Westenra (Baron Rossmore)

Of Dutch origin, the Westenras settled in Ireland in the mid-17th century. General Robert Cuningham was created 1st Baron Rossmore of Monaghan in 1796. His wife Elizabeth Murray was a co-heir of her mother Mary, daughter and heir of Sir Alexander Cairnes Baronet of Monaghan. According to Shirley, in 1680 Alexander Cairnes bought that part of the Blayney estate which was situated in the barony of Monaghan. As the first Baron Rossmore and his wife had no children the title passed in 1801 by a revisionary clause to Mary Murray’s grandson Warner William Westenra, son of one of her other daughters and co heirs Harriet and her husband Henry Westenra, Member of Parliament for Monaghan. The 2nd Baron was born in 1765 and died in 1840. The estate of his son Henry Robert 3rd Baron, as recorded in Griffith’s Valuation, was principally in the parish of Monaghan where he held at least 52 townlands, with large portions also in the parishes of Tedavnet and Kilmore and smaller portions in the parishes of Aghabog, Donagh and Killeevan. In 1876 his son held the fifth largest estate in county Monaghan amounting to 14,839 acres.

Associated Families

Houses

Name	Townland	Civil Parish	PLU	DED	Barony	County	Map Ref
Ballyleck	Ballyleck	Kilmore	Monaghan	Bellanode	Monaghan	Monaghan	OSI Ref: H644323 OS Sheet: 9 Discovery map: 28A
Beech Hill	Tirkeenan	Monaghan	Monaghan	Monaghan	Monaghan	Monaghan	OSI Ref: H675333 OS Sheet: 9 Discovery map: 28A
Cornecassa	Cornecassa	Monaghan	Monaghan	Monaghan	Monaghan	Monaghan	OSI Ref: H650339 OS Sheet: 9 Discovery map: 28A
Camla	Camla	Monaghan	Monaghan	Monaghan	Monaghan	Monaghan	OSI Ref: H650321 OS Sheet: 9 Discovery map: 28A
Rossmore Park	Corlattan	Monaghan	Monaghan	Monaghan	Monaghan	Monaghan	OSI Ref: H653312 OS Sheet: 13 Discovery map: 28A
Will Ville	Aghananimy	Monaghan	Monaghan	Monaghan Rural	Monaghan	Monaghan	OSI Ref: H681327 OS Sheet: 9 Discovery map: 28A
Cortolvin	Killyconigan	Monaghan	Monaghan	Monaghan Rural	Monaghan	Monaghan	OSI Ref: H661332 OS Sheet: 9 Discovery map: 28A
Tirkeenan House	Tirkeenan	Monaghan	Monaghan	Monaghan Rural	Monaghan	Monaghan	OSI Ref: H676334 OS Sheet: 9 Discovery map: 28A
Tully House	Tully	Monaghan	Monaghan	Monaghan Rural	Monaghan	Monaghan	OSI Ref: H665330 OS Sheet: 9 Discovery map: 28A
Tullaghan	Tullaghan	Tedavnet	Monaghan	Scotstown	Monaghan	Monaghan	OSI Ref: H609343 OS Sheet: 9 Discovery map: 28A

