Landed Estates
University of Galway

O'Donel

Description

One branch of the family who served in the army of the Austrian Empire lived at Newcastle, near Swineford, Co Mayo at the end of the 18th century.

Estate(s)

Name Description
Anderson (Cross) General John Anderson bought the lands of Cross, barony of Kilmaine, county Mayo, from the sale of the O'Donel of Newport estate in the Encumbered Estates' Court in the early 1850s. Anne Anderson is later recorded as owning 772 acres in county Mayo (Cross East and West = 773 acres) and 89 acres in county Galway.
Macnemara/McNamara (Cong) From 1722, George Macnemara held the Abbey lands in the parish of Cong, barony of Kilmaine, county Mayo and associated land from the Tasburgh family. George Macnemara was involved in litigation over the ownership of the Abbey lands in the 1730s. By the 1770s at least 500 acres, including the Abbey and the lands of Cornamona and Clogher, county Galway, formerly held by George Macnemara (died 1760), were being leased by his brother-in-law, Stephen Creagh Butler, to his son, Bartholomew Macnemara. The Irish Tourist Association file records that Bishop Pococke described the Abbey House in 1770 as the most delightfully situated residence he had seen in the course of his travels. In 1786, Wilson refers to "the beautiful seat" of George McNamara. The Abbey lands were acquired by Sir Richard O'Donel of Newport in the 1780s and sold to Joseph Lambert of Brookhill, parish of Crossboyne, barony of Clanmorris, in 1852.
O'Malley (Newcastle) This branch of the O'Malley family of Burrishoole, held an estate of about 1,500 acres in the parish of Meelick, barony of Gallen, county Mayo, with one townland in the parish of Rosslee, barony of Carra. They lived at Newcastle formerly an O'Donel residence. In the 1880s the estate passed to the Brewster family who still occupied the Rosslee part of the estate in 1906. Jacob Beckett had either bought or was leasing Newcastle. Spencer Park in Castlebar was another O'Malley family home.
O'Donel (Newcastle) From the mid 18th century a branch of the family of O'Donels of Newport, county Mayo, resided at Newcastle, parish of Meelick, barony of Gallen, county Mayo. The Irish Tourist Association file for the parish of Templemore refers to the O'Donel vault beside Straide Abbey which records much of the genealogy of this branch of the O'Donel family. Griffith's Valuation shows that the representatives of Lewis O'Donel of Rosslands, barony of Burrishoole, still held land in the parishes of Meelick and Crossmolina, barony of Tirawley in the mid 19th century.
Clive (Croy Lodge) By the time of Griffith's Valuation Reverend Archer Clive of Herefordshire, England, had bought some of the lands, previously part of the O'Donel of Newport estate, sold to John William Birch in the Encumbered Estates' Court 1852-1856. Documents in the Westport Estate Papers show Percy Arthur Clive holding 3,891 acres in the parish of Kilcommon, barony of Erris, county Mayo, in the late 19th century as well as the Ballycroy fishery. The estate was sold to the Congested Districts' Board on 28 Mar 1912 for £6,007. This branch of the Clive family also had an estate of 3103 acres in county Louth. A cousin of Percy Arthur Clive, the Honourable George Windsor Clive, grandson of Robert Clive of Indian fame, appears to have held some land in county Mayo in the 1890s, see the Westport Estate Papers MS 41,070/1.
Clive (Rock House) George Clive, Member of Parliament and barrister, of Perrystone Court, Herefordshire, built up an extensive estate of 35,229 acres (1876) in the barony of Erris by purchasing land from the O'Donels, Marquess of Sligo and the Birch family. The final offer by the Congested Districts' Board for the purchase of almost 33,000 acres of the estate had been accepted by March 1916. George Clive of Ballycroy also owned 4,869 acres in county Tipperary [bought by the Clives from the Minchins in the 1770s]. In the mid 19th century the representatives of Henry Clive held an estate in the parishes of Bourney, Corbally, Killavinoge and Rathnaveoge, barony of Ikerrin, county Tipperary. The Clive family were related to the Boltons of Knock, county Louth and to Dr Bolton, Archbishop of Cashel.
O'Donnell (Kilcommon Erris) Some of the O'Donnell family of Ulster moved south into the barony of Erris in the 17th century and further south into the barony of Burrishoole by the mid 18th century. A branch of the family became established at Termoncarra and in the Pollatomish area of North Mayo where they leased land from the Protestant Bishop of Killala in the 1770s. The lease was converted into a fee farm grant from the Ecclestiastical Commissioners in 1860 and the estate was offered for sale in the Landed Estates' Court in May 1872. In 1876 Dominick O'Donel of Kilcommon Lodge owned 1461 acres in county Mayo. Matilda O'Donnell subleased her church lands to Thomas Hutchins. The estate of 1457 acres was vested in the Congested Districts' Board on 31 Mar 1913.
Brassey Thomas Brassey bought 2,592 acres on Achill island, barony of Burrishoole, county Mayo, part of the estate of the O'Donels of Newport for £2,333 in the early 1850s.
