Blacker
Murray MacGregor Blacker was a nephew of William Blacker, a well known author of books on agriculture. He was married to Frances Elizabeth, daughter of Samuel Blacker, of the county Armagh family. In 1853 Murray Blacker, who had been farming in Norfolk, England, leased over 4000 acres at Keel West on the island of Achill, county Mayo from the Achill Mission. In 1855 he subleased half his acreage on the island to Charles Cunningham Boycott, to whom he was connected by marriage. In the late 1850s Blacker bought the lease of Claremount house, the former Browne home, outside Claremorris and a farm of over 300 acres. In 1872 he purchased a property in Virginia, USA and went to live there. He still owned 5665 acres in county Mayo in 1876 and 951 acres in county Galway, at Kilsallagh in the parish of Kilcroan, barony of Ballymoe, which he had bought from C.H. Lawder, assignee of Philip Dignan in 1852. The Blacker lands on Achill Island were sold to the Reverend Warburton Welford in 1877. At the time of Griffith's Valuation the townland of Srahgraddy, parish of Kilcommon, barony of Erris was in the possession of Captain Blacker.
Associated Families
Houses
| Name | Townland | Civil Parish | PLU | DED | Barony | County | Map Ref | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Claremount | Claremount | Kilcolman | Claremorris | Claremorris 88 | Clanmorris | Mayo |
OSI Ref: M339 783
OS Sheet: 101 Discovery map: 39 |
|
Archival sources
- Encumbered Estates’ Court Rentals (O’Brien), Lawder/Dignan, 15 July 1852, Vol 17, MRGS 39/008, (microfilm copy in NUIG); National Archives of Ireland
- Claremount photos. 052/096; Irish Architectural Archive
Contemporary printed sources
- PARLIAMENTARY PAPERS. ''Return of owners of land of one acre and upwards, in the several counties .... in Ireland''. HC 1876, LXXX: 307
- 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] : 36
Modern printed sources
- MCDONALD, Theresa. ''Achill Island''. IAS Publications, 1997: 232-233
- BOYCOTT, Charles Arthur. ''Boycott: The Life behind the Word''. Shropshire: Carbonel Press (UK), 1997: see index
- LYONS, Mary C. ''Illustrated Incumbered Estates, Ireland, 1850-1905.'' Whitegate, county Clare: Ballinakella Press, 1993. : 123-124
- WALFORD, Edward. 'The County families of the United Kingdom''. London: Chatto and Windus, 1885): p.91