Ruttledge (Bloomfield)

In May 1749, Peter Ruttledge of Cornfield and Carrowkillen, parish of Robeen, barony of Kilmaine, county Mayo, purchased from the Binghams of Newbrook the freehold of Cornfield and other lands, which he was already leasing. He acquired other lands in the vicinity and left all his property to his eldest son, Thomas, by his will dated 3 December 1766. Thomas Ruttledge added to the family property and built Bloomfield, which became the principal family residence. Thomas Ormsby Ruttledge, who made a detailed study of the Ruttledge family in the 1970s, estimated that the Ruttledge estates amounted to approximately 30,000 acres at the time of Thomas' death in 1805. Years of litigation between family members about the interpretation of the 1766 will of Peter Ruttledge followed the death of Thomas and the estates were eventually split up among three branches of the family, who had, as their principal homes, Bloomfield, Togher and Barbersfort. Robert Ruttledge, son of Thomas, succeeded to his father’s estates in county Mayo. As he had no children he settled some of his estates on his nephew, Reverend Francis Lambert, at the time of Francis' marriage in 1819. Francis changed his surname to Ruttledge. At the time of Griffith's Valuation his estates were mainly in the parishes of Robeen and Ballinrobe, barony of Kilmaine; Aghamore, barony of Costello; Kilconduff and Meelick in barony of Gallen and Kilcommon, barony of Erris. The Erris lands were held under a lease from Bingham to Thomas Ruttledge dated 1764 and the Ruttledge lands in the parishes of Ballinrobe and Kilgeever were all leased from the Archbishop of Tuam. The whole estate amounting to 15,482 acres, including 310 acres in the parish of Abbeygormacan, county Galway, was advertised for sale in the Landed Estates' Court in 1861. The Ruttledges retained some of their estate as they still owned 3949 acres in county Mayo in 1876. By March 1916 they had accepted a final offer from the Congested Districts' Board for their estate of 6400 acres in county Mayo and over 2000 acres in county Galway. They repurchased 825 acres around Bloomfield House and almost 400 acres in county Galway. The descendants of Reverend Francis Ruttledge lived at Bloomfield until 1924 when it was sold to the Land Commission by Robin Ruttledge, the well known ornithologist, who married Rose Burke of Cloonee.

Associated Families

Houses

Name	Townland	Civil Parish	PLU	DED	Barony	County	Map Ref
Oldhead House/Oldhead Lodge	Oldhead	Kilgeever	Westport	Louisburgh 143	Murrisk	Mayo	OSI Ref: L829 820 OS Sheet: 86 Discovery map: 30
Bloomfield	Bloomfield	Robeen	Ballinrobe	Hollymount 37	Kilmaine	Mayo	OSI Ref: M253 701 OS Sheet: 110 Discovery map: 38
Bushfield	Bushfield	Kilcommon	Ballinrobe	Kilcommon 38	Kilmaine	Mayo	OSI Ref: M294 659 OS Sheet: 119 Discovery map: 38
Cornfield	Cornfield	Robeen	Ballinrobe	Newbrook 39	Kilmaine	Mayo	OSI Ref: M216 698 OS Sheet: 110 Discovery map: 38
Cloonee	Cloonee	Ballinrobe	Ballinrobe	Ballinrobe 23	Kilmaine	Mayo	OSI Ref: M181 691 OS Sheet: 110 Discovery map: 38

