- Rosehill, Ballyboy Townland
- Rosepark House, Derry Townland
- Rindifin Cottage, Rindifin Townland
- Ashfield House, Ashfield Demesne
- Ballygeagin House, Ballygeagan Townland
- Fiddane House (aka Castle Lodge), Fiddane Townland
- Cregg House, Cregg Demesne
- Riverview House, Cloonahaha Townland
- Tiraloughan House, Tiraloughan Townland
- Ballinakill House, Derrycallan North
- Lough Cutra (Lough Cooter), Lough Cutra Demesne
- Rathorp House, Kilkeedy (Although technically not in Beagh Civil Parish, I have included this here due to the familial connections to Beagh)
Property Name: Rosehill, Ballyboy Townland.
Latitude / Longitude: 53.02243 -8.85848
According to the Ennis Chronicle newspaper on 2 March 1814, John Lopdell’s wife died the previous Saturday at Rosehill, County Galway. This was the earliest reference of the property I could locate. The next mention of Rosehill came about on 29 Jan 1817, when ‘John Lopdell Esqre, of Rosehill, Co. Galway’ became a Freeman of Limerick City.
Emily Blake Forster married Daniel McNevin, the Blake-Forster agent, and one of Daniel O’Connell’s solicitors. McNevin first resided at Rosehill, and later at Ashfield. From 1837-1839, according to O'Donovan's Field Name Books, it was the 'Residence of Mr. McNevin, gardens and orchard here.'
The house at Rosehill was included in the sale of the estate of Denis Boland of Gort, in the Land Judges' Court, in the 1880s. It appears on the 1st edition Ordnance Survey map but is not marked on the 25-inch edition of the 1890s. Rosehill was acquired by the Land Commission from the Boland family in 1912.
An old entrance gateway survives.
Sources
Rosehill, Rosepark and Ashfield Demesne (1837-1842) OSI Map
Rosehill House Historic Map 6 Inch Colour (1837-1842) OSI Map
Rosehill House, Historic Map 25 Inch (1888-1912) OSI Website
O'Donovan's Field Name Books - http://places.galwaylibrary.ie/place/1529
Property Name: Rosepark House, Derry Townland.
Latitude / Longitude: 53.01799 -8.85094
Francis Blake Foster was born on 26 November 1787 to Robert Blake-Forster and Anne Daly of Killina. Robert Blake Foster, his father, died on 24 August 1799. Francis was Magistrate for the City and County of Galway. In 1810 he married Rose Ffrench, daughter of Lord Thomas Ffrench.
Tradition suggests that in 1817 he let Ashfield, the Blake-Forster family home, and built a house at Durragh (Derry townland), which he later called Rosepark (in honor of his wife, Rose Ffrench). Emily Blake Foster was his sister, and her husband Daniel McNevin, was his brother-in-law. In 1824 Blake-Forster was resident in Rose Park according to Pigot’s 1824 Directory of Ireland.
By 1837 Rosepark House is recorded by Lewis as the seat of the Hugo (or McHugo or McCook) family. Just two years later according to O’Donovan’s Field Name Books (1837-1839), it was the residence of Mr. Henry McCook, a middleman. Newspaper notices from 1837 also list it as the residence of 'Henry McCook, Rosepark'. It seems possible that Hugo and Henry McCook were in fact the same person. By 1846, Daniel McNevin lived in Rosepark.
By 20 January 1849, the Bishop of Kilmacduagh and Kilfenora, Edmond Ffrench (1775-1852), lived at Rosepark. His sister was, Rose Blake-Forster (nee Ffrench, for whom the property was named), which seems likely the reason he settled in this property. Between 1824 (consecrated 1825) and his death he served as Bishop of Kilmacduagh and Kilfenora. He died on 14 July 1852 and was buried in the grave of Colman mac Duagh. His sister was grandmother to the writer Charles French Blake-Forster.
It was advertised in 1853 in the Landed Estate Court, and at this time was owned by Daniel McNevin, a minor. Mr. Michael Kane bought lot 1 (Derry, also known as Rosepark was in this lot) with its sub denominations of 288 acres with a yearly rent or value of £166 8 shillings and 3 pence. Kane bought the property for £8000. Kane also purchased some of the houses McNevin owned in Gort.
Eight years later, in 1854, it was leased by Michael Kane to George Crowe at the time of Griffith's Valuation. It was then valued at £12. Mr. George Evans Crowe lived here in 1856, as newspaper reports from the Freemans Journal in May 1856 detail Rosepark as his address while he claimed descent from an elder branch of the Carberry Peerage (Evans) in order to obtain the Lord Carberry title. Denis Crowe also lived here in 1857, as his place of residence when he married Hhonoria Rathburn was listed as Rosepark.
According to Freemans Journal, in 1876, Charles Staunton Cahill lived in Rosepark when he married Jan Elizabeth Kerin on 9 February 1876.
The property still stood in 1916, when it was advertised for sale in the Irish Independent and other newspapers. It described the house as being a 'modern two storied slated residence built on the farm, containing drawingroom, parlour, 6 large bedrooms, 3 servants rooms, pantry, scullery, and kitchen (fitted with splendid range). There is a fine pump in yard convenient to kitchen door, together with a nice walled in garden adjacent to house. The out-offices consist of Coach-house, stabling for 6 horses with commodious hay and oats lots, cowhouse, piggery, henhouse and WC.' Miss Boland was selling the property at this time.
