 778 , and rapidly spread over the whole country. The
English Government not only gave no assistance in raising thisforce , but were actually hostile to it for political reasons , as it
greatly strengthened the hands of al l parties in Ireland who eithersuffered for their religious beliefs (both Roman Catholics and
”
Dissenters) or were ru ined by the measures adopted to suppress
Irish trade and manufactures . The only way the EnglishParliament kept a party in Ireland to carry out their measures
was by open and shameless bribery— a disgracefu l transaction,'
dishonourable alike to the donor and to the acceptor .
The Volunteers were thus raised , equ ipped , and trained at the
sole expense of the gentry of Ireland . . Recru iting at first wascarried on among the Protestants only ; but as time went on
Roman Catholics were allowed to enter the Corps . For some
fifteen years the Volunteers were a powerfu l factor in the manage
ment of home aflairs ; but then they became weakened byunfortunate political differences a mong their leaders , and
eventually they were superseded in 1794 by the introduction of
the County Militias , a force entirely supported by the Government ,
which continued in existence until the m ilitary changes of 1 908 ,aftet which they were amalgamated by districts , and now formSpecial Reserve Battalions of Line Regiments .
A History of the Volunteer Movement in Ireland , compiled byThomas MacNevin, was published in 1 845 ; in
°
the Appendix he
gives a list of the various Corps , from which . the followingregiments connected with the County Kildare have been taken
The Athy Independents Captain Robert Johnson .
Athy Rangers Captain Stewart Weldon.
1
Athy Volunteers .
Carton Union (Infantryand Cavalry) 1 Colonel Hugh Cane .
2
CastledermotVolunteers Captain Robert Power .
3
Castletown Union Captain the Honble . Thomas
Conolly.
Clane Rangers Captain Michael Aylmer
[Curragh Rangers , not given by MacNevin, but mentionedbelow ]
1 Of Kilm orony , Queen’s County .
2 Of Dowdstown , near Maynooth .
3 Of Power’s Grove , a lias Burtown Little, between Balhtore and Athy.
352 BALLADS AND POEM S OF THE CO UN T Y KILDARE .
The following extract , describing a review of the CarlowVolunteers by the Duke of Leinster , in 1782 , is copied from a news
paper of the period
TH E TH IRD LE IN STER R EVI EW ,1 2TH AUGUST , 1782 .
On Sunday, the 1 1 th of August , about 3 o’clock , his Grace the Duke of
Leinster , reviewing General, escorted by the Arlington, Athy , and Castledermot
Horse , Clane and Kilcullen Rangers, arrived in Carlow,am idst the joyful
acclamations of numberless spectators . He was received by the Carlow Legionunder Arm s
,who made a most martia l appearance , where he received the
compliments of the Exercising Officers , Colonel of Corps , etc.,etc.
‘ 1 About 5 o’clock , his Grace and his Su ite set out for S ir Charles Burton’
s
Encampment , where , w ith Colonel Gard iner ’s Dragoons and some of the
Command ing Officers , they were most elegantly entertained at Dinner .
1 ‘ The next Day, the 1 2th ofAugust , wh ich was appointed for the review, beingthe Prince of Wales ’s Birthday , the Drums and T rumpets of the armysummoned their respective Corps to their different Parades , but so incessanta day of rain we never remember . About one o
’clock it having cleared up a
little , the Corps marched off to the Review Ground about a m ile '
from the town,
where they found their Lines kept by Detachments from the regular Corps ofCavalry and
_Infantry quartered in the Town, a circum stance that gave the
highest sat isfaction to al l Beholders . The Army had scarcely formed , when
the ra in commenced aga in , and in such a torrent , that before the Generalarrived (who , lest he should give any delay , waited patiently in the wet , at theskirt of the G round) there was not a man that was not completely drenched .
Being formed , his Grace , attended by his A ide-de-Camp, the R ight Hon .
Mr. Conolly , S ir Patrick King, John Rochfort , and Henry C . Sankey , E sqrs . ,
entered the field , with the most splendid and princely Retinue that ever graceda V o lunteer , or indeed I believe any other Review .
“His Grace ’s consisted of the Gentlemen of hisHoushould
,two Coaches and
six , numberless servants with led horses, al l richly appointed for the occasion,
Manufactured in Ireland . The Duchess was dressed in a uniform , in an
elegant Phaeton, w ith a set of Ponies, preceded by her Pages in scarlet and
s ilver, and followed by a crowd of Attendants who closed the Procession . H is
Grace rode down the Line (which was truly martial) uncovered , in a most
dreadful Pour , and hav ing taken his Place in Front, the Army , though
drenched w ith wet , and under the continuation of a heavy and incessantRain, marched by in Divisions , w ith a Regularity and Steadiness that wouldredound to the Honour of tried V eterans . After which His Grace and the
Commanding Officers , having consu lted together, it was agreed to march the
men home, as they were of opinion it would be every way doing theminjustice to keep them longer ou t , it being impossible for them to go through
their F irings and Evolutions with their u sual S teadiness and Exactness .
The General rode home at their head , and d ined w ith the principal Officersof the A rmy, where a number of patriotic and loyal Toasts were drank ; atnight there was a Ball , which was crowded with a number of the most
beautiful women perhaps in the world, and the whole concluded w ith FestivityHarmony and good Humour .
1 1 The next day his Grace and his Su ite set off for Leinster Lodge , 1 escortedby Lord Carlow and the Arl ington Horse , Colonel Gardiner and the Dubl inLight Dragoons, Captain Power and the Castledermot Horse , and Col . Carterand theKilcu l len Rangers where they arrived at three o ’
C lock , his Grace havingalighted received them w ith the greatest Cordiality and true Hosp itality .
They were elegantly and sumptuously entertained at Dinner, and P icquets
were provided for the Horses . In the evening, the Trumpets were sounded ,
each Corps fired three rounds in honour of his Grace , the noble host, and hisGuests parted in mu tual sa tisfaction and affection.
”
1 Leinster Lodge (formerly called “ Dollardstown ”) lies between Kilkea
Castle and A thy . I t was the residence of the Earls of Kildare in theeighteenth century , as from abou t 1666 the Castle of Kilkea was leased tovarious persons.
( 353 )
gfl i scel lanea .
C a p ta in G a rre t t , a Le a d e r o f th e l r is h a t the Ba t t leo f G le nm a lu re , 1 5 8 0 .
Inx
the volume for the years 1 574— 1 58 5 of the “ Calendars of
State Papers, Ireland , frequent mention is made of a1 ‘ Captain
Garrett ” and of 1"Gerald ”or Garrett fitz Maurice , who became a
noted rebel , and joined the famous Feagh macHugh O’
Byrne’
s
forces just before the defeat of the Government troops in the battleof Glenmalure in August , 1 580.
As w ill be proved further on,this Captain Gerald fitz Maurice
was of Duneany, near Kildangan , in the County Kildare, and
belonged to the family of. Fitz Gerald of Lackagh his identificationhas not till now been conclu sively proved .
‘ 1 Captain Garrett”had
been in the service of Gerald , Lord Offaly , eldest son of Gerald,
eleventh Earl of Kildare, up to the time of his death in June,1 580 ;
and to reward his fidelity the earl appointed him to the commandof fifty shot ,
”or mu sketeers, in his service .
However , on the breaking out of the Baltinglass Rebellion (socalled from its leader , James Eustace , third Viscount Baltinglass) ,“Captain Garrett deserted with his musketeers and ammunition
,
and marched to the mountains _of Wicklow to join Lord Baltinglassand his Irish confederates , the O
’Byrnes, O
’
Tooles , the Kavanaghs ,and Kinsellaghs , then encamped in - the hil ls at Slieveroe (nearBlessington) and Glenmalure . The newly appointed LordDeputyLord Grey of Wilton— at once mustered a11 army, and marchedinto the heart of the County Wicklow to perform what he thoughtto be an easy task , the breaking up and defeat of the I rish clans .
Hearing that they were in strength under their leaders , LordBaltinglass, Feagh macHugh O
’
Byrnc, and“ Captain Garrett , in
the valley of Glenmalure , the Lord Deputy pitched his camp nearthe entrance to it . He was accompanied by Gerald , eleventh Earlof Kildare ; James Wingfield , Master of the Ordnance ; and two
brOthers , Peter and Sir George Carew . 0 11 the 25 th of August, LordGrey detached a portion ofhis forces to explore the valley and dislodgethe enemy, under the command of Sir William Stanley ,
Peter
Carew ,and Captain Francis Cosby of S tradbally, leader of kern,
who , three and a half years previously carried ou t the brutalmassacre of Irish gentry in the Bath ofMullaghmast . This force ,after toiling over ground of the very worst description , fell into an
ambush , and were practically annihilated . Among the officers slainwere Peter Carew , Captain Audley and his lieu tenant , Colonel JohnMoore
,Mr . George Moore (or More) , George Stafforde , old Captain
354 M IS CELLA NEA .
Francis Cosby , then about seventy years of age, and some thirtyother officers . A contemporary account describes the valley thus
When we entered the glen we were forced to slide sometimes three or four
fathoms before we could stay our feet it was in depth (recte breadth) where weentered at the least a m ile, fu ll of stones, rocks , bogs , and wood ; in the bottomthere, a river full of loose stones , which we were driven to cross d ivers t imes .
So long as our leaders kept the bottom , the odds of the skirm ish were on our
side . But our Colonel being a corpulent man was not able to endure trava il ;before we were half through the glen, which was four m iles in length , it led us
up a steep hill . 1
The “ Annals of the Four Masters record this disaster to theGovernment force in these words
[A .D . A hosting was made by the Lord Justice and Captain Malby,to scatter and d isperse these war-like plunderers . When the insurgents hadheard of the approach of such an overwhelming force , they retreated into theirfastnesses in the rough and rugged recesses of Glenmalure . The Lord Justicethen selected the most trustworthy and best captains of his army, and despatchedthem , at the head of eight or nine companies of sold iers
,to search and explore
G lenmalure ; but they were responded to w ithou t delay by the parties thatguarded the valley , so that very few of these returned w ithout being cut off anddreadfully slaughtered by the Irish party .
When the scanty remnant of the force brought in its account ofthe disaster , Lord Grey struck camp , and hastily returned toDublin,
a sadder and much w iser man.
We now come to the au thority which not only proves the identityof Captain Garrett , but also describes him as being implicated inthe Baltinglass Rebellion. This authority is a Fiant of E lizabeth ,
No . 4193 , dated 10th August , 1 583 . I t is thus printed in ThirteenthReport of the Deputy-Keeper of PublicRecords in I reland
Pardon (under Queen’s letter , 1 1 Feb . xxv) to Maurice Fitz Gerald alias
fitz James , of Osbertiston (Osbertstown , Co . Kildare) , Gent . ; for aiding rebels .
The indictment recites that James Eustace, V iscount of Baltinglass ; Gera ld
F i tz Gera ld , a liasfitz M aurice, of B oneng (Duneany. Co . Kildare) , gent . RobertF itz Gerald, al ias fitz Morice of Osbertiston , gent . and Robert Rocheford of the
same , chapla in, had on the 1 9 : July xxi i (15 80) conspired to levy war ; that onthe 20th September following, the said Robert Fitz Gerald joining to him S ir JohnF itz Gerald , alias O ’Desmonde
,Kt (of Mogeely , Co . Cork , son of James 14th Earl
of Desmond) , and others to the number of 500, had taken the field at Baltinglass ,and had attacked the town of Saggard , County Dublin, burning 40 houses in it ;and that the abovesaid Maurice , and also Oliver Eustace, late of Blackb all
,
County Kildare , Gent . , had aided the rebels .
A Funeral Entry in Ulster’
s Office gives about the only particulars known of the Duneany branch of the Fitz Geralds of Lackagh .
I t states that “ Captain James Fitz Gerald was sonn of OliverFitz Gerald of Downeny in the County ofKildare , Esq
”, eldest sonn
and b eire of Garrett F i tz Gera ld of the same, E sq’
, sonn of Sir MorrisFitz Gerald of Laccaghe , Kh
l, eldest sonn and b eire of Thomas
1 Cal . of S tate Papers, 1 574- 85 , p . 247.
1 356
g l ows .
A C u r io u s u s e to p u t a n Eccle s ia s t ica l Be ll t o .
The “ Annals of the Four Masters , under the year 1 261 , recordthe following incident
Donnell O ’Hara comm itted a depredation upon the C lan Feorais the
Berm ingham s of the County Galway) , in revenge for their having slain CathalO
’Hara , and desecrated the Church of St . Feichinn,at Ballysadare ; he also
killed Sefin MacFeora is , who while being killed had up on his head the bel l whichhe had ta ken from the church of Ba l lysadare .
Dr . O’
Donovan , in a foot-note, explains that Sefin Berminghammust have been under the impression that while he had so sacred a
helmet on his head as S t . Feichin’
s Blessed Bell , no attempt
wou ld have been made to slay him .
Ballysadare (“ the town of the cataract of the oak is in the
County Sligo , and in the O’Hara territory of Leyny . St . Feichin,
by whom the church was founded , was venerated on the 20th of
January .
W. FITZG .
T he Ra tht o o le T ow n la nd .
This townland lies in the County Wicklow , on the borders of
County Kildare , a m ile to the east of T imolin village .
Mr . W . H . Twamley , who lives at Rathtoole House , informsme
that there were the remains of a castle and vaulted chambers on hisfarm some years ago , which he was informed by the old people werefrequented by a fairy man
, who often appeared in a quaint , o ld
fashioned cut of blue coat , w ith brass bu ttons , &c. ,and though he
was often seen, yet he was never known to speak to anyone . He
stands about 3 feet in height. There is a field on the townlandcalled “ the Oldtown and the rath , which gives the name to theplace , is in good preservation , and crowns the summ it of a steephill on the land .
W . FITZG .
T he S e p u lch ra l M o a t a nd C hu rchy a rd a t Ho rt la nd ,
Ba ro ny o f Ik e a t hy a nd O ug hte ra ny .
The ancient name of the Hortland Townland was Scullogestown,
a l ias Ballynascu lloge the townland of the small farmer) , whichis s till the name of the parish . I ts present name is derived fromthe fam ily of Hort , now represented by the Baronets of that name ,
the first of whom in I reland was a clergyman, who became Bishop
of Tuam in 1 742 , and died in 1 7 5 1 .
NOTES . 357
Inside the demesne (the house of which is now ruinous) is theold burial-ground of Scu llogestown ,
a lias Hortland . It is unenclosed ,
except for a light iron paling, and the only trace of the old church
is the octagonal head of a limestone font perforated in the(
centre .
There are no tombstones of any interest ; the'
earliest I cou lddiscover belonged to one Bryan M
‘Donal ; who died in'
1 745 .
Close beside the churchyard , and on the opposite side of the
approach to the house , is a sepu lchral moat , or tumu lus , not as
large as most , but w ith a pecu liar feature in being terraced . One
terrace encircles the base, and another narrow terrace is abouthalfway up . I do not recollect seeing a similar moat anywhereelse .
W . FI TZG .
Do na d e a C a s t le S cu lp t u re d M u ra l S lab ;
The Aylmer-Nugent coats-of-arms slab here shown is from a
sketch by Archdeacon Sherlock . The stone is built into a s ide wallof the castle . On the dexter side of the shield are the Aylmer
Arms, viz .
Argent , a cross sable , between four Cornish choughsproper .
”The small shield in the centre , bearing a
hand , denotes a Baronet . Above the helmet is theAylmer motto : “ Alleluja (or Hallelujah ) .
the sinister side is the Nugent coat , vi z .
1
“ Erm ine , two bars gu les.
Sir ~ Gerald Aylmer was the third son of Richard Aylmer , of
Lyons . He was knighted in 1 598,and in 1621 was created a
358 NOTE S .
Baronet . He was the“
ancestor of the Aylmers of Donadea . Hisdeath took place on the 19th Augu st , 1634, and he was buried at
Donadea , in a tomb erected by him , as well as the (old) church ,
in 1626 , for a description of which see pages 301 , 305-7 of the first
volume of the JOURNAL .
Sir Gerald was twice married 1
First , to Mary, daughter of Henry , son and heir of Sir JohnTravers , Knight , of Monkstown, and widow of James
Eustace , 3rd Viscount Baltinglass . She died withoutissue by him on the 28 th November , 1 610, and was
buried at Monkstown.
Secondly , to Julia Nugent , daughter to Sir Christopher,Baron of Delvin, by whom he had a son and two
daughters :I . Sir Andrew Aylmer , 2nd Baronet .
I . Ju lia , who married Sir Christopher Barnewal l , ofCrickstown , County Meath .
I I . Mabel , married to Oliver Tuite, of Sonnogh,County Westmeath .
Lady Aylmer died on the l oth November, 1617 , and was probablyburied at Donadea .
T he W il l o f Pe t e r Ly nch , O f t he Kno ck , C o u nty M e a th ,
d a te d 12 t h Ju ne , 15 5 3 .
In connexion with our Vice-President, Father Devitt’
s , Paper
on Summerhill (formerly the Knock) , it may be of interest to givein fu ll the last Will of Peter Lynch , of the Knock, who died on the
1 st Ju ly , 1 5 54 . The original is not in existence,but a mm of it is
given in a County Meath Exchequer Inqu isition , taken at Duleekon Wednesday follow ing the Feast of the Nativity of the BlessedVirgin Mary (8th September , The Will , given below ,
is
Copied word for word from the original Inqu isition , which is onlyin a fair state of preservation ; but there are a few doubtfu l wordsin it which
,in Mr . M . J . M ‘Enery
’
s (of the Dublin Record Office)Opinion , are errors of the scribe who copied from the original Will .To Mr . M ‘Enery my thanks are due for his assistance in dicipheringand suggestions as to the meaning of the doubtfu l words .
The Will reads :
In the name of god amen .
I PetyrLynce of the Knock wul in the Countie of Meath , gent . ,in goodmynde
and perfyght memory , and being seeke in my body, do make my Wyl l andtestament in manner and forme folow inge
fu1 st I bequ iethmy soule to the G lorius trinitie , the father the son theholy gost , th1 e pe1 sons and one god ; my body to be buryd be for the Image ofthe Blessyd vyrgin 1na1y inmy Parish Chireh of lethei cor .
1
1 Laracor,Barony of Moyfenrath Lower .
N OTES .
O ld P lace—nam e s in t he T ow nland o f S umm e rh ill
(t he Knock ) , C o u nty M e a th , in 16 09 .
EXTRACT FROM THE ORIG INAL or A COUNTY MEATH CHANCERY'
INQUI S IT ION , No . 16 or JAME S I .
On the 8 th April , 1 609, it was agreed upon between PeterLeyns, of the Knock ; Walter Hussy , of Mullussy ; and EdwardBremacham , of the Garrick, in the County Kildare , on the one part ;and Oliver Plunkett , of Karstown , in the County Louth, on the
other part that in considera tion of a marriage solemnized betweenthe said Peter Leyns and Jennett, sister to the said Oliver, that thesaid Peter
, Walter , and Edward should grant an eighty-one yearslease (to commence on the death of the said Peter) , at a rent of onegrain of wheat , to the said Oliver Plunket and his assigns of the
following lands at the Knock, vi z .
The newe castell in the saydeKnock and the great barne next adioyninge unto
the foresayd Castle w th in the hagyard place , w th convenient or sufficient wayeor passage to carry and recarry corne turfe wood and other necessaryes w
‘hcarrs
Carts otherwise thereunto ; and the house or m essuadge w“1 the backsyde
thereunto belonginge, and next ad ioyninge unto the sayde Castell w ‘hout the
walls of the sayd hagyard that Cristofer Wakely lately hea1d .
And all the towns wherein the farmors and tennants hereafter nam id now
dwelleth, w
thall manner of rents customes dwetyes casualtyes commodityes
crofts gardens backsydes unto the sayde b owses or to any of them belonginge
apparteyninge , viz .
John Branaghe his howse, and the howse wherein Will iam Bean,Nich .
mCEec, Connor O’Trighe , M orisha Collen , Patrick Roch , Patrick Connor,
Patrick Connor, Downehugh O ’Downe, and Robert Bean ,farmers, nowe
dwel leth.
And the b owses wherein Teige O ’Moulmoghey, Manus mcEchanany, Manus
Relly , Molaghline C lovan, Shane O’Moultolle, Neill mcBonche , Cottiers, now
dwel leth . And twelve skore acres arrable land w thal l and singular the moores
meadows,woods and pastures thereunto belonginge, w
th all ther appertenancies
sett lyinge and beinge in the towne and fields of the Knock aforesayd , vi zSix skore acres arable land called the l ittle hill , w ith the moores meddows
woods and pastures thereunto belonginge or apperteyninge .
And three skore acres arrable land called Moighe Moore , w ith the moores
meddowes woods and pastures thereunto belonginge or apperteyninge .
Twenty acres arrable land (called) Edrega-V alle .
Twenty acres arrable land between Loghan-ne-gae , and the batter or lanecalled Bal logh Killabol le .
1
F ifteene acres arrable land betweene the wood and the Myl l called ManistCo logh.
And five acres arrab le land called Monevig that lyes betweene Monevig and
the newe Myl l w i th al l the moores meddowes pastures unto them ,every of
the sayde parcells of land belonginge or w th them .
W Fs G .
REV IEW . 36 1
gfieniew .
WE have received the second part of vol vi of the Journal of theGalway Archaeological and Historical Scrc
'
iety .
I t contains a continuation (by J . P . Dalton) of the history of theAbbey ofKilnalahan , which , though taken over by the Franciscansafter the Carthusians had left it , belonged , so far as its rectorialrights and revenues, to the Knights Hospitallers . This is followedby some interesting notes on the place-namesmentioned in Browne ’
s
Map of Mayo , and by a paper on the Wardenship of
Galway .
rece iv e , p ro v id e d t he a rt icle s a re co nsidere d
s u it a b le , t he ir f u l l -m a rk e t -v a lu e if t hey a re
s e nt_
t o T HE S EC RET RA Y O F T HE RO YA LIR IS H A C ADEMY , 19 DAW S O N S T REET ,
DUBL IN . T he Aca d em y w i l l p ay t he co s t o f
ca rr ia g e t o Du b l in , a nd if t he a rt icle s a re no t
p u rcha sed , t he y w i l l b e re t urne d t o'
t he f ind e r,
ca r r iag e p a id . If t he y a re p u rcha s e d , t he y ,
w i l l
b e e xh ib it e d in t he N a t io na l M u s e um , Du b l in .
2 . In t he ca s e o f G o ld a nd S i lv e r a rt icle s , t he .
Ro y a l Ir is h Aca d em y is f u l ly em p ow e re d ‘ b y
t he T re a s u re -T ro v e Re g u la t io ns t o g iv e THF I
'
NDER t he f u l l m a rk e t-v a lu e o f t he a rt icle s ,w h ich is a lw ay s g re a t e r tha n t he v a lu e o f t he
w e ig ht o f go ld o r s i lv e r co nt a ine d t he re in : a nd
if t he a rt icle s a re p u rcha s e d b y t he Aca d em y ,
no cla im ca n b e m a d e o n t he f ind e r in re s p ect
o f them .
8 . A nt iq u it ie s lo s e m uch o f t he ir v a lu e a nd
int e re s t if . scra p e d o r b ro k e n . T hey s ho u ld
a lw ay s b e s e nt e xact ly a s fo u nd , w it ho u t a ny
a t tem p t a t cle a n ing , a nd accom p a n ie d b y a
w rit t e n s t a t em e nt o f t he e xact . loca l ity , d a t e ,
a nd circum s t a nce s o f t he ir d isco v e ry .
4 . T he Ro y a l Ir is h Aca d em y ha s fo r m a ny
y e a rs p a s t e nd e a v o u re d t o p re s e rv e fo r‘
t he
N a t io n a rt icle s i l lu s t ra t iv e o f t he A ncient'
H is t o ry a nd P e o p le o f Ire la nd ; a nd t ru s t s t ha t
e v e ry o ne t h ro u g ho u t t he co u nt ry w i l l co
o p e ra t e in t h is N a t io na l o b j ect .
J O U R N A L
OF THE
Hi ttanlngical S imianHf tige C atnip ofKili an
AND
Surrounhiitg D istricts.
THE CA S TLE AND M AN OR . OF CA RLOW
R Y LORD WALTER FITZGERALD .
PART II .
1 675 a new Charter for the Borough of Carlow was
obtained on petition from Charles I I . Under this Charterthe Corporation was styled The Sovereign,
Free Burgesses,and Commonalty of the Borough of Catherlagh .
”The new
Corporationconsisted of the following persons
Soverelgn— Robert Browne
,Esq
r.
Burgesses— Sir John Povey, Kt . ,
Chief Justice ; Sir
W illiam Temple , Bart . ; John N icholas ,Esqr . ; Robert Browne , E sqr . EdwardReynolds , Gent . ; John-Warren
,E sqr . ;
Robert Curtis , Esqr . ; M ichael Reade,Gent . Samuel
“
Blackshaw ,
”
Gent . Sir
Thomas Butler, Bart . ; Sir John Davallier; Kt . ; Henry Berkeley, E sqr. and
John Tench,Gent .
James I I granted a Charter founded on a seizure of the
franchises by a decree of the Exchequer, which , being declaredvo id , it soon became inoperat ive . The fu l l texts of the variousCharters are given in Ryan
’
s History of the County of Carlow.
On acqu iring the Constableship and Manor of Carlow in
1 61 6, as mentioned on page 337 , Donough O’
Brien,fourth
Earl of Thomond,in consideration of the marriage of his second
son, Sir Brian or Barnaby O’
Brien, with Mary, daughter of
366 THE CA STLE AND M AN O R OF CAR LOW
S ir James Farmer, Kt . (who brought a marriage portion of
drew up a deed assigning to S ir Barnaby, his w ife , andtheir issue , the undernamed premises
The Manor and Castle of Carlow, the bawn, precinct ,and circu it thereof ; the custom of a salmon out of everynet used in the Barrow running by the lim its of the Castlethe demesne lands of the Castle and their appurtenencies
the customary services and“
works due out of Kelleistown,
Dowganston,Painston
,Johnston, and Pollardston
”
; the
to lls of leather-buying in the Manor ; certain lands and
tenements in Fothred (Forth O’
Nolan) , lying amongst the
I rish called the Kavanaghs , parcel of the Manor of
Carlow ,now or late being waste ; the Castle of Graige
(Carlow-Graigue) in the Queen’
s County w ith courts leet ,view of frank-pledge, law-days , assize of bread and beer
,
waifs and strays .
In case of no male I ssue , the remainder passed to
S ir Barnaby’
s elder brother Henry, Lord Baron of Ibrackan,
and then to his uncle Sir Donnell or Daniel O’
Brien and
his heirs.
1
CARLow CASTLE IN THE T IME or THE EARL OF THOMOND .
From a Sk etch by Thomas Dineley , drawn in
LReproduced from the Journa l of the Roya l S omety of Ant 1quar1es of Ireland ,
C onsecut ive vol . v i i , p .
Sir Barnaby and his wife were , in 161 7 , granted a licence
to keep taverns and to make and sell wines and sp1r1ts In the
town of Carlow .
M orrin’
s Cal . o f Pat . and C lose Ro lls , vol . i i i , p . 656 .
THE CA STLE AND M ANOR OF CAR LOW . 369
for the relief of the garrison. However, a party of fifty men,
which he had ordered to reinforce it , cou ld not enter the place,ow1ng to General Preston investing it on the very night of
April 10th, when the cessation of hostilities ended . The . castleheld out till May 2nd, and was then surrendered .
1
In the year 1 650 Dr . O l iver Darcy, Bishop of Dromore ,appears as Governor of the Castle and town,
now in possessionof the I rish . Having to proceed on du ty elsewhere, he left a
Captain M . Bedlowe (or Bellew) in charge. In the meantime
General Ireton and the Parliamentarians invested the place earl yin June , and on the 2nd of Ju ly, 1 650, summoned the Governorto s urrender the cas tle . Captain Bedlowe
,in reply, asked for a
truce of three days ino rder to acquaint the Bishop of Dromore
with the situation. To this request General Ireton acceded ;and then he proceeded to Waterford to conduct the war there
,
leaving a sufficient force , under Sir Hardress Waller,to carry
on the siege when the truce wou ld be expired .
2
A Parliamentary Officer’
s Diary3supplies information as to
the operations which took place at the Castle three weeks later.
He states that
On M onday , 22nd July , w e came"w ith a convoy of horse and foote
to the Army b efore Catherlagh, where S ir Hardresse Wal ler , MajorGenera l of Foo te , commaun
’
ded in the ab sence of the Lord Deputy, who
had a l it le before gone from the leaguer at Catherlagh towards Waterford .
Th'
s day began our battery at Catherlagh on the Cast le on the Br idge .
’
A
passage over the Barrow was by one bridge’
of bul l-rushes and another
of t im ber .A
Tuesday , 23rd . The enemy parlied w ith o thers
[illegib le] .This night was Co lonel Cromw ell sent to the Lord Deputy w ith the
Articles of Surrender , and t o understand his lordships further p leasureconcerninge .
[The Art icles of Surrender st ipu lated that the Cast le of Carlow , w ithits art il lery, prov is ions , arms , ammunit ion, and war-mater ial , should b edel ivered up that its garrison, officers and men , shoul d b e allowed toproceed , in march ing o rder
, to Lea Cast le in the Queen’
s County, and
from thence supp l ied w ith passes to A thlone that the non-combatantsin the cast le shou ld be a l lowed a month to move the ir goods and chattelswheresoever they p leased and that the inhab itants of the town shou ldnot b e in any way molested .
These art icles w ere s igned by M ajor John Dungan, Captain GeorgeDarcy , and Captain John Wodisson , on beha lf of Capta in M . Bellew , the
Governor , on the 25th July , 1 650 (vide Ryan’
s Carlow ,
”
p .
1_Carte
’
s“ Life of James , Duke ofOrmonde , vo l . iii , p . ,302 .
Ryan’
s H ist ory of the Co unty Carlow , p . 185 .
3 G ilbert ’s “ H ist ory of A ffa irs , vo l . i i i , p . 218 .
370 THE CA STLE A ND M ANOR OF CA R LOW .
Fr iday , 26th. The Guarison of Catherlagh marched away accord ingto the cap itu lat ion . They w ere in numb er a bout 200 foote . We p lacedthere part of Co lonel Ewer
’
s R eg iment .
Saturday , 27th. W e removed our quarters to the other s ide of
Catherlagh, abou t halfe a m ile from it towards Cast ledermot .
Sunday , 28th. We marched towards A thy, _and quartered at GrangeM ellon , prOposeinge to viewe A thy and to cons ider of fortify ing the p lace ,and to do for i t as shou ld ‘
b e convenient .
M onday , 29th . By ord er from My Lord we were carred and marched
back towards Catherlagh and pass ing o ver the newe br idge w e went
towards C loghgrenan (now fortefied and guarrisoned ) and that nightquartered b eyond Leighl in-br idge .
”
General Edmund Ludlow, Commander of the ParliamentaryHorse in I reland , in his Memo irs ,
”lgives the following
account of the surrender of Carlow Castle on this occasion
A fter the cap ture of Duncannon, the nex t p lace our army attempted
was Carlo , an inland garr ison,d istant from Dub l in about thirty m i les ,
and ly ing upon the r iver Barrow . The p lace was esteemed by the enemyto b e of great importance , and therefore fortified by them w ith d iversw orks b es ides , it had a small Cast le at the foot of the bridge , and a r iverrunn ing under the wa lls of the Cast le .
'
The country beyond it were alsothe ir fr iends , and furnished them w ith pro v isions in great abundance .
To prevent which M ajor General I reton found it necessary to emp loy thepr incipal par t of his forces on the o ther s ide of the r iver Barrow yet bywhat means to secure a communicat ion b etween the two parts of his army ,was a great d ifficu lty, they hav ing ne ither boats nor casks sufficient for thatpurpose . In the end they fel l upon this exped ient , to bring toge thergreat quant it ies of the b iggest reeds , and ty ing them up in many l itt lebund les w ith small cord s , they fastned them t o two cab les tha t w ere
fixed in the ground on each s ide of the r iver , at the d istance of about e ightor t en yards from each o ther ; these be ing co vered w ith watt les , boretroops of horse and companies of foot , as w e ll as a br idge arched w ithstone .
The news of the defeat of the I rish in U lster be ing brought to thosein Carlo , who had he ld out in hopes of rel ief from the ir friends inUlster ,toge ther w ith a great scarcity of pro vis ions in the p lace , bes ides the
b eat ing down of the l itt le Cast le that stood at the foo t of the bridge on
the o ther sid e o f the r iver which happened about the same t ime , so
d iscouraged those w ithin , that they surrendered the p lace to the lorddepu ty I re ton upon Art icles which he caused punctually to b e executed ,as his constant manner was .
”
On the 28 th of April, 1 65 2 , Cahir and Art Kavanagh w iththeir forces burned the town of Carlow , and slew three tr00ps of
horsemen,and other armed men.
2
In 1 680 Carlow was visited by a Worcestershire antiquary ,
Thomas Dineley, who during the years 1 679, 1 680, and 1 68 1 ,
M emo irs of Edmund Lud low, Esq . , Lieu tenant-General of Horse
in I reland , ” London Ed it ion o f 175 1 , p . 125 and p . 1 27 .
2 G ilbert ’s H istory o f Affa irs , vo l . i i i, p . 70.
37 2 THE CA STLE A ND MA NOR OF CA RLOW .
The Town is scituate upon and hath the benefit of two r ivers , viz .
the Barrow and the Burren, between which it is . I t hath two fa irbr idges , is upon a riseing ground , so healthful l that by severall I have
heard it called ye I r ish M ontpel ier .
“ The Church is fa ir also in its k ind . I t is served by a R everend
W orthy Gent leman, M
r Thomas Weston,heretofore a student of the
M idd l e Temp le , London .
The Bu ild ings of this Town are no t unl ike those . of an ord inaryEngl ish marke t Town they encrease in numb er and beauty da i ly by theexpence , industry , and d il igence of
“
Thomas Spaight and Wi l l iamCrutchley , Esq“ ; the former whereof hath lately bu ilt the fa irest Inno f the Town, of the b est accomodacon 85 adjo ining to four of the
principal l roads .
M r Crutchley ,formerly but a M iller and sma l l Tennant (to the sayd
Earle of Thomond , one of the b est land lords of this Kingdom) , and
s ince H igh Sheriff of this county , a notab le projector , and whose
projects for the most part are at tend ed w ith profitt , had agreed w ith theTown and C ounty for the bu ild ing of a large stone br idge to carryhouses thereon on each s ide , over the r iver Burren .
”1
From this period nothing remarkable is recorded of Carlowtill the end of the eighteenth century.
On the 9th April , 1 793 , an Act for raising the Irish M i litiaseived the Royal assent ; and in that year the Carlow M ilitia
was raised with Mr. Henry Bruen,of Oak Park
, M .P . for the
County, and its first Co lonel by him commissions Were signedfor the following officers 2 :
Major z— Walter Kavanagh .
Captains z— Thomas Whelan
,Philip Newton, and John
Newton.
L ieutenants — John Wo lseley, John Bennett, JohnLecky , W illiam Astle, Abraham Jones,and Constant ine Brough .
Ensigns z— W illiam Carter, Ashley Crofton, jun”,Joseph
Malone , and Haggerty, jun”.
Adjutant — John Wo lseley .
In the bal lot to decide the order of precedence of the I rishCounty and City M i litias , Carlow drew 23rd place ? Theircolours are now hung in S t. Mary
’
s Parish Church , Carlow .
The Regimental Colour is yellow,and bears a harp and crown
encircled by a wreath of Shamrocks, with CARLOW above,and
M ILI T I A below , on two scrolls .
1 This s tone br idge over the Burren was demo l ished in 1 827 , and
replaced w ith one o f me tal , as at present .
0 “An tho logia H ib ernica M aga z ine ,”vo l . 1, pp . 480-1 .
3Ih.
, vo l . i i , p . 1 57 .
THE CA STLE AND MANOR OF CARLOW . 373
In 1798 the Carlow M i litia was quartered at Navan, and
took part in an attack on the rebels at Nittstown on the Boyne .
THE OLD SEAL OF THE CARLOW M ILI TIA, circa. 1793 .
From being a red-coat regiment they became a R ifleregiment at the t ime of the Crimea
,when they no longer
carried Colours ; and under LordWolseley’
s new Army Territorialscheme in 1881 , they became the 8 th Battalion of the King
’
s
Royal R ifles ( late 60th) . This regiment was finally disbandedin 1907. The old Carlow Rifles ’ March was The Low-backedCar, an air , with words composed by Samuel Lover the
Novelist .
The rebellion of"
1 798 broke out on the 24th of May. On
thefollowing day the townof Carlow was the scene of a fearfu lcarnage , wherein Several hundreds of the unfortunate peasantryof the surrounding district lost their lives, b eing so s eized w itha panic that in self-defence they hardly struck a blow or fired a
shot . The Rev. James"
Gordon,Rector of Killegney, in the
County of Wexford,in his H istory .of the Rebellion,
”
gives thefollowing account o i this inhuman Slaughte
Of the intended surprise of this town the garri son had been warned ,both by an int ercepted le tter and by the intell igence of L ieutenant R oe
of the N orth Cork M il it ia , who had o b served the peasants assem b l ing inthe v icin ity late in the evening of the 24th ofsM ay .
“ The Garrison, consist ing of a troop of the 9th Dragoons , the l ightcompany of the N orth Cork M il it ia under Capta in Heard , some of the
Louth M il it ia under Lieutenant Ogle , the yeoman infantry under Capta insBurtonand Eustace
,
”
S ir Charles Burton ’
s Y eoman Cava lry , and abou tforty V o lunteers ; the who le abou t four hundred and fifty in number ,under the command of Co lonel M ahon o f the 9th Dragoons , was
jud iciously d istr ibuted by var ious posts for the recept ion of the
assailants .
“ The p lan of assau lt was ill-contr ived , or ill-executed ; d ifferentpart ies w ere appo int ed to enter the town at d ifferent avenues but onlyone , that which arr ived soonest , attempted an entrance , the rest b eingdeterred by the incessant fir ing of the troops . This body , perhapsamount ing to a thou sand or fifteen hundred , assem b l ing at the hou se of
314 THE CA STLE A ND MANOR OF CAR LOW .
S ir Edward Crosb ie , a m ile and a half d istant from Carlow , marched intothe town at 2 o
’
clock of the morning of the 25 th of M ay, w itha
so dittle
precau t ion as to a larm the garr ison at a quarter of a m ile ’
s d istance , bythe d ischarge of a gun in the execu t ion of a man who scrup led to
accompany them in the ir enterprise . Shout ing as they rushed intoTu llow S treet , w ith that vain confidence which is commonly fo llowed byd isappo intment , that the town was the ir own , they rece ived so destruct ivea fire from the garr ison , that they reco iled and end eavoured to retreat ;b ut find ing the ir flight intercepted , numbers took refuge in the houses ,where they found a m iserab le ex it , these be ing immed iately fired by the
so ld iery . Abou t e ighty hou ses were consumed in this confiagration, and
for some days the roasted rema ins of the w retched men were fall ing downthe chimnies in which they had per ished . A s about ha lf this co lumn of
assa ilants had arr ived w ithin the town,and few escaped from that
S ituat ion ,the ir lo ss can hard ly b e est imated at less than four hundred ;
while no t a man was even wounded on the s ide of the loyal is ts .
A fter the d efeat , execu t ions commenced , as elsewhere in thiscalam itous per iod , and about two hundred in a short t ime w ere hangedor sho t , accord ing to mart ia l law . Among the earl iest v ict ims w ere S ir
Edward Crosb ie , and one Heydon , a yeoman of Sir Charles Burton ’
s
troop .
”
The bodies of the slain, some 4 17 in number, according toGordon’
s History of the Rebellion,were carted to a gravel
pit in Carlow-Graigue, and thrown in and buried there. The
spot became known as the Croppies ’
Hole , and in recent t imes
was enclosed with a stone wall . Abou t 1 898 a move was madeto collect subscriptions to erect a suitable memorial to the
memory of the dead and , in consequence, a handsome high Celticcross now stands inside the enclosure .
S ir Edward W illiam Crosbie, Bart . , who is mentioned above,lived at a place called V iewmount (a part ofKernanstown) , nowinside the walls of Browne
’
s H ill Demesne but at that t ime a
place by' itself
,and separated from Browne s Hil l by the public
(now a private) road . He was the 5 th Baronet , and a branchof the family became Earls of G landore
,a title which became
extinct in 18 1 5 ; his descendant , the 8 th and present Baronet ,resides in England .
Sir Edward Crosbie,though well known as an outspoken
man of liberal views , and one who condemned the Penal lawsunder which his Catho lic fellow -countrymen suffered , was not a
United I rishman, so that the sentence of death declared against
him by the court-martial which tried him was a gross piece of
inj ustice . Sir Jonah Barringtonlsums up his case as follows
Gentlemen were executed, some w ith trials , others with worse
than none . The execution of Sir Edward Crosby was a murder,
R ise and Fa l l o f the Ir ish Nat ion, p . 458 .
376 T HE CA ST LE A ND M AN OR OF CA R LOW .
that of Mr . Grogan, of Johnstown Castle , Wexford , a butchery.
The Viceroy had signed no warrants for their executions ; he wasseldom consu lted respecting the prisoners till their fate had beendecided .
”
From the 8th and last Earl of Thomond, who died in 1741 ,the Manor and Castle passed , in consequence of an unredeemedmortgage , to the fam ily of Hamilton, a law-agent to the O
’
Brien
family.
l By this family a lease of the Castle was granted in the
year 1 8 14 to a physician, a Dr . Philip Parry Price M iddleton,
who intended to convert it into a private lunatic asylum . For
this purpose be requ ired larger rooms and more space than the
vau lted lower story of the Castle afforded ; so , instead of settingto work to gradually remove the interior of the Castle, he determined to carry ou t his purpose in a cheaper and speedier fashionby means of blasting powder. The resu lt of his ignorance and
folly , when the explosion did take place,was the collapse of the
better half of this ancient and historic Castle, which till thenhad w ithstood for fully Six hundred years the shock of assaultsand the ravages of time . I t is a pity that Dr. M iddleton’
s name
shou ld thus be handed down to posterity as the man who,
through gross carelessness, caused the destruction of one of the
finest existing specimens of an Anglo-Norman Castle in all
Leinster.
Strange to relate , the fal l of this immense amount of mason
work was unattended w ith loss of life , as the workmen were
at the time absent , the explosion taking place during theirbreakfast hour. According to an eye
-witness, the fall was
gradual , as the detached portion slowly separated itself fromthe western portion, which remains standing. When it reachedthe ground , such was the hardness of the mortar , thateven then the walls were only split up into gigantic masses .
This occurred on the 1 3th of February, 18 14 . O ther accountssay that Dr. M iddleton undermined the foundations, whichcaused half of the Castle to collapse but unless this was donefrom the outside, it wou ld be hard to explain its fallingoutwards?
From this date nothing of any great historical interestappears to have taken place in connexion with the town of
Carlow ,which was visited in September
,1904, by our Society.
Brew er’
s Ireland , vo l . i i , p . 7 .
2 See M rs . Ha l l ’s I reland,
”Ryan
’
s H istory, and The Lead beaterPapers .
”
THE CA STLE A ND M A N O R O F CA R LOW . 377
NOTES .
Carlow a Wa lled Town — The statement that the town
of Carlow must have been fortified (see p . 321 ) is further provedby the fo llowing extract from a letter
,dated 26th November,
1 577 , written by Sir Henry Sydney to the Privy Council , inwhich he states that
R orie [oge O’
M ore] came soddeinelye unto Caterlaugh the vi i i day of
this present N ovember , an How er b efore Day , the T owne being large and
greate, and the Wa lles ru ined and downe in maney p laces, entered and
bourned most of the thatched How sies , some few e R icks of Com e , and
comm itted a few e other Spoyles w ithou t any further Harme do inge bu t
retyred hym selfe , and in his marche aw ay , R o bert Harpoo ll , w ith halfea score of Horsemen , ch
‘
ardged upon the im in the Ford,and there
k illed xv i i or xv i i i of his m en.
” 1
The Hartpole Tomb — On p . 335 reference w as made to the
Hartpole Effigy (1 594) formerly at k Park . I t was an altartomb , and a fragment of the sides stil l exists on a heap of
debris against the garden wal l at Oak Park ; this fragment
shows that the sides were divided into panels , separated by ,
fluted pillars, each of which contained one of Robert Hartpole’
s
children ( see the Journal of the Associat ion for the Preser
vation of the M emorials of the Dead in I reland, vol . vii
,p. 521 ,
where Canon J . F . M . ffrench describes this fragment) .
The Celtic ‘
Patron Saint of Carlow — Ih G ilbert ’ s CredeM ihi
,
” p . 5 2 , there is given a Deed which appears to corroboratethe statement on pages 3 1 1 , 31 2 of the JOURNAL, that St . Comgall
was the Saint to whom’
S t . M ary’
s Church in Carlow was
originally dedicated . I t appears by that work that John Comyn,
Archbishop of Dublin from 1 1 8 1 to 1 2 12 , during a vacancy in
the Sec of Leighlin, installed one Turstin de'
Hamton in the
undermentioned churches in that Diocese
Eccles ia Sanct i Congani de Clunussi (S t . Comgan of G lenuissen,
or Killeshin ,in the Q ueen
’s County , 3 m iles north-w est of Carlow ) .
“,Eccles ia Sanct i Patricii de Slefta S leaty , Queen
’
s County , 2 m ilesnorth of Carlow ) .
Ecclesia Sancti Cenga lli de Cather loc.
Eccles ia Sanct i Dunani ep iscop i , et Sanctae Brigidae de Clodahc
(Cloydagh, County Carlow ,3 m iles sou th-w est of the Town) .
