Landed Estates
University of Galway

Somers


Estate(s)

Name Description
Somers The Somers family previously occupied the estate at Chaffpool near Tobercurry which passed to the Armstrong family in the early 19th century. In 1853 the rental of lands belonging to John P. Somers was offered for sale in the Encumbered Estates Court. The petitioner was Jemmet Duke. The Duke family had had a lease on the lands since 1825. The Freeman's Journal reported that it was purchased by Martin Cogan for over £2700.
Armstrong (Chaffpool & Moyaliff) These Armstrongs are a junior branch of the Armstrong family of Mount Heaton, county Offaly and descend from Reverend William Carew Armstrong of Moyaliff, county Tipperary, Chancellor of Cashel. In 1789 he married Katherine, daughter of the Most Reverend William, 1st Lord Decies and Archbishop of Tuam. The estate at Chaffpool came into the possession of the Armstrong family in 1818 when their son, John Armstrong of Moyaliffe, county Tipperary, married Catherine, daughter and heiress of Thomas Somers of Chaffpool. The Pennefather sale rental of November 1851 gives details of the perpetual lease of Moyaliffe held by the Armstrongs from the Pennefathers. John and Catherine had seven sons all of whom had died without heirs by 1900. The estates reverted to the descendants of another son of the Chancellor and his wife. In 1876 the Armstrongs owned over 4000 acres in county Sligo. In 1906 the representatives of Edward Armstrong are recorded as the occupiers of property at Chaffpool including a mansion house. Captain Marcus Beresford Armstrong owned almost 1000 acres in Mullinabreena and Achonry, barony of Leyny. In July 1906 over 4000 acres of the Armstrong estate in county Sligo was vested in the Congested Districts Board. The Armstrong family vault is in Achonry cemetery. The Armstrongs also owned land in the parishes of Kilbride and Lackan, barony of Tirawley, county Mayo and in the parish of Tuoghcluggin, barony of Coonagh, county Limerick. In the mid 19th century the Armstrong's county Tipperary estate was centred in the parish of Upperchurch, barony of Kilnamanagh Upper but also contained land in the parishes of Moyaliff and Templebeg. In 1876 Henry Armstrong of Chaffpool owned 2222 acres in county Mayo. At the same time Edward Marcus Armstrong of Moyaliff owned 6,006 acres and his mother, Mrs Rose M. Armstrong of Southall, London, owned 1,264 acres in county Tipperary while his cousin, William Armstrong of Ballydavid, Waterford, owned 52 acres in county Waterford, 2,260 acres in county Tipperary and 413 acres in county Limerick. Another family member, Reverend Alfred Armstrong, owned 1,057 acres in county Tipperary. In the early 20th century Marcus Beresford Armstrong was in possession of Moyaliff and Chaffpool. Property owned by George Armstrong at Monroe, county Tipperary, was sold in the Landed Estates Court in July 1876. The purchaser was the tenant, James Long.