After an incident in 1921 at Rosepark involving the IRA and Thomas J. Quinn, rate collector and auctioneer in Gort, Quinn was shot and injured at Rosepark on March 7 at a timber auction. After the incident, it was noted in the newspapers that the property was boycotted.
Apart from some estate walls there is no evidence of this property now.
Sources
Historic Map 6 Inch Colour (1837-1842) OSI Website
Historic Map 25 Inch (1888-1913) OSI Website
Pigot’s 1824 Directory of Ireland
1853 in the Landed Estate Court
http://landedestates.nuigalway.ie:8080/LandedEstates/jsp/property-show.jsp?id=561
https://www.ireland.anglican.org/cmsfiles/pdf/AboutUs/library/AoftM/2016/June/PDFC.pdf
Freemans Journal, 29 May 1856, p.2
Freemans Journal, 5 Jun 1837, p.1
Freeman Journal, 16 Feb 1876
Irish Independent, 19 Feb 1916, p.3
Connacht Tribune, 2 Jul 1921, p.9
Tuam Herald, 20 Jan 1849, p. 2
Property Name: Rindifin Cottage, Rindifin.
Latitude / Longitude: 53.05512 -8.80991
In 1786 Wilson refers to ‘Rhyndifen’ as the seat of Prendergast Smyth. According to Story of An Irish Property; Sir Thomas Prendergast, the second baronet, created a beautiful park at Rindifin, and built a house which he intended to be the family seat. The house was unfortunately destroyed by fire, and was never rebuilt for the occupation of the family, but a smaller house was erected and the place was ultimately let for many years. This house has also been pulled down, but a large cottage was built on the site about 1896, and the grounds remain to beautify the vicinity of Gort.
Samuel Lewis recorded ‘Rhyndifin’ as the seat of the Edward Blaquiere family in 1837. From 1837-1839, according to O’Donovan; the proprietor was Lord Gort of Loughcooter Castle, and part of the townland was held by ‘Mr. Blaquiere of Rindifin, a middleman, under a lease of lives’. Presumably, Mr. Blaquiere was a middleman for Lord Gort. In 1846, Edward Blaquiere Esq. was listed as living at ‘Rendifin’. Sometime between 1846 and 1854 Edward left Rindifin and moved to Fiddane. In 1854, according to Griffith’s Valuation, it was occupied by Mary Moloney, leasing from the Knox estate and was valued at £4. The entrance gateway is extant and a house still occupies the original site
Sources
http://landedestates.nuigalway.ie:8080/LandedEstates/jsp/property-show.jsp?id=1109
Historic Map 6 Inch Colour (1837-1842) Rindifin Cottage
Historic Map 25 Inch Colour (1888-1913) Rindifin Cottage
Modern Aerial Map of Rindifin Cottage, with, OSI Website (The Punchbowl housing estate to the north of Rindifin Cottage)
Story of An Irish Property
1837 Lewis' Topographical Dictionary of Ireland
Property Name: Ashfield House, Ashfield Demesne.
Latitude / Longitude: 53.02256 -8.84060
The Forster family were of English origin who first acquired property in Galway in the 1640s. The progenitor of the family in county Galway was Francis Forster who was the son of Thomas Forster of Hunsdon, Hertfordshire. Francis Forster first obtained the Ashfield property by Royal Grant from Charles II dated 18 August 1677, and chose to live there from then on. Ashfield House was to known as ‘Clooneene’, when it was the home of the chief residence of the Blake Forster family.
Francis married Mary O'Donnellan, daughter of Sir James O'Donnellan. The family also had houses at Rathorpe and later at Fiddaun as well as in county Clare in the parishes of Kilfenora and Drumcreehy. Francis Forster, who inherited the estate in 1752, married Anastasia Blake of Menlough and the family became known as Blake-Forster. The estate at Ashfield passed from the Blake Forster family in the 1830s.
The following descriptions of Clooneene and its Chief are taken from The Irish Chieftains:
"They had now passed the gate of Clooneene, and were proceeding up the long avenue leading to the mansion, but owing to the thickness of oak, ash and elm trees, were prevented from obtaining a view of it until they reached the foot of the lawn or open space which was high above the surrounding ground. "This ancient mansion was a very long building, surmounted by tall chimneys, and having numerous windows. Two hall doors opened into a semi-circular hall, which, though lit by a very large window, had a peculiar appearance from the number of antique firearms that were suspended from the walls— The castle's hall were hung around With many an old and battered shield, That oft had warded deadly wound In many a well-fought bloody field. Upon the rough-drawn wall appear, Hung up for trophies or for show, Old scutcheons—swords—with massy spear, And here and there a strong yew bow.' "Over the door which led from the hall were emblazoned the armorial bearings of the sept, with the motto Audaces Fortuna Juvat (Fortune favours the Brave), and underneath all was inscribed— 'Let us dearlie them hold To mynde their worthynes That which our parents olde Hath left us to possess.'
"The whole was surrounded by a richly-carved oak frame. Under it hung the heavy battle-axe, said to have been used by Sir Richard Forester at the memorable and sanguinary battle of Hastings, where the Saxons, under Harold II, were completely overthrown by William of Normandy. In the centre of the wall, to the right of the entering, hung a large painting, under which, on a brass plate, was engraved 'Baldwin I , the Forester, surnamed Iron-arm.'
