Usborne (Blackrock)

Thomas Masters Usborne was the son of Thomas Usborne of Hertford who founded the company Thomas Usborne and Son in 1820. Thomas M. Usborne was a corn merchant who had warehouses in Cork, Limerick and Tralee from where he exported large quantities of grain in the mid 19th century. In 1837 he married Margaret Hillier at St Marys, Limerick. Their son Thomas Usborne was born in Limerick in 1840. This Thomas Usborne became Conservative Member of Parliament for Chelmsford 1892-1900. His father Thomas M. Usborne is recorded as owning 2,600 acres in county Kerry, 872 acres in county Clare and 677 acres in county Cork by Hussey De Burgh. Thomas M. Usborne would appear to have purchased his Irish estates in the mid 1870s as he is not listed in the Parliamentary return of landowners of one acre or more published in 1876 but he is listed in Hussey De Burgh's book published in 1878. Thomas M. Usborne died at Blackrock, county Cork in 1883. http://www.usbornefamilytree.com/thomas1811.htm