Eccles ia Sanct i Gauveni de Clonena .
”
1 Contri buted by M r . Edward Houston from “ Letters of S ir HenrySydney, p . 230.
378 THE CA S TLE A ND M A NO R OF CA R LOW .
A PPENDI CE S .
I . THE DOWN SUR VEY OF 1659.
I I . THE WALE OR WA LL FAM I LY .
I I I . BESTFI ELD OR DUNGAN ST OWN AND NEW GARDEN .
IV . M ODERN PLACE-NAM ES AROUND CARLOW .
V . A H I STOR Y O F THE COUN T Y AN D TOWN OF CARLOW .
BR IDGES O VER THE BARR ow AT CARLOW .
V I I . BUR I AL-GROUNDS .
V I I I . HOLDER S OF THE CARLOW T I TLE .
IX. ENGR AV I NGS OF CARLOW CASTLE .
X. R EOTOR s OF CARLOW .
XI . PAR I SH PR I EST S OF CARLOW .
XI I . M EMBER S OF PARLIAMENT FOR THE BOROUGH OF CARLOW .
XI I I . DEAN SW I FT’S OPI N I ON OF CARLOW TOWN .
380 THE CA ST LE A ND M A N O R OF CA R LOW .
The Down Survey of 1 659.
What is known as the Down Survey1was undertaken by a
staff under Sir W illiam Petty, Kt . , to ascertain for the
G overnment what lands had been forfeited to the Crown, owing
to complicity in the late rebellion by their Catholic proprietors .
Unfortunately a disastrou s fire m 1 7 1 1 occurred in the bu ildingin which the originals were stored , which destroyed a very largeportion of the maps
,bu t those of the County Carlow escaped
fairly well . What was saved has been placed in portfolios,which are now preserved in the Dublin Record Office . The
Survey was carried out by baronies and parishes, and on the
townlands were noted their acreage , and the existence ( if any)of a castle
, church ,etc. In 1 68 3 were published Sir W ill iam
Petty’
s maps , by count ies bu t they do not contain the deta ilsof the Down Survey, and frequently the townland names were
printed with errors .
The northern end o f the County Carlow in the Down
Survey was drawn by George M arshal l in 1 659.
The following schedu le gives the townland names (byparishes) with their acreage , and the names o f their proprietorsat the t ime of the 1 641 rebel lion, as detai led on the originalmaps ; to this has been added the present names of the
townlands where an I . P . fo llows the old Proprietor’
s name,it
denotes he was an I rish Papist .”
Present Nam e . Denom inat ion and Acreage , etc. Old Proprietor .
THE PAR I SH OF CATHERLAGH .
Carlow Catherlogh, 986 acres , and a The Earl of Thomond .
cast leil M ortarstown Low er M ortlestowne , 78 acres TheEarl of Ormond .
Chapelstown Chappel lstowne , 357 acres , The Earl o f Thomond .
and a cast leKernanstown Cargan ,
243 acres , and a cast le W i ll iam Wale , I . P .
P o l larton Big Great Po llartstowne , 203 Do . do .
(Po l lacton) acres
Pol larton Litt le Po llerts towne , 234 Ullick Wale,I . P .
acres
I t was called the Down Survey by Sir W il l iam P et ty himself, ind istinct ion to the Civ ill Survey ,
”as the former cons isted of t opographic
d eta ils “ la id dow n by admeasurem ent”in map fo rm
, wher eas the“ C iv il l S urvey
”was a wr itten d escr ipt ion of the land s . The C iv il
S urvey for Carlow is no t now in existence .
THE C A STLE A ND M ANO R OF CA R LOW . 38 1
Present N am e . Denomin at ion and Acreage , etc. Old Proprietor .
THE PA R I SH OF P AIN STOWNE .
Oak Park Painstowne , 589 acres , church James Barry , Pro t .and cast le sou th-east of itc '
Dunganstown,Ducanstowne
,a lia s Dow James But ler , I .P .
a lias Bestfield cans towne , and N ew Gar
and N ew Garden dens, 271 acres , and a
castle near the Barrow in
Ducanstowne
N ew Acre and Duck an’
s W ood , 228 acres Jam es Butler,I .P .
Aghanure
THE PAR I SH OF KILLERR I GGE .
A rdnehew A rdnehew ,430 acres Ull ick W ale
,I . P .
Part Of Burton Par t Of Ballenekel ly , 951 S ir Gerald W olverston
Ha ll d emesne acres,and a castle
Kt I PR ussel lstown R ussellstowne , 49 acres l
Cour tland , 94 acres Wa lt er Bagenal , I . P
Killerrig Ki llerrigge , 489 acres , and a James W all,I . P .
castleFr iarstown Fryarstowne , 480 acres , and Sir Gerald W o lve rs ton ,
a cast le Kt . I . P .
Kneestown Knoostowne , 1 42 acres
M oorestown M o orstowne , 174 acresT 1rlogh LIne , I ' P '
R ainestown (Duc Rahinstowne , 276 acres The Ear l of Thomond .
k et t’
s Grove)
TH E PAR I SH OF URGHLIN .
Johnstown Johnstowne , 482 acres , and W ill iam Wa ll,I . P .
a cast leUrgl in orRu tland Urghl in , 753 acres , w ith a
castle shown to the south
of the church
Ballylennon Lenanstowne , 166 acres Do . do .
Gorteengrone Gor tingrowcan ,44 acres M aur ice Eustace , I . P .
The Wale or Wal l Fami ly .
In the Schedu le given above it wi ll be seen that a largeportion of the lands lying in the immediate vicinity of the town
was in 1 641 in possession of the Wale fam ily . This name is of
Anglo-Norman origin,and appears in ancient records under the
form of“de Valle .
”In course of t ime i t underwent extraordi
nary changes , as difl’
erent branches of the same fam ily appear as
le Veale ,”
Calffe,
” Vale ,” W ale
,
”and finally i t became
,
as at the present day, Wall . In Carlow their principal residencewas in the ( then) Castle of Johnstown
,in the parish of Urglin .
38 2 THE CA STLE A ND M A NOR OF CAR LOW .
Many of the name appear as H igh Sheriffs1of the county in the
fourteenth and fifteenth centuries .
An Exchequer Ro ll mentions a Sir Geoffrey de Vale, Kt .,
who,in 1 399, maintained a force of horsemen and footmen for
the defence of the marches of Johnst on and elsewhere .
”He
,
in 1 380, was appointed custodian of the estate of Baldongan
(Dunganstown,near Carlow) , the possession of Edmund de
Mortimer, Earl of March . S ir Geoffrey died in 1 406, at which
time he was seised of the lands of Johnstown,
“Inchecle
ghan, Castletown in iford Forth Ballykernan
Kernanstown,near Browne
’s H ill) , and Horz eleyne .
Thomas de Valle was Sheriff of Carlow in 141 6 , and -
a
Richard fitz Thomas de Wale held the same office in 1 495 .
An Inquisition3 taken in Carlow in October,1 5 5 1 , found
that Gerald Wale, late of Johnston, died on the 29th of
September in that year, his son and heir Edmund Wale beingthen twenty-th i ecyears of age .
Anothe1 Inquisition"taken in Carlow In June, 1620, on thedeath of Gei ald
’
s grandson, W il liam le Wale , is partienlarly interesting, as it gives the remainder (from which theannexed pedigree was principally compiled) to whom the undermentioned fam ily possessions were left , as heirs ofW illiam le
Wale .
The townlands here given are those mentioned in the
Inquisition
Johnstowne (Johnstown)Urrighlin (Urglin) .Ballylonan,
a lias Lennonstowne (Bal lylennon) .Killessan (Killyshane) .Knockes and two acres of wood cal led Ki llilacey,
Lacey’
s Wood Knockarda) .Ballykernan (Kernanstown) .Arnehue (Ardnehue) .Ballifullard, a lias Pollardstowne (Pollerton) .Ballinakelly (now Burton Hall) .County Kildare— Ballinakelly and Ballibarney,
Ballinabirne Ballybyrne) .Killerricke (Killerrig)
l Ferguson’
s. manuscrip t extract from the Exchequer Ro lls, Dub l inR ecord Office .
2 M emoranda R o lls .
3 County Carlow Exchequer Inqu is it ion, No . 5 o f Edward V I .
4 County Carlow Chancery Inqu isit ion,N o . 5 of James I .
382 THE CA STLE A ND M ANOR OF CAR LOW .
Many of the name appear as High Sheriffs1of the county in the
fourteenth and fifteenth centuries .
An Exchequer Rol l mentions a Sir Geoffrey de Vale, Kt .,
who,in 1 399, maintained a force of horsemen and footmen for
the defence of the marches of Johnston and elsewhere .
”He
,
in 1 380, was appointed custodian of the estate of Baldongan
(Dunganstown,near Carlow) , the possession of Edmund de
Mortimer,Earl of March . Sir Geoffrey died in 1406, at which
time he was seised of the lands of Johnstown,
“Inchecle
ghan ,Castletown in “ fford
”Forth-O ’
Nolan) Bal lykernan
Kernanstown,near Browne
’s Hil l) , and Horz eleyne .
Thomas de Valle was Sheriff of Carlow in 1416, and a
Richard fitz Thomas de Wale held the same office in 1 495 .
An Inquisition3 taken in Carlow in October, 1 5 5 1 , foundthat Gerald Wale, late of Johnston, died on the 29th of
September in that year, his son and heir Edmund Wale beingthen twenty-three years of age .
Another Inqu isition4 taken in Carlow in June, 1620, on thedeath of Gerald ’
s grandson, W i lliam le Wale , is particu
larly interesting , as it gives the remainder (from which theannexed pedigree was principally compiled) to whom the undermentioned family possessions were left , as heirs ofW illiam le
Wale .
The townlands here given are those mentioned in the
Inquisition
Johnstowne (Johnstown)Urrighlin (Urglin) .Bal lylonan, a lias Lennonstowne (Ballylennon) .Killessan (Killyshane) .Knockes and two acres of wood called Killilacey,
Lacey’
s Wood Knockarda) .Ballykernan (Kernanstown) .Arnehue (Ardnehue) .Ballifullard, a lias Pollardstowne (Pollerton) .Ballinakelly (now Burton Hall) .County Kildare— Ballinakelly and Ballibarney,
Ballinabirne Ballybyrne) .Killerricke (Killerrig)
l Ferguson’
s manuscrip t extract from the Exchequer R o lls , Dub l inR ecord Office .
2 M emo randa R o lls .
3 County Carlow Exchequer Inqu isit ion,No . 5 o f Edward V I .
4 County Carlow Chancery Inqu is it ion, N o . 5 o f James I .
THE CA STLE AND M ANO R OF CA RLOW . 385
Gent .
,descended of the House of Carrigmaine
(Carrickm ines) , by whome there was issue 5 sonnes
and 4 daughters , vi
Edward Wale , eldest sonne and b eire of the saidUlick , married to Margarett , daughter of PatrickSarsfield of T ul ly, in the C ounty ofKildare.
Richard W ale, 2nd sonne, married to Mary, daughterof
_Maurice Fitz Gerald of Kilrush
,in the said
County of Ki ldare , Gent .
Gerald , 3rd sonne W illiam ,4th sonne M ichaell ,
5 th sonne all as yett unmarried .
And the said U l ick had alsoe other children , by his saidw ife , both sonnes and daughters, which died youngand unmarried . The said Ulick departed thisM ortal l life at Ballynakilly aforesaid
,the 4th of
February, 1 640, and was interred in the Chapell ofUrghly,
1 the 9th of the same moneth .
The truth of the prem isses i s testified by the subscription of the said Edward , eldest sonne of the saiddefunct , who hath returned this certificate unto
my office to be recorded . Taken by me , Thomas
Preston,Esqr . , Uluestor King of A rmes, the 18 th
of February, 1 640.
A County Carlow Chancery Inqu isition2of 1 682 found that
a P ierce Wale of “ Ballifu llard , a lias Pollardstowne, in the
County of Catherlagh,
”alienated the same in mortgage to
Ulick Wale , Gent . ,his heirs and assigns , during the reign of
James I .
I I I .
Bestfield alias Dunganstown,and Newgarden.
To the north o f Carlow ,beside Oak Park , l ie these two
townlands adjoining one another.
~
A t the end of the s ixteenthcentury they were in the possession of the S t. Leger family.
Edmund St . Leger of Dowganston died on the l 0th December,1 597 , and was succeeded by his nephew Robert St. Leger of
Leagh in the Queen’
s County, son of his brother Thomas .
The fol lowing description of the place is copied from a
County Carlow Exchequer Inqu isition taken in 1 614
The said Edmund was in possession of the Castle,
towne , and lands of Dowganston now commonly called thePigeon House, consisting of the Mansyon or Cheefe House
1 Urgl in ,somet imes ca lled R ut land Church .
N o . 34 of Charles I .
THE CA STLE AND M ANO R OF CA R LOW .
and orchard there, the I sland , and the fishing-weare of the
said towne ; the croftes and gardens , and an aker of landof the greate countrymeasure ; and the following parcellsAkreanga , W illow aker, Blackditch aker
,the Peare-tree
aker, two akers called Skeagh-V enneady, and other lands ,besides the hamlet and landes called Garry/ nowe a lias New
Garden parcell of the said Dowganston.
1
A few years later, the family ofButler of Tu llow (Co . Carlow)were in possession of Dowganstowne and Garrynew ,
held of
the k ing as of his Castle of Carlow . James Butler, late of
Tullagh ,is found by an Inquisition to have died in possession
of these lands on the l 0th February, by his w ifeE llen who survived him ,
he left a son and heir Edward ,and a daughter, Arabella , who was the second w ife of Geraldoge Fitz Gerald ofM orett in the Queen’
s County.
The Petty Survey ( 1659) shows the Castle of“Ducanstowne
as then standing close to the bank of the Barrow .
From a fam ily named Best , who settled here in the
eighteenth century, the townland became known as Bestfield .
Close to the Athy road is a ruinous enclosure containing a largetomb-slab on which , until cut away by orders of Mr . Bruen in
1 890, an old ash had so grown that a portion of the inscriptionwas hid under its encroaching bark ; the slab, which was originallyprobably a table-tomb, bears the fo llowing inscription
Here Lyeth the Body of M rs Sarah
Best , the W ife of A rundel Best ,Esq
“, Who departed this l ife ye 1 5
Day of February 1743 , Aged 72 .
Here alsoe lyeth the Body of
George Best son of the sa idA rundel Best and Sarah who departedThe 16 t
h Day of M arch 1 739.
H ere Lyoth the Body of Arunde lBes t , Esq
“,who departed this l ife
The F irst Day of M ay in the year
of our Lord 1755 , Aged 78 .
A lso the Body of Cau lfield Best ,second son of El ias and El i z abethBest Grandson to the said M “
.
A runde l Best of Bestfield in theCounty Carlow .
I was informed by an old man named Matthew Gafney of
the Knock at Castleroe , long since dead , that he had seen a
Co . Carlow,Ex . Inqn . No . 4 of James 1 .
Co . Carlow Chane . Inqn . N o . 24 of Charles I .
388 THE CA ST LE AND M AN O R OF CA R LOW .
in Ireland , arrived at the end of the seventeenth century ;and about sixty years later his descendant Jonas Duckettsettled at Duckett
’
s Grove , and died in 1 797 .
Rut land is properly Urglin, and the neighbouring church
gives the name to that parish . I am informed that itwas a Dublin doctor named M osse , o f Rutland Square ,who
,on buying this place for a country residence ,
changed the name of Rut'
land after his town hou se .
O ther authorit ies sav that this theory i s inadm issible .
Browne’
s Hil l supersedes the former townland-name o f
Kernanstown , a lias Ballykernon. Robert Browne , E sq . ,
of Carlow,died in 1678 ; his grandsonW illiam settled at
Kernanstown,and d ied at the age of eighty-eight in 1 772 .
The present name of the place is said to have graduallycome into use at the t ime the main approach was a publicroad . I t was u sed by the Castlecomer coal-carters , who ,
half-way up the steep incline, wou ld stop to rest theirhorses under their heavy loads , w ith the frequent remarkArrah"bad cess to ou ld Browne
’
s H il l .” Thus , incourse of time
,the name came into general u se .
Brewer1 is responsible for the statement that
Browne’
s H ill , and the cont iguous seat termed V iewmount ,
occupy the s ite of a form er monastery called S t . Kieran ’s
A b b ey , three tow ers of which bu i ld ing w ere stand ing a bou tseventy years ago . The rema ins w ere , however , taken down
by the fam ily of Browne , and the materials u sed in erect ingV iewmount House and the park w a ll at Browne ’
s H ill . A t
the per iod of the suppress ion of the monaster ies,an ancestor
of the Earl of Thomond o b ta ined a grant of S t . Kieran’
s A b b eyand the
'
lands attached t o that re l ig ious house .
Brewer’s book was published in 1 826. I have
failed to discover any"reference , in the State Papers or
elsewhere , to this supposed St . Kieran’
s Abbey, and verymuch doubt if it ever existed , as neither W are
’
s Worksnor Archdall
’
s“ M onasticon Hibernicum
”make any
allu sion to it . T o make matters w orse , the 6-inchOrdnance map marks the site of S t . Kevin
’
s Abbey, a
short distance to the north-east of the main entrance to
Browne’
s Hill , inside the demesne , on that portionbelonging to Chapelstown townland . Nor does Petty
’
s
Survey of 1 659 show the site of any ecclesiasticalbu ilding on either C hapelstown or KernanstownCargan,
”as it is there Written in error) .
Beau t ies o f I reland, vo l . i , p . 9.
THE CAST LE A ND M ANOR OF CA RLOW . 389
T he cromlech , which stands in the Browne’
s H illdemesne half a mile to the north of the house , has beendescribed on p . 341
, vol . v of THE JOURNAL . The great
covering-bou lder is calcu lated to weigh 100 tons,and ,
according to W . C . Borlase’
s Dolmens of I reland ,”it
is the largest covering-stone on~ a11y cromlech in Europe .
Oak Park — This place was formerly known as Painstown .
I ts present name was given to it. by Co lonel HenryBruen, M .P .
, grandfather of the present proprietor , whenhe purchased it and the surrounding lands in the
eighteenth century . Colone l Bruen died in 1 795 . The
Bruen family burial-place is at Nurney , Co . Carlow .
Formerly the family of Cooke had a residence at
Painstown. They buried in the old Parish Churchyardof Painstown,
which i s s ituated near the farm-bu ildingsat Oak Park . In connexion w ith this fami ly there are two
m onuments thu s inscribed
HERE LY Es YEBODY OF M ANNE COOKE AL
sBV TLER Y
E
W IFE OF W ILLMCOOKE WHO DEPARTED THI S LIFE Y
E 20”
DAY OF IAN“ 1 7 10 IN Y
E 47 Y EARE OF HER AGE
HERE LY E S THE BODY W ILL I AM COOKE E SQRE WHO DEF
D
THI S L IFE YE 2OTH DAY OF M AY 1 722 IN Y
E77 Y EARE OF
HI S AGE HERE LY E S YEBODY OF THOMAS OOOKE E SQ
RE WHODEF
DTH I S LIFE 9TH MAY 1 761 I N Y
E
78 Y EAR OF H I S
Previous to the Cookes a fam ily named Barry was in
possession of Painstown . In 1 641 a James Barry,
Protestant, held a ,castle and acres in this parish .
The castle of Painstown is shown on the Down‘
Survey
of 1659 as standing a short distance to the south-east of
the churchyard . There is now no trace of i t.
Bestfield , so cal led from a fam ily named Best , has almost
superseded the o lder name of Dunganstown, or Ballydongan ,
which is the o ldest form of the name . (See
p .
390 THE CAST LE A ND MA N OR - OF CARLOW .
V.
A History of the County and Town of Carlow .
A H istory of the Town and County, published in one volume
in 18 33 , was compiled by a John Ryan, ofDublin, a member of
the Royal Society of L iterature . I t is a very fair work of its
kind ; but unfortunately the author shows a very anti-Cathol icspirit when dealing with the
“
troubled times of the latter half of
the seventeenth century.
In 1 886, the Rev . M ichael Comerford (afterwards Roman
Cathol icBishop of the United Dioceses of Kildare and Leighlin)brought ou t the H istory of the Diocese ofLeighlin section of
his work , which is of great interest alike to the student of historyand to the antiquary.
V I .
Bridges over the Barrow at Carlow .
The present bridge over the Barrow was erected in 181 5 , andwas named The Wellington Bridge.
”A limestone tablet in
the centre of one of the sides of the bridge bears , inscribed on a
shield, the words WELLINGTON BRIDGE ,1 8 1 5 , and , on a scrol l
underneath , QUEENS COUNTY , CARLOW , indicating the placewhere the two countiesjoin. On the opposite side is cut in reliefa bust of The I ron Duke and the sentence — PATRIA INV IOTO
WELLINGTON GRATA.
As already mentioned a bridge over the Barrow was in
existence at any rate as early as the latter half of the thirteenthcentury, which the burgesses of Carlow , under a penalty of
a fine , were bound to keep in repair. The structure was probablybui lt of timber.
During the rebellion of 1 641 a stone bridge was in existence,guarded at one end by the castle , and at the othe1"by a tower in
G raigue, which was cal led The Whi te Castle .
”I t was this
bridge , a narrow one with niches over the piers for foot
passengers to step into to avo id the traffic, that the present bridgereplaced .
Burial-grounds .
The oldest burial-ground in Carlow is that surroundingS t . M ary
’
s Church . I t is now very much smaller than formerly,as
,in the eighteenth century, much of it was cut away for the
THE CA ST LE A ND t M AN OR OF CA R LOW . 393
V I I I .
The holders of the Carlow Tit le .
In the month of February, 1 627 , the“
King sent instructionsto the Master of the W ards , for creating W il liam , 2nd Baron
Brabazon of A rdee , E arl o f Catherlagh bu t at the request of
Sir Barnaby O’
Brien, Who objected on the grounds that thatplace was his inheritance , and Who suggested the t itle of Earlof Waterford , of Ross ; o f A thy , or of Clonmel , instead , theKing in the fo llowing month advanced Lord Brabazon to the
dignity of the Earl dom of M eath .
1
In 1 650 the Hon f Thomas Preston, 2nd son of Christopher ,4th Viscount Gormanston
, the d is tingu ished General in the
army of the Confederate Catholics , was created Viscount Tara ;he i s said to have petitioned the King for the Earldom of
Catherlogh, bu t did not obtain it .2
Thomas Wharton, 5 th Baron Wharton an able statesman,
who had devoted himself zealou sly to accompl ish the Revolu tion,
was 1 ewa1 ded by Queen Anne with seveI al honouI S and dignitieseventually In 1 7 1 5 he was c1 eated/ Ma ness of Whar
,ton and m
the same year he was _made a Peer of I reland as Baron
'
Trim,
Bal l of Rathfarnham ,and Marquess of Catherlough ; these
t itles became extinct in 1 73 1 .
A t the p1 esent time the tit le of Viscount CaI IOw (c1 eated In
1 776) i s hom e by the Dawson-DameI S
,Earls of POI taI Iington.
Engravings of Carlow Castle .
The fo llowing works contain either a sketch or an engravingthis Castle .
The Jou 1nal of the Royal Society ofAnt1qua1 1es of I I eland ,consecu t ive vol . vi i , pp . 39 and 40 ; in which Dineley
’
s two
sketches , dr ,awn in 1 680, a1 e 1 ep1 oduced‘
.
FI ancis G 1 ose’
s Antiqu ities of l and ,”vol . i
‘
, p . 75 , drawn
by G i ose in 1 792 .
The Anthologia H ibeI nica Magazine , vol . i i,p . 393 ;
d1 awn by W . Beau fO I t , 1 793 . This plate also appears inS eward
’
s T opographia H ibernica , 1 795 .
Cal . of S ta te Papers I rel . , 1 647-60, p . 85 .
Ryan’
s H isto ry o f the C o . Carlo w , p . 183 .
394 THE CAST LE AND MANOR OF CARLOW .
Thomas Cromwel l’s Excursions through I reland, vol. iii,
p . 66 ; from a drawing by G . Gabreilli,made early in
the nineteenth century.
The Journal of the Royal Society ofAntiquaries of I reland,consecutive vol . x ,
p . 1 62 ; this illustration includes theCastle and old bridge, and was reproduced from a drawingmade in 1 81 1 .
Carlow Clergy .
In Pre-Reformation T imes.
1 346 . W i lliam de Drayton, Parson.
Before 1 377and Richard Walsh, Parson.
after 1 392 .
1 392 . Thomas Wavertoun, Vicar.
’
1403 . Thomas Taillour, Cleric.
”
1435 . Henry Vale , Parson.
”
Rectors of Carlow .
[Taken from Robert Malcomson’
s Carlow Vestries .
161 5 . Pierce White , Vicar .
1 637 . Samuel Moseley, Vicar .
1 669-1679. R ichard Jones , Mynister.
1 680—1 684 . Thomas Weston .
1 686-1 694 . Jo . Pinsent.1 694-1 696 . John Francis .
1 696-1 7 1 2 . Robert Harris .
1 7 12-17 1 3 . John Hayden, Curate Assistant .
1 7 1 3-1 725 . Samuel Mo land .
1 725 -1 735 . R ichard Grantham .
1 736-1 737 . Patrick Bennett , M inister .
1 738 -1 777 . Dr. Charles Doyne , D .D .,Dean of Leighlin.
1 777-1 821 . Dr . John Falkiner, D.D .
1822-1836 . George Venables Vernon,A .M .
1 836-1 848 . Joseph Jameson,A .M .
1 848-1858 . Frederick Fitz John Trench , A .M .
1 859-1 864 . W illiam John Purdon, A .M .
1 864-1 877 . Adam Bettesworth Perry .
1877-1 889. W i lliam Smyth King, Dean of Leighlin.
1889. The V ery Rev. John Finlay, Dean of Leighlin
present Rector
396 THE CAST LE AND MANOR OF CARLOW .
XI I .
Members of Parliament for the Borough of Carlow .
1 61 3 , May. Sir John Bere , Kt., Dublin, Sergeant-at-Law .
Sir Robert Jacob , Kt . Dublin, Solicitor-General .
1 634 , Ju ly . The Hon. Barnaby O Brien .
James Rawson,E sq .
,Dublin.
1 634 . Janr., Edward
'
Harman,E sq .
,vice O
’
Brien,absent
in England :1 639, Mar Robert Hartpole of Shru le Castle , Queen ’
s Co .
Thomas Harman,E sq . , ofAthy,
Co . Ki ldare .
1 642,June . Robert Hartpole was disqualified for Rebellion .
1 661,May, (S ir) John Temple Palmerstown
,Co .
Dublin, afterwards Solicitor-General .Thomas Burdett
,Esq.
, Garryhill , Co . Carlow .
1 689, May , M ark Baggot , E sq.
John Warren ,E sq .
1 692 , Sept . , Sir W illiam Russell,Bart .
Walter Weldon, E sq .
,Rahinderry, Queen’
s Co .
1 695 , Aug ,Edmond Jones, Esq .
Robert Curtis , E sq., Roscrea , Co . T ipperary.
1 703, Sept .
,Richard Wo lseley, E sq .
,Mount Arran, (now
M ount Wo lseley) , Tu llow , Co.Carlow .
The Honble . Charles Howard .
1703 , Oct .
,Walter Weldon,
E sq ., Rahinderry , vice Howard
,
not du ly elected .
1 7 1 3 , Nov .
, (Sir) Thomas Burdett of Garryhill .
Walter Weldon.
1 7 1 5 , Oct . , R ichard Wo lseley .
Walter Weldon.
1 725 , Sept. , Walter Weldon, E sq .
John Hamilton,Esq .
,Holmpatrick , Co . Dublin
vice Wolseley, deceased .
1 727 , Sept .,James Ham ilton,
E sq .
, Cloghnowe , Johnstown,
Co . Dublin.
(Sir) Richard Wolseley M ount Arran.
1 76 1 , Oct . , Robert Burton,E sq .
Sir R ichard Wo lseley, Bart.17 65 ,
Oct .,S ir Richard Wolseley, Bart .Robert Doyne , junr .
,E sq.
,Wells , Co . Carlow
,
vice Burton,deceased .
1 768 , Oct .
,John Hyde , Esq .
, Castle Hyde , Co . Cork .
Edward Hoare,Esq.
James Somerville , Esq.,vice Hyde, who was
elected for Co . Cork.
THE CA ST LE AND MAN O R O F CARLOW . 397
1 776 , June , Rt . Hon. John Ponsonby, who made his electionto serve for the Co . Kilkenny.
John Prendergast , Esq.
A rthur Dawson,E sq.
,v ice Ponsonby.
1 783 , Oct . , Sir John Browne , Bart .Charles Desvoeux, E sqrw
1 790, Jan S ir John Browne , Bart.Sir Charles Desvoeux
,Bart.
The Honble . James Cau lfield Browne, vice
Sir John, created Baron Kilmaine .
1790, July, Honble . Augustus Cavendish Bradshaw.
John Ormsby Vandeleur,Esq .
, Kilru sh ,Co .
Clare .
1 796 , Jan Hon. A . C . Bradshaw .
John Ormsby Vandeleur , E sq.
S ir Frederick Flood , Bart vice Bradshaw ,
who accepted an office under the Crown.
1798 , Jan .
,Henry Sadlier Prittie, E sq .
W illiam E lliot , E sq ,John Wo lfe, Esq .
, vice E lliot ,for Ki lkenny.
On the 2nd August , 1800, Parliament w as prorogued , and ,in consequence of the Act of the Union
,did not again assemble
in I reland . From this period to the Carlow Boroughreturned only one Member.
XII I .
Dean Sw ift ’s Opini on of Carlow Town.
In a litt le book , published in Dublin in 1 791 , called A Tour
In Ireland , byC . T . Bowden,who visited this country In the
previous year, he states on p . 100, that
Dean Sw ift wrote the fo llow ing d ist ich on CarlowA high church and no steep le ,A poor town and proud peop le .
T imes have greatly changed for the better with Carlow , sincethe Dean penned these lines .
( 398 )
KILDAR E M EM BER S OF PAR LI AM EN T ,
1 559— 1 800 .
BY THOMAS ULICK SADLEIR .
Those returned for the County, January, 1 5 59.
Nicholas Eustace .
James Flatt isbury .
Nicholas Eustace,of Cradokston (Cradockstown) , appears to
have been son o f R ichard Eustace , o f C radokston (who was
l iving there in and grandson of W ill iam Eustace of the
same place . In 1 5 47 he and John Sutton, of T ipper, obtaineda lease for twenty-one y ears of the tithes o f the parish o f T ipper.
From the Fiants we find that in 1 5 5 7 he obtained a pardon and
in the follow ing year his name appears as commissioned to bea
“ keeper of the peace ,”corresponding to our justices of the
peace. He was H igh Sheriff of County Kildare in 1 5 56, and
died in 1 5 59, some months after his election,leaving, by his wife
Rose , daughter of Aylmer, a son,
A lexander Eustace , whosucceeded to his father ’
s estate s,and died in December , 1 5 76.
The male line term inated in Col . W illiam Eustace , of Cradockstown
,who commanded a regiment of Grenadiers in Germany in
1 762 . He had two sisters , his co-heiresses , M ary, w ife o f Sir
Duke G ifford , Bart . , of Castlejordan,CountyMeath and Anne ,
who married John Caulfeild , of Lemonstown,County Wicklow.
I t appears from a pedigree in Ulster’ s Office that this fam ilywas seated at Cradockstown as far back as 1 366 .
[A u thorities — KILDARE JOURNAL , vol . v , p . 44 ; Fiants of
Philip and Mary Pedigree in Ulster ’
s O ffice ; Liber Munerum
Publ icorum ,&c.]
James Flattisbury , of Johnstown,was the eldest son of
Philip Flatsbury,”of Johnstowne , near the Naas — who died
in l 5 2 1— by E lizabeth , daugh ter of SirW illiam Wogan,Kut .
,of
R athcoffey ,County Kildare . This Philip, who is described by
S tanihurs t as a worthie gentleman,and a diligent antiquaire
,
”
was the au thor of a work called Diversos Chronicas,”though
he is better known as the compiler of a collection o f transcriptsfrom early charters , known as
“The Earl of Kildare
’
s Red
Book ,” 1
which was written in 1 503 , at the request of Gerald ,
I t is st il l preserved in the possession o f the fam ily at Carton .
4OO KILDARE M EMBERS OF PARLIAMENT,1 559- 1 800 .
W icklow ,which were the heritage of John Travers , late of
Mounton (Monkstown, County Dublin) , Knight . On 1 2th May,
1 583 , and again in 1 584 and 1 5 87 , he was appointed a Com
m issioner of Musters in the County of Ki ldare , its crosses and
marches, to summon all the subjects of each barony, and themso mu stered to assess in warlike apparel , arms
,horses , horse
men and footmen, according to the quantity of their lands and
goods , according to the ancient cu stoms and laws of the kingdom
,and the instructions of the lords justices .
”He married
M argaret , daughter of A lderman Christopher Sedgrave , Mayor
of Dublin in 1 559, by Whom h e had an only son John (M .P .
County, He died l st September, 1 590, seised of one
house , ten messuages , and three hundred acres in T ipper ;Bathe alias Hutchenhatch sixty acres in Naas two messuages
and ten acres Barbyeston six messuages , and one hundred and
twenty acres, besides smaller holdings at“Rathmoore
”and
other places .
[Fiants ; Inqu isit ions post mortem ; Funeral Entries ;Prerogative W ills ; and KI LDARE ARCHZE OLOGI CAL JOURNAL .]
Thomas fit z Maurice Fit z Gerald, of Lackagh, was the eldestson of Sir Maurice Fitz Gerald , Kt .
, of Lackagh, who died on
the 26th December, 1 575 , and was buried in St . Brigid’
s
Cathedral, Kildare, where his effigy, erected by his Widow,
Margaret Butler (daughter of Edmond Butler,Archbishop of
Cashel , illegitimate son of Pe irce, 8 th Earl of Ormond,and
w idow of Rory cacch O’
More, Chief of Leix) , still exists .
Thomas Fitz Gerald was twice married
First , to E lizabeth , daughter of Mark Barnewall , of
Dunbro , in the County of Dublin (Archdall’
s“ Lodge
’
s
Peerage of and secondly, to“Margery fitz
James (unidentified) , who survived him .
His death took place on the 20th June , 1 61 1 and his heirwas his son Maurice .
The Fitz Geralds of Lackagh were sprung from S ir Thomas
Fitz Gerald , Kt . , second son of Thomas , 7 th Earl of Kildare .
S ir Thomas of Lackagh ,Lord Chancellor of I reland
,was slain
at the battle of Stoke on the 6th June, 1487 , fighting for thecau se of the impostor, Lambert Simnel .
[Notes by M r . G . D. Burtchaell , Athlone Pursu ivant of
Arms ; the KILDARE ARCHE OLOGICAL JOURNAL , vol. i the CountyKildare Chancery Inqu isitions ]
KILDA RE MEMBERS OF PARLIAMEN T , I 559— 1 800 . 40 1
Returned for the County, 13th April, 1 61 3 .
W i l liam Talbot .
John Suttbn.
Wi lliam Ta lbot , of Cartowne (Carton) , was son of PatrickTalbot , by Genet , daughter of Thomas fitz Bartholomew FitzGerald (which Patrick was third son of W illiam Talbot
, ofRobertstown, County Meath ,
who was younger son of Thomas
Talbot , of M alahide , County Dublin) . In 1 602 he was
appointed Recorder of Dublin, being also adm itted a Freeman
of the city, by special grace ; but three years later he was
removed from the Recordership for refusing to take the oath of
Supremacy. Subsequently, having refused to deliver an Opinionon the doctrine of Suarez , touching the deposing of kings, hewas committed to the
“
Tower . Later on he appears to haveregained the confidence of the Government
,for he was created a
baronet , 4th February, 1 622 , probably for services while in
Parliament . Sir W illiam married A lison,daughter of John
Netterville , of Castletown,
“ County M eath , and died 1 6th M arch,
1633 , being buried l st April ,“ in the Church of May
nooth, in the parish of Laraghbrian (Fun. Cert . ) He had
issue eight sons and eight daughters .
I . Sir Robert Talbot, 2nd Bart .,M .P .
,County W icklow,
June to October, 1634 ; married the Honble . Grace
Calvert”
,daughter of George , 1 st Lord Balt imore
,
and died 2 l st Octr .,1 670 , leaving a son and two
daughters , V 1Z . f
1 . Sir William Talbot , 3rd Baronet, M .P . for Meath,
1689, a Privy Councillor , and Master of the
Ro lls , 1 689-90. He died on the 1 8th M ay,
1 691 , leaving no issue b y hi s - w ife Anne
Nugent , ,
daughter of Richard, 2nd Earl of
WestM eath , and widow ofLucas, 6thViscountDillon . She died in 1 7 10 or 1 7 1 1 .
Frances, married R ichard Talbot of M alahide.
M ary, married James Nugent of Coolamber,County West Meath .
11 . John T albot, ob . S . p .
I I I . Garrett Talbot of Haggardstown, County Lou th , whoby h1s wife M argaret , daughter of Henry Gaydon,
had a son W illiam Talbot of Haggardstown, M .P .
County Lou th 1 689, 4th Baronet and—
2nd Earl o f
40 2 KILDARE MEMBERS OF PARLIAM EN T,1 559
— 1 800 ;
Tyrconnell , Who died 26th December, 1 724 , aged 82 .
He married Mary , daugh ter of Nicholas White of
Clonmel , and was father of
R ichard Talbot, who was slain in the ScotchRebellion of 1 7 1 5 , having married LadyCharlotte Talbot , only surviving daughter of
Richard , Duke of T yrconnell (seedying in 1 722 left by her a daughter Mary,and a .son
'
Richard Francis Talbot,5 th and last Baronet,
and 3rd and last Earl of Tyrconnell . He
died in Berlin on the 1 2 th March , 1 75 2 ,leaving no issue by his w ife
,Madelaine de
Lys, who died in Paris in 1 759.
James Talbot .
Thomas Talbot .
Peter Talbot , a priest , born 1 620 ; he became titularArchbishop of Dublin in 1 669 was arrested on
'
susplci on of being implicated in the Popish Plot , anddied in Dublin,
while still a prisoner, on the l st June,
1680.
V I I . G ilbert Talbot , died on the 26th December, 1 723 . Hisw ife was Dorothy Boyle , 6th daughter o f Richard
,
l st Earl of Cork , and w idow of Sir Arthur Loftus,Kt .
, of Rathfarnham , who died in 1659 she died on
the 16th March, 1 668 .
VI I I . Richard T albot of Carton,the notorious “ lying Dick
Talbot , who was born in 1 630. He was created on
the 20th June, 1 68 5 , Baron of Talbotstown, ViscountBa ltinglass , and Earl of Tyrconnell with remainderin tai l male to hi s nephews ; and subsequently on
the 20thM arch ,1 689, M arqu is and Duke ofTyrconnell
by James I I . He married , first , Catherine , d . of
M atthew Boynton (and granddau . of Sir MatthewBoynton,
l st Bart ., o f Barmston, Y orkshire) she died
1 7 th March ,1679, leaving two daus .
,vi z
1 . Lady Catherine , who died 1 7 th June , 1684.
2 . Lady Charlotte , born 1 676 died 1 4th February,1 722 , having married her kinsman , RichardTa lbo t (of the Haggardstown branch) .
404 KILDARE MEMBER S O F PARLIAMENT,I 559- 1 800 .
concerned in Desmond’
s Rebellion, but received a pardon2 2nd February 1 602 murder committed before the rebellion
,
intrusion'
on Crown lands, and debts to the Crown ” beingexcepted . By his w ife Mary, daughter of John A len, of
St . Wolstan’
s , County Ki ldar ,e who died 29th September 1 616
[Funeral Entr ,y] he had an only son W illiam, who mar1 ied
Katherine , daughter of Nicholas Wogan, of Rathcoffey, CountyKilda1 e
, and d . v . p . leaving a son,Nicho las , of T ipper (M . .P
Naas,1 639 John Sutton died 1 3th June 1 637 [Funeral
Entry] .
[Authorities z— Chancery Inqu isition,1 7th July 1630
Funeral Entries ; KILDARE JOURNAL ; Commons’ Journals
,
&c. ]
Returned for the County , 1 3 th June , 1 634.
Sir Nicholas Whyte .
Maurice Fit z Gerald .
Sir Nicholas Whyte , ofLeixlip , was the eldest son of AndrewWhyte, who died 31 st Ju ly, 1 599, by M argaret, daughter of
Patrick Finglas, and grandson of the R t . Hon. Sir Nicho lasWhyte , M aster of the Rolls (M .P . Kilkenny County, His
father died while he was under age, as appears from a F iant of
1 7th August , 1 599, when Sir George Carey, Knt .
, Treasurer-at
Wars , got a grant of wardship and marriage of the m inor, withthe custody of his lands during m inority, his education to be at
Trinity Col lege , and £ 1 5 per annum being allowed for mainten
ance. Being a man of large property, he held a prominentposition in the county, and on 30th September, 1 609, the honourof knighthood was conferred upon him “
at Loghroer,”by Sir
Arthur Chichester , the Lord Depu ty . He married Hon. Ursu laM oore , eldest daughter of Garret, l st Viscount Drogheda. Sir
N icholas died 24th February, 1 654 , and was buried in Leixl ipChurch
,where a monument to his memory stil l exists . He left
issue two sons and four daughte1 s, vi z . (1 ) Nicholas , of Leixlip(M P . Ki ldaI e BO I Ough) , of whom he1 e °
;afte1 (2 ) Arthur, M . .P
SWO I ds , 1 642 , bu t unseated 1 644 ; b e d . s . p . 1 658 . (1 ) F1 ances ,married , 1 635 , Thomas , 4th Viscount Dillon (2 ) Mary, marriedTheobald Taufe , l st Earl of Carlingford ; (3 ) E leanor, marriedl st Sir Arthur A ston, Governor of Drogheda (who was killed at
the siege in and 2nd Edward Butler, 2nd Viscount
KILDARE M EMBERS O F PARLIAMENT,1 559
— I 8OO . 40 5
Galmoy ; (4) Anne , married May, 1 636, Ch1i stophe1 Fagan
[FuneI al Entry] .
[Burtchaell’
s Kilkenny Members of Parliament FiantsInquisitions post mortem Ball ’s Judge‘
s ; KILDARE JOURNAL . ]
Maurice Fit z Gerald, of KilmaUge (Kilmeage , near the Hillof A llen) , County Kildare , was son o f G erald Fitz Gerald of
A lloon (A llen) , County Kildare , by Joan,daughter o f John
Walsh , of Shanganagh, County Dublin. There are singu larlyfew references to him in the 1
° °
ecOI ds of his time . He was a
member of what wasprobably the first Parl iamentary Comm issionon T 1 inity Co llege, which was appo inted “
to repair the Co llegeof Dublin,
as well as for exam ining of all charters gr ,anted
and patents belonging to , the said Co llege , as Statutes and
Ordinances now of force therein.
”
He appears to have taken the side of the Confederates,being
expelled the House for rebellion,22nd June , 1642 .
[Information kindly supplied by Lord Walter Fitz GeraldCommons
’ Journals, &c. ]
Returned for the County, 28 th Ju ly ,1 642 .
Henry Warren (vice’
Fitz Gerald ) .
Henry Warren, of Grangebeg, County Kildare, appears tohave been the founder of his family. According to the
“ H istoryof the Warren Family,
”which does not appear to be altogether
reliable,
1 he was probably son of a certain John Warren who
died in 1 638 . His name first appears in 1 61 8 , when he was
appointed Joint Remembr °
ance1 of the Court of Exchequer,probably through the infiI
'
I ence of his w ife ’
s relations . He doesnot
’
appear to have been possessed of any real pr°
ope1 ty p1 ior to1 626
,when he obtained a grant of G1
° °
angebeg but three yearslater he purchased the lands of Laraghteigue and Kilb1° ,eckan
County Carlow,and on Ju ly 19th, 1 660, obtained a lease of
Ballysax (property of Matthew Nangle , attainted ) and Brownstown (property ofGerald Fit z Gerald , attainted ) , CountyKildare .
1 One of the au thor it ies quo ted by the au thor is “ W ith Essex in
I reland ”
(a nove l by the H on . Emily Law less ) , with the apparent idea of
its being an histor ical w ork"
406 KILDA RE M EM BER S OF PARLIAMEN T,1 559
— 1 800 .
He was some time Deputy Clerk o f the Crown ,and held lands
of Ballymoone from the Earl of Kildare at £60 per annum .
He married E lizabeth , daughter of John Eustace,of Harris
town, sister of Sir Maurice E ustace, Lord Chancellor of I re land ,by whom he had issue
I . W illiam , 2nd Remembrancer of the Court ofExchequer,in which he succeeded hi s father. Married Anne ,daughter of Co lonel Richard S tephen
'
s , and had,
w ith other issue , a son, Henry , of Grangebeg,father ofR ichard Warren (M .P. Kildare Borough) .
Henry, Barrister-at-Law , admitted King’
s Inns , 2nd
May, 1 668 married,February, 1 665 , E llinor, daugh
ter of Patrick Tallant , and had issue .
Richard , Lieutenant in Col . Eustace’
s Regiment .
John, ofNurney, County Carlow (M .P . Carlow,
Captain in S ir M aurice Eu stace’
s Infantry in the
army of James I I , and,being a Jacobite , was
attainted by William I I I . He married , l st , daughterof S ir Edmund Butler , 2nd Baronet , ofGarryhundon,
County Carlow and,2nd, 1 668 , Mary, daughter of
Thomas Walsh , of P illtown,and died , leaving
1 ssue.
V. Maurice , of G iblinstown,Co . Kildare
,m . Sarah
,(1.
of G i lbert Rawson, and died 1 704, leaving issue .
V I . Robert.
