Dillon (Clonbrock)

The Dillons were a Norman family who initially received grants of land in Westmeath and who later acquired properties in neighbouring counties including Roscommon and Galway. Lord Clonbrock was listed as a resident proprietor in county Galway in 1824. At the time of Griffith's Valuation, Lord Clonbrock was one of the principal lessors in the parishes of Ahascragh, Fohanagh, Killalaghtan and Killosolan in the barony of Kilconnell and Killoran in the barony of Longford. In the 1870s the Clonbrock estate in county Galway amounted to over 28,000 acres. Lands, house and demesne at Cahir, barony of Clonmacnowen, owned by James Dillon, were offered for sale in the Encumbered Estates court in July 1854. In 1906 Lord Clonbrock held over 2000 acres of untenanted land and the mansion house at Clonbrock. The Dillon's county Limerick estate appears to have come into their possession through the marriage in 1776 of the first Baron with Letitia Greene of Old Abbey, county Limerick, the only child of John Greene. James Kelly was the agent for the county Limerick estate in the early 19th century. The county Limerick estate was situated in the baronies of Connello Lower and Shanid. The Clonbrock Papers contain a printed notice of the sale of lands held in fee by Lord Clonbrock amounting to about 2395 acres and the lands of Loughill and Coonagh held under the See of Limerick circa 600 acres, dated 19 Dec 1829 MS 35705 (5). Correspondence expressing interest in the purchase of the Dillon's county Limerick estate was received from David Roche of Carass, Robert Maunsell and Stephen Dickson who bought the property in 1831, see MS 35,727 (10).

Associated Families

Houses

Name	Townland	Civil Parish	PLU	DED	Barony	County	Map Ref
The Cottage	Cloonmain	Killoran	Loughrea	Kilreekil 124	Leitrim	Galway	OSI Ref: M701215 OS Sheet: 98 Discovery map: 46
Ticooly/Tycooly	Ticooly (O'Kelly)	Killosolan	Mountbellew	Killian 150	Tiaquin	Galway	OSI Ref: M736462 OS Sheet: 46 Discovery map: 47
Clonbrock	Clonbrock Demesne	Fohanagh	Mountbellew	Clonbrock 147	Kilconnell	Galway	OSI Ref: M744397 OS Sheet: 60 Discovery map: 47
Ballybaun	Ballybaun	Ahascragh	Mountbellew	Clonbrock 147	Kilconnell	Galway	OSI Ref: M755406 OS Sheet: 61 Discovery map: 47
Doon House	Doon Upper	Fohanagh	Mountbellew	Clonbrock 147	Kilconnell	Galway	OSI Ref: M733361 OS Sheet: 73 Discovery map: 47
South Park	Kilglass	Ahascragh	Mountbellew	Clonbrock 147	Clonmacnowen	Galway	OSI Ref: M774401 OS Sheet: 61 Discovery map: 47
Creggaun House	Creggaun	Ahascragh	Ballinasloe	Killure 2	Clonmacnowen	Galway	OSI Ref: M825344 OS Sheet: 74 Discovery map: 47
Ballyeighter	Ballyeighter	Aughrim	Ballinasloe	Oatfield 15	Clonmacnowen	Galway	OSI Ref: M776264 OS Sheet: 87 Discovery map: 47
Caher	Caher	Kilcloony	Ballinasloe	Ballinasloe Rural 4	Clonmacnowen	Galway	OSI Ref: M812296 OS Sheet: 87 Discovery map: 47
Kylebrack	Kylebrack West	Leitrim	Loughrea	Leitrim	Leitrim	Galway	OSI Ref: M685098 OS Sheet: 116 Discovery map: 52
Clooncannon/Cloncannon/Runnamead	Clooncannon (Kelly)	Ahascragh	Mountbellew	Clonbrock 147	Clonmacnowen	Galway	OSI Ref: M775423 OS Sheet: 61 Discovery map: 47
Killure	Killurecastle	Kilgerril	Ballinasloe	Killure	Clonmacnowen	Galway	OSI Ref: M799349 OS Sheet: 74 Discovery map: 47

