Balfe

The Balfe family were settled at Heathfield in county Roscommon in the 18th century but had moved to South Park by the 19th century. Walter Balfe and his wife, Jane French of Frenchlawn, had ten sons, some of whom owned property in county Roscommon in the 19th century. In 1828 Michael Balfe of South Park was a member of the Grand Panel of county Roscommon. James Balfe of Southpark, county Roscommon, was advertising for sale 236 acres of Kinlough, parish of Shrule, county Mayo, in February 1850. At the time of Griffith's Valuation Thomas Balfe held the townland of Rooaunalaghta in the same parish and Nicholas Balfe held a number of townlands in the parishes of Kilglass, barony of Ballintober North and Cloontuskert, barony of Ballintober South, county Roscommon. The representatives of James Balfe also had land in the parish of Ogulla, barony of Roscommon. In the 1870s Nicholas J. Balfe of Dublin owned 110 acres in county Galway , 47 acres in county Roscommon, 433 acres in county Sligo and 412 acres in county Westmeath. Patrick Balfe of South Park owned over 6000 acres in county Roscommon in the 1870s. Some of his lands in the barony of Castlereagh were offered for sale in the Landed Estates' Court in June 1858, November 1874 and again in February 1875. Some of these lands were held on leases from the Lyster and Murphy families. The Irish Times reported that Thomas Higgins purchased 129 acres of Balfe land at the sale in February 1875. Over 900 acres of Patrick Balfe's estate in the barony of Frenchpark had been offered for sale in the Landed Estates' Court in November 1860. James Balfe of Runnemead, tenth son of Walter Balfe of Heathfield, county Roscommon, died leaving four daughters and co heiresses. His daughters married into the Chichester, Berington and De Morelle families. The Chichester's eldest son, Walter George Raleigh Chichester, succeeded to the Irish estates of his mother and also to the Burton Constable estate, Yorkshire. In 1894 he took the name Constable by royal licence. 375 acres of the estate of Michael Joseph Balfe in county Galway were vested in the Congested Districts' Board on 26 Apr 1905 and a further 740 acres in county Roscommon on 4 Feb 1909. At the time of Griffith's Valuation Bernard Balfe held land in the parish of Cloonfinlough, barony of Roscommon. The estate of John Balfe in the parishes of Cloonfinlough, barony of Roscommon and Creeve, barony of Frenchpark, was advertised for sale in May 1851. It was sold in the court in June of that year when the purchasers included Mrs. Mary Carroll and Bernard Balfe. The senior branch of the Balfe family of South Park afterwards moved to Balinluska House, Myrtleville, county Cork. At the time of Griffith's Valuation Patrick Balfe owned an estate in the parishes of Aglishcormish, Dromkeen and Grean, barony of Clanwilliam, county Limerick. The interest of his niece Ellen McDermott in these lands was advertised for sale in June 1862. Captain Walter Balfe of South Park, Castlerea, owned 1,042 acres in county Limerick in the 1870s.

Associated Families

Houses

Name	Townland	Civil Parish	PLU	DED	Barony	County	Map Ref
Corra More	Corra More or Gorteencloogh	Athleague	Roscommon	Athleague West 74	Athlone	Roscommon	OSI Ref: M818 575 OS Sheet: 41 Discovery map: 40
Cleaboy House	Cleaboy	Ballintober	Castlerea	Ballintober 60	Castlereagh	Roscommon	OSI Ref: M725 735 OS Sheet: 34 Discovery map: 40
Heathfield	Heathfield	Baslick	Castlerea	Castleplunket 62	Castlereagh	Roscommon	OSI Ref: M763 787 OS Sheet: 27 Discovery map: 40
South Park	Southpark Demesne	Kilkeevin	Castlerea	Castlereagh 65	Castlereagh	Roscommon	OSI Ref: M713793 OS Sheet: 27 Discovery map: 39
Runnamoat	Runnamoat	Cloonygormican	Roscommon	Cloonygormican 75	Ballymoe	Roscommon	OSI Ref: M793 706 OS Sheet: 35 Discovery map: 40
Lissadorn	Lissadorn	Aughrim	Carrick on Shannon	Creeve 48	Roscommon	Roscommon	OSI Ref: M884 908 OS Sheet: 16 Discovery map: 33

