Estate: Nugent (Pallas)

Associated Families

• Nugent (Pallas) (Lord Riverston)
• Nugent (Earl of Westmeath)
• Kelly (Cargins)

Description

In 1677 Thomas Nugent was granted an estate of 3,250 acres in the baronies of Leitrim and Longford, county Galway, including Pallace. In 1824 Lord Riverston and Arthur Nugent of Flower Hill are described as resident proprietors in county Galway. Property at Pallas and Spring Garden were occupied by Anthony F. Nugent at the time of Griffith's Valuation. This branch of the Nugent family was related to the Earls of Westmeath and that title passed to them in the 1870s. As Earl of Westmeath, Anthony F. Nugent owned over 14,000 acres in county Galway in the 1870s as well as property in county Roscommon in the parish of Ogulla, barony of Roscommon. Michael Nugent, with an address in Brussels, owned over 900 acres at the same time. Following the 1903 Land Act the Nugent estate in the baronies of Leitrim and Longford was sold to the tenants. In 1906 the Hon. Richard A. Nugent held over 200 acres of untenanted demesne land at Rockfield, Greethill, Athenry as well as the mansion house there valued at £27. The Earl of Westmeath owned about 1200 acres of untenanted land at Pallas in 1906. 1,133 acres of the county Roscommon estate of Lord Westmeath was vested in the Congested Districts' Board on 14 Oct 1908. In 1912 the Earl of Westmeath accepted an offer on over 6000 acres of his Galway estate from the Congested Districts Board.

Houses

House Name / Description	Townland	Civil Parish	PLU	DED	Barony	County	Map Ref
Rockfield House (H651) Melvin states that throughout the 18th and 19th centuries the house at Rockfield was occupied by Burkes, Brownes, Blakes and Concanons. At the time of Griffith's Valuation it was occupied by Patrick J. Blake and was valued at £26. In 1837 Lewis recorded it as the home of M. Browne. Wilson, writing in 1786, refers to it as the seat of Michael Browne. In 1906 it was owned by Richard A. Nugent when it was valued at £27. The Encumbered and Landed Estates Court sale notices give the impression that the house was sometimes known as Rockville. Though the house no longer survives the gate lodges are still occupied.	Rockfield	Killeeneen	Loughrea	Greethill 114	Dunkellin	Galway	Lat/Lon: 53.26396 -8.75689 OSI Ref: M495240 Discovery map #46. OS Sheet #96.
Pallas (H811) Pallas was the largest of the Nugent properties in the parish of Tynagh, which also included Spring Garden, Flower Hill and Crannagh, a property that had been used in the eighteenth century. A mansion was built at Pallas for Anthony Nugent, 4th Lord Riverston, in 1797. Slater, in 1846, refers to the Hon. Anthony Nugent residing at "The Palace". At the time of Griffith's Valuation it was the property of Anthony Nugent and was valued at £46. In 1906 it was owned by the Earl of Westmeath and was valued at £52. It was demolished after World War II. A well-preserved tower house and the remains of a large 17th century residence can also be seen at Pallas.	Pallas	Tynagh	Portumna	Pallas 182	Leitrim	Galway	Lat/Lon: 53.12563 -8.36005 OSI Ref: M759084 Discovery map #53. OS Sheet #117.
Spring Garden (H830) Spring Garden was a Nugent house in the parish of Tynagh, valued at £10 at the time of Griffith's Valuation. It had earlier belonged to the Persses but had been sold by them in the early 1850s. In 1906 this was the property of Hon. Richard A. Nugent. It is described as "in ruins" on the 25-inch Ordnance Survey map of the 1890s.	Spring Garden	Tynagh	Portumna	Tynagh 184	Leitrim	Galway	Lat/Lon: 53.14356 -8.37514 OSI Ref: M749104 Discovery map #53. OS Sheet #117.
Flower Hill (H832) Flower Hill was occupied by Anthony F. Nugent at the time of Griffith's Valuation when it was valued at £28. IN 1894 it was the residence of Charles Nugent. Flower Hill is still extant and now operates as an equestrian centre. See www.flowerhill.net	Bouluskeagh or Flowerhill	Tynagh	Portumna	Pallas 182	Longford	Galway	Lat/Lon: 53.13657 -8.30485 OSI Ref: M796096 Discovery map #53. OS Sheet #107.
Ballynagar/Ballinagar (H914) Lewis records Ballynagar as the seat of A. Nugent in 1837. . At the time of Griffith's Valuation it was the property of John Aylward and was valued at £10 but the estate is recorded as in Chancery. In 1894 it was the seat of John Lewis and the Lewis family continued to reside at Ballynagar until the 1920s. Ballynagar is still extand and occupied.	Ballynagar	Ballynakill	Loughrea	Ballynagar 135	Leitrim	Galway	Lat/Lon: 53.08677 -8.42540 OSI Ref: M715041 Discovery map #52. OS Sheet #125.
Nutgrove (H1418) Taylor and Skinner record Nutgrove as a seat of the Donnellan family in 1783 and Wilson refers to it as the seat of Mr. Donnellan in 1786. At the time of Griffith's Valuation Anthony Nugent was leasing a property at Nutgrove or Feebrack, valued at £3 to Thomas Breheny. The site is now occupied by farm buildings.	Nutgrove or Feebrack	Tynagh	Portumna	Pallas 182	Longford	Galway	Lat/Lon: 53.14726 -8.34080 OSI Ref: M772108 Discovery map #53. OS Sheet #117.
Crannagh House (H4992) There are references to a house owned by the Nugents at Crannagh in the eighteenth century but there is no substantial house shown on the First Edition Ordnance Survey map. Slater refers to "Crane" as the seat of Arthur Nugent in 1846. The townland is in Arthur Nugent's possession at the time of Griffith's Valuation but there is only a caretaker's house of nominal valuation. However, the 25-inch Ordnance Survey map of the 1890s shows a substantial building labelled Crannagh House. This property is no longer extant.	Crannagh	Tynagh	Portumna	Ballyglass	Leitrim	Galway	Lat/Lon: 53.10323 -8.33746 OSI Ref: M774059 Discovery map #53. OS Sheet #126.