In the centre of the wall, to the left, hung another large painting, under which was the following inscription—'Arnulph I , the Forester, surnamed the Great.' There were also paintings of Alfred the Great, King of England, Con of the Hundred Battles, Monarch of Ireland, and many of the early Lords of Etherston. The floor was of coloured tiles, which were brought from Italy, and eight large oak chairs were placed round the hall at equal distances. To the right of each hall-door there was a large armchair, in which a man, armed with a brass-barrelled arquebuse, kept guard every night. The walls were also adorned with stags' heads, having remarkably large antlers. A door opened from the hall to the first parlour, the walls of which were hung with tapestry.
The fireplace of this apartment was ornamented by an antique white marble chimney-piece, on which was carved the armorial bearings of the Chief, and on the walls hung many paintings of his ancestors and their relatives, evidently the works of the best masters. Highbacked chairs, a round table of dark-coloured mahogany, and a bouffet of dark ebony, comprised the furniture.
The bouffet was laden with a rich service of crested plate, consisting of handsome goblets, trays, candlesticks, and other
articles of value. The door of the large dining-hall opened from this room. This hall, which was also used as a ball-room, was of ample dimensions. A long table occupied the centre, and was surrounded by numerous high-backed chairs of the Tudor period. Various pictures representing battle scenes were suspended on the walls, together with many others of the Chiefs ancestors; and in a glass-case over the chimney-piece was his commission of captain from King Charles I , with its broad seal of white wax. Over it were placed the handsome horns of an Irish elk. Without the inner door of this hall was the entrance to the cellars, which extended under the mansion, and had several large receptacles for wines. The outer cellar was filled with hogsheads of spirits and ale, while the inner one contained the choicest French and Spanish wines. A broad stairs led to the upper apartments, and a long passage at the foot of this staircase led to another wing of the building, and communicated with the courtyard, and part of those buildings formed one of the boundaries of the garden. A large kitchen was on the south side, with larders, and a gallery, from which a staircase led to the upper apartments. Outside this court was another yard, which contained the bawn, coach-houses, stables, and other offices. In the next yard were the houses required for feeding cattle, and in it also was an immense haggard, comprising vast ricks of corn, hay and turf. The garden was surrounded by a high wall, and was well stocked with choicest fruittrees. On the south side stood the Castle of Clooneene, on the top of which was a square apartment. The large windows of this room commanded an extensive view of the country for miles around. A winding stone staircase led to this apartment, which was furnished with four swivel guns. To the north of the garden was a large wood of oak, skirted by a shrubbery of evergreens, which extended to the mansion. A handsome walk led through this shrubbery and wood to the old fort of Lisconla, having on one side an extensive orchard of cherry and apple-trees.
The Forster family also had an estate in Abbeyknockmoy, and houses at Rathorpe and later at Fiddaun as well as in county Clare in the parishes of Kilfenora and Drumcreehy. Francis Forster, a descendant of Francis who was granted the land, inherited the estate in 1752, married Anastasia Blake of Menlough and the family became known as Blake-Forster.
In 1786, Wilson wrote that Ashfield it was the seat of Mr. Forster. By 1814 it was the home of Francis Blake-Forster. 1n 1824, Walter Butler was living here, and also had land at Cregg. By 1837 Lewis records it as in the ownership of Daniel McNevin. McNevin lived at Middle Gardiner Street No. 8, Dublin in 1837, and was not a resident landlord it seems. A portion of Ashfield was let to 17 rent paying tenants at will at the yearly rent of 30s per acre. Tithe was withheld by the tenants. Size of farms from 1 to 4 acres. Fuel scarce. Chiefly under plantation and some more under grazing cattle, Ashfield House, offices and orchard. This townland was superintended by Patrick Fahy, Acting Agent. Shanaglish new and old Roman Catholic Chapels in this townland. New chapel not yet finished.
In 1851, the estate of Ashfield, owned by Daniel McNevin and petitioned by the Ffrench family of Monivea was also before the Encumbered Estates Court. It was bought in 1852 by Lord Gough. In 1853, Griffiths Valuation recorded the Representatives of Thomas McNevin as holding a total of 363 acres 1 rood 9 perches in Ballyboy townland.
Ashfield House is demolished but substantial parts of the walled garden and the gate lodge are still extant.
Sources
http://landedestates.nuigalway.ie:8080/LandedEstates/jsp/property-show.jsp?id=558
Ashfield Demense 1837-1842 OSI Map
The Story of My Family - Francis Forster (1978) p.24
1837 Lewis' Topographical Dictionary of Ireland
O'Donovan's Field Name Books
Griffiths Valuation
Property Name: Ballygeagin House, Ballygeagin.
Latitude / Longitude: 52.99459 -8.85495
In 1824, Walter Butler Esq. of Ashfield was listed as the landed gentry in this townland, while Francis Butler Esq. lived at Ballygegan. In 1837 Lewis listed ‘Ballygaggen’ as a residence of the Butler family. Between 1837 and 1839, this townland (Cregg) was occupied by the proprietor (Francis Butler Esq.) as a Demesne grazing ground and more under cultivation. Ballygaygan House was the residence of Walter Butler, Esq., offices, garden and young plantation in this townland.
