Townsend (Castletownsend)

Burke's ''Irish Family Records'' indicates that the first of this family to be established in Ireland was Richard Townsend, an officer in the Cromwellian army, who acquired Castle Townsend and other lands in west Cork in the late 1660s (6,543 acres). The estate of Richard M.F. Townsend amounted to over 7100 acres in county Kerry in the 1870s. Burke notes that this property was inherited by virtue of descent from the Knight of Kerry. The Ordnance Survey Field Name Books had reported that Capt Hickson of Dingle acted as agent for the Townsend estate in that area. The representatives of the late Rev. Maurice Townsend owned over 8000 acres in county Cork at the same time. At the time of Griffith's Valuation, Rev. Maurice was among the principal lessors in the parishes of Castlehaven and also held townlands in other parishes in the same barony including Creagh, Drinagh, Dromdaleague, Kilmacabea, Myross and Skull. John Sealy Townsend, a barrister and descended from the Castletownsend family, was among the principal lessors in the parishes of Castleventry, Ross and Kilmichael, barony of East Carbery, at the time of Griffith's Valuation. Samuel Townsend of Skibbereen was among the lessors in the parish of Drinagh, at the same time. In 1874, over 100 acres of Samuel Nugent Townsend's estate in West Carbery was offered for sale in the Landed Estates Court.

Associated Families

Houses

Name	Townland	Civil Parish	PLU	DED	Barony	County	Map Ref
The Grove	Grove	Dingle	Dingle	Dingle	Corkaguiny	Kerry	OSI Ref: Q438014 OS Sheet: 43 Discovery map: 70
Mardyke House	Coronea	Abbeystrowry	Skibbereen	Skibbereen Rural 309	West Carbery (East)	Cork	OSI Ref: W118335 OS Sheet: 141 Discovery map: 89
Lurriga House	Lurriga	Abbeystrowry	Skibbereen	Skibbereen Rural 309	West Carbury (East)	Cork	OSI Ref: W125348 OS Sheet: 141 Discovery map: 89
Lurriga Mill	Lurriga	Abbeystrowry	Skibbereen	Skibbereen Rural 309	West Carbury (East)	Cork	OSI Ref: W125349 OS Sheet: 141 Discovery map: 89
Glencurragh	Marsh	Abbeystrowry	Skibbereen	Skibbereen Urban 310	West Carbury (East)	Cork	OSI Ref: W116345 OS Sheet: 141 Discovery map: 89
Rinneen House & Mills	Carrigtishane	Castlehaven	Skibbereen	Castlehaven North 317	West Carbery (East)	Cork	OSI Ref: W182332 OS Sheet: 142 Discovery map: 89
Castle Townsend	Castletownsend	Castlehaven	Skibbereen	Castlehaven North 317	West Carbery (East)	Cork	OSI Ref: W183314 OS Sheet: 142 Discovery map: 89
Point House/Cosheen	Castletownsend	Castlehaven	Skibbereen	Castlehaven North 317	West Carbery (East)	Cork	OSI Ref: W184310 OS Sheet: 142 Discovery map: 89
Castletownsend (Coghill)	Castletownsend	Castlehaven	Skibbereen	Castlehaven North 317	West Carbery (East)	Cork	OSI Ref: W182310 OS Sheet: 142 Discovery map: 89
Castletownsend (Herbert)	Castletownsend	Castlehaven	Skibbereen	Castlehaven North 317	West Carbery (East)	Cork	OSI Ref: W184311 OS Sheet: 142 Discovery map: 89
Smithville	Raheen	Castlehaven	Skibbereen	Castlehaven North 317	West Carbery (East)	Cork	OSI Ref: W163321 OS Sheet: 142 Discovery map: `89
Brade House	Brade	Myross	Skibbereen	Castlehaven North 317	West Carbery (East)	Cork	OSI Ref: W198364 OS Sheet: 142 Discovery map: 89
Kilnagross	Beanhill South	Kilnagross	Clonakilty	Kilnagross 49	East Carbery (East)	Cork	OSI Ref: W399444 OS Sheet: 122 Discovery map: 86