Archival sources

• Huntington Library, California: 17th-18th century estate papers, Westmeath.
• Irish Architectural Archive: Pallas. Photographs. 022/079.
• Irish Architectural Archive: Flower Hill. Photographs. 024/074.
• National Archives of Ireland: Mrs Hannie Deposit (1932), papers relating to the Nugent family, Barons Riverston, with pedigree of Nugents of Donore, Co. Westmeath, with accounts of Donore estate, 1799-1825. C1770-87; D.8261-8310; M.605-6, 877, 885; T.2,733-5
• National Archives of Ireland: Deeds relating to the Nugent family. D. 18,522 et seq
• National Library of Ireland: Ordnance Survey maps showing lands in non congested districts: Nugent estate, 817 acres in barony of Clare, Co Galway, 1906. 15.A.23(20)
• National Library of Ireland: Genealogical notes on Nugent of Pallas by Charles French Blake Foster, c 1865. MS 13,560
• National Library of Ireland: Pedigree of Nugent of Bracklyn, Barons of Delvin, Earls of Westmeath, Nugent of Dunfert, Co. Kildare and Killasonna, Co. Longford, Barons Riverstown and of Pallas, Co. Galway, c.1180 - 1866. Genealogical Office: Ms.179, pp.278-82
• National Library of Ireland: Genealogical tree of Nugent family, compiled c.1850. Ms. 126
• National Library of Ireland: Genealogical account of the families of Nugent, Earls of Westmeath, and of Dillon, Earls of Roscommon, 19th c., author unknown. Ms. 122
• National Library of Ireland: A very extensive registration of the Pedigrees of the Family of Nugent including detailed and dated records of many of the most celebrated Branches deriving from Ives de Belesme, 993 1840. Genealogical Office: Ms.174, pp.27-59
• National Library of Ireland: Large bound volume containing originals and copies of deeds, certificates and other documents relating to the family of Nugent (Lords Devlin and Earls of Westmeath) 16th - 19th c. (Appears to be "Munimenta Nugentiorum Manuscripta". Analecta Hibern. Vol. 20, p 132 wanting about 1/3 of original contents), 1591-1836. Ms. 16,520

Contemporary printed sources

Many of these resources are now available online. For a list with Web links please see the Online Printed Sources Links