Archival sources

Encumbered Estates' Court Rentals (O'Brien), Balfe, 21 Feb 1850, Vol 1, MRGS 39/001, (microfilm copy in NUIG); National Archives of Ireland
G. Lewin (1938), Valuation survey of Balfe estate in counties Roscommon, Sligo & Limerick, 1858. M.2593. ; National Archives of Ireland
Berington Papers in Worcester Record Office, include papers re Balfe family estates in cos Roscommon, Galway and Limerick, c 1840-1890. Microfilms P.1532-1533; National Library of Ireland
Berington Papers, include rentals & estate papers relating to the estates of the Balfe family in cos Roscommon, Galway and Limerick, c 1840-1890. MSS 705:24/1795-1857. [Microfilm copy at NLI, P.1532-3].; Worcestershire Record Office
Rental of the [Balfe] estate in Clonriffe, alias Clonroffe & Ballymoe & Knockagonnell, Co Galway, 1863. M.3617; National Archives of Ireland
Papers of Sir Charles and Lady Mary Chichester includes accounts and records re the distribution of the Balfe estates in Co Roscommon, 19th century. DDCH ; Hull University, Brynmor Jones Library
Notice of motion for sale of estate of Michael J. Balfe to Land Commission, Balfe to repurchase demesne, Feb 1906. D 8257-8322; National Library of Ireland
Landed Estates' Court Rentals (O'Brien), Balfe, 20 November 1874, Vol 117, MRGS 39/053, (microfilm copy in NUIG); National Archives of Ireland
Landed Estates' Court Rentals (O'Brien), Balfe, 5 February 1875, Vol 118, MRGS 39/054, (microfilm copy in NUIG); National Archives of Ireland
Encumbered Estates' Court Rentals (O'Brien), Balfe, 29 June 1858, Vol 52, MRGS 39/025, (microfilm copy in NUIG); National Archives of Ireland
Landed Estates' Court Rentals (O'Brien), Balfe, 20 November 1860, Vol 60, MRGS 39/030, (microfilm copy in NUIG); National Archives of Ireland
Local History File - Castleplunkett, includes information re Heathfield House; Roscommon County Library
Collis & Ward, solicitors' collection, includes court rentals of Michael Balfe's Co Roscommon estate, 19th century. Small Accs. Index 98, Parcel 39, 2/463/43; National Archives of Ireland
Landed Estates' Court Rentals (O'Brien), Balfe, 3 July 1875, Vol 120, MRGS 39/055, (microfilm copy in NUIG); National Archives of Ireland
Landed Estates’ Court Rentals (O’Brien), McDermott, 19 June 1862, Vol 65 (65), MRGS 39/033, (microfilm copy in NUIG); National Archives of Ireland

