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Westenra (Baron Rossmore)
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Of Dutch origin, the Westenras settled in Ireland in the mid-17th century. General Robert Cuningham was created 1st Baron Rossmore of Monaghan in 1796. His wife Elizabeth Murray was a co-heir of her mother Mary, daughter and heir of Sir Alexander Cairnes Baronet of Monaghan. According to Shirley, in 1680 Alexander Cairnes bought that part of the Blayney estate which was situated in the barony of Monaghan. As the first Baron Rossmore and his wife had no children the title passed in 1801 by a revisionary clause to Mary Murray’s grandson Warner William Westenra, son of one of her other daughters and co heirs Harriet and her husband Henry Westenra, Member of Parliament for Monaghan. The 2nd Baron was born in 1765 and died in 1840. The estate of his son Henry Robert 3rd Baron, as recorded in Griffith’s Valuation, was principally in the parish of Monaghan where he held at least 52 townlands, with large portions also in the parishes of Tedavnet and Kilmore and smaller portions in the parishes of Aghabog, Donagh and Killeevan. In 1876 his son held the fifth largest estate in county Monaghan amounting to 14,839 acres.
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