Meares (Meares Court)
A Wiltshire family who were granted lands at Rowlandstown now Meares Court, County Westmeath in the mid-17th century and Cornamuckla, County Longford by patent of 1667. Lewis Meares of Meares Court and George Jones of Rathconnell purchased lands in the barony of Rathconrath in 1703 from the Trustees of forfeited estates. The male line died out in 1790 and the estate was inherited by a nephew William Devenish who adopted the surname Meares. At the time of Griffith’s Valuation (publ. 1854) his son John Devenish Meares owned an estate in the parishes of Rathconrath and Piercetown while his grandson Lewis was leasing land from John Rotton in the parish of Ballymorin. In the 1870s John D Meares owned 2,398 acres in the county.
Associated Families
Houses
| Name | Townland | Civil Parish | PLU | DED | Barony | County | Map Ref | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dalystown | Dalystown | Ballymorin | Mullingar | Ballymorin 60 | Westmeath |
OSI Ref: N260524
OS Sheet: 17 Discovery map: 41 |
|
|
| Rathcastle | Rathcastle | Rathconrath | Mullingar | Skeagh 58 | Westmeath |
OSI Ref: N281548
OS Sheet: 17 Discovery map: 41 |
|
|
| Mearescourt | Rowlandstown | Rathconrath | Mullingar | Skeagh 58 | Westmeath |
OSI Ref: N274557
OS Sheet: 17 Discovery map: 41 |
|
Archival sources
- Copies of wills of Robert Meares of Almoritia, 1738 and Lewis Meares of Mearescourt, Co Westmeath, 1699. T. 753-753; Public Record Office, Northern Ireland
- Copy of confirmation of arms to the descendants of Richard Meares, eldest son of William Meares, eldest son of Richard Meares, all of Killinboy, Co Westmeath, second son of Lewis Meares of Rowlandstown, now Meares Court and Cornamuckle, Co Longford and to the great grandson of the first named Richard, being Rev Robert Meares of Stewartstown, Co Tyrone, eldest son of George Meares, second son of Robert Meares of Moyvore, Co Westmeath, 17 June 1901. GO Ms 111, 102-103; National Library of Ireland
- Pedigree of Meares of Mearescourt, Co Westmeath and Cornmucklough and Togherstown, Co Longford, 1560-c 1811. GO Ms 171, 11-16; National Library of Ireland
- Pedigree of Meares, formerly Devenish of Portlick Castle and of Meares Court, 1720-1862. GO Ms 178, 455-456; National Library of Ireland
- Papers of the Meares family of Meares Court, Mullingar, Co. Westmeath, 1650-1750. Originals in Longford-Westmeath County Library; a list compiled by Longford-Westmeath County Library included in folder. 1 folder Ms 33,003; National Library of Ireland
Contemporary printed sources
- PARLIAMENTARY PAPERS. ''Return of owners of land of one acre and upwards, in the several counties .... in Ireland''. HC 1876, LXXX: 85
- 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] : 315
- PARLIAMENTARY PAPERS. ''15th Annual Report of the Commissioners of Public Records Ireland,'' 1825. Vol XVI, Appendix III. Abstracts of the conveyances from the trustees of the Forfeited Estates and Interests in Ireland in 1688'.: 387
- ''GRIFFITH'S VALUATION OF IRELAND'[Primary Valuation of Tenements]', 1850-1858. : Mullingar Union, 32 (Dalystown); 56 (Rathcastle); 57 (Rowlandstown)
- PARLIAMENTARY PAPERS. ''Return of Untenanted Lands in Rural Districts, Distinguishing Demesnes on Which There is a Mansion...'', HC 1906, c, 177: 370
- LEWIS, Samuel. ''A Topographical Dictionary of Ireland''. London: S. Lewis & Co., 1837: II, 491
- LEET, Ambrose. ''A directory to the market towns, villages, gentlemen's seats, and other noted places in Ireland''. Dublin: Printed by B. Smith, 1814 : 284 (Mearescourt)
- 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: 67