Landed Estates
University of Galway

Wandesforde

The main Irish estate of the Wandesforde family, later Prior-Wandesforde, was in the Castlecomer area of county Kilkenny. They also had estates in England. The Wandesforde family acquired land in counties Limerick and Clare following the marriage in 1750 of Agnes Elizabeth, daughter of John Southwell of Enniscouch, county Limerick, and John Wandesford 5th Viscount Castlecomer and 1st Earl Wandesforde. This estate was previously Southwell property and was in the barony of Lower Connello, county Limerick and Clonderalaw, county Clare. In 1769 Frances, the only child of the 1st Earl Wandesforde, married John Butler, 7th Earl of Ormonde and their fourth son succeeded to the Wandesforde estates. The Prior Wandesforde Estate Papers in the National Library of Ireland show that the county Clare estates were mainly in the Kilrush and Killadysert localities and included Ballyartney. At the time of Griffith's Valuation the county Clare estate of the Wandesfordes was in the parishes of Kilmurry and Kilmilhil and their county Limerick estate was in the parishes of Nantinan and Rathkeale, barony of Connello Lower, (H. Wandesforde) Cloncagh, barony of Connello Lower and Darragh, barony of Coshlea (C.C.B. Wandesforde). In the 1870s the Honourable C.B. Wandesforde of Mount Juliet, county Kilkenny, owned 6,737 acres in county Clare and Henry T.B. Wandesforde of Palmerstown, county Dublin, owned 4,137 acres in county Limerick.

Associated Families

Houses

Name Townland Civil Parish PLU DED Barony County Map Ref  
Clonderalaw Clonderalaw Kilmurry Killadysert Coolmeen 71 Clonderalaw Clare OSI Ref: R139 556
OS Sheet: 68
Discovery map: 64
Ballyartney Ballyartney Killofin Killadysert Coolmeen 71 Clonderalaw Clare OSI Ref: R153 542
OS Sheet: 68
Discovery map: 64 		Photo of Ballyartney
Enniscoush Enniscoush Nantinan Rathkeale Rathkeale Rural 130 Connello Lower Limerick OSI Ref: R361 401
OS Sheet: 29
Discovery map: 64
Ballynacourty Ballynacourty Darragh Kilmallock Darragh 33 Coshlea Limerick OSI Ref: R708 187
OS Sheet: 56
Discovery map: 73

Archival sources

  • Prior-Wandesforde Estate & Family Papers, Collection Lists 52 & 101; National Library of Ireland
  • Landed Estates’ Court Rentals (O’Brien), Bourke, 16 Jan 1863, Vol 67 (9), MRGS 39/033, (microfilm copy in NUIG); National Library of Ireland
  • Copy will of Earl Wandesforde, 28 Nov 1772. D1939/25/2/5; Public Record Office, Northern Ireland
  • Charles J. Wilson collection, includes deeds, maps, testamentary & miscellaneous documents relating to lands in Cos Limerick, Clare & Tipperary & the families of Wilson, Miles, Prior & Christmas, 18th-19th centuries. Contains copy marriage settlement of Rev John Prior & Miss Wandesforde, 1836. Small Accessions Index 15 ; National Archives of Ireland

Contemporary printed sources

Modern printed sources