I . Charity, m . Capt. the Hon. John Annesley, of Ballyshannon, Co . Kildare .
I I . Anne , m . Dudley Colley, of Castle Carbury, Co .
Kildare.
[Authorities History of the Warren Fam l ly, KILDAREJOURNAL ,
Malcolmson’
s“ Carlow Parliamentary Roll ,
”and infor
mat ion kindly supplied by G . D. Burtchaell , A thlone Pursu ivantof Arms ]
( T o be cont inued . )
40 8 THE LEGEND OF T HE W IZARD EARL OF KILDARE .
husband possessed great and unusual powers , she had pressedhim again and again to give her a more convincing proof of hiswonderful gifts than any she had yet seen, but without avail .This day she was more than usually pressing, and at last he saidto her : I f I give you a convincing proof of my power, and youShow any fear, you w ill never see me any more . She at once
prom ised to show no fear . He then said : I will put you to
three tests, and if you are able to stand the tests,I w ill give you
a convincing proof of my power.
”A ll who are acquainted with
Kilkea Castle know that a beau tifu l stream of sparkling springwater flows near the Castle , and w inds just without the walls .
What a precious possession that stream must have been at
times when the Castle was invested by enemies , and when the
guardians could not pass in safety outside the walls . This littlestream the Earl caused to rise up w ithin the walls where theCountess was seated on a couch until it reached her mou th
,and
she showed no sign of fear . The next test was that b e causeda gentleman friend who had died to open the door and
walk up to the Countess and shake hands w ith her . And she
showed no fear . The third test was b e cau sed a great slimysnake to creep out from under the seat where she was sitt ing and
to coil itself round and round her unti l its head reached hershou lder , and it hissed into her face, and she showed no sign of
fear . The Earl then acknowledged that she had stood the testsright valiantly, and w ith steady courage , and that he was willingto give her a convincing proof of his power. Now ,
”said he,
shut your eyes , and do not Open them until you hear me givethree stamps on the floor bu t remember, if you Show any fear,
you w ill see me no more . She did as she was directed ; and
when she heard the signal , she Opened her eyes, and the E arlwas not visible
,but there was a little bird perched on her
shou lder and singing beautifu lly . In an instant a large blackcat crept out from under a piece of furniture and Sprang at the
bird . The Countess fainted from fear,and the Earl was seen
no more . Once in seven years he visits the scene of his former
explo its,and , mounted on a powerful White war-horse shod with
si lver shoes,he is seen riding across the country from the Bath
of Mullaghmast to Kilkea Castle ; and up the stairs he rides tothe haunted room into which he passes , and is seen no more for
another seven years .
Tradition says that it is much safer not to meet him ; for it
tells of men who displeased him by a curious and inqu isitivestare being caught up by the collar, and whisked up behind on
the white charger , and borne down into the spirit-w orld to be
seen no more , Now when the rattle of the silver horse-shoes is
THE LEGEND O F THE W IZARD EARL OF KILDARE . 409
heard on the rough stones,the little children draw close together
in their beds for mu tual protection ; and the trembling hou sew ives draw the blinds closer together until the man of uncannypower has ridden bv .
I was to ld that in Ki lkea Castle itself no one has ever yet
ventured to Open a door when the noi se of the horse-shoes isheard on the stairs.
4 I 2 THE STONE-ROOFED CHURCH AT ARDRASS.
stone, «four feet from the ground , in the west wall , which has a
curious feature in being splayed both internally and externally ;at the narrowest part it is 5 inches wide and 2 feet 2 incheshi h .g
The doorway 1s a pointed arch, placed at the west end of the
south wal l , just inside the jambs are holes 6 inches square,from one of which a bar was drawn across the door and insertedin the opposite hole, thus barricading the doorway. There I s
a square niche on either side of the doorway, low doWn in thewalls on the inside .
ST . PATRI CK ’
S CHAPEL AT ARDRAss BE I ORE I T S RESTORAT ION .
[F 1 0m a Phot0 0°
raph b y W . F i t z G Octob er ,
At the eastern end of the south wal l is a l ittle ogee-headed
window of cut stone. A similar window of two lights is in theeast wall . Before the restoration the east window was a gap in
the wall to the very ground ; among the debris lay the centralportion of the window-head in a single stone : the jambs and sillhad been carried off. This window has , however, been restored toits original form. There were no windows in the north wall .
THE STONE-ROOFED CHURCH AT ARDRASS.
‘4 1 3
Where the altar stood there are three large undressedboulders which probably formed a portion of it . To the left ofthe altar in the nOI th wall there is a niche (the locker) on the
opposite side in the south wall them are two niches (thecredence and the piscina) nearly above one another ; at thebottom of the lower one (i .e ., the piscina) there i s a saucer-likeslab with a hole in the centre .
The date of the building is the thirteenth 01° fourteenthcentury.
This little church was very judiciously restored, even to there opening of two windows which had been built up, vi z . the one
in the east gable and the one in the west wall . The credit 1s allthe greater to the late Major Barton, as the work was carriedout three years before our Society came into existence. Byhim,
too , was erected the iron railing which surrounds the
building, thus preventing cattle from taking shelter inside and
from using the corners as scratching-posts . Though there are
now no traces of any graves, yet human bones were turned upwhen sinking holes for the uprights of the r ailing.
The only tradition in connexion with St . Patrick ’
s Chapel ,which I hea1 d on the spot , was that it was built m a single nightby our national saint, and that next morning an evil disposedpagan attempted to demo lish it . He commenced by making a
hole in the middle of the r,oof through which he fell and broke
his )neck ; thus the remainder of the bu ilding escaped . The
damage referred to was made good at the restoration.
A few peIches away In the northerly direction 1s the low hill ,
0 A
S t P a t r i ck‘
s H i l l
414 THE ST ONE-R OOFED CHURCHAT jARDRASS .
already mentioned , from‘
which the place takes,
its name of“Ardrass,
” the hill (01° height) Of the brambles This
li ttle hill rises abruptly on the—
north side to about 100 feet , andslopesaway gradually in the Opposite direction. In one place on‘
the summit is a hollow which goes by thename of St . Patrick’
s
Bed ,”while a-t -the foot of the hill by the side of the Barberstown
road is S t . Patrick’
s Well . This Blessed Wel l is circu lar,bu ilt round w ith masonry and partially covered by a large flagstone . Judging by the bits of rags tied to the bushes a round ,
this well is st ill held in great repute .
Our "Society visited this local ity during their AnnualExcursion on the 3 1 2th of September, 1 899.
4 1 6 BALLADS AND POEMS OF THE COUNT Y KILDARE .
But the best-mounted man at that gay cover-side
I s honest Tom Conolly, Castletown’s pride °
And m irth and good fellowship beam In his eye ,Such a goodly collection of guests to descry ;
For guests shall be al lIn Tom Conolly
’
s hall,Who keeps open house for the great and the smallAnd none who takes share in the fox-hunt to-dayEre m idnight from Castletown’
s mansion Shall stray.
R ight _warm are the greetings that welcome the squi re ,As he rides up— but all this preamble will tire °
Besides that the hounds through the brushwood are dodging ,And making inqu iries where Reynard is lodging ;
Some snuffing the ground
W ith a caution profoundSome running and poking their noses all roundAnd now of the whole not a vestige is there ,But a number of tails cocked up in the airAnd now there
’s a bark , and a yelp , and a cry,
And the horsemen are stil l standing anxiously byAnd some of the packAre at length on the trackAnd now there
’s a shout"
Sly old Reynard leaps out .
Hold hard Don’t ride over the dogs What a scramble"
Away go the b ounds in the wake of the fox"Away go the horsemen thro
’ brushwood and brambl e"Away
0°o they all , o’er brooks , fences, and rocks"O
°
Afar In the plainThey are stretching amain
Each sinew and nerve do the gallant steeds strain,
While the musical cry of the fleet-footed houndI s ringing in chorus melodiously round ,And the horseman who rides at the tail of the packI s a very tall gentleman, dressed all in blackAway"away"On his restless bedH is wearied limbs let the sluggard spread,His eyes on the glorious morning close,And fancy ease in that dull repose"G ive me to taste of the freshening draughtO f the early breez e , on the green hill quaffed"G ive me to fly, with the lightning’
s Speed ,On the bounding back of the gallant steed"G ive m e to bend o
’er the floating mane
,
While the blood leaps w ild In each thrilling vein"Oh"who that has felt the joy intense,To tempt the torrent , to dare the fence,But feels each pleasure beside give placeTo the manly danger that waits the chase ?
Onward still— ’tis a spanking run,
As e’er was seen by morning’
s sun
Onward stillO ’
er p lain and hill’Gad,
’tis a pace the devil to kill
A few of the nags i t w ill pu z z le, I trow,
To ride at that neat b it of masonry now .
Steady there , black fellow l— over he goes ;Well done, old bay l— ho the brown fellow toes,And p itches his rider clean out on his nose
BALLADS AND POEMS OF THE COUNT Y KILDARE .
E ighteen out of fifty their mettle attest ,There’
s a very nice view from the road for the rest.And now the boreen
k
With that rascally screenOf furz e on each bank— by old Nim , that
’s a poser"
There’s the black fellow at it—
’Gad, over he goes, sir .
Well done, Conolly stick to the nigger, you dogThough he does seem old Beelz ebub riding incog.
Ha"the third fellow ’s blown
No go , doctor, you’re thrown,
And have fractured your dexter clavicu lar bone’Gad , here
’s the Solicitor-General down on him
Who could think that he ever had got wig or gown on himCleared gallantly"but, sure, ’tis plain common sense,
Bar practice should fit a man well for a fence.
F ive more show they’re good ones , in bottom and speed ;
But that tall , strange , black gentleman still keeps the lead"
Ha"Reynard , you ’re done for, my boy"at your back
Old Jowler and Clinker come, leading the pack ;Ay , close at your brushThey are making a rush ;
Come face ’em , old fellow,
and die l ike a thrush"Well snapped, but won’
t do ,My poor modereen rue"”
That squeez e in the gullet has finished your breath ;And that very black horseman is in at the death"
The very black horseman dismounts from his steed,And takes ofi Reynard
’
s brush with all sportsman-like heed ;
Then, patting the nag
With the air of a wag,Says, This is cool work, my old fellow , to-dayAt which the“ black steed gives a very loud neigh ;
And it is odd indeed,Neither rider nor steed
Seems one whit the worse of their very great Speed ;Though the
p
next four or five
Who this moment arrive,Their horses a11 foaming, themselves all bemired ,Look beyond any doubt pretty heartily tired ,
As they think , Who the deuce can -be this chap in black ,Who has ridden al l day at the tail of the pack ?
The group has come up with the stranger the while,Who takes off his hat tothe squ ire , w ith a smile ,And hands him the brush , w ith an air most polite,Expressing his, joy at transferring the right ,Which only the speed of his hunter had won,
To him who had shown them so noble a run,
And whose name,he would add ,
He had heard , from a lad ,As a toast through all Ireland for humour and fun.
Gad , sir,”says the squ ire ,
Whether most to admireY our pol iteness or daring I ’m puz z led to say ;
But though I’ve seen hunting enough in my day,
All I’ve met with must yield
T o your feats in the field .
4 17
BALLADS° AN I) POEMS .OF THE QOUNT Y ;R ILDARE .
I trust I at least can induce you to d ine,And your horsemanship p ledge In a bumper of WineAnd if longer you
’ll honour my house as a dweller,Al l I prom i se you is you
’ll find more in thecellar.
Thanks, T om— I beg pardon , _I _make so .d — d
'
free ,When a man of your thorough gOOd nature _I see"But excuse it
”Excuse i t , my excellent friend"
’T is the thing of all others I
_
’wish _you
’
d not mend ;None but a good fellow had ever the _tr ick ,
’
But your nam e by the way ? Mi ne"oh , pray call me N ick.
V ery good : there’s a spice of the devil about it"
A‘
sp ice of the devil ay, faith ,
-
who _can dOubt i t'
9
I’m dressed by the way in hiS l ivery sainted ;Bu t they say the old boy ’
s not as black as hé ’s painted ;And this Clerical su it 4 “ Y ou
’re no parson, sure
— come .9
Ah,
‘
no pump ing on that,my fr1end , Conolly — mum
This clerical su it , faith , though sombre and sad,
I s no bad thing at al l , with the women , Ihy lad
Well done, Nick , on my life,
I’l l look after myWife
I f you com e in her way.
’Gad, saysNick w1th a laugh ,
T o look after yourself would be better by half.Look after my .self says the Squ ire ; “ Lord"why so .
9
Y ou’ve no partnership , sure , w ith you r namesake below ?
NO ,
” says Nick , w ith a squ int.I mean onlyto hint ,
Bu t I’ll do it more plainly, for fear of m istake
I f we play at blind hockey , be d d w ide awake .
Then,w ith laughterand j es_ ,t
Honest Tom and his guest
R ide along, while their humour is shared by the rest ,Who vow , one and all ,Master N ick to install,
As the prince Of good fellows ; and just at n ightfallThey reach most good
-humour’dly Castletown Hall .’T is a glorious thingWhen the wintry sun,Asham ed of himself, has Outand runWhen the dri z z ling rain fal ls th ick and fast ,And the shivering pop lars stafid aghast ;No sight abroad , but the landscape bleak ,No sound , save whistle, and hoWl ,and creak ;’T is a glorious thing, in that d ismal hour,T o be snugly housed from the tempest
’s p ower
W ith a blaz ing fire , and a smoking board ,W ith all the
o best things of the season stored"Not costly, m ind , but a good plain d inner,T o su it the wants of an erring sinner.
1
But enough , to their d inner the hunting-folk sit"W ith a s ilence d isplaying more wisdom than wit
But with the dessertW it begins to assert
H is claims to attention ; and near to its closeT akes the field while old Wisdom goes oh in a do z e .
F i fty one l ines follow here , describ ing w ines and d ishes generally ; but asthey have no bearing on the legend , they are om itted .
420 ,BALLADS AND POEM S OF THE COUNT Y KILDARE .
There’s a cooper of wine by Tom Conol ly
’s chair ,
And he stoops for a bottle— At what does he stare ?Can it be ? Oh"no doubt
,
My fine lad , you’re found out
There’s the cloven foot plainly as eye can behold .
Cut your stick ,Master Nick ,If I may make so bold"’Pon my life, What a jestTo have you fOr my guest
Y ou , toping by doz ens Lafitte ’s very best"
Be off,sir, you
’ve drunk of my w ine to sat iety
No , thank you ,
”says Nick ; Tom , I like your society,
I like your good humour, I rel ish your wit ,And I ’m d — d but I very much like your Lafitte .
Y ou may guess that your w ineHas more bouquet than m ine
And I ’ll stay, my old boy , in your mansion a dweller ,While a drop of such claret remains in your cellar"I’ve my reasons for this, but ’
twere needless to state’em ,
For this , my dear fellow, is my ultimatum"
Tom rings for the flunk ies : they enter ,— what now ?
He looks at old Nick, with a very dark brow ,
And says , while the latter complacently bearsHis glance Kick that insolent rascal downstairs.
At their master'
s behest ,They approach to the guest ,
Though to kick him downstairs seems no joke at the best ;But when they draw near,
With a humorous leerN ick cries My good friends, you had better be civil.’Tis not pleasant , believe me
,to deal with the devil"
I ’m that much-abused person— so do keep aloof,And , lest you should doubt me , pray look at my hoof.Then lifting his leg w ith an air most polite ,He places the cloven hoof fu ll in their sight ,
When at once, with a roar,
They al l rush to the door ;And stumbling o ’
er Wine-COOpers, sleepers, and chairs,Never stop till they’
ve got to the foot of the stairs.
The parson is sent for— he comes—
’tis no go
Nick plainly defies him to send him belowWith a comical phi zSays he
’ll stay where he is ,And b ids him begone , for an arrant old qu i zAsks how is his mother, and treats him indeedWith impertinence nothing on earth could exceed .
A pleasant finale , in truth , to a feast ,There’s but one hope remaining— to send for the priestThough the parson on hearing it says ’
tis al l fudge ,A nd vows that he ne’
er w ill induce Nick to budge .
S till , as ’tis the sole hope of getting a severance
From Nick , the squ ire sends off at once for his reverence,And would send for the Pope
I f he saw any hope
That his power cou ld induce the old boy to elope .
BALLADS AND POEM S O F THE COUNT Y KILDARE . 42 I
Father Malachy, sure that for Nick he’s a match ,
Doesn’t ask better sport than to come to the scratch
And arrives at the hallIn the m idst of them all ,
While the frightened domestics scarce venture to crawlAnd , learning the state of afiairs from the Squ ire ,Says he
’ll soon make his guest from the p arlour retire,If he
’ll only agreeTo give him rent free
A plot for a chapel ; but if he refuses,Master Nick may stay w ith him as long as he chooses .
A p lot for a chapel"Tom Conolly cri es .
Faith , I’
ll build one myself, that will gladden your eyes,I f old NickCuts his stick .
That he shall double qu ick ,If you
’ll undertake to stand mortar and brick .
Agreed"says the Squire ; so the priest takes his book ,Giving Nick at the same time a terrible look
Then th ’exorcism begins,
But old Nick only grins ,And asks him to read out the Table of Sins ;
For between you and me,
Holy father,” says he ,That ’s light and agreeable reading, you see ,
And if you look it carefully over , I ’d bet,Y our reverence will find you ’
re a bit in my debt"At an insult so d ire
,
Father Malachy’s ire
Was aroused in an instant ; so, closing the book,He gives the arch-rascal one desperate look ,Then
,with blessed precision, the volume lets fly ,
And hits the arch enemy fair'
in the eye"There ’
s a terrible yellThat m ight startle all hell"
A flash , and a very strong brimstony smell l
And, save a great cleft ,From his exit so deft ,
Not a trace of the gentleman’s visit is left ;
But_the book which was flung
In his visage has clungTo the wainscot , and sticks so tenaciously to it ,Y ou
’
d fancy some means sapernatural glue it ;And h is reverence in fact finds it fixed in the mortar ,To the wonder of all , a full inch and a quarter"Where the mark of it still to this day may be seen ,
Or if not , they can Show you where once it has been ;And if after that any doubts on it sei z e you ,
Al l I can say is— ’Tis not easy to please you .
The delight of the Squire I , of course , can’t express .
That ’tis boundless indeed youm ight easily guess .
The very next dayHe gives orders to lay
The chapel ’s foundation ; and early in May,If in his excursions Nick happened to pass there ,He m ight see Father Malachy celebrate Mass there
And it stands to this day, slate, stone, m ortar , and brick ,By Tom Conolly bu ilt , to get rid of old Nick .
S ince the period that N ick go t this touch in the eye ,Of d isplaying his hoof he has grown very shy ;Y ou can scarce find him out by his ill-shapen stump ,
For he sticks to the rule Keep your toe in your Pump .
( 42 2 )
QS IBCeIIanea .
‘
C o nce rn ing the land s O f Do no re , ne a r C a rra g h , in t he
Ba ro ny O f C la ne .
The following account of the proprietorship of these lands inthe sixteenth century is taken from the County Dublin ExchequerInqu isition , No . 59 (94) of Henry VI II , which was held in Dublinin 1 536 . The Donore branch of the: Fitz Geralds are supposed tohave been descended from ~Tho
’
mas ,-fourth son
‘
of Maurice , fourthEarl ofKildare the latter died in‘
1 390.
names of the Jurors on this Inquisition were
William Browne of Newton de More .
Walter Y ong of the same place .
Peter Walshe of Morten .
N icholas Colgaghe of Ballygorn .
John Ingland of Kyldroght .
Thomas Hart of Naas .
A lexander Chever of Lexlype .
Thomas Burges of the same place .
R ichard Heler of Kyll .John A llen of Oghtyrard .
Nicholas Bath of the same place .
W illiam Ewstace of Blakhal l .
N icholas Slow of Kyldrought.Robert Hasquin of Sherlokyston.
John Whyt of the same p lace .
William Baly of Rathmore .
The Jurors,on their oath, say
That Gerald ffitz Gerald of Dunowre , gent . , was seised in hisdemesne as of fee of the towns and lands of
Donowre, 160 acres .
Keroaghe , 80 acres .
le Newton, 80 acres called tfitz herres landes .
Kylpatrike , 14 acres.
Gyngeriston ,1 3 acres of which Gerald Welesley , lord of
Deyngyn, receives the head rent .
Kyllmagarroke, 40 acres .
Loveston or Lowestown ,15 acres .
Corkraneston.
Leveteston
Bal lyscol loke ,the head-1 ents of.
That all the lands and tenements of Dunowre , Newton,
Keroaghe are held of the King as of his Manor of
Ra thcofi'
y by knight’
s Service .
424 NOTES .
glid es .
T he M il l ice nt a nd Firm o u nt T o w nla nd s .
There are preserved in the Dublin Record Office some
volumes of hand-drawn “ Trustee Maps”
of estates forfeited in1688 , and sold in 1 702 . In the volume for the County Kildare,among others, are drawn maps of what are now the townlands ofM illicent and Firmount with adjoining townlands .
On comparing these maps with the 6-inch Ordnance Surveysheets , I ascertained that the northern portion of the townland of
M illicent (including the demesne) was the townland of Newtown,
and the present southern portion was the townland of Horestown.
That portion of Firmount adj oining the southern portion of
Millicent was the townland of Keap oge,”
and that portionadjoining Moatfield was the townland of Om stany.
By whom , when , or why the present modern names were
applied I have not discovered .
W. FI TZG .
M o na o ra nno g e a nol E lm Ha ll .
The au thority mentioned above makes “the Commons of M ona
omnnoge to correspond with the present townland of Commons,lying to the west and south of the townland of Loughlinstown (nearDonaghcomper) ; and at that
~
time the present townland of Elm
Hall formed a part of Loughlinstown.
W . FITZG .
Elleno r Ly nch , w ife o f L is ag h O’
C o nno r, o f Le ix l ip .
In the pedigree opposite to p . 241 of this volume of the JOURNAL ,
Ellenor Lynch (Lince, or Leyns) is shown as being only marriedthree times, whereas she had as many as five husbands . Thishas been brought to my notice by Mr . G . D. Burtchaell (AthlonePursuivant of Arms) , who has kindly supplied the names of the
other two husb ands, making her marriages take place in the
following orderI . David mac Teige Reagh O
’Dowd (or r O’
Dowda) , of
Castle Connor , Lord of Tireragh , in the County Sligo ,and chief of his name : slain in 1 594 .
I I . S ir Lional Guest (or Ghest) , Kt . , who was knighted at
Leixlip by the Lord Deputy, Sir George Cary, Kt . ,on the 5 th May, 1604 . She was his second wife .
I II . Captain William May, of Castle Connor, aforesaid .
IV . Lisagh O’
Connor, of Leixlip , who died in 1626 . Shewashis second w ife.
V . Garrett fitz Maurice Fitz Gerald , of Glassealy , CountyKildare, who died on the 10th of September, 1 637 She
was his second wife , and he outlived her .
NOTES .
Ellenor Lynch was the daughter of Patrick , eldest son of PeterLynch, of the Knock (now Summerhill) in the County Meath .
W. FITZG .
T he W ill o f Lo rd Edw a rd F it z Ge ra ld .
The Will i s in the possession of the Rev . C . W . Murray, of the
Rectory, Blaston St . G iles , Uppingham , a nephew of Mr . Thomas
R . Murray, who owned the Museum of Irish Antiqu ities , formerlyat Edenderry, which was sold for £200 to the Cambridge Universityin 1900, for a description of which see pages 325 to 333 of volume ii i
of the JOURNAL . The Will is written on a folio sheet now torn .in
two at the fold of the paper. I t is dated 27th May, 1 798 . In it
Lord Edward leaves all his lands at Kilrush, County Kildare, &c.
to his brother , Lord Henry Fitz Gerald , in trust to the use of his
wife Pamela ; his children, two daughters and a son, are not
mentioned . Lord Edward ’
s signature is in a very shaky'
hand .
This is not surprising, as he was then dying of the wounds receivedat the time of his arrest, his death taking place on the 4th June ,just eight days after he had signed the Will . The witnesses to thelatter were
1 . Alexander Lindsay (a Surgeon-General , and one of the
medical attendants on Lord Edward) .2 . George Stewart (also stated to have been a Surgeon) .8 . Samuel Stone (a Lieutenant in the DerryMilitia , and for
some time in charge of Lord E dward in NewgatePrison) .
Thomas Moore, the poet , in his Life of Lord Edward , g1ves thewording of the Will (vol . ii , p. 1 21 , third edition, but it isnot qu ite the same as the one in the possession ofMr . Murray . Howthe latter came into the possessi on of his fam ily i s not known , and
i twas ow ing to his courtesy that I had the opportunity of exam iningit in August , 1910.
W . FI TZG .
Q ueries .
Kild a re M em b e rs o f Pa rl iam ent .— I am unable to
identify the following, and shou ld be glad to have particulars of
their parentage z— John Abelles, M .P Kildare Borough , 1 559 ;Rowland Cussyn , Athy, 1 5 59 ; John Gore, Kildare Borough, 1 5 59 ;Richard Mothill , Athy , 1 5 59 ; John Sherlock , Naas, 1 559 WalterLewes, Naas , 1 5 85 ; Thomas Farbach ,
Kildare Borough , 1 614 ;John Pecke, Kildare Borough, William Palmer, Naas , 1 695William Smith , Athy, 1762 ,
Thomas Allan, Naas, 1776 ; JohnCharles Crowle, Harristown, 1 777 ; Colonel Arthur Ormsby, Athy,1 790 ; and Jones Harrison, Kildare Borough , 1796 .
THOMAS U. SADLEIR .
QUER IES .
S m it h Fa rh ily é Jn _ the list of paterits tgiven inthe .
Z‘LiberMunerum Publicorum Hiberniae -is one dated 5 th April , 1797 ,
Peter_fiAylmer to have pardon for provoking Mr . Sm ith to fight a
duel . I Should be obliged to any reader who can furnish me withinformation relating to this Mr . Sm ith . Cou ld he be identical w ithWilliam Smith, returned for Athy, 1 762
THOMAS‘
U . SADLE IR .
Le t te rs t o A rch b is ho p King ( o f Du b l in , f rom h is
co nt em p o ra r ie s ) , l'
6 8 0 - i 7 2 2 .— Among a collection of these
Letters were originally ,
included three written to him ~ by the
:V en . Archdeacon M ichael Hewetson, Armagh , dated -
respect ively,22nd March ; 1698 , 1 700,
-
and 17 th September ,abu t , unfortunately ,
’
though figuring in the index to the letters , theyare m issing, and . it is assumed that they were either loaned or given
The letters are not now in the possession of the King-fam ily .
I_
shall , therefore,(
be infinitely obliged to any member of our
Society, or their friends , who may be able to e nlighten-m e as to
their whereabouts, as I desire to ob tain copies .
JOHN HEWET SON .
gilnsmer to 01 Q uery .
A ’Wo'
o olen C a s t le in t he S ixt e enth C e ntu ry . ,
-A queryq on this suibject was inserted on page 249 of this *
volume of the
JOURNAL . Judging by the fo llowing entry in the"‘ Annals of the
Eour Masters , under the year 1544, a woodencastle was either a“
'
paluiSaded rath , ,
or a crannoge , i .e . , a fortified artificial island in a
lough '
or bog
The entry in the“ Annals runs thus
A .D . 1 544 . An army was led by O’Donnel l (Manus mac Hugh mac Hugh
“roe into the Route (a d istrict in the northern portion of the County Antrim ,belonging to the Welsh clan of MacUidhilin or MacQuillin) , and took Inis-an
lochain the island of the little lake) , whereon MacQui ll in had a wooden
castle and an impregnable fortress . O ’Donnell took this castle , and gave i t upto O
’Kane .
Tha t .this surmise is correct is almost proved by another entryin the Annals of the Four Masters,
”under the year 1 530, where
it is stated that the above Manus O’Donnel l
’
s father,
‘
Hugh,
Chief of Tirconnell (the County Donegal) entered the CountyLeitrim with an army , and burned the best wooden honee in all
Ireland ,”i .e .
,the house of Mac Consnava (now MacKinaw
‘
and
Forde) in Lough Allen.
Thus , in the case of Derrymu llan, there being no lough”
there,the woo dencastle was either a rath or a crannoge in a bog.
W,
’
FITZG .
THE COUNCIL of the COUNT Y KILDARE ARCHJEOLOGICAL SOCIETY
does not hold itself answerable for statements pu t forward
in this JOURNAL ; the responsibility rests entirely With the
writers of the Papers .
THE COUNCIL of the COUNT‘
Y KILDARE AR CHJEOLOG ICAL SOCIETY
does not ho ld itself answerable for statem ents pu t forward
this JOURNAL ; the responsibility rests entirely with the
writers of the Papers .
4 2 8 PRO CEEDIN GS O F THE
In addition the election of the following at the August
Excursion Meeting was confirmedMr. Laurence A . Waldron .
The fol low ing places , as su itable for the Autumn Excursion,
were discussed z— Rathangan and the Hil l of A llen Ballyadams
Castle and Churchyard , in the Queen ’
s County.
The latter place was eventual ly decided on ; the Excursionto take place in the month of September.
The undernamed Papers were read :
Place-names in the County Kildare , by ArchdeaconSherlock .
The Priory of Graney , County Kildare, by Lord WalterFitz Gerald .
A Paper entitled Notes on the legend of Tristram and
I soud ,’
with identification of the place-names thereinmentioned,
by M iss E ileen Grace O’Mahony , was taken as read
,and referred
to the Hon . Editor for his Opinion on it .
A resolution was moved by Colonel de Burgh , and secondedby the Dean of Ki ldare , thanking those who had contributedPapers
,and the High Sheriff for the u se of the Court-house .
Mr. O’
Grady exhibited a silver coin, which had beendiscovered some time ago by workmen employed in demo lishingthe ruins of an .
o ld house at Walshestown, near Newbridge .
This coin, which was very thin,and about the Size of a shilling,
was a'
A
S ixpenny-piece (English) of James I
,and dated 1 622 .
'
Archdeacon Sherlock exhibited a pair of American-Indianbead-Worked moccasins , and a stone ad z e-head , fixed by cord to
a wooden handle , from New Z ealand , il lustrating how the I rishstone cel t may have been secured to its handle .
The proceedings were then brought to a close .
REPORT OF COUNC IL FOR 1910.
THE pas t year has been a very unfortunate one for the Society ,as S ince its foundation ,
in 1 891 , we have not had to chroniclesach a reduction in the roll o f membership, amounting to Sixteen,
through death s and resignations . In a Society such as ours,
however, resignations must be expected , as members from variouscau ses leave the district for work elsewhere
,and we mu st only
hope for new recruits to fill the gaps .
The Council regret to have to record the death of eightmembers in the past year. Dr . Edward Percival Wrigh t wasone of I reland ’
s most distinguished botanists,having been
CO UN T Y KILDARE ARCHZEOLOG ICAL SO C I ET Y . 429
Professor of Botany in Trinity College from 1 869 to 1904 .
Dr . Wright’
s time was so actively employed as a member of theR oyal I rish Academy, of which he was twice Secretary, and of
the Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland , of which he wasPresident from 1900 to 1902 , and was so zealous a worker on
the Council of our sister Society, that he could scarcely have beenexpected to take any active part in the work of the KildareSociety ; bu t by his death the country loses an able botanist ,zoologist, and antiquary .
M r. W . R . J . Molloy was an ardent supporter of the Society,and was one of the most regular attendants at the ExcursionMeetings. He held the important position of a Comm issionerof National Education.
In Colonel Mervyn Tynte we lose the representative of the
Pratt and Bulkeley families , who in past centuries owned so
much property in the district around Dunlavin. Only a few
years back we visited Old Bawn,in the County Dublin, of which
he was head landlord .
Father Conmee was an erudite scho lar, and at one time
Rector of ClongowesWood College . Many of us will rememberthat he was one of those who gave us a kindly welcome on the
oCcasi o11 of the Excursion Meeting to Clongowes in 1899.
We have also to record the deaths of the Hon. Mrs . Swinton,
M r . Robert White , M r. Robert Longfield , and Mrs . Pratt.
The rol l of Membership at present stands at 145,including
twenty-eight Life Members
The Hon . Treasurer’s report shows that our finances are
fairly lsatisfactory and in this connexion we have aga in to tenderour thanks to the Duke of Leinster, who has generously defrayedthe expense of the i llustrations in the JOURNALI
By the majority of vo tes at the Annual General Mee ting In
January, the Excursion took ~
place at the Rock o f Cashel inAugust . This was the first time the Society held its Excursionoutside the confines of
'
i ts district , and i t was very much in the
nature of an experiment— the w isdom of which many questioned ,as by the Ru les the Operations of the Society are confined to theCounty of Ki ldare and surrounding districts .
The distance to be traversed , no doubt , deterred many from
taking , part in the expedi tion,for only nineteen attended
,o f
whom twelve were members .
The time may not be far distant when we shal l haveexhausted all the available Excursions in our district
, in whichevent w e shall have to begin again and go over old ground , forWe m us t not lose sight of the fact that a very large number of
our members have been recruited since the foundation of the
430 PROCEEDI NGS OF THE .
Society in 1 891 . We have (already been in existence as a Society
for twenty vear .s
The Gounod do not set so much imphiortance on the ExcursionMeetings, at Which there i s no great opportunity for solidArchaeological Work . They are more in the nature of SocialArchmological Gatherings , to provide means
'
Ior inter °
cou1 se
among members . The real sol id w ork of the Society I s to be
found In the pages of the JOURNAL .
The Annual Gene I al M eeting was held in the Court House ,
Naas, on the 19th January, at which Papers and
rou tine bus iness of the SocietyTwo members of the Council retire by rotation— M r : Nicholas
Synnott and M . J . S . O’
Grady— both of whom are eligible, and
recommended for re-elect ion .
S igned 011 behalf of the Council ,
MAY O,P res ident.
ARTHUR VI CAR S ,
WALTER FI TZGERALD,
THE EXCUR S ION MEET I NG OF 1 910.
The Annual Excursion of the above Society took place on
Wednesdav ,August 1 7 th,
on one of this1 few fine da 1 s wi thwhich 11 e have this summer been favomed . The object 11 as the
iamdu s“Rock of Cashel , with i ts unique group of ancient
ecclesiastical bu ildings , now In charge o f the Board o f WO I kS
Among the members present were
Thc P resident , the Earl o f May o ; S . A . Quan-Smith, Dr.
R . L . Woollcombe , LL .D . ; M iss W oo llcombe,John Carolan
,
Rev. Canon Adam s,Rev . T . J . Kel ly, P .P . ; W . X. White ,
Rev . T . V . Nolan , S .J .,Rector of Clongowes Wood College ;
Lo rd George Fi tz Gerald . Rev. E . O’
Leary ,P .P . ; and Archdeacon
She rlock ,H on. E di tor .
Cashel was reached Shortly after 12 o’
clock . A t the modern
Cathedral the V ery Rev . Dean Day courteously received the
Society, and Showed them the Church Plate and other objects o f
inte1 est .
A fter an early luncheon at Ryan’
s Ho tel, the
p1 oceeded to climb the Rock , visiting on their way theof the Dean,
formerly the Palace of the Archbishops of
LIST O F HO NO RARY O FFIC ERS AND MEM BERS
(CORRE CTED To J UL Y,
firesibrut
THE EARL OF MAY O,K.P . , P .C .
hite {1111131111 11 1
THE REV . MATTHEW DEV ITT , S .J.
01301111111
(IN ORDER or ELECT I ON . )
GEORGE MANSFIELD, ESQ. , D.L .
THE REV . EDWARD O’LEARY
,P .P . ,
LT .-COL . THOMAS J. DE BURGH , D.L .
NICHOLAS J. SY NNOTT , ESQ .
JOHN SHIELL O’GRADY , ESQ
THE VERY REV . THE DEAN OF KILDARE .
219011 . Errasa trr
HANS HENDRICKzAY LMER , ESQ . , KERDIFFSTOWN , SALLINS .
ALFRED A . WARMINGTON , ESQ . ,MUNSTER AND LEINSTER BANK ,
S ta t istic
SIR ARTHUR V ICARS , v.o. , GRANGE CON , Co. WICKLOW.
LORD WALTER EITZ GERALD, KILKEA CASTLE, MAGANEY .
115011. (ithitor
THE VEN . THE ARCHDEACON OF KILDARE , M .A . , SHERLOCKSTOWNSALL I NS .
434 MEMBERS O F THE
111 13111 11e , 1 91 1 .
[Memb ers of the C ouncil are ind icated by heavy type ; Life M emb ers b y an aster isk
Adams , Rev . Canon , Kill Rectory , Straffan .
Archbold , M iss, Davidstown , Castledermot.*Ardilaun, The Lord , S t . Anne
’s , C lontarf, C o . Dub lin .
Armstrong, Edmund C . R . , I .A .,
Cyprus , Eglinton-road,Dublin .
Aylmer , M iss , Donadea Castle, Co . Kildare .
Aylm er, Algernon , Rathmore , Naas .
AY LMER, H. HENDRlCK H on. Treasurer , Kerdiffstown, Sallins .
Barbor , The Rev . H . A . D The Rectory, Castledermot , Co . Kildare .
*Barton,Bertram H . , Straffan House , S traffan .
Barton, R . C . , Glendalough House ,~Annamoe , Co . W icklow .
Barton , M iss D. , Glendalough House , Annam oe , Co . W icklow .
Betham , Mrs . , 9 Belgrave-square, Monkstown .
Bland,Mrs. J. L . , Dysartgal len , Ballinakill , Queen’
s Co .
Bonham , Colonel J Ballintaggart , Co lbinstown , Co. Kildare .
Brooke , J. T . , Ennerdale, Constable Road , Ipsw ich,England .
Brown, Stephen J Ardcaien , Naas .
Burke , V ery Rev . Monsignor E . , P .P . , Bagenalstown , Co . Carlow .
*Burtchaell , G . D.,M .A. , Athlone Pursu ivant of Arm s , 44 Morehampton-road ,
Dublin .
Burton, Philip , Railway-terrace , Naas .
*Byrne , Rev . V incent , S .J. , St . Francis Xavier’s , Up . Gardiner-street , Dublin .
Campbell , M iss Helen, Oatlands , Abbeyleix, Queen’s Co .
Carroll , Major John W . V Moone Abbey , M oone .
Carolin, John, 77 North King-street , Dubl in.
Carrigan, The Rev . W .,P .P . , D. D . , Durrow, Queen
’s County .
Castletown of Upper Ossory , Lord , K .P . , P .C .,Grantstown Manor, Abbeyleix ,
Queen’s Co .
*C larke, M rs. ,Athgoe Park , Haz lehatch
,Co . Dublin .
*C lements , Henry J. B. ,D.L . , Killadoon, Celbridge .
Cochrane , Robert, LL .D . , President 1 7 H ighfield-road ,Rathgar, Dublin .
Colley, G . P . A . , Faunagh ,Rathgar, Dublin .
Coote, S tanley V . , Burley , R ingwood , Hants,England .
Cosby , Colonel R . A . G . , D .L . , Stradbally Hall , S tradbally, Queen’s County .
COWELL, Very Rev. G. Y . ,Dean of Kildare , The Deanery, Kildare .
Cru ise, Francis , M .D. , Baltinglass , Co . W icklow .
C ullen , Rev . John , P .P . , T inryland , Co . Carlow .
436 MEMBER S o r T HE
Hade , Arthur, C.H . , Carlow .
Hannon , J. A . ,Ardreigh House , Athy.
Heighington , Colonel W . , Donard House,Donard , Co . Wicklow .
Hewetson , John,32 C ornwa ll-road , Bayswater , London, W .
Hobson , C . J. , 5 18 West 1 79th Street , New Y ork , U. S .A .
Howard , F . , Collinstown House , Leixl ip .
Jackson ,F . R . ,
Kilkea , Castledermot .
Joyce , Patrick Weston , LL .D. , Barnalee , 18 Leinster-road , W . , Rath
mines, Dublin .
Kelly, Rev . Thomas J Emo, Queen
’s County .
Kirkpatrick , W illiam , DOnacomper, Celbridge .
Lamb , Mrs . , Maudlin’s Farm
,Naas .
*Leinster , the Duke of, Carton , Maynooth .
*Luxmoore , Allan Aylmer, Shincl iffe, Durham , England .
Lynch , M iss M . , Royal Terrace House , Kingstown, Co . Dublin .
MacDonald , Rev . Wa lter , D .D . , Librarian,The College , Maynooth.
Magu ire, P . A . ,2 O ldtown-terrace, Naas .
Mahony , George Gun,Kilmorna , Co . Kerry .
Manders , R . W . ,Castlesi z e , Sallins .
MANSFIELD, GEORGE, D . L . , Morristown Lattin, Naas.
Maunsell , R ichard J. C . , Oakley Park, Celbridge, Co . Kildare .
MAY O, The EARLOF, K.P . , P .C . ,P resident
,Palmerstown, Straffan.
Molony, Thomas F . , X.C 35 Fitz william-place , Dublin.
Mooney, William , The Castle, Leixlip .
*Moran, His Em inence Cardinal, Sydney, N . S. Wales, Australia.
Murphy, Rev. A . , C .C .,Baltinglass , Co . Wicklow .
Murphy, W . A . , Osberstown House, Sall ins .
Nolan, Rev . James, C .C . , Athy, Co . Kildare .
*Nolan,Rev . T . V .
,S .J . , Rector of Clongowes Wood College , Sallins , Co . Kildare
Norris , Rev . M . , P .P . , Naas .
Nugent , Hon . R . , Stacumney, Celbridge .
Odlum ,Henry M .
,Kilmoney, Rathangan .
*O’
Ferrall , Dominick More , Kildangan , Monasterevin.
O’
GRADY , JOHN SHIELL, Rickardstown, Newbridge , Co . Kildare.
O’Kel ly, E . P . , S t . Kevin’
s,Baltinglass , Co . Wicklow .
"O’
LEARY , Rev. E.,P .P . , S t . M ichael ’s , Portarlington, Queen
’s County.
O’
Mahony , Pe irce , D .L . Grange C on, Co . Wicklow .
COUN T Y KILDAR E A RCH /EO LOG ICAL SOC I ET Y .
*Pal les,R ight Hon . C .
,Lord Chief Baron , Mount Annv ille, Dundrum .
Palmer , Charles Co lley , D .L .,
Rahan , Edenderry .
Poer, Rev . H . S . M . , The Rectory, Ballyburley, Edenderry , King ’s County .
Ponsonby , Lady Maria , 3 Stratford-p lace , London, W .
Quan-Sm ith , S . A . , Bullock Castle,‘
Dalkey .
Roper, Charles E . A . , 55 Leeson-park , Dublin,
*Sadleir, Thos . U . , Newcastle , Haz lehatch , Co . Dubl in .
SHERLOCK, The Ven. Will iam, Archdeacon of Kildare,H on . E d i tor , Sherlockstown
, Sallins .
St . George, Mrs . R . J. Ker, 1 1 Breffni Terrace, Kingstown, Co . Dublin.
Staples ,W illiam , Naas .
Sweetman ,E . , Longtown , Sallins .
Sweetman ,Mrs . , Longtown , Sallins .
SY NNOTT, NICHOLAS J.,Furness , Naas .
Synott , Mrs . , Furness , Naas .
Taafie , Mrs .,Breffni, Eglinton Road , Donnybrook , Dublin .
Tynan , The R ight Rev . M onsignor Thomas, Newbridge , Co . Kildare.
*V anston,G . T . B . , LL .D. ,
X.C . ,H ildon Park
,T erenure , Co . Dublin .
V erschoyle , W . H . F . , Woodley , Churchtown , Dundrum , Co . Dublin .
V ICARS, S IR ARTHUR, H on. Secretary , Grange Con ,
Co . Wicklow .
V igors , Mrs .,Holloden
,Bagenalstown, C o . C arl ow .
Wa ldron, Rt . Hon;_L. A ., P .C . , 10 Anglesea Street , Dublin .
Walker, M iss S . , 23 Hatch Street, Dublin ;Wall , Colonel J 60 Russell-terrace,Leamington Spa , England .
Waller , Rev. Canon E . H . , The Rectory, Athy.
Walsh, Rev. Martin , P .P ., Castledermot, Co . Kildare .
Wa lshe,R . D 42 Blo
’
omfield-avenue , Dubl in .
WARMINGTON, ALFRED A. ,Hon. A udi tor , Munster and Leinster Bank
, Naas .
Weldon,Lt . -Colonel Sir Anthony A .
, Bart . , Kilmorony , Athy .
Weldon , Dowager Lady, Tyrrellstown House, Mulhuddart, Co . Dublin.
Wheble, Mrs .,Monasterevin, ”
Co . Kildare .
White , W. X. ,2 Park V illas
,Maryborough .
White ,W . Grove , 1 3 Upper Ormond-quay,Dubl in .
Wolfe, George , Ranger of the Curragh , Forenaghts , Naas .
Woollcombe, M iss A . C .,14 Waterloo-road , Dublin .
*Wool lcombe, Dr . Robert Lloyd, M .A . , LL.D. , 14Waterloo-road,
Dublin .
Wright, R ichard , Prump lestown House , Castledermot, Co . Kildare .
The fol lowing Libraries and S ocieties a lso receive THE JOURNAL :
The Editor, “ Ulster Jo urnal of Archaeo logy ,” Ardrie , Belfast.
The Worcester Diocesan Architectural and Archaeologica l Society .
The Society of Antiquaries of London.
The Historic Society of Lancashire and Cheshire .
The Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland , 6 St . Stephen’s-green , Dublin .
The Roya l I rish Academy ,19 Dawson-stree t, Dublin .
The Library , Trinity College , Dublin.
The Nationa l Library of Ireland , Kildare-street , Dublin .
The Galway Archwological and H istorica l Society (W . F . Trench,E sq . ,
Queen’s Co llege , Galway) .