• GRIFFITH'S VALUATION OF IRELAND'[Primary Valuation of Tenements]', 1850-1858. : Portumna Union,59 (Flowerhill), 82 (Spring Garden), 86 (Pallas), 88 (Crannagh)
• DUTTON, Hely. Statistical and agricultural survey of the county of Galway. Dublin: Royal Dublin Society, 1824. : 412 & 413.
• HUSSEY DE BURGH, U. H. The Landowners of Ireland. An alphabetical list of the owners of estates of 500 acres or £500 valuation and upwards in Ireland. Dublin: Hodges, Foster and Figgis, 1878. [available online at www.askaboutireland.ie] : 473.
• LEET, Ambrose. A directory to the market towns, villages, gentlemen's seats, and other noted places in Ireland. Dublin: Printed by B. Smith, 1814 : 316
• LEWIS, Samuel. A Topographical Dictionary of Ireland. London: S. Lewis & Co., 1837: Vol I, 157,( Ballinagar)
• LEWIS, Samuel. A Topographical Dictionary of Ireland. London: S. Lewis & Co., 1837: Vol. II, 663. (Pallas & Flowerhill)
• PARLIAMENTARY PAPERS. Return of Untenanted Lands in Rural Districts, Distinguishing Demesnes on Which There is a Mansion..., HC 1906, c, 177: 324 (Rockfield), 336 (Pallas) 337 (Spring Garden).
• PARLIAMENTARY PAPERS. 15th Annual Report of the Commissioners of Public Records Ireland, 1825. Vol XVI, Appendix I, Grants under Acts of Settlement: 235
• PARLIAMENTARY PAPERS. 24th Annual Report of the Congested Districts' Board for Ireland, [Cd 8356], HC 1916, vi, 564-586. Appendix VIII: 45.
• PARLIAMENTARY PAPERS. Return of names of proprietors and area and valuation of properties in counties in Ireland, held in fee or perpetuity or long leases at chief rents, 1876. (412) LXXX. 395: 148.
• PARLIAMENTARY PAPERS. Return of owners of land of one acre and upwards, in the several counties .... in Ireland. HC 1876, LXXX: 300.
• SLATER, Isaac. Commercial Directory of Ireland, 1846. (London:Slater, 1846): p.134 (Portumna)
• SLATER, Isaac. Royal National Directory of Ireland: List of the principal seats. (Manchester: 1894) : xxvii & 97 (Flowerhill)

Modern printed sources

• Analecta Hibernica: AINSWORTH, J.F Nugent Papers (from 1488), the property of Lady Nugent, Farrenconnell, Mountnugent, Co. Cavan, relating to the Nugent family, Barons of Delvin and Earls of Westmeath, and to lands in Cos. Westmeath, Meath and Cavan. XX (1958)
• Jnl. of the Galway Archaeological and Historical Society: DALTON, John P. The annual excursion of the Galway Archaeological and Historical Society to Pallas Castle and Kilnalahan Abbey, 1908. V (1907-8), pp 213-226
• BENCE-JONES, Mark. A Guide to Irish Country Houses. Revised ed. London: Constable, 1988. : 230 (Pallas)
• CONWELL, J. J. Lickmolassy by the Shannon. Galway: Gortanumera Historical Society, 1998. : 205-211.
• CONWELL, John Joe. Portumna: a Galway parish by the Shannon. Portumna: [the author], 2017. : p.272-274.
• GLIN, Knight of, GRIFFIN, D. J. & ROBINSON, N.K (eds). Vanishing Country Houses of Ireland. Dublin: Irish Architectural Archive/Irish Georgian Society, 1989. : 78
• MELVIN, Patrick. Estates and landed society in Galway. (Dublin: Éamonn de Búrca, 2012). : 50-51
• MOSLEY, Charles (ed). Burke's Peerage and Baronetage. Crans, Switzerland: Burke's Peerage (Genealogical Books) Ltd, 1999: II, 2980-2983
• O'BYRNE, ROBERT. The Irish aesthete: ruins of Ireland. London: Cico Books, 2019. : pp.134-135 (Pallas Castle)
• Reports of the Deputy Keeper of the Public Record Office, Ireland: Vol 58, 21
• SPELLISSY, Séan. The History of Galway. Limerick: Celtic Bookshop, 1999. : 368.
• TYNAGH & DISTRICT DEVELOPMENT SOCIETY. Tynagh Millennium Review. Tynagh, county Galway: Tynagh & District Development Society, 2000. : BETTS, Derek. The Earls of Westmeath. 40-65.