By 1855 Timothy Killeen was renting the house from Robert J. Lattey in 1855 when it was valued at £10. Though buildings still exist at the site the original house is not extant.
Sources
http://landedestates.nuigalway.ie:8080/LandedEstates/jsp/property-show.jsp?id=559
Ballygeagin House, Historic Map 6 Inch Colour (1837-1842) OSI Website
Ballygeagin House, Historic Map 25 Inch Black and White (1888-1912) OSI Website
1837 Lewis' Topographical Dictionary of Ireland
O'Donovan's Field Name Books
Griffiths Valuation
Property Name: Castle Lodge / Fiddane House, Fiddane.
Latitude / Longitude: 53.00244 -8.88788
About a mile-and-a-half to the south of Rathorpe stood the mansion of Fidane. Some of the old residence survives intact, but has been added to by another, more modern dwelling dating back about a century-and-a-half or so (this quote being originally written in 1978). Mr. Joe Ford and his family lived there in 1978, and still used the old kitchen and outhouses. The old perimeter wall is standing yet, and in the corner of an orchard was an old pig-sty built of Moher stone. Fiddane is a mysterious place even today. There can still be seen the entrance to a tunnel which allegedly crossed beneath the house. After Simon Forster's death in 1758, his son, James, inherited Fidane. He, in turn, bequeathed it to his eldest son, Simon (the brother of Catherine Foster-Burke, of Normangrove).This Simon was the last of the Forsters to live at Fidane. He relinquished it sometime in the latter half of the eighteenth century.
Fiddane was also known as Castle Lodge. Castle Lodge is recorded as the home of Charles Lopdell by 1814. When Charles was made a Freeman of Limerick City on 29 January 1817, his residence was recorded as ‘Castle Lodge, Co. Galway’. In 1824 Robert Foster, Esq., lived at Fiddane.
Charles Lopdell was born about 1786 in Riverview, Gort, Galway to John Lopdell and Susanna Reeves. He first married Elizabeth Gregg on 28 September 1806. At this time he was mentioned in newspaper accounts of being of ‘Brook Lodge’. Elizabeth was daughter of Richard Gregg of Cappa., Co. Clare, and niece to the Right Honorable James Fitzgerald. She died in 1808, and Charles later married Ann Catherine Ingram on 27 April 1812 in Limerick, the daughter of Rev. Henry Ievers Ingram. Newspaper accounts of his second marriage inform that by 1812 he was already living at ‘Castle Lodge, Co. Galway’.
In the Clare Journal newspaper of 10 April 1815, Charles was mentioned in the newspaper regarding lands to let in ‘Torlogh Tarmonbeg…and lands of Castlelodge near Tubber’. His brother Christopher of Derryowen, Clare, was also mentioned in this notice. When Charles was made a Freeman of Limerick City on 29 January 1817, his residence was recorded as ‘Castle Lodge, Co. Galway’.
On 23 May 1823, in the Connaught Journal, ‘John Lopdell, Esq. sole Executor of the last Will and Testament of John Lopdell, Esq, deceased, Custodee, Plaintiff. Charles Lopedell, Esq., Defendant. . .to the highest and fairest Bidder, the Dwelling House, Garden, and Demsene containing about Fifty Acres, being part of the Lands of East and West Fiddane; and also, about Forty Acres of the Defendant's Moiety of the Lands of Funchionmore, all in the Co. Galway’.
In Pigots Directory of Gort, 1824, Charles Lopdell Esq. lived at ‘Castlelodge’. Eleven years later, in 1837, according to Samuel Lewis’ Topographical Dictionary of Ireland, he remained in Castle Lodge. He died in March 1837 according to the Dublin Weekly Register newspaper of 11 March 1837.
Edward Blacquiere’s residence was listed as Fiddane in the 5 August 1865 ‘Kiltartan Barony Sessions’ as reported in the Tuam Herald. At the time of Griffith's Valuation the property at Fiddaun was occupied by Edward Blacquiere and was valued at £10. It should also be noted that Henry De Blaquiere died at Fiddane in 1885, aged 59. His occupation when he died was ‘Justice of Peace, and gentleman’. His brother Thomas of Derryowen, Co. Clare, was the informant of his death to the Registrar of Death in Gort.
The Belfast Newsletter newspaper informed that on 7 March 1872 at St. Peter’s Church, Dublin, by the Rev. Edward W. butler, rector of Fertagh, Co. Kilkenny, Edward Blaquiere Esq., of Fiddane, Co. Galway, to Elizabeth, relict of John Lodpell Esq., of Derryowen, Co. Clare.
It is labelled Castle Lodge on the 1st edition Ordnance Survey map but as Fiddane House on the later 25-inch map of the 1890s. It is still extant and occupied.