Le Bibliothéca ire , Socié té des Bollandistes, 14 Rue des Ursulines , Biuxelles ,Belgium .
The British Museum , London , W .C .
The Advocates’Library , Edinburgh .
The Bodleian Library, Oxford .
The University Library , Cam bridge .
The Cambridge Antiquarian Society (S ecretary, J. E . Foster , E sq . ,
10 T rinity-street , Cambridge ) .The Waterford and Sou th-East of Ireland Archaeologica l Society (The
Rev . P . Power , John’s H ill
,Wa terford) .
The Office of Arm s,The Castle , Dublin .
The County Louth Archaeologica l Society . (S ecreta ry ,Rev . J. Qu inn, C . C . ,
Grange , Carl ingford.
The Library , King’s Inns
,Henrietta-street , Dublin.
440
S UM M ER HILL , CO UN T Y M EA TH,A ND I TS
N'
E I GEIB O URH OOD .
PART I II .
THE CAM PAIGN OF DUNGAN H ILL , 1 647 .
BY THE REV . MATTHEW DEV ITT, S .J .,
V ice-P res ident of the County Kildare Archaeo logical Society .
THE war-cloud that hung for eleven years over Le land
,from
1 641 to 1 65 2 , burst in thunder over the district of Summer
hill on two memorable occasions . The grim fight at the
storming of Lynch’
s Castle , in June , 1642 , was followed five
years later by the Battle of Dungan H ill ,“
0 1° Dunganstown, close
to the sou thern entrance gate of Summerhill demesne .
The public road running south to Kilcock rises almost
immediately on passing that gate , to cross the ridge of Drum
largan Hi ll , passing, on the left , the ru ined church of Drumler
gan,and on the right— where the hill reaches i ts highest level
a wood , locally known as the Crookahane , which fixes the centreof the townland of Dunganstown, 0 1
° Dungan H ill .l On this
ridge , the axis of which runs N .E . S .W ., almost at right-angles
to the road , the main action was fought , on Sunday , _8 th Augu st ,
1 647 . I t resulted in a disastrous defeat for the ConfederateArmy of Leinster, commanded by General Thomas Preston,
uncle of the S ixth Viscount Gormanston,and in a momentous
victory for Colonel M ichael Jones , Commander-in-Chief of the
Parliamentary Forces , then serving in the Leinster Province .
The high estimate formed of Jones ’
s achievement appearsin contemporary references to the battle . S ir Patrick Wemys ,
writing from Dublin (8 th August , calls it “the bravest
victory ever England had since the Conquest .
”V al Savage , on
August 9th,writes : This was the greatest V ictory that ever
was obtained in this Kingdom .
”2 Borlase considered it “the
greatest and most signal V ictory the English ever had in
I reland .
” 3 The sympathy of these writers was , no’
doubt,entirely
w ith the v ictors ; but , in the main,the I rish historians of the
same period give a similar verdict ; and there is no dissentientvo ice as to the disas trou s nature of Preston
’
s reverse .
1 S ee vo l . v i , p . 215 .
Egmont M SS ., vo l . 1, P ar t i i , 44 ,
3,444 .
Bo rlase , “ H istory of the R ebel l ion, p. 186 .
SUMM ERH ILL AND IT S N E IGHBO URHO OD .
The resu lt , however, had a Special significance at the time,
In that it was an emphatic assertion of the m ight of the
Parliament of England, which had recently acqu ired possessionof the Irish capital , and assumed exclusive contro l of Englishadm inistration in this country . H itherto the forces arrayedagainst the I rish enemy had . been divided in their allegiance .
Ormond , the Viceroy, and Commander-in-Chief of the King’
s
Army in I reland , fought for the prerogative of his royal master
and the supremacy o f the E stablished Church . Inchiquin,in
Munster, had abandoned the royal cause , and was fightingvigorou s ly for the Parliament . InUlster the Scottish regiments ,
commanded by M unro, acknow ledged no authority bu t. the
Parliament of Scotland . The English, 0 1° Old English,
”forces
in the same province , though subscribers to the Covenant ,cordiallydetested the Scottish intruders , and bitterly resented theirattempts to appropriate the choicest quarters for their aecom
modation,and to suppress every trace of episcopalian religion .
In such circumstances co-Operation against the common enemycould not be relied on. General Owen Roe O
’
Neill had w ithdrawn his army from Ulster after his V ictory at Benburb
,
5 th June , 1 646 ; but the I rish still garrisoned Dungannon and
the Forts of M ountjoy and Charlemont,from which they raided
their enemies’ quarter '
s and these enem ies cou ld not combine todrive them from their strongho lds . 0 1° ,
mond pressed by the
I rish army closing fast round the walls of Duhlin,appealed in
vain to Ulster for relief. He cou ld not hope for a troop of horse
or a barrel of powder while he held Dublin fo i the king.
Early In 1 647 the polit ical situation in E ngland underwentan important change . The English and Scottish Parliaments
agreed to a common line of act ion.
_The Scots
,in whose camp
the unfortunate Charles had taken refuge , abandoned him ; and,
on 30th January, the king was_a prisoner in custody of the
English Parliament . To I reland a lone he sti ll looked with hopeof mi litary succour from a combination of O—
rmond’
s army withthat of the Confederate Catholics ; but he hoped in vain.
Ormond , who had been, since September, 1 646, nego tiating wi ththe Parliament
,at last
,«on 6 th February, 1 647 , agreed to their
terms,and placed Dublin,
and all the roya l garrisons underhi s command in I reland , at the disposal of the Parl iamentai yCommissioners The m ilitary situation at once developed a
principle of cohesion . The Sub Comm ittee of both kingdoms
sitting at Derby House took up the administration of the I rishwar
,and made immediate provision for occupying Ormond ’
s
garrisons and reinforcing them With English regiments, raised fromthe disbanded troops of the army of the New Model
,and with
442 SUMM ERH I LL A ND IT S N EIGHBOURHOOD .
foot and 600 horse from Ulster . The Ulster troopsmoved to Dublin without delay
1 but the mobilization rin
England presented considerable difficulty . The splendid fighting force that had placed the supreme power in the hands of theParliament now became a menace to the Parliament itself, andthe veterans of Fairfax showed little inclination to disband , andstil l less to volunteer for service in I reland . They refused to
disband until they had rece ived satisfact ion for arrears of pay,
guarantees of indemnity for acts of war liable to be questionedin courts of law ,
compensation for“
w idows and orphans , and the
redress of many m inor grievances . The invitation to serve in
I reland was viewed with m isgiving as a contrivance to lure themfrom their strong pos ition— perhaps into a death-trap . And
this sinister suspicion seems to have had some foundation .
Percevall , writing, March 9th, 1 647 , from London to Lord
Inchiqu in, gives him a glimpse of the situation : The head
quarters ,”he wro te
“are now at Saffron Waldon
,and
men quartered thereabouts . Much ado and great hopes that thatunhappy climate (I reland) will ease 11 s of most of them
,though
many do think i t w ill no t be very suddenly .
”2But the new and
ris ing power of the Independent Party in Parl iament came to the
assistance of the soldiers , and by concessions and promises a
crisis was averted , and a considerable number of men were soon
on the way to Bristol and Chester to embark for I reland . By
8 th Apri l the regiments of Colonels Castle and Hungerford hadlanded at Dublin,
and mustered about men. Co lonelLong w ith another was on his way ; and
,on 7 th June ,
Co lonel M ichael Jones arrived w ith 600 horse and foot .
3
Jones had been commissioned on 28rd March to commandthe Parliamentary Forces in Leinster , and those parts o f the
Kingdom in the hands of the M ai qu is of Ormond ,”
and,in
April,had been appo inted Gover °
n01 of the city and castle of
Dublin.
”4 He w as brother o fDr . Hem y Jones , then Bishop of
Clogher, and of Sir TheOphilus Jones,who later settled at
Osberstown, Co . Kildare , but at the time of his brother ’
s arrivalwas a prisoner of war in the I rish quarters . M ichael Jones hadserved the king as a cavalry officer in the early s tages of the
I rish war ; bu t , in 1644 , he deserted to the Parliament,which he
served w i th great distinction and his marked abilities , as wel l as
l Carte’
s L ife o f O rmond , p . 603 .
Egmo nt M SS . i,Part i i , p . 369 .
Co x i i , p . 193 ; Carte’
s O rmond i, p . (303 O rmond M SS . i
, pp .
109-200 ; Egmont M SS . i , Part i i , p . 386 .
4
p. 010 Egmont M SS .
, p. 389,
444 SUMMERH ILL AND IT S NE IGHBOURHOOD .
Some of the old Royalist troops, on the other hand, sub
mitted with difficu lty to the new control for this meant reform
and reorganization. From eleven, the regiments were reducedto seven ; many officers were degraded ; some were cashieredwithout satisfaction for arrears of pay ; and all were stung bythe arrogant tone of the newcomers , to whom the Royal army of
England had surrendered , and who held the King a prisoner intheir power.
The regiment of Sir John Borlase Openly refused to submitto reduction, and assumed a
~
mutinous attitude on parade . But
Jones treated this disorder w ith“
contempt ; he est imated , 0 1°
affected to estimate,their efficiency as worthless he told them
plainly that he wou ld gladly see them disband , and find himselfrelieved of the charge of supporting them ; and he merelytolera ted their presence in the ranks out of pity for men who
were incapable of finding employment elsewhere . Disdain wasmore effect ive than force , and killed the Spirit o f mutiny .
1
Notw ithstanding so many disquieting circumstances , the
Comm issioners were soon able to report favourably on the
military situation. The forces now ready to take the field ,exclusive of those requ ired to man garrisons , amounted to
foot and horse and if they cou ld be furnished witha train of artillery, they had little fear of facing the enemy in
the Open country . W ithout artillery, however, they wrote , no
considerable service can be done , but to waste the enemy’
s corn,
nor can the rebels be matched in the field .
” 2 The shortagecomplained of was soon made good , and the time was fast
approaching when Jones cou ld make his first trial of strengthwith the I rish enemy .
The I rish army in the field in the summer of 1647 was com
posed of three Provincial Divisions , commanded by threeGenerals, under the supreme command of the ConfederateCounci l of Kilkenny. In Munster Lord Taafi
'
e commanded theforces Opposed to Lord Inchiquin ; in Connaught General OwenRoe O
’
Neil l had encamped w ith the Ulster army at Boyle and
in Leinster General Preston was now mobilising the troops of
that province at Carlow,which had recently surrendered to him .
The following remarks on the m ilitary resources of the I rishwere contained in a Report presented to Parliament by its Com
m issioners in December,1 646 Touching the state of the
I rish in general , they have now under their pow er, in a manner,
all the artillery of the Kingdom ,except what is in Ulster and
1 R ushworth, pt . iv , vol . i , p . 630.
2Po rtland M SS . ,
vol . i , p . 430.
SUMMERH ILL A ND IT S NEIGHBOURHOOD . 44 5
some in Munster . They have their men in a better order of
war, and better commanded by captains of experience and
practice of war, than ever they were since the Conquest ; andthese
,emboldened by late successes as well in the field as against
fortresses . Many of their bodies for service are wel l trainedand manned , and those well armed the relations of the numbersof their armed men much vary, but the best estimate makes
foot and horse, though certainly they have b esides greatnumbers of foot and horse appointed to their ill ends . The
Parl iament have yet in Ulster 1 7 regiments of foot, containingabout men,
whereof the Scotch army interm ixed w ith theinhabitants , [are] and of the old British
, 0 1° there
abouts,and 1 7 troops of horse , about 50 in a t1°00p.
” 1 The
actual strength of General O’
Neill’
s army in Connaught wasabout foot and horse and the stand ing army in
Leinster commanded b y Preston numbered foot and 800
horse.
3
A s this army was chiefly concerned w ith the fortunes of
Jones , it now claims our attention. While the Parliamentaryreinforcements were pouring into Dublin,
the I rish Counci l atKilkenny were taking measures to meet the pressure madeimminent by the new s ituation. I t
‘
was resolved to increase theLe inster army by foot
,and to muster the entire force at
Carlow on 2oth May. Five hundred of the new r einforcementswere furnished by the M arqu is of Antrim ,
from the brigadewhich he had raised in Antrim and the Scottish islands forMontrose
’
s campaign in 1 644 . They were commanded in thatcampaign by his k insman, Alaster MacDonnell , whom historyknows as Colkitto
”
; and under this dashing leader, by theirendurance and desperate courage, they had proved a match for anyforce that Highland or L owland could muster against them ,
until the fatal batt le of Philiphaugh, 1 3th September, 1 645 .
The remnant of_
this Splendid fighting force— recruited,no
doubt , after the Scottish campaign— was , in 1 647 , divided intotwo regiments ; and of these one commanded by Colkitto wassent to act with Lord Taafife in Munster ; the other , as alreadymen
tioned , was now attached to .Preston’
s army, and was commandedby Colonel G lengarry, whose Major was Hugh Oge MacCormack.
This latter division was still spoken of as Colkitto’
s,”arid both
regiments were commonly called Itedshanks .
”4
1 Port land M SS . , vol . i , pp . 399-400.
2 Aph . Disc. , i , p . 1 50.
3 G ilbert ’s Be ll ings , v , 223-233.
4 Aph. Disc. , i , p . 1 53 ,
446 SUMM ERH ILL AND ITS NEIGHBOURHOOD.
The muster appointed for 20th May did not take place unti l3 l st
,and we have no means of accurately determ ining the
numbers present The paymasters’ lists , dated 21 st May, have
been pr ;ese1 ved 1 bu t it i s certain the figures therein containedwere not verified on parade The L ieutenant General of the
Leinster Army, Colonel Hugh macPhelim O’
Byrne , of Ballinacor, was absent up to 1 6th June , at Bray, where the W icklowregiment was kept well occupied In protecting their native countyfrom incursions of the Dublin GarriSon .
2
How best to employ the mustered army became now an
interesting and urgent problem w ith the Supreme Council at
Kilkenny. In this matter the Counci l had the assistance of
another important body called “the Comm ittee of Leinster,
who dealt immediately with the General In command,and many
of whose despatches are preserved among the S tate PapersThe Leinster Comm ittee strongly urged the recall of GeneralO
’
Neil l and his army from Connaught to Leinster . Their le ttersShow a manifest distrust ofPreston’
s capaci ty to deal with Jonesin the field, 0 1° to outmanoeuvre him if he pressed an engagement .
Preston’
s record in I reland had no t been favourable and
especially at Ross In 1 643 he had Shown gross incompetency inhis select ion of ground On the other hand
,O
’
Neill’
s capacitywas unquestioned ; he was, in the words of Lord Clarendonincomparably the best soldier and wisest man among the I rish
r .
’
ebels ’
A t all events to expose the Leinster army to the chances of
of the field , withou t reserves or 1 supports, must have seemedhighly imprudent , and to
'
keep O ’Neil l with his powerfu l army
in Connaught at this juncture left the road between Ulster and
Dublin Open, and made a junction of JOnes with the Ulster
garrison an apparent ly easy matter. Everything seemed to
demand that O ’
Neill Should move either to unite immediatelywith Preston,
0 1°
at least to checkmate any move by the
Parliamentary forces in the North .
The Leinster Committee had evidently the best m ilitaryreasons for their view , but other considerations prevailed
,and
the Supreme Counci l decided that O’
Neill’
s int ervention was
needless .
3
The motive for this extraordinary decision was,as is wel l
known,the deep ' aversion and distrust entertained by the
Palesmen towards the “ O ld l rish”
and their M ilitary Chief.
1 Be ll ings , v ii , .343-472 S P . 636-676 .
3 S . P . I . (Mahaffy ) , p . 674 .
448 SUMM ERH ILL A ND IT S N E IGHBOURHOOD .
advance shou ld bemade w ithout delay towards the Parliamentaryquarters inKildare and Meath , to prevent the inhabitants makingterms w ith the enemy, and to secure the markets and supplies .
1
On 25 th June the army had moved to Monasterevan,and remained
in camp unti l the second week in Ju ly. Preston then advancedover the Curragh of Kildare 2 in the direct ion of Naas , and on
1 l th Ju ly crossed the Lifi’
ey and encamped about a m ile west ofJigginstown,
having sent ou t parties to occupy Harristown and
Coghlanstown,which were immediately abandoned by the
enemy.
3The camping ground was well chosen, and inaccess ible
from the front except through a hog traversed by a narrow
togher, which was easily commanded from the higher position of
the camp . In the early morning of 12th Ju ly Preston awoke tofind Jones with abou t 500 horse and foot
" drawn upbeyond the bog. This intrepid commander had marched out
from Dublin to reconno itre his enemy, and , ifpossible, by feigninga retreat , to lure some detached pursuers into a trap .
’ He was
beaten off w ith some loss, and the pursu it was not pressedbeyond Johnstown Inn. Naas immediately surrendered , and
was garrisoned by Preston,who now marched towards M eath
,
sw eeping all before him . In Dublin there w ere grave apprehen
sions after Jones ’s defeat . Sir PatrickWemys wrote on 1 7th Ju lyto S ir Philip Perceval We are in no condition to meddlewith our powerfu l enemy, who carry all before them . They havetaken al l our garrisons towards the Naas
,have put men into
your house (Castlewarden) , are now before M aynooth, and w illundoubtedly this week spoi l al l our quarters and coop us up in
this city, where there is nothing but jealousies and fears .
”6
M aynooth in i ts turn yielded , and was occupied by an I rish
garrison,and before the end of Ju ly Preston had laid siege to
Trim . The importance of this position— the only inland townin Leinster that was now held for the Parliament— made an
attempt to relieve it imperative ; and,notwithstanding the
m isgivings of his friends,Jones was equal to the occasion . He
lost no time in arranging a junction with his Ulster allies,and
on Sunday, l st August , marched out from Dublin with two
regiments of horse , foot,two cu lverins ( 161b . two
dem i-culverins (9lb . one saker and four sakerets
S . P . I . p . 639.
2 Bel l ings , v i i i , 28 .
3 Aph . Disc. i , p . 1 50.
4 R ushwo rth says horse and foo t , iv , vol . i , p . 613 .
Bel lings v i i , p . 28 .
‘3 Egmont M SS . i i, 430.
SUMMERHILL AND ITS NE IGHBOURHOOD. 449
Taking the Northern road by Swords and Garristown,
he reached the H ill of Skreen in Meath on 4th August. Therehe was met by the Northern forces
, amounting,to 700 horse
and foot , and two guns , al l furnished by the garrison of
Drogheda , under S ir Henry T ichbourne , and by that of Dundalkunder Co lonel M oor
, while Colonel Conway brought a m ixedcontingent of English and Scots . The combined battalionsmustered on the plain between Macetown and Tara
,and were
found to number in all horse and foot . A detailedaccount of Jones ’
s movements from 1 st to l 0th August is givenin the official despatches of Matthew Rowe, Secretary to the
Parliamentary Commissioners in I reland, which was subse
quently sent to the Derby House Committee , w ith a coveringletter from Jones .
1
On the same day Preston , abandoning the Siege of Trim,
w ithdrew to the great and secure fastness of Portlester, aboutsix statute m iles further west. This place ,
from which the
Eu staces , Barons of Portlester, took their t it le , i s not to be foundon the ordnance survey map, but was situated at Earl ’s M ill ,near Earl ’ s Bridge on the Stonyford River, and was , writesBellings , naturally so fortified w ith bogs and marshes as an
army might sooner be starved in i t than forced out of it .”
On
Friday, 6th August, Jones arrived at Trimblestown,w ithin two
miles of Portlester, and sent on a body of horse - to reconno itrethe position . They found that the two passages that leadinto that fastness ”
had been fort ified the night before,2and
there was no hope of a successfu l attack. Hoping to draw the
foe from his lurking-place,Jones laid S iege to Barnewall
’
s Castle,
Trimblestown,and wasted the surrounding country . A quaint
contemporary draw ing, preserved in Ulster ’
s Office, Shows a
Parliamentary so ldier in the act of cutting down the green corn,
his eye the while steadily‘
fixed on the neighbouring Castle of
Portlester . But everything for the moment seemed to favourPreston. The northern troops had engaged to act w ith Jones forten days only, as he could not guarantee their pay for a longerperiod . After three clear days they wou ld leave
’
him facingsuperior numbers , while Dublin in his rear was in perilous posit ion, the flower of its garrison being new engaged in the field .
I f at this cri sIs the co-Operat ion of General O ’
Nei ll’
s army had
not been banned , there can be litt le doubt of the resu lt of the
campaign. O’Neill , though far away from the theatre of war
,
1 Pr inted in append ix to M eehan’
s H istory of the Confederat ion of
Kilkenny .
”
2 Bel l ings , v ii , p . 31 .
4 50_
SUMMERH ILL AND ,ITS NEIGHBOURHOOD .
took in’
the S ituation at a glance . He had the earliest informa
t ion of the compact between Jones and the UlsteI troops, ofwhichPreston seems to have been ignorant , and he at once sent fu l linformation to the LeinsterGeneral On 5 th August his letterreached Portlester Camp , beseeching Preston on no account to
leave his stronghold before 10th August , and offering . to sendhim by that date 500 horse and foot
,under the command
of his son Major General O ’
Neill .1
I f Preston had taken this offer, there was ample time to
retrieve the m istaken policy hitherto adopted . Had he stayedin Portlester-pass ,
”writes an officer then serving against the
Irish, as M acArt (O’
Neill) sent him advice , t ill himself Wou ldcome to him with his army, they had been too many for Jonesbut he did not , and thought to do the work himself
,but his fate
was otherw ise.
’ ’2Preston having rejected the overtures of O
’
Neill
held a counci l of war at which the unanimou s voice of the
officers declared for lying close w ithin their entrenchments . Thisview was
,however , opposed by the Bishop of Ferns and Sir
Nicholas Plunkett , who had come to the camp as delegates fromthe Supreme Council to supervise the muster and pay of the
troopsThey r
°
ep1 esented the l ittle hope there was of the army beingsupplyed w ith any further meanes in a long time,
”and urged that
some action Shou ld be quickly undertaken. The suggestion was , ofcourse
,qu ite groundless in the circum stances , and it is difficu lt to
believe that it cou ld have been seriously considered .
‘
Preston,
’
however,reversing the decision of his m ilitary advisers , and
apparently gu ided by an ecclesiastic and a lawyer, broke up his
camp on Saturday, 8 th August, and marched to Agherpal lis , aboutten m iles eastward . He carried out this movement w ith suchskill that
,though he started at 10 o
’
clock in the morning, Joneswas not informed of departure unti l 4 o
’clock in the evening. On
his way, according to Bellings, but before he moved , accordingto most other accounts , he received a message , probably fromLord Digby , urging him to advance at once on Dublin,
3which
was now guarded by only 500 men . I am inclined to believethat the message reached him before he moved , and w as the truecause of his sudden departure from the plan advised by the
council of war . This new objective appealed strongly to Preston,
and was , no doubt, acceptable to many of his officers . I fDublinwas in their hands
,
“
the Parliament wou ld almos t certainly come
1 Aph . DI SC . , p . 154 .
2 The War of I re land , by a Br it ish Ofiicer, p . 59.
3 Bo rlase,1 86 .
SUMMERH ILL AND IT S N EIGHBOURHOOD . 4 53
a shallow valley, finally expanding into the bog. His positionwas thus flanked on one side partially by the bog, and had the
advantage of high ground , with a wood and many hedges and
ditches to cover the defence 0 1° block an assau lt . Preston is saidto have considered the position very strong, and the Parliamentaryhistorians, for obvious reasons, agree with this estimate ; bu t
when they tel l us later that the b ill was swept by a charge of
horsemen at the opening of the battle , they pu t a strain on
our credulity as to the nature of the ground . Except on the
north-west side, where it rises abruptly from the bog, the slopeof the hill i s gentle and gradual , and the summit a broad tableland on which , at the t ime of the battle
,there was a large field of
wheat and another of fallow land .
1
Jones , keeping the road that passed by Lynch’
s Castle and
through the present demesne of Summerhil l , proceeded to formhis line of battle between the latter place and the ruined churchof Drumlargan.
2 His numbers, according to the official account,
were foot and ho rse and eleven pieces of artillery.
Bellings , however, gives him foot , horse,and 600
dragoons . I t is most likely, at al l events,that he was strongly
reinforced by the garrison of Trim , which seems to have numberedabout horse and foot .
3 Preston is said to have hadfoot
,about horse , and four demi-cu lverins . His mu ster
rolls returned horse at Portlester,and Rowe says that he
was afterwards further reinforced . No rolls concerning the
infantry have been preserved, except those prepared for the muster
at Carlow, and these gi ve the figures cited by Rowe . On the
other hand , the British Officer makes his total strength 5 ,000The tru th probably lies between these figur .es The discrepancybetween the muster on paper and the muster on the field I s thu saccounted for by the author of the Aphorismical DiscoveryTwo 0 1
° three companies of his were in W aterford,a strong
garrison in Carlow, _
to no purpose , another in the Naas, Harristown, Coghlanstown, Maynooth , and others . Some of his verybest horse absent— Finglas , Scurlog, and several o thers— never a
regiment full nor company complete the officers and com
manders had their fighting,men crying _
out upon touch in S ilvertune in their pockets . This was publicly known, but never
refarmed by Preston, having st ill mu ster masters of his own
stamp , sharing among themselves the profit but not the honour0 1
°
service .
”4
1 Aph . Disc. i , p . 155 . Be ll ings v ii , 32 .
3Ormond M SS . i , p . 198 , and S . P . I . p . 61 8 .
4 V o l . i , p . 1 54 .
454 SUMM ERH ILL A ND IT S N E IGHBOURHOOD .
This statement seems to have been substantially correct .
Lord Inchiqu in, commanding for the Parliament in Munster , in
a letter of 1 8 thAugust , 1 647 , says About three days before thefight Preston
’
s confidence w as such that he suffered part of the
Leinster forces to come into this province .
”1 M ajor Finglas andhis company were certainly absent during the fight. ,
From the
sworn deposition of a Parliamentary Spy we learn that they wereat Bal lynaskeagh ,
abou t five mi les away, where the M ajor washearing Mass , when the news of Preston
’
s defeat reached him .
2
Preston seems to have been relat ively weak in cavalry. The
allowance of 800 0 1° horse ° to foot in the Leinster
Army wou ld never have satisfied the great ParliamentaryGenerals, who assigned the highest value to this arm . Monklaid it down as a principle that a field army Shou ld have one
horseman to two footmen E ssex, in 1 644, had horsewith foot Fairfax
,in the army of the New Model
horse with foot . They attached the highestimportance to the cavalry command , which was u sually reservedfor the General or L ieu tenant-General of the army . Cromwell wasGeneral ofHorse
,and first established his m ilitary re pu tation
by his superior handling of the cavalry at MarstonMoor. Underhis training the Parliamentary horsemen developed a strikingpower
,before which Rupert and his dashing cavaliers eventually
collapsed . Two principles the great Puritan master persistent lyimpressed upon his t1°00pers —~ that they shou ld always take theinitiative , and charge the enemy instead of letting him chargethem ; and that they Shou ld reserve their fire unti l they came to
close quarters .
But the fruits of his teaching were , perhaps, never so apparentas in the marvellous discipline w ith which , even when beatenand rou ted , they presently ral lied and stood in good order, awaiting the next word of command . W ith such men Jones— himselfa distingu ished cavalry officer— had served in England , and
,
w ith his own regiment of horse in the field , wou ld probably havenot hesitated to face even superior numbers . To appreciate theimportance of cavalry and the teaching of Cromwell
,i t mu st be
remembered that in the seventeenth century long-range firingfrom mu sket 0 1
°
cannon was practically harm less, and that noeffective impression cou ld be made on an enemy in the field
,
except at close quarters . The first impact was, therefore , usuallyproduced by a well-delivered charge of cavalry . But the chargeof the Cromwellian horsemen bore l ittle resemblance to the
headlong gallop that in paint ings and field-day manoeuvres
1 Egmont M SS . i i, p 454 . Ormond M SS . i i , p . 74 .
SUMMERH ILL A ND IT S N E IGHBOURHOOD .
fashion of the day : the infantry massed in the centre ; the horse,ih two divisions , flanking them on each w ing. Jones ’s leftwing seems to have extended as far as the ru ined church of
Drumlargan1— a high po int on the ridge— and his line seem s
to have been facing westward ,“the sun and wind being against
them ,
” 2after twelve o
’
clock .
Preston is said to have been sanguine of success ; his onlydoubt was if the enemy wou ld attack him ; he was disposedif they hesitated to challenge them , 01
°
charge down on them .
I t is very questionable if b e inspired his men with similarconfidence . He was acting, not only against the weightycounsel of O ’
Neill , but directly against the instructions he hadreceived from the Leinster Committee , as his dispatches capturedon the battlefield afterwards revealed .
3 He had, in the face of
the enemy, abandoned , for the second time , a safe and almost
inaccessible position ; and the governing idea in these ill-considered tactics— that he cou ld rush the city of Dublin, whilea formidable army furnished w ith first-class cavalry was hanging on his rear
— points to very poor capacity for high command .
But his final arrangements for battle seem to have almost courteddisaster.
On the previous day he was joined in his camp by LordDillon of Costello-Gallen, who , l ike many already alluded to ,had attached themselves to the Irish army in the interest of
Ormond . This nobleman,during the first years of the war
,
had attended the Court of the King at Oxford,from whom he
had commendatory letters to Ormond , and , on the latter’
s advice,
had worked himself into the confidence of the I rish Supreme
Council . He had previously conformed to the E stablishedChurch , but presented himself at Kilkenny as a penitent prodigaland he now appears on the scene masquerading as a
“rebel .
His conduct in the final stages of the war confirmed the suspicionsentertained o f him from the beginning, and he was absolutelydevoid of military experience , having never seen active serviceup to this t ime . This man
,Preston,
at the last moment, placedin command of the cavalry , supplanting Colonel Piers Fitz Gerald,their tried and trusted leader .
4
In the placing of the field Preston has incurred severe criti
cism. Rinuccini states that , according to report , overconfidenceand hurry produced an irregu lar formation,
and that some of
1 Bell ings v ii , 32 .
2 R ow e’
s Despatch.
R owe’
s Despatch . Egmont M SS . , i i, 444 .
4 Aph. Disc. , p . 154
SUMMERH ILL AND IT S NE IGHBOURHOOD. 4 57
the army were not directly facing their assailants .
1 This probably means that during the two hours devo ted to the disposition of the field , Jones had outmanoeuvred his Opponent
,and
under cover of the arti llery fire and smoke had pushed his leftwing well up on the hill as far at least as the ru ined church .
Preston may easi ly have bel ieved that the main attack wou ld bedelivered from the north ,
along the line of the present publicroad , instead of at right angles to this line and a tardy attemptto rearrange his formation wou ld be
”
clumsy and productive of
disorder.
His cavalry on the left w ing, under Col . Piers Fitz Gerald ,were p laced in a narrow lane , fenced , in the rear and on e itherside , w ith qu ick-set hedges of twenty years
’
growth . The mainbody of the infantry was massed in a large field of standingcorn surrounded by high hedges. Toward the rear
, near the
bog, and in an isolated position— perhaps to act as a reserve
stood Colquitto’
s regiment ofRedshanks, under Col . G lengarryand Major Hugh Oge M acCormack . The hedges and ditchescommanding the ordinary approaches to the hil l were lined withmusketeers.
2 Col . Talbot But ler and Sir James Di llon were
posted with the cavalry reserve about a quarter of a m i le behind ,on the low ground where there was -a pass into the bog .
As twelve o’
clock the battle began. A S a rule the strugglebetween the main body of two arm ies began in those days bywhat was called a
“forlorn hOpe .
”A strong body of skirm ishers
advanced , on one S ide to break the force of the attack , on the
other to keep the enemy engaged in his front, while the mainbbdy might halt, take , breath , and finally form for a charge .
3
At Dungan H ill this action was performed by cavalry . The
Brit ish Officer records with pride how“
the major of his own
regiment M ajor JamesC lotWorthy— w ith five hundred Englishhorse led the first charge, and
“ in go ing on had his horse killedunder him , but was qu ickly remou
‘
nted .
”4From the mouth of
the narrow lane already mentioned the I rish “forlorn” issued
to meet the attack,in two companies . These were led by
Captain James Geoghegan of Westmeath, and Captain Garret
Crone Fit z Gerald , a nat ive,
of the County ofKi ldare , who had beentrained to war in the Low Countries , now a captain of horsein, his nat ive
'
county, a strong, valiant and a forwarde
Con non mo lto buon ord ine con non tutto il numero del esercito in facia dell inimimco (Nunz eatu ra in I rlanda ,
2 Egmont M S S . 443 .
3 F irth’
s Cromw e ll ’s A rmy ,’
102—3 .
5‘ Wars of I reland ,” 58 , 59.
5 Aph . Disc. i , 54 and 15 5 .
4 58 SUMMERH ILL AND IT S N EIG IIBOURHOOD .
When they met the two I rish captains fell— Fit z Gerald dead,
Geoghegan mortally wounded— and their horsemen fel l back inconfusion to the mouth of the lane.
1At the sight of this reverse
the who le body of Jones ’
S cavalry, w ithout waiting‘
for the word.of command
, advanced to the charge and were at once followedby the infantry . At the same moment all the I rish horseexcept Fit z Gerald ’
s division, galloped off the field . Even the
reserve under Butler did not stand,and conspicuous among the
fugitives was General Preston himself.They rode well , though not bravely, and not one of them
seems to have been killed , wounded , or taken prisoner.
M eanwhile , Col . Piers Fit z Gerald was in a desperate plight .Hemmed in by impenetrable hedges , and his front blocked bythe routed “ forlorn ”
and their pursuers , he was unable tomanoeuvre , and seemed caught in a death ~ trap . He was at last ,however , observed by some of the I rish pioneers , who are
described as“ his followers (surely Kildare men) , and who
ran towards him on the other side of the lane,and opposite
unto him made a gate (gap ) In the ditche ,”
and he so escaped ,desertinge the place as seeinge no reliefe to come .
’
The infantry, i n the meanwhile , stood immovable in the
wheat field . I t seems that , owing to their position and sur
roundings , they were not aware of the sudden collapse on the
wings, and that,for a similar reason the advancing enemy
swept by them,the infantry following the cavalry in their
unchecked career These soon fell In w ith the Redshanks , postedclose to the bog, who , numbering at most 800, had nowto meet
the attack of vastly superior numbers, and of the enemy’
s horsethat wasted little time in pursu it . Colkitto
’
s men nobly upheldthe splendid tradition of their regiment
,and three t imes repelled
the charge ; but , finding no hOpe of support , by a last desperateeffort they cut their way through horse and foot,
3and escaped
through the bog, leaving 400 of their comrades dead on the
field .
By this time the main body of the infantry had become
engaged , and now held their ground alone unti l two o’
clock againstthe horse and , foot of the enemy. Abou t that hour they brokeup and fled into the bog, which Jones at once surrounded withhis horse . The I rish threw down their arms
,writes Carte ,
and begged for quarter.
”4 Other accounts say that quarter was
1 G ilbert ’s “ B il l ings , v ii , 32 .
Aph . Disc.,i,1 56 ° Ormond M SS . ,
i i, 74 .
3 Wars o f I re land , p. 59 ; Aph. Disc., .p 1 56 .
Carte’
s Ormond,
i i, 5 .
4 58 S UMM ERH ILL AND IT S N EIGHBOURHOOD.
When they met the two I rish captains fell— Fitz Gerald dead ,Geoghegan mortally wounded— and their horsemen fell back inconfusion to the mouth of the lane.
1At the sight of this 1 eve1 se
the whole body of Jones ’
s cavalry , w ithout waiting‘
for the word.of command
,advanced to the charge , and were at once followed
by the'
infantry f At the same moment all the
except Fitz Gerald ’
s division, galloped off the field . Even the
reserve under Butler did not stand , and conspicuou s among the
fugitives was General Preston himself.They rode well
,though not bravely, and not one o f them
seems to have been k illed , wounded , or taken prisoner.
M eanwhile , Col . Piers Fit z Gerald was in a desperate plight .Hemmed in by impenetrable hedges, and his front blocked bythe routed “
forlorn and their pursuers he was unable tomanoeuvre and seemed caught In a death trap He was at last ,however obse1 ved by some of the I rish pioneer ,
s who are
described as“ his followers (surely Kildare men) , and who
ran towards him on the o ther s ide of the lane , and Oppositeunto him madea gate (gap ) in the d itche,
”and he so escaped ;
desertinge the place as seeinge no reliefe to come .
”-2
The infantry, in the meanwhile, stood immovable in the
wheat-field . I t seems that,owing to their position and sur
roundings , they were not aware of the sudden collapse on the
wings, and that,for a similar reason,
the advancing enemyswept by them ,
the infantry following the caval ry in theirunchecked career. These soon fell in with the Redshanks
,posted“
close to the bog, who , numbering at most 800, had now to meet
the attack of vastly superior numbers, and of the enemy’
s horsethat wasted little time in pursu it . Colkitto
’
s men nobly upheldthe splendid tradition of their regiment
,and three times repelled
the charge ; but , finding no hope of support , by a last desperateeffort they cut their way through horse and foot
,
3and escaped
through the bog, leaving 400 of their comrades dead on the
field.
By this time the main body of the infantry had become
engaged , and now held their ground alone unti l two o’
clock againstthe horse and . foot of the enemy. Abou t that hour they brokeup and fled into the bog, which Jones at once surrounded withhis horse . The I rish “
threw down their arms,writes Carte ,
and begged for quarter.
”4Other accounts say that quarter was
1 G ilb ert ’s B ill ings , V i i,32 .
Aph . Disc.,i,1 56 ° O rmond M SS . i i
, 74.
3 Wars o f I reland , p. 59 ; Aph. Disc.,
.p 1 56 .
Carte’
s O rm ond,
i i, 5 .
SUMMERH ILL A ND ITS N E IGHBOURHOOD.
with an almost incredibly trifling loss of life to the Parliamentarians . Their accounts put the number as killed as from
twenty to fifty.
1 There were many wounded , and of some V al
Savage gives particu lars S ir R obert King’
s son,
”he writes ,
is Shot in the arm ,run into the hand , and his nose almost cu t
off Col . Hungerford shot in the mouth Col . Long in the leg ;Lieut . Sacheverall hath lost a piece of his nose
,and many others
hurt which will be too tediou s to name .
”2M ajor C lotworthy, who
led the forlorn,fought his way up to the cannon,
his horse , thatwas killed , received seventeen wounds , and he himself had twoshots in his armour
,
3 but he came off unscathed . Our loss,
”
wrote Jones , was not in men but in horses , many whereof werekilled and rendered unserviceable .
”From these details i t is
reasonable to infer that the cavalry had the chief part throughoutthe engagement , and that they justified the value assigned to
them by the best mi litary Opinion of the time . How the ridersescaped seems a puzzle . We have , however, a partial explanat ion in the fact that their armour was impervious to the bu llet ,and in the invariable instruction which Professor F irth’
states
was at that t ime given to musketeers : that when attacked bycavalry they shou ld aim at the horse rather than the man.
After protracted correspondence Genera l Owen Roe reluc
tautly consented to release Lord Montgomery of Ardes and Sir
The0philus Jones, whom he held as prisoners of war, in exchangefor the Earl ofWestmeath and L ieutenant-General Byrne .
I t will have been observed that throughout the whole engagement there was evidence of li ttle skill 0 1
° foresight in Preston’
s
disposition of the field . The several units of his army were so
placed that the enemy succeeded in dealing with each separatelyand unsupported . A s trong commander might have linked themup before i t was too late, and rallied his cavalry in sufficientnumbers to , at all events, cover a retreat . But Preston
’
s igno
m inious flight must have made the situation hopeless . His
extraordinary recklessness in placing the cavalry in a cul-de-sac
was , stra nge to say, but a repet ition of his blunder at the BattleofRoss, where the horse narrowly escaped annihiliation in a lane,the mouth of which was covered by the enemy
’
S fcannon.
’
Bu t a strong suspicion was entertained that something worsethan incompetence and coward ice must account for the unsoldierlyconduct of the Leinster Horse, and the abandonment of the
l R owe , Egmont M SS . , 445 , 447, 450.
2 I bid , 445 .
3 Cox i i , 196.
4 Cromwe l l ’ s Army .
”
5 Carte’
s Orm ond , 1 5,403 , 406 .
SUMMERHILL AND ITS NEIGHBOURHO OD. 46 1
infantry. Treachery was openly spoken of. 1 I t is,perhaps,
difficu lt to prove the charge with absolute certainty. Y et we
know enough to be convinced that many who fell into l ine on
that August morning on Dungan H ill had no heart for the cause0 1
° for the fight , and that if the enemy really had them in his payhe got excellent value for his m oney .
The news of the victory evoked an ou tburst of enthusiasm in
the English Parliament . On 1 8 th August a messenger havingarrived from I reland with Rowe ’
s despatch,it was laid before the
House, and
“the Commons . upon considera tion of this great
victory , ordered Tuesday come Fortnight to be a Day of Thanksgiving for the same throughout the Kingdom . They likewiseordered severa l gra tu ities to the chief comm anders for their goodservice
, vi z . to Colonel Jones Col . Fenwick (Governorof Trim) , Col . Conway, £ 500 to Sir Henry T itchburne ,£200 and Lieut .
-Col . Culme, who brought the letter, £ 100.
Dr . Temple and M r . Simpson were ordered to preach b efore theHouse on the Day of Thanksgiving for Ireland .
”2
The victory seemed certainly to prom ise far-reaching results .
The line of Preston’
s garrisons from M aynooth to Carlow was
abandoned , and the country from Dublin to the seat of the
Confederate Government at Kilkenny, and from Ki lkenny toClonmel , was open to the
“
advance of the victorious army of the"
Parliament . Lord Inchiquin at once pushed forward to beleaguerC lonmel , confident that he would there be jo ined by Jones, andcarry all Munster before him . But it was impossible to fo llowup the victory on the spot . The English and Scotch tr00ps fromUlster had bargained for only ten days
’
service , and as Jones hadno money to pay for more at the time , they marched off to theirquarters in the North . In the me anwhile the Council of
Kilkenny sent urgent messages to Boyle , informing O’
Neill of
their desperate condition ,and commanding him to move to their
relief. Sensible though he was of their sinister attitude towardshim
, he considered that as a so ldier he was bound to obey, and hewas soon on his way southward to rel ieve Clonmel . No attemptwas made to intercept him . On his
'
approac‘
h Jones kept closewithin the walls of Dublin, and Inchiquin immediately ra ised theSiege of Clonmel . O
’
Neill , says Carte, laughed at Preston
for being dra wn into an engagement , and resolved not to be drawninto the same error himself
,declaring that if all the forces of
England were there they shou ld not make him fight but when
1Aph . Disc. i , 156 .
2 R ushworth, Part iv , vo l . i i , 778 .
462 SUMM ERH ILL AND IT S N E IGHBOURHO OD.
he pleased .
”1 His boast was soon pu t to the test . G eneral M onk ,now commanding inUlster, soon united his forces w ith Jones, andthese two able commanders took the field agalnst him . But in a
series of marchings and counter-marchings O’
Neill completelyout-manaauvred them . They finally withdrew their exhaustedforces to their respective quarters for the winter, leaving O
’
Nei ll
undisputed master ofLeinster, and so terminated the campaign ofDungan Hill , suggesting to the historian a bootless reflection on
what m ight have been .
”
Carte’
s Ormond,i i,5 .
464 THE CUSACKS O F RATHGAR
Meath (son ofWalter Cusack) with Joan,eldest daughter of Sir
S imon De Geneville, Knight , Baron of Cu lmu ll in,in right of
his wife , Joan Fitz -Leons. The Genevil les descended from the
old Counts of Joigny, Seneschals of Champagne, to one of whom ,
the fourth Count, King Richard 1 . (1 189-99) gave the right ofquartering the Engl ish arms
,in recompense for his conduct at
Acre which is recorded on his tomb at Clervaux,in
Fra nce .
Geoffrey De Cusac, l iving at the t ime of the invasion of
I reland ( 1 1 76 ) his name appears in the early Charters of St .
Mary’
s Abbey, Dublin,relative to various disputes concerning
t ithes ; and again as a donor of vestments to the A ltar of the
Abbey (M SS . British Museum ) . He had I ssue Adam,his
heir ; (2 ) Armory, witness of the Agreement of Marriage made
in 1 214 between King John and the Earl of March (3 ) W illiam ,
who , in 1 216, gave 100 marks for his marriage with Agnes , hiswife .
Adam De Cusack , named in the same Rol l as his brotherW illiam . He left issue — Geoffrey De Cusack , Lord of Killeen,Gerrardstown, Folystown,
Clonard,&c.
,all held under Hugh
De Lacy ,in Meath
,and of Tyra wly, in Connaught . He married
the daughter and heir of Adam Petit,and had with her the
manors of Clony and Gonock in frank-marriage . He was
summoned to the first Parliament held in I reland in 1 295 ;he left issue z— ( l ) Adam ,
his heir, surnamed G iosagack , 0 1°
The Head of the Cusacks . His granddaughter and heir,
marrying Sir Richard Tu ite,Kt .
, conveyed Killeen to her
husband . She had an only daughter , Joan, Lady of Ki lleen,
who married Walter Cusack , a Cadet, of Gerrardstown and
their granddaughter and heir, Joan,marrying S ir Christopher
Plunkett,conveyed to him Killeen Castle , which is still in
possession of the E arls of Fingal l and Barons Kil leen (2 )Andrew ,
Lord of Gerrardstown ; (3 ) N icholas , who died 1 299,twenty years Bishop of Kildare (4) Geoffrey, died 1 300, BishopofMeath (5 ) Wil liam ,
ancestor of the line of Cushingstown .
