Estate: Wills (Castlereagh)

Associated Families

• Sandford (Baron Mount Sandford)
• Wills (Castlereagh)

Description

In 1703 two brothers, Caspar and James Wills, purchased part of the forfeited estate of King James II in the baronies of Ballintober, Roscommon and Boyle, county Roscommon. The Wills family settled at Willsgrove, barony of Castlereagh, in the early eighteenth century. Through intermarriage and inheritance they acquired the Sandford estate in the later nineteenth century. William Robert Wills of Willsgrove was a member of the Grand Panel of county Roscommon in 1828. Over 6,000 acres if the Wills estate was vested in the Congested Districts' Board on 31 Mar 1913.

Houses

House Name / Description	Townland	Civil Parish	PLU	DED	Barony	County	Map Ref
Willsgrove (H1257) William W.R. Sandford's estate was the lessor of two properties at Willsgrove, barony of Castlereagh, at the time of Griffith's Valuation. One, valued at £10, was vacant while the second was leased to Anne Glancey together with 260 acres. In 1837 Lewis records Willsgrove as the seat of W.R. Wills. In 1786, Wilson refers to Willsgrove as the seat of Thomas Wills, "a large and fine house". The 1749 Census of Elphin records that Godfrey Wills was resident at Willsgrove. In 1783 Taylor and Skinner note Willsgrove as a seat of the Wills family. It is described as "in ruins" on the 25-inch Ordnance Survey map of the 1890s.	Willsgrove	Ballintober	Castlerea	Ballintober 60	Castlereagh	Roscommon	Lat/Lon: 53.72757 -8.39851 OSI Ref: M737754 Discovery map #40. OS Sheet #27.
Willsbrook House (H1283) Originally a property of the Wills family who inherited the Sandford estate through Mrs. Mary Wills. In the 1850s Willsbrook was leased by Michael O'Connor. In 1814 it had been the seat of Daniel O'Connor. Willsbrook House is no longer extant.	Willsbrook	Kilkeevin	Castlerea	Coolougher 67	Castlereagh	Roscommon	Lat/Lon: 53.72912 -8.46822 OSI Ref: M691756 Discovery map #39. OS Sheet #26.
Willsborough (H1285) Henry Sampy was leasing a property valued at £3 10s + 155 acres at Willsborough, barony of Castlereagh, from the Sandford estate at the time of Griffith's Valuation. In 1814 this property was the residence of Walter Jordan. The site of Willsborough House is now occupied by the Community Centre and pitches of Michael Glaveys GAA Club. A memorial stone for a dog owned by Helen Sampey is preserved against the wall of the building.	Willsborough	Kiltullagh	Castlerea	Ballinlough 64	Castlereagh	Roscommon	Lat/Lon: 53.75263 -8.63223 OSI Ref: M583783 Discovery map #39. OS Sheet #25.

Archival sources

• National Archives of Ireland: Survey in 14 maps of R.W. Wills estate in county Roscommon, 1907, also map of house and demesne at Willsgrove. M.545 a-b.
• National Archives of Ireland: Map of portion of Wills estate, Ballinlough, 1880. M. 544g.
• National Archives of Ireland: J.H. Montgomery & Son, solicitors' collection, included letters of administration, Thomas Wills formerly of Wills Grove & Castlerea, 1862. Small Accs. Index 88, T.4878
• National Archives of Ireland: Donnellan Deposit (1931), includes deeds, maps & surveys of Sandford, Wills & other families in Co Roscommon, 1717-1880. D.8002-8151, M.531-545
• National Library of Ireland: Wills Papers. MS 3203
• Representative Church Body Library: Lease of lands of Baslick, Co. Roscommon from the Hon. Power Le Poer Trench, Bishop of Elphin to the Rt Hon. Catherine, Lady Mount Sandford, Castlerea, Co. Roscommon, 29 Sept 1817. Ms 562

Contemporary printed sources

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

• LEGG, Marie Louise (ed). Census of Elphin 1749. Dublin: Irish Manuscripts Commission, 2004: Willsgrove, 368
• PARLIAMENTARY PAPERS. 15th Annual Report of the Commissioners of Public Records Ireland, 1825. Vol XVI, Appendix III. Abstracts of the conveyances from the trustees of the Forfeited Estates and Interests in Ireland in 1688'.: 395
• PARLIAMENTARY PAPERS. 24th Annual Report of the Congested Districts' Board for Ireland, [Cd 8356], HC 1916, vi, 564-586. Appendix VIII: 58
• TAYLOR, George & SKINNER, Andrew. Maps of the Roads of Ireland, surveyed in 1777 and corrected down to 1783. Facsimile of 2nd edition. Shannon: Irish University Press, 1969: 238 (Willsgrove)
• WELD, Isaac. Statistical Survey of the county of Roscommon. Dublin: Royal Dublin Society, 1832. : 651
• WILSON, William. The Post-Chaise Companion or Travellers Directory Through Ireland. The author: Dublin, 1786 : 114 & 126 (Wills Grove)

Modern printed sources

• The Irish Genealogist: WILLS-SANDFORD, Tom. Memorandum of the events of the married life of Mary Wills (nee Sandford, later Wills-Sandford, 1789-1851) of Castlerea, county Roscommon. XIII (2010), pp.8-20.
• The Irish Genealogist: WILLS-SANDFORD, Thomas G. The 1895 fire in Castlerea House, the repair estimates, and the aftermath. XIV (2014), 80-84.
• BURKE, Sir Bernard. A genealogical and heraldic history of the Landed Gentry of Ireland. London: Harrison & Sons, 1912: 624-625.

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