Cuff
Family title
Baron Tyrawley
Description
A granddaughter of the first Sir James Cuff of Ballinrobe married into the Pakenham family, Earls of Longford. A later James Cuff was created Baron Tyrawley in 1797.
Estate(s)
| Name | Description |
|---|---|
| Gore (Castle Gore) | In 1666 the Gores were granted extensive estates, over 14,700 acres, in the barony of Tirawley, county Mayo and in county Sligo under the Acts of Settlement. In 1686 the Manor of Castle-Gore was created from these estates and other lands bought by the Gores. They also acquired the Manor of Belleek from the O'Haras, Barons Tyrawley, and owned estates in county Donegal. Their county Mayo estates were centred on the parishes of Ardagh, Ballysakeery, Addergoole and Crossmolina. In the 19th century much of their estate was let to middlemen or administered by agents and the Gores were largely absentee, as they had inherited the Saunders' estate in county Wexford. John Perkins of Ballybroony near Ballina, was their main agent in the 1830s.At the time of Griffith’s Valuation, in the 1850s, the Gore estate was one of the principal landholders in the parish of Donegal, barony of Tirhugh, County Donegal. In 1876 the Earl of Arran owned 29,644 acres in county Mayo and 6883 in county Donegal. |
| Cuff | Sir James Cuff was granted the town and lands of Ballinrobe, barony of Kilmaine, county Mayo, under the Acts of Settlement, date of grant 1 Feb 1667. Under this grant he was given 1,872 acres in county Mayo which included lands in the baronies of Kilmaine and Carra and 1,963 acres in the county Galway baronies of Longford, Dunkellin, Clare and Ross. He also received a small parcel of land in county Clare. By a further grant dated 27 May 1669 he received smaller acreages in the baronies of Kilmaine and Tirawley, county Mayo and in the baronies of Longford and Ballymoe, county Galway. He also received grants of lands in the parish of Kilmainemore, barony of Kilmaine and in the parishes of Kilbelfad and Crossmolina, barony of Tirawley. His son Gerald Cuff, collector of quit rents, bought land from Colonel John Browne of Westport, near Belcarra, barony of Carra and built Elmhall. He was succeeded by James Cuff of Elmhall and Ballinrobe Castle, who, in 1731, married Elizabeth, sister of Arthur Gore, 1st Earl of Arran. It was their son, James Cuff of Ballinrobe, who was created Baron Tyrawley of Ballinrobe in 1797. The Cuffs leased land in the barony of Tirawley from the Gores, mainly in the parishes of Ardagh, Crossmolina and Kilbelfad. The rest of their estates were in the parishes of Ballinrobe, barony of Kilmaine and Drum, barony of Carra. Most of the estates of Lord Tyrawley passed to his daughter Jane and her husband, Colonel Charles Nesbitt Knox. Jane's niece, Harriet Gardiner, for a time claimed the Belcarra estate. From the early 18th century a branch of the Cuff family had an estate at Creagh, just outside Ballinrobe, but this eventually reverted to the Knoxes. In 1876 Colonel St George Cuff of Deel Castle owned 3,205 acres in county Mayo. Monuments in memory of family members are located in the Church of Ireland graveyard, Ballinrobe. A branch of this family resided at Ballymoe in the 18th century and intermarried with the Caulfields of Donamon and the Bagots of Aghrane. |
| Knox (Castle Lackan) | The Knoxes of Castle Lackan, parish of Killala, barony of Tirawley and later of Creagh, parish of Ballinrobe, barony of Kilmaine, county Mayo, held 24,374 acres in county Mayo in 1876. The family were originally from county Donegal and in 1778 William Knox married Elizabeth Nesbitt of Scurmore, county Sligo. Their son, Charles Nesbitt Knox, married Jane Cuff, eventual heiress to the settled estates of her father, James Cuff, Lord Tyrawley. The Knoxes' estate in the barony of Tirawley was concentrated in the parishes of Addergoole, Lackan and Kilcummin and in the barony of Kilmaine, in the parishes of Ballinrobe and Kilmainemore. Alexander Clendining Lambert was agent to the Knoxes. Colonel C.H.C. Knox sold his estate to the Congested Districts' Board in July and December 1913 and February 1914. |
| Gardiner (Farmhill) | The Gardiners were resident in the parishes of Kilfian and Rathreagh, barony of Tirawley, county Mayo from early in the 17th century. By the 19th century their estate spread over many parishes in the barony of Tirawley, county Mayo. Farmhill in the parish of Rathreagh was their principal seat. It became the property of the notorious landlord, Harriet Gardiner (granddaughter of Baron Tyrawley), in the mid 19th century, who owned 4,073 acres in 1876. Harriet Gardiner had purchased some Knox lands from the Encumbered Estates' Court in 1854 and 1858, which she sold again in the Landed Estates' Court in 1867. |
| Livesay (Cuslough) | A small estate at Cuslough, parish of Ballinrobe, barony of Kilmaine, county Mayo, was held by Richard Livesay in the mid 19th century. This property was part of Lord Tyrawley's estate, later owned by the Knoxes of Creagh. Richard Livesay advertised the sale of his lease of 358 acres at Cushlough in the Landed Estates' Court in 1866. Edward Livesay was advertising the lands of Ballyveane, parish and barony of Ross, county Galway, for sale in the Encumbered Estates' Court in March 1855. The 680 acres of Ballyveane were held on a lease from Denis Daly of Dunsandle to Gregory Cuff of Creagh dated 12 Oct 1790. Another 1970 acres at Kilbride in the barony of Ross belonging to the Livesays was advertised for sale on 20 May 1862. This property was held under a fee farm grant from the Provost of Trinity College, Dublin to Charles J. Lynch of Petersburg. Edward and Richard Livesay were both described as deceased in the rental schedule. The Livesays were also selling over 700 acres in county Meath in 1862. The Irish Times reported that Charles J. Lynch purchased the property known as Phepotstown, for over £4000 in the Landed Estates Court in July 1862. Charles E. Livesay of Cuslough, Ballinrobe, is recorded as owner of 1970 acres in county Galway in the 1870s. Marcella Livesay, sister of Edward Livesay, owned over a thousand acres in the parish of Boyounagh, barony of Ballymoe, county Galway, at the time of Griffith's Valuation. Wills of members of the Livesay family can be accessed in the National Archives, Kew, London. |