The second son, Sir Andrew Cusack , inherited Gerra rdstown,
and died in 1 295 , leaving issue Sir John; his heir ; (2 )Sir Simon ; (8) S ir Walter
,l iving in 1 290-99, who married
Maud, co
-heir with her sister I sabella , Lady Howth,of W illiam
Pilate , of Pilatestown, and was ancestor of the Cusacks,Lords
of Culmul lin,Dangan,
and Dunsany .
S ir John Cusack,second Lord of Gerrardstown. He and
his two brothers took part in the Battle of Dundalk ,1 316 , where
Edward Bruce was defeated and S lain,and where Sir John and
his brothers , Simon and Wal ter,were made Knights on the field
AND THE IR DESCENDA NT S . 465
of battle for their distinguished valour. S ir John left issue byMargaret, his wife , daughter of Thomas
,second son of Maurice ,
Lord of Offaly, ( 1 ) Sir John ,his heir
,third Lord of Gerrards
town ; (2 ) Sir Walter,married Joan
,heiress of Killeen (3) Sir
S imon, and eight other sons .
Sir John Cusack , 3 1 d Lord of Gerrardstown had severalsummonses to Parlianient ; he left I ssue by I solda, his w ife and
co-heir of Barnaby W ithington,Walter, his heir and Adam
,a
friar,Bishop of M eath , who died 1430.
SirWalter Cusack, fourth Lord of Gerrardstown, was knightedby the Justiciary , Lionel , Earl of Ulster in 1 36 1 . Campionsays that he and those knighted w ith him were the worthiestthen in chivalry, and that their deeds were even to his daysheld in great worship . He left a son and heir Barnaby Cusack ,
fifth Lord o f G errardstown,who also held Folystown, Ross ,
Brognolkstown,M orvill , and Robynstown. He paid fivemarks
as fine for , pardon of intrusion into Gerra rdstown in 1407 . He
married E lizabeth , daughter and co-heir of Nicholas Crompe, ofArdrath
,and his wife Ela , daughter and co-heir of S imon Cusack
,
Lord of Dangan,and had issue by
'
her an only son David (6th) ,who died before his father in 1 438
,leaving issue ( 1 ) Walter
7 th, heir to his grandfather Barnaby Cusack ; 2 ) Thomas, died
young ; (3 ) Christopher of Taragh,who married R osanne Bellew ,
of Westown, and had issue (1 ) Barnaby Cusack ; (2) WalterCusack
, who was Treasur °
er and Archdeacon of S t . Patrick ’
s
Cathedral Dublin. He had pardon 25 Hen VI I I , Pat . Rolls ; (3)Ja es Cusack ofMacetown,
married E lizabeth Luttrell of Luttrehstown
,County Dublin. Barnaby Cusack , senior died in
1 454, and was succeeded 'by his grandson .
Sir Walter Cusack , 7 th Lord of Ger1a 1°dStown,wh0 was made
Coroner of the Cross of Meath, 3rd October, 1 450, by Richard ,Duke of Y ork , Viceroy of I reland . He died on St . John’
s Dayin 1487 , havirig married l st Joan, daughter of 2nd Lord Killeen,
o f the P lunkett fami ly, by whom he had 1ssue ; (1 ) Nicholas , hisheir (2) Thomas
,ancestor of the Rathaldron Line . SirWalter
married 2ndly Elizabeth , daughter of Thomas Mareward Baron
of Skreen,who was killed l 0th May; 1414 , at the head of his
tr00ps in the rebellion of O’Connor Faly, arid had I ssue by her
who had Ballymolgan In frank R ichard ofBallymolgan,
which he inherited In right of his mother ; he (R ichard) was theancestor of the Rathgar L ine .
W alter Cusack , of Gerrardstown, had two wives, by both of’
whom he had issue ; his second w ife was E lizabeth , daughter ofMareward ,
/Baron of Skreen, by whom he had Ballymolghan, in
the County of Meath ,in frank-marriage his eldest sonby he1
°
466 T HE CUSACKS O F RATHGAR
was Robert Cusake, of Ballymolghan,in the County of Meath,
who had i ssueR ichard Cusake , of Ballemolghan, who had issue R ichard
Cusake , father of John Cusake , who married Margery, daughterof V eldon of Rafiin, and had issueN icholas Cusake, of Ballymolghan,
living in 1 607 , who
married Maude, daughter of Thomas Plunkett, of Laghgoure
(Lagore) , mother by him of seven sons, named John,Edward
,
M ichael , James, Patrick , Thomas , George , and three daughters ,Anne , Gennet , wife to Thomas Betagh of Kenles
,and E leanor.
John Cusake, eldest son and heir of N icholas , A lderman of
Dublin in 1 607 , had to w ife M argaret , daughter of G iles A llen,
A lderman and Mayor of Dublin, first w ife to John Gogh , A lderman and Mayor of the same city , by whom he had issue threesons, Robert , Wal ter, and Benedict, and two daughters, Beguetand Barbara .
John Cusack became Mayor of Dublin, 1 608 , and obtainedRathgar , in fee , by letters patent of 1609 ; and by an inqu isitionheld at Dublin Castle , January 20th, 1620, he was found seatedthere . He died M ay 30th, 1626 , and is buried in St . Audoen
’
s
Church ,Dublin,
in the south aisle .
Robert Cusack , , eldest son and heir of John Cusack,suc
ceeded him at Rathgar . He was born in 1 600. He marriedA lice, daughter of John Eus tace
,of Harristown, County Ki ldare .
and sister of S ir Maurice Eustace , Lord Chancellor of Irelandwas entered as a student at L incoln’
s Inn ;1 became H igh
Sheriff of the County Dublin . He died February, 1 673 , and
is buried at St. Audoen’
s Church .
The Honourable Adam Cusack,Robert Cusack
’
s second son ,
succeeded him at Rathgar . He was Chief Justice of the Provincial Court of Connaught , and became a Judge of the Courtof Common Pleas in I reland in 1 672 . He married on the 1 5 thof February, 167 5 , Katherine Keating , S ister of John Keating,Chief Justice of the Common Pleas . Adam Cusack was one of
the early Fel lows of Trinity College, Dublin, 1 654 . He died27 th December, 1 68 1 , and is buried in S t . Audoen
’
s Church .
His wi ll , dated 30th March , 1682 , was proved 2nd January,1 632 .
Adam Cusack suffered a recovery of the lands of Rathgar
in 1 674 . By his marriage settlement, 1 5 th February, 1 675
(Cusack and Keat ing) , he settled the devolu tion of the Rathgarand o ther estates as follows — Rathgar , houses and other landsin County Dublin,
City of Dublin,County Meath , County
1 See Bal l ’s His tory o f the County Dub l in,
”Rathgar.
T HE'
CUSA CKS O F RATHGAR .
late L ieutenant 63rd Regiment of Foot , with which he served inthe Crimea ; and Captain in the Royal Ayr and Wigton Rifles ,born 19th June, 1 832 ; died 10th March , 1908 . (2) CharlesEdward Otho , died unmarried 1884 . (3) Henry, died unmarried1 855 . (4) Gera ldine S ophia . (5 ) Caro line, younger daughter,died unmarried 1 85 6 .
Gera ldine Sophia Fitz Gerald, the elder daughter of CharlesFitz Gerald, married in 1 85 4, A lexander Roper, Esqu ire , of Drax
,
County Kent , and of V il lay
Branc’
as,Seine et O ise , France , elder
son of the late Charles Roper by Anne , his w ife , daughter of theHonoura ble George Hamilton ; and he descended from the
ancient fam ily of Roper , ofWell Hall , Eltham , Kent .
Mrs. Geraldine Sophia Ro °
per died on the 1 9th of January,1 898 her hu sband , A lexander Roper, died on the 30th of June
,
1 899. There is issue surviving this marriage1 . Charles Edward Alexander Roper , called to the Bar of
I reland King’
s Inns , Hilary, 1889, now of Rathgar,County Dublin, and of Lackagh , County Kildare .
2 . Frederick Ham ilton DeLacy Roper.
1 . Alexander Fanny Roper .
2 . Mary Georgina Roper3 . Lucy Hamilton Roper
(See Pedigrees xv. 1 45 in Ulster’ s Office,26th October,
1906)
A R M S .
FI TZGERALD, of RATHGAR and LACKAGH .
Fitz Gerald— Argent , a saltire Gu les , within a border gobonyof the first and azure , quartering Cusack of Rathgar, Geneville ,De Lacy, Pylat te , and Petit .
Crest— On a wreath,a monkey passant in front of an oak
tree al l proper.
Motto— Crom-a-Boo .
Cusack— Per pale 01°
and azure, a fesse counterchanged .
Crest— A mermaid sable , holding in the dexter hand a
sword,sinister a sceptre .
M otto— En Dieu est mon espoir .
Roper— Per fesse azure and a pale counterchanged , threeroebucks ’ heads era sed of the second with a crescent
for difference .
Crest— A l ion rampant sable , holding in the dexter forepaw a ducal coronet ,
Motto— Spes mea in Deo ,
KILDARE M EM BER S OF PA RLIAM EN T,
1 559— 1 800 .
f rom p
BY THOMAS ULICK ,SADLEI R .
URING the Commonwealth period changes were made in therepresentation of I reland, the members being summoned to a
united Parliament at Westminster. In the Parliament of 1 653 ,only six members were returned for the who le country, Kildareno t being individually represented but in the three subsequentParliaments the counties were grouped , Kildare and W icklowbeing allotted two members . At the Restora tion the old system
was restored In every respect
Returned for the Counties of Kildare and Wicklow,3rd
September, 1 654.
Maj or Wi l liam Mered ith.
Maj or Anthony Morgan.
Maj or Wil liam Meredith was the elder son of S ir RobertMeredith ,
Knight , of Greenhills and Shrowland,County Kildare(M .P . Athy, byAnne, 6th dau . of S irW i lliam Ussher, Clerko f the Council . Having served in the Cromwellian army , he
changed sides at the Restora tion,and received a patent of
baronetcy , 20th November , 1660. As one o f the officers o f the
Dublin Headquarter Staff, he signed a loyal address to Charles I I ,20th April
,1 661 . In the fo llowing year he was appointed to
the command of a tr00p of horse . _S ir W illiam was the au thoro f a
“Narrative of Passages in I r ,eland -1 649 which has
been printed by the Histo rical M SS . C0mm 1 ss10n In the
Report on the MSS . at Trinity College, Dublin.
”He married ,
November 1 65 5,Mary, dau . of S ir Robert King, M . .P
, and byher who married secondly W illiam ,
3rd Earl o f Denbigh,had
issue a son
Sir R ichard , of Shrowland , 2nd Bar °t married,171 7 ,
Sara h , dau . of Jeffrey Pau l, of Bough ,County
Carlow ; and died 1 739, leaving I ssue
S ir W illiam M eredi th , died a t Kilcullen in 1 665 .
[Au thor ities Complete Baronetage ; D’
A lton’
s I rrshArmy .Lists,
”&c]
47o KILDARE M EMBERS O F PA RLIAMENT,1 559— 1 800 .
Maj or Anthony Morganwas son of Rev. Anthony Morgan , D .D.,
Rector of Cottesbrook, Northants, Fellow of Magdalen College,Oxford . He was b orn in 1 621
, and gra duated B .A . at
Magdalen twenty years later . He served as a Captain in the
Royalist Army, but joined the Parliamentarians in 1 645,being
promoted Major in 1 652 . While w ith his regiment in Ireland ,he became a favourite w ith Henry Cromwell, the Lord Deputy.
Morgan was also re turned for this constituency in 1 65 6, and wasone of those who vo ted that Cromwel l shou ld be King. Havingbeen sent to inform the Protector as to the state of I reland
,he
was knighted at Whitehall in 1 656, and three years later he wasreturned as one of the members for Meath and Louth . On 6th
November , 1 657 , he was adm itted to the King’s Inns . A t the
Restora tion Morg an was knighted by Charles I I , and appointedCommissioner of the English Auxiliaries in Fra nce . Accordingto Pepys he was a very wise man
,
”so i t is not surprising that
he shou ld have been an original member of ' the Royal Society,which was founded in 1 663 . Sir Anthony died in 1 668 .
[Au thorities —Dictionary of National Biogra phy ; King’
s
Inns Records ; Pepys’
Diary,”&c. ]
Returned for the Counties of Kildare and Wicklow,1 7th
September, 1656.
Sir Hardress Wa ller.
Maj or Anthony Morgan (see ante) .
Sir Hardress Wa ller was son of Sir George Waller,
of
Groombridge, Kent , by Mary, dau . of R ichard Hardress, and
cousin of Sir William Waller, the Parliamentarian genera l . He
served as a young man in the royal army, and was knighted byCharles I
,6th July, 1 629. In 1 641 we find him taking part
against the rebels in I reland , and he went to England in thefollowing year to solicit aid from the King. Soon after his
return he was appointed Governor of Cork ; but a year later, in1645
,he was appointed to command a regiment of
,foot in the
New Model army. A lthough he fought under Fairfax t il l theend of the war
,he is better known as having been one of the
j udges at the trial of Charles I . A s a Major-Genera l he tookpart in the Campaign in I reland in 1 650—5 1 . His Parliamentarycareer had begun as early as 1 634, when he was returned forA skeaton he also sat for CountyLimerick 1 639—48 , and Kerry,Limerick , and Clare , 1654—56 . A t the Restoration he stood histrial as a regicide he escaped with his life, but died in prison
472 KILDARE MEMBE RS OF PA RLI AMEN T,1 559-4 800 .
Nangle . He died in 1 668 , leaving an only surviving child Letitia ,Mrs . Bladen .
[Au thorit ies z— Lodge
’
s Peerage ; Dictionary of NationalBiogra phy W ills ’
I llustrious
Colonel Henry M arkham was probably related to W il liamMarkham ,
who obtained grants of land under the Act of Settlement , and appears to have been of the family ofWm . M arkham ,
A rchbishop of Y ork . He came to I reland in the army of the
Commonwealth ,and the references in Prendergast
’
s Cromw ellianS ettlement
”show him to have been an energetic officer . He
appears to have had no o ther connexion with the CountyKi ldare ,nor is his name to be found in any other Parliament . On 28 th
A pril,1 658
,he was adm itted to the King
’
s Inns,but after the
Restora tion he disappears , very probably having returned to
England .
Returned for the County, 1 7th April , 1 661 .
Hon. R'
o'
bert'
FitzGerald .
Sir Pau l Davys, Knight .
Hon. Robert Fit z Gerald, o f Gra ngemellon, County Kildare ,w as second son of George , 1 6th E arl of Ki ldare The Fairy
who died 1 65 5 , by Lady Joan Boyle , 4th daughter of
Richard , l st Earl of Cork . He was born in 1 637 , and served inthe army of the Commonwealth , as a Cornet in Colonel W illiamW arden’
s regiment . In 1 661 the Lord Lieutenant appo intedhim Comptroller of the Musters and Cheques of the Army, and ,that he might with more sincerity proceed in the execu tion of
the said office , adm itted him,w ith his brother Wentworth
,
into the Privy Council . Subsequently he was given commandof a troop of horse , and on August 8 th 1 674 , was joined withhis nephew in the government of County Kildare , of which , on
l st May, 1 680, he was made Custos Rotu lorum . On the acces
sion of James I I he was , by Tyrconnell’
s advice , divested of his
estate and offices , of a yearly value of and'
imprisoned in
Newgate . Owing to il l-health , he was removed to Gra ngemellon,
where he was for five months kept a prisoner in his own house .
On W illiam ’
s landing he was deprived of his lands, and confinedw ith a number of other leading men, in Trinity College, Dublin
,
from which he managed to escape after the Boyne. He was
much pra ised for his exertions at this crisis , in preserving themagazines , wi th the great plunder taken from the Protestants
KILDARE M EMBERS O F PARLIAMEN T , 1 559- 1 800 . 473
and the goods of the Roman Catholics, from destruction. Whenthe King came to Dublin,
he presented him w ith the keys o f the
ci ty, bu t H is M aj esty was pleased to return them, saying, S ir,
they are in very good hands , and you deserve“
them wel l and
may keep them . Soon after,he was re-appo inted a Privy
Councillor, and sat for the county in the next two Parliaments .
Grangemellon,where he . resided ,
was the property of his
brother-in-law,Sir Walter Borrowes
,Bart .
,from whom he had
a lea se o f i t . His “Fu l l and True Aco‘
6unt of the late Revo lutionin Dublin
,published in 1 690,
-
appears to have been his onlyl iterarv effort . He married , in 1 663
,Mary (who d . dau .
and heiress of Hon . James lotworthy, niece of John,Viscount
Massereene,and
'
died Jan .
,1 698 , leaving issue
I . Jaures,b . 1 5 th M ay, 1 664 ; d . 1 666 .
I I . George , M .P. for the county (whom see) .
Robert,who s . his cou srn,
19th Earl of Kildare,
9th Nov., 1 707 b . 4th M ay, 1 675 . He held various
high offices , being sworn on the Privy Council , May,1 7 10 ; appointed a Lord Justice , 17 14 ; and
,on the
death of Lord Chancell or Freeman,he was named
one of the'
Comm issioners of the G reat Seal inI reland . In 1 739 he joined the Company for
carrying on the cambricmanufactu re in I reland, and
makingblack soap , and bleaching linen,to which
he subscribed £500. He m . , 7th M arch,1 709, M ary ,
eldest d . of ,Wil liam
,3rd E arl of Inchiqu in, and
’
(1.
20th Feb .
,1 744 , leaving issue
I . Mary, m .,1 684 , John,
l st Viscount A llen.
Elizabeth , m . 1 687, Henry Sandford , of Castlerea, Co .
Roscommon,Co l lector of Derry .
I I I . Frances , m . W illiam T isdall , of Mount T isdall, Co .
Meath .
IV . Catherine, m . 1707 , Dive Downes , Bishop of Cork.
V. Anne , (1. unm .
V I . Margaret, m . 1 712 , Toby Hall , of Mount Hall, Co.
Down .
[Authorities -W ills ’ I llustrious I rishmen ,KILDARE JOURNALon ARCHZE OLOG Y , vi . , 8 1 ; Archdall
’
s Lodge ; Playfair’
s British
474 KILDARE MEM BERS OF PARLIAM ENT,1 559
— 1 800 .
Fam ily Antiquity ; The Earls o f Kildare ; D’
A lton’
s I rishArmy L ists
” Webb ’
s Compendium of I rish Biogra phy ; Kelly’
s
Dublin Calendar, 1 795 .
Sir Paul Davys, of St . Catherine’
s , Co . Dublin, was fourth son
of John Davys , of Kill , Co . Kildare, who served as High Sheriffin 1 5 68 .
He sat for Enniskillen in the Parliament of 1634 , for CountyDonegal , 1 639, and for County Kildare , 1 661 . During the who leof Charles I ’
s reign he was Clerk of the Council,to which office
he was re-appointed at the Restoration. He was in high favourwith Ormond
,and by 1 4 1 5 Car. I I was gra nted particular
Iorfeitures in County Ki ldare he had previously obtained large
gra nts of land in Donegal .Sir Pau l m . l st, Margaret , eldest dau . ofArthur Ussher ; 2nd,
Anne,6th dau . of Sir W illiam Parsons , of Gara dise , County
Leitrim , M .P ., Surveyor
-Genera l of I reland ; and 3rd, Mary, dau .
o fW illiam Crofton, of Temple House, County S ligo , and widowo f SilvesterKennedy (elder son of Sir Robert Kennedy, 1 st Bart . ,ofMount Kennedy, County W icklow) .
By his second wife he had issue three sons
1 . George, d . March , 1660.
I I . Right Hon. S ir W illiam , of S t . Catherine’
s, P .C .,M .P .
for Dubl in,and Recorder, 1660 ; Knighted 3rd Aug ,
1 662 Chief Justice of the King’
s Bench 21 st Feb .
,
1 681 . He m . 1 st , 27th July, 1 664, Martha (who (1.
1 4th May, 2nd dau . of M ichael Boyle ,Archbishop of Dublin ; 2nd , 1 682 , E lizabeth , dau .
of George , 16th E arl ofKildare , w idow of Callaghan,
3rd Earl of Clancarty . She died Ju ly, 1 698 . S ir
William died , s .p .
, 24th September, 1 687 .
I II . Sir John, Clerk of the Council , father of Sir Pau lDavys, of St. Catherine
’
s , created Viscount Mount
cashel , 2 1 st January, 1 705 .
Sir Pau l Davys died in 1672 , leaving by his third w ife one
d au .,vi z . Ursula, who m .
,1 670, Sir Fra ncis Blundell , 3rd Bart . ,L;
of Edenderry, and 1673 .
[Authorities — Irish Builder ; Belmore’
s ParliamentaryMemoirs ; Ball
’
s Judges temp . Charles I I , and H istory of
County Dublin ; Burke’
s Extinct Peera ge ; KILDARE JOURNAL ;and M ‘
Skimin’
s“H istory of Carrickfergus
”(new edition) ,
1 909J
476 KILDARE MEMBERS OF PARLIAMEN T,1 559
- 1 800 .
County M eath , 1 7 1 1- 1 3 , and 1 7 1 3 23rd
September, 1 728, assumed the surname and arms
ofW esley. He was H igh Sheriff of Meath , 1 734 ,and represented the Borough of Trim from 1 729
till 9th July, 1 746, when he was raised to the peerage as Baron Mornington. He m . 23rd December,17 19, E lizabeth , eldest dau . of John Sale
,LL .D. ,
M .P . for Carysfort , and died 3 1 st January, 1 7 5 8 ,leaving with other issue a son Garrett , 1 st Earl ofM ornington, who was father of the great Duke of
Wellington.
1 . Anne 11 1 . Wi lliam Pole, of Ballyfin, Queen’
s County.
[A u thori ties — Autobiography of Pole Cosby, of S tradbal lyCorrespondence of Mary Gra nvi lle , Mrs . Delany KILDAREJOURNAL OF ARCHZEOLOGY Lodge
’
s Peerage Playfair’
s“British
Family Antiquity and H istory of the Ussher Family .
Returned for the County, 31 st August , 1 703 .
R ight Hon. Thomas Keight ley .
Sir Ki ldare Borrowes, Bart .
Right Hon. Thomas Keight ley , ofHertingfordbury, Herts,was
the only son ofW illiam Keightley, ofHertingfordbury, by Amy,(1. of John Wil liams, of London. He was born in 1650, and,having sold his English estates, appears to have removed toIreland towards the end of Charles I I
’
s reign. In 1686 he was
appointed Vice-Treasurer of Ireland and a Commissioner of theRevenue. In the following year, probably owing to his wife’
s
influence with her brother-in-law, James I I , he obtained a pensionof £ 400 for their jo int lives ; this he appears to have surr endere don being gra nted , soon after the attainder of SirMauriceEustace,a lease for 99 years of the lands of Castlemartin. By purchasesfrom the Trustees of Forfeited Estates, in 1703 and 1707 he
acquired more of the Eustace property, including 838 acres
in the baronies of Ikeathy and Kilcullen, County Ki ldare.
Keightley, who appears to have resided in Dublin,was a promi
nent figure in Parliament, representing Inistioge, 1 695-1699, andbeing returned for County Kildare, H illsborough, and Castlemartyr at the General E lection of 1 703 . He also sat for the
County in the next Parliament. In 1 702 he acted as a LordJustice, and was appointed in 17 10 one of the Commissionersfor executing the office of Lord Keeper of the Great Seal in
KILDARE MEMBERS O F PARLIAM EN T,1 559- 1 800 477
’
I reland . By his w ife , Lady Fra nces Hyde , youngest dau . of
Edward , E arl of Clarendon,Lord Chancellor of England , and
sister of Lady Anne Hyde, first w ife of King James I I, he had
issue an only child, Catherine, who m . 1 701 Lucius O ’Brien ,
M . .P for Clare County , 1 703 14 (eldest son of Right Hon. S ir
Donough O’
Brien, of Dromoland, County Clare l st Bart ) .Ther
'
e 1s a portrait of Keightley ln the G reat Hall of the RoyalHospital , Kilmainham. He died 19th January , 1 7 18 .
[Authorit ies z— Burtchaell’sKi lkenny M embers ; Dictionary
o f National Biogra phy ; Tenison’
s Cork M .P.s ; Liber Munerum
Calendar of State Papers , &c. ]
Sir Ki ldare Borrow es, of Gilltown Co . Kildare, Bart .
, was
the only son of S ir Walter Bor °
rowes of G illtown, 2nd Bar . ,t
High Sheriff of Co . Ki ldare, 1 672 , by his first w ife, Lady E leanorFitz Ger ,ald 31 d dau . of 16th E arl of Kildare . He
succeeded his father as 3rd Bart . in 1 685 . He marriedElizabeth , who died 1 1 th March , 1 745 , daughter of Sir R ichardDixon,
Kut ., and eventual ly heir to her brother, Robert Dixon,
o f C alverstown, Co . Ki ldare. Sir Ki ldar°e served as HighSheriff of Co . Kildare 1697 and 1707 died in 1 709, leaving twosons and three daughters ,
'
vi z .
I . Sir Walter, M .P . for Athy (see p os t) .I I . Robert of Kildare , m . Mary, d . of John O ’
Neill , of
Shane’s Castle, Co . Antrim .
1 . E leanor, d a unm:
I I . E lizabeth , m. John Short, of Grange,Queen’s Co .
I I I . Charity.
[Complete Baronetage, by G . E . C . ; Playfair’s
“British
Family Antiquity’
,KILDARE JOURNAL ; Prerogative W ill of
Robert Dixon,&c.
By-election,
25 th May, 1 709.
Joshua Allen
(V ice Borrowes, deceased ) .
Joshua Allen, of Stil lorgan, _County Dublin, was the eldest sonof John A llen (M .P . CountyDublin, 1692—3 Carlow,
1 695—9 ;County Dublin,
1 703 13 ; County W icklow, 1713-14 ; and
County Dublin, 17 1 5 who was raised to the peerage of
I reland 28 th August , 1717 , as Viscount A llen and Baron A llen
478 KILDARE M EMBERS O F PARLI AMEN T,1 559
— 1 800 .
of S t i llorgan,by Mary , eldest dau . of the R ight Hon. Robert
Fitz Gerald (and sister of Robert , 19th Earl of Kildare ) .According to the S tearne M SS . in Trinity College , he was bornin Dublin in September 1 685 . He entered the Universitv
,1 st
Ju ly, 1 701 , and received the degree of LL.D. Aest .,1 7 18 .
Probably , like the fashionables of his day , he made a grand tourof the Continent , for we find he visi ted the Hague In 1 703 . On
his father’
s death, 8 th November 1 726 ,he succeeded as 2nd
Viscount, taking his seat on the 25th of the same month . The
fami ly descended from John A l len, the bu ilder of the ill-fatedmansion of Jigginstown,
near“
Naas ; but its fortunes were
founded by S ir Joshua A llen, a prosperous Dublin merchant
(Lord Mayor, 1 673 who obtained gra nts of land in the
Counties of Cork and T ippera ry, under the Act of Sett lement .
His son John,1 st Viscount A llen,
was a man of great wealthand importance , possessing extensive estates in the Counties of
W icklow ,Carlow ,
Kildar°e,and Dublin . In 1 703 Lord A llen
added to his landed property by purchasing from the Trustees
of Forfeited Estates nineteen acres in Dalkey, w ith four castlesthereon, estate o f the late King James , for £ 1 5 1
°
also the landsof Bul lock , in the Barony of Rathdowne
,County Dublin
,209
acres, estate of Richard F agan, attainted,for At
Sti llorgan b e erected a mansion house , which from pictures inthe po ssession of the Countess of Cary sfort , appears to have beenof red brick , and Singularly stately in appeara nce . T he demesne ,
diversified with gardens , laid out in the Dutch style, and artificialwater, is stated to have been of great beauty , having uninterruptedviews of the bay of Dublin .
Joshua, 2nd V iscount Allen, was also returned for the countyat the Gefreral E lections of 1 7 1 3 and 1 7 1 5 , and continued to
represent it unti l his father’
s death in 1726 . He m . ,1 8 th
October, 1707 , M argaret , dau . of Samuel Du Pass , of Epsom ,
Surrey , Principal Clerk In the Secretary of State’s Office. This
marriage is said to have been brought about by the Duke rof
Dorset , under circumstances which are shrouded in some
mystery. There can be no doubt , however, that the Viscountess,to whom her husband bequeathed his whole
,fortune , was a
most masterfu l woman . She survived him nearly sixteen years ,dying at her house in St. James
’
s Square,London, 4th March ,
1 75 8 .
Lord Al len,who figures in Sw ift
’
s Satires under the name of'
l‘
ro ilus, died at Stil lorgan, 5 th September, 1742 , leaving issue
I . John, 3rd Viscount Allen ; M .P . for Carysfort, 1732 ;took his seat in the House of Lords, 29th October,1743 . He was insu l ted in the s treet by three
480 KILDARE M EMBER S O F PARLIAM EN T , I 559— 1 800 .
Charles, 2nd Viscount Drogheda) , by Lady Jane Bra bazon,
daughter of Edward , 2nd Earl of Meath . He was born 1 679,and sat in the previous Parliament for Newtown
, Co . Down,
1 704-14. Before entering on a political career, he served as an
officer in the 27th Regiment , in which he attained the rank of
Captain. In 1 71 3 he was High Sheriff of County Kilkenny, andin 1714 for County Ki ldare . He succeeded his father as 2nd
Viscount , 1 7th November, 1 724, and two years later was sworn
on the Privy Council . Lord Duncannon, who was appo inted a
Commissioner of Revenue , 1 739, Mariscal of the Admiralty inI reland , 1 75 1 , Vice-Admiral of Munster, 175 5 , and twice a LordJustice , was advanced to the Earldom of Bessborough, in the
Peera ge of I reland , 6th October, 1739, and created a Peer of
Great Britain, as Baron Ponsonby, of Sysonby, in Leicestershire, 12th June, 1749. He married , 1 st , Sara h , daughter ofJames Margetson (son of James , Archbishop of Armagh) , and
widow of Hugh Colville, who was son of Sir Robert Colville ,ofNewtown, County Down . By her, who died 20th May, 17 33 ,
he had issue
Margetson, b . 22nd December, 1709 ; (1. young.
William,M .P . County Kilkenny, 1 727-58 ; Newtown,
1 725 -7 ; Derby, 1 742-54 ; Saltash ,1 7 54-6 ; Harwich
,
1 756-8 . He s . father as 2nd Earl , and was a pro
minent figure inEnglish political life, being appointeda Lord of the Admira lty, 1 746, and of the Treasury ,
1 756 . He was a member of the Privy Council , andwas Joint Postmaster-General , 1 759-62 and 1 765 -6 .
Kildalton,the old house at Bessborough, was pulled
down by him in 1 744, and in i ts place he erectedthe present mansion,
from designs by David Bindon.
According to“ I rish Political Chara cters , he was
possessed of per annum , which has ever
been applied to the best of purposes.
”The 2nd
Earl m .
, 5 th July, 1739, Lady Catherine Cavendish,
1 st dau . ofWilliam , 3rd Duke ofDevonshire,and d .
1 1 th March,1 793 , leaving issue .
R ight Hon. John, b. 29th March , 171 3. Speaker of
the Irish House ofCommons ,M .P.Newtown 1 739-60,Co . Ki lkenny 1 761 -83 , Newtown 1 783-7 , and six
times a Lord Justice ; m ., 22nd September, 1 743 ,
Lady E lizabeth Cavendish , d . ofWilliam, 3rd Duke
o f Devonshire,and (1. 1 6th August, 1787 , leaving
i ssue.
K I LDARE MEMBERS OF PARLIAMENT,I 559
- 1 880 . 4S I
IV . Richard , b . 2nd Ju ly, 1 722 ; a Commissioner of
Revenue, M .P . Knocktopher°, 1 747-60, and Newtown1 761 -8 .
I . Sara h, m ., 22nd April , 1727 , Edward , 5 th Earl of
Drogheda , and d . 19th January, 1 736.
I I . Anne,m . , 9th December, 1 734, Benjam in Burton
, of
Burton Hall , County Carlow ,M .P . Knocktopher,
1 74 1-60.
I II . E lizabeth , m .,23rd December, 1 739, Right Hon. Sir
W illiam Fownes , Bart. , of Woodstock , CountyKilkenny, M .P. Knocktopher, 1 761 -76 .
IV . Letitia , m ., 3rd November, 1 742 , Hervey, l st Viscount
Mountmorres.
Bra bazon,Earl
,ofB essborough, m . 2nd, 28 th November ,
1 733 , E li z abeth , eldest daughter and co-heir of John Sankey, ofTenelick, County Longford (widow , first of Sir John King, 2ndBart .
, of Boyle , County Roscommon, and secondly of John, 1 st
Lord Tullamore) . He died at Bessborough, of a surfeit of fruit4th Julv 17 5 8 .
[Authorities z— Burtchaell’
sKilkennyMembers ofParliament ;
Lodge’
s Peera ge ; Memoir in “ Hibernian Magazine ,”August ,
1 772 ; M ilton’s Views , 1 821 , &c.]
By-election,30th September , 1 725 .
Francis A len (vice Ponsonby , s . to the Peerage Nov.,
Francis Alen, of St . Wolstan’
s , County Kildare, was the. eldes tson of Major-General Patrick Alen,
of St W olstan’
s, by Mary ,
daughter of Thomas Brown,of Dublin, Barris ter-at-Law . He
married 1 703 Frances, daughter of Colonel Charles Whyte, ofLeixlip (and gra nddaugh ter of Sir Nicholas Whyte , M .P . for the
County, 1 634, and for Kildare, He died 7 th Ju ly, 1 741 ,having by her , who . died September, 1 767 , had issue six sons
and’
five daugh ters
I . John,of St . Wolstan
’
s , m . ,1 730, Frances Walsh , and
died 17 41 .
I I . W illiam ,born 1 709, LL.D. Trinity College , Dublin,
Entered the Carthusian Order, and died in Fra nce,
482 KILDARE MEMBERS OF PARLIAMEN T,1 559
— 1 800 .
George, an officer in the Austrian Servrce,d . s .p .
Thomas,d .s.p .
Patrick , d . s .p .
Robert, d .s .p .
Mary, m August 1 734, Edward, 12 th Lord Dunsany .
Catherine ,d . unmarried 1 750.
Jane.
Fra nces .
Margaret.
After Mr. Alen’
s death , the St. Wolstan’
s estate became the
subject of an Exchequer su it, as a resu lt of which it was sold toDr. Clayton, Bishop of Clogher, in 1 752 .
[Au thorities z — Foster’
s Collectanea ; KILDARE JOURNAL ,
Paper by Rev. H . L . L . Denny , vol . iv, p . 95 D’Alton
’
s KingJames
’
s I rish Army List ,” Commons
’ Journals Todd ’
s DublinGra duates , P layfair
’
s British Fam ily Antiquitr° &c.]
Returned for the County , 26th October, 1 727 .
Hon. Richard Al len.
Maurice Keating .
q n. Richard A l len was third son of John,1 st Viscount
Allen,by Mary, dau . of Right Hon. Robert Fitz Gerald , and
sister of Robert , 19th Earl ofKildare . He was born Ju ly, 1 691 ,and served for some time in the army, attaining the rank of
Captain . At his father ’
s decease , 8 th November, 1726, he
inherited his Kildare estate, but he appears to have principal lyresided at Crum lin
,County Dublin. In the new Parliament on
the accession of George I he w as returned for A thy. I t is
interesting to note that in the first Session o f that Parliament
his father and both his brothers also sat the future Lord Allenrepresenting the County of Dublin
,the Hon. Joshua A llen
the County of Kildare,and the Hon. Robert A llen (M .P. Carys
fort,17 1 3 -1 4 ) the County ofW icklow . Captain Al len, described
by a contemporary as a gentleman of the strictest honour,
j ustice , and humanity, married Dorothea, who died 4th May,1 75 7 , one o f the five dau s . and eo-heiresses of. Major Samuel
484 KILDAR E MEMBERS OF PARLIAM ENT,1 559
— 1 800 .
I II . Jane .
IV . E lizabeth m . 1 8th December, 1767 , Colonel JohnBrowne .
[Authorities — Bal l ’s History of County Dublin, Part IV ,
p . 143 ; Foster’
s Collectanea Charles D’
Alton’
s“ I rish Army
Lists Commons’ Journals ; Report of Case against LordA llen, in House of Lords ; Lodge
’
s Peera ge Playfair’
s“British
Family Antiqu ity Debrett ’s Peera ge ,
Maurice Keating, of Narraghmore, County Kildare , was
second but eldest surviving son of Maurice Keating , of Narraghmore (M .P. A thy, 1 695 -9 ; 1 703-1 3 ; 1 7 1 3-1 4 ; 1 7 1 5 byAnne
, dau . of Dr. Thomas Margetson. He was born February,1690, and succeeded his father in 1 727 . He was a Commissionerof the T illage Act for Leinster ; was returned as M .P . for KildareBorough in 1 7 1 5 , but was unseated represented KildareBorough , 1725-27 Naas, 1 761 to 1 768 ; and was returned forthe Borough of Kildar°e in 1 769. A writer in 1 748 describes themansion of Narra ghmore as a spacious , lofty building, seatedon an eminence,
”with gardens answera ble to the rest .” Of
the owner he says, His entertainment is generous , Open and
free , with such an am iable fami liarity as renders a new pleasureto the whole .
”In 1 766 Mr . Keating sold to the Duke '
of Leinsterfor St . John’
s Priory, Athy, and the lands adjoining,which his father had purchased in 1 7 1 5 forHe married E lizabeth , eldest dau . of James Waller, of Castle
town, County Limerick , and died 1 7th November,1 769, leaving
I ssue
I . Edmund,b . 1 7 13 , d .v .p. 1752 .
I I . John,b . 1716 , d . unm .
I I I . Thomas, d . uum .
IV . Maurice, of Narra ghmore, M .P . for Harristown, 1776-7
(see p ost) .
V. Very Rev. Cadogan, Dean of Clogher, m . 1 779,E lizabeth , dau . of A lderman Thomas Taylor, of
Dublin, and died 1 798 , leaving an only daughter
Anne , who m . John Kearney in 1805 .
I . Juliana,m . 5 th M ay, 1 743 , Rev. Richard Beauchamp,
Rector of Narraghmore ,
KILDARE M EMBERS O F PARLIAM EN T,1 559
— 1 800 . 485
I I . Catherine , a young lady of great merit and fortune,m . 4th May, 1 734, Henry G orges .
A Tour through I reland, by two Gentlemen, 1 748 ;KILDARE JOURNAL ; Brewer
’
s Beauties of I reland information
from George Dames Burtchaell , Athlone Pursu ivant ]
By-election,
22nd October, 1 745 .
Sir Kildare Dixon Borrowes,Bart .
(Vice Hon. Richard A llen,deceased) .
Sir Kildare Dixon Borrowes,1of G illtown,
.County Kildare ,was eldest son of Sir Walter Borrowes , 4th Bart . , of
,
G illtown
(M.P . for Harristown,1 721 , and Athy, by Mary, dau .
and co-h. of Captain Edward Pottinger, R .N . Succeeded hisfa ther as 5 th Bart . , 9th June , 1 741 was a Commissioner of theT illage Act for Leinster ; served as High Sheriff, 1 75 1 . Sir
Kildare , who sat for the county in the two succeeding Parl iaments , was also returned for Randalstown in 1761 . He was
1dmitted a Free Brother of the Holy Trinity Gui ld of Merchantso fDublin,
by Grace Especial , gra tis , 4th August, 1 754. Accordingto Hunt
’
s Irish Parliament in 1 775 , he was entirely attachedto the Duke of Leinster .
He m . 1 stly in February, 1 75 9 Elizabeth , dau . and heiressof John Short, of Grange, Queen s County, by whom , who (1.
3rd August, 1 766 , he had issue
I . S ir Era smus’
Dixon,who 8 . as 6th Bart.
,b . 20th
December, Sheriff of Queen’
s County,1800, and Kildare , 1809. m . 1 783
Henrietta, youngest dau . of Very Rev . ArthurChampagne, Dean of Clonmacnois
, and (1 . 19th
September, 1 8 14 , leaving issue
I I . Walter, d . unm.
I I I . Rev. Kildare , d . uhm
1 . Mary d“
. young.
An interest ing reference to S ir Ki ldare Borrowes appears in
Howell ’s S tate Trials ,” in connex ion w ith the trial of Francis Annesley ,of (Bal lysax ,
R ichard , Earl of Anglesea , and John Jaus , for assau l t ingHon , James Annesley, at the Summer A ss iz es
,at A th
y,in 1744,
486 KILDARE MEM BER S O F PA RLIAM ENT,1 559— 1 85 0 .
Sir Kildare m . 2ndly, 10th May, 1 769,Jane, dau . of JosephHigginson,
of Mount Ophaley, County Kildare , and died 22nd
June , 1 790, having by her had further issue , vi z
IV . W illiam, m . Angel ina , who (1. 9th February, 1 808 , onlydau .
“
of R ight Hon. Sir M ichael Smith , Bart . , of
Newtown,King
’
s County , and w idow of Smith Steele(2nd son of S ir Richard Steele , Bart . ) He d . s .p .
1 809.
V. R ev . Joseph , Rector of Ballina , m ., 6th May, 1 810,
Anne , dau . of Frederick Trench , of Woodlawn,
County Galway, M .P . , and (1. 3 1 st January, 1 840.
V I . Robert , of G illtown,b . 1 778 , m . 22nd December, 1 804 ,
Charlotte , dau . of SamuelMadden, of H ilton,
CountyMonaghan,
and d ied 1 3th June , 1 850, leaving1ssue .
R ichard, (1. young.
Emily, m . 1 797 , V en. Thomas Kingbury, D.D.,
Archdeacon of Killala.
[Playfair’
s“British Family Antiquity ; Burke’
s Peera ge ;Obituary Notices in Exshaw ,
Walker, and Gentleman’
sMagazine ;Complete Baronetage ,
”by G . E . C . ; KI LDARE JOURNAL ;
Dublin A lmanack and Directory,
Returned for the County ,27th April , 1 761 .
Sir Ki ldare Dixon Borrowes, Bart . (see ante) .
Arthur Pomeroy.
Arthur Pomeroy , of Carbury, County Kildare, was eldestson of V en. John Pomeroy, Archdeacon of Cork , who died 1 725 ,by E lizabeth, dau . of Edmund Donellan
,of Cloghan, County
Roscommon. Born 1 723 ; gra duated B .A . at Trinity College ,Dublin, 1 744 ; served as High Sheriff, 1752 . According to M rs .
Delany he was sensible , gentle , and good-humoured .
”In the
Scul ly M S . he is thu s summed up Returned by and devotedto the Leinster family. Had he been unconnected with HisGra ce
,he certainly wou ld have supported fl
His Excellency . LordHarcourt offered him a seat at the Revenue Board , which the
Duke wou ld not allow him to accept .
He represented the county in three successive Parliaments,
and was ra ised to the peerage as Baron Harberton,of Carbury,
488 KILDARE MEMBERS OF PARLI AMENT,I 559
- 1 800 .
Returned for the County, 1 8 th June, 1 776 .
Lord Charles Fit z Gerald .
Arthur Pomeroy (see ante )
Lord Char les James Fit z Gerald was second son of James,1 st
Duke o f Leinster, by Lady Anne Emilia Lennox, 2nd dau . Of
Charles , 2nd Duke of Richmond . Born 30th June, 1 756. He was
an officer in the Royal Navy, in which he rose to be Vice-Adm ira lof the White. Lord Charles was also returned for the Countyrt the Genera l E lection in In the Parliament o f 1 790-7
he represented Cavan,and in that of 1 798 -1800 the Borough of
Ardfert , being ra ised to the peera ge of I reland as Baron Leoaleo f Ardglass , December 27th, 1 800. He was a Commissionero fRevenue , 1789 to 1 792, and MusterMaster-Genera l in I reland ,1 792 to 1 806 . Lord Lecale, who was a Governor o f the RoyalHospital, Kilmainham , and of the Hibernian Society, supportedthe measure of the Union. In the English House of Commonshe was member for Arundel, January to May, 1 807 . His lordshipm . 1 8 th July, 1 805 , Jul ia , w idow of Thomas Carton
,of M aids
town, County Dublin, but by her (who died at Courtlands,Devon, 6th May, 1 844) had no issue. On Lord Lecale’
s death ,18 th February, 1810, the barony became extinct .
[Authorities z— Playfai r s _British Family Antiqu ity
G E . C. Complete Peera ge ; The Earls of Kildare ;”Kelly
’
s“Dublin Directory, Commons’ Journals ; Gentleman
’s
Magazine,
Returned for the County, 14th October, 1 783 .
Lord Charles Fit z Gerald (see ante) .John Wolfe .
John Wolfe, of Forenaghts , County Kildare , and MerrionSquare, Dublin,
was eldest son of Philpo tWolfe , of Forenaghts ,who (1. 1 775 , by Mary, dau . of Thomas Burgh, of Dromkeen, County Limerick, born 18 th May, Captain of the
Forenaghts Y eomanry Cavalry, which he ra ised during the
Volunteer movement ; Colonel of the Kildare M ilitia , Freeman
l Burk e gives 9th February , 1754 ; bu t as this is the date of'
hisadm iss ion , by b irth, a Free Brother of the Ho ly T rinity Gu ild ofM erchants o f Dub l in , I presume it to be correct .
KILDARE M EMBERS OF PARLIAM ENT,1 559
— 1 800 . 489
of the City of Dublin, 1 77 5 ; H igh Sheriff of CountyKildare ,1 779,
and a Governor of the County, 1 803 . A Comm issioner o f the
Revenue from 1 792 to 17 79, when he was dism issed for refusingto support the Government ; held Patent Office of Registrar of
Deeds . In 1 790 he was returned for Killybegs he also sat for
the Borough of Carlow ,Februarv, 1 798-1 800. At the Spring
Commencements , 1785 the University conferred on him the
honorary degree of LL .D . According to Falkland ’s Review
of I rish Parliamentary Representation,
”he discharged his
delegated trust with a spiri t becom ing his manly m ind , and
with an ability to be expected from his enlightened understanding.
