Kirkwood (Glencarha)
Description
A family who settled in the west of Ireland in the early 17th century and were established at Castleton and Moyne Abbey, county Mayo by the early 18th century. From the mid 19th century they had residences at Yeo Vale, Bideford, North Devon and at Glencarha, county Mayo. Other branches of the family were living on Bartragh Island and in the town of Killala.
Estate(s)
| Name | Description |
|---|---|
| Kirkwood (Glencarha) | The Kirkwoods owned an estate in the parish of Kilgarven, barony of Gallen, county Mayo. In 1876 John Townsend Kirkwood of Cheltenham, England, owned 8345 acres in county Mayo and 444 acres in county Sligo. By March 1916 the Kirkwoods had accepted an offer from the Congested Districts' Board for the purchase of over 4,000 acres of their estate. The Board also acquired the Sligo estate. |
| Howley (Belleek Castle) | The Howley family appear in both Hussey de Burgh and the 1876 Landowners Survey as owners of land in Tireragh Barony, county Sligo. In addition there is evidence from both the OS Name Books and archival sources that they acted as agents for some of the larger estates in the area. The Howleys were also middlemen for a number of landlords in the baronies of Gallen and Tirawley, county Mayo, including the Kirkwoods and the Knox Gores. At the time of the Ordnance Survey in the 1830s they were living in a number of houses in the parish of Kilgarvan and at Belleek Castle, parish of Kilmoremoy, county Mayo. Piers and Mary White offered property for sale in Ardnaree, barony of Tireragh, in 1869. This was held on lease from the Howley estate. In 1871 over 1000 acres in county Sligo including Quignashee and 12 acres at Belleek Castle, county Mayo were advertised for sale in the Landed Estates' Court. Messers. Litterdale and Davidson purchased some of the lots in trust. Later, in 1876 and 1877, the properties at Quignamanger and Quignashee were offered for sale in the same court. The lease details seem to indicate that this had originally been Jones and Morgan land. The Irish Times reported that these lots were purchased by Alderman Harris and, in trust, by John Boyd and Mr. Barloe. In 1883 Edward John Howley offered for sale lands in the Rathglass area of the barony of Tireragh which he held on a long lease from the Digby estate. In 1906 John Howley is recorded as the owner of over 1400 acres of untenanted land in the barony of Tireragh including a mansion house. The Congested Districts Board later acquired over 1100 acres of the estate of Thomas J. Howley. |
| Kirkwood (Bartragh Island) | Captain Charles Kirkwood of Bartragh Island, parish of Killala, barony of Tirawley, county Mayo, held lands in a number of parishes in the Killala area at the time of Griffith's Valuation. On 25 March 1834 forty acres of the Abbey of Moyne, beside Bartragh Island, were leased to Charles K. Kirkwood by Thomas Jones for a term of 910 years. In 1876 the Captain owned 944 acres in county Mayo. The Landed Estates' Court rentals show that other members of the Kirkwood family held houses and property in the town and surrounds of Killala from the Ecclesiastical Commissioners. In January 1877 the Irish Times provided a detailed account of the purchasers of some of this property at a sale in the Landed Estates Court. |