Archival sources

Encumbered Estates' Court Rentals (O'Brien), James Dillon, 15 July 1854, Vol 30, MRGS 39/013 (microfilm copy in NUIG) ; National Archives of Ireland
Clonbrock Papers, see descriptive list 54 at http://www.nli.ie/pdfs/mss%20lists/clonbrock.pdf; National Library of Ireland
Clonbrock muniments: deeds & estate papers relating to Roscommon & other properties, 1522-1782. Ms.22,025. ; National Library of Ireland
Correspondence of Luke Dillon of Clonbrock and his son Robert Dillon, about the borough of Lanesborough, circa 1754. T/3366; Public Record Office, Northern Ireland
VAUGHAN, James Edward. A survey of the estate of Lord Clonbrock, 1832. (copy of National Library of Ireland document). ; Galway County Library
Dillon Family, muniments of Clonbrock, a volume containing original deeds & other documents re Dillon estates in various counties, 1522-1820. MS 22,025 ; National Library of Ireland
Atkinson/Trench of Cangort collection include records re lands held by the Dillons of Clonbrock, mainly 18th & 19th centuries. 99/56/10/ ; National Archives of Ireland

Contemporary printed sources

''GRIFFITH'S VALUATION OF IRELAND'[Primary Valuation of Tenements]', 1850-1858. : Loughrea Union, 152.
DUTTON, Hely. ''Statistical and agricultural survey of the county of Galway''. Dublin: Royal Dublin Society, 1824. : 412.
''GRIFFITH'S VALUATION OF IRELAND'[Primary Valuation of Tenements]', 1850-1858. : Mountbellew Union, 1 (Ballybaun), 9 (Clonbrock & Doon), 18 (Kilglass), 93 (Ticooly)
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: 80.
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] : 87.
''GRIFFITH'S VALUATION OF IRELAND'[Primary Valuation of Tenements]', 1850-1858. : Ballinasloe Union, 7 (Creggaun), 8 (Ballyeighter), 22 (Caher)
PARLIAMENTARY PAPERS. ''Return of owners of land of one acre and upwards, in the several counties .... in Ireland''. HC 1876, LXXX: 294
LEWIS, Samuel. ''A Topographical Dictionary of Ireland''. London: S. Lewis & Co., 1837: Vol. II, 61 (Caher, Mackney)
LEWIS, Samuel. ''A Topographical Dictionary of Ireland''. London: S. Lewis & Co., 1837: Vol. I, 632. (Clonbrock)
PARLIAMENTARY PAPERS. ''Return of Untenanted Lands in Rural Districts, Distinguishing Demesnes on Which There is a Mansion...'', HC 1906, c, 177: 325 (Kylebrack), 327 (Clonbrock & Clooncannon Kelly)
LEGG, Marie Louise (ed). ''Census of Elphin 1749''. Dublin: Irish Manuscripts Commission, 2004: 256 (Cregan - Bar Kelly)
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.
ORDNANCE SURVEY NAME BOOKS, County Galway, http://places.galwaylibrary.ie/default.html: Ahascragh Parish
SLATER, Isaac. ''Royal National Directory of Ireland: List of the principal seats''. (Manchester: 1894) : xxv & 13 (Clonbrock)
WILSON, William. ''The Post-Chaise Companion or Travellers Directory Through Ireland''. The author: Dublin, 1786 : 132 (Clonbrock), 419 (Killure)
BATEMAN, John. ''The great landowners of Great Britain and Ireland''. London: Harrison, 1883. : p.96

Modern printed sources

GLIN, Knight of, GRIFFIN, D. J. & ROBINSON, N.K (eds).'' Vanishing Country Houses of Ireland''. Dublin: Irish Architectural Archive/Irish Georgian Society, 1989. : 69
BENCE-JONES, Mark. ''A Guide to Irish Country Houses''. Revised ed. London: Constable, 1988. : 86
''Analecta Hibernica'': AINSWORTH, J.F.. The Dillon Papers. XX (1958), 17-55.
NATIONAL LIBRARY OF IRELAND. Reports on Private Collections: AINSWORTH, J.F. Report on the Dillon papers, relating to Dillon, Greene, McKeogh & Donellan families and estates in Galway & Roscommon. No.4.
NATIONAL LIBRARY OF IRELAND. Special Lists.: Correspondence of Luke Dillon of Clonbrock and his son Robert Dillon, about the borough of Lanesborough in PRONI, circa 1754. No. 205
''The Irish Genealogist'': DILLON, Gerald. Cnoc Diolún: a genealogical survey of the Dillon family in Ireland. II (1943-55), 361-367.
''The Irish Genealogist'': DILLON, Gerald. The Dillon peerages. III (1958), 98-100.
HICKS, David. ''Irish country houses: a chronicle of change''. Cork: The Collins Press, 2012. : 238-252
MELVIN, Patrick. ''Estates and landed society in Galway''. (Dublin: Éamonn de Búrca, 2012). : pp.92-95