Herbert (Muckross)

The Herberts were granted land in Kerry during the reign of Elizabeth I. Smith indicates that two members of the family received lands in Kerry after the Desmond rebellion, Sir William Herbert received over 13,000 acres while Charles Herbert received over 3000 acres. The Herbert who eventually settled there was Thomas, descended from a family in Montgomery, Powys, in Wales. Over the next three centuries they were to remain amongst the foremost families in Kerry. Henry Arthur Herbert, MP, was one of the principal lessors of property in the baronies of Dunkerron North and Magunihy, as well as holding some property in the barony of Trughanacmy, at the time of Griffith’s Valuation. In the 1870s his estate amounted to over 47,000 acres in county Kerry. The centre of this large estate was at Muckross, close to Killarney, much of it now included in the Killarney National Park. The family fortunes declined systematically in the late 19th century and most of the estate was sold in the 1890s. An offer was made by the Congested Districts Board on over 400 acres of the Herbert estate in 1914.

Associated Families

Houses

Name	Townland	Civil Parish	PLU	DED	Barony	County	Map Ref
Muckross House (Muckross Abbey)	Muckross	Killarney	Killarney	Muckross 74	Magunihy	Kerry	OSI Ref: V969862 OS Sheet: 74 Discovery map: 78
Grenagh House	Grenagh	Aghadoe	Killarney	Lahard	Magunihy	Kerry	OSI Ref: V887915 OS Sheet: 65 Discovery map: 78
Lord Brandon's Cottage	Gearhameen	Knockane	Killarney	Muckross	Dunkerron South	Kerry	OSI Ref: V886821 OS Sheet: 73 Discovery map: 78
Looscaunagh	Looscaunagh	Knockane	Killarney	Muckross	Dunkerron South	Kerry	OSI Ref: V883793 OS Sheet: 83 Discovery map: 78
Muckross Hotel	Dromyrourk	Killarney	Killarney	Muckross 74	Magunihy	Kerry	OSI Ref: V978869 OS Sheet: 66 Discovery map: 78
Torc Cottage	Torc	Killarney	Killarney	Muckross 74	Magunihy	Kerry	OSI Ref: V962847 OS Sheet: 74 Discovery map: 78
Caherdean House	Caherdean	Kilcredane	Killarney	Ballyhar	Magunihy	Kerry	OSI Ref: V931990 OS Sheet: 58 Discovery map: 78
Lakeview	Maulagh	Aghadoe	Killarney	Lahard 66	Magunihy	Kerry	OSI Ref: V910917 OS Sheet: 66 Discovery map: 78
Tullig House	Tullig	Castleisland	Tralee	Castleisland 152	Trughanacmy	Kerry	OSI Ref: R018091 OS Sheet: 40 Discovery map: 72
Sandville House	Clashganniv	Dysert	Tralee	Castleisland 152	Trughanacmy	Kerry	OSI Ref: Q987083 OS Sheet: 40 Discovery map: 71
Clashganniv House	Clashganniv	Dysert	Tralee	Castleisland 152	Trughanacmy	Kerry	OSI Ref: Q994082 OS Sheet: 40 Discovery map: 71
Kilcow House	Kilcow	Dysert	Tralee	Castleisland 152	Trughanacmy	Kerry	OSI Ref: Q974087 OS Sheet: 39 Discovery map: 71
Tomies	Tomies	Aghadoe	Killarney	Muckross	Magunihy	Kerry	OSI Ref: V894900 OS Sheet: 66 Discovery map: 78

Archival sources

18th cent: misc deeds and papers; National Archives of Ireland
S6/65 16th cent-19th cent: papers; University College, Dublin, Archives
Powis Castle Archives: 13th cent-20th cent estate and family papers relating to estates in Wales and Ireland; National Library of Wales
EL 6362-6406, 5948-50: 16th cent-18th cent: Irish (Castle Island, Co Kerry, etc) deeds and papers; Huntington Library, California
Papers relating to Herbert of Cahirnane and Muckross. 17th-19th century. D.16,473-!6,535, M.1849-64, T.6914-6919. ; National Archives of Ireland
Copy of manuscript map of the seignary of Castle Island, manor of Mount Eagle, the estate of Henry Arthur Herbert. 1729. 16 H. 8 (18); National Library of Ireland
Pedigree of Herbert, earls of Pembroke and of Castleisland, county Kerry, 1066-1600. Genealogical Office Ms.97, 25. ; National Library of Ireland
Pedigree of Herbert, Earls of Pembroke and of Kilcow, county Kerry, 1415-1780. Genealogical Office Ms.144, 6-7. ; National Library of Ireland
Copies of legal papers & correspondence relating to the Herbert estates in counties Kerry & Tipperary, c.1662-1767. T.3033. ; Public Record Office, Northern Ireland
Sale particulars & views of Muckross estate, Co Kerry, not dated. SC01546 [n.d.] ; English Heritage National Monuments Record

