Crofton (Sligo)
The Croftons acquired land in the 17th century from the McSweeneys which had previously been part of the O'Dowd lordship in Tireragh. The family seem to have had a house in the area since the 1630s.In addition Henry Crofton received lands in the parish of Achonry, barony of Leyny, which were confirmed under the Acts of Settlement. They appear as Craston in the Census of 1659. The present Longford House was built c. 1783 but was destroyed by fire in the early 19th century. It was partially rebuilt and is still extant. James Crofton converted to the Protestant faith in 1731 and inherited the family estates. The Croftons also had another house in Templeboy parish, Corkhill, which was usually leased. They also held land in the parishes of Cloonfinlough and Kiltrustan, barony and county of Roscommon in the mid 19th century. In 1906 Sir Malby Crofton is described as the occupier of property at Longford Demesne, including the mansion house. This branch of the Crofton family was connected with the Crofton family of Mote Park, County Roscommon. The family vault is in the old graveyard in Dromard.
Associated Families
Houses
| Name | Townland | Civil Parish | PLU | DED | Barony | County | Map Ref | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Corkhill House | Corkaghbeg | Templeboy | Dromore West | Aughris 23 | Tireragh | Sligo |
OSI Ref: G514352
OS Sheet: 12 Discovery map: 25 |
|
| Longford House | Longford Demesne | Dromard | Dromore West | Dromard West 25 | Tireragh | Sligo |
OSI Ref: G561304
OS Sheet: 19 Discovery map: 25 |
|
| Mote Park | Mote Demesne | Kilmeane | Roscommon | Mote 89 | Athlone | Roscommon |
OSI Ref: M897 612
OS Sheet: 42 Discovery map: 40 |
|
Archival sources
- Crofton of Mote Park Papers; National Library of Ireland
- Rental of the estate of Malby Crofton, 1853. F.C./D.2/56. Estate of Sir Malby Crofton, 1900. Estates Vol II. ; Sligo County Library
- Valuations of Crofton estate, late 19th century & 1897. Robinson Collection. ; Sligo County Library
- Rentals of estate of Sir Malby Crofton, county Sligo, 1848-1903, 5 vols. S.R. ; Sligo County Library
- Estate maps, 1770. S.R. ; Sligo County Library
- Correspondence, deeds, leases relating to Lord Crofton's estates in Sligo & Roscommon, 1693-1867. Ms. 8828. ; National Library of Ireland
- Rentals & documents relating to Crofton estates, Roscommon & Sligo, 18th -early 19th century. MSS.8826-27. ; National Library of Ireland
- Rentals (1850) & maps(1830S) of Crofton estates, Roscommon & Sligo, m.937-940. ; National Archives of Ireland
- Account Book of John Carson, agent to Lord Crofton, re administration of the estate, 1833-1840. LE1 ; James Hardiman Library, University of Galway
- 144 deeds relating to the property of the Crofton family of Mote Park, 1684-late 19th century. MSS 10,911-11,054. ; National Library of Ireland
- Pedigree of Crofton family of Ballymurry, Cambo, Mote, Toomona, Clonsilla etc. county Roscommon, & of Temple House, Longford etc. county Sligo, 1540-1937. GO Ms.182. 395-402 & 429-440.; National Library of Ireland
- Longford House, photographs & press cuttings. 016/013.; Irish Architectural Archive
Contemporary printed sources
- 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] : 107 (Roscommon)
- PARLIAMENTARY PAPERS. ''Return of owners of land of one acre and upwards, in the several counties .... in Ireland''. HC 1876, LXXX: 320
- ''GRIFFITH'S VALUATION OF IRELAND'[Primary Valuation of Tenements]', 1850-1858. : Dromore West union, 69 (Corkaghmore),89 (Longford)
- LEWIS, Samuel. ''A Topographical Dictionary of Ireland''. London: S. Lewis & Co., 1837: Vol I, 504
- ORDNANCE SURVEY NAME BOOKS, County Sligo: Vol I, 258
- LEET, Ambrose. ''A directory to the market towns, villages, gentlemen's seats, and other noted places in Ireland''. Dublin: Printed by B. Smith, 1814 : 274
- 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: 224
- PARLIAMENTARY PAPERS. ''Return of Untenanted Lands in Rural Districts, Distinguishing Demesnes on Which There is a Mansion...'', HC 1906, c, 177: 390.
- PARLIAMENTARY PAPERS. ''15th Annual Report of the Commissioners of Public Records Ireland,'' 1825. Vol XVI, Appendix I, Grants under Acts of Settlement: 261.
- SLATER, Isaac. ''Royal National Directory of Ireland: List of the principal seats''. (Manchester: 1894) : xxix, 44 (Longford House)
- WILSON, William. ''The Post-Chaise Companion or Travellers Directory Through Ireland''. The author: Dublin, 1786 : 406 (Longford House)
Modern printed sources
- CROFTON, H. T. ''Crofton memoirs'' . York : the author, 1911: All
- BENCE-JONES, Mark. ''A Guide to Irish Country Houses''. Revised ed. London: Constable, 1988. : 211 (Mote Park), 190 (Longford)
- MOSLEY, Charles (ed). ''Burke's Peerage and Baronetage''. Crans, Switzerland: Burke's Peerage (Genealogical Books) Ltd, 1999: 719-720.
- ''Jnl. of the Irish Society for Archives - Irish Archives'': BRENNAN, Niamh. Tracing the roots of the landed gentry...the Croftons of Roscommon. VI, 1 (1999), 14-18.
- NATIONAL LIBRARY OF IRELAND. Reports on Private Collections: Report on the Crofton papers from 1653. No. 315.
- NATIONAL INVENTORY OF ARCHITECTURAL HERITAGE. ''An introduction to the architectural heritage of county Sligo''. Dublin: Stationery Office, 2007. : 23-24.
- O'HORO, Michael. ''Skreen and Dromard: history and heritage''. Skreen, county Sligo: [the author], 2000. : Kelly, Anne. Longford House, 46-47.
- McTERNAN, John C. ''Sligo: the light of bygone days, Vol.I Houses of Sligo and associated families''. Sligo: Avena Publications, 2009. : 68-69 (Corkhill), 126-128 (Longford House)
- McTERNAN, John C. ''The light of bygone days, Volume II: Sligo families''. Sligo: Avena Publications, 2009. : 70-76
- ''Weekly Irish Times'': 22 Oct 1938 Longford House
- BLAKE, Tarquin. ''Abandoned mansions of Ireland II: more portraits of forgotten stately homes'' Cork: Collins Press, 2012. : 248-255 (Longford House)