Wills (Castlereagh)
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.
Associated Families
Houses
| Name | Townland | Civil Parish | PLU | DED | Barony | County | Map Ref | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Willsbrook House | Willsbrook | Kilkeevin | Castlerea | Coolougher 67 | Castlereagh | Roscommon |
OSI Ref: M691756
OS Sheet: 26 Discovery map: 39 |
|
| Willsgrove | Willsgrove | Ballintober | Castlerea | Ballintober 60 | Castlereagh | Roscommon |
OSI Ref: M737754
OS Sheet: 27 Discovery map: 40 |
|
| Willsborough | Willsborough | Kiltullagh | Castlerea | Ballinlough 64 | Castlereagh | Roscommon |
OSI Ref: M583783
OS Sheet: 25 Discovery map: 39 |
|
Archival sources
- 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
- Wills Papers. MS 3203; National Library 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 Archives of Ireland
- 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; Representative Church Body Library
Contemporary printed sources
- WELD, Isaac. ''Statistical Survey of the county of Roscommon''. Dublin: Royal Dublin Society, 1832. : 651
- LEGG, Marie Louise (ed). ''Census of Elphin 1749''. Dublin: Irish Manuscripts Commission, 2004: Willsgrove, 368
- 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)
- PARLIAMENTARY PAPERS. ''24th Annual Report of the Congested Districts' Board for Ireland'', [Cd 8356], HC 1916, vi, 564-586. Appendix VIII: 58
- 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
- WILSON, William. ''The Post-Chaise Companion or Travellers Directory Through Ireland''. The author: Dublin, 1786 : 114 & 126 (Wills Grove)
Modern printed sources
- BURKE, Sir Bernard. ''A genealogical and heraldic history of the Landed Gentry of Ireland''. London: Harrison & Sons, 1912: 624-625.
- ''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.