Crofts (Churchtown)
This branch of the Crofts family were descended from George Crofts of Ballintemple, county Cork, who was Private Secretary to Sir William Perceval of Burton, county Cork and a younger brother of Christopher Crofts of Velvetstown. His son, also named George, was Member of Parliament for Charleville in 1692 but lost his seat and his estate due to his support for the Jacobite cause. He was restored to his estate under King William and is recorded in Burke's Irish Family Records as "of Churchtown". His son, yet another George, married Mary Wills and died in 1741. Their descendant, George Crofts, was residing at Churchtown in the early 19th century and was father of Reverend Freeman Wills Crofts of Cloheen, county Cork. In November 1851 the estate of John Bennett and Freeman Crofts in the baronies of Orrery and Kilmore, Fermoy and Barrymore, county Cork, including Castle Wrixon and premises in Charleville, was advertised for sale. Further premises near Charleville belonging to Bennett and Crofts were advertised for sale in February 1855. These were purchased by Christopher Crofts for over £1100. In the mid 19th century Reverend Freeman Crofts held an estate in the parishes of Aglishdrinagh, Imphrick, Shandrum and Churchtown, barony of Orrery and Kilmore. Wills George Crofts was Reverend F.W. Crofts second son. In April 1870 lands at Clogheen and Longstone were advertised for sale, the estate of the trustees of Freeman Crofts, deceased. In 1881 the lands of Longstone, including Longstone Lodge and Cloughfadda House, were advertised for sale. In the 1870s the Crofts of Clogheen House owned over 300 acres in county Cork. Freeman Wills Crofts (1879-1957), a well known author of mystery fiction, was a member of this family. Wills Crofts of Riverston, Nenagh, county Tipperary, appears to have had land interests in the Nenagh locality at the beginning of the 19th century which passed to the Bennett family of Cork.
Associated Families
Houses
| Name | Townland | Civil Parish | PLU | DED | Barony | County | Map Ref | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Walshestown | Walshestown | Churchtown | Mallow | Churchtown 238 | Orrery and Kilmore | Cork |
OSI Ref: R523 132
OS Sheet: 16 Discovery map: 73 |
|
| Churchtown House | Churchtown | Churchtown | Mallow | Churchtown 238 | Orrery and Kilmore | Cork |
OSI Ref: R502 137
OS Sheet: 16 Discovery map: 73 |
|
| Castle Wrixon | Castlewrixon South | Imphrick | Kilmallock | Springfort 188 | Orrery and Kilmore | Cork |
OSI Ref: R545 162
OS Sheet: 8 Discovery map: 73 |
|
| Templemary | Templemary | Buttevant | Mallow | Templemary 236 | Orrery and Kilmore | Cork |
OSI Ref: R495 087
OS Sheet: 16 Discovery map: 73 |
|
| Clogheen | Clogheen | Caherduggan | Mallow | Caherduggan 241 | Fermoy | Cork |
OSI Ref: R567 068
OS Sheet: 25 Discovery map: 73 |
|
| Cloghfadda House | Longstone | Whitechurch | Cork | Blackpool 71 | Barretts | Cork |
OSI Ref: W638 825
OS Sheet: 52 Discovery map: 80 |
|
| Riverston | Nenagh North | Nenagh | Nenagh | Nenagh West Urban 90 | Lower Ormond | Tipperary |
OSI Ref: R877 795
OS Sheet: 21 Discovery map: 59 |
|
| Summerville | Nenagh North | Nenagh | Nenagh | Nenagh West Urban 90 | Lower Ormond | Tipperary |
OSI Ref: R874 795
OS Sheet: 20 Discovery map: 59 |
Archival sources
- Doneraile Papers, Collection List 62, see index; National Library of Ireland
- Encumbered Estates' Court Rentals (O'Brien), Bennett & Crofts, 15 Nov 1851, Vol 11 (63), MRGS 39/005, (microfilm copy in NUIG); National Archives of Ireland
- Encumbered Estates' Court Rentals (O'Brien), Bennett 7 Crofts, 8 Feb 1855, Vol 33 (30), MRGS 39/015, (microfilm copy in NUIG); National Archives of Ireland
- Hoey & Denning, solicitors collection, includes miscellaneous papers including wills re property of Crofts family, Co Cork, 19th century. Small Accs Index 99, Parcel 14 & T.5808; National Archives of Ireland
- Collection of miscellaneous items from the British Records Association, includes a letter from Freeman W. Crofts to Daniel Leahy containing general information re the Crofts family, 14 Oct 1841. Small Accs Index 101, M.3609; National Archives of Ireland
- Landed Estates’ Court Rentals (O’Brien), Freeman, Lane, Crofts, 26 Apr 1870, Vol 96 (45), MRGS 39/046, (microfilm copy in NUIG); National Archives of Ireland
- Land Judges’ Court Rentals (O’Brien), Crofts, 14 Jan 1881, Vol 141 (2), MRGS 39/062, (microfilm copy in NUIG); National Archives of Ireland
- Letter of Freeman W. Crofts concerning the Crofts and Wills Crofts families, 1841. M.3609; National Archives of Ireland
- Pedigree of the Crofts family of county Cork (Leader Collection); Irish Genealogical Research Society Library
- Irish Tourist Association survey files, Parish of Ballyhea, Parish of Buttevant; Cork County Library
Contemporary printed sources
- PARLIAMENTARY PAPERS. ''Return of owners of land of one acre and upwards, in the several counties .... in Ireland''. HC 1876, LXXX: 121
- LEWIS, Samuel. ''A Topographical Dictionary of Ireland''. London: S. Lewis & Co., 1837: I, 325 (Churchtown), II, 423 (Riverston - John Bennett)
- LEET, Ambrose. ''A directory to the market towns, villages, gentlemen's seats, and other noted places in Ireland''. Dublin: Printed by B. Smith, 1814 : 105 (Church-town), 336 (Riverstown), 360 (Templemary)
- ''GRIFFITH'S VALUATION OF IRELAND'[Primary Valuation of Tenements]', 1850-1858. : Barony of Orrery and Kilmore, 32 (Templemary), 51 (Castlewrixon)
- ''GRIFFITH'S VALUATION OF IRELAND'[Primary Valuation of Tenements]', 1850-1858. : Fermoy Barony, 23 (Clogheen)
- ''GRIFFITH'S VALUATION OF IRELAND'[Primary Valuation of Tenements]', 1850-1858. : Barony of Lower Ormond, 133 (Nenagh North)
- ORDNANCE SURVEY NAME BOOKS, County Tipperary: Vol. VII, Parish of Nenagh, p.110 [Riverstown]
Modern printed sources
- MONTGOMERY-MASSINGBERD, Hugh (ed). ''Burke's Irish Family Records''. London: Burke's Peerage, 1976: 292-295
- HAJBA, Anna-Maria. ''Historical Genealogical Architectural notes on some Houses of Cork. Volume I: North Cork''. Whitegate: Ballinakella Press, 2002: 112, 115, 347, 360
- ''Jnl. of the Cork Historical and Archaeological Society''.: Historical and Topographical Notes, etc on Buttevant, Doneraile, Mallow and Places in their vicinity. Collected by James Grove White (c 1906). XXVI, 2nd Series (1920), 241-243 (Templemary)
- ''Freeman's Journal'': Incumbered Estates Court sale reports, 9 February 1855, p.4