”In the words of a contemporary, he has a strong
and clear voice ; his delivery is distinct ; and his languageforcible and manly.
”The same writer describes his manner
of speaking as“warm ,
and at times vehement”
; while he is
said to have ‘ ‘amiable manners , mascu line understanding, and
unspotted i ntegrity .
”
In an article in the JOURNAL (vol . iii , p . 365 ) i t is said thathe refused a peerage at the time of the Union, which agrees wi thBarrington
’
s statement that he cou ld not be purchased.
”
Colonel Wo lfe was nephew of the i ll-fated Lord Kilwarden,
and first cousin, once removed , of the Rev. Charles Wo lfe , thePoet . He m ., 9th April , 1 777 , Charlotte, 4th dau . of TheobaldWo lfe , of Aungier Street, Dublin, Barrister-at-Law ,
and died1 8 th April , 1 81 6, leaving issue
I . John , of Forenaghts, b . 26th February, 1 778 , CaptarnForenaghts Y eomanry , Freeman of Dublin, 1 802,Deputy Governor of County Ki ldare, d . unm . 22nd
June, 1 81 6.
I I . Theobald , d . uum .
I I I . Arthur , Major Kildare M ilitia,b . 1 8 th September,
1 786, m .
-1 81 1,Margaret , dau . of James Ham ilton of
Dunboyne Castle , County Meath , and d .v.p . 27thAugust , 1 8 1 3 .
IV . Rev. R ichard , who s . to Forenaghts on his eldes tbrother ’
s d eath , b . l 0th October, 1 787, m. 12th
April, 1 83 1 , Lady Charlotte Hely-Hutchinson, sisterof John, 2nd Earl of Donoughmore
, and d .s .p . 2oth
Ju ly, 1 841 . Lady CharlotteWolfe survived till 1 870.
1 . E lizabeth , (1. young.
I I . Mary, (I. unm . 24th December, 1 826.
490 KILDARE MEMBERS OF PARLIAM ENT,1 559
- 1 800 .
I I I . E lizabeth , (1. unm . 7th May ,1 836 .
IV . Charlotte, d . unm.
[Authorities z— Burke ’
s Landed Gentry Liber Munerum
Pub licorum I rish Po litical Characters , 1 799 ; Falkland ;KILDARE JOURNAL ; Barrington
’
s R ise and Fa ll of the I rishNation ”
; Debrett ’s Peera ge ; Play fair’ s “B ritish Fami ly
Antiquity Georgian Society’
s Publications , &c.]
Returned for the County, 2nd Ju ly, 1 790.
Lord
’
Edward Fit z Geral d .
Maurice Bagenal St . Leger Keat ing.
Lord Edward Fi t z Gerald , fifth son of James,1 st Duke of
Leinster, by the Lady Emily Lennox, dau . of Charles , 2ndDuke of Richmond, is too well known to history to require anydetailed notice in these pages. He was born 15 th October, 1 763 ,and had represented the fami ly borough of Athy In the precedingParliament , being now returned through the influence of his
br °
o ther the Duke . A writer in 1 81 6 states that with r°
egardto the two members returned for this county, one was alwaysnominated by the Duke of Leinster , proprietor of 70 000 acres ,
or about one-third of its entire area , while the other was consideredindependent .
The following description of Lord Edward , written while a
member of this Parliament , is interesting in showing the way inwhich he was regarded by the electors at the time . He I s , writesFalkland ,
“a young nobleman, who has bled In the field In the
cause of his country ,whose honour and worth are indisputable ,
and who w ill not forfeit their confidence or barter their friendshipfor place , pensron, .or profit.”
Lord Edward m . 27th December, 1 792 , Pamela,the repu ted
dau . of Philippe Egali té Duke of Orleans, byMadame de Genlis ,by whom he had issue
I . Edward Fox Fitz Gerald , b 1794 ,m . 6th November,
l 8 27 , Jane , youngest dau . o f S ir John Dean Paul,
Bart .,and (1 . 25 th January, 1 863 .
1 . Pamela, m . 1820, S ir Guy Campbell , Ba1°t.
I I . Lucy Louisa , m . 1825,Captain Georg e F . Ly on
,R .N .
492 KILDARE M EMBERS O F PARLIAM EN T,1 559
- 1 800 .
competent critics . Colonel Keating m ., 7th Ju ly, 1 790, Lady
M artha Bra bazon,who died 1 820, 2nd dau . of Anthony, 9th
Earl of Meath,and died at Paris in 1 835
,leaving three daus.
,
V IZ .
I . E lizabeth , m . 14th Ju ly, 182 1'
Claud A lexander .
I I . Selina Charlotte , m . 7th November,1 826
,Hon .
Ferdinand St . John,and d . 23rd March
,1 897 .
I I I . I sabella, d . unm .
[Information from George Dames Burtchaell , AthlonePursu ivant ; Brewer
’
s“ Beau ties of I reland Dictionary of
National Biogra phy ; Survey of County Kildare ; Burke’
s
Peerage ; Playfair’s British Family Antiqu ity
”
; KILDAREJOURNAL, &c.]
3133 111183 11 110 [poems of the (touring 1ki lbare.
No . XI I .
T he G e ra ld ine s .
BY THOMAS DAV I S .
THE Gera ld ines the Gera ld ines — ’
t is fu l l a thousand yearsS ince ,
’
m id the Tuscan v ineyards , 1 br ight flashed the ir batt le spears
When Capet se iz ed the Crown of France , the ir iron shields w ere known,
And the ir sabre-d int struck terror on the banks o f the GaronneAcross the downs o f Hast ings they spurred hard by W il l iam
’
s s ide ,And the grey sands of Pa lest ine w ith M oslem b lood they dyed
Bu t never then, nor thence , t il l now , has fa lsehood or d isgraceBeen seen to so il F it z G era ld ’
s p lum e,or mant le in his face .
The Gera ld ines the Gera ld ines — ’
t is true in S trongbow s van ,
By law less force , as conquerors , their I r ish re ign b eganAnd , oh"through many a dark campa ign they proved the ir prow ess
stern,
In Leinster’
s p la ins and M unster’
s vales , on k ing, and chief, and kerneBut no b le was the cheer w i thin the ha lls so rudely won ,
And gen’
rous was the stee l-gloved hand that had such slaughter d oneHow gay the ir laugh,
how proud the ir m ien , you’
d ask no herald’
s S ignAmong a thousand you had known the pr incely Gerald ine .
These Gera ld ines these Gerald ines —not long our air they breathed ,N o t long they fed 0 11 venison in I r ish water seethed
N o t often had the ir children been by I rish mo thers nursed ,When from the ir fu l l and gen ial hearts an I r ish feel ing burstThe Engl ish monarchs strove in va in, by law , and force , and bribe ,To w in from I r ish thoughts and ways this “more than I r ish 3 tr ibeFor st il l they clung to fosterage , to Celt ic tongue , and bardWhat k ing dare say to a Gerald ine , Y o ur I r ish w ife d iscard 2
1 The Fitz Geralds are descended from the Gherardini of Florence , inTuscany .
2 R ichard fitz G ilbert de C lare , second Earl of Pembroke, nicknamed
S trongbow .
3 The complaint of the English officials in Ireland to Henry V I I I . was that
the Fitz Gera lds , the Bourkes , and o ther Anglo-Norman fam ilies had “ become
more Irish than the Irish themselves .
”
496-BALLADS AND
-
PO EMS OF THE CO UNT Y KILDARE .
Y e Gera ld ines ye Gerald ines I— how roya lly ye re ignedO
’
er Desmond 1 broad and r ich Ki ldare,and Engl ish art d isda ined
Y our sword made knights , your banner waved , free was your b ugle cal lBy G l in
’
s2green S lopes , and Dingle
’
s3t ide , from Barrow
’
s4 banks to
Y oughal .5What gorgeous shr ines , what Brehon lore , what m inst rel feasts therew ere
In and around M aynooth s grey keep , and palace-filled Adare 7
But not for r ite or feast ye stayed , when friend or k in w ere pressedAnd foernen fied when Crom-a-b oo 8 bespoke your lance in res t .
Y e Gerald ines l ye Gera ld ines I— since S ilken Thomas9 flung
King Henry’s s rd on council board
,the Engl ish lords among,
Y e never ceased to bat tle brave aga inst the Engl ish sway ,Though axe and brand and treachery your proudest cut away .
Of
gesmond
’s b lood , through woman
’s ve ins passed on th
’exhausted
t i e ;
H is t it le l ives — a Saxon churl usurps the l ion’
s hide :And thoughKi ldare tower haught ily , there
’
s ru in at the root ,Else why , s ince Edward fel l to earth, had such a tree no fru it ?
1 i .e . Deas Mhumha, or South Munster, comprising the Counties of Corkand Kerry .
2 Formerly called G len Corbry , i . e . Corbry’
s V alley , 00 . Limerick— the placethat the Knight of Glin takes his title from .
3 Formerly Dangin I Cou sh , i .e. the Fort of O’
Cush , in the County Kerry.
4 The R iver Barrow [Bearbha Bear° (water) and ba (dumb) , i .e . the S ilentfiowing river] .
5 From Eocha ill , meaning a Wood of Y ews , in the County Cork .
6 Magh Nuadhat, Nuat’s Plain , Co . Kildare .
7 Ath-dara , the Ford of the Oak-tree , Co . Limerick .
8 The war-cry of the Leinster Fitz Geralds , meaning Croom to victory ,
from Croom ,in the County L imerick .
9 The tenth Earl of Kildare , who rose in rebell ion in 1534,and suffered
death at Tyburn in 1 537 .
10 The Fitz Gerald Earldom of Desmond became extinct in 1608 . The t itlewas revived in 1 622 by James I . in the person of S ir Richard Preston ,
Lord
Dingwall , w ith lim itation to George , Lord Fielding. Sir R ichard was drowned
in 1 628 , and , as he left no male issue , the Earldom passed to George , Lord
F ield ing, ancestor to the Earls of Denb igh .
i . e . Lord Edward , of’98 fame.
NOR TH AND SOUTH V I EWS Or ADARE CASTLE ON THE R IVER MAIGUE , Co . LIMERICK .
[F rom Photographs b y Law rence , Dub l in .]
498 BA LLADS A ND PO EM S O F T H E CO UN T Y KI LDARE .
True Gera ld ines l brav e G era ld ines l— as to rrents m ou ld the earth ,
Y o u channel led deep o ld Ireland ’
s heart by constancy and w orth
When G inck le ’
leaguered L imer ick , the I r ish so ld iers gaz edTo see if in the se tt ing sun d ead Desm ond
’
s banner b laz ed 2
And s t il l i t is the p easant’
s hope upon the Curragh’
s mere ,
They lrve who’ l l see t en thou sand m en w ith good Lord Edward
there
So let them dream t il l b r ighter no t by Edward’
s shade ,
Bu t by some leader true as he , the ir l ines Shal l b e arrayed
These Gera ld ines these Gera ld ines l— rain w ears away the rock ,And t ime may w ear away the tr ibe that sto od the bat t le ’
s shock ,But ever , sure , while one is left o f al l that honoured race ,
In front of I re land ’s chivalry is that Fi t z Gerald
’
s p lace .
And though the last were d ead and gone , how many a field and town ,
From Thomas Court3to A b b eyfeale ,4 w o uld cherish the ir renown ,
And m en w ou ld say of valour ’
s r ise , or ancient p ow er’
s decline’Tw i ll never soar , it never shone , as d id the Gerald ine .
”
The Gerald ines I the Gera ld ines -and are there any fears
W ithin the sons of conquerors for fu l l a thousand years‘
3
Can treason spring from o u t a so i l b ed ew ed w ith mar tyrs’ b lo od ?
Or has that grown a purl ing brook which long ru shed d own a floodBy Desmond swep t w ith sword and fire— by clan and keep la id lowBy S ilk en Thomas and his k in— by good Lord Edward N o l
The form s of centur ies r ise up ,and in the I r ish l ine
Command the ir son to take the post tha t fits the Gerald ine .
5
1 In 1691 .
2 This refers to G erald Fi t z Gera ld , fifteenth Earl of Desmond,who , tradi
tion states,dwells under the waters of Lough Gur , Co . Limerick
,till the S ilver
Shoes of his white charger are worn ou t , when he w ill return and regain h is ownagain.
3 i . e . St . Thomas’s Abbey, Dublin .
4 Ma inistir-na-Feile , or the Abbey of the R iver Fea le,Co . L imerick .
5 Thom as Davis , the au thor of the poem ,was the poet of the Y oung I reland
Party, and his sentiments are clearly shown in the above verses . H is love of
and devotion to,Ireland only ended w ith his death in 1 845 .
50 0 BALLADS AND PO EM S O F THE CO UN T Y KILDARE .
NOTES ON THE FITZGERALDS OF IRELAND .
BY LORD WALTER FI TZGERALD .
THE Gerald ines (so cal led from Geraldini , the Lat in form of the name) , 1or Fit z Geralds of I re land , w ere al l sprung from three bro thers , two of
whom— W il l iam F itz Gerald (Lord of Carew ) and M aurice Fit z Gerald
(Lord of M aynooth)— arr ived in I re land in 1 1 70, to ass ist King Henry I I
in ga in ing a foo t ing in that country , on a requ est from Dermo t -na-gal lM acM urrough, the d epo sed King of Le inster , to afford him aid in
recover ing his Prov ince . Of the same stock as the Fit z Gerald s are thefam il ies of Carew , Gerard , and W ind sor , in England .
The or igina l home of the race w as F lorence , in Tuscany . There is on
record a letter d ated 27th M ay , 1 507, wr itten by Gerald , e ighth Earl ofKildare , to the Gherard ini of F lorence , acknow ledging them as relat ionsand in 1 542
,Henry Howard
,Earl of Surrey , S tatesman
,Po et , and
S o ld ier,was so struck w ith the b eau ty of Lady E l i z abeth F it z Gerald ,
known as“ The Fa ir Gera ld ine ,” a daughter of Gera ld , n inth Ear l of
Kildare , that he composed a sonnet on her , which commences thus :
From Tu scane came my lady ’s worthy race
Fair F lorence was som etime her ancient seat .
The Western I sle, whose pleasant shore doth faceW ild Camber ’
s cliffs , did give her l ively heat .
S tanihurst,the histor ian ,
too , in 1 570, wro te of the Gerald ines :This H ouse was of the nob il it ie of F lorence , came from thence to
N ormandy .
”Fit z Gerald as a surnam e was assumed at the end of the
twe lfth century , though for a very long p er iod afterwards it was not in
genera l use , a s one reads in the Document s and State Papers of I reland ,even d own to E l i z ab eth’
s re ign , of mem bers of the fam ily be ing styledJohnfitz Thomas, Gera ldfitz M aurice
,&c. so that if they are no t further
d escr ibed as of such-and -such a p lace , it makes i t almost imposs ib leto ident ify the ind iv idua l . The w ord fitz is of N orman or igin , and is
equ iva lent t o the French fils, mean ing son of.
An a t tempt to comp i le a ped igree of the G era ld ines prev ious to the irarr iva l in England w ou ld b e fut ile , as it wou ld b e untrustworthy and
mostly conjecture and one does not get on to firm ground t ill 1086 , thedate o f the Domesday Book . The researches of M r . J . H . R ound (au thorof P eerages and P ed igrees , &c. ) have conclu s ively proved that a Walterfitz O ther
,m ent ioned in that great work , w as the ancestor from whom
the Fit z Gerald s , the De Carews,the De W indsors
,and the Gerard s w ere
al l sprung .
This Walter fit z O ther ( the latter name modern iz ed r to Odo and O tho )was Castel lan o fW ind sor Cast le and Keeper o f the Forest there he wa s
a lso tenant-in-chief of that barony , as w el l as of manors in Berks, Bucks ,Hants , Surrey , and M idd lesex ; the date of his death has not b eend iscovered , b ut he was st ill a l ive in 1 100. From Windsor the scene
shifts to Wa les,where w e find a younger son of this Wa lter fitz O tho ,
named Gera ld,as Constab le o f the Cast le o f Pembroke , b elonging to
‘ l'
he Gera ldines in I rish wou ld be Gam l tach,”
and F i tz Gera ld
MacGa rrett .”
NOTES ON THE FI T ZGERA LDS OF IRELA ND. 50 1
Arnu lf de M ontgomery and on the fal l of the latter , ow ing to reb ell ion,
Gera ld fitz Wal ter becam e its propr ietor , rebu ilt the Cast le in 1 105 , anderected ano ther at Carew , also in P em bro keshire .
Gera ld fit z Walter ’
s death occurred ab ou t the year 11 35 . H is w ife wasthe P r incess N esta , daughter of Rhys ap Tudor , Pr ince of Sou th Wa les .
By this marr iage , his children were closely related to the Fit z Henry and
the F itz Stephen fam il ies , as is shown in the fo l low ing chart
(1 ) Geral d fitz Walter T h e P r ince s s N e s t a
C onstab le of Pemb rok eHad a son b y Henry I .
Ob . circa 1135 .
IW i lli am F it z Geral d , Angharet , Henry F i tz Henry Rob ert F it z S tephen
Lord of Carew . m . Wm . d e Barri , slain in b att le, Granted half o f t he
b y whom she was in W al es, C ou nty Cork
-J
Mau rice Fit z Geral d , m other t o G iraldu s 1 1 57 .
Lord of M aynooth , Camb rens1s .
Dav id F i tz Geral d , Glad ew ys ,Bishop of S t . Davi d
’s m . a De Cogan .
Mei ler F 1t z Henry , Ralph F i t z S tephen .
founder of m . Margaret , d . of M i lesConnel l Ab b ey , d e Cogan .
Co . Ki ldare, 1 202 , ob . 1 179.
m . a n iece of Hugh d eLacy . M eredi th F it z S tephen .
ob . 1 220.
R ob ert —Fit z Henry .
Henry Fit z H enry
Amab i lis ,m .Wal ter d e R i d el i s
ford , Lord of Bray .
From the above Gerald fitz Walter , the surname of F it z Gerald was
d erived . H is eld est son ,W i ll iam of Carew , was the ancestor of the
fam il ies of Carew ,Fit z M aurice , G erard , and the F it z Geralds of Knock
topher , in the county Kilkenny .
The second son ,M aur ice , w il l b e referred to aga in .
The third son ,David , was B ishop of S t . Dav id ’
s he had a son named
M ilo,n icknamed fit z Bishop and “ inac-ah -espug the B ishop
’
s
son) , from whom the F i t z Gerald s of Iv erk’
and of ( 3) Brownstown ,bo th
in the county Kilkenny , w ere d escended .
Gera ld fit z W a lter appears to have had two daughters : (1 ) Angharet ,who married W ill iam de Barr i , from whom the Barrys o f the county Corkare sprung, and (2) G ladewys, Wife of a De Cogan .
“
The second son , M aur ice Fit z Gerald , in recompense for his servicesin the conques t of Le inster , was rewarded w ith a grant of the eastern
port ion of the O’
Byrne terr itory of Ofi’
elan , which included the lordshipsof Maynoo th and of N aas he also was granted the lordship o fW icklowthe lat ter
,however, d id no t for long rema in in the po ssession o f the fam ily .
Maurice d ied in 1 177 , and was b ur ied in W exford ; he left five sons .
H is eldest son , W il l iam F itz Gerald , inher ited the lord ship of Naas,and
thu s he and his descendants w ere known as Barons of Naas . After three
generat ions , this branch of the fam ily end ed in an he iress , and the lordship of N aas passed from a Bu t ler into the De Londres fam i ly , and
50 2 BA LLADS A ND PO EM S O F T HE COUN T Y KILDARE .
eventual ly, through a De Londres he iress , into the possess ion of the
Prestons , Barons of Gormanstown .
Gera ld , the second son of M aurice Fit z Gerald , hav ing acqu iredpossess ions in the O
’
Connor territory of Offaly , includ ing Geashill ,Rathangan ,
and Lea (the latter now in the north-eastern port ion of the
Queen’
s County ) , was known as the first Baron of Offa ly ; this t it lebecame m erged in that of the Earldom o f Kildare
,crea ted in 1316 . H is
death took p lace in 1 203 , and from him are descended the Fit z Geralds of
the county Kildare , of the King’
s and Queen’
s Count ies, and o f the two
M eaths .
The third son of M aur ice F it z Gerald was named Thomas , n icknamed
the Great”— from his large possessions in the w estern port ion o f the
County Limer ick— and was styled Lord of Okonyl (now Connel lo) . H e
wa s the ancestor of the F it z Gerald s o f M unster ( includ ing the F it z Gibb onfam ily) , the head of whom was created Earl of Desmond in 1 329, a t it lewhich became ext inct in 1 608 , on the death, in the Tower of London ,
of
James fit z Thomas R oe Fitz Gerald,seventeenth Ear l of Desmond ; his
vast estates in the count ies of L imer ick , Waterford , Cork , and Kerryb eing port ioned ou t among Engl ish Under takers .
”
The fourth and fifth sons w ere named A lexander and M aur ice from
the latter w ere sprung the Fit z Gerald s o f Burnchurch (al ias Kitrany) , ofGosl ingstown , and of ( l ) Go rteens , al l in the County Ki lkenny bes idesthose of Kil lesk in the C ounty W exford
,and of Turlough in the County
M ayo , offshoo ts of the Barons of Burnchurch.
TH E RUI NS o r CROOM CASTLE , WI TH I T S C I RC ULAR DAWN (EXT ER I O R ) , Co . LIM ER I CK .
(S ee p .
From th is p lace the War-cry and M o t to o f the Le ins ter F i t z Ge ra ld s was taken .
[F rom a P ho tog raph by W . F it z G . ,April ,
504 BALLADS AND POEM S O F TH E COUN T Y KI LDARE .
The adop t ion o f a monkey as a crest by the Le inster F it z Geraldsor iginated in an incident which occurred at Woodstock Cast le , near A thy ,towards the end of the thirteenth century . On an alarm of fire be ingra ised , the inhab itants of the cast le (then belonging to Thomas
fit z M aur ice F it z Gerald , third son of the second Baron of Offaly) al l tookrefuge outs ide , and overlooked the l itt le son and he ir, then a bab e in a
crad le . On the ch i ld be ing m issed , a reta iner was sent back to try and
WOODSTOCK CAsTLE , NEAR ATHY , CO . KI LDARE .
rescue it b u t he so on returned to report that the nurse-room was in a
mass o f flames . A t the same t im e a tame ape , which was usually kep tcha ined in the cast le , was seen on the bat t lements b ear ing the babe in its
arms ; i t then, st il l ho ld ing the child , clambered down the iv ied wal ls ,and la id it unhur t on the ground . This bab e , the only son its parents
had,l ived to b ecome the fifth Baron of Offaly and firs t Earl o fKi ldare ,
and d ied in 1316 . H ence the fam ily crest .
1
A very s im ilar legend is re lated in connex ion w ith the Desmond
branch of the Fit z Geralds . In 1261 the M acCarthys gained a decis iveV ictory at Ca l lan , near Tra lee , o ver the Gera ld ine forces’ led by Johnfitz Thomas F it z Gerald , second Lord o f Connel lo
,the Decies and Des
m ond , and by his son M aur ice , bo th o f whom w ere s la in in the ba ttle .
When the new s reached the ir cast le at Tra lee , a pan ic se iz ed the garrison ,
1 Holinshed , in his “ Chronicles of I reland ,” relates an anecdote in con
nexion w ith a m onkey as the Fitz Gerald crest . He died in 1 580. See the
JOURNAL , vol . v , p . 277 .
N O T ES ON T HE F IT ZGERALDS OF IRELA ND .
which was only al layed by the strange appearance of a tame ape b ear ingMaur ice ’
s young he ir , nam ed Thomas,in i t s arm s on one of the turrets
THE FRAGMENT or THE RUIN S or TRALEE CASTLE , CO . KERRY
[From a Photograph b y Law rence , Dub ] in .]
of the cast le. This mo st unus ual sight was lo oked upon as such a goodomen that the inhab itant s ga ined heart
, and were ab le to repe l theMacCarthy at tack . From this event Thomas , t il l the day of his death ,
w as known as“ Tomas na N apadh,
”or Thomas of the M onkey , though,
as s tated a bove , the Desmond crest became a boar , and not a monkey .
This Thomas d ied in 1 298 , and was the father of the first Earl ofDesmond .
I t is a cur ious co incidence that another legend dea l ing w ith an Earlof Kildare is almo st id ent ica l w ith that re lated o f an Ear l o f Desmond .
The ' legend about Gera ld , e leventh Ear l of Kildare,known as
“the
W iz ard Ear l , ” has a lready b een to ld in '
prose and verse in our Journal . 1
The p ith of the legend is that t he W i z ard Ear l and his ret inu e l ie in an
enchanted s leep in a cave under the Great Rath of M ullaghmast (ly ingbetw een Bal l ito re and A thy) , and that once in seven years , mounted on
a white charger shod w ith s ilver , he, and his kn ights , issu e forth, gallopround the Curragh, rev is it Kilkea Cas t le (where the Earl pract ised theb lack art and then retu rn to M ullaghmast aga in. These proceed ingsare to cont inue unt il the s i lver shoes are worn ou t , when the enchantment
See vol . i i, p. 29 ; vol . v , p . 275 ; and vol . vi , p. 407.
506 BALLADS AND POEM S OF THE COUN T Y KILDARE .
w ill b e broken , and the Earl w il l l ive aga in and release I reland from her
foes . The W i z ard Ear l d ied in 1 586 .
The M unster vers ion of the legend is connected w ith Gerald , the
fifteenth Earl of Desmond, who , w ith his fo l lowers , dw el l under the
wat ers of Lough Gur , where the ru ins of his castle st il l stand , abo utm idway between Bruff and Oo la , in the County Limer ick . They , too ,appear once in seven years , r id ing on the surface of the lough. The Earlcan b e recogni z ed by his be ing mounted on a s ilver shod white chargerand in this case too , when the s ilv er shoes are worn out , the Earl w il lreturn and rega in his own once m ore . He was slain in rebel l ion in
1 583 .
The s im ilar ity o f these two legends is very remarkab le . Of Celt icchiefs , too , l ike trad it ions are a lso related . One is to ld of The O
’
Donoghueof the Loughs , who dw e lls b eneath Lough Leane ( the Low er Lake) , at
Killarney , and is to b e seen r id ing over its waters before sunr ise on M ayDay in each year . Another dea ls w ith I vor macCrom O
’
Donovan , Chiefof Carb ery ,
in the County Cork , who erected the cast le called Cast le Ivor ,in the par ish of M yross , in and who was a famous nav igator and
necromancer . Once in seven years he and his ship are seen on Lough
C luhir , which is s ituated in the townland of Listark in .
Arms.
The Crusades, which commenced In 1095 , and end ed a fa i lure in 1 291 .
are genera lly acknowledged to have b een the cause of hered itary coatso f-arms— tha t is , arm s handed d own from fa ther to sons . They w ere
pa inted on the knight’
s shie ld and embro idered on his pennon and on
his l inen surcoa t , which was worn over the armour (hence the term coa t
of-arms ) . The crest w as w orn on the crown of the helmet , encircled by a
w reath or torse of the fam ily co lours .
The a rms of the Leinster Fit z Geralds 1 are A rgent , a sa lt ire gu lestho se of the Desmond fam ily , “ Erm ine , a salt ire gu les ,
”w ith slight
d ifferences in the arm s o f some o f the ir offshoo ts as , for instance , theKnight of Kerry has the sa lt ire charged w ith a cross form é e argent
and the F it z G ibb ons have the add it ion Of,
“on a chief argent , three
annu lets gu les . The F it z Gerald s of Caherass , County Limer ickd escend ed from Thomas , the seventh Earl of Kildare— bore the same
arm s as he d id .
The arms of the F it z M aurices , sprung from R aymond le Gros , are
Argent , a salt ire gu les , a chief erm ine .
”
The Oil -painting of tp5e
3 (1)
ll inth Earl of Kildare,
Gerald , or Garrett Oge , the n inth Earl of Ki ldare , was born in 1487,and d ied in 1534 . He was tw ice married . By the first w ife he was thefather o f
“ The S ilken Thomas ,”tenth Earl o f Kildare ; and by the
second w ife he had tw o sons , the e lder of whom became the e leventhEarl o f Kildare , known as The W i z ard Earl . ”
This p icture , which measures 1 ft . 875 in . by 1 ft . 35 in . , is the earl iestpo rtrait o f a Fit z Gerald in ex istence ; the paint er of it is unknown . The
1 Excepting the Fi tz Geralds Of Iverk and Brownsford , in the County Ki1kenny, and the Fitz Geralds (formerly ) of Allen , in the County Kildare , thelatter an offshoot of the Knights Of Kerry , which families bore the saltire on
erm ine ground .
50 8 BALLADS A ND P OEM S OF THE COUNT Y KILDA R E .
fam i ly crest and arms appear in the p icture , w ith the fo llow ing inscript ion G eraldus F il ius Gerald i Comes Kildarie . ZEtatis 43 , A
°. Dni .
1 530.
The MacKenz ie Clan.
The MacKenz ie clan of Kintai l , S eaforth, &c. , is sa id to have sprungfrom a younger son of John fitz Thomas
“more”Fit z Gerald , second Lo rd
o f Conh e l lo . Accord ing to a manuscr ipt history of this clan , preserved
a t Carton , wr itten by Dr . George M acKen z ie (au thor of Lives “
of the
Sco tt ish G erald , third son o f the John fit z Thomas who was
s la in in the bat t le w ith the M acCarthys a t Ca l lan in 1 261 , escaped and
fled to Sco t land , where he was known as Gerald of Ca llan ,
”or Callan
Gera ld ,”
a nam e soon corrup ted to Co l in .
”He served under King
A lexander I I I . , and on one occas ion had the luck to save the King’
s l ifeby slay ing an infuriated stag which had attacked him , and for this act he
was granted a s tag’
s head for his coat -of—arm s he was a lso granted the
lands o f Kinta i l , in Ross—shire , and b ecame first Baron o f Kinta il . He
d ied in 1 278 , and by his w ife , the Lady M argaret S tuart , daughter of
Wa lter , the Lord H igh Chamberla in of Scot land , he had a son named
Kenneth, the second Baron , whose descendants assumed the surname of
M acKenneth , a lias M acKenz ie , accord ing to the H ighland custom .
The Galway Family of Bodk in.
The fam ily o f Bodk in ( one of the fourteen Anglo -Norman tr ib esof the town of Ga lway) is of the G erald ine stock . Accord ing to Hard iman
’
s H istory of Galway , this fam i ly had as an ancestor R ichard , a
younger son o f Thomas mo re fit z M aurice,first Lord of Connello , who
d ied in 121 5 . This R ichard,how ever , does no t appear in the Desmond
P ed igrees . Be that as i t may , the Bodk ins bear the Fit z Gerald o f
Le inster arms , crest , and m o tto,as is proved by a sla b b ear ing these
dev ices in the town o f Ga lway , a cast O f which is to b e seen in the
Dub l in Science and A rt M useum , from which the il lustra t ion here shown
has b een reproduced . This w ou ld appear to connect them w ith the
Le inster Fi tz Geralds rather than w ith those o f M uns ter .
S I O BA LLADS A N D PO EM S OF THE COUN T Y KILDA R E .
Hard iman accounts for the change in the name from Fit z Gerald to
Bodk in in the fo l low ing manner
The fam ily name (of Bodkin ) originated , accord ing to tradition,from a
v ictory ga ined by their great progenitor Thomas, son of R ichard (above men
tioned ) , about the year 1 300, over a val iant I rish knight , whom he encountered
in single combat ; and hav ing in the conflict made use of a short spear or
weapon, in Irish called a baudekin,
” he was from that circumstance surnamed
Buaidh Baudekin,
” i . e . Bodkin v ictory .
” Whatever doubt may attend thistraditionary relation, none can exist as to the origin and descent of the fam ily,which are fully ascertained by ancient stone sculptures and monuments stillremaining.
The Bodk in coat-of-arms slab is inserted In an exterior wal l of thebu ild ing local ly m isnamed “ Lynch
’
s Ca stle, which st ill stands at the
corner of A b b ey-gate S treet , and which is the last inhab ited surv ival ofthe grand mans ions which formerly ex isted in the C itie Of y
"Tr ibes .
”
The Earl ofKi ldare ’
s Tomb , now at St .Werburgh’
s Church, Dub lin.
This tom b (the cover ing slab of an altar-tom b a lone be ing shown-here)b elongs to the fifteenth century . A s far as can b e ascerta ined , its historyis as fo l lows — O riginal ly i t stood in the Pr iory of A l l Hallows or A l lSa ints , where Tr in ity Co l lege now stands . A fter the d isso lu t ion of the
monaster ies , it was removed to the Church of S t . M ary del Dam , on the
present Cork H il l . A fter the d emo l i t ion of S t . M ary’
s by R ichard Boyle ,first Ear l o f Cork , on which s ite he erected a mans ion ,
then known as CorkHou se , the tom b was removed and p laced ins ide S t . Werburgh
’s Church .
H ere it rested t il l about 1 663 , when , more space be ing requ ired , it wastaken and p laced outs ide in the churchyard , and fina lly , in 171 5 , bu iltinto its present pos it ion in the sou th wal l of the church.
A s there is now no trace o f an inscr ipt ion on the monument , it canno t
for a certa inty b e sta ted to which of the two Earls Of Kildare it b elongsbu t there is l ittle doub t that the knight ’s effigy represents e ither Shanecam (i . e . John the Hump
-backed ) , s ixth Earl of Kildare , who d iedin 1427 , or his son Thomas , the seventh Earl , who d ied in 1477 , both of
whom w ere bur ied in the M onastery o f All Hal low s .
The Earl ’s arm s , a salt ire,are borne on his shield . (See p .
The Fitz Gerald Slab at Dingle, County Kerry ,1504 .
This slab l ies in the sou th-eastern port ion of the Dingle (DanginO
’Cush) Churchyard . I t measures in length 73 inches ; ‘ in bread th
,a t
the top , 33 inches , and at the foo t 20 inches its thickness is 4 inches .
A bou t half-way down it is broken in two .
The inscr ipt ions do not appear to b e sepu lchral , bu t to cons ist of
prayers or pet it ions in Lat in ; as the greater port ion of them only conta inthe init ial letters of word s , no sat isfactory read ing o f them has beend iscovered . That port ion running round the edge o f the s lab is verylegib le , b ut the rema inder is barely d iscernib le .
The coat -of-arms a t the top of the slab 1s that of the M unster
Fit z Geralds , v i z . Erm ine , a Sa lt ire gules, w ith a Boar and a Griffin
5 1 2 BALLADS A ND POEM S O F THE CO UN T Y KILDA R E .
as supporters ; the dev ice on the lower shield has not yet been exp la ined ,
nor is i t known whether this slab commemorates a mem b er O f the fam ilyof the Earls O f Desmond or of that of the Kn ight s of Kerry .
This is the earl iest representat ion known of the Arms of the M unster
F it z Geralds .
The Bective Abbey Pavement Ti le, circa 1500 .
Bect ive A b b ey w as founded for the C istercians in 1 146 or 1 1 52 , byM urrough macDonnel l O ’M elaghl in , King of Tara , who d ied in 1 1 53 .
A bou t the year 1 500 Gerald , e ighth Earl of Kildare , em be ll ished the
Church of Bect ive A b b ey , and paved it w ith encau st ic t iles , some o f
which, as shown here , b ore his arm s and mo tto S I DI EU PLET CR OM
ABO .
”Two o ther instances occur where these w ords are u sed on
the Earl of Kildare ’s stone tab le , dated 1533 , now at Carton
, and form erlyin the Council House of M aynoo th Cast le and (2) on the chimneyp ieceof the Puckaun room in K ilkea Cast le , dated 1 573 . In 1494
,at a Parl ia_
ment he ld in Drogheda , an Act was passed abo l ishing “ Crom -a-b o ,”
Bu t ler-a-b o , and s im ilar war-cries in I reland bu t, seem ingly in
d efiance , the Earls of Kildare cont inued the pract ice , w ith the add i tionof “ S i Dieu p let
”
(I f God p leases , Crom-a -bo ) . The t i le is 52} squareand 1 2} inches thick .
The White Castle of Athy Mural Slab .
This mura l sla b is now bu ilt into the wa l l of the White Cas t le , whichstand s at the br idge over the Barrow in A thy . I t is not in its or igina lpos it ion ,
nor is i t known where it was brought from . The inscrip t ions ,
NOTES ON THE FIT ZGERALDS OF IRELAND. SI 3
b o th on the r iband encircl ing the shield and on the scro ll near the
are pas t d ecipher ing (see the JOURNAL, vo l . iv , pp . 50 and
The pro ba b le date is early in A . D. 1 500 and , as far as I am aware , it i s
the ear l ies t ex ist ing examp le of a monkey used as a supporter .
The Earl of Kil dare’
s Coat-of-Arms,circa 1578 .
The Ear l ’ s Arms shown b elow are from a ru bb ing of a stone
now bu ilt into the p iers of a gat e in the v illage of Johnstown
Br idge , barony of Carb iI ry (see vol . i i, p . 139
,of the JOURN AL) . Theyb elong t o Gera ld , e leventh Earl o f Kildare , who d ied in 1 586 the slab is
sa id to have been removed from John Lye’
s Cast le of Clonaugh, now
demo l ished .
SI4 BALLADS AND POEM S OF T HE COUNT Y KILDA RE .
Draw ing of The Earl of Desmond ’
s Coat-of-Arms,circa 1590.
The A rms here shown were photographed (w ith the k ind perm issionof Ulster King of A rms) from a vo lume preserved in U lster’s Office whichcontains hand -drawn and co loured examp les o f the A rms of the principa lAnglo -Norman fam i lies in I re land . M r . G . D . Burtchaell , A thlonePursu ivant of A rm s , is o f the op in ion that this vo lume is the work o f
W ill iam Leveret , A thlone P ursu ivant of Arms, and dates abou t the year
1 590.
”
5 16 2
gfl iscel lanea .
C o p y o f a Le a s e o f C a rto n t o W ill iam T a l b o t , Reco rd e r
o f Du b l in , 16 0 8 .
THIS INDENTURE made the twel the day of June in the yeare of
o“ lorde god one thow sand six hundere the and three Betw ixt the R ighthonorab le Geralde Ear le ofKyldare and R icharde Ta lbo tt of M o l laghyde
Esqr. nephewe and b e ire to \’Vyllam Ta lbo tt of M o llaghide Esq
“. deceased
surviv inge feoffee of trust to thuse Of the sa ide Earle and O thers of the
one part ie , and S r. Garrett Aylmer of M onck ton Kn ight Wyl lam Ta lbo t t
of R obartston and Wyl lam Ta lbo tt R ecorder o f the citt ie of Dub l in o f
tho ther part ie . Wyt tnesseth that whereas yt is conclud ed and agreedbetw ixt the saide part ies I that a fyne shalb e lev ied by the sa id e R icharde Talbo tt to the saide
.
S I Gar iett Aylmer
and Wyl lam Ta lbott of R obartston and to the heires O f the sa ideS r Garrett of al l the towne and lands of the Carton als . Cartyn w th
thappurtenances in the Count ie of Kyldare upon a wr itt of covenaunt
pursued by the sa ide S 1 Garre tt Aylmer and Wyl lam Talbott of R o bartston aga inst the sa ide R icharde to be returned into his highnes Court o fCommon p leas in I relande . The Intent purport and true meaninge of
the pursuinge of the saide writ t levying of the sa ide fyne is And yt
is agreed and concluded betwixt the sa ide part ies that the sa ide S”. Garrett
Aylmer W illam Ta lbo tt of R obartston, the surv ivor of them and the
b e ires of the sa ide S r Garrett shall forthw t llafter the saide fyne so lev ied
stande and b ee se ised of all the cast le towne lands tents . and hereditaments in Carton als . Cartyn aforesaide to the u se and behoo f of the said eWyl lam Talbo tt R ecorder of the C i ttie of Dub l in and o f the heires ma lesof the bod ie of the saide W il lam Talbo tt R ecorder of the C it tie of Dub l inlawful ly b ego tten or to bee I begot ten free and d ischardged of all rents
du t ies and chardges duringe the natural l lyf of the sa ide Wyllam Talbo t tR ecorder of Dub l in and al lso during the lyf of suche lawfu l l wyf as heesha l l have at the tyme of his deathe . But after the deathe of the saideWyl lam and I such his wyf The Intent fur ther is that from thence
forwarde the sa ide Conufees the surv ivor of them and the b e ires of
the saide S r Garret shal l al lso stand se ised for payment yeerely ou t of
yssues and profitts Of the prem isses as a rent to the sa ide R ichardeTalbo tt and his b e ires to the u se of the sa ide Gerralde nowe Earle o f
Kyldare and the b e ires males of his body and after to suche u ses as are
lym ited in the deede of feofl'
ment made to the sa ide Wyllam Ta lbo t to f Mallaghyde d eceased and his Cofeo ffees by Geralde late Earl of
Kyldare deceased , the somm of t erm pound s ster . ,curr . money of
Englande at the feasts of Easter and M ichae lmas or w t l'in six w eeksafter every of the sa ide feas tes by equall porcions duringe suche tyme
as there shalb ee any b e ires males of the bod ie of theb
sa ide W i llamR ema ining or extante IAND yfe yt fortune the sa ide W il lam Talbot tR ecorder of Dub l in to dey wtho ut any he ires males of his bod ie laweful lybego tten or to bee b ego tten that then the sa ide Conufees the survi vor
o ftD
them and the heyi es of the sa ide S ‘. Garret t shal l s tand se ised to
thuse o f the sa ide Gei ralde now e Earle of Kyldare and the he ires maleso f his bod ie and for want of such yssues to such uses and Intents as
M I SCELLA NEA . 5 1 7
are expressed or ment in the deede of feofl'
ment made by the saideGeralde late Earle of Kyldare deceased to the sa ide W illam Talbot t of
M ol laghide and o thers accord inge the true Intent thereof. And further
yt is concluded covenanted and agreed betw ixt the saide Ipart ies thatal l conveyances assurances recoveries and fynes to b ee made had or
levyed hereafter of the sa ide towne and lands tent .
s and hered itaments
of Carton als . Cartyn and of any part thereof shal bee to such uses Intents
and purposes as are expressed conta ined or ment in this Indenture and
t o none o ther u ses or purpo ses . Prov ided al lwaies that yf the r saide
Wyl lam Talbo tt R ecorder of Dub l in shal l dey havinge and , leavinge to
surv ive him any law eful l wyf to him heeraftfir joyned in mariadge that
then the sa ide Connufees the surv ivor of them and the heyres of the
sa ide S”. Garret t sha l l s tand se ised to the u se and behoof o f suche
the sa ide Wyl lams law eful l wyfe as hee sha ll have and leave to surv ivehim at the tyme o f his deathe for and d uringe her Inaturall lyf yf thesaide Wyl lam Ta lbott R ecorder of Dub l in sha l l by his last w i ll andtestment declare the same so to b ee I And then after her decease to
such uses as heretofore in these Indenture s are lymit ted and declared .
In Wytness whereof the part ies aforesaide to these Indentures interchangeab ly have putt there hands and scales the day and yeare first
above wrytt en
Gera ld Aylmer W il l . Talbot .
[On the back of the parchment is writtenBeing present when the w thm named S r
. Garrett Aylmer sealedand delivered these presents as his deed and seale to the w thin
named Gera ld Erle of Kyldare m the name of his lordP and the sa idR ichard Ta lbot
,those whose names ensueth.
R ichard Hadsor
N icho las Archebo ldeGeorge Barnewall
Being present when the w thin named W illm . Ta lbo t R ecorder of
Dub l in sealed and del ivered these presents as his d eed and scale to
the w thin named G erald Erle o f Kildare in the name of
himself and the sayd R ichard Ta lbo t , those whosen ames ens
'
ueth
R ichard Hadsor
N icho las Archeb o ldeGeorge Barnew al l
[Endorsed10l i yearly reserved ou t of
The Towne lands of Cartowne .
W ill iam Talbots estate
from my 10 upon the
payinge yearly after the sa idWi llm and his w ifes dethethe som of term pounds
sterl inge of England
Ki ldare .
ConserningCartowne Com .
Ki ldare
5 I 8 M I S CELLA NEA .
This William Talbot , who obtained the Lease of Carton , was
the son of Patrick Talbot (by Genet Fitz Gerald , his w ife) , son of
William Talbot of Robertstown, County of Meath , a younger son of
Thomas Talbot of Malahide,who died in 1 487 .
William Talbot was appointed Recorder of Dublin in 1 602,and
was created a Baronet in 1623 . He died on the l 6th March ,1 683 ,
and,according to a Funeral Entry , was buried in “ the Church of
Maynooth,in the Parish of Laraghbrine, the l st April , By
his wife Al l son , daughter of John Netterville, of Castletown,in the
County Meath ,he had a numerous family , as described on pp . 401
.403 of vol . vi Of the JOURNAL .
The pedigree and statements m ade on p . 5 , vol . iv, of the
JOURNAL , which were taken from Burke’s
“ Peerage ,
” in connexionw ith S ir William Talbot ’s parentage , are incorrect . These have
been rectified on pp . 401— 3 , vol . vi , by Co lonel Milo G . Talbot , whokindly supplied the information he had obtained through the
researches of Mr . G . D. Burtchael l , Athlone Pursu ivant of Arm s .
Col . Talbot has also furnished me with the following list of
PICTURE S OF THE TALBOT s OF CARTON , IN THE POSSE SS ION OF LORD
TALBOT DE MALAHIDE .
1 . Gilbert Talbot , by Henry Tylson .
