Landed Estates
University of Galway

Harris


Estate(s)

Name Description
Harris At the time of Griffith's Valuation the representatives of Thomas Harris held an estate in the parishes of Kilbrin and Kilmeen, barony of Duhallow, county Cork. Marianne Wrixon, sister of Sir William Wrixon-Becher, married Thomas Harris of Bathview, Mallow, county Cork and had a number of children. Their eldest daughter married Henry Keating of Mount Esk, county Cork, and the lands of Spring Gove were charged with a jointure for her. In 1810 William Wrixon of Ballygiblin had leased the lands of Rath and Assolas to William Harris of Assolas for the life of Thomas Harris of the city of Cork, sheriff. In the 1850s, William Harris was among the principal lessors in the parishes of Abbeymahon and Templequinlan, barony of Ibane & Barryroe. In July 1871 the Harris estate in the barony of Duhallow was advertised for sale. It amounted to 1,153 acres and included the house and demesne of Spring-Grove. In April 1875 lands at North and South Knocklohart, barony of Duhallow, the estate of William Thomas Harris were advertised for sale. These lands were held by fee farm grant from Peter and Anne Barfoot and Elizabeth Francis Digby to William T. Harris dated 27 February 1851. The Harris family of Lakeview, Cork, were a branch of the Harris family of Assolas.
Digby (Aran) The Aran Islands are comprised of three parishes Inisheer, Inishmaan and Inishmore, all in the barony of Aran, county Galway. At the time of the Acts of Settlement the islands were granted to Richard [Butler] Earl of Arran. From the mid 18th century they belonged to the Digby family of Landenstown, county Kildare, a junior branch of the Digby family granted the title Baron Digby of Geashill in 1620. The Digbys bought the islands from John Richard Fitzpatrick and Sir Stephen Fox. The islands had been granted to Richard Butler, Earl of Arran, in 1669. The issue of ''The Connaught Journal'' dated 4 June 1840 reported the marriage of John William Digby of Landenstown and landlord of the islands of Arran with Frances Georgina Townsend. By the time of Griffith's Valuation the Aran Islands were in the possession of Peter Barfoot, his wife Henrietta and her sister Elizabeth Digby. Henrietta and Elizabeth were sisters of John William Digby. In the 1870s Henrietta Barfoot and Elizabeth Digby each owned 5596 acres in county Galway. In 1851 Sir Thomas St Lawrence, 3rd Earl of Howth married as his second wife Henrietta Barfoot daughter of Peter Barfoot and Henrietta Digby and they had a son and 2 daughters, one of whom married Captain Benjamin Lee Guinness, a brother of Lord Ardilaun. By March 1916 an offer from the Congested Districts' Board for the purchase of the islands had been accepted by the St Lawrence and Guinness families. In the early 19th century Digby Devenish, revenue officer, was a prominent resident of the Aran Islands. In 1803 he married Elizabeth Digby of Aran and during the following 20 years their children were baptized in St Nicholas Church, Galway.