King (Drumsna)
The King family descend from the Reverend Edward King, Bishop of Elphin (1611-1639) who was granted lands forfeited by the O'Beirnes in the Drumsna area of county Roscommon early in the 17th century. The Bishop built the original houses at Charlestown and Kilmore. Members of the family served as High Sheriffs of Leitrim in the eighteenth century. Gilbert King was made a baronet in July 1815 and died in 1818. He was succeeded by his nephew Robert, who died in 1825. Robert's son Gilbert became the 3rd baronet and at the time of Griffith's Valuation he held an estate in the parishes of Kilmore, barony of Ballintober North and Aughrim, barony of Roscommon. In the 1870s Sir Gilbert King owned 1,858 acres in county Roscommon, 4,328 acres in county Sligo and 480 acres in county Leitrim.The King estate in North Sligo was principally in the parish of Drumcliff though Griffith's Valuation and the Ordnance Survey Name Books indicate Sir Gilbert King was the owner of a number of townlands in Tawnagh parish in Tirerrill barony also. In the 1870s Henry King owned over 1500 acres in county Sligo. . Extensive estates were also held in Leitrim and Roscommon. James King is recorded as owning over 2200 acres in county Leitrim in the 1870s while John King, with an address in France, owned almost 2500 acres.
Associated Families
Houses
| Name | Townland | Civil Parish | PLU | DED | Barony | County | Map Ref | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cartron (King) | Cartron (King) | Kilmore | Carrick on Shannon | Cloonteem 47 | Ballintober North | Roscommon |
OSI Ref: M990 952
OS Sheet: 12 Discovery map: 33 |
|
| Charlestown House | Cloonavery | Kilmore | Carrick on Shannon | Cloonteem 47 | Ballintober North | Roscommon |
OSI Ref: M985 977
OS Sheet: 11 Discovery map: 33 |
|
| Kilmore House | Kilmore | Kilmore | Carrick on Shannon | Cloonteem 47 | Ballintober North | Roscommon |
OSI Ref: M993 934
OS Sheet: 18 Discovery map: 33 |
|
| Rush Hill | Ardlougher | Aughrim | Carrick on Shannon | Aughrim East 45 | Roscommon | Roscommon |
OSI Ref: M926 922
OS Sheet: 17 Discovery map: 33 |
|
| Jamestown House or Jamestown Lodge | Jamestown | Kiltoghert | Carrick-on-Shannon | Carrick-on-Shannon 28 | Leitrim | Leitrim |
OSI Ref: M981973
OS Sheet: 31 Discovery map: 33 |
|
Archival sources
- Rent &account books of John King in counties Leitrim, Longford & Roscommon, 1757-85. Ms. 3125, 3520. ; National Library of Ireland
- Rent roll & accounts of King estate in counties Leitrim, Offaly & Roscommon, 1801-1818. Ms.4120. ; National Library of Ireland
- Accounts of Rev. H. King concerning family estates in Leitrim, Offaly & Roscommon, 1825-27. Ms.3524. ; National Library of Ireland
- 25 maps of estate of Sir Gilbert King in Cos Leitrim, Roscommon & Sligo, 1767-1862. 16.F.9; National Library of Ireland
- Pedigree of King, baronets, of Charlestown, Co Roscommon, c 1580-1815. GO MS 113:283-284; National Library of Ireland
- King Papers, letters & other documents re the King family of Charlestown & Elphin, Co Roscommon, in particular John King MP, 1667-1787. MS 8472; National Library of Ireland
- Copy grant of arms to descendents of Rev Edward King, Bishop of Elphin & to Gilbert King of Charlestown, Co Roscommon, as one of them, 12 Dec 1814. GO MS 106:79; National Library of Ireland
- Charlestown House. Photographs of gates and ruined lodges. 152/060.; Irish Architectural Archive
- Charlestown photos. 011/046; 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: 316 & 321
- LEET, Ambrose. ''A directory to the market towns, villages, gentlemen's seats, and other noted places in Ireland''. Dublin: Printed by B. Smith, 1814 : 104 (Charlestown)
- ORDNANCE SURVEY NAME BOOKS, County Sligo: Vol I 321
- 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] : 250
- ''GRIFFITH'S VALUATION OF IRELAND'[Primary Valuation of Tenements]', 1850-1858. : Carrick on Shannon Union, 3 (Cartron) & 4 (Charlestown)
- LEWIS, Samuel. ''A Topographical Dictionary of Ireland''. London: S. Lewis & Co., 1837: Vol II, 186
- ORDNANCE SURVEY NAME BOOKS, County Roscommon: Vol II, 186
- ORDNANCE SURVEY NAME BOOKS, County Roscommon: Vol II, 346 & 369
- PARLIAMENTARY PAPERS. ''Return of Untenanted Lands in Rural Districts, Distinguishing Demesnes on Which There is a Mansion...'', HC 1906, c, 177: 378 (Cloonavery)
- 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: 64 (Charlestown)
- LEGG, Marie Louise (ed). ''Census of Elphin 1749''. Dublin: Irish Manuscripts Commission, 2004: 52 (Charlestown)
- SLATER, Isaac. ''Royal National Directory of Ireland: List of the principal seats''. (Manchester: 1894) : xxiv, 69 (Charlestown), xviii & 58 (Jamestown Lodge)
- WILSON, William. ''The Post-Chaise Companion or Travellers Directory Through Ireland''. The author: Dublin, 1786 : 103 (Charlestown)
- BATEMAN, John. ''The great landowners of Great Britain and Ireland''. London: Harrison, 1883. : p.251
Modern printed sources
- BURKE, Sir Bernard. ''A genealogical and heraldic history of the Landed Gentry of Ireland''. London: Harrison & Sons, 1912: 369
- MOSLEY, Charles (ed). ''Burke's Peerage and Baronetage''. Crans, Switzerland: Burke's Peerage (Genealogical Books) Ltd, 1999: I, 1591
- BENCE-JONES, Mark. ''A Guide to Irish Country Houses''. Revised ed. London: Constable, 1988. : 81 (Charlestown)
- HARRISON, A (compiler).'' A roll of all gentlemen....High Sheriffs, MPs & other officers of county Leitrim, 1600-1909.'' Carrick-on-Shannon: printed by P. Brennan, 1910. : 4-5
- ''The Irish Genealogist'': GRAY, Edward S. Some notes on the High Sheriffs of county Leitrim, 1701-1800. I (1941), 302-303.