Skerrett (Ballinduff)

The Skerretts owned an estate in the barony of Clare, county Galway, which was confiscated at the time of the Cromwellian settlement. However various members of the Skerrett family were granted lands in the barony by patent dated 16 Mar 1678 and Hughes writes that they were able to buy back some of their former property around Ballinduff in the 1680s. Hely Dutton lists four branches of the family situated at Nutgrove, Drumgriffin, Ballinduff and Carnacrow. William Skerrett of Carrownacroagh, parish of Killursa, is documented in the Ordnance Survey Name Books. His agent was John Joyce of Headford. Over 550 acres of his estate was sold in 1843. It was bought by John Nolan, F. Blake and possibly George Staunton Lynch. By the mid 19th century the Skerrett estate was mainly in the parish of Kilcoona but also contained lands in the parishes of Killeany, Killererin and Kilmoylan. Some of their estate had formerly belonged to the Deane family of Balrobuck, parish of Annaghdown, with whom the Skerretts intermarried. The Galway County Library contains particulars of a house in Cross Street, Galway and lands in the barony of Clare, including Balrobuck, which were advertised for sale in 1841 in connection with a legal case between Dominick Lynch and Dominick Skerrett. Brooklodge was Skerrett property by the time of Griffith's Valuation but was held by the Blakes of Ballyglunin on a lease dated 1775, Ambrose Deane to Christopher French. The Skerretts were still resident at Ballinduff in 1814 but later moved to Dublin following a marriage with one of the co heirs of John Locke of Athgoe Park, Dublin. In the 1870s the Skerretts owned 3,733 acres in county Galway and 969 acres in county Dublin. Joseph Skerrett Blake was a magistrate for counties Galway and Mayo in the 1880s. He was the son of Mary Skerrett of Athgoe Park, Dublin and Joseph Blake of Tumneenaun, Clonbur, county Galway.

Associated Families

Houses

Name	Townland	Civil Parish	PLU	DED	Barony	County	Map Ref
Ballinduff Lodge	Ballinduff	Kilcoona	Tuam	Ballinduff 200	Clare	Galway	OSI Ref: M308 418 OS Sheet: 65 Discovery map: 45
Brooklodge	Brooklodge Demesne	Killererin	Tuam	Ballynapark 189	Clare	Galway	OSI Ref: M466 421 OS Sheet: 58 Discovery map: 46
Ardskeabeg	Ardskeabeg	Kilmoylan	Tuam	Ballynapark 189	Clare	Galway	OSI Ref: M448 425 OS Sheet: 57 Discovery map: 46
Carrownacroagh	Carrownacroagh	Killursa	Tuam	Killursa 207	Clare	Galway	OSI Ref: M235 451 OS Sheet: 55 Discovery map: 45
Ebor Hall	Tumneenaun	Cong	Oughterard	Cloonbur 157	Ross	Galway	OSI Ref: M087 534 OS Sheet: 27 Discovery map: 38

Archival sources

Landed Estates' Court Rentals (O'Brien), Blake, 17 May, 5 July & 22 Nov 1867, Vols 85, 86 & 87, MRGS 39/041& 39/042, (microfilm copy in NUIG); National Archives of Ireland
Sale particulars of a house in Cross St, Galway and land in barony of Clare, re case Dominick Lynch v Dominick Skerrett, 9 June & 22 Nov 1841. D1144; Galway County Library
Pedigree of Skerrett of Ballinduff, Co Galway, c 1600-c 1700. GO MS 161: 95; National Library of Ireland
Copy will of William Skerritt, Galway town, 15 July 1811. 999/390/1/1; National Archives of Ireland
Solicitors' records from office of E.J. French, include references to William Skerrett. Small Accessions Index, No. 8; National Archives of Ireland
Rental of the fee simple estate of William Skerrett in a case taken against him by Eliza McDowell in the Court of Chancery, to be sold by Edward Litton, amounting to 551 acres, 20 Apr 1843; Galway County Library
Petition and appeal of Humphry Skerrett, Skerrett v Nesbitt et al, 3 Apr 1734. HL/PO/JO/10/3/230/36; Parliamentary Archives
Skerrett v Woulfe, 1 Apr 1747. HL/PO/JO/10/3/242/28 ; Parliamentary Archives
Answers of Matthew Nesbitt and Prudent Nesbitt, Skerrett v Nesbitt et al, 24 & 28 Mar 1735. HL/PO/JO/10/4/21 ; Parliamentary Archives
Estate papers of the Fitzgerald-Kenney family of Kilclogher, Co Galway microfilmed by courtesy of Kieran Thompson, April 2002, include deeds re the Skerretts of Ballinduffe, 18th century. MIC/667/667A/1/1; Public Record Office, Northern Ireland
Fr. Heaney Collection, Mayo Abbey. P45/09/03: 130; Tuam Diocesan Archives, Tuam
Philip Crossle, two notebooks containing abstracts of deeds and wills of the Skerrett family, Galway. Acc. No 1/755. 1A.58.123; National Archives of Ireland

Contemporary printed sources

Modern printed sources

BURKE, Sir Bernard. ''A genealogical and heraldic history of the Landed Gentry of Great Britain and Ireland''. London: Harrison & Sons, 1886: II, 1677
HUGHES, Michael John. ''Caherlistrane GAA & 150 years of Parish Life''. Caherlistrane GAA Club, 1990: 146
NATIONAL LIBRARY OF IRELAND. Reports on Private Collections: Report on records of Loughrea Abbey, includes reference to register of graves & papers relating to the Skerrett family, No. 224
''Jnl. of the Galway Archaeological and Historical Society'': CROSSLE, Philip. Some Records of the Skerrett Family. XV, (1931-1933), 33-72
''Irish Ancestor'': Abstracts from some Skerrett wills. V, 2 (1973), 100-104
''The Irish Genealogist'': CHAMNEY, Anne R. Extracts from Father Clare’s Annotations to the Conformity Rolls, include reference to this family. X (2001), 427-454
WALFORD, Edward. 'The County families of the United Kingdom''. London: Chatto and Windus, 1885): p.94 (Joseph Skerrett Blake)