Landed Estates
University of Galway

Evans (Cross House)


Estate(s)

Name Description
Evans (Cross House) At the time of Griffith’s Valuation John C. Evans was leasing a number of townlands from Lord Fitzgerald and Vesey in the parish of Killoscobe, barony of Tiaquin, county Galway. He is also recorded as one of the principal lessors in the parish of Tynagh, barony of Longford, at the same time. Lane notes that he was a land agent for other estates. In 1852 Evans bought the townland of Ballinruane in the parish of Moylough from George Porter. In the 1870s Mary Evans of Cross House owned over 1,000 acres in the locality.
Fitzgerald/Vesey Fitzgerald Catherine Vesey Fitzgerald was elevated to the peerage of Ireland as Baroness Fitzgerald and Vesey in 1826. Her father, the Reverend Henry Vesey, was Warden of Galway and a great, great grandson of John Vesey, Archbishop of Tuam. She and her sister eventually succeeded to the estates of her father and uncles, John and Agmondisham Vesey. Her eldest son William succeeded her as Baron Fitzgerald and Vesey and died unmarried in 1843. In 1853 his executor advertised for sale lands in the baronies of Clare and Tiaquin, county Galway, amounting to almost 4,000 acres. The lands in the barony of Tiaquin were bought by the Reverend George Salmon and those in the barony of Clare by the Very Reverend Henry Vesey Fitzgerald, Dean of Kilmore, brother of Willliam and his successor as Baron Fitzgerald and Vesey. His county Galway estate was in the parishes of Belclare and Lackagh, barony of Clare and in the parish of Tuam, barony of Dunmore, while his county Clare estate was mainly in the parishes of Inchicronan, barony of Bunratty Upper and Kilkeedy, barony of Inchiquin. He married Elizabeth, daughter of Standish O'Grady of county Limerick and had 5 daughters. He died in 1860. His daughters appear to have succeeded to his county Galway estates while his sister Letitia Foster Vesey Fitzgerald's children succeeded to the county Clare estate. In the 1870s his representatives owned 1,437 acres in county Galway while Walter Trevor Stannus is recorded as owning 2976 acres. Two of the Baron's daughters married sons of the Very Reverend James Stannus, Dean of Ross, and the 5,678 acre estate of M.G. Stannus and others in county Galway was vested in the Congested Districts' Board on 5 March 1914. The sale of 1,567 acres belonging to Mary G. Fitzgerald and others to the Congested Districts' Board was proceeding in 1909. P. Lane writes that Martin McDonnell bought almost 6,000 acres of Lord Fitzgerald's property around the town of Dunmore in the early 1850s. Besides the estate in county Galway the representatives of Lord Fitzgerald and Vesey owned 628 acres in county Cavan. Griffith’s Valuation records lands in the parishes of Ballintemple, Denn, Kilmore, Crosserlough and Castlerahan belonging to Lord Fitzgerald and Vesey.
Porter In the mid 19th century George Porter owned the lands of Ballinruane, parish of Moylough, barony of Tiaquin, county Galway, amounting to 494 acres. These lands were purchased in 1852 in the Encumbered Estates' Court by John C. Evans.
Evans (Ballymacward) William Evans occupied this property at Carrownea for most of the 19th century as it is recorded as his residence in 1814 and again in Griffith's Valuation. It would appear that the property was leased, before the Famine, to a Fitzsimons family but was in Evans possession again by around 1850.