7 th son of SirWilliam Talbot , 1 st Bart . he died in 1 723 .
2 . Dr . Peter Talbot , Archbishop of Dublin, by John Riley .
6th son of S ir William Talbot , l st Bart . ; he died in 1680.
3 . Frances Talbot , by Sir G . Kh ellar.
She was a daughter of Sir Robert Ta lbot , 2nd Bart . , andw ife of Richard Talbot of Malahide .
4 . Sir William Talbot,3rd Bart . (painter unknown) .
E ldest son of Sir Robert Talbot, 2nd Bart . ; died withoutissue in 1691 .
5 . Colonel Richard Talbot , Duke of Tyrconnel l , by James Gandy .
Y oungest son of Sir William Talbot , 1 st Bart. ; he died inLimerick in 1 691 .
6 . Catherine Boynton , by (2 ) Wissmg.
She was the daughter of Col . Matthew Boynton, ofBarm ston ,
in Y orkshire and 1 st w ife of Colonel Richard Talbot beforehe was created Duke of Tyrconnell . She died in 1678 .
7 . Catherine and Charlotte Talbot, by J . M . Wright .
Daughters of Col . Richard Talbot by his l st wife, CatherineBoynton .
Catherine died unmarried in 1684 .
Charlo tte married her cousin Richard Talbot, son of S ir
William Talbot , ofHaggardstown, Co . Lou th ,4th Bart . She
died in 1722 .
52 0 N O T ES .
T y rre l l’
s M il l a nd C a s t le , ne a r C e lb r id g e .
What for centuries had been known as Tyrrell’
s M ill, on the
east bank of the Liffey , nearly a m ile above Celbridge , are those
now called “ Temple Mills ,”which were bu ilt on its site . This
latter name is not of long standing, as on Taylor’
s large map of
the County Kildare of 1 783 the place is marked as Terril ’s Ca .
and Mills.
The earliest mention of Tyrrell’
s Mill that I have come across
is in a County Kildare Exchequer Inqu isition (No . 1 of HenryVI I I )taken in Naas on the 1 1 th April , 1 5 1 3 , where it is stated thatBartholomew Aylmer , of Lyons , was seised of a water-m ill , calledTyrrell-ys-Myl l ,
” belonging to his Manor of Lyons , the profits of
which , after his death, which occurred on Friday next after the
feast of St . Andrew the Apostle in the seventeenth year of the reignOf King Henry V I I early in December , were left toBartholomew
’s widow ,
Margaret Chevers , for life , w ith remainder totheir son and heir, Richard Aylmer , and his wife , Jenet Tew , and
their heirs . The Inqu isition also found that the said RichardAylmer died in 1 5 1 3 , and that his son and heir, also named Richard,was then only four years of age .
The Civil Survey of 1654 gives the following description of
Tyrrell’
s Mill and its appurtenances
Mrs. Mabel Aylmer , Irish Papist, is the owner of TyrrellsMill and two acres of land
,which are valued for letting
purposes at £16 a year .
The said two acres meareth on the east with the lands of
Simonstowne on the west with the lands ofKilladowneon the north with the lands of Kildrought and on the
south with the lands of Newtowne East.There is one castle upon the aforesaid two acres of land ,
which in the year 1 640was valued to be worth £100,but being since ruined , is now valued at £5 .
There is one Corne Mill and one Clo th Mill upon the
premises , but they are both ru ined and waste .
In a collection of drawings of antiquarian remains by AustinCooper
ll the Antiquary, is one , here shown, of Tyrrel’
s Castle at
the Wood Mills near Celbridge , Co . Kildare ,”with the additional
information that “ S . Walker del in , 3rd Sept., 1 778 , and “ A . C .
Pinx, 2 l st Sept . , 1 785 .
Of Tyrrell’
s Castle there are now no remains .
The name of Tyrrell’
s Mill is probably derived from a family of
that name , who possessed the Manor of Lyons before the Aylmers
became the lords of the soil at the end of the fourteenth or beginning
In the possess ion of Mr . Ma rk B . Cooper, Dubl in , his descendant.
52 2 N OT ES .
of the fifteenth century . In the Memoranda Rolls in the DublinRecord Office it is stated that John the son of Gerald
, son ofMaur iceTyrrell , held the lands of Lyons in capite , and that
~
his connexionand heir , Cecilia Tyrrell , was married to John Selleby .
There was a Richard Aylmer, of Lyons , living in 1 41 1
T he C o u nty Lo u t h A rchae o lo g ica l Jo u rna l .
Last year’
s number of this Journal is, as u sual , large, and containsarticles of great interest , valuable illustrations of antiquities , whilethe printing is a real credit to Dundalk .
The contents are of a varied and learned nature , as can be
judged from some of the articles mentioned below . They includedescriptions of
The caves and bou lder carvings in the Loughcrew Hills , CountyMeath .
The Wayside Crosses in and around Duleek , also in Meath .
The raths and moats of the County Louth.
The Palace Of Emania , now the Navan Fort, in the CountyArmagh.
The Manaan Earthwork , County Monaghan .
S t . Patrick’
s Purgatory in Lough Derg , County Donegal ; &c.
The Annual Excursion of the Society took place at Glendalough,in the County Wicklow . Our mem bers wou ld be assisting in a
good cau se if they also became members of the County LouthArchaeological Society , the Hon . Secretary of which is the Rev .
J . Qu inn, C .C . , Ballybarrack, Dundalk .
T h e P ip e r’
s S t o ne s o n C h u rch M o u nta in , C o u nty
W ick lo w .
The Piper’
s Stones on west slope of Church Mountain are abou t aquarter of a mile from Holywood main road . Twelve stones in a
sem icircle facing west on top of a small li illock . E ight of theseare large, about 4 feet long by 3 feet by 3 feet . Some are lying some
standing . One large round -topped stone , abou t 50 yards north of
the sem icircle . One large stone at the southern base of the semicircle . The isolated stone has on its top a clearly cu t furrow ,
running north and sou th and east and west in the shape of a cross .
Four or five of the other stones have evident traces of some kind of
shallow furrow . Two others have sem icircu lar furrows . I f the
circle had ever been completed , there wou ld have been room for
eighteen stones and a centre one .
T . J . DE BURC H .
33005"
gll otice .
Eng l is h a s w e s p e a k it in i re la nd . BY P . W . JOY CE ,LL .D .
The author of Irish Names of P laces Expla ined , and of “ A
Social History of Ancient Ireland ,” last year added another interest
ing book to his many works on Irish subj ects , under the above title ,which deals with the I rish brogue .
”
Dr. Joyce analyses this subject very closely, and clearly provesthat the brogue shou ld be by no means despised , as it is mainlycomposed of literal translations from the Irish
,of pure I rish words ,
and of many old English words which were in vogu e in Tudor times ,
bu t are now obsolete in England ; besides which the pronunciation o f many words in I reland at the present day is the sam e as
that u sed by the upper class—
in England in the sixteenth century ,so that there is nothing to be ashamed of in one
’
s nationality beingdiscovered by one
’
s speech .
The brogue consists of w ords and idiom s from the I rish language , quaint phrases , peculiar turns of sentences , and an accent
which varies grea tly in the four provinces , al l of which shou ld becarefully studied by au thors of Irish peasant romances and novels ,in order to avo id the desperate blunders which u tterly spoil some
works written on this country .
I have been very much struck by the fact,though it is
easy of explanation , that in Leinster the older generation of the
peasantry, w ithou t being aware of it , u se more pure I rish wordsin their ordinary conversation than they do in Connaught. Thisis because the Irish language has died ou t in Leinster , whereasin the west of I reland it is a living tongue and so knowing bothIrish and English , they u se one or the o ther w ithou t mixing themup . In one respect this is a great drawback , as the I rish-speakersconsider i t necessary, when speaking English , to adopt an Englishsurname , either one resembling in sound their I rish one , or else a
translation of it . Two instances which , to my disgust, came to mynotice w ill suffice to illu strate what I mean . On one occasion Imet an Irish-speaking county Mayo bagpiper tramping the roads inKildare 0 11 asking his name
,he told me it was Golding .
“ But ,”
said I ,“when you are speaking Irish , you don
’
t call yourselfGolding , do you ? No
, your honour ,”said he , my own nam e
is MacGoldrick .
”For the love of Heaven
,
”said I , always stick
to your good old Irish nam e .
On another occasion I was examining the old tombs in the
abbey of,
Knockmoy in the county Galway . These ruins are a
National Monument under the Board of Works , who appointed as a
caretaker an old man dressed in the swallow-tail coat , knee-breeches ,&c. , who was the herd of the farm on which the abbey stands . Onsome of the modern headstones I no ticed the name Rabbit , and
inquired from the old caretaker if it was a name common in the
BO OK N O T ICE . 52 5
locality . I t is , your honour , said he , “ I’
m a Rabbit meself.“ That
’
s no t an I rish name ,”
said I . Thrue for ye , said b e“ me rale name is O
’
Cunneen, which is Rabbit when Englished .
I t is to be hoped , if he took my advice , that he did not again disgrace him self by assuming an English name ; this was before thedays of the GaelicLeague , so maybe the people have more senseand a greater pride In their nationality now .
Though the Connaught man does not m ix up the two languages ,yet he sometimes u ses English words in a peculiar way . FOI
instance , one man told me he was very fearfu l when passing a placesupposed to be haunted . Again , when at Dun Angus , on Inishmore , one of the I sles of Aran , seated on the cliffs by the side of a
pampootied islander , who was fishing , I was looking through myfield glasses at a pookawn
”sailing in the distance ; presently he
asked me for the loan of my lookingg lass . On another occasi on I
was being driven on a car between Clonbur and Maum in the
county Galway , and when passing a glen, which had got a bad
name for law lessness , the driver informed me that the inhabitantsof it were canni ba ls (savages, I suppose , he m eant) . M isnomers o f
this sort are of course due to a lim ited acquaintance with the
English language .
I t is more or less the general Opinion that the peasantry pro
nounce all e sounds as ay and so one frequently sees in“ Punch
and some Irish novels such words as indeed written indade, and
p raste for priest ; in the Same way, O i for I , and to ime fO l time, w e
imagined to be quite correct , while as a matter of fact they are
entirely wrong the double ee and the re and i are never mis
pronounced by them . If a man shou ld happen to m ispronou’
ncean
{ifit i s qu ite the exception, and probably due to a fau lt in th
pal te .
While on this subj ect it will not be ou t of place hereto pointout the chief features which constitute the brogue in Leinster ;and to begin w ith, the pronunciation of letters w ill be taken first :
An a 1s always pronounced broad , '
l ike an English ar,hence ca stle and not
ca sst le ; occasionally it is given a pecu liar sound as ro t for ra t .
A d is often pronounced like a j, the word dua l becom ing jua l ; the Doucemounta in,
near Powerscourt, is pronounced Jonce.
A single e , an e a , and an ci are,as a ru le , pronounced ay ; thus key i s changed
to hay ; tea to tag ; nei ther to nag/ ther . There are several exceptions to
this rule , as, for instance, lead (the m etal) , head ,d ead are not m is
pronounced ; while such words as leap and_bea t (in the perfect tense) are
shortened to lep and bet . A "horse that is good across country would bedescribed as
“a grand lepper .
” Sometimes a s ingle e is pronounced likean i , as , for instance , hin for hen, divi l: for devi l .
A double e e , an i , and an i e are never m ispronounced these letters are a greatstumbling block to writers of Irish fiction .
An h is never dropped .
An r is always given i ts full roll , so much so that one syllabled words become
two syllables ; for example, herb becomes errib, gir l— gerrel , worm
worrum ,&c.
A t h i s hardened a t the beginning or end of a word to t or d ; thus tha tch
becom es ta tch, and wi th —wid
BO OK NOT ICE .
An’
11 is Softened , as in the words luck and“
supp le, which are pronounced loock
soopp le.
A w h is always given its fu ll force , except before an 0 , thus who and whole are
pronounced as in English .
A d e r , t er , d r , and t r are softened by the add ition of an h as , for example ,in the words p owdher , w inther , dhrop , theou t &c.
An o l d in a word gets the sound of ou ld an exception to this rule is the wordgold , which is pronounced goold .
An ow at the end of a word is sounded like an a or a y ; thus sorrow becomes
sorra , and w idow— widdy .
~ In *the names of places this also ho lds good ,Car low and Wicklow being called Car la and Wichla .
The final l e s in a word takes a syllable to it'
sself Charles being pronouncedChar less , and Thurles— Thur less ; in the latter case this pronunciation isqu ite correct
,as Thurles is coinposed of two Irish words meaning
“a
strong liss or _fo .rt
The words b y and m y are always pronouced be and me.
Y ou is nearly always ye ; and In the plural yez , yees, or even yous.
S ha l l is not heard , as wi ll always takes its place .
From the pronunciation of letters we will pass to some of the
commonest of the idioms and phrases , several of which, as beforementioned , are literal translations from the Irish language ; one
often hearsWhat way are ye ?
” for How d ’
ye do
Is herself in ? that is,I s the m istress of the house in
The p ig is after dying on me,m eaning that he has just lost hl S pig
Are ye stout in yerself those times I'
am, thanks be to God .
”
m ore of tha t to ye .
” S tou t in this sense means healthy.
There’
s a welcome before ye,” i .e .
“you
’re welcome .
”
That’s a soft day .
” I t is,thank God it will crown the counthry.
” Softhere is used to denote a wet or showery day .
Have ye e’er a match on ye ? Bad luck from me I have ne
’er a one .
My woman is a iling m eans“my w ife is sick .
”
Won’
t ye take the weight off yer feet is another way of saying Won’t
you sit down ?
More power , yer honour in English ,
“ Well done , sir.
At what time w ill I wet the tay .9 means
“When would you like to haveyour tea
? ”
The agent was fired at last night and only escaped be the black of hisnail in English,
he had a hair ’ s-bread th escape .
Go on out 0’that ” is equ ivalent to the Gee-up ,
”which i s never u sed in
the country parts .
D ow n in t h e N or th and U p in t h e S ou th is said w ith us,whereas it i s
the other way about in England .
A S av ing y o u r p re s ence is always inserted in a statement when anythingunpleasant is mentioned .
In very common u se , at the commencement of,a sentence , are
such expressions as och, shure, fa ith or ha i th,
.arrah,musha (in the
south wisha) , bedad , begob, begor , and begorra . They occur accordingto the nature of the reply or statement .
There are words used with u s which convey a very differentmeaning from what they do in England , for instance
A d i tch is a bank ; in England it is what we call a grip e . To Engl ish ears
i t would sound strange to hear of a hunter changing i ts feet on the topof the d itch.
BOOK N OTICE.
proportion is fourteen English miles to eleven I rish . The Irish
perch is seven and a half yards .
I-n tossing a coin, the cry w ith u s is always“ head or harp ,
as up to the end of William IV’
s reign the Irish coinage bore a
harp on the reverse . . In England the cry is head ”or
“ tail ,”
and in the case of a copper coin head or woman (Britannia) .
I will now give a list of Irish words , and some varieties of
English ones , which in the course of some years I have jotted downas I heard them u sed in the County Kildare , principally from the
mou ths of the ol d illiterate peasants , as the rising generation appear
to me to be educated above using them one can hardly blame the
latter , as in an Inspector of National Schools’
Report b e stated thatmore care mu st be taken to correct local vu lgarisms of expression
in other words , nu -English words and idiom s , harm less though theybe, mu st not be tolerated :
A dja cent ; close by .
A fe a rd ; afraid .
“ There was an otther in the trap , and when I went near
him he let a roar out of him,so that I was afeared to go closer .
The A i roch a chafing on the body caused by a rubbing.
A l annah ; a term of endearment , m eaning my child .
”
A r o on ; a term of endearm ent meaning “ my love.
”
A sk s l av er ; the water newt .
An A s s ; i s the term always app lied to a donkey . I wou ldn ’
t go within thebawl of an ass of him,
” is a common expression .
A s thore an endearing term , meaning my treasure .
A v ic ; a term of endearment , m eaning my son .
”
A v o u rn een; a term of endearment , m eaning my darling .
B a i t ins the bad surface of the ground which after being p loughed or dug up i sburned,and the ashes used for manuring or top
-dressing a cabbage-garden .
A B ak er ; a flat-bottomed iron pot , w i th handles and three legs like a skillet ;also known as a barsta ble . They are used for making hom e-made bread .
The B an sh e e ; the apparition of a low -si z ed woman , clo thed in white , w ithher hair down ; she follows certain members of the old Celtic stock, andher appearance, keening ou tside the house , denotes a death in the fam ily.
A B a rnb ra ck ; a plain cake w ith currants in it . I t and cawlcannon alwaysappear onA l l
-Holland Eve . The word means speckled bread .
” Accord ingto Dr . Joyce the word should be pronounced borreen brack .
B a r ra g an a sort of moleskin lining to corduroy trousers .
A B a r s t a b l e is the same as a ba ker (which see) .The B aw n ; the fortified enclosure attached to old castles .
A B aw n th a ; a female beggar.
A B ay chau n ; the horn of a blacksm ith’
s anvil .B eem o r e ; a wild flower, the book name o f which is wild m ignonette.
A B e e s om ; a broom made of heather , or of b irch twigs .
B ees t in s ; the m ilk from a cow that has just calved : i t is not fit for human
consumption .
A B ee t l e ; the small wooden cricket-bat-shaped implement used in the washingof linen in a stream .
A B e l t in was a sort of square d ish of wood , with a couple of handles to liftit by ; i t was for hold ing stirabout , butter , &c.
A B er t sh een o f S t raw ; i .e . a look or small amount of straw .
A B l ack M an ; an evil l iver .
A B l ack S t ra ng e r ; a total stranger .
B l a rn e y ; complimentary remarks not really meant.
BOOK NOT ICE; 529
A Bl es s ed W e l l is one that the founder of the ancient Celtic church near i thad blessed , and u sed for bapti z ing his converts . Blessed wells
,or ho ly
wells , as they are also called , are resorted to for certa in cures al l the year
round ; formerly (and still in many cases) sem i-religious gatheringsassembled at these wells annually on the festival day of their patron saint ,hence the name patthern for these gatherings .
B l ind E y e s ; the w ild poppy .
A B oa t e en a very narrow foot-track between two field hedges , w ith just roomenough for a cow to pass along.
A B occa g h ; a lame person .
A Do-c-h a l e e ; a large-si z ed skillet or iron pot .
B och i a u n ; dry cow-dung .
A B od d a ch ; a churlish person .
B o d d h e r e d ; i . e . deaf. The dog is not to blame , as he’s boddhered on one
side (fif the head ,
”sa id a keeper who excused his setter for no t com ing up
to ca
B o g s are of two sorts , the hea ther-grow ing peat bogs , and wet rush-grow ing .
land , both o f wh ich are termed bogs . The form er are called Red Bogs.
B o g -b u t t er a wh it ish, cheese-like substance incased in a wooden vessel , andoccasionally dug up in a bog when cutting turf. I t is supposed to havebeen intentiona lly buried in the peat for the purpose of maturing .
A Boh e en t a g h ; the same as a banshee (which see) .A B on efir e ; a bonfire .
B onna ch s ;“ He was levelling ould bonnachs ,” i .e . humps and rises in the
ground .
B onn e en ; a sucking pig. Known as bom z ivs and bonhams in the south .
B o o d h a u n ; The sheep go t into m e garden and destroyed the oat crop on
m e , and i t only in the boodhaun,
” i .e . breaking into car .
A B oo g a u n ; a chicken’s egg laid w ithout a shell .
B o o l i au n s ; the common weed called ragwort . Boochalaun-bwee in the
South .
B o o l l ach a u nb a y k e y ; that sort of fungus which when ripe and trodden on
sends out a puff of powder . P ufl"ba l ls som e call them .
A B o o l th a u n ; the striking portion of a fla i l ; the hand -stay?”
is what 1s gripped .
A B o o ra u n ; a s ieve composed of sheep skin stretched tight round a wooden
Sand ; i t measures about fifteen inches in diameter and three inches inepth.
A B o o th een ; the cross-handle of a spade .
A B bre a u n ; a cow pad .
B o reen or B oh er een a lane ; l iterally, a little roadt‘
B o o r a ch i .e . the bad portion of the flax (between the flax and stem ) .A B o t t om o f T h r e a d i .e . a reel of thread .
A Bow a rr a ; He was armed w id a bowarra , i . e . w ith a bow and arrows.
A B ow e is another name for a banshee ; the word rhymes with cow .
A B ow s e e a male beggar tramp .
A B ox ; turf (or peat) is sold by a m easurement known as the box, and
formerly by the kish. The box is a square wooden construction w ith twoprojecting hands at each end ; it has neither l id no r bottom ; i t measures
four feet in length . two feet in width , and three feet in height . A box
of turf fetches from 1 s . 8d .«to 1 s . 2d . , according to the quality of the
turf .
B ox ty B r e a d ; bread made of flour and raw potatoes crunched up .
A B raw n is a boar .
The B r e edh o g e was a figure dressed up to resemb le a woman , the mainstayof which was a churn-dash . This was carried round on S t . Brigid’
s Eve ,
from house to hou se , by young people who requested the inmates to honour
Miss B iddy,” by donat ions in co in or kind , to be made use of next dayin merry
-making. The l st of February is St . Brigid ’s festiva l .
The B r o g u e is the Irish accent and method of speaking English ; the fourprovinces have each a distinctive brogue as far as accent goes .
530 BO OK N O T ICE .
B ro g u es ; these consist of strong nailed shoes , the uppers compo sed of two
p ieces of leather, the forepart over the toes and instep , and the second
portion the heel and sides, the latter secured over the instep w ith threepairs of lacing holes . Brogue
-making was a trade in itself in o lden t imes,
and d iffered from a shoe , as it was handmade w ith thong stitches and nothempen thread .
B ro o l au n s ; was a name for necessary articles of furniture of the commonest
description .
B ru sna gh ; i .e . an armful of sticks for firing.
B r u s s is used to denote anything useless or reduced to refuse , as , for instance ,the chaff after thrashing . He was bet to bruss ,” has its Englishequ ivalent , “ he was beat to the r .epes
A B u l l is a blundering figure of speech,which though clearly conveying the
intended m eaning, yet , on exam ination, proves to be an absurd ity . As an
instance the fo llowing w ill suffice ; i t is taken from an inscript ion on a
headstone in Kilkeachurchyard This stone is erected by John [O] Too lein memory of hi s “
osterity .
” Though the actual fact as stated is im
possible , yet i t is as c l ear as daylight that he intended to convey the ideathat the erection of the stone was to commemorate him and his
descendants .
A C am a u n ; a hurley st ick .
C a rd s ; a pair of cards are used for card ing or teasing sheep’s woo l previou s to
sp inning it . They are formed of b its of wood , 8"x w ith a pro jecting
handle at the side . One surface of them is covered w ith row s of little w iresp ikes inclining one way on one card
,and in the opposite d irection on the
other .
A C arn ; a large mound Of stones marking a pagan sepulchra l place ; in its
centre is a chamber formed of large slabs .
A C a rr i a g e d o g ; i .e . a retrieverA C au b een ; an old hat . “ Y e glaz e your window with a caubeen i s said of
a man who is satisfied w ith a makeshift .
C au lcannon a d ish produced on All-Ho lland Eve, consisting of potatoes ,cabbage , onions , and other vegetables all mashed up together .
A Chang e l in g ; the substitute of a child , or young married woman, that hasbeen carried off by the Good People ”(or fa iries) . Though the substitu te
resembles the real person, yet i t is a lways peevish , troublesome,and
cantankerous . Painfu l m easures have to be taken to get the real personrestored to the fam ily .
A C l am p ; a rick of turf (peat ) .A C l ock ; the common black beetle .
A C l ock -ree l was used forw inding up the flax or woollen thread into skeins . I t
consists of a low four legged stool, supporting an upright boaI d , on one sideof which is a box containing three wooden screws working one in another ,and on the other side
,communicating with it , a 1 imless wheel , the six
spokes ofwhich each have a small cross-p iece on which the thread Is wound .
The wheel is turned by a little project ing handle in the m iddle of one ofthe spokes . The clock-work ins ide the box clicks a spring at certain longintervals , which informs the winder the amount reeled . To release theskein one of the spokes is so arranged that by pushing down a sheath the
spoke doubles up on a hinge in its centre . With the exception of the steelspring, the whole construction is of wood . The spokes are seven and a
half feet in circumference,and the full height of the clock-reel is three and
a half feet .
C l o o d o g e ; an Easter egg.
C ock s the plaintain weed .
A C bl eau n a contemptible sort of a fellow .
A C o l l een a young woman .
A C o l l i a ch-r o o , the l ittle fish called the stone-loach,” a great bait for a
salmon.
A C o l l o g u e a conversation or chat .
532 BO OK N OT ICE.
A Dru i d’s A l ta r i s the pagan sepulchral m onument generally called a
cromlech.
A Du d h e en a clay p ipe .
E’er ; this word is used in two senses . Have ye e
’
er a b it of tobaccy on ye ?
is one ; and the other i s,“ 1 m et him e
’
er yesterday”( i . e . the day before
yesterday ) .E r r i g a l -l och r a ; the w illow herb ; i t grows on the banks of rivers
,and has a
cluster of p ink flowers at the top of a tall stick-like stalk .
E v e l a w n ; the cow parsnip .
T he E v i l E y e ; certain people , unknown to themselves , are possessed of thisbaneful influence , so that i f they remark any l iving being part icularly itw ill become overlooked ”
and in t ime declines away . I f the case is
noticed in tim e,there is a remedy to effect a cure . I f a person possessing
the Evil Eye could only add God bless whatever it is , no harm wou ld follow ;but it is not in such a one to do so .
F a ct i on F i gh t s ; in old times when the business of a fair would be over , or
even at a p a tthern, two factions of long stand ing would meet, and fightingWith sticks and shillelaghs wou ld see which side wou ld “
clear the fair,
i .e . drive the o ther ou t . Though lives were occas ionally lost in the fight ,there wa s no ill-feeling between members of the factions on other occasions.
A F a ck is the spade of the country, w ith only one footp iece ; the length and
w idth of the blade vary greatly in some count ies . In the West called a
log.
A T h in F a i r ; a small fa ir .
T h e F a i r i e s ; there are two theories to account for the existence of the fairies ,or
“good people one is that they are fallen angels who were allowed to
alight on the earth when the dev il and his angels were driven to hell ; forthe former there is still the hope of salvation.
_The other theory is that
they are the representatives of an ancient cave-dwelling race which existedin Ireland until overcome by a stronger force of invaders . When seen
by mortals, the fairies are either very d im inutive in stature , or at other
t imes resemble human beings . They have the same tastes as the latterhunting, hurl ing, feasting, fighting , and dancing to bagpipe and fiddlemusic. Their hab itations are under the raths and moats which l ie
scattered over the country .
A F a i ry B l a s t is a l ittle wh irlw ind which carries along with it dust , leaves,straws, &c. When met w ith , it should be avo ided , and the remark made of
God speed ye , gentlemen, as it is well known that the good people or
fairies travel in that fashion .
F a iry M u sh r o om s are fungu ses .
A F a l l en S t a r ; this is a term the peasantry have for the white jelly-like substance one occasionallymeets in the grass fields during the winter ; thoughin reality it is partially formed frog spawn,
they believe it to be the resu ltof a fallen star.
F an g l e s are small tw isted bundles of straw,used for thatching ricks or sheep
cribs .
A F a rm er ; a b ig farmer is said to be a strong man, i . e . well to do ; a sma l l
farmer is one that is tenant Of a small hold ing.
F a u l b o o l i a gh H ou s e s are those erected on , or at the edge of, a bog, whose
walls are composed of peat.
A F e tch is the appearance of a person in a place where he or she could notthen possibly be . On Al l-Holland Eve , by some ceremony performed in
the name of the devil, a girl can call up the fetch of her future husband .
F i l l a p e en s are the green plovers . Fi l lap een-ca tchers are men who , w ith large
silk nets and poles , decoy birds (al ive and dead ) , and calls , capture largenumbers of green plover and a few of the golden plover, by pulling thenet over a flight of fillapeens on the w ing, as they swoop down towards the
decoy birds . The fil lapeens are sold for 4d . a p iece, and the golden ploverfor 8d .
F in-y e en s the peasantry’
s pronunciation of Fenians .
BO OK N O T ICE. 533
To F i re
d
is’
to throw . He fired his brogue at m e and it went through the
win y .
’
F i re S t one s ; i .e . granite ,as i t resists fire .
A F i re -l ock ; any sort of O ld m u z z le-load ing gun .
F l o o ach au n or F l o o r a u n the cow parsnip .
F o o t in g s are the little p iles o f pea t, mostly s tuck up on end,to a l low the
w ingthrough to dry them . This stage precedes the
“ heap”
stage (seetur
F o r en in s t means in front of.
F r o ch au n s ; the Whortleberry , called “ hurts in the sou th .
A F u r ry D i tch a bank covered w ith furz e .
F u r z e is the word always used in Ireland,an
’d'
gorse in England ; in Ulsterthe name for it is whins .
A G a d ; a withe of sally or furz e tw isted so as to b e used for tying purpo ses .
Cut the gad nearest the throa t is an I rish proverb .
A G a l l on i s a can or pail .G a l lu s es ; are trouser braces .
G a l o r e means in plenty .
A G a rg eenow n is the water leech .
A G a rr an an Old horse .
G e er o g es ; the short drills where the ploughing runs into a corner Of a field .
A G i an t’s G ra v e ; a pagan sepu lchral tomb , which d iffers from a cromlech bybe ing Of greater length and covered w ith several huge slabs In a step
-l ikeformation .
G oly e en s .9
A G om b een M an ; a money“lenderA G omm ach ; a fool .The G ood P e o p l e ; a prop itiatory term used to denote fa iries (which see ) .A G o s s o on ; a small boy .
G o s th er ; gossipy talk.
A G ow l eo g e ; a forked stick .
A G ra any o g e a hedgehog.
A G rah ; a liking or fondness for a person .
A G ra z i er ; a hardy young rabb it .G ree sh ach ; the hot ashes of a wood or turf fire .
A Gr i d d l e is a flat circu lar p iece Of iron (about s ixteen inches In diameter) ,w i th two handles pro j ecting from the sides and level w ith the remainder ,on which the heavy griddle bread 1s baked over the turf ashes .
The G r i p e is that portion of a fence in which the water l ies ; in England i tis called a d itch (see d i tch in its Irish sense ) .
A G r i s s e t is a small oval-shaped iron vessel on three legs , w ith a long straighthandle pro jecting from the m iddle of one of the s ides , used for meltinggrease . The bow l measures ten inches in length and four inches at the
;vi
dlest part. In i t were soaked the rushes used for giving light (see rrush
ig t) .The H
lag
dg a rd ; that portion of the farmyard where the straw and hay are
n o e
A H a i ry W o rm ; the caterpillar .
H and T u r f ; see turf .
H an s e l denotes the first of anything so ld In the day . G ive me hansel, sir ,and I
’11 have luck .
”
The H a rd W o rd is a hint .H a rp ; in tossing up a coin the cry is either head or harp . The reason of this
is that from the"
reign of Henry V I I I to W illiam IV Irish co inage bore a
harp on the reverse .
H aw k s ; the sparrow hawk is known as a blue hawk, and the kestrel asred hawk .
H ee l s are the prolongation of the shafts Of a cart which pro ject behind .
H ers e l f denotes the woman Of the house , as himself does the proprietor , ifmarried .
534 BOOK N O T ICE .
A H o l y D ay is a week-day on which,in the country , the Catho l ic Church
does not allow ou tdoorwork to be carried on ; such as on theHoly Thursdays .
certa in saints ’ days , &c. A holiday is used in a d ifferent sense .
A H o l y S h ow ; the phrase ,“ Arrah
, don’
t be mak ing a holy show of you r
self,” means do not make yourself rid iculous . I t is equ ivalent to the
English , Don’t p lay the foo l .”
A H o l y W e l l ; see under blessed wel l .
H o t F o o t to do anything ho t foot is to do it in a hurry.
A H u l la b a l o o ; to ra ise a hullabaloo is to create a loud noise ; for instance ,The fox got among the chickens , and then there was the d ivil of a
hu llabaloo .
H u r l ing ; a favourite game of Celtic origin,resembling hockey. The curved
hur ley or stick i t is played wi th is cal led a camaun, and the player a hur ler .
The best hurler is the man on the d itch,” is sa id of a criticiser .
An I nn ocen t ; a harm less lunat ic.
A K an t ; an auction .
A K e e l a u nco o sh the l ittle eel-like nine eyes .
A K ee ler ; a tub w ithout handles .
The Keen ; the death song or cry . Professional women“ keeners were em
ployed at wakes and funerals to bewail the dead .
A dog is sa id to keen when it sets up a dismal wh ining.
K e er a un s ; broken pieces of turf (peat) .K eg s ; cow parsnips .
A K in-at ; a rogue .
A K inna v au nb eg ; the weed called the self-heal .A K i p p een a long light stick .
A K i sh ; an osier w icker-work fram e for measuring turf (peat) , now superseded
by the box (which see ) , and Of the same dimensions .
K i t th o g e is a left-handed person .
A Kn ock ; a clump : for instance Bate ou t that knock of furz e wid the
tarriers , and we’d be apt to boult a rabbit .
”
L a sh in s means“plenty o f anything.
A L a y l ee sh is a two-year-old heifer in calf.
T o L ea rn is to teach . I ’l l larn ye how to shoot .
A L ep r echa u n is one of the Celtic fa iry tribe . He appears as a solitary,dwarfish Old man in a very Old-fashioned dress ; his occupation is mend ingbrogues . I f seen under a bu sh and captured , he is able to divulge where a
crock of gold is hid but unt il that is done , the eye must not be taken off
of him for a single instant .A L ick is a blow . He hot him a lick of a stone .
L i sch auns “A gerrel was lacing l ischauns one day, and she picked up a lumpof goold , for all the worruld like the handle of a stoneware jar .
” That is ,while gleaning in a corn-field, she picked up an ancient gold object , which ,
from the description,must have been a fibula .
A L iv e C oa l ; is a b it of burning peat . Before the days of matches,a l ive coa l
of this descript ion was kept handy in the fields for lighting p ipes .
A L o ok ; a lock of hay or straw means a small amount of those articles .
A L one B u sh ; often a solitary whitethorn bu sh is the only trace of where a
rath stood , hence i t is unlucky to meddle with it , for fear of annoying thegood people (fairies) .
A L o ochry S p o t is swampy , rushy ground .
A L o rd ; a hump-backed person .
A L ou gh any p iece of water from the si z e of a small pond to that Of a largelake is called a laugh. Even the wet hollow where the manure is collectedis called a dung
-laugh.
The Lu ck -p enny is the amount , sometimes only a bit of silver, handed backby the seller to the buyer after the bargain is concluded this appl ies onlyto the sale of goats , p igs . sheep , horses , and cattle .
A M acthaw n ; an ill-grown child .
M y M an is the same as my husband .
536 BOOK N OT ICE .
A P i sh ab i d is the Dandelion.
P i sh er o g es are charms or“old women
’s tales . Tell me , O
’Toole
,do youbel ieve that certain women are able to take the butter from their neighbours ’
churns,and that there can be such things as changelings Fa ith,
I
do , your Honou r , but there’s them , too , that says the like is ould
pisheroges .
A P i sm i re is an ant . This is an old English word now obsolete , except inIreland ; the Irish for an ant is Shingaun .
”A P ismire-heap is an ant
hill .A P l a y k een a head-kerchief, or shawl .T he P o ok a 1s another m ember of the Celtic fairy mythology . I t takes the
form Of a cross between a bullock , a b ig black pig , and a horse . I ts objecti s to entice a benighted person to get on its back for a ride home ; if
successful , the rider is let in for a terrible experience , and is eventuallybucked Off, more dead than alive , into a wet gripe , or a knock of furz e and
briars .
P o ok a H ea d s are gargoyles , or grotesquely carved stone heads .
A P o on a un l an e the bittern,a game bird now very scarce in the country .
P o th e en (pronounced pot-
yeen) is whiskey w ith a very peat-smoky flavour,
ill icitly m ade in a priva te still ; its co lour is nearly white . The manufacture of it i s a long process . A m ixture Of oats and barley is pu t into sacksand sunk in a bog-ho le to soak . The gra in is then spread out on the cabinfloor and turned over t ill it begins to sprout ; it is then dried in a kiln
,
partially bruised in a quern , then thrown into a vat Of water w ith harm ,
and a llowed to ferment“ I t is then p laced in the sti l l (which see) , bo iledup , and the steam converted back to liquid , which is known as singlings ;this is replaced in the still and the process twice repea ted . The result i spotheen , which is the better for being kept in a keg for som e months .
A P ow e r deno tes a large amount of anything. I t’s after ra ining a
ower .
M o rgP ow e r i s a comm on expression meaning well done.
P r a k u s B rea d ; bread made ou t of pea m ea l and wheaten m eal .P r a sh a ch ; the w ild m u stard ; a yellow -flowered d irty weed in tillage land .
A P ra s k e en ; a large apron .
A P u ck ; a butt from an anim al , or a blow of a fist .
P u ck aw n ; a he goat .
P u nch ; a hot drink composed of hot water, whiskey, sugar , and lemon-peel .In Scotland called toddy .
A P u nch e on ; a sort of barrel , w ide below and narrow at the top, for holdingwater in a fixed position .
T he Q u al i t y ; that is the upper class .
A Q u e rn ; a hand-m ill , formed of two granite stones , the lower one fixed,and
the upper is revolved by means of a short upright wooden handle . The
grain is dropped into a hole in the centre of the upper stone , and issues asflour al l round the lower stone . An appl iance , w ith a pin , is fixed into a
socket in the lower stone ; the pin fits into a cross-p iece Of wood in the
hole of the upper stone . and by m eans Of washers the coarseness or finenessof the flour is regu lated .
The quern i s still u sed in the West by the m anufacturers of potheen.
A Q u ick en T r e e is the mountain ash or rowan .
A R ack ; a comb . I seen a banshee w onst,and she racking her hair .
A R a th ; Often pronounced“rah .
” I t is a circular entrenchm ent , occasionallysquare , w ith two or three encircling ramparts . The ra th contained thedwellings of the inhab itants and was pa lisaded ; some of them conta in“ caves
”or chambers and passages formed of large flags in the roof and
s ides . Before the introduction of castles by the Anglo -Normans they acted
as forts, and are still called forths in som e local ities . Many stories aretold o f the m isfortune which followed anyone who levelled them or even
interfered w i th the skeoch bu shes grow ing on them,the idea being that
they are the abode of the fairies .
BOOK N OT ICE . 537
R a orrah S h eep ; as winter approaches the County Wicklow m ountainyfarmers drive large flocks of sheep to land they have rented in the levelcountry , and drive them back aga in after the yeaning season when thelambs are hardy. Both m en and sheep are known as R awgorrah men andRawgorrah sheep , po ssibly from the d istrict they ha il from .
The R ed d o g e ; the bog myrtle .
T o R ed d y U p is to t idy up .
A R e e fo g e ; the hedge sparrow .
A R e e l -fo o t a club-foot .
A R e ev o g e ; a b it of tw ine tw isted from flax,threaded to a p ig’
s bristle , andused by a brogue-maker .
A R es i d en t h er ; an Old inhabitant . Larry O’Byrne is one Of the ouldestresidenthers about the place , so he is .
”
A R i fl e the sharpening board of a scythe .
A R o o k a u n ; a no isy ga thering .
R ou nd s the religious ceremony carried out at a blessed well .A R u ct i on ; a row or fight .A R u sh -l i gh t ; after the rushes have been cu t they are stripped of the peel ,
except one narrow strand to hold the p ith together they are then soakedin grease melted in a gri sset (which see ) , which is lapped up by the pithand they are then pu t on one side to dry and harden, after which they are
fit for burning in the rush-l ight .
The rush-light is of iron , and consists of a tw isted stem stuck into a smallblock Of wood , or else fixed to a flat iron ring by means of legs , from two
to five in num ber . At the top Of the s tem , on a hinge , is ano ther p iece Of
iron , which together form a sort of tongs for holding the rush . The
movable bit of iron is generally -prov ided w ith a socket to hold a d ip or
home-made candle . As the rush burns down it is pushed up by openingthe tongs . A snobboge (which see) often took the p lace of the rush . The
rush-light which stood on the table is abou t a foo t high the variety whichstood on the floor , used by sp inners, cobblers , &c.
,i s som e three feet in
height , and consisted of an iron stem , fixed into -
a stick,which itself was
inserted in a stou t block of wood .
A B u t is the smallest bonneen in the l itter .
A S a l l y ; the w illow tree .
A S ca l d C r ow ; thep grey or carrion crow .
S cau l t h een ; a hot drink , consist ing of burnt whiskey (i . e . whiskey that hasbeen heated and set alight ) , hot m ilk , ginger, butter , and sugar . Thisdrink is a splend id rem edy
“
for a“
cold .
Another form of scaultheen was composed of burnt whiskey ,hot butterm ilk ,
and thin oatenmeal , form ing a gruel-like m ixture .
S ca u l s ; are unfledged b irds or young"
rabb its w ithou t fur .
S co l l o p s the short light bendable haz el st icks u sed for securing the thatch Ona house , rick 85 0 . Hence the Irish proverb , “Do no t cu t your scollops ona w indy day .
A S craw ; a thin grassy sod .
A shaking scraw is what looks like firm walking on a bog ; but when one’
s
weight is on it,it begins to heave al l around one
,ow ing to its almost
floating cond ition .
A S e t the “ form or hid ing-place Of a rabbit or b are in a tuft Of gra ss .
A S e t t l e B e d'
; a p iece Of furniture generally placed ih'
the kitchen by day i t
serves as a bench , and by night the seat portion com es forward and rest ingon the floor forms a bed .
The S h am r o g e or shamrock , is correctly a m iniature white clover ; as i t
creeps a long the ground i t takes root at the nodes like a strawberry runner .
I t scientificname is trifolium repens .
A S h e eb een a house where intoxicat ing l iquor 1 s sold w ithout a licence .
A S h e e l a -n a -g i g is a very grotesqu e carv ing in stone Of a n ude fem ale,som e
t imes found ih ru ined churches and castles . What purpose it serves is
pu z z l ing unless it is associated with the Evil Eye .
538 BO OK NO T ICE.
A S h eev au n is a very heavy sharp shower .
A S h i l l e l a g h ; a carefully seasoned oak or blackthorn stick , about two and a
half feet in length, w ith a good butt , used in the days of the faction fights .
After being cut it was buried in a dung-heap , t ied to a rake handle to getit stra ight ; it was then put up the old-fashioned chimbly to season ,
and finally given a natural polish by rubb ing on i t a m ixture of grease and
turf-soot .
A S i g h t a large quantity of anything There was a sight of wild ducks onthe lough .
A S i l en t M i l l ; one that 1s not working.
A S k e l p a blow , or a cut of a whip .
A S k i p the straw bee-hive .
A S k re ed ; covering.
A S k eoch the whitethorn bush .
A S l ane the spade for cutting turf in a bog ; i t resembles a light fack (whichsee) ; but it has in add ition a pro j ecting p iece at right angles to the blade ,thereby saving a double cut .
A S l an g is a long narrow p iece of fenced in graz ing land on a faIm .
A S l eev e en ; a smooth tongued rogue .
A S l i p is a young pig of either sex, one well able to look after itself.The word 1 s also u sed in connexion w ith a young girl . She
’s a fine slip
of a gerrel, and the m akings of a grand woman,God bless her .
”
Sm e er l a u n s ; loads Of sticks .
Sm i th ereen s ; small p ieces . The horse has the car kicked to sm ithereens .
A Sna i l ; a slug or shell-less snai l .A S na i l -a -P o ok a a sna il .A S n ob b o g e ; a substitu te for a rush , burned for light . I t consists of a
wheaten straw bound round w ith a l inen rag, and soaked in a grisset then
when hard and dry it was burned in a rush-holder (which see) .A S o ft Day ; a wet day or a showery day .
S o i l ; fresh green grass cu t for giving at once to cattle and horses .
A S o o g au n a rope of straw or hay a single pig when driven to a fair has arope or a soogaun tied to one of i ts hind legs .
A soogaun was also the name of the straw collars put on to plough oxen.
S O O p ach a u n s ; feathe1y _headed reeds which grow on a river’s bank .
S p inn in g W he e l s ; were of two varieties , the flax-wheel which was workedw ith the foot
,and the woo l len ~wheel , of much larger si z e
,the wheel of
which was revolved w ith a finger .
A S p it is,
the depth of a spade-blade brought to the surface . Y ez m ightdeepen the dhrain be another spit , boys.
S p o i l i ng fo r a F i g h t i s provoking a fight .
The S p o onk the big round -leafed weed called “ the coltsfoot formerlydried and smoked as a substitute for tobacco .
S p u d s are potatoes .
A S q u i r e en a gentleman in a small way .
A S t . B r i g i d’s C ro s s on S t . Brigid ’
s Day (1 st February) a l ittle cross i s stuckup in inside the house annually . I t is m ade ou t of two little bi ts of sticksbound over and under w ith wheaten straws
,starting from the centre and
finishing up abou t an inch from the end of the sticks , giving the cross adiamond shape .
S t . M a r t in’s S umm er ; the m ild muggy wea ther which geneI a l ly follows
some days of frost towards the end of November is known as S t . Martin’s
Summer , a s his festiva l falls on November 1 1 th.
S t . P a t r ick’s C ro s s es cons ist o f coloured p ieces of paper or pieces of silk
stitched double-cross fashion to a circular disk of white paper , nickedround the edge, and w ith l ittle rosettes a t the ends of the arm s . These
are worn by children on the right shoulder on the 17th of March,
S t . Patrick ’
s Day .
A S tan d a rd ; an o ld resident. I’m one o f the 1 ale ould standards , you1
honour ; m e and m ine has been here fO I nine generations,”A S t a re ; a starling.
