Cooper (Markree)
Edward Cooper was a soldier in Richard Coote [Lord Collooney]'s, regiment of horse. He is known in the family history as "The Cornet". After the Cromwellian settlement he was granted land in the Collooney area of county Sligo and in counties Limerick and Kerry. The family were already settled at Markree as is evident from the Hearth Money Rolls of 1665. They continued to be a major social and political power in the county for the next two centuries. An interesting feature of the heritage of Markree is its association with astronomy and meteorology. Weather observations have been taken there since 1828. Markree Castle is now a hotel. see http://www.markreecastle.ie/home.htm for more details. The Coopers also held some land in the parishes of Ballinchalla and Kilmainebeg, barony of Kilmaine, county Mayo. In 1867 oyster beds and houses in the city of Dublin, associated with the estate of Edward Joshua Cooper, were offered for sale in the Landed Estates Court. In November of that year the Irish Times reported on the sale of Cooper property in the barony of Carbury, county Sigo, to William Middleton. In 1906 Col. Cooper's estate included almost 2000 acres of untenanted land in the barony of Tirerrill. By March 1916 Richard E.S. Cooper had accepted an offer of £11,000 from the Congested Districts' Board for his 1,639 acres in county Mayo. The Board also acquired over 500 acres of the Sligo estate. The Coopers retained at least part of their Munster estate from the 17th to the 19th century as Edward J. Cooper held land in the parishes of Knocklong, barony of Coshlea and Kilfrush, barony of Smallcounty in the early 1850s and in the 1870s is recorded as owning 1,118 acres in county Limerick.
Associated Families
Houses
| Name | Townland | Civil Parish | PLU | DED | Barony | County | Map Ref | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Markree Castle | Markree Demesne | Ballysadare | Sligo | Collooney 48 | Tirerrill | Sligo |
OSI Ref: G701252
OS Sheet: 26 Discovery map: 25 |
|
| Elsinore | Rosses Upper | Drumcliff | Sligo | Drumcliff East | Carbury | Sligo |
OSI Ref: G630398
OS Sheet: 8 Discovery map: 16 |
|
| Union | Union | Ballysadare | Sligo | Collooney 48 | Tirerrill | Galway |
OSI Ref: G685269
OS Sheet: 20 Discovery map: 25 |
|
| Markree Observatory | Clooneenroe | Kilross | Sligo | Collooney 48 | Tirerrill | Sligo |
OSI Ref: G701252
OS Sheet: 26 Discovery map: 25 |
|
| Tully More House | Tully More | Kilross | Sligo | Collooney 48 | Tirerrill | Sligo |
OSI Ref: G708258
OS Sheet: 26 Discovery map: 25 |
|
| Castletown (Ballysadare) | Cloonmacduff | Ballysadare | Sligo | Collooney | Tirerrill | Sligo |
OSI Ref: G688268
OS Sheet: 20 Discovery map: 25 |
|
| Quarryfield | Quarryfield | Clonoghil | Tobercurry | Kilturra 81 | Corran | Sligo |
OSI Ref: G598100
OS Sheet: 38 Discovery map: 25 |
|
Archival sources
- Rentals 1893-1932, Catalogue of Auction Sale Feb. 1954; Sligo County Library
- Estate Maps, 1704-1900. ; Sligo County Library
- Accounts & rent books, Cooper estate, 1924-42. S.R. ; Sligo County Library
- Rentals of Bryan Ricco Cooper/Lt. E.F. Cooper, 1901-1943. S.R. ; Sligo County Library
- Valuation of Col. E.H. Cooper's estate, 1893. S.R. ; Sligo County Library
- Schedule of tenanted holdings under Land Purchase Act, 1923-31, Bryan Cooper estate. S.R. ; Sligo County Library
- Tracings of St. Paul's church & Sunday School premises, Collooney, 1929. S.R. ; Sligo County Library
- Photstat copy of map of demsene of Mercury. 1704. 16 I 16. ; National Library of Ireland
- MSS maps of Joshua Cooper's estate, 1752-1849. 21 F 2.; National Library of Ireland
- Rent ledgers from Cooper estate, 1775-1872. MSS 3050-60.; National Library of Ireland
- Accounts relating to Markree estate, 1700-1800. MS 2172. ; National Library of Ireland
- Rental of Joshua Cooper's estate, 1809-10. MSS 3076.; National Library of Ireland
- Rentals of Cooper estate, covering dates between 1813-1827. MSs 9753-9757. ; National Library of Ireland
- Deeds relating to Markree estate, 1835-69. D.10,120-125. ; National Library of Ireland
- Two cash books, Cooper estate, 1784-1812. MSS 3048-49. ; National Library of Ireland
- Markree photographs & press cuttings. 016/015.; Irish Architectural Archive
- Landed Estates' Court Rentals (O'Brien), Phibbs, Cooper & Lindesay,11 January 1867, Vol 84, MRGS 39/041, (microfilm copy in NUIG); National Archives of Ireland
Contemporary printed sources
- 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] : 97
- PARLIAMENTARY PAPERS. ''Return of owners of land of one acre and upwards, in the several counties .... in Ireland''. HC 1876, LXXX: 147, 320
- LEWIS, Samuel. ''A Topographical Dictionary of Ireland''. London: S. Lewis & Co., 1837: Vol I 163
- ORDNANCE SURVEY NAME BOOKS, County Sligo: Vol I 134
- LEET, Ambrose. ''A directory to the market towns, villages, gentlemen's seats, and other noted places in Ireland''. Dublin: Printed by B. Smith, 1814 : 282
- O'RORKE, T. ''History of the parishes of Ballysadare and Kilvarnet''. Dublin: James Duffy and sons, n.d.: 148-195.