Archival sources

W.B. Scott, solicitor's collection, includes maps and surveys of estates of Thomas Ruttledge 1749 & 1770. Small Accs. Index 76, M.957 & M.958 ; National Archives of Ireland
Ruttledge Papers, presented by Thomas Ormsby Ruttledge; Trinity College Dublin
Landed Estates’ Court Rentals (O’Brien), Ruttledge, 26 Nov 1861 & 29 Nov 1864, Vols 63 & 74, MRGS 39/032 & 39/037, (microfilm copy in NUIG); National Archives of Ireland
Westport Estate Papers, Collection List 78; National Library of Ireland
Copy of grant of arms to Rev Francis Lambert of Cornfield, Co Mayo on his assuming name and arms of Ruttledge, 27 Apr 1819. GO MS 106, 114; National Library of Ireland
Copy of grant of arms to David Watson of Dublin on his assuming name and arms of Ruttledge in compliance with desire of Robert Ruttledge of Bloomfield, 22 Jan 1834. GO MS 107, 90-91; National Library of Ireland
Copy of grant of arms to Jane wife of Thomas Ruttledge of Cornfield, Hollymount and daughter of Robert Fair of Bushfield on her assuming name and arms of Ruttledge Fair, 26 Oct 1857. GO MS 108, 193-194; National Library of Ireland
Genealogical and miscellaneous papers with notes relating to the Ruttledge family in Co Mayo 18th-19th cents. Microfilm p.7397 [originals now in TCD Library]; National Library of Ireland
Photocopy of Landed Estates' Court rental, [1861], with some pages missing. ; Mayo County Library
Landed Estates Court Rental, Ruttledge, 26 Nov 1861, Cos Mayo & Galway. M62,665 ; Galway County Library
Thomas Ormsby Ruttledge Papers [TCD], genealogies, wills, family bible entries and miscellaneous papers re the Ruttledge family of Co Mayo, 18th-19th centuries. MIC/357; Public Record Office, Northern Ireland
Thomas Ormsby Ruttledge Papers. Microfilm P 7397; National Library of Ireland
Shannon Solicitors' Papers, unsorted collection, include documents re the Ruttledge family; National Archives of Ireland
Bloomfield, copy photos. 087/043; Irish Architectural Archive

Contemporary printed sources

ORDNANCE SURVEY NAME BOOKS, County Mayo: Vol IV, 383 & 407 (Oldhead) & Vol V, 219 (Bloomfield)
LEWIS, Samuel. ''A Topographical Dictionary of Ireland''. London: S. Lewis & Co., 1837: Vol I, 94 (Oldhead) & Vol II, 67 & 517 (Bloomfield)
LEET, Ambrose. ''A directory to the market towns, villages, gentlemen's seats, and other noted places in Ireland''. Dublin: Printed by B. Smith, 1814 : 71 (Bloomfield) & 83 (Bushfield)
M'PARLAN, James. ''Statistical survey of the county of Mayo''. Dublin: Royal Dublin Society, 1802: 106
''GRIFFITH'S VALUATION OF IRELAND'[Primary Valuation of Tenements]', 1850-1858. : Ballinrobe Union, 140
PARLIAMENTARY PAPERS. ''Return of owners of land of one acre and upwards, in the several counties .... in Ireland''. HC 1876, LXXX: 312
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] : 398
PARLIAMENTARY PAPERS. ''24th Annual Report of the Congested Districts' Board for Ireland'', [Cd 8356], HC 1916, vi, 564-586. Appendix VIII: 44 & 53
PARLIAMENTARY PAPERS. ''Return of Untenanted Lands in Rural Districts, Distinguishing Demesnes on Which There is a Mansion...'', HC 1906, c, 177: 355 (Cloonee, occupied by William C. Burke) & 357 (Bloomfield)
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: 78 (Bloomfield & Creaghduff)
SLATER, Isaac. ''Royal National Directory of Ireland: List of the principal seats''. (Manchester: 1894) : xxiii, 82
WILSON, William. ''The Post-Chaise Companion or Travellers Directory Through Ireland''. The author: Dublin, 1786 : 123 (Bloomfield), 398 (Cornfield)
BATEMAN, John. ''The great landowners of Great Britain and Ireland''. London: Harrison, 1883. : p.157

Modern printed sources

''The Irish Genealogist'': RUTTLEDGE, Thomas Ormsby. The Ruttledge families of Co. Mayo. VII, No. 3, (1988), 433-453
''Jnl. of the Association for the Preservation of Memorials to the Dead''.: X, 325-328
NATIONAL LIBRARY OF IRELAND. Reports on Private Collections: Shannon, solicitors' papers, reference to Ruttledge marriage settlements, wills and leases, originals now in National Archives. No. 193
NATIONAL LIBRARY OF IRELAND. Special Lists.: O'Reilly, includes reference to genealogy of Ruttledge family. No. 273
BENCE-JONES, Mark. ''A Guide to Irish Country Houses''. Revised ed. London: Constable, 1988. : 45
MONTGOMERY-MASSINGBERD, Hugh (ed). ''Burke's Irish Family Records''. London: Burke's Peerage, 1976: 999-1000
GLIN, Knight of, GRIFFIN, D. J. & ROBINSON, N.K (eds).'' Vanishing Country Houses of Ireland''. Dublin: Irish Architectural Archive/Irish Georgian Society, 1989. : 110 (Bloomfield)
''Tuam Herald'': Local Land Purchase. (Lands in the barony of Ross, estate of David Ruttledge). 11 June 1927