Sources
http://landedestates.nuigalway.ie:8080/LandedEstates/jsp/property-show.jsp?id=562
Historic Map 6 Inch Colour (1837-1842) OSI Website
Fiddane House, Historic Map 25 Inch (1888-1913) OSI Website
The Story of My Family - Francis J.P. Forster (1978) pp 38-39
1837 Samuel Lewis’ Topographical Dictionary of Ireland
Griffiths Valuation
Pigots Directory of Gort, 1824
Clare Journal newspaper of 10 April 1815
Connaught Journal, 23 May 1823
Dublin Weekly Register, 11 March 1837
Tuam Herald 5 August 1865
Belfast Newsletter, 7 Marc 1872
Property Name: Cregg House, Cregg Demesne (also known as Sallymount or Cregg Park)
Latitude / Longitude: 52.98748, -8.84439
The first home of the Butlers (later associated with Cregg) was Ballygegan, where Pierce Butler, the transplanter, and his heir, Theobald, lived. Theobald's son, Francis, moved to Cregg, where he built a house on the hill-side opposite Bunnahow, the Ennis-Galway road running between the two demesnes in the 18th century. On the summit of the well-wooded hill behind the house, stands a stone turret with a curious history. It is the burial place of the amputated limb of one of the Butler ladies, who had the macabre notion of erecting this monument to her 'nearest and dearest'. Capt. Francis Butler (1789-1855), re-named the family seat 'Sallymount' in compliment to his wife but the original name was later restored.
Wilson refers to it as the seat of Mr. Butler in 1786. In 1814 it was the residence of Walter Butler and Lewis also records it as a Butler house.
According to O’Donovan’s Field Name Books of Galway 1837-1839, Francis Butler, Esq., owned Cregg townland. Cregg House, the residence of Francis Butler, Esq. stood in this townland and Demesne, offices, garden and orchard. Francis sold his mansion and estate on 31 December 1849 in the Landed Estate Court.
In 1855, at the time of Griffith's Valuation it was occupied by Robert J. Lattey and was valued at £25. This also included the premises known as Cregg Cottage which was located in the demesne. In 1906 it was owned by Robert Thomas Lattey and was valued at £33. When Mr. Lattey set up as a country squire, he called the place 'Cregg Park.' It was occupied in the early years of the present century by Sir Lucius O'Callaghan; and was later acquired by a local schoolmaster, who dismantled the three storied mansion in 1950, using some of the material for the building of a small house more suited to his needs. The original house is no longer extant.
Cregg Entrance Gates built 1840-1860
Cregg 1780-1820 Walled Garden
Cregg 1840-1860 Gate Lodge
In its role as a reception building for Cregg House, this simple gate lodge served a practical and a symbolic function, establishing for the visitor the standard of design they could expect from the rest of the demesne. A strong sense of symmetry is conveyed by the chimneystack to the centre of the roof and the central doorway. Tooled limestone sills and string course enliven the façade.
Sources
http://landedestates.nuigalway.ie:8080/LandedEstates/jsp/property-show.jsp?id=560
http://www.buildingsofireland.ie/niah/search.jsp?type=record&county=GA®no=30413301
Historic Map 6 Inch Colour (1837-1842) OSI Website
Historic Map 25 Inch Colour (1888-1913) OSI Wesbite
O’Donovan’s Field Name Books of Galway 1837-1839
1837 Samuel Lewis’ Topographical Dictionary of Ireland
Landed Estate Court, 31 December 1849
Griffith's Valuation 1855
Property Name: River View, Cloonnahaha (also known as Brook Lodge)
Latitude / Longitude: 53.05141 -8.82625
Charles Lopdell was born about 1786 in Riverview, Gort, Galway to John Lopdell and Susanna Reeves. He first married Elizabeth Gregg on 28 September 1806. At this time he was mentioned in newspaper accounts of being of ‘Brook Lodge’.
In 1824, Riverview was listed as the seat of John Lopdell. According to Lewis, it remained as a seat of the Lopdell family by 1837, where a ‘Mrs. Lopdell’ was living here.
Between 1837 and 1839, according to O'Donovan's Field Name Books, Riverview was the residence of Mr. Lopdell. There was gardens, an orchard, some plantations and an extensive flour and corn mill here, on the Beagh River. House and offices in good order.
In 1846, Mrs McCook lived at River View. By the time of Griffith's Valuation it was owned by the representatives of Vicisimus Knox and was being leased by the Vereker estate when it was valued at £5. It is now in ruins.
Sources
http://landedestates.nuigalway.ie:8080/LandedEstates/jsp/property-show.jsp?id=596
Historic Map 6 Inch Colour (1837-1842) Riverview House, OSI Website
Historic Map 25 Inch Colour (1888-1913) Riverview House, OSI Website
1837 Samuel Lewis’ Topographical Dictionary of Ireland
O’Donovan’s Field Name Books of Galway 1837-1839
Griffith's Valuation 1855
Property Name: Tiraloughan, Tiraloughan
Latitude / Longitude: 53.01379-8.80914
Description: In 1906 Lord Gough owned a property valued at almost £4 at Tiraloughin, parish of Beagh as well as over 100 acres of untenanted land. A house still exists at this location.
Sources
http://landedestates.nuigalway.ie:8080/LandedEstates/jsp/property-show.jsp?id=1549
Property Name: Ballinakill House, Derrycallan North.
Latitude / Longitude:
Although named Ballinakill House, this house is actually located in Derrycallan North Townland, and borders Ballinakill Lake.
In 1857, there were two properties that had houses valued much more highly than others in Derrycallan Townland, which makes it difficult to determine which is Ballinakill House in Griffiths Valuation of the parish. In plot 4a, Mary O'Neill rented from Austin Butler, and the house was worth £1 5 shillings. The second property was located in Plot 1, rented by Thomas Boland, and held by him outright - the 'herds house' was valued at £2.