( 540 )
CORR I GENDA .
V OL . V I .
On p . 4,line 1 1 , for
‘ Ui Buidha read Ui Bu idhe
3 5 , line 23 , for“ Sir Edward Butler read S ir Edmond
Butler ”.
On p . 50, line 4 from the bottom , for Rory Reagh O’More read
Brian Reagh O’
More
On p . 149, line 8 from the bottom , after the word “ died commence
a new paragraph with the word com ing
On p . 2 1 5 , line 10 from the bottom , for“ August 3rd
”read
August 8 th
On p . 243,in foot-note 1
add S ir Lionel in the blank space beforethe surname Crest
On p . 247 ,in line 4 from the bottom , for
“peckled land ,
read“speckled land
On p . 267 , under the illustration, for The Castle of Croboy , read
The Castle Of Donore
On p . 501 , line 1 5 from the bottom , for of (2) Brownstown read
of Brownsford .
NOTE .
In vol . v , at page 892 , the County Wicklow Map there shown
shou ld be described as Petty’
s Map Of 1683 and not as there stated .
A .
ABBEY LEIX , 9, 14 , 19, 2 1 , 85 .
Adare , 497 , 503Aghaboe , 1 2 , 1 3 .
Aghanure (Carlow) , 387 .
Agher , 219, 22 1 .
Agherpallis , 221 , 284 , 450, 45 1 .
Alen of Ki lteelThomas , 23 .
of S t . Wolstan’s
Francis , 482 .
John,404 .
Mary , 404 .
Allen,Battle of, 23 .
Estate o f, 506 .
Fam ily of
Joshua , 477-479.
R ichard , 482-484 .
Annesley, Fam ily of , 485 .
Archbold, Edmond,24.
Aicher,Rev . James , S .J . , 55 , 5 6,
Archerstown , 268 .
Ardrass,407-414.
Ardrum s,221
, 45 1 .
Arest , d istrict of, 104.
Arm s and Ammunition purchasedthe Irish at Engl ish Fairs, 247 .
Arrow-head 'of flint , 105 .
Ashbrook, CO . Roscommon, 277
Athcl iath (Dublin ) , 1 1 , 14A thdubh
,19.
Athgarvan, 300.
A thtrodain , 2 .
Athtruisdin , 2 .
Athy, 2 , 24, 27 , 52 , 33 1 , 342 .
fi Parish Register Extract , 1 8 1 .
The White Castle of, 5 1 2 .
Aylmer,Peter , 426 .
of Donadea :
Andrew , 358 .
S ir Gerald , 23 , 144 , 357 .
Julia, 358 .
Mabel, 858 .
Aylmer, of LyonsBartholomew , 520.
Mabel , 520.
R ichard , 35 7 , 522 .
Rose, 398.
B.
BAGENAL , CatherIne , 491 .
Baldw instown Castle,15 7 .
Ba lfeaghan ,214.
BalladsGarrett More , Earl of Kildare , 101 .
Castletown , 1 75 .
Wolfe Tone ’s Grave , 240.
The Clane Rangers, 347 .
The Dev il and T om Conolly , 41 5 .
The Gerald ines, 494 .
Ballina , 36 .
Bal lmascu lla, 5 19.
Ballyadam s (Queen’s 16 , 17 , 27,
30, 85 .
Ba llybrittas , 62 .
Ballydav is , 19.
Bal lydungan , 3 16 , 318 , 389.
Bal lyfu llard, 385 .
Ballygorey ,1 8
,325 ;
Bal lykernon , 332 , 333 , 388 .
Ballyknockan, 5 2 , 5 3 , 85 .
Ballylehane , 16, 241 .
Ballylynan,367 .
Bal lymascolock ,Ballymore-Eustace , 298 .
Bally-na-Bachlach ,2 1 .
Ballynakilly , 384 , 385 , 387
Bal lynascu lloge , 356 .
Ballyraggett , 54, 5 7 .
Ballyroan,66 .
Ballysadare , 356.
Ballysax , 96-100, 31 6 , 3 17 , 318 , 328 ,485 n .
Balmascoloe , 103 , 5 19.
Baltiboys , 298 .
542 INDEX .
Balt inglass , 14 .
Balyna , 36 .
Barnewall , Of Dr imnagh :
E dward , 149, 1 50.
E li z abeth,1 50, 1 5 2 .
Hugh ,149.
John , 1 49.
Marcus , 150.
R eginald , 149.
Robert, 149.
Wolfran ,1 49.
of Dunbro
E l i z abeth , 400.
Mark,400.
of Ki lbrue :Anne , 279.
Patrick , 279.
O f R owestown :
A l ice , 399.
Robert , 399.
Barry , or de Barri , Fam ily , 501 .
Bathe of Drimnagh, James , 1 49, 1 50.
Bead , ancient glass, 105 .
Bective Abbey , 5 1 2 .
Bell,ancient ecclesiastical , 356 .
Bellew , Captain M . , 369.
Berkeley. Fam i ly of, 328 , 329, 365 .
Berm ingham , of Co . Ga lway, 356 .
of Ba l lyvo l lan :
Edm ond , 243 .
W illiam ,243 .
Of Carrich.
Edward , 360.
Best , Fam ily o f, 386, 387 .
Bestfield , 385 , 389.
Betaghstown , 3 10.
Bigod , Fam ily of le , 3 16-322 .
Bishop ’s C ourt , 479.
Blackford ,19, 5 2 , 335 .
Blackb all (near Clane ) , 302 .
Black Knight , The , 503 .
Blackrath (near Baltim ore) , 1 79.
Blessington ,295 .
Blind ing , the d isqualification by , 14 .
Bodkin , Origin Of the Fam ily of,508 .
Book No ticesS ir Ralph Sadleir , 109.
Dr . Joyce’s Engl ish as we speak i t
in I reland ,” 524 .
Boranstown . 275 .
Borrowes , S ir Kildare , 476, 477 , 485 ,486 .
Boteller , le, see Butler .
Bowen , of Ba l lyad ams, John (apThomas ) , 30, 85 .
Bridges over the Liffey in the CountyKildare ,
293-305 .
Brittas , M eaning of,247 .
Broase , Fam ily of de , 1 64 .
Brogue , The I rish, 5 25 -539.
Bronz e Celt,1 06 .
Browne,of Browne
’
s H ill,Fam ily of
,
365 , 388 .
Browne’
s H ill,388 .
Brownsfo rd , CO . Kilkenny , 501 , 506 .
Brownstown,1 79, 405 .
Bruce, King Edward , 322 .
Bruen , Col . H enry , 372 , 389.
Bu lby, Fam ily Of, 21 .
Bunbury of Kil lerrig , Fam ily of, 391 .
Burke, Redmond , son of John of the
Sham rocks, 50, 5 7 .
Burnchurch , Co . Kilkenny, 502 .
Burning in the hand ,
” 108 .
Burton , ofBurtonHall,Benjam in, 387
S ir Charles , 352, 373 , 383 .
Burton Hall,387 .
Butavaunt in Leix , 1 5 .
Bu tler . S ee Earl of Ormond .
Dav id , 322 .
Edmond, Archb ishop Of Cashel,27 , 35 , 400.
E dward . V iscount Galmoy, 404 .
James (MacPierce) , 19.
Capta in James , 49, 50.
Margaret , 27 , 35 , 400.
P ierce , 5 7 , 59.
R ichard,19.
Sir Thomas , 365 .
of C logrennan and R oscrea
Sir Edmond,44.
Jam es,44 .
Pierce , 44, 97 , 99 .
of Garryhunden , Sir Edmund ,
406 .
of Ta l low :
Arabella,386 .
Edward , 386 .
James,386 .
CAHERASS , Co . Limerick . 506 .
Ca imm in, The (a Rel ic) , 1 3 .
Ca lcet in Le ix,1 5 .
Callan, Co . Kerry, 504.
Ca lvert , George , 401 .
Grace,401 .
Calverstown,477 .
Calvestown, 91 .
Camagh ,Battle at the
, 50.
Camel in I reland,A
,5 19.
Campa ,28 , 31 .
Cantwell , Effigy of a,31 5 .
Capta in Garrett,” 353 -355 .
Caragh,1 79, 422 , 423 .
C arbury Castle , 475 , 486 .
Carew,and de Carew , Fam ily, 500, 501 .
S ir George, 5 7 , 5 8 , 60.
544 INDEX.
Cruagh , M anor of, 1 3 1 .
Crustany ,424 .
Cry-Eu stace , District of, 15 1 .
Cualann , Territory of, 127 .
Cu llenagh ,22 , 63 , 86 .
Curragh ,The
,340, 448 .
Cusack , Fam ily Of, Ballymolghan,466 .
Gerrardstown,
463-465 .
Rathgar, 466-467 .
DAI LLON,Rev . Benjam in, _
391 ,Dangan (King ’
s 28 .
(CO . M ea th ) , 2 14, 45 1 .
Darcy of PlattinGeorge, 1 28 , 369.
Matilda , 1 28 .
O l iver , Bishop Of Drom ore,369.
Davys , S ir Pau l, 472 , 474 .
Davystown, 91 .
Decer,John le , 304.
Dermotstown,179.
Derrymu llen ,242
,249, 426 .
Desmond , Earl Of. S ee Connel lo,
Lords Of .
Gerald , 1 5th Earl , 506.
Gerald,1 6th Earl
,36.
Jam es , 1 7th Earl , 5 1 , 502 .
Thomas , 6th Earl , 19.
Dillon , Lord , 456 .
Wentworth, Earl of'
Roscom
m on,290.
Dineley , Thom as , the Ant iquary,370-372 .
Dingle , CO . Kerry , 5 10-5 1 2 .
Diseart Iol la than ,207 .
Dixon , S ir R ichard , 477 .
Donadea , 35 7 .
Donaghcomper , 304 .
Dongan of CastletownS ir John, 403 .
Major John, 369.
Dono re (CO . Kildare) , 422 , 423 .
(CO . Meath ) , 267.
Dowdall , James , 278 .
Down Survey , The , 380.
Downings , 1 80.
Doyle , Dr . James , D .D . , Bishop Of
Kildare and Leighl in, 391 , 392 .
Drimnagh Ca stle , 147 -1 53 .
Drum largan, 2 14 , 2 15 , 278 , 440, 453 .
Drumsawry , 21 5 , 265 .
Duckans’ Wood
,387 .
Duckans town , 387 .
Duckett , Fam ily of,387 , 388 .
Ducketts’Grove
,387 .
Duti e , Fam ily of,103 .
Dunamase,Rock of
,3,4,10,
25, 79, 1 61 -1 71 .
Dungan H ill , 2 1 5 , 282 , 292 , 440, 45 1 .
Battle of, 455 -459.
Dunganstown (CO . Carlow) , 334 , 366 ,
(CO . M eath) , 21 5 , 284,440.
Dun Masg. See Dunamase .
Dunrally , 10.
Dunselach,1 5 .
Dysart-Enos, 47 , 49, 85 .
Dysart-Gallen, 8 , 44.
EABLs’ Bridge andM ill , CO . M eath , 449.
Effigy of a KnightCantwell, 3 1 5 .
Fit z Gerald , 509.
Hartpole , 335 , 377 .
O’M ore
,2 1 .
E ighterhir , 6.
Eigh tertyry, 6 .
E lm Hall,T ownland Of
,424 .
E ly O’
Carrol l,T erritory of
,1 3 .
Eustace, Anne, w ife Of Jam es O’More
,
87 .
James,V iscount Baltinglass ,
41,144
,355
,356 , 35 8 .
Maurice , 99.
Ol iver,V icar of Rathangan ,
423 .
Thomas,V iscount Ba ltin
glass , 23 , 79.
Walter , of Athy, 87 .
Of Ba l lycu l land (Coghlanstown) , Margaret , 1 3 1
S ir Robert , 1 3 1 .
of B lackha l l (near Punchestown) , Ol iver, 354 .
of Ca st lemartin, John, 97 ;Margaret , 209 ; Maurice
,
406, 476 Rose, 99
W illiam, 99.
of C longowes Wood ,E ll i
nor,423 .
of Cradockstown, fam ily of
398 ; N icholas, 398 .
of Crookstown,Alexander ,
99.
of H arristown, Alice , 466 ;E li z abeth ,
406 John,406 ,
466 ; S ir Maurice , 406,466 ; Thomas
,1 79.
of L iscartan,John
,1 79 ;
O liver, 1 79.
of M oone,W illiam
,1 79.
of Newlands , John, 326 .
INDEX.
FABMEB , Sir James, 366 ; Mary , 365 .
Farranaprior , 7 , 48 , 85 .
Farranmabee , 65 .
Farran-O’Kel ly , 7 , 80.
Fassagh-Reban , 6.
Fassaghroe , 1 27 , 1 29.
Feranam anagh ,6 .
Feranaprior, 7 , 48 , 85 .
Feranclandidonnil , 6 .
Feranclandikedoh , 7 .
Feran-Odou lin, 7 .
Feran-O’Kel le, 7 , 80.
Feran-O lau ler , 7 .
Fercu l len ,d istrict of, 1 27 , 130, 132 .
Ferneley , Colonel , 1 5 1 ; Lettice , 1 5 1 .
Ferns , 143 , 1 88 , 3 14 .
Ferney Abbey ,
or Priory, 48 , 65 .
Fertur, district of, 1 32 , 134 .
F inglas , Margaret , 404 Patrick , 404 .
F ire Castle at Kildare, the , 523 .
F irmount , 424.
F it z Gerald Of Ireland (see Ped igrees asFrontisp iece ) , 500—5 1 5 .
S ee Baron of Offaly, and
Earl OfKildare, and EarlOf Desmond .
Lord Charles , 488 .
Lord Edward ,423 , 490,
491 .
E lenor, w ife Of Edward
VVogan, 1 80.
E lenor , w ife of James
Wogan,1 80.
Capta in Garrett Crone ,
457 , 45 8 .
Jam es, brother of the 8th
Earl , 329, 331 .
Jam es, ,oi Killeshin ,
193 .
James, of Grangemel lon,
333 .
John ,of Desm ond , 40.
Margaret , w ife of S ir Wm .
Wogan,1 80.
Maurice , - Of Maynooth ,
3 14.
S ir James , Of Leixlip ,23 .
O liver, Uncle of the S ilkenThomas, 1 29.
Raymond le Gros , 314 hi s
w ife, 3 14.
R ichard , Uncle of . the
S ilken Thomas , 1 27 ,
1 28 , 129.
Thomas ,
‘
of Dollardstown .
Thomas fitz Bartholomew ,
401 ; his daughter , Genet,
54 5
Fit z Gerald, Walter , 23, 103 .
Walter,Uncle Of the SilkenThomas , 1 29.
W illiam , 314 .
of A l len,fam ily of, 405
Gerald ,405 ; Maurice ,
405 ; Philip ,1 79.
of Ba l lycommon, Henry,
243 .
of Ba l lysax Gerald fit z
John ,97 ; Thomas , 99.
of Ba l lyshannon,James,
52 , 63 C‘
ol . P ierce , 455 ,45 6 , 457 , 45 8 ; R ichardoge , 31 .
Of Bir town, R ichard , 80.
of Brownstown,Gerald ,
405 .
Of Donore, Gerald ,1 79,
423 ; James , 423 ; John ,
1 79, 423 ; Shane , 423 ;
Thomas , 423 ; Williamoge , 423 ;
of Drinnanstown,Jam es ,
403 .
of Duneany , Gerald , 35 335 5 James , 354 ; O l iver ,354 .
of G lassea ly, Garrett, 243 ,
Of Grangemel lon,Robert,
1 81 , 472 , 473 , 475 ; his
ch ildren ,1 8 1 , 182 , 473 ,
475 .
of Ki lrush, Mary , 3 85
M aurice , 385 .
Of Knavinstown,Fam ily
of, 467 , 468 .
of Lackagh, S ir MaurIOe ,
22 , 36, 354 ; Thomas ,
354, 400.
Of M orett , Gerald , 63 ,
386 .
of Mu l laghmast , John fitz
R ichard , 80, 82 .
of Osberstown , James,99 ;
“
Maurice fitz James , 354 ;
Robert fit z Maurice, 354 .
of Puncher’s Grange ,
James ,
‘
99.
of R a thangan and T imahoe,
R edmond , 405 .
of R a thg ar , Fam ily of
467 , 468 .
F it z G ib bon Fam ily, 503 , 506.
Fi tz Harris , 36 .
F it z Henry, Meiler , 1 5 .
Fit z Lennystown ,268 .
F i tz Leons , Fam ily Of,268 .
Fitz Maurice , Fam ily of,501 , 506 .
546 INDEX .
Fitz Stephen,Fam ily of, 501 . Grangebeg, 405 , 475 .
Flatesbury of Johnstown, Fam ily of, Grangem ellon,370, 472 , 47 5 .
398 , 399 ; James,398 , 399 ; Mar Grate Of a Castle
,the iron
,54
,60.
garet , 103 ; Philip , 398 . G reenhills , CO . Kildare , 469.
Fl int Arrow-head,1 05 . Green Knight, The, 503 .
Flower , Co l . Wm .,459. Guest . S ee Gest .
Folk-tales , CO . Kildare , 172— 174, 356 .
Font at Killeshin,199.
Fontstown, 91 .
Fords on the Liffey , Co . Kildar/ e , 293305 .
Forenaghts , 488 .
Fortharta Fea , 322 , 325 .
Forth-O’Nolan , 322 , 325 .
Frankfort Castle , 248 .
Freynestown , 148 .
Frughmore (Heath of Maryborough) ,3 , 9.
Funeral Entry of the Wale Fam ily ,
383 .
GALINE ,T erritory of, 4 , 8 ,
1 8 , 44 , 86 .
Gallow ,275 .
Galway T own , 508 .
Garland , see Gernon .
Garrynowe , 386 .
Gaydown of I rishtown,John,
403 .
Geashill , 502 .
Geoghegan , Capta in Jam es,45 7
,458 .
of Ba l lynagreine, Barnaby,280 ; Donough , 280.
of Castletown-Geoghegan,
Thomas m acArt , 280.
Gerald ines , The (see Pedigrees as
Frontispiece) , 341 , 500—5 1 5 .
Gerard , Fam i ly of, 500, 501 .
Gernon Of Agher , Anthony ,2 19
George , 2 18 , 2 19, 284 .
Gest,Ghest, or Guest , Sir L ionel , 243 ,
424 .
G i lltown (Kilcullen) , 477 , 485 .
Glass bead , an ancient , 105 .
Glean Uisseann (seeKi lleshin) , Abb o tsof, 1 87 , 1 88 .
G lencap ,d istrict of 1 30, 1 32 .
G len Corbry, C O . Lim erick,503 .
G lencree , 137 .
G lenm alure , 35 3, 354 .
Glin,The Knight of, 503 .
Golborne , Rev . John,228 .
Good,David
,V icar of Maryborough ,
5 1 .
Gorteens , CO . Kilkenny, 502 .
Gortnaclea Castle, 60, 66 .
Gosl ingtown,Co . Kilkenny, 502 .
Gouleen-a-wau tha,299.
G ranary in a Church,107 .
G raney , 79.
H .
HAM I LTON, S ir George , 403 .
Harberton,Baron
,486
,487 .
H arman,Major
,45 1 .
Harrington, S ir Henry, 38 ; Philip,43 .
Harris town (near Kilcu llen) , 299, 448 .
(near Kildangan) , 403 .
Har tpo le , of Shru le , Helena,42
,43 ;
Robert, 37 , 335 , 336, 337 , 396 S ir
W illiam, 5 2 , 337 , 338 .
Haughton ,M ary , wife of Lisagh
O’
Connor,242 .
Hawks,25
,29.
Haynestown,104 .
Heath of Maryborough ,The
, 3 , 9.
H erbrigge, Thomas,322
,326 .
Hereford,Fam ily Of de
,1 04
,207 , 209,
5 19.
Hewetson,Fam ily of
,307 .
Christian,5 23 .
C olonel John, 523 .
Rev . M ichael, 307- 310,
426 .
Homage, C erem ony of,325 .
Honora ,
”a lias Imperia Romana
,
a fem ale spy , 61 .
Horestown,424 .
Hortland,356.
Hovenden,Capta in , 48 ; G iles , 29.
Hussey, o f Mu lhu ssey, Hugh ,284 ;
Walter,274, 360.
HyKinshellagh,Terri tory Of
,10, 1 2 ,
3 1 1 .
IDOUGH,District of
,12
, 5 8 , 246 .
Imaal,District o f
,1 32
,1 36.
Inaugura t ion place of the O’Mores
,88
,
Pedigree A .
Inish-an-loughan, 426.
Inqu isitions deal ing w ith lands in
Kildare,1 79, 422 , 423 .
Lands in Carlow, 332 , 382 .
Lands in the Queen’s Co . ,
85,86 .
Lands in W icklow , 1 37 .
Inscriptions (see T ombstones)On Church Plate , Kildare, 308—3 10.
On a Church Doorway, Killeshin,
191 —194 .
548
Kilmehide , 16, 17 .
Kilteel , 92 , 93 .
Ki l trany, 502 .
Kineagh (near Castlemartin) , 1 79.
King , Matthew ,30.
King’s County formed , 34 .
Kings Of Leinster, 203 , 204 .
KnightsThe Black , 503 .
The Green , 503 .
The White , 503 .
Knights ’ Effigies , 2 1 , 3 15 , 335 , 377 ,509.
Knights Hosp itallers, 89—95 , 141 .
Knights Of Malta,145 .
Knights Templars, 145 .
Knock,The (see Summerhill ) , 267
292 , 35 8 , 360, 425 , 45 1 .
Knockardagur , 52 , 86.
Knockl inch , 280, 28 1 .
Knocksawry , 265 .
Knocktopher , 501 .
LACKAGH , 400.
Langford , Sir Hercu les , 21 5 , 291 .
Lao ighis . S ee Leix .
Laoigh is R iata , 3 .
Laracor, 2 14, 277 , 358 .
Laraghteigue , 405 .
Lawe , Fam ily Of, 230—239.
Laystown, 91 .
Lea , 1 6 , 1 7 , 80, 31 3 , 331 , 369, 502 .
Lease of Lands in Leix in 1 588 , 8 1 , 82 .
Carton , 5 1 6 .
Lee , Dav id , 87 .
Captain ,Thomas , 37 .
Leighl in , 14 .
Leinster , Div isions of, 3 16 , 31 7 31 8 .
Kings Of, 203 , 204 .
Leinster Lodge (near Kilkea ) , 352 .
Leix,Abbeys in , 1 4 , 19.
Bounds of, 244, 245 .
Chiefs of, 76 .
Divis ions of, 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 , 9.
Earl of Kildare’s possessions in
80.
Maps of, l , 3 , 6 .
Patron Saints in , 88 .
Place-nam es on the Old Map of,78 .
Planters in ,29, 30, 67 , 69.
Round Towers in,46, 1 89.
Leixlip (see The Sahnon Leap ) , 232 ,242 , 305 , 404 .
Leyns , Fam ily Of de , 267 , 268 .
Liffey , Fords and Bridges Of the,
293—305 .
L ince . S ee Lynch .
INDEX.
MACCONI N , 12 .
MacConsnava ,426 .
MacCormack , Major Hugh oge, 445 ,
Liscartan, 1 79.
Loftus , S irAdam , 1 5 0, 1 5 1 .
Dudley, 471 .
Lettice,150, 15 1 .
Lough Gur , 506.
Loughl instown, 424 .
Loughroer , 404.
Lye, John , 5 13 .
Lynch of Galway ,269.
Lynch of the Knock, Co . Meath,
Pedigree, 265 .
Christopher, 272—276, 359.
David,272 .
E lenor,243
,424 .
Gerald , 266, 279, 280, 282 , 287 ,289, 290.
Margaret, 359.
Patrick,243 , 275
,278 , 359,
425 .
Peter . 273—279, 358 .
Robert , 277 .
W ill iam , 274 .
Lynch’s Knock . See Knock.
Lynch’
s Wood ,285 .
Lyons , 520.
MacDonal , Bryan , 35 7 .
MacDonnel l , Alaster (Colk itto) , 445 .
MacDonnel l,of T innak i l l
, CalvaghmacWalter , 5 8 , 59, 66 .
Hugh“ boy,
”5 8.
MacDufi , Lands of, 103 .
MacDunghail , Sept of, 1 27 .
MacEvoy , Sept of, 3 .
Turlough , 28 .
MacFeorais . S ee Bermingham .
MacGeala in , Bishop , Con or Cornel ius
,207 .
MacG il laMocholmog , Sept of, 1 27 .
MacG il laPatrick of O ssory , 10.
Brian oge , 39.
Shane oge, 5 7 .
MacGorman, Sep t Of,MacKenz ie
,Origin o f the Clan , 508 .
Mackworth , Cap tain , 39.
MacMurrough,ofHyKinshel lagh . S ee
KavanaghArt
,18
,32 1 .
Art mac Art , 323 , 324,
Dermot of theRed Hand ,323 .
INDEX.
MacMurrough ,Dermot macDonough Murphy . S ee O
’Murroughoe .
Mael-na-bo ,
” 1 2 . Mylerstown,near Kildangan, 403 .
King Dermot na-Gall ,
Donough,macArt, 323 .
Eva , 3 14 .
MacQu il lan ,Of the Route , 426 .
Magh Druchta in ,4,1 8 .
Magh Mu ilcath ,14 .
Magh R iada , 2 , 3 .
Maistean . S ee M ullaghmast .
Map of Ardrass , 41 3 .
Co . C arlow (North) , 379.
Castledillon ,206 .
Dunam ase ,1 7 1 .
Kil leshin , 201 .
Leix, 1 , 3 , 6 .
Rathdown ,CO .W ick low Barony
of,1 27
Summ erhill , CO . Meath ,452 .
Mareward, of Skreen,Jam es , 1 28 .
Markham ,Colonel Henry, 47 1 , 472 .
Marshall, Family Of le , 1 5 , 1 62 , 1 64,
3 13,3 1 5 , 3 16 , 320.
Eva,1 5 .
Matilda ,96 , 3 1 6 .
Maryborough ,
28 , 29, 3 1 , 33, 41 , 47 ,
48,5 1 , 5 2 ,
54 , 55 , 56 .
May, C aptain W ill iam ,424 .
Maynooth ,2 16, 331 , 341 , 348 , 448 ,
495 , 501 .
Meagh, a lia s O’More, James , 40, 87 .
Thomas, 40, 87”
M embers of Parliament for the County
Kildare, 398 - 406 , 469— 492 .
Mered ith ,Major W illiam ,
469.
Michael’s Mount , County Meath ,
Manor Of, 285 .
M illicent , 301 , 310, 424 .
M oat , a sepu lchral; 199, 357 .
M oated castle , a ,248 .
Molyne‘
ux,
‘
Dr. Thomas, his Diary,1 89, 191 .
M onacrannoge , 424 .
Monasterevan ,45 ,
343 448
M onel ly , 337 .
Monk ’s Grange , Queen ’s County, 33 5 .
Montgom ery Arnu lfde , 501 .
Moone , 63 .
Moore (Drogheda) , Garrett , 404.
Ursula ,404 .
Morett, 2 1 5 , 29,36, 80.
Morgan ,M aj or Anthony, 469, 470.
M ortimer,Fam ily Of de , 1 64 , 1 65 .
Mowbray,"Fami ly of de , 3 19, 325— 328 .
M oy, Bog of the , 216, 360.
Moyglare , 30.
Mu l laghm ast , 1 , 2 , 505 .
Mu llin-a -
l
fooky , 301 .
Mu ll in-na-Crossan ,1 3 .
N .
NAAs,37 , 38 , 63 , 66 , 342 , 448 , 501 .
Nangle Of Ballysax ,Family Of,
98—160.
Edward, 99.
Matthew, 98 .
Robert,Napper, S ir Robert , 337 .
Narraghm ore , 1 79, 484, 491 .
New Acre , 387 .
Newberry (Carbury ) , 487 .
ewbridge (Connell) , 301 .
ewbri dge (St . Wolstan’s) , 304 , 305 .
New Garden , 385 , 386 .
New Ross, 31 6 , 3 1 8 , 327 .
New town (C lane) , 424 .
Nittstown,373 .
Norragh . S ee Narraghmore .
Nugent , C apta in, 5 3 .
S ir Christopher , 358 .
Ju lia , 358 .
Walter, 359.
OAK PARK , 389.
O’Brennan,
S ept of, Of Idough ,1 2
Geoffrey , 326 .
O’Brien of Thom ond , Barnaby, 365 ,
Donriel l , 366 .
Donough ,5 8 , 59, 3 24 ,
337 , 365 .
Driella , 324 .
Henry, 366,
O’
,Byrne‘
Feagh m ac Hugh ,41 , 137 ,
Garrett ,Hugh mac Phel im ,
446,
Hugh mac Shane , 4 1 .
Philip ,322 .
O’Carro ll , Cucoirne , 1 3 .
Mu lrony ,27 .
O’Connor o f Connaught , Roderick ,
R ose,270.
O’Connor of Offaly, Art mac Con, 19.
Brian mac Cahir, 26 , 2 16 ,
2 1 7 .
Cahir mac Murrough ,19,
28 .
Cal lough mac T eige , 2 49.
Calvagh mac M urrough ,
-19.
550
O’
Connor , Con macCalvagh , 19.
Connor macCormack , 36,38 .
Cormack mac Brian,3 1
,
2 16 , 2 1 7 , 2 1 8 .
Donough mac Cormack,
3 1 .
Lisagh macCallough roe,
ofLe ixlip , 241 — 244 , 424
his Fam ily, 243 Ped igree , 24 1 .
Murrough macMurtough ,
1 8 , 19, 325 .
Rory macBrian , 27 .
Teige macCahir roe , 249.
O’Connor of Irry, Lisagh m acPierce ,
O’Cosgra igh , Sept of, 1 27 .
O'
Deevy , Sept o f, 3 .
O’Dempsey of Clanma l iere
,10.
Cahir m acLisagh ,21 .
Lisagh macCahir,21 .
Owny macHugh , 36.
S ir T erence (V iscountC lanmal iere ) , 48 , 5 2 , 62 .
O’Donnell of T irconnel l
,Hugh,
426 .
Manus , 426 .
O’Donoghue of the Loughs , Legend
of, 506 .
O ’Donovan ,Ivor mac Crom , 506 .
O’Doran, 5 .
Donnell,45 .
O’
Dowd of Castle Conor in Tireragh
David macT eige , 424 .
O’
Dowl ing, 5 .
Cuchiche , 1 2 .
Murrough , 28 .
T e ige , 35 .
O’Dunne , 1 0.
O’Fahy ,
Robert , 28 .
Offaly ,District of, 5 , 10 .
Baron of, M aurice,3rd Baron
1 64 .
Offerrilan , District of, 1 1 .
O’Garvey of Offel imy
-T ua , Sept of,
3 1 1 .
O’Hanlon of Orior , Fel im , 329.
O’
Hara ,of Leyny, C a thal , 356 .
Donnell,356 .
O’Kealy, 4 .
O’Kel ly, of Le ix, 4 .
O ’Lalor
,5 .
Donnell , 87 .
Neill , 24 .
Robert, 5 1 .
Shane, 3 1 .
O’
Me laghl in of Meath,Dervorgilla ,
3 13 .
Murrough , 3 13 , 5 1 2 .
O’Mo l loy , G illacolum ,
1 5 .
INDEX .
O’More of Sl ieve M argy, 1 8 , 37 , 38 ,
325 .
Omurethi , District o f, 1 27 , 3 14 .
O’Murroughoe (Murphy ) , DavidmacManu s , 326.
O ’More of Ballina , or Balyna , Roger ,279.
O’
More o f Leix , Sept of, 1—82 , 1 61 .
Pedigree of,88 .
Ancestors , 77 .
Inauguration-place , Pedigree
A, p . 88 .
Ped igrees, 88 .
Tomb (effigied) , 20.
War-cry , Pedigree A , p . 88 .
Brian reagh mac Rory oge ,45 , 49, 50.
Callough macRory Caech, 35 ,36 ; sons of, 3 6.
Connell oge mac Connell,28
,
33 .
Connell macDav id , 21 .
Connell macMelaghl in, 22 , 23 ,24 .
Sons of, 24, 107 , 332 .
Cucogry , 9, 1 3 , 14 .
Donnell , of Killabban , 246.
Sons of, 246.
Fachtna macDav id , 1 8 , 19.
Georgem acJam esmacKedagh ,
40, 42 .
G i l lapa trick mac ( Tonnell , 27 ,28
,246.
James m ac Kedagh (a liasMeagh) , 40.
H is brother,Thomas
,40.
H is son , George , 40, 42 .
His W ill, 87Kedagh ,
of Stradbally , 19.
Kedagh mac Connell,24
,25 ,
27 .
H is sons,35 .
Macra ith,1 3 , 1 4 .
Melaghl in mac Owny, 20, 21 ,22 , 77 , 325 .
M urtagh oge , of Cremorgan .
S ee Ped igree B , p . 88 .
Neill macDonnel l , 21 .
Owny macRory oge, 41— 67 .
Owny mac Shane , 66, 67 .
P ierce mac Melaghl in,24
,25 ,
Rory Caech m ac C onnell,27 ,
79, 85 , 86 1 67 , 400.
His w ife 35 ; his sons byhis second w ife , 35 , 36.
Rory oge mac Rory Cacob ,33 ,
Shane mac Rory Reagh , 38 ,
552 INDEX.
Randolf, Edward , 333, 335 .
Ranelagh , 325 .
Rathangan , 343 , 423, 502 .
Bath Baca in ,1 61 .
Rathcoffey , 1 80, 423 .
Rathdown, Co . W ickl ow Barony and
Manor of, 1 27 , 1 29.
Rathgird ill , 270.
Rathmaddock , 335 .
Rathmo lyon , 277 .
Rathmore,Co . Kildare , 91 .
Rathsilly, 91 .
Rathtoole, 356.
Reban , 6 , 25 .
Red Book , the Earl of Kildare ’s , 398 .
Redshanks ,” Regiments of, 445 , 45 7 ,458 .
R ichardstown (near Kildangan ) , 403 .
Roberts V ille , Leixlip , 232 , 233 .
Rochford,Fam ily of
,209.
Christopher , 209.
Genet , 209.
Jenico , 402 .
John,209.
Patrick , 1 6.
Robert , 209.
Rodanstown,275 .
Roper , Fam ily of, 468 .
Rosconnell,5 3
,54 .
Ros-mac-T riu in , 327 .
Round Tower at Killesh in , 1 89, 191 .
T imahoe,46.
Rush , S ir Francis , 53 , 55 , 5 6 .
Rutland,388 .
SAINTS
St . Becon of S tagonnel , 1 39.
St . Boget, 90.
S t . Colman of Oughaval , 1 3 .
St . Comgal l of Carlow , 31 3 , 377 .
St . Gomgan of Kil leshin,1 2
,1 85 ,
St . David of Naas, 37 .
St. Dunan and St . Brigid of C loydagh , 377 .
S t. Edward the Confessor , 324
St . Fechin of Ballysadare, 356 .
St . F intan of Clonenagh ,1 3 , 31 1 .
St . Gauven , or Gobban , Of Clonenagh , 377 .
S t . I llan of Castledillon , 209.
S t . John the Baptist , 95 .
S t . Laurence O’
Toole , 314 .
St . Mary of Carlow , 328 .
St . Mary’s Abbey, Dublin , 328 , 332 .
St . Mochua of T imahoe. 1 2 , 1 3 .
S t . Molua of Kyle , 162 .
S t. Patrick of Ardrass,407 .
Saints— continued .
S t . Patrick Of S leaty , 377
St . T erga of Killerrig, 144 .
St . Lawrence , Fam ily of
Edward , 268 .
St . Leger, Fam ily ofEdmond
,385 .
Robert,29, 144, 385 .
Thomas, 385 .
William , 31 8 .
St . M ichael of Reban, Fam ily of
M atthew , 24.
St . Werburgh’s , Dublin, 509, 5 10.
St . Wol stan’s, 481 .
Sadleir , S ir Ralph ,109.
Salmon Leap , Pictures of the,180.
Sarsfield of Lucan , Sir W illiam , 35 5 .
of Tu l ly , Patrick , 385 .
Scarletstown , CO . Kildare,5 19.
Scu l loguestown,356 .
Scurlag, Fam ily Of,1 55
,1 59.
Scurlogstown , 15 1 .
Sea l of the Carlow M ilitia , 373 .
Sedgrave of Dublin, Christopher, 400.
Margaret , 400.
Sentleger . S ee St . Leger .
S ir Warham ,43—48 .
Shanganagh , 29, 80.
Shanganaghm ore , 80.
Shanid,CO . Limerick
,499, 503 .
Sherlock , Fam ily of, 1 55—1 59.
Arm s of, 15 7 , 1 58 .
Margaret , 36 .
Walter,36 .
Shrowland , 469.
Shrule , Queen ’s Co . , 10, 335 .
Sleamerg . S ee Slieve Margy .
Sleaty , 10.
Slieve Margy, 5 . 8 , 1 1 , 37 , 1 85 .
Bounds of, 83 , 84, 245 ,
S lieve-na-gree , 5 2 .
Spel licy , Fam ily of, 2 10.
Stagonnel , 139.
Stella ”(M iss E sther Johnson) , 214.
S tone Celt , A , 106 .
Stone-roofed Church, a ,407 .
Stone Table , the Earl of Kildare ’s ,
342 , 5 12 .
Stradbally (Queen ’s 27
,41 , 42 ,
43 , 66, 85 .
Abbey at , 19, 43 , 85 .
Church Tower, 107 .
Summerhill (see The Knock) , 2 14 , 268 ,291, 360, 453 .
Sutton , Fam ily of,399—403
,403 , 404 .
Of Cas tletown
David,209.
of T ipp er
John,
INDEX .
Sutton , William , 399.
Swift , Dean Jona than ,214 , 397 .
Sydney, Dorcas , 43 .
S ir Henry, 38 .
Lucy , 38 .
TAB
4
LE, the Earl of Kildare ’
s Stone,
3 2 .
Talbot Pedigree , 13 1 .
of Belgard and FassaghroeP ierce , 13 1 , 135 , 136.
R eginald, 1 28 .
Robert,13 1 .
of Car ton,Fam ily of
,401—403
,
William , 401 5 16.
of M a lahide
Margaret , 399.
Thomas, 399.
Ta llaght Castle, 138 .
Tallon,Henry, of Agha , 326 .
R ichard, of Agha, 31 7 .
R ichard , of Bal lymakele , 31 8 .
Tara,279.
Tempa l Becan ,1 39.
Thomas (Ap) . S ee Bo'
wen .
Thunder , E li z abeth , 275 , 278 359.
Tiew,Thomas , Mayor of Dublin,
22 .
T imahoe, Queen’s Co . , 12 , 13 , 15 , 41 ,
47 , 48 .
T imogue , 29, 44, 79, 80, 86.
T intern Abbey , 3
T ipper, 399, 403 .
Tbmbstone InscriptionsAbbeyleix , 2 1 .
Bestfield , 386, 387 .
Bodenstown ,227 .
C astledillon , 210, 2 1 1 .
Dingle, CO . Kerry, 5 10—5 12 V
Killesh in, 198 .
Oak Park (Painstown) , 389.
S t . Werburgh’s , Dub lin , 509, 5 10.
Tone, Matthew ,226 .
Theobald Wolfe , 223 —228 .
W ill iam ,223 , 227
Touachlou ,8 .
Touayovi , 8 .
Toumo logan , 9.
Towers of Wood ; 247 .
Tralee Castle , 504, 505 .
T ravers , Henry , 358 .
S ir John , 30, 104, 144, 332 ,358 , 400.
Mary, 144, 358 .
T rim ,448
,449.
Trimblestown ,449.
Tyrrell , Gerald , 522 .
John,5 22 .
Maurice , 522 .
Captain R ichard , 47—50, 5 1 ,
Tyrrell ’s Mill and Castle , 520—522 .
UI BAIBBOHE,4,1 2 , 1 85 , 3 18 .
Ui Bria in Cualann, 127 .
Ui-
Bu idhe,4 .
UI Cel laigh Cualann,127 .
Ui C riom thannain , 3 , 1 5 .
’Urgl in,
Parish of, 381 , 388 .
T risteldelan, 207 2 1 1 .
Tristeldermot . S ee Castledermot .
T rott, Walter, V icar of Rathmore ,
104 .
Tuath F iodhbhui dh, 3 .
Tullaghgorey, 5 2.
Tullamoy, 4 .
Tullow,31 1 , 317 .
T u llowphel im . S ee Tullow .
Tu lly , 92 .
Turlough,Co . M ayo , 502 .
Twoachclowe , 8 .
Twoay‘Wewoy, 8 .
Tyrconnell , Duke of, 402 .
R ichard Talbot , 402 , 403,
V ALLE , County Carlow ,Fam ily of de
381 . See Wall and Wale .
Edmund ,Geoffrey , 323 , 382 .
Henry, 328 .
Joan,3261
John , 3 18 .
Richard , 324, 327, 332 .
Simon , 326.
Thomas , 326,3 27 .
Walter , 327 , 332 .
W illiam , 322 .
V anessa,” Esther V an Homrigh ,
303 .
V an Homrigh , Esther,“ V anessa
,
303 .
V olunteers , Co . Kildare, 349.
Breast-plate, 35 1 .
Medal , 350.
Review , 352.
INDEX .
WAKE,A , 346 .
Wale,or Wa ll , Fam ily of the County
CarlowPed igree , 382 .
Edmond ,1 8 , 382 , 383 .
Edward , 383 .
Gerald , 382 .
P ierce, 385 .
R ichard , 385 .
U lick , 383 , 385 .
W illiam ,382 , 383 .
Wall . See Wale .
Waller , Sir Hardress , 369, 470, 471 .
Jam es,484 .
Walsh , of Dunlavin
Henry , 383 .
Joan,383 .
of Ki lgobbinMargaret , 399.
Pierce, 399.
of P i l l town
Mary, 406.
Thomas,406 .
of Shanganagh
Joan ,405 .
John ,405 .
342 , 503 , 5 1 2 .
88 .
War? of Grangebeg , Fam ily of,405 , 406 .
Anne , 475 .
Henry , 405 , 475 .
Weldon , of R ahinderry , Walter , 396.
Well , A Blessed ,414.
Wellesley , of Bi shop ’s Cour t
Christopher , 399.
ofBlackha l l , nearNarragh
more
R ichard , 99.
of Dangan,214 , 21 5 , 272 ,
278 , 279.
Garrett,475 .
Y .
Y EW-TREES at Killeshin,destroyed in
1077 , 1 88 .
END O F V OLUME V I .
Printed by PO N SONBY 85 G I BBS , U nivers ity Press , Dubhn.
Wel lesley , of Narraghmore
James , 1 79.
R ichard , 1 79.
Wesley . S eeWell esley .
Wharton ,Thomas , 393 .
White Castle of Athy , The , 5 1 2 .
White Knight , The , 503 .
Whitney of Shaen , R obert, 48 .
Whyte of Leixlip , Fam ily of , 404.
S ir N icholas, 404 .
Wills ofLord Edward Fi tz Gerald ,
425 .
Peter Lynch of The Knock, 358 .
James Meagh , a li as O’Mo re
, 87 .
R obert Nangle of Ballysax, 98
Lisagh O’
Connor of Leixlip , 242 .
W indsor Castle, 500.
W indsor , Fam ily Of, 500.
Wingfield , S ir R ichard , 1 38 .
Winter,Francis , 220.
R ev . Samuel , 220.
W i z ard,Earl Of Kild
la re , The , 407
409.
Wogan Of Down ings
Edward , 1 80.
Gera ld , 1 80.
O l iver , 1 80of Ra thcofiey
Catherine , 423 .
E li z abeth , 398 .
James,1 80.
John,3 1 7 .
N icholas , 1 79, 1 80, 404 , 423 .
Will iam ,1 79, 1 80, 398 , 423 .
Wolfe , John,488-490.
Theobald , 223 .
Thomas , 79.
Wolseley, Cap ta in ,1 89.
S ir R ichard,396 .
Wooden Castle , an Irish , 249, 426.
Wooden Towers , Anglo-Norman ,247
Woodstock, Athy , 24, 52 , 504.
1. F ind e rs Of A ncient A r t iB ro n z e ,
~B ra s s , o r l ro n ;
lR lS H A C ADEMY ,
DUBL lN . T he-Ace.
ca rriag e t o Du b l‘
in,
‘
a nd if t he a rt icle s a re no t
p u rcha se d , t hey w i l
b e e xh ib it e d in the Na t io na l 1V1u
2 . In the ca se o f G o ld a nd S i lve r a rt icle s , t he
Roy a l l r is h Aca d em y“
is f u l ly emp ow e re d b y
the T re a s u re -T ro ve Re g u la t io ns t o g iv’
e’
T HE
F INDER the fu l l m a rk e t-v a lu e o f t he a rt icle s ,
w h ich is a lw ay s g re a ter tha n t he
w e ig ht O f go ld o r s il ve r conta ine dif t he a rt icle s a re p u rcha s e d b y t he
o f them .
inte re s t if scrap e d . o r b ro k e n . T hey s ho u ld
a lw ay s b e s ent e xact ly a s fo und , w itho u t a ny
a t tem p t a t cle a n ing , a nd accom p a n ie d b y a
w rit ten s ta t em e nt o f the e xact loca l ity , d a t e ,
a nd circum s ta nces o f t he ir d isco ve ry .
4 . T he Roy a l l rish Aca d emy h a s fo r m any
y e a rs p a s t e nd e av o u re d t o p re s e rve fo r t he
Na t io n a rt icle s i l lu s
H is to ry a nd P e o p le O f l r-e l
ev e ry o ne t h ro u gho u‘
t t h
O p e ra te in this Na t io na l
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