Contemporary printed sources

''GRIFFITH'S VALUATION OF IRELAND'[Primary Valuation of Tenements]', 1850-1858. : Dunkerron South: 59 (Gearhameen, Looscaunagh).
LEWIS, Samuel. ''A Topographical Dictionary of Ireland''. London: S. Lewis & Co., 1837: Vol.II, 127 (Killarney Parish, Muckross, Torc Cottage, also on 129)
PARLIAMENTARY PAPERS. ''Return of owners of land of one acre and upwards, in the several counties .... in Ireland''. HC 1876, LXXX: 142
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] : 215
''GRIFFITH'S VALUATION OF IRELAND'[Primary Valuation of Tenements]', 1850-1858. : Magunihy Barony: 2 ((Tomies) 7 (Grenagh), 41 (Caherdean), 96 (Muckross Hotel), 122 (Muckross House), 125 (Torc)
''GRIFFITH'S VALUATION OF IRELAND'[Primary Valuation of Tenements]', 1850-1858. : Trughanacmy Barony: 115-116 (Clashganniv), 117 (Kilcow)
LEET, Ambrose. ''A directory to the market towns, villages, gentlemen's seats, and other noted places in Ireland''. Dublin: Printed by B. Smith, 1814 : 301 (Mucross), 381 (Turk)
PARLIAMENTARY PAPERS. ''24th Annual Report of the Congested Districts' Board for Ireland'', [Cd 8356], HC 1916, vi, 564-586. Appendix VIII: 49
SMITH, Charles. ''The ancient and present state of the county of Kerry. Containing a natural, civil, ecclesiastical, historical and topographical description thereof.'' Dublin: 1774. : 32
SLATER, Isaac. ''Royal National Directory of Ireland: List of the principal seats''. (Manchester: 1894) : xxxi, 231 (Muckross Abbey)
WILSON, William. ''The Post-Chaise Companion or Travellers Directory Through Ireland''. The author: Dublin, 1786 : 201 (Muckrus)
BATEMAN, John. ''The great landowners of Great Britain and Ireland''. London: Harrison, 1883. : p.218

Modern printed sources

BURKE, Sir Bernard. ''A genealogical and heraldic history of the Landed Gentry of Ireland''. London: Harrison & Sons, 1912: 313-314
Horgan, Donal. “The development of tourism in Killarney, 1720-2000” in Larner, Jim. Killarney: History and Heritage. (Cork: Collins Press, 2005).: 122-138
Bary, Valerie. ''Historical Genealogical Architectural notes of some Houses of Kerry'' Whitegate, county Clare: Ballinakella Press, 1994. : 58 (Caherdean House) 234 (Torc Cottage), 188 (Muckross House), 133 (Grenagh), 148 (Kilcow)
McCoole, Sinead. “The Herberts of Muckross” in Killarney” in Larner, J (ed). ''Killarney: History & Heritage''. Cork: Collins Press, 2005: 90-104
O'HARE, Patricia. ''Muckross House, Killarney''. Dublin: Government of Ireland, 2003. (2nd ed.): 42-50
NATIONAL LIBRARY OF IRELAND. Reports on Private Collections: Ainsworth, J.F. Supplementary report on the Herbert Papers. Report no. 44.
BENCE-JONES, Mark. ''A Guide to Irish Country Houses''. Revised ed. London: Constable, 1988. : 220 (Muckruss)
MONTGOMERY-MASSINGBERD, Hugh (ed). ''Burke's Irish Family Records''. London: Burke's Peerage, 1976: 575-579.