Contemporary printed sources

PARLIAMENTARY PAPERS. '' 18th Annual Report of the Congested Districts' Board for Ireland'', [Cd 4927] HC 1909, xvi. Appendix XXXII: 138 & 143
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] : 17 & 18.
PARLIAMENTARY PAPERS. ''Return of owners of land of one acre and upwards, in the several counties .... in Ireland''. HC 1876, LXXX: 146 (Limerick), 293 (Mayo), 314 (Roscommon).
LEWIS, Samuel. ''A Topographical Dictionary of Ireland''. London: S. Lewis & Co., 1837: Vol I, 44 (Runnamoat), 85 (Curramore) & 98 ( Lissadorn), Vol. II, 102 (South Park).
ORDNANCE SURVEY NAME BOOKS, County Roscommon: I, 39 (Curraghmore), 58 (Lisadurn), 91 (Heathfield), 281 (Runnamoat).
LEET, Ambrose. ''A directory to the market towns, villages, gentlemen's seats, and other noted places in Ireland''. Dublin: Printed by B. Smith, 1814 : 146 (Curramore - Caulfield), 216 (Heathfield), 265 (Lissadorn), 343 (Runnimeade - Fallon) & 358 (South Park)
''GRIFFITH'S VALUATION OF IRELAND'[Primary Valuation of Tenements]', 1850-1858. : Castlerea Union, 13 (Cleaboy), 23 (Heathfield), 67 (South Park).
WELD, Isaac. ''Statistical Survey of the county of Roscommon''. Dublin: Royal Dublin Society, 1832. : 651.
''GRIFFITH'S VALUATION OF IRELAND'[Primary Valuation of Tenements]', 1850-1858. : Carrick on Shannon Union, 59
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: 72 (South Park - no proprietor's name given)
GIBBON, Skeffington. ''The Recollections of Skeffington Gibbon, from 1796 to the present year 1829: being an epitome of the lives and characters of the nobility and gentry of Roscommon; the genealogy of those who are descended from the kings of Connaught; and a memoir of the late Madame O'Conor don''. Dublin: 1829: 124
LEGG, Marie Louise (ed). ''Census of Elphin 1749''. Dublin: Irish Manuscripts Commission, 2004: Michael Balfe, Lisaloy, parish of Baslick. 352
SLATER, Isaac. ''Royal National Directory of Ireland: List of the principal seats''. (Manchester: 1894) : xxxiii, 228 (South Park)
WILSON, William. ''The Post-Chaise Companion or Travellers Directory Through Ireland''. The author: Dublin, 1786 : 114 (South Park, [Gisborne, Corr])
BATEMAN, John. ''The great landowners of Great Britain and Ireland''. London: Harrison, 1883. : 23

Modern printed sources

BURKE, Sir Bernard. ''A genealogical and heraldic history of the Landed Gentry of Ireland''. London: Harrison & Sons, 1904: 20
NATIONAL LIBRARY OF IRELAND. Reports on Private Collections: AINSWORTH, J.F. Report on the Stapleton papers, relating to families of Dease, Dobbyn and Balfe and lands in counties Rosommon, Laois and Waterford, from 1731. [No.115].
BENCE-JONES, Mark. ''A Guide to Irish Country Houses''. Revised ed. London: Constable, 1988. : 250 (Runnamoat)
MONTGOMERY-MASSINGBERD, Hugh (ed). ''Burke's Irish Family Records''. London: Burke's Peerage, 1976: 54-55
GLIN, Knight of, GRIFFIN, D. J. & ROBINSON, N.K (eds).'' Vanishing Country Houses of Ireland''. Dublin: Irish Architectural Archive/Irish Georgian Society, 1989. : 127 (Runnamoat)
GORMLEY, Mary (ed). ''Tulsk parish in historic Maígh Aí''. Tulsk, county Roscommon: [the author], 1989. : 147, 149, 151.
PINE, L.G. (ed). ''Burke's Genealogical and Heraldic History of the Landed Gentry of Ireland''. 4th ed. London: Burke's Peerage, 1958.: 50-51
NATIONAL LIBRARY OF IRELAND. Special Lists.: Berington Papers, Irish section of Worcestershire calendar. No. 55
''Jnl. of the Waterford and South East of Ireland Archaeological Society''.: Sadleir, Thomas U. The county of Waterford, 1775: principal gentry. XVI (1913), pp.49-55.
''Irish Times'': Landed Estates Court sale reports, 6 February 1875, p.6
WALFORD. ''County Families of the United Kingdom''. London: Spottiswoode & Co. Ltd., 1910: p.45
''Freeman's Journal'': Incumbered Estates sale reports, 20 June 1851, p.4.