Archival sources

Minutes and accounts of Castletownsend harriers, 1834-37. M.4263; Trinity College Dublin
Deeds relating to the Townsend family of Co. Cork, 1836-81. D. 12,632-9; National Archives of Ireland
Copy of confirmation of arms to the descendants of Richard Boyle Townsend, late of Castle Townsend, Co. Cork and to his son, John Townsend of Castle Townsend, Feb. 19, 1828. Genealogical Office: Ms.107, pp.18-9; National Library of Ireland
Landed Estates' Court Rentals (O'Brien), Townsend, 26 June 1875, Vol 119, MRGS 39/054, (microfilm copy in NUIG); National Archives of Ireland
Encumbered Estates’ Court Rentals (O’Brien), Robinson & Townsend, (Killaloan, Co Tipperary), 23 Jan 1852, Vol 13 (26), MRGS 39/006, (microfilm copy in NUIG); National Archives of Ireland
Irish Tourist Association Survey files, Parish of Castlehaven; Cork County Library

Contemporary printed sources

PARLIAMENTARY PAPERS. ''Return of names of proprietors and area and valuation of properties in counties in Ireland, held in fee or perpetuity or long leases at chief rents,'' 1876. (412) LXXX. 395: 74.
''GRIFFITH'S VALUATION OF IRELAND'[Primary Valuation of Tenements]', 1850-1858. : Corkaguiny Barony: 57 (The Grove)
''GRIFFITH'S VALUATION OF IRELAND'[Primary Valuation of Tenements]', 1850-1858. : West Carbery (East) Barony: 2 (Carrigfadda), 4 (Coronea), 18 (Lurriga & Marsh), 42 (Whitehall), 44 (Aghills), 47 (Carrigtishane), 49 (Castletownsend), 61 (Raheen), 129 (Brade), 131 (Clontaff), 135 (Myross)
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] : 449
LEWIS, Samuel. ''A Topographical Dictionary of Ireland''. London: S. Lewis & Co., 1837: Vol.I, 5 (Abbeystrowry Parish), 297 (Castlehaven Parish)
ORDNANCE SURVEY NAME BOOKS County Kerry: Vol.II, Clahaan Parish, 29.
''GRIFFITH'S VALUATION OF IRELAND'[Primary Valuation of Tenements]', 1850-1858. : East Carbery (East) Barony: 116 (Beanhill South)
PARLIAMENTARY PAPERS. ''Return of Untenanted Lands in Rural Districts, Distinguishing Demesnes on Which There is a Mansion...'', HC 1906, c, 177: 249 (Whitehall, Brade, Castletownsend)
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: 171
TOWNSEND, Horatio. ''Statistical survey of the county of Cork...'' Dublin: Royal Dublin Society, 1810: 338, 340, 342
''GRIFFITH'S VALUATION OF IRELAND'[Primary Valuation of Tenements]', 1850-1858. : East Carbery (West) Barony: 68 (Lisbealad), 71 (Ballyhalwick)
PARLIAMENTARY PAPERS. ''15th Annual Report of the Commissioners of Public Records Ireland,'' 1825. Vol XVI, Appendix I, Grants under Acts of Settlement: 74, 184
''GRIFFITH'S VALUATION OF IRELAND'[Primary Valuation of Tenements]', 1850-1858. : West Carbery (West) Barony: 21 (Derreeny)
WILSON, William. ''The Post-Chaise Companion or Travellers Directory Through Ireland''. The author: Dublin, 1786 : 229 (Castle Townsend)

Modern printed sources

MONTGOMERY-MASSINGBERD, Hugh (ed). ''Burke's Irish Family Records''. London: Burke's Peerage, 1976: 1114-1125.
BURKE, Sir Bernard. ''A genealogical and heraldic dictionary of the landed gentry of Great Britain and Ireland''. London: 1862-1863: 1527
BENCE-JONES, Mark. ''A Guide to Irish Country Houses''. Revised ed. London: Constable, 1988. : 78 (Castle Townsend), 259 (Shepperton), 284 (White Hall)
''Irish Ancestor'': CROOKSHANK,Mrs. Agnes Townsend's notebook. VIII (1976), pp.96-113
''Irish Ancestor'': ffolliott, Rosemary. Some lesser known country houses in Munster and Leinster. III (1) 1971, 49-51. [includes picture and description of Brade]
O'HEA O'KEEFFE, Jane. ''Voices from the great houses: Cork and Kerry''. (Cork: Mercier Press, 2013): 83-93