Landed Estates
University of Galway

D'Esterre

A French Hugenot family, who came to Ireland via Holland in the late 17th century and were granted land by the Earl of Thomond. The D’Esterres lived at Rossmanagher near Sixmilebridge, barony of Bunratty Lower, county Clare, during the 18th and 19th centuries. They bought some of the Mount Ievers estate in the mid 1850s. Their county Clare estate amounted to 2,833 acres and their county Limerick estate to 314 acres in the 1870s. Henry Vassall D’Esterre of Rossmanagher was the eldest son of Robert Kerr D’Esterre. H.V. D’Esterre was born in 1840 and married Mary Elizabeth Sandes of Mount Pleasant, county Limerick in 1867. Their eldest son, Henry William D’Esterre, was a captain in the Munster Fusiliers at the beginning of the 20th century. The estate was sold to the Land Commission in the 1910s. Weir records some of the more colourful sides to this family’s history in his book on county Clare houses.

Associated Families

Houses

Name Townland Civil Parish PLU DED Barony County Map Ref  
Rossmanagher House Rossmanagher Feenagh Ennis Sixmilebridge 42 Bunratty Lower Clare OSI Ref: R470 637
OS Sheet: 52
Discovery map: 58
Rossmanagher Cottage Newpark Feenagh Ennis Sixmilebridge 42 Bunratty Lower Clare OSI Ref: R468 635
OS Sheet: 52
Discovery map: 58
Ballintlea Ballintlea North Kilfintinan Limerick Mountievers 118 Bunratty Lower Clare OSI Ref: R479 643
OS Sheet: 52
Discovery map: 58
Clonmacken Clonmacken St Munchins Limerick Limerick North Rural 58 North Liberties of Limerick Limerick OSI Ref: R546 568
OS Sheet: 5
Discovery map: 65

Archival sources

  • Sale rental of property in Limerick city belonging to H.V. D'Esterre, 7 July 1888. P23/29; Limerick City Archives
  • Business Records Survey. Hubert Roche-Kelly, Sixmilebridge – maps, leases, legal costs & other records re the Roche Kelly estate & the estate of Samuel Martin D’Esterre, John Kelly appears to have purchased Calluragh & Carrowmore/Carhuemore, parish of Kilfenora, Bunratty in the 1850s from D’Esterre. Includes reference to oil mills at Ballintlea & some correspondence with Stafford O’Brien re purchase of lands at Ballintlea in 1850s. 1762-1897. CL2/1-17; National Archives of Ireland
  • J. F. Morrissey Papers include OS map of Clouncane in N. Liberties of Limerick property of Charles E. Bagwell & later of Henry D'Esterre with related documents. M.5205 a-g; National Archives of Ireland

Contemporary printed sources

Modern printed sources