Archival sources

Lists of magistrates, landed proprietors etc in Co Monaghan, compiled by Lord Rossmore, Lieutenant of the county, c 1843. Ms 12,767; National Library of Ireland
Photographs of Lord Rossmore and party taken at Rossmore Castle, 3 Jan 1884. (Copyright Office) Copy 1/367/17 - /19; National Archives, UK
Wrest Park Manuscripts (de Grey family, Barons Lucas), include two letters from Lord Rossmore, Rossmore Park, to Earl de Grey, Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, re a list of Deputy Lieutenants for Co Monaghan and violence on the Shirley estate, 1842-1843. L29/700/26/1-2; Bedfordshire and Luton Archives and Records Service
Rossmore Papers, original documents and volumes relating to the estate and microfilm of volume of maps in private possession, 1610-1957. T2929, MIC624; Public Record Office, Northern Ireland
Volume of maps of the estate of Lord Clermont, 1791.; Private Possession
Encumbered Estates' Court Rentals (O'Brien), Hall & Nunn, 3 Feb 1857, Vol 44 (16), MRGS 39/021, (microfilm copy in NUIG) - lands of Dunsinare adjoining Rossmore Park; National Archives of Ireland
Rossmore Estate Manor Estate Accounts and Corporation Estate accounts. Contains townlands; Tenants’ names; Arrears; Year’s rent; Poor rate allowed; Sums received; Arrears discharged; Observations; General Recapitulation, Reconcilement, Appendices. Also contains Jones Estate, Dartrey Estate, Douglas Estate, McMoran Estate, The Wingfield Estate, 1886-1907. P/1/1 ; Monaghan County Library (Clones Branch)
Rossmore Estate Miscellaneous Items, including rent books, 19th century, P/1/2 & Diary of a Co Monaghan coroner, 28 Feb 1876-21 Feb 1877, P/2. 79 items.; Monaghan County Library (Clones Branch)
Additional Papers of Wilson & Simms, Solicitors, Strabane, 1645-1923. Box of deeds, mainly relating to the estate of Rev. William Prior Moore of Cavan town; the estates of the Eden family of Ticehurst, Sussex, in Cos. Cavan, Sligo and Wexford; Lord Charles Beresford's estate in Co. Cavan; and Lord Rossmore's estate in Co. Monaghan. 1844-1902. D3608/9/1 ; Public Record Office, Northern Ireland
Additional Papers of Wilson & Simms, Solicitors, Strabane, 1645-1923. Box of deeds, mainly relating to the estate of Rev. William Prior Moore of Cavan town; the estates of the Eden family of Ticehurst, Sussex, in Cos. Cavan, Sligo and Wexford; Lord Charles Beresford's estate in Co. Cavan; and Lord Rossmore's estate in Co. Monaghan. 1844-1902. D3608/9/1 ; Public Record Office, Northern Ireland
Cornecassa Estate - Pages from an account book, 1841-1854. Ref. 1987: 50a1-3 & 50b1-13. ; Monaghan County Museum

Contemporary printed sources

''GRIFFITH'S VALUATION OF IRELAND'[Primary Valuation of Tenements]', 1850-1858. : Monaghan Union, 128, 194, 204, 205, 208, 211, 225
LEWIS, Samuel. ''A Topographical Dictionary of Ireland''. London: S. Lewis & Co., 1837: II, 383 (Camla, Cornecassa, Rossmore Park); II, 662 (Tullaghan)
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] : 394
SHIRLEY, Evelyn Philip. ''The History of the County of Monaghan''. London: Pickering and Co, 1869: 213-216
PARLIAMENTARY PAPERS. ''Return of Untenanted Lands in Rural Districts, Distinguishing Demesnes on Which There is a Mansion...'', HC 1906, c, 177: 93/271

Modern printed sources

BENCE-JONES, Mark. ''A Guide to Irish Country Houses''. Revised ed. London: Constable, 1988. : 55 (Camla); 93 (Cornecassa); 247 (Rossmore Park)
NATIONAL LIBRARY OF IRELAND. Reports on Private Collections: Report on the Rossmore Papers from 1694 relating to the Echlin and Westenra families and to lands in Co Monaghan. No 113
MULLIGAN, Kevin V. ''The Buildings of Ireland South Ulster, Armagh, Cavan and Monaghan'', (New Haven and London, 2013): 482-484 (Rossmore Park)
ROSSMORE, 5th Baron. ''Things I Can Tell'' (London, 1912): All
''Clogher Record'': MALCOMSON, A.P.W. The Earl of Clermont: a forgotten Co Monaghan magnate of the late eighteenth century, 8 (1973), 46-66
COLLINS, Peter. ''County Monaghan Records in the Public Record Office of Northern Ireland''. PRONI, Belfast, 1998: 121-142