Pigott (Chetwynd & Knapton)

Family title

Baronet

Estate(s)

Name	Description
Pigott (Chetwynd & Knapton)	A family originally from Shropshire, who settled in county Laois in the 16th century. Alexander Pigott, a younger son, was granted over 4,500 acres in county Cork in 1666 and further lands in a number of counties in 1668. His family was established at Innishannon in county Cork by the end of the 17th century. A number of generations of the family lived at Chetwynd, parish of St Finbarrs, Cork city, in the early 18th century. By the late 18th century the family had moved to Knapton, county Laois and in 1808 George Pigott was created a baronet. In the mid 19th century Sir George Pigott held an estate in the barony of Cork parishes of Inishkenny, Killanully and St Finbarrs. In May 1857 the 2,679 acre estate of the trustees of Sir Charles Robert Pigott Baronet in the baronies of Cork and Kinalea, county Cork was advertised for sale. His representatives were the proprietors of over 500 in county Cork in the 1870s, leased from the De Vesci family of Abbeyleix. This included lands in the parish of Inishannon, barony of Kinalea.
De Vesci	In his introduction to the Collection List (No 89) of the De Vesci archive in the National Library of Ireland, Dr A.P.W. Malcomson gives details of the acquisition of the various estates held by the De Vesci family. Most of them, including the estates at Abbeyleix, county Leix, Buttevant, county Cork and the moiety of what became known as the Longford/De Vesci estate at Dun Laoghaire, county Dublin, Passage West, county Cork, Limerick city and county, were inherited from Denny Muschamp, father-in-law of Sir Thomas Vesey. Denny Muschamp was the son of Colonel Agmondisham Muschamp of Buttevant and Ballybricken, county Cork. Michael and his son, Richard Neville Parker, were agents for this estate in the early 19th century and were replaced by the land agency firm of Stewart and Swan, later Stewart and Kincaid, in the late 1830s. In 1835 some of the Longford/De Vesci estate was partitioned, the Veseys retained about 1,500 acres at Monkstown, near Passage West, barony of Kerrycurrihy and Lord Longford took the Ballyhindon estate of about 2,300 acres in the baronies of Fermoy, Condons and Clongibbons. The joint estate is documented in the De Vesci Papers in the National Library. In 1805 lands at Grange East and West, parish of Buttevant, barony of Orrey and Kilmore were settled on Charles Vesey, younger brother of the 2nd Viscount. At the time of Griffith's Valuation the Hon Mrs S. Nugent and John T. Vesci held two townlands in the parish of Buttevant. Mrs S. Nugent [of Portaferry, Co Down] was a daughter of the 1st Viscount de Vesci. The lands of Grange East and West were advertised for sale in May 1860. In the 1870s the De Vesci estate in county Cork amounted to 818 acres, 420 acres in county Dublin and 15,069 acres in county Laois.
Pigott (Rathkeale)	In the mid 19th century John Pigott held townlands in the parish of Clonshire and Rathkeale, barony of Connello Lower, in the parish of Ballingarry and Kilfinny, barony of Connello Upper and Croom, barony of Coshma, all in county Limerick,. His main tenant in the barony of Connello Lower was Samuel Dickson Power. John Pigott was the great grandson of Southwell Pigott who died circa 1755. Southwell Pigott was the son of John Piggott of Kilfinny, barony of Connello Lower and Gertrude, a daughter of Sir Thomas Southwell, 1st Baronet of Castle Matrix. In 1718 he succeeded to the Capard estate of his cousin in county Laois. In the 1870s Henry Armand Pigott of Capard, Rosenallis, Queen’s County, owned 3,477 acres in county Limerick and Robert A.R. Pigott of Capard owned 4,932 acres in Queen's county [county Laois]. This family share a common ancestry with the Pigotts, baronets.
Pigott (Rathkeale)	In the mid 19th century John Pigott held townlands in the parish of Clonshire and Rathkeale, barony of Connello Lower, in the parish of Ballingarry and Kilfinny, barony of Connello Upper and Croom, barony of Coshma, all in county Limerick,. His main tenant in the barony of Connello Lower was Samuel Dickson Power. John Pigott was the great grandson of Southwell Pigott who died circa 1755. Southwell Pigott was the son of John Piggott of Kilfinny, barony of Connello Lower and Gertrude, a daughter of Sir Thomas Southwell, 1st Baronet of Castle Matrix. In 1718 he succeeded to the Capard estate of his cousin in county Laois. In the 1870s Henry Armand Pigott of Capard, Rosenallis, Queen’s County, owned 3,477 acres in county Limerick and Robert A.R. Pigott of Capard owned 4,932 acres in Queen's county [county Laois]. This family share a common ancestry with the Pigotts, baronets.
Dowman	Jane Dowman held a townland in the parish of Killanully, barony and county of Cork from Sir George Pigott in the mid 19th century. The fee simple of a third of an undivided moiety of 998 acres in the barony of Duhallow, county Cork, was advertised for sale in January 1862 by Major General James Whylock, trustee of the will of James Dowman. J. McCarthy O'Leary held the lease as representative of Denis McCarthy to whom the lands were leased in 1788 by Dowman, Harman and Phillips. The Irish Times reported that the property was sold to Mr. O'Leary for £850.
Chetwynd/Chetwind	William Chetwind of Portarlington is recorded as owning 1,010 acres in county Limerick in the 1870s. He may be a relative of Viscount Chetwynd of Bearhaven, county Cork. The Reverend John Chetwynd, younger brother of the 4th Viscount married Judith Pigott and had a son William (died 1798) who married Penelope Carleton of Woodside, county Cork. In the 1870s Edward Chetwynd and others owned 271 acres in county Cork.
Dennis (Cork)	Hugo Read writes that in the mid 18th century John Dennis, a Quaker, was a timber merchant in Cork. He married Sarah Newenham and had an only child Elizabeth who married in 1763 Cooper Penrose. Through this marriage the Penroses inherited property in Cork city. Another member of this family was James Dennis, Baron Tracton of Tracton Abbey. Born in 1721 he was the son of John Dennis, a timber merchant of Kinsale and his wife Anne Bullen. James Dennis became a barrister and later a Member of Parliament. He was also legal adviser to the Earl of Shannon and in 1781 was made a Baron. In 1769 he married Elizabeth Piggott, daughter of Edmund Piggott of Chetwynd, county Cork. When Baron Tracton died in 1782 without an heir he left his estate in county Kerry to his eldest nephew the Reverend Meade Swift and his estates in counties Cork and Dublin to his other nephew John Swift, both of whom took the additional surname of Dennis. At the time of Griffith's Valuation James Dennis held an estate in the parishes of Carrigaline, Rathcooney and St Annes Shandon, barony of Cork, county Cork. In the 1870s the representatives of James Denis owned 1,029 acres in county Cork.