| Fair (Fortville) | In 1788 Robert Fair of Ballyjennings, parish of Kilmainemore, county Mayo, was leasing lands from a number of landlords including the farm of Toocananagh, near the village of Bohola, barony of Gallen, from Denis Daly; Ballyjennings and adjacent lands from Christopher Bowen of Hollymount and Ellistronbeg or Fortville from the Brownes of Glencorrib. He also had a share in a lease of the lands of Island, parish of Bekan, barony of Costello, from Francis Knox of Rappa. By 1809 he was able to buy the lands of Creggagh near Foxford from James Daly of Dunsandle, county Galway. It is likely that the Elizabeth Fair, who married Thomas Ruttledge of Bloomfield and Bushfield, was his sister. Two of his sons, John of Creggagh and Robert of Bushfield, married daughters of David Ruttledge of Tawnaghmore, parish of Kilbelfad, barony of Tirawley. Robert died in 1837 and left all his freehold property to his third son, Thomas of Fortville and later of Millmount, county Galway. His second son, Robert Fair of Carravilla and Bushfield, prospered and by the time of Griffith's Valuation had land in the parishes of Kilcommon, Kilmainemore and Robeen, barony of Kilmaine, Crossboyne and Mayo, barony of Clanmorris, county Mayo and barony of Ross, county Galway. He purchased in the Encumbered Estates' Court, parts of the estates of the Dillon-Brownes of Glencorrib, Marquess of Sligo, Henry Martin Blake of The Heath and Lord Oranmore and Browne. He had an only daughter, Jane, who married Thomas Ruttledge of Bloomfield. In 1876 Mrs Ruttledge Fair owned 2765 acres in county Mayo and 2799 acres in county Galway. Most of the Fair's estate was vested in the Congested Districts' Board on 29 May 1913. |
| Martin (Toomore) | Two townlands in parish of Toomore, barony of Gallen, county Mayo, were held by Captain James Martin at the time of Griffith's Valuation. He bought them from the sale of the Cuff estate in 1851. The Martin property was advertised for sale again in 1866 by a number of persons. |
| Kenny (Ballinrobe) | A family established in the Ballinrobe area, barony of Kilmaine, county Mayo, from the late 17th century. They held land from the Earls of Lucan, the Ruttledges, the Cuffs and later from the Knoxes of Creagh. They were also involved in the brewing and milling industries in the town of Ballinrobe. They lived at Rocksborough, a short distance outside the town during the 18th century and then moved into their house, Robe Villa, in the town. In June 1855 Courtney Bermingham Kenny was granted a lease of Brendrum or Blakehill in the parish of Cong, county Galway by the Provost of Trinity College, Dublin. This property was advertised for sale in 1861 but the Irish Times reports that it was bought back by the owner for £1600. In 1876 Stanhope Kenny owned 598 acres in county Mayo. John Hearne was their agent from 1880s-1910. Most of their estate was vested in the Congested Districts' Board on 1 Dec 1913. |
| Cuff (Esker) | James Cuff, Esker, is recorded as a resident proprietor of county Galway in 1824. He was a member of the family of Cuff of Creagh, Ballinrobe, county Mayo. Townlands in the parishes of Toomore, barony of Gallen, county Mayo and Killogilleen, barony of Dunkellin and Ballymacward, barony of Tiaquin in county Galway, were advertised for sale in December 1851 by Gregory Cuff, eldest son and heir of James Cuff. Flynn writes that Cuff held his Esker property from Andrew Browne of Mounthazel. Captain James Martin, Bloomfield, county Sligo was the purchaser of the Esker and Toomore properties. |
| Bagot (Bagotstown, Ballyturin & Aghrane/Castlekelly) | This family were first established at Bagotstown, county Limerick in the 13th century. They later held land in counties Laois and Offaly. It was through a marriage with a member of the Cuff family that a junior branch of the Bagot family of county Offaly came to possess an estate in the barony of Ballymoe, county Galway. Catherine Cuff, a granddaughter of Thomas Cuff, a brother of James Cuff, Lord Tyrawley, married John Lloyd Bagot in 1775. Griffith's Valuation records Thomas Neville Bagot and his son John Lloyd Bagot owning townlands in the parishes of Drumatemple and Kilcroan. The Bagot estate was further expanded by the acquisition of the Castlekelly estate in the barony of Killian. Bateman notes that there much litigation between Mr. Bagot and his sister-in-law, afterwards Mrs. Roberts, on the issue. By the 1870s John Lloyd Bagot owned 6,900 acres in county Galway and 104 acres in county Roscommon, his brother Christopher Neville Bagot owned 12,396 acres in county Galway and another brother Bernard William Bagot of Carrownure, Lecarrow, owned 686 acres in county Roscommon. John Lloyd Bagot married Anna Georgina Kirwan of Ballyturin, parish of Kilbeacanty, barony of Kiltartan, county Galway. Their son John owned 1,072 acres in county Clare in the 1870s. By 1906 John Bagot held over 600 acres of untenanted demesne land in Ballyturin as well as the mansion house. 281 acres of the Bagot estate was vested in the Congested Districts' Board in February 1916. |