Holmes Samuel Holmes bought 3,977 acres of Dooega and Carrowgarve in the south west part of Achill island, parish of Achill, barony of Burrishoole, county Mayo, part of the estate of the O'Donels of Newport for £2,333 in the early 1850s.
Medlycott The Burrishoole estate of approximately 70,000 acres was acquired by Thomas Medlycott, Chief Commissioner of Revenue in Ireland, from Charles Butler, Earl of Arran, and grandson of the 1st Duke of Ormonde, at the turn of the 17th century. Later on in the 18th century the Medlycotts found themselves in financial difficulties and sold the estate to John Browne, 1st Earl of Altamont, on 15 July 1774, who sold it back to the Medlycotts on a lease in perpetuity. This lease was sold by the Medlycotts to Sir Neal O'Donel in 1785. Earlier the Medlycotts had leased the property to "Mr Pratt, Clerk of the Treasury" [John Pratt of Cabra Castle, Co Cavan, Deputy Treasurer, died 1740] but when he got into financial difficulty the estate had reverted to the Medlycotts. The Medlycotts had another estate at Rocket's Castle, county Waterford, where they resided during the 19th century. Reverend John T. Medlicott was among the principal lessors in the parish of Clonagam, barony of Upperthird, at the time of Griffith's Valuation. In the 1870s he owned over 950 acres in county Waterford.
O'Donel Some of the O'Donnells of Ulster settled in county Mayo in the 17th century, initially in the Ballycroy area. From there they branched out into Achill and by the 1760s were in the Newport area. They are believed to have been heavily involved in the smuggling trade and by 1781 were prosperous enough to purchase the estate belonging to the old Abbey of Cong on the Mayo/Galway border. In 1785 they bought the lease of the Manor of Burrishoole from the Medlycotts, which established them as the main landowners in the barony of Burrishoole, county Mayo. Patrick Knight, writing in 1836, stated that they also owned 30,000 acres in the barony of Erris. By 1850 the O'Donels were in severe financial difficulties. Much of the Achill part of their estate was bought by the Trustees for the Achill Mission in the early 1850s and the Cong estate was sold to Joseph Lambert and Manus Prendergast, trustees to Alexander C. Lambert. The sale of the different lots of the O'Donel estate is summarized in Appendix 2 of Peter Mullowney's thesis. In 1876 Sir Richard A. O'Donel of Newport and his son George still held over 7,500 acres in county Mayo. Sir George is also recorded as the owner of over 400 acres in County Longford. In 1911 Melicent Agnes Thomas O'Donel sold the remainder of the O'Donel estate to the Congested Districts' Board at the suit of the Scottish Amicable Life Assurance Society to whom it had been mortgaged.
Kelly (Skerdagh) At the time of Griffith's Valuation James Kelly held 1,701 acres, the townlands of Skerdagh Lower and Upper, parish and barony of Burrishoole, county Mayo. These lands were previously part of the O'Donel estate sold in 1854. In 1876 James Kelly of Limerick still held the same acreage in county Mayo.
Simes Nathaniel P. Simes bought 7,719 acres in five townlands in the parish of Burrishoole, barony of Burrishoole, county Mayo, for £4,000 from the sale of the O'Donel of Newport estate in the Encumbered Estates' Court in the early 1850s. Much of the Simes estate was in the possession of the Stanuell family in the late 19th century. For more information about Teevmore see http://familyhistory.oram.ca/burrishoole/?page_id=1345
Pim Jonathon Pim, one of the secretaries of the Central Relief Committee, bought three small townlands in the parish and barony of Burrishoole, county Mayo, from the sale of the estate of the O'Donels of Newport in 1854. In 1876 Jonathon Pim, Member of Parliament for Dublin, owned 626 acres in county Mayo.
Birch At the time of Griffith's Valuation William John Birch (sometime written John William Birch) held the salmon fishery in Tallaghan Bay in the parish of Kilcommon, barony of Erris, county Mayo. William John Birch bought 5,829 acres of the O'Donel estate near Ballycroy in the early 1850s and resold it to the Clive family of Herefordshire. However it appears that the Birch family retained an interest in the property as Henry Coulter refers to a county court judge named Birch who held a large farm from Clive of Ballycroy.
Achill Mission The O'Donel estate on the island of Achill was bought by Trustees of the Achill Mission in association with Thomas Brassey, William Pike and Samuel Holme, who each paid £2,333.6s.8d. for small estates on the island in the early 1850s. The Mission's share was 23,452 acres for which they paid £10,500 . In 1876 the Mission is recorded as holding 19,155 acres, valued at £1,011 in county Mayo. By March 1916 the Achill Mission had accepted an offer from the Congested Districts' Board for the purchase of their estate, which the Board took over in 1921.