The 1901 census informs that this house was built of stone, brick or concrete with a roof of thatch or other perishable material. There were 4 windows at the front of this house, and 5 or 6 rooms internally. It was rated as a 2nd class house, with one family in the house in 1901, and it was owned by William O'Neill. It was the largest house in the townland, although of a total of 15 houses, 8 of these were 2nd class houses.
In 1911. there was between 7 rooms in this house (occupied by just 3 people), with by now only 3 windows in the front of the house. The house kept its 2nd class rating, but it was Bridget O'Neill who was now the head of this family. It should be also noted Bridget was the landholder of house 2 in this townland.
Sources;
http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/reels/nai000822271/
http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1911/Galway/Ardamullivan/Derrycallan__North/902593/
Griffiths Primary Valuation of Beagh 1857
Historic Map 6 Inch Colour (1837-1842) Riverview House, OSI Website
Historic Map 25 Inch Colour (1888-1913) Riverview House, OSI Website
Property/House name: Lough Cutra (Lough Cooter), Lough Cutra Demesne
Latitude / Longitude: 53.02370 -8.80485
In 1678, Sir Roger O'Shaughnessy inherited from Sir Dermot all the O'Shaughnessy's Irish land - nearly 13,000 acres, and this included Gort and 2,000 acres around Lough Cutra and the lake itself. Following the revolution during which Sir Roger died of ill health, the Gort lands were seized and presented to Thomas Prendergast on 23 April 1697 by King William III. Sir Thomas came to Ireland on King Williams' death in 1701 and lived up north in Monaghan. The title to the lands was confused, but was in the process of being resolved when Sir Thomas was killed during the Spanish Wars in 1709. His widow, Lady Penelope decided to let the lands around the lake and the islands. On these islands large numbers of apple, pear and cherry trees were planted, and some still survive today! The land struggle continued as the O'Shaughnessy's tried to lay claim to the lands that had been taken from them by King William. In 1742 the government confirmed the Prendergast title.
Following Sir Thomas's death, John Prendergast Smyth inherited the Gort Estate. It was John who created the roads and planted trees, particularly around the Punchbowl where the Gort River disappears on its way to Gort and Coole. John lived next to the river bridge in Gort when in the area - this area is now known as the Convent, Bank of Ireland and the old Glynn's Hotel. When John died in 1797 he was succeeded by his nephew, Colonel Charles Vereker (1768-1842) who in 1816 became Viscount Gort. The estate at this time was around 12,000 acres.
When the estate was inherited by Colonel Vereker in 1797 he decided to employ the world renowned architect John Nash to design the Gothic Style building now known as Lough Cutra Castle. Colonel Vereker had visited Nash's East Cowes Castle on the Isle of Wight and was so taken with it that he commissioned the construction of a similar building on his lands on the shore of Lough Cutra. Lough Cutra Castle was designed by John Nash (1752-1835), who worked on Buckingham Palace (1826-1829), and built under the supervision of the Pain Brothers. It was one of the first projects in Ireland worked on by the Pain brothers. Its Gothic Revival architecture illustrates the fashion in architectural historicism favoured by the Victorians and the building's irregular plan affords many interesting vantage points. Situated on a slight rise with commanding views of Lough Cutra, it has a striking profile with the dramatic and fanciful crenellations adding to the romance of the lakeside setting. The castle's architecture is complemented by the similarly crenellated gate lodges to the north-west and south of the site. There is considerable skill displayed in the stone detailing, particular in the foliate carving to the porch, and the retention of a variety of window types enhances the architectural qualities of the building.
Although Nash designed Lough Cutra, it is unclear what part, if any, he played in its actual construction. He does appear to have visited Ireland at least once: in 1821 he told the landscape artist and diarist Joseph Farington that he ‘had travelled in the three Kingdoms 11,000 miles in the year and in that time had expended £1,500 in chaise hire.’ The work at Lough Cutra was supervised by James Pain who had been apprenticed to Nash and was highly regarded by the latter. Pain came to Ireland in 1811, and remained here the rest of his life, being joined by his younger brother George Richard in 1815 after which the siblings ran a very successful practice for several decades. Since James Pain arrived here in 1811 it is assumed that work started on Lough Cutra around that time. It was still going on in October 1817 since in that month the Limerick Gazette reported ‘with deepest regret’ that earlier in the month when Pain ‘was surveying some part of the beautiful building now going forward at Loughcooter Castle, County Galway, the intended mansion of Lord Viscount Gort, the scaffolding on which he stood gave way, and he was precipitated from an eminence of four stories high – his side first reached the ground, with the head inclining downwards – the collar bone has been broken, the brain has received a severe concussion, and several bruises on different parts of the body. – A report was current in the town on Sunday that he was dead, but we are happy to say, the arrival of Surgeon Franklin who (together with Surgeon Gibson of the City Regt. pofessionally [sic] attended) has not only contradicted that rumour, but has been given sanguine hopes of a speedy recovery.’ Indeed he did make a full recovery, living until 1877.
in 1855 J.B. Burke’s Visitation of Seats and Arms reported that the greater part of the area around the house and outbuildings ‘was blasted to a considerable depth out of the solid rock, and the gardens then filled with rich soil carried from distant spots, their walls being formed of limestone laboriously cut to the size of bricks…the undulating sward, which extends from the castle towards the lake is also to a great extent artificial.’ In addition, because of the site’s slope a terrace had to be built up in front of the lake before work on the house could begin.
