Landed Estates
University of Galway

Spaight

The Spaight family was originally from Kent. In the late 17th century Thomas Spaight was seneschal to Henry, 7th Earl of Thomond, and in 1684, he married Elizabeth Westropp of the Fort Anne family. They lived at Bunratty Lodge, possibly the house later known as Cappagh Lodge, parish of Kinfinaghta, barony of Bunratty Lower, county Clare. His son Thomas also lived at Bunratty Lodge and at Burrane, parish of Killimer, barony of Clonderalaw, county Clare. Later generations of the family lived at Corbally, Afflock and Derry Castle, (near Killaloe), county Tipperary. A granddaughter of the second Thomas Spaight married Edward Ferriter of county Kerry. The representatives of Edward Spaight Ferriter are recorded in Griffith’s Valuation as owning land in the parishes of Kilconry and Kilfinaghta, barony of Bunratty Lower and Quin, barony of Bunratty Upper. At the same time George Spaight and Henrietta Stapleton owned land in the parish of Clooney, barony of Bunratty Upper and William Spaight held land in the parishes of Kilnasoolagh and Tomfinlough, Bunratty Lower. In 1854 Thomas Spaight of Corbally, parish of Clooney, barony of Bunratty Upper, bought Ardataggle, parish of O’Briensbridge, barony of Tulla Lower, from Thomas Fitzgibbon. In 1855 approximately 1000 acres of the Spaight estate, including Cappa Lodge, was advertised for sale in the Encumbered Estates Court. Property in the town of Kilrush was sold in the Landed Estates Court in trust to a Mr. McSheehy in July 1865. In the 1870s his wife Mrs Spaight of Ardataggle owned 689 acres in county Clare while her sister Mrs Constantia Spaight, wife of Thomas’s brother Henry, owned 153 acres. At the same time William Spaight of Derry Castle owned 315 acres in county Clare and 4,597 acres in county Tipperary. The Spaight's county Tipperary estate was mainly in the parish of Templeachally (11 townlands) and in the parish of Burgesbeg, barony of Owney and Arra. 134 acres belonging to Henry W. Spaight were vested in the Congested Districts' Board on 22 February 1911.

Associated Families

Houses

Name Townland Civil Parish PLU DED Barony County Map Ref  
Cappaghlodge Cappaghlodge Kilfinaghta Ennis Sixmilebridge 42 Bunratty Lower Clare OSI Ref: R472 662
OS Sheet: 52
Discovery map: 58
Corbally Corbally Clooney Tulla Clooney 142 Bunratty Upper Clare OSI Ref: R433 777
OS Sheet: 34
Discovery map: 58
Burrane Burrane Lower Killimer Kilrush Killimer 101 Clonderalaw Clare OSI Ref: R081 527
OS Sheet: 68
Discovery map: 64
Ardataggle House Ardataggle O'Brienbridge Limerick O'Brien's Bridge 111 Tulla Lower Clare OSI Ref: R653 666
OS Sheet: 54
Discovery map: 58
Derry Castle Derry Demesne Templeachally Nenagh Ballina 97 Owney and Arra Tipperary OSI Ref: R716 781
OS Sheet: 19
Discovery map: 58 		Photo of Derry Castle
Mary Ville Ryninch Upper Templeachally Nenagh Derrycastle 100 Owney and Arra Tipperary OSI Ref: R705 759
OS Sheet: 19
Discovery map: 58
Ryninch Ryninch Upper Templeachally Nenagh Derrycastle 100 Owney and Arra Tipperary OSI Ref: R713 761
OS Sheet: 19
Discovery map: 58

Archival sources

  • Photostat of appointment of William Spaight of Corbally as High Sheriff of Co Clare 1793. D.22,803, also PRONI T/1596; National Library of Ireland
  • Arms entry of Thomas Spaight of Bunratty Lodge, 20 Dec 1684. GO MS 104: 5a ; National Library of Ireland
  • Pedigree of Spaight of Woolwich, Co Kent, Coleraine, Co Derry, Bunratty Lodge, Sixmilebridge & Corbally, Co Clare & Kinsale, Co Cork, c 1640-1842. GO MS 174: 510-517; National Library of Ireland
  • Marriage settlement of Capt William Spaight & Millicent Ann Studdert of Bunratty, Jan 1782. D 22,803 ; National Library of Ireland
  • Genealogical notes on Spaight of Corbally by Charles French Blake Foster, c 1865. MS 13,560; National Library of Ireland
  • Encumbered Estates’ Court Rentals (Dunboyne), Miller, Bradshaw, Ferriter & Wilson, 8 May 1855, Vol 8, 75-112; James Hardiman Library, University of Galway
  • Encumbered Estates’ Court Rentals (O’Brien), Miller, Bradshaw, Ferriter & Wilson, 8 May 1855, Vol 34 (53), MRGS 39/016, (microfilm copy in NUIG); National Archives of Ireland
  • Landed Estates’ Court Rentals (Dunboyne), Spaight, 6 July 1865, Vol 25, 61-68; James Hardiman Library, University of Galway
  • Landed Estates’ Court Rentals (O’Brien), Spaight, 6 July 1865, (premises in the town of Kilrush), Vol 78 (17), MRGS 39/038, (microfilm copy in NUIG); National Archives of Ireland
  • Copies of leases and other legal documents relating to the lands of Tomlough, Co. Tipperary, leased in 1850 by George Westropp to Francis Spaight, 1796-1850. Brown Papers, Ms. 8991 ; National Library of Ireland
  • Deeds, testamentary, legal & miscellaneous records including documents re Spaight, mainly 19th century. A.Lane Joynt solicitor's collection, Small Accessions Index 51, Co.965-990, M.353-363, D.5534-5753, T.1176-1198; National Archives of Ireland
  • Copy of grant of arms of Spaight only to Capt. Cavendish Walter Gartside Tipping of Derry Castle, Co. Tipperary and his issue by his wife, Louisa Dorina, daughter of George Spaight of Derry Castle on his assuming under Royal Licence the name and arms of Spaight, Sept. 21, 1898. Genealogical Office: Ms.111, pp.29-30 ; National Library of Ireland

Contemporary printed sources

Modern printed sources