- PARLIAMENTARY PAPERS. ''24th Annual Report of the Congested Districts' Board for Ireland'', [Cd 8356], HC 1916, vi, 564-586. Appendix VIII: 55
- PARLIAMENTARY PAPERS. ''Return of Untenanted Lands in Rural Districts, Distinguishing Demesnes on Which There is a Mansion...'', HC 1906, c, 177: 393 (Markree & Union).
- PARLIAMENTARY PAPERS. ''15th Annual Report of the Commissioners of Public Records Ireland,'' 1825. Vol XVI, Appendix I, Grants under Acts of Settlement: 58
- McPARLAN, James. ''Statistical Survey of the county of Sligo'' (Dublin: Royal Dublin Society, 1802). : 7.
- SLATER, Isaac. ''Royal National Directory of Ireland: List of the principal seats''. (Manchester: 1894) : xxx, 26 (Markree Castle)
- WILSON, William. ''The Post-Chaise Companion or Travellers Directory Through Ireland''. The author: Dublin, 1786 : 105 (Mercrea[Markree])
- BATEMAN, John. ''The great landowners of Great Britain and Ireland''. London: Harrison, 1883. : p.104
Modern printed sources
- BURKE, Sir Bernard. ''A genealogical and heraldic history of the Landed Gentry of Ireland''. London: Harrison & Sons, 1912: 131
- BENCE-JONES, Mark. ''A Guide to Irish Country Houses''. Revised ed. London: Constable, 1988. : 201
- GLIN, Knight of, GRIFFIN, D. J. & ROBINSON, N.K (eds).'' Vanishing Country Houses of Ireland''. Dublin: Irish Architectural Archive/Irish Georgian Society, 1989. : 131.
- MONTGOMERY-MASSINGBERD, Hugh (ed). ''Burke's Irish Family Records''. London: Burke's Peerage, 1976: 273.
- NATIONAL INVENTORY OF ARCHITECTURAL HERITAGE. ''An introduction to the architectural heritage of county Sligo''. Dublin: Stationery Office, 2007. : 82-88.
- PINE, L.G. (ed). ''Burke's Genealogical and Heraldic History of the Landed Gentry of Ireland''. 4th ed. London: Burke's Peerage, 1958.: 178-179.
- McTERNAN, John. ''A Sligo miscellany: a chronicle of people, places and events of other days''. Sligo: Avena publications, 2000. : 122-124, 164.
- FITZSIMONS, J.F.''Notes on the history of Markree and its observatory.'' Sligo: [the author], 1982. : All.
- ''Jnl. of the Galway Archaeological and Historical Society'': Nĺ CHINNÉIDE, Síle. A Frenchman’s Tour of Connacht in 1791. XXXV (1976), 52-66
- ''Corran Herald'': KEANE, Tom. Weather and star gazing at Markree Castle. XXXII (1999-2000), 11-12.
- ''Corran Herald'': DUFFY, P.J. The Congested Districts Board (including list of lands acquired in county Sligo under the Wyndham Act). XXXIV (2001-2002), 6-7.
- ''Corran Herald'': O'BRIEN, Pat. The townland called Union. XL (2007-2008), 49-54.
- McTERNAN, John C. ''Sligo: the light of bygone days, Vol.I Houses of Sligo and associated families''. Sligo: Avena Publications, 2009. : 78-79 (Elsinore), 392-395 (Markree), 414-415 (Quarryfield
- McTERNAN, John C. ''The light of bygone days, Volume II: Sligo families''. Sligo: Avena Publications, 2009. : 46-53
- ''Weekly Irish Times'': 21 Aug 1937 Markree Castle
- BLAKE, Tarquin. ''Abandoned mansions of Ireland II: more portraits of forgotten stately homes'' Cork: Collins Press, 2012. : 240-247 (Elsinore)
- ''Irish Times'': Landed Estates Court Sales reports, 23 & 25 November 1867, p.4
- TIMONEY, Martin A (ed). ''Dedicated to Sligo: thirty-four essays on Sligo's past''. Sligo: Publishing Sligo's past, 2013. : Timoney, Martin A. "Hints towards a natural and topographical history of the county of Sligoe" by the Rev. William Henry, 1739", p.151.[Mercury]