The Castle itself was built during the Gothic revival period and is idyllically situated overlooking the Estate's 1000 acre lake. The building of the castle was overseen by the Pain brothers. James Pain (1770-1887) and George Richard Pain (1793-1838) later developed their own successful architectural practice and designed mansions like Dromoland Castle (1819-1843). The original building included 25 basement rooms and the cost of the building was estimated at 80,000 pounds. While the exact dates of construction are not known the building commenced around 1809 and went on for a number of years.
In 1814 Loughcooter was the residence of Charles Vereker, MP while Lewis records it as the seat of Viscount Gort by 1837. In the 1850s it was owned by Viscount Gough and was valued at £80.
After the second viscount's death in 1842, the castle passed into the hands of his son, John Prendergast Vereker (1790-1865), third Viscount Gort. In 1851 financial strain, brought on by previous debts and the Great Famine (1845-9), led to the sale of the castle. The estate lands were divided and sold to separate owners. In 1852 the castle and immediate land was purchased by James Caulfield, in trust for a Mrs. Ball, Superior of the Loreto Convent, Rathfarnham, County Dublin for £17,000.
Shortly afterwards Loughcutra was sold again, this time to Field Marshall Hugh Gough, first Viscount Gough (1779-1869). Hugh Gough entered the forces when still in his teens (he was already promoted to the rank of Lieutenant a month before his fifteenth birthday) and fought with the future Duke of Wellington during the Peninsula War. After being responsible for the British forces in China during the First Opium War, he became Commander in Chief of the army in India and was responsible for the defeat of the Sikhs in two wars. It was following his retirement and advancement to the peerage that he decided to buy Lough Cutra, also purchasing back much of the original estate.
Following his acquisition, the castle was considerably extended to the designs of an unknown architect. In April 1855 the Civil Engineer and Architect’s Journal advised readers, ‘Loughcooter Castle…the property of General Lord Viscount Gough, is now undergoing vast alterations and improvements There is a new tower at present in a state of progression; there have been large numbers of artizans and labourers employed during the last four months, and from the extensive works about to be executed are likely to be constantly employed for the next two years.’ They added large extensions to the original building, including a clock tower and servant quarters. Great attention was paid to the planting of trees, location of the deer park, and creation of new avenues. An American garden was created to the South west of the Castle. The entire building operations were completed in 1858 and 1859.
In the late 1890s, a further extension, known as the Library Wing, was built to house the war spoils of General Sir William Gough by his Grandson. It was designed by architect George Ashlin. This was demolished in the 1950s and the cut stone used in the restoration of Bunratty Castle, County Clare. Changes were made to the interior also, some of which have survived. In the drawing room, for example, the walls are papered with the Gough coat of arms created by Coles, and the elaborately painted ceiling is believed to be by John Gregory Crace.
Commentators were not positive about the Goughs’ interventions at Lough Cutra, one author opining ‘The additions were heavy and ill-proportioned and turned a neat and successful composition into an unwieldy and rambling one.’ But photographs of the building from the late 19th/early 20th centuries show that some of the changes were not unattractive. Full-length projecting window bays on either side of the main entrance, for example, probably increased the amount of light in the hall immediately behind, while the drawing room certainly benefitted from a similar window overlooking the lake: all of these have long since gone.
In 1900 the Gough family constructed a Victorian-style addition, demolishing two of the towers. In 1906 it was still in the possession of Lord Gough when the buildings were valued at £300.
In 1928 the family moved into converted buildings in the stable yards as they could not afford the running costs. Some of the stables in the Courtyards were converted into a residence for them. The Castle was effectively closed up for the next forty years, although during WWII the Irish army was billeted within the Castle and on the Estate, during the Emergency (1939-46), and was finally sold in 1952 to Standish Robert Page Prendergast Vereker (1888-1975), seventh Viscount Gort, who purchased it for his great-niece, Elizabeth Sophia "Libba" Sidney (b. 1941). By then it was derelict and in 1967 plans were made to restore it.
Lord Gort is today remembered for having bought and restored Bunratty Castle in the 1950s (when stone from parts of the Gough extensions to Lough Cutra were used to make repairs). He gave Lough Cutra to his great-niece the Hon Elizabeth Sidney who in 1966 married Sir Humphrey Wakefield. Together the Wakefields embarked on a restoration of Lough Cutra which by this date was in a near-derelict condition, with much of the interior decoration including the staircase pulled out. Had they not done this work, almost certainly the castle would no longer stand.
Using the original plans, Lord Gough's Victorian addition was demolished and restoration was completed in 1970. However in 1971 the Wakefields divorced and once more the estate was put onto the market. As is well-known Sir Humphrey, who worked in the furniture department of Christie’s before becoming a director of Mallet, went on to buy and restore Chillingham Castle in Northumberland. Here he has one significant souvenir of Lough Cutra: an equestrian statue of the first Viscount Gough. The work has had a troubled history: it was designed by John Henry Foley who died before its completion and there was then difficulty finding a site. Eventually the statue was placed in Dublin’s Phoenix Park where on Christmas Eve 1944 the figure of Lord Gough was beheaded and his sword removed. In November 1956 the right hind leg of his horse was blown off and the following July the entire statue was hurled from its base by a huge explosion. It then languished for almost thirty years in storage before being bought by Robert Guinness, a friend of Wakefield, who afterwards brought the statue to Chillingham where it can now be seen.