McLoughlin The McLoughlins held extensive lands in the parishes of Achill and Burrishoole, barony of Burrishoole, county Mayo, on perpetual leases from Thomas John Medlycott, the Earls of Altamont/Marquesses of Sligo and the O'Donels of Newport in the 18th and 19th centuries. Their estate of 12,733 acres with a rental of £1,478 was one of the first sold in the Encumbered Estates' Court in 1850. Part of it was bought by William McCormack of the Irish Beetroot and Sugar Manufacturing Company and the Newfield estate was bought by Henry J. Smith. Property in and around Newport was sold in the Landed Estates Court in May 1866. It was purchaed in trust by Robert Neilson.
Mostyn (Cos Mayo and Westmeath) In 1852 George Charles Mostyn, 6th Lord Vaux, bought the Rosmead estate in county Westmeath from the Robinsons in the Encumbered Estates Court. At the time of Griffith’s Valuation (publ. 1854) Lord Vaux’s county Westmeath estate was in the parishes of Mullingar and Castletowndevlin and amounted to 2,464 acres in the 1870s. This estate was for sale in the Landed Estates Court in July 1879. The mansion house Rosmead had a demesne of 1,564 acres, additional lands in county Westmeath amounted to about 1,630 acres and the sale included 545 acres in county Meath and the county Mayo estate of 1,460 acres. A lithograph of the Rosemad house is included in the sale rental. Lord Vaux bought Derryloughan East, West and South, parish of Burrishoole, barony of Burrishoole, county Mayo, from the O'Donels of Newport in 1854. In 1876 the Honourable Montagu Henry Mostyn [2nd son of George Charles Mostyn] of Rosmead, Delvin, county Westmeath, held 1,460 acres in county Mayo valued at £159. The county Mayo part of the estate was obviously not sold in 1879 as by March 1916 Lord Vaux had accepted a final offer from the Congested Districts' Board for the purchase of 1,455 acres.
Ashworth (Co Mayo) In the early 1850s Reverend John Hervey Ashworth bought lands in the barony of Burrishoole, county Mayo, from the sale of the O'Donel of Newport estate but appears to have sold them on very rapidly to Alexander W. Wyndham. "The General Armoury" refers to Ashworth of Ashworth and Hall Carr, Co Lancaster and Elland Bank, in Yorkshire, represented by Reverend John Hervey Ashworth (page 29). Thomas Ashworth, who also had Lancashire connections, purchased the Galway fishery in the Encumbered Estates' Court in 1852.
Stuart At the time of the first Ordnance Survey, James Stuart held townlands in the parish and barony of Burrishoole, county Mayo, from Sir Richard O'Donel, the Marquess of Sligo and Sir William Palmer.
Jameson (Cong) At the time of Griffith's Valuation the Reverend William Jameson, brother-in-law of Benjamin Lee Guinness, held three townlands in the parish of Cong, barony of Kilmaine, county Mayo, previously part of the O'Donel of Newport estate. In 1876 he owned 1831 acres in county Mayo and 316 acres in county Galway. At the same time another member of the Jameson family, John Jameson of Dublin, owned 7012 acres in county Mayo valued at £106.
Arbuthnot Local sources suggest the Arbuthnot family were located in the parish of Burrishoole, barony of Burrishoole, county Mayo in the 1780s. John Arbuthnot had an interest in the O’Donel lands of Carrigahowley or Rockfleet, Carrowsallagh or Windsor and Rossyvera, which he sold to the 1st Marquess of Sligo in 1801. In 1802, Sir Robert Arbuthnot, a son of John, married Susan, only child of Colonel William Vesey of Farmhill, parish of Crossboyne, county Mayo, a great-grandson of Archbishop John Vesey of Hollymount. Three townlands in the parish of Crossboyne belonged to the Arbuthnots during the 19th century and their estate was bought by John Charles Sheffield.
Pike William Pike bought 7,791 acres of Carrickkildavnet, Dereen and Shraheens, parish of Achill, barony of Burrishoole, county Mayo for £2,333 from the sale of the O'Donels of Newport Achill estate in the Encumbered Estates' Court. In 1876 he was recorded as the owner of 10,697 acres valued at £673. By March 1916 the Pikes had accepted an offer from the Congested Districts' Board for the purchase of their estate, of which they wished to repurchase 246 acres. The Pike house -Glendarary - was still in the possession of the grandson of William Pike in 1958.
McHale Most Reverend John McHale, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Tuam, bought the townland of Bunnacurry [1,226 acres] in the parish of Achill, barony of Burrishoole, county Mayo, from the sale of the estate of the O'Donels of Newport in the Encumbered Estates' Court in 1854. Besides his estate in county Mayo the Archbishop held 2,048 acres in county Galway at the time of the Landowners' Survey of 1876. Bunnacurry was sold to the Congested Districts' Board on 12 Sept 1908.
Stanuell In the 1890s Charles A. Stanuell held 7,672 acres at Letterkeen, Srahrevagh and Srahmore in the barony of Burrishoole, county Mayo, formerly part of the estate of Nathaniel P. Simes. The Simes/Stanuell estate was originally part of the estate of the O'Donels of Newport and head rent was paid to the Marquess of Sligo. Records in the Westport Estate Papers in the National Library document the Stanuell estate at the end of the 19th century and beginning of the 20th century.