Elizabeth Sidney's divorce led to the resale of the property, when it came into its current ownership; since then, restoration has continued. In more recent years there has begun another refurbishment programme to the Castle and the Estate generally, which began about 2000. In 2003 a new roof was completed on the main body of the Castle, with some of the tower roofs also being refurbished. There has been much done also to the internal dressings of the Castle bringing the building up to a modern standard. Around the Estate there has been reconstruction and rebuilding works in the gate lodges and courtyards. There has also begun extensive works to some of the woodlands in order to try and retain the earlier character of the Estate.
The castle has been host to exclusive guests such as His Royal Highness Prince Charles and Duchess of Cornwall Camilla, Irish President Michael D Higgins, Bob Geldof, Lady Augusta Gregory and WB Yeats. The countryside surrounding Lough Cutra holds many a story, dating back centuries. The immediate grounds of the 600 acre estate are rich in remnants of churches, cells and monasteries due to the introduction of Christianity, and a number of the islands on the lake contain the remnants of stone altars.
Gardens
Where the grounds are concerned, it has been suggested that John Nash's earlier work with the noted landscape gardener Humphrey Repton (1752-1818) in the 'romantic picturesque' style influenced his garden design at Loughcutra Castle, where there are signs of the characteristic interweaving of building and grounds. The grounds were altered from their original form: the castle was placed on a rocky hillside, with soil brought in and turf laid down on the surrounding rock to create the present terraced landscape (figs. 5-6). Garden designer John Sutherland (1745-1826), whose style is said to reflect that of Lancelot "Capability" Brown (1716-83), was hired to create front and back approaches to the castle. Sutherland has already designed gardens at Slane Castle (1787), County Meath, and Rockingham (1810), County Roscommon, and would go on to work on Mountjoy Square, Dublin, and Caldeon House, County Tyrone.
The first Lord Gort was responsible for planting trees and shrubs around the property, including replanting the original woodlands. Later the Gough family made further additions, including an azalea walk along the lakeshore and an American Garden south-west of the castle. In the 1970s the lakeside gardens were razed and all that remains of the nineteenth-century landscape are the terraced slops, several large rhododendrons and specimen trees, a line of yews, and a set of steps that once led to a sunken garden.
Sources;
The Story of An Irish property – Robert S. Rait (1908)
http://www.loughcutra.com/
http://www.buildingsofireland.ie/niah/search.jsp?type=record&county=GA®no=30412906
http://landedestates.nuigalway.ie:8080/LandedEstates/jsp/property-show.jsp?id=556&estate_id=823
http://www.buildingsofireland.ie/Surveys/Buildings/BuildingoftheMonth/Archive/Name,1385,en.html
https://theirishaesthete.com/tag/county-galway/page/4/
Property Name: Rathorp, Attyslany North, Kilkeedy.
Latitude / Longitude: 53.02219 -8.89127
1824; John Foster Esq. lived in Rathorpe. 1837; Lewis records Ratorpe as the residence of the late J. Foster (John Foster).
At the time of Griffith's Valuation it was in the possession of Patrick Geoghegan who held the property from the Marquess of Thomond and 526 acres. The house was valued at £7.10 shillings. A house still exists at the site.
Rathorpe House is located about two miles to the west of Clooneene. There is little of the original house left today. A late eighteenth-century house occupies the site of the original dwelling, with only a few stone outhouses remaining of
the original residence. It is now occupied by a family called Neylon. The land around Rathorpe is green and amply wooded, and to the south can be seen the old Castle of Fiddane which belonged to the O'Shaughnessy sept.
The house of Rathorpe and its surrounding estates became the property of the Chief of Clooneene after the accession of King Charles II, in 1660. It subsequently became the home of Major James Forster, the only son of the Chief of Clooneene. His three sons and three daughters were born and lived at Rathorpe. The following account of the Fort of Rathorpe is given in The Irish Chieftains: "There are now scarcely any remains of the old Fort of Rathorpe in existence, although it was formerly a place of great strength. At a short distance from its site are a few ruined walls, which are all that are left of the mansion of Major James Forster, the High Sheriff of the County of Galway in 1689 and 1690. The peasantry believe that this fort was inhabited by the fairies, who regularly supplied the cellars of the house of Rathorpe, which adjoined it, with the best wines. ....
In 1743, Rathorpe was the residence of his eldest son, James, who was the last of the family that resided there. James' younger brother, Simon, the sixth son of Colonel Forster, removed from there to Fidane, where he. built a house at considerable expense. The family abandoned Rathorpe, in consequence, according to tradition, of every female who had slept in a certain room there having been found dead in the morning. It is worthy of remark that a portion of the Irish army, while retreating from Aughrim to Limerick, made a stand at Rathorpe, at a place called Cliath na nGaul, where they gave battle to their pursuers. is also said by tradition, that Prince Charles Edward, the eldest son of the Chevalier St. George, or King James III, as he was styled on the Continent, resided for a short time here, in 1753, in disguise."
Sources
http://landedestates.nuigalway.ie:8080/LandedEstates/jsp/property-show.jsp?id=1657
